Many people today don’t believe hell exists. Jonathan Edwards said, “Almost every natural (unconverted) man that hears of hell flatters himself that he shall escape it”. Rather than ignoring the topic, Jesus took a different approach. Hell was one of the realities He talked about most. The term He often used was Gehenna. Of the twelve times this word is used in the New Testament, He is the One speaking eleven of those times. Gehenna was a place south of Jerusalem where worm-infested garbage burned continually. At one time, it was also the place where authorities disposed of the corpses of executed criminals. In Mark 9:43–44, Jesus referred to those who go “into hell, into the unquenchable fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” This graphic portrayal of hell to the people of that region evoked images of an all-consuming fire that burned forever while worms fed without interruption upon the trash and the carcasses. The point the Lord was making is terrifying but obvious: the torment of those who are cast into outer darkness is unbearable, unyielding and unending. It is never quenched and it never dies. One writer years ago wrote an unforgettable description of this unfathomable horror:
Your body will join your soul and then you will have twin hells…your body will lie, asbestos-like, forever unconsumed, all your veins roads for the feet of pain to travel on, every nerve—the string on which the devil shall forever play his diabolical tune in Hell’s unutterable lament.
As graphic as the above description may be, it focuses primarily on the physical nature of this torment. The nonphysical (psychological) torment of the mind, the emotions and the will is just as horrible and adds another dimension to the reality of this “separation from God.”
I mentioned earlier that the penalty of sin is death and that death means complete separation from God. If someone dies without receiving the pardon purchased by Jesus Christ, the pardon hasn’t been applied to that person’s sin. A pardon is not effective until it is received. The moment a person dies, it is too late to receive it because “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” Therefore, that person steps into eternity with the penalty of his own sin still unpaid. As a result, he must pay his own debt. The problem is he cannot pay his debt off because only the sacrifice of a sinless life (Jesus Christ) on his behalf can pay his debt in full and he did not allow that payment to be applied to his debt while he was alive. The penalty is separation from God (spiritual death) and the separation is for eternity because the debt can never (eternity) be paid in full: debtor’s prison forever. When I realized what this “separation from God” would actually look like, it took my breath away. What I am going to share with you is not pleasant, but it must be said.
I remember laughing at times in college when the topic of hell would come up. A common statement was, “Well, if I go to hell when I die, at least I’ll have my friends with me.” The subtle message was that even if someone is in hell, that person has some comfort in having others with him. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every friendship, every hug, every laugh that any person has ever had is a gift from God. God gives common gifts to all people regardless of whether they reject or receive His Son. This is a picture of how much God loves every person.Separation from God is separation from all that God is. God is love; therefore, hell is total separation from all that is love (laughter, hugs, intimacy). It is a place where there are no friendships: total sadness, total isolation and agonizing loneliness that never end for eternity. God is righteous; therefore, hell is total separation from all that is righteous. It is a place of total unrighteousness: moral humiliation, moral impurity, complete lawlessness and mayhem for eternity. God is just; therefore, hell is total separation from all that is just. It is a place of total injustice: personal degradation, humiliation and violation for eternity. God is merciful; therefore, hell is total separation from all that is merciful. It is a place void of mercy: nauseating regrets and unforgiveness for eternity. Every attribute of God provides a contrasting backdrop from which to peer into the future in store for those who reject the blood-payment of His Son. They have rejected the pardon God has provided and for eternity they will suffer the judgment enforced for a penalty unpaid: total separation from God forever. “Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus…will pay the penalty of eternal destruction,away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
Joe DiMaggio, renowned baseball star, passed away several years ago. On his deathbed, he was quoted as saying, “At least, now, I will get to see Marilyn” (Marilyn Monroe, whom he deeply loved). I am not using this as an example to judge Joe DiMaggio. I have no idea what kind of relationship he had with God. The point is this: if he had not received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior when he died, that statement provided a horrifying glimpse of only one element of the hell he has now entered. He will not have his heart’s desire. He will be haunted by her absence forever…separated from all that is love.