Hell IS Real

HELL: Its Reality and Nature

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 

7 And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water."

8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying,"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality." 

9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 

10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 

11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." 

12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.""Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" 

(Revelation 14:6-13).

I humbly bow before the Lord as I write on this most dreadful and awful subject, which is nevertheless from God Himself. I chose to use the passage above to show hell’s reality and its nature.

In v. 6 a mighty angel proclaims the glorious eternal gospel in order to give mankind one last chance before the dreadful day of Judgment—“the hour of His judgment has come.” He who created all things, and owns all things, has come to render His verdict on every human who has ever lived. It is indeed a dreadful day, and anyone who can speak of hell without tears, should refrain from speaking of it,.

This entire text speaks of the reality of hell. Throughout history, man has tried to get rid of hell from their thinking by ignoring it, or by watering it down. Think of how unreasonable it would have been for a resident of the Florida Keys to ignore the clear warnings of the impending devastation of Hurricane Irma. It is infinitely more unreasonable to think that ignoring hell in our thinking,will make it “go away.” It won’t.

This text is agonizingly clear in presenting hell as really real. And has been often pointed out, Jesus spoke more often of hell then He did of heaven. If we are to be faithful to God’s Word, and compassionate towards others, then we must be gripped by the terrifying reality of hell.

Jesus came on a mission of desperate urgency: to save us from God’s wrath. We live in an age in which hell is seldom mentioned, but this is a reflection of our generations diminished view of God’s burning holiness, and His infinite hatred of sin.

It is my perception of the New Testament that the vast majority of mankind is headed toward hell, and most of those who claim to profess Christ, do not posses Christ. “Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord…” (Matthew 7:21ff)

13 "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.(Matthew 7:13-14, emphasis added  ESV)

Let us now look at what makes hell, hell—the hellishness of hell.

First, the damned will be the objects of God’s wrath, infinite anger and hatred. The distinction between sin and sinner will be obliterated. In v. 10 it speaks of the cup of His anger being poured out full strength. Whatever mercy and grace we may have received on earth will only haunt them, as God’s justice is poured out in full measure.

Whatever else the significance of the mark of the beast and its image signifies prior to Jesus’ return, it basically is a reference to all who have not been sealed with the Holy Spirit, which all believers have. So, any person who has not bowed the knee to Christ as their Savior and Lord, is a child of wrath (see Ephesians 2:1 ff).

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved

God, Satan, and other damned sinners will torment the damned, but God’s wrath is by far the worst punishment.

