Bible Q&A

• Print
• Email

Is there really fire in Hell?

There is a false doctrine that is propagating its way into mainstream Christianity that teaches Hell as a place of mental anguish only, not physical torment by fire. Teachers of this doctrine postulate that persons in Hell suffer only from the metal anguish of knowing that they rejected Jesus Christ. They insist that all scriptural references to "fire" are simply metaphors for the extreme mental anguish experienced by the wicked, rather than referring to actual flames. The Bible clearly and repeatedly refutes this false teaching, as you can see from the following verses.

Luke 16:19-24:

¹⁹ There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.

Clearly, the rich man was in literal fire. Only if you read this passage in this context does it make sense. He asked for a drop of water to cool his tongue because he was in flames. It would have made no sense to ask for water to cool his tongue if his torment was only mental. 

A look at the Greek word translated into "flame" confirms this. The original word, Phlox, is Greek for "flame". 

Mark 9:

⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
⁴⁸ where the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.

In this case, looking back at the original Greek, we see the word "fire" was translated from the word "Pur," which means "fire". Jesus' mention of the worm and the fire that isn't quenched made perfect sense to those listening to Him. There was a valley outside Jerusalem where trash and the bodies of dead animals and criminals were thrown. It was their city trash dump, but unlike most modern trash dumps, the rubbish was burned, not buried. Twenty-four hours a day the fire burned--it was not quenched, and the dump was full of maggots. Jesus was drawing an analogy between Hell, which his audience did not know about, and the city dump, which they understood. They could relate to bodies covered with worms and being in fire that was not extinguished because they saw it every day when they took out the trash. If Hell is a place of only mental torment, Jesus use of this analogy would have been misleading. Jesus' description of Hell is as clear as it can be. There will be worms on those who are there an there will be fire that is never put out.

Revelation 14:9-11:

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,
¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.

Those who reject God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ will be "tormented with burning sulfur" in the presence of God and His angels. There is no way this verse can be interpreted to mean those in Hell will not be in fire. There is sulfur, it is burning, and those who are there are being tormented by it.  If that were not clear enough, where there is fire there is smoke, as we see in verse 11. The smoke of those burning in Hell will "rise up for ever and ever."

Revelation 20:

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Again, verses 14 and 15 describe a lake of fire, not a place mental anguish.

Revelation 21:8:

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars, they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Once, again, the eternal destination of those who refuse to turn from their sins and reject Christ is in a "fiery lake of burning sulfur." How so many, today, can present a false gospel about something as important as the punishment of those who reject Christ is astounding. 

Can demons hurt people physically?

I recently heard a well-known Christian radio talk show host address this same issue on his program. A caller had asked if evil spirits are able to cause physical harm to humans. The host responded equivocally that they do not, but are able only to affect the mind.  Unfortunately, his answer was not correct because it does not agree with scripture on the issue. It is sad that God's people remain in ignorance on issues that are not only so crucial to the Great Commission Jesus has called us to, but which are so clearly revealed in the word of God. Evil spits, under certain circumstances, are able to physically affect or harm those they afflict.  We need only to turn to scripture to verity this.

Mark 9:14-29:

 ¹⁶ "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.
¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of
¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 
¹⁹ “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 
²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 
²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”  “From childhood,” he answered.  
²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 
²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 
²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 
²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 
²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”
²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 
²⁸ After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 
²⁹ He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

The evil spirit had thrown the boy into fire and into water to try and kill hm. The boy was thrown into convulsions and foamed at the mouth. The spirit shrieked when it saw Jesus and convulsed the boy "violently" and left him on the ground in such shape that many thought he was dead. This was not merely an attack on the mind, the boy was violently and physically attacked, even in front of Jesus.  

In order to understand why this matters to us, today, we need to go back to Mark 16:15-17:

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues.

These verses make up what is known as the "Great Commission" of the Church. This is not a term found in the Bible, but it accurately represents the instructions Jesus gave the disciples. There are two commands from Jesus: we are to go into all the world and preach the gospel and we are to baptize those who accept Christ. There are also two signs that will be evident among those who are truly converted: they will drive out demons in the Name of Jesus and they will speak in new tongues. Just as those of us who would be Christ's disciples, today, are also commanded to carry the gospel to the world, we are also commanded to drive out demons in Jesus' name. You can't logically argue one of these applies to us but not the other.   

Having established, hopefully, that the role of the Church includes driving out demons in Jesus' Name, we must accept that failing to cast out demons is failure to carry out the Commission Jesus gave us. Just as there were people in Jesus' day who were afflicted by evil spirits, there are people, today, who are just as much in need of deliverance.

Some will argue that demonic possession only occurred in the Bible. Looking at the book of Revelation, it is clear that demonic spirits become more, not less, active in the end times. Why, then, should we expect that the Devil and his angels would take a holiday between the historical accounts of the New Testament and the future events of Revelation?

Clearly, as you have seen from scripture, demonic spirits are real, they can be violent and they can physically affect their victims.  Until the Body of Christs accepts our role to deliver those suffering from demonic spirits, we will continue to leave a sad legacy of hurting people who the Lord called us to set free in His Name, but whom we turned our backs on.

What did Jesus mean in Matthew 5:5 when He said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"?

Many people are unsure about this verse because they lack a sound Biblical understanding of what constitutes the eternal reward of the saved. They often assume that those who die in Christ go to Heaven and abide there forever. This very popular belief is held by many well-meaning Christians and even taught by some ministers, but it simply is not what the Bible teaches.  As Revelation 21:1-4 explains, the inheritance and ultimate destination for the children of God is the new earth:

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.

