According to a 2021 poll by the Pew Research Center[1], most Americans still believe in heaven and hell. However, there is a great deal of confusion over what those places are, who will be in each one, and how long they last. For example, more people believe in heaven (73%) than hell (62%) and only half of people think that people experience suffering in hell (psychological suffering, 53%; awareness of suffering they created in the world, 53%; physical suffering, 51%; cannot have a relationship with God, 49%). Shockingly, about 40% of people report that you don’t even need to believe in God to go to heaven! Many people’s understanding of the afterlife is clearly warped by personal biases and false teaching.

The Bible affirms that heaven and hell are real and describes them in detail for us. It will do us no good to be deceived about something with eternal consequences, so let’s examine some Scriptures. Since we have focused on the book of Revelation in the last few weeks, we’ll do that again here though the Bible has more to say about heaven and hell in other places as well.

Heaven is eternal rest and reward. Revelation 7 describes a great multitude from every nation who are clothed in white robes and come before the throne of God to worship. One of the elders reveals to John that these people are the servants of God who triumphed in the face of tribulation on earth. Their robes are white because they were washed in the blood of the Lamb. There is no stain of sin; they stand righteous before God.

The elder then further explains the fate of the saints in Revelation 7:15-17. They will perpetually be in the temple of God and be sheltered by the presence of God without interruption. Existence that is continually in the presence of God would not necessarily be a reward for every person! If you hate God and His ways or are apathetic about Him, this probably reads as smothering and even torturous. But since faithful disciples are the ones who have experienced the love of God, cultivated a love for Him in return, and have been molded by the Word, this is the fulfillment of their life’s purpose. The devotion that they have shown toward God is rewarded with eternal closeness (cf. Rev. 21:3-4).

The eternal, perfect nature of heaven is reiterated in this same text. In heaven the constant needs and afflictions of man are removed. There is no hunger, no thirst, no blistering heat from the sun, no loneliness, and no reason to ever weep or be in need ever again. Christians can rest secure in the fact that our life after death is without flaw or end.

Hell is eternal torment and separation. Revelation 14 contains a vivid description of the punishment awaiting those who rebel against God. In particular focus in Revelation’s context are those who worship the beast and receive his mark (14:9). The beast is a powerful and terrifying entity that nevertheless is only a tool of Satan. The beast can be understood as Rome in the immediate context (since Rome was a great oppressor of Christians in the second half of the first century when Revelation was written) and more broadly as any of the forces, governments, and powers throughout history who advance the cause of Satan.

The ones who follow Satan will face the full strength of God’s wrath—the smoke of torment forever and ever where there is no rest (14:10-11). The image a little later in 14:17-20 is that of a worldwide harvest where the wicked are thrown into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Imagine what a grape goes through in a winepress where it is being trampled and its juice expelled. That is the description of how God tramples the wicked in judgment—the blood will flow like a river. This is certainly a gory and graphic passage, but when compared to the horrors perpetuated by the evil as described in Revelation, God’s judgment is righteous and proper.

Even Satan will suffer in hellfire. The pop culture understanding of hell is a place that Satan owns and rules. Sometimes it is thought of as a place where sinners party and have fun with the devil and in other versions Satan is the torturer who is tasked with punishing sinners. Both are incorrect. “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). Not even Satan can avoid punishment.

Conclusion. It is generally more appealing for us to affirm the eternal and perfect nature of heaven. