Hell’s True Horror: Separation From God
Here’s an interesting question that people often ask on social media.
Is hell “hot?”
In fact, a simple google search pulls up over 500 million results for that very same query.
My question is: why does the “temperature” even matter?
Hell = Separation
I thought I knew what “hot” was.
Living in Texas for so many years, eating spicy hot food is a regular thing.
It all changed one evening when we went to dinner with friends to an acclaimed, James Beard-nominated, restaurant.
I ordered the dinner special inspired by famed TV chef, Bobby Flay.
Little did I know that the colorful pepper on my plate would pack such a devilishly powerful assault on my tastebuds.
It looked good to eat so I took a big bite.
Too late!
The scorching began immediately, reaching new heights of extreme.
My eyes started to water, my face turned red, and nothing (and I mean nothing) would quelch the intense burning.
What was that spawn of Satan that made the inside of my mouth go numb with pain?
A deceptively cheerful-sounding name – the Scotch Bonnet, which is a chile pepper often used in Caribbean cooking.
Thanks for the warning, Bobby.
According to the research, many hot jalapeños have a heat rating up to 10,000 Scoville heat units.
The heat rating of “the Scotch bonnet pepper is about 445,000 SHU.”1
It was “hot” in every sense of the word.
Hell’s True Horror: There’s No Going Back
You already know that some people describe Hell using the same word: “hot.”
You may have even heard someone say on a hot day, “It’s hotter than hell out here.”
All colloquialisms aside, the actual place called hell is not a subject to be taken lightly.
It’s real, and the eternal dwelling place for lost souls.
You don’t want to go there.
Hell’s true horror is not the heat – it’s separation from God forever.
There’s no going back.
Nothing will compare to the extremes of suffering experienced by lost souls in hell.
Hell’s True Horror: It’s Not the Temperature
In the Bible, there are several descriptions of hell including Gehenna, Hades, and Sheol.
When Jesus spoke of Gehenna hell, He was speaking of the city dump of all eternity. Yes, fire was part of it, but the purposeful casting away—the separation and loss—was all of it. – got questions.org.2
Other references to take note of:
“The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (Rev. 14:11)
“The eternal fire” (Matt 25:41)
Even acknowledging these references to a fiery-hot place, the “temperature” is the last thing an unrepentant sinner needs to worry about.
The True Horror of Hell – It’s No Joke
The torment of eternal separation from God is far worse than any physical suffering that is inflicted.
The lake of fire, mentioned only in Revelation 19:20 and 20:10, 14-15, is the final hell, the place of eternal punishment for all unrepentant rebels, both angelic and human (Matthew 25:41). It is described as a place of burning sulfur, and those in it experience eternal, unspeakable agony of an unrelenting nature (Luke 16:24; Mark 9:45-46). Those who have rejected Christ and are in the temporary abode of the dead in hades/sheol have the lake of fire as their final destination. – got questions.org.3
Sadly, some people joke about this.
Can you imagine the pain of being denied His presence – our loving Father who created you out of nothing?
Intense sorrow and regret are the least of it.
If they must be doomed to such a state of endless misery, yet may they not have some good company there? No, none but the devil and his angels, their sworn enemies, that helped to bring them to this misery, and will triumph over them in it. They served the devil while they lived, and therefore are justly sentenced to be where he is, as those that served Christ, are taken to be with Him where He is. – studylight.org.4
It’s Important to Tell Others About Hell’s True Horror
By God’s grace, He sent us His Son, Jesus.
And, by our faith, we have an escape available to us from the eternal torment.
God desires for all of His children to be saved and to spend eternity with Him.
So, why do Christians have to talk about hell?
It certainly seems like, in today’s world, no one wants to hear about it.
Even so, it’s a much needed wake-up call for those who have not yet accepted Christ as their Savior.
There are eternal consequences for unrepentant sin.
Have you read the news headlines?
The world appears to be spiraling out of control.
But actually it’s not.
God is in control.
Bad leaders or good leaders in the political spotlight, God is still in control.
Until Jesus comes again, we should aim to live out our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him.
It’s never too late for the lost people in our lives to turn to God and seek His forgiveness and mercy.
We have the good news of salvation to share, and it’s our responsibility to let the world know.
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1 Scotch Bonnet citation [June 2015] Courtesy of bostonjerkfest.com, “The Tale of Two Peppers: Scotch Bonnet and Habenero” Web. Accessed 20 April, 2024.
2 Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “Is hell literally a place of fire and brimstone? n.d., para. 2. Web. Accessed April19, 2024. Fire and brimstone
3 Quotation from gotquestions.org, from “What is the difference between Sheol, Hades, Hell, the lake of fire, Paradise, and Abraham’s bosom?” n.d., para. 6. Web. Accessed April19, 2024. Sheol, Hades, Hell
4 Quotation from studylight.org, from “Matthew 25: Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Bible” n.d., para.118. Web. Accessed April19, 2024. Endless misery