God Almighty will look upon them with utter contempt and holy hatred, and His wrath will be poured out in full measure.
Second, those in hell will suffer in body and soul. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
Whether the fire and brimstone is literal or not, the reality will much worse than the imagery used…which is horrible enough.
The deceased souls are either in heaven or hell, awaiting the Final Judgment. At this public pronouncement, all will be reunited with their bodies. The saints will receive a glorious body that will enrich their pleasures of heaven. But the damned will be united with hideous bodies which will accelerate their misery in hell. The torments of hell will be partly physical.V.10 “…he will be tormented with fire and sulfur.” All five senses will be inflamed with agony.
The soul, or essence of a person, will feel the infinite hatred of God, as well as their remorse for rejecting countless opportunities to respond to God’s mercy. This agony of both soul and body will be unspeakable, and sinners will yearn to die but will not be able to.
Another trait of hell is restlessness.(see v.11) They will yearn for some respite, some rest from the horrific torment, but it will continue, night and day.
Their lack of rest will be aggravated from knowing that the saints have rested from their labors. Starting in Genesis 2, entering into God’s rest was integral to the inheritance of God’s people. But rest-lessness is reserved for this who have committed spiritual adultery with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Imagine feeling utter restlessness, in body and soul. No rest.
This may surprise you, but it will be the presence of God in hell that will make it truly hellish. (tormented…in the presence of the Lamb, v.10)We’ve all heard the phrase “Christ-less eternity”, implying that God won’t be in hell. However, this text says otherwise. Besides, if God is omnipresent, He cannot NOT be in hell. It is His presence which mainly makes hell, hell.
For the saint, heaven is God. For the sinner, hell is God. Cursed are the impure in heart for they too shall see God.
Seeing God face-to-face, the beatific vision, is the main goal and pleasure of heaven. However, sinners in hell shall see the stern face of God who has nothing but infinite hatred for them. This language may disturb you, but may I suggest that we have presumed upon both the mercy and grace of God. We deserve neither—indeed, we all deserve hell.
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of hell is its unending nature.V11 speaks of their torment going up forever and ever. The torments and agony of the damned sinners will never, ever end. They will last through all eternity.
Ten million years from now, the damned sinner will be no closer to ‘parole’ then when he first arrived. If visualizing the eternality of hell does not break your heart, then I don’t know what will.
In Matthew 25 we have another picture of the Last Judgment…the sheep and goats.
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46) ‘aiownion’ is the exact same Greek word used to describe the eternal nature of both heaven and hell. If one denies the eternal nature of hell, then to be consistent, they must deny the eternal nature of heaven as well.
Theologians have tried to take either the pain out of eternity or the eternity out of pain. Even some the most respected evangelical theologians of our day, have fallen prey to this tendency to water down the utter hellishness of hell.
Yes, this eternal nature of hell does cause me anguish, as well it should. However, we forget the infinite heinousness and sinfulness of sin before an infinitely holy God.
But whatever I say about the justice of the eternality of hell, I must confess that it causes deep and visceral pain (which I can feel physically).
As Jonathan Edwards said, “we can’t scare people into heaven, but it’s reasonable to try to scare them out of hell, and start seeking heaven and love for Jesus (the only proper motive). Is it not reasonable to tell your loved ones if your house is on fire?”
I plead with you from the depths of my soul, to flee from the wrath to come. Do not read these words, only to regret for all eternity that you failed to respond appropriately.
Today, I urge you to seek the Lord, your Creator. It is only a thin thread that separates all of us from eternity—
Please bow before the Lord and take hold of the free gift of eternal life, purchased by the finished work of Christ in the cross.

1. Acknowledge that you have sinned. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
2. Acknowledge and trust from your heart that Christ died and rose again to save you from your sins…as a free gift. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
3. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Savior and Lord (Romans 10)
4. We can have confidence that our union with Christ will usher us into eternal rest, if we persevere to the end. God preserves His elect to persevere.
5. Jesus Christ, and only Jesus, can rescue us from eternity in hell. Out of gratitude for God’s free salvation, commit to serving and loving Him with all your being.
6. Lastly, I pray that this short vision of hell will compel you to seek every opportunity to reach out to the lost…and examine your own heart to make sure that you possess the Christ that you profess.


Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

Gleanings from Jonathan Edwards on the Soul's Experience in Heaven

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

In October of 1747, at the age of 30 years old, David Brainerd, who was the son-in-law of Jonathan Edwards, died. He was known as an exceptionally godly man, loving pastor, and very fruitful missionary to the Native Americans. Last night I read Edwards funeral sermon for this occassion, and I was so moved by it that I wanted to share some of the main points of his message. Edward's is arguably the most intellectually gifted man ever born in this land, and certainly one of the most godly and annointed of God.

This had to be at least a two hour sermon and was packed with biblical content--alas, I will not be able to quote most of the verses due to space. His text was 2 Cor.5:8..."We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." In this section Paul is explaining why he was able to press on with such boldness and immovable steadfastness while suffering such relentless opposition and torment. Answer: the glories that await us in heaven the moment we die (as with Brainerd)--if we are in union with Jesus Christ--far outweigh the momentary afflictions of this life. Principally, "the souls of true saints, when they leave their bodies at death, go to be with Christ." (Vol.2, pg 27) The sweetness begins as he explains what that entails.

The believer is instantaneously perfected or glorified as they enter the "third heaven" and are in the presence of the glorified human nature of Christ. He piles up biblical references supporting our conscious existence in heaven. In addition, we are reminded of two states of Christ's church--the church militant (still fighting the good fight), and the church triumphant (resting from their labors)--our mutual union with Christ unites all believers of all ages.

