According to the Bible, what will hell be like?
The depiction is terrible and residents are feeling uneasy. Jesus said that “the devil and his angels” would be there (Matthew 25:41). He taught that the unrighteous would be there (Matthew 25:41-46). The apostle John described it as “the second death” (Revelation 21:8) and “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). It is a place of constant punishment (Revelation 20:10, Matthew 25:46) and therefore a place from which there is no escape.
As a child, I imagined that those who went to hell would come to their senses at some point (perhaps sooner or later) and repent. If the prodigal in the parable (Luke 15:11-32) came to his senses while eating pigs' slop, the fear of hell would certainly cause deep sorrow and repentance.
Have you ever wondered if there is repentance in hell? Should we imagine that those in hell will eventually cry out to God for help, only to have their cries rejected? Will they plead for God's salvation, make a pledge to God, and renounce their wickedness, only to be met with divine scorn for their desperate cries?
We shouldn't imagine such a thing. Because there is no Biblical reason to think that the wicked will repent in hell.
Hell is full of hardened hearts. And repentance does not come from a hard heart. Repentance is a gift from God. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. And in the New Testament, repentance leads to salvation.
Do they wish they weren't in hell? yes. Would they wish there was no punishment? of course. Consider the words of the rich man in Luke 16. He says, “I am tormented in this fire” (Luke 16:24) and describes his dwelling as “this place of torment” (Luke 16:28).
Jesus described the feelings of the inhabitants of hell: “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of the kingdom all those who cause sin and those who break the law, and they will burn them. and there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42; see also Matthew 24:51).
Should we think of this “crying” as tears of repentance? Repentance is not made explicit. Crying is not the only thing mentioned. I read about crying and gnashing of teeth. Together, these two depictions of tears and teeth convey an image of pain and anger. “Teeth grinding” expresses anger and hostility. The denizens of hell are hostile, angry, and furious.
Hell is full of hardened hearts. And repentance does not come from a hard heart. Repentance is a gift from God. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. And in the New Testament, repentance leads to salvation. True repentance never exists without salvation. Peter said, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Addressing those who might oppose the gospel, Paul said, “Maybe God will give them repentance that will lead to a knowledge of the truth, and they will come to their senses after being taken captive by the devil. that you may escape from the snares of the devil, 'to do his will' (2 Timothy 2:25-26). And, of course, Paul is not talking about people in hell, but about people living on earth.
Faith and repentance are the result of the gracious work of the Holy Spirit as the Lord opens our eyes to see the ugliness of our sin and the beauty of our salvation. God convicts us and we experience true repentance and Godly sorrow. According to Paul, “Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Those in hell will never want to worship God. They will never love the Lord. They will never repent. Rather, their hardness of heart will bring forth the fruit of all kinds of fear of sin.
If there is sadness in hell, it is secular It is not God's sorrow, but sorrow. Godly sorrow produces repentance, the repentant is saved, and God is glorified because the merciful work of the Spirit of God illuminates the sinner's heart and reveals to him the glory of Christ. .
It is inconceivable that those who repent will not be saved. And since those in hell will not be saved from judgment, there can be no true repentance for them. The Spirit will not cause repentance in the hearts of the wicked who cannot be saved from the second death.
There is no saving grace or common grace in hell. There will be only the endless anger of those who do not know God, and their endless repentance will bring blasphemy and hatred to the highest level. If heaven is a place of love and hope, hell is a place of hate and despair.
Those in hell will never want to worship God. They will never love the Lord. They will never repent. Rather, their hardness of heart will produce the fruit of all kinds of fear of sin. The wicked of hell will be the embodiment of iniquity and the living manifestation of spiritual darkness. They will never want to flee to Christ. For they will forever despise and blaspheme Christ.
As we ponder the dwellings of the wicked, let us rejoice in the good news of a Savior who still accepts sinners. When people flee to Christ, He never rejects them. In fact, God will save them and keep them forever.
This article first published At Substack by Dr. Mitchell Chase, Biblical theology.