God and His family will forever live together in perfect fellowship, just as He planned from the beginning.

Isn't Jesus just one of many ways to the Father?

In John 14:6, Jesus, Himself, declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That verse should be the end-all answer for the this question. Unfortunately, it didn't satisfy everyone on the day Jesus said it and it doesn't satisfy everyone today.

The belief that one can attain their spiritual destiny apart from the Lord Jesus Christ is not a new concept. From the Old Testament days when people worshiped golden idols to Buddhism to New Age philosophy, history is littered with religions promising enlightenment, peace and spiritual fulfillment.  

Satan, in his relentless attempt to lead people away from the truth of the gospel, continues to offer alternatives. While golden idols and Buddha may be difficult wares for even the Devil to sell to the American public, he has certainly found other ways of peddling his lies and has chosen wisely his sales force.

From George Bush to Oprah Winfrey, social icons on both sides of the political spectrum deny that the Jesus Christ of the holy Bible is the only way to God.  Let us pray that their eyes are opened before it is too late.

Will most people be saved?

It would be limiting the grace and mercy of God to say, specifically, which individuals will be saved and who will not. That certainly is the Providence of God, alone. The word of God does, however, indicate that most people will not be saved but will be eternally damned. 

This is not a comfortable message to deliver and it is not a popular message, today. Some, who masquerade as ministers of the Gospel, teach a doctrine called inclusion. Inclusion, as you might expect, maintains that all mankind will be saved by God and accepted into His Kingdom, regardless of their religious beliefs or lifestyle. If you are willing to accept the word of the Lord Jesus Christ as the definitive answer, however, you will see that this simply isn't so. 

In Matthew 7:13, Jesus states:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Jesus' words were an admonition for each of us to take the right road if we want to avoid joining the "many" whose end is destruction. 

A review of Matthew 25:31-46, as discussed in the previous question, shows without question that there are two destinations for mankind, and Matthew 7:13 tells us most people will not chose wisely. There is only one way to Eternal life, and that way is Jesus Christ, Who declared in John 14:6, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  Sadly, few will accept this truth until it is too late.

As we consider the question of who will be saved, we should remind ourselves of Jesus' stern warning, and make sure we are not deceiving ourselves that we are saved by doing good works, while failing to have a relationship with Jesus Christ:

Matthew 7:21-23:

²¹ Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
²² On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
²³ And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Do those who die in Christ become angels?

A friend of mine, who recently lost his mother to Alzheimer's, reminded me of the ignorance many people have on the issue of angels. In my attempt to console him, I assured him that she was now in the presence of God with sound mind and body. His reply represents the belief of many, Christian and non-Christian, alike, who simply don't know the word of God on the subject of angels. "Yeah," he said, "I guess God just needed another angel."

The belief that angels are the spirits of those who have died in Christ may be comforting, but it isn't based on scripture. The Bible defines angels as a class of spirit beings eternally distinct from human beings.

1 Corinthians 4:9 makes the distinction clear:

 ⁹ For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.

"To angels and to men" indicates that angels and men are not the same.

Job 38:4-7 explains that the angels were present when God created the world.  Obviously, then, they could not have been dead saints, but were another class of being created by God:

⁴ Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
⁵ Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

The term "stars" is used in at least one other scripture to refer to angels. Likewise, "sons of God" clearly refers to angels at the beginning of Job.

The holy angels of God were created before the world was made. Although there are dozens of verses throughout Scripture that tell of the awesome power angels possess, those who accept Christ's wonderful offer of salvation have a far greater destiny than any angel could ever have.

Is homosexuality condemned in the Bible?

Genesis 19:1-11 gives the first account of homosexuality in the Bible, and the behavior is described as wickedness:

¹ The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth
² and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.”
³ But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
⁴ But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.
⁵ And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”
⁶ Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him,
⁷ and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
⁸ Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”
⁹ But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down.
¹⁰ But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.
¹¹ And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

This is an amazing example of the power sin has over those enslaved by it. God had sent the two angels to Sodom to destroy it because the stink of it's sin had reached the very nostrils of God. No doubt, the angels, who appeared in the form of men, were very handsome. Lot was a good man and invited the strangers into his home. He did not know they were angels and was rightly concerned that the homosexuals in the city would relentlessly pursue such handsome men as these. In short order, he was proven to be right when the men of town surrounded Lot's house and demanded the men be brought outside so they could "know them". Lot even offered his two virgin daughters to appease the horde, but their interests was not in women.  Reading further, we see that, even after the angel struck the men with blindness, they "wore themselves out" trying to find the door!  Even after being struck blind, they were driven on by their sinful lust rather than repenting. 

The next verse that mentions homosexual sex is Leviticus 18:22:

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

How much clearer can God's views on the subject be?

Romans 1:24-28 paints a more graphic view of homosexual sex, along with the penalty for those who practice it.

 ²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Does the reference, "and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error" refer to an aids-like virus? Some think so.  Regardless, these verses reveal God's view on gay and lesbian sex as "detestable" and an "abomination". These verses reveal how far from God's holy standard of living that society has strayed.

Homosexuality is one of the sins Satan seems most successful in keeping people in bondage to. This is partially because it is a sexual behavior and, as such, is going to become an addictive behavior, but also because he is able to bring such guilt and shame on some who practice it that they don't think God would ever forgive them. The good news is God not only forgives homosexual behavior, but He is able to deliver those enslaved by its cords: 

Ephesians 1:7:

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

If you are involved in the gay lifestyle, won't you turn to the Lord and let Him forgive you, cleans you and set you free from the bondage that has ensnared you? Do not hesitate to contact this ministry if you need assistance.

END FAQ