Garth Jones considers what the Bible teaches about the eternity of the determined Christ-rejecter
Having reviewed Philip Wren’s book “Revelations of Jesus Christ” (see elsewhere this edition) I determined to revisit my own understanding of Hell – what it is, and its duration. (Scripture is from the New King James Version Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson).
GREEK OR HEBREW?
I was uplifted in reading Wren’s precision crafted book honouring our Saviour in expanding ways. Unfortunately, I found the author’s penultimate chapter controversial. Wren explores EL DEOT, the God of Knowledge. In his paragraph ‘Everlasting Conscious Torment’ the author appears to question the concept or existence of Hell forever.
My previous encounter of this was during March 2024. I could not understand how an ex-missionary could say that he “now doesn’t believe there’s hell as God is love”! I then thought this gentleman did not preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and/or he has been deceived by theologians, and so ultimately by the evil one!
Philip Wren says, ”Many are troubled by a widely held belief that the torment of the wicked will continuefor ever and ever without relief. I believe that this idea comes from Greek thinking and is not found in the Bible.” The writer suggests that most of us are in the Hebrew mind namely hell is forever. I have never heard any preacher say otherwise or read it, until now. I obviously have a sheltered outlook ! I simply love applying 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Test all things and keep to what is good.” when challenged by pseudo-science, social concepts, preachers, witnessing, etc.
ETERNAL HELL
I’m pleased that Philip Wren concludes in his Chapter 21 with, ”all present at the judgment will witness that God has acted with perfect righteousness and mercy”, but I have struggled to understand this apparent dichotomy of concept. There can only be one result per individual for a just, holy, and truthful God. My conclusion that hell lasts forever is due to four reasons.
1) Carson following others who have given short shrift to this concept concludes with these rhetorical questions: “But did not the covenant community in Isaiah’s day have similar needs? Were the ancient Hebrews unable to distinguish past, present, and future because their language has only two aspects?”1 The ancient Hebrew slaves from Egypt, and as a continuing nation with judges, kings and prophets were led and experienced God’s Word witnessing His care, accurate directions, blessings and condemnations frequently. Most importantly the Holy Spirit made the original writings perfect as quoted and continued by our Lord in the New Testament.
2) “Perish” quoted by the Lord (Matthew 25:46) and (John 3:16) both as ‘eternal punishment’.2 This comes by individuals not choosing Christ as their personal Saviour (John 3:18; Acts 4:12)
*English ‘perish’ means: die, decays, breaks, killed, disappears (Cambridge Dictionary, Britannica)
*Strong’s Lexicon Greek 622 ‘apollumi’ means: destroy, wipe out, permanent separation from God. 2
*Strong’s Hebrew 7 ‘abad’ means: destroy, be lost, lose oneself.
* English ‘eternal’ means: continuous, permanent, forever, seemingly unending, everlasting. (Cambridge Dictionary, Britannica)
*Strong’s Lexicon Greek 166 ‘aionios’ (ahee-OH-nee-os) means: unending, age long, timelessness, perpetuity.
*Strong’s Hebrew 5769 ‘olam’ (o-lawm) means: long duration, everlasting.
Together these give a lucid understanding. 3
THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT
The late Louis Berkhof describing “The modern idea of sheol-hades… It is better to assume that the words sheol and hades are not always used in the same sense, but sometimes denote the grave, represented as a place (1 Sam 2:6; Ps 89:48), and sometimes the place of eternal punishment, (Deut 32:22; Ps 9:17: Prov 9:18). 4
“The Bible distinguishes between two types of death: physical death and the “second death” which is spiritual death – separation from God’s grace. Physical death is temporary and will be undone by Christ for everyone on the last day (John 5:28-29, 6:40; Revelation 20:13)
But the second death, the lake of fire, is the final and eternal destination for those who refuse to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10, 14, 15; John 5:29) 5
From creation, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) God clearly warned the first Adam as: Obey me and live; disobey and die. 6 The‘the second death’ – spiritual death – is alarming as the Son of God spoke it and He will be the Judge. (Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:5; Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14)
CONSEQUENCES
So sin is disobeying God. It’s personal against Him and being a just, jealous God (jealous of His Own glory) He has warranted consequence and just penalty (yes, revenge) for each personal punishment due by sin. This is what the Saviour paid – as a complete and suitable sacrifice (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17).
