Former Beatle John Lennon had his biggest success as a solo artist with the song “Imagine.” Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, wrote the song together, which includes lyrics like the following,
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Whether it’s from a humanist standpoint, or even from those claiming to be Christians, the doctrine of hell is often attacked.
Even within churches of Christ, this teaching has been challenged. One of the most popular books on “annihilationism” or “conditionalism” from the 20th century was written by Edward Fudge, a lawyer and member of the church of Christ.
With the variety of views that exist, we must ask, Does the Bible present a clear picture of what hell will be like? When we talk about hell, several truths are at stake: particularly, the character of God, and the destiny of man.
Passages like 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 teach that hell is righteous, it is conscious, and it is eternal. It is righteous in that God, the perfect Judge of all the earth determines who will go there, and the criteria are impartial and communicated.
It is conscious; Paul says, “They will suffer…eternal destruction.” Let’s take a closer look at this word, “destruction.” The Greek word translated “destruction” does not carry the sense “go out of existence,” but instead means something like “loses its essential function.”
It is eternal. Just as Paul says they will suffer “eternal destruction,” Jesus uses the same word in Matthew 25:46, where He says, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” If the destruction is not everlasting, then neither is the life with Christ. I don’t know anyone arguing that “heaven” will not last into infinity.
Hell is too hot and eternity too long for me to walk around pretending it doesn’t exist and that the people I love won’t go there just because I love them. But there’s Good News! The only people who will go to hell are those who choose to do so by rejecting God’s gracious offer in Jesus Christ. Let’s share the Good News and save as many as possible.
Clay Leonard