"The souls of true saints, when they leave their bodies at death, go to be with Christ, to dwell in the immediate, full, and constant view of Him." (pg. 28) Though we see through a glass dimly here, in heaven the beatific vision ravishes the soul with pleasures and joy unspeakable. The spirits of just men made perfect (Heb.12:22-24) Jesus Himself spoke of His longing that we would share with Him the exceedingly wondrous glory, joy, and beauty in heaven (John 17:24) The infinite beauty of the Lord Jesus will elicit unending pleasures in us which the greatest pleasures on earth were but dim glimpses.

Please remember all this occurs immediately after death, and is only magnified once we attain our glorified bodies (after Second Coming). The impediments of indwelling sin, temptations, and our frail bodies all tended to dwindle vital communion with Christ here, but upon death our union with Christ will burst forth in full flower.

At conversion we are espoused to Christ, but when we enter heaven's palace, the fullness off marriage intimacy begins. The tenderness, closeness, and sweetness of our constant interaction with Jesus is the essence of heaven. Christ shall be "unbosomed" to us and His infinite endearment shall sweep our affections into ravishing pleasure and joy. "Thus they shall eat and drink abundantly, and swim in the ocean of love, and be eternally swallowed up on the infinitely bright, and infinitely mild and sweet, beams of divine love; eternally receiving that light, eternally full of it, and eternally encompassed round with it, and everlastingly reflecting it back again to its fountain." (pg.29) So close are we to Jesus that we partake with Him in His own enjoyment of the Father--which infinitely magnifies our joys and privileges. The Trinitarian delight and eruptions of sheer joy, are shared with us. The angels shall marvel at us and we shall rule over them.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." (Heb. 12:1) The church triumphant observes (with no sorrow) their brothers-in-arms still on earth.We (deceased believers) participate in Christ's current reign over the church and the universe."The saints, when they ascend to heaven, and are made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places, and are partakers of  His exaltation,are exalted to reign with Him." (pg.30) As kings and priests we reign with Christ over heaven. and earth, and its all inhabitants--visible and invisible. Our hearts and minds are in perfect union/agreement with Jesus and we truly sit in dominion with Him over all. The text above from Hebrews clearly is speaking of departed saints  (hall of fame in ch. 11 symbolizing all believers) observing the welfare of the church militant...partaking with Christ  in the joy of the advancement of gospel and kingdom of God.

(It is Edward's observations on the CURRENT reign of deceased believers that I found so edifying and glorious)

"The happiness of the saints in heaven consists very much in beholding the glory of God appearing in the work of redemption..." (pg.30). Departed saints have a vantage point which allows them to see the working together of all things, how Satan is baffled and overthrown, and what seems confusing to us they see the excellencies of divine wisdom. It is because of the intimacy of our union with the Lord Jesus that we shall be privy to the divine plan, which angels long to look into. Listen to these words..."The saints in heaven (are now) as much participating with Christ in reigning over the nations, and in the glory of His dominion"...as we shall after the Second Coming. The departed saints are kings and queens over all creation, as we are co-heirs with Christ. Which is why when Jesus appears to slaughter the anti-Christ, we are by His side (Rev. 19:14)

Of course the highest joy of heaven will be our praise and worship of our Creator and Redeemer.The praise itself shall be of excellent sweetness and ravishing to the soul. Whatever dullness of heart we have in worship here shall be transcended in heaven, and the corporate nature of the praise shall only magnify it's pleasurablness. In Heb.2 we see Jesus as the choirmaster leading His Bride in worship of the Father.

In speaking directly of his dear son-in-law, Edwards states...

"...how infinitely greater the privilege of being with Christ in heaven, where He sits on the right hand of God, as the King and God of angels, and of the whole universe, shining forth as the great light, the bright sun of that world of glory; there to dwell in the full, constant, and everlasting view of His beauty and brightness; there most freely and intimately to converse with Him, and fully to enjoy His love,as his friends and spouse; there to have fellowship with Him in the infinite pleasure and joy He (Christ) has in the enjoyment of His Father! How transcendent the privilege there to sit with Him on his throne, to reign with Him in the possession of all things, and to partake with Him in the joy and glory of His victory over His enemies, and the advancement of His kingdom in the world, and to join with Him in joyful songs of praise to His Father and their Father, to His God and their God, for ever and ever! Is not such a privilege worth seeking after?"