Sending out pairs as evangelists, the Lord reminds them of Sodom and Gomorrah having a more bearable judgment (Matthew 10:5-15) than a town they visit and refuses to receive or listen to them. But the coming judgment will be far greater of “…this generation…” – Jerusalem, it’s residents, including Judas Iscariot, willingly killing the Messiah yet without repentance! (Matthew 11:20-24, 12:41-42; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6, 10:13-15, 11:29-32, 50)
“On the cross Jesus suffered and endured the full weight of God’s anger. He took the full weight of an eternal hell compressed… Jesus proclaimed upon his last breath, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) …He suffered hell on earth [for everyone]. He emptied the cup. As Charles Spurgeon says, “He drank damnation dry.”7
3) Speaking with the Pharisee Nicodemus , the ‘teacher of Israel’ (John 3:12-15) the Lord Jesus is clearly speaking from His Godly knowledge and answers the reason for Moses ‘raising the serpent’ and prophesying His condemnation by God the Father. This is the crucial choice to accept Christ as personal Saviour now.
Incidentally Nicodemus was impressed by Christ’s words, as recorded later (John 19:38-39), attending Jesus’ grave with ‘myrrh and aloes’. This witnesses the truth of that earlier conversation which likely was a significant step to Nicodemus’ conversion(?)
TORN CURTAIN
Nicodemus must surely have seen the spectacularly torn curtain in the Temple, Caiaphas’ torn clothes, the open graves, and Christ resurrected. Was he one of those believers in Acts 4:1-22; and 5:12-42? Surely Gamaliel’s comments (vv 34-39), may have been shared in any Pharisaic teacher’s grapevine? Also the Holy Spirit working in the background witnesses to actions and words of the Messiah.
PRESENT DECISION REQUIRED
4) In Luke 16:19-31 our Lord describes a conversation between a rich man in hell and Abraham in heaven. Abraham replies (v 26), that there is no movement in either direction, thus implying forever. Abraham continues in (vv 29, 31), that ‘Moses and the Prophets’, implied in the Old Testament that ‘someone should rise from the dead’. Our Lord Himself emphatically warns people to make their decision in their present life.
On the positive side, Sharon James comments, “The apostle Paul marvelled,’The Son of God loved me, and gave himself for me’(Galatians 2:20). ThroughChrist’s sacrifice on the cross we can have peace with God. To know, relate to and enjoy God is what we as humans were created for. Without that, we cannot enjoy true fulfilment.” 8
Sharon James implies that in hell personal fulfilment and friendship is totally lost. “All truth is one, and is interconnected. So these attempts to find a way out of the difficulties we have with the Bible’s teaching on eternal punishment unwittingly diminish the sinfulness of sin, the character of God, the glory of Christ’s atonement, and the call to take the gospel of God’s grace and forgiveness to the ends of the earth.” 9 Not forgetting God’s righteous jealousy of His name!
NOTES
1 Carson, D.A., “Exegetical Fallacies”, 2nd ed, (Baker Academic, 1996), p 45.
2 “Heaven & Hell”, https://www.crossway.org./articles/5-misconceptions-about-heaven-and-hell-and-truths/ From: “Knowing God’s Truth”, Neilson J. DMin, Internet
accessed 7/2/2025.
3 See Footnote.
4Berkhof, Louis BD, “A Summary of Christian Doctrine”, (1938, 4th impression 1971,
Billing & Sons Ltd, Guildford and London), pp 168
5 Lisle, Jason PhD, “Keeping Faith InAn Age Of Reason”, (Master Books , P.O. Box
726, Green Forest, AR 72638 USA, p 178.
6 Raymond, Erik, “Is hell for real?”, (The Good Book Company, 2017, reprinted 2020,
p 58.
7 Ibid, p 67.
8 James, Sharon “The Lies We Are Told, The Truth We Must Hold Worldviews and Their
Consequences”, (Bell & Bain, Glasgow, 2022) pp 218, 219.
