The Christian Hell Debate

This page was first published on the 15th of February, 2017 and last updated on the 15th of February, 2017 by Patrick Carpen.

Does a literally, burning hell of all eternity exist? And are disbelievers in Christ going there? The real question is: Is anyone going there?

Many Christian denominations claim that they have determined from the scriptures that such a hell does exist, and that the vast majority of humans are indeed going there. But is that really so?

On the other hand, some Christian denominations, such as the Jehovah Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventists, do not believe in a literal, everlasting place of torment.

The famous American Brain Surgeon, Dr. Ben Carson, said “I do not see evidence in the bible of a literal, eternal hell”.

For years, this question has plagued my mind: Will God really one day shut the doors of eternity forever? And will He leave sinners to an eternal doom of suffering much worse than anyone can imagine?

Many Christian churches preach this, but In my opinion, such a situation undermines the merciful and benevolent nature of God.

I do agree that God will punish sin. And He does. But He does so justly and righteously, as David wrote “there is no unrighteousness in God.”

And as David also wrote “Your tender mercies shine forth in all Your good works”. Yes, God is infinitely merciful. If we abstract from Bible stories, we will see evidence of this. For example, in the story of Noah, God repented after flooding the earth, and put the rainbow in the sky to remind us that He will never do it again.

In this article, I will examine scriptures from the bible which may prove that the wages of sin are “death” and that “death” means “having no consciousness”.

Here are the scriptures: