What is Hell?

The 'new atheists' like to use the 'horrors of hell' as a way to mock Christianity. It's an outrage, they say. How can anyone hold to such an evil doctrine? What is Hell? Is it real or just a delusion? [Warning; speculation up ahead.]

Quotes and comments;

1. "...you deserve to live forever without God if you do not own and glorify Him as your creator..." [1.]

- In our day (degenerate as it is in so many ways) even so called Reformed theologians and pastors have abandoned the doctrine of Hell. (eg. John Stott) I don't think anyone knows in any kind of exact way what hell is. All the bible clearly reveals to us is that it will be eternal separation from God, and from God's people. If that's all it is, it would be more than enough to fear it, and to see an existence in such a 'universe' as a horrible, painful thing.

If there are one or more universes beyond our own (as cosmologists are beginning to claim) maybe this is what they or it are for. Maybe hell is living in a universe utterly devoid of God and his influence. If man were spiritually alive this would be a fiercesome thing to contemplate. It would mean never meeting Christ or his redeemed. It would mean never living with him for a day, let alone eternity. It would mean never being free of the torments of sin. It would mean never learning the answers to questions that now seem unsolvable mysteries.

To the Christian this would be a horrible thing, and well deserving the name hell. This would mean little or nothing (I assume) to the non-christian. He might even look forward to an existence in the universe called hell. After all, don't some people dream of living forever? Isn't that what the 'transhumanist' movement is all about? Maybe hell is the process of men becoming machines, and losing their humanity. Maybe hell is the 'throwing off' of the image of God. (I don't know if that's possible.)

Is hell a horrific idea? To me it is, I certainly don't want to end up there. So the new atheists are right in saying hell is a horrible idea, but not in the way they suppose. Who knows, maybe hell only looks bad from the outside, from the Christian point of view. (e.g. "If I were to end up in such a place I would feel as if I were on fire, walking through a wasteland of fire, in constant pain and torment.") Maybe it won't seem bad from the inside, by the people living there.

Will people in hell live forever? I don't know. There is no dictionary I can go to that tells me how long the 'forever' in the bible is. Perhaps it (eternity) is forever, perhaps it's only a long time, or as long as one desires.
Can people in hell die? I don't know. Perhaps they can if they want to. Will they want to? Maybe some will and some won't.
Will people be miserable in hell? Perhaps some will and some won't.
Will anyone in hell desire to be in heaven? I don't know; but that would be hell indeed.

M. Johnson

Notes;
1. Van Til's apologetic - Greg Bahnsen/p.128
- quote is from Van Til's pamphlet 'Why I believe in God'
2. I'm not claiming that all of what I've written above is necessarily true.
- I guess that went without saying didn't it.