9 Raymond, Erik, op cit p80.
Footnote
Some re-define “perish” to mean either:
(a) ‘Universalism’, they reference: (Romans 5:18; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 24-28) “declares that ‘God may be all in all.’ They conclude that this indicates that God works to save people after they die.” Erik Raymond replies that “all people” refers to “all the people who receive Christ”. “The entire flow of the context of Romans has been emphasizing the need for faith in Christ. All are under sin and deserving of God’s wrath… but God in his grace has justified his people freely in Christ.”
Universalism “discourages evangelism [or] coming judgment”. (Hebrews 9:27; Luke 16:19-31; John 3:16) “His love is for the world, yes. But his salvation is only for those who believe in him.” 8 It also contradicts Christs’ disciple training (Matthew 10:5-15) and command in (Matthew 28:19-20). The late Louis Berkhof argues against this invention as “Some deny [‘eternal’ and ‘everlasting’ to] simply denote a long period of time. Yet this is not the usual meaning of the words, and there is no reason to think that they have that meaning when applied to the future punishment of the wicked. Moreover, other terms are used, which point to ‘endless punishment’, (Mark 9:43, 48; Luke 16:26).” 9 I read in scripture that there will be a new heaven and new earth existing forever where believers will be worshipping and experiencing the Trinity. (Rev 21, 22) ‘Forever’ clearly means ‘without time’, and God’s Word warns, “…do not add”. Sadly the late Rev William Barclay and Rev J.A.T. Robinson said they believed this false concept. 10
‘Universalism’ appears as the error of making Bible passages into what you want. Beware too, ideas from ‘the World Church’.
(b) “Annihilationism teaches that unbelievers are punished for their sins for a time after their death, but then they are destroyed or annihilated so that they no longer exist.” 11 He continues with ‘conditional immortality’ which may by some mean annihilationism but usually that immediately at death they are annihilated. This “was rejected at the second Council of Constantinople (AD 553). Some modern proponents of this view include the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists.” Likewise, the late Rev John Stott according to Wikipedia. 12
Replying to Bible misquotes in this context. “God is love” was said to me by an ex-missionary adding, “I don’t believe in hell now.” My reply was, “God is much more than love, He is: creator, warns, comforts, goodness, will, rest, grace, wisdom, glory, righteous, eternal, remembers, joy, power, holy, names, majesty, works, exalted, law, speaks, writes, perfect, pure, truth, just, not grievous, to be obeyed, knowledge, blessed, sustains, punishes, immutable, invisible, incomprehensible, unsearchable, omniscient, omnipresent, faithful, mercy, humour, supreme, judge, searcher, refuge, Saviour, mighty, miraculous, inspires, anoints, strives, life, teaches, hope, Spirit, peace, one, man, light.” 13
God’s Word warns against any distortion of His Word (Jude 7c; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:5; Revelation 22:18-19). Raymond continues, “God’s love is a jealous love and is characterized by holiness. God will not compromise his holiness in order toshow love. Both hell and the cross demonstrate the seriousness of God on this matter; he is jealous for his glory.” 14
I hope and pray this elucidates (scripture self-interprets best) the biblical description of hell as our Saviour paid the price for (all) but believers only can enter.
8 Raymond, Erik, ibid, pp 74-77.
9Berkhof, Louis, op cit, p 181.
10 Accessed 10 May 2025.
11 Raymond, Erik, op cit.
12 Accessed 10 May 2025.
13 Clow, W. M. Rev DD, Ed. “The Bible Reader’s Encyclopaedia and Concordance”,
(Collins, London Revised Edition 1962), pp 161-165) In my Bible reading I also
include ‘humour’: (Genesis 1:16; Matthew 19:24,…). Own Bible searching. Also
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Genesis
1:26)
14 Raymond, Erik, op cit, p 79.
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Garth Jones has worshipped at Congregational, Baptist, Methodist (before resigning), and now at an Apostolic (AMiE) church. He began a Christian Union at College, has been a Gideon Good Newser and on 1.5 Through Faith Missions (TFM) missions in UK. He’s a mathematician, flautist, and skier amongst other pursuits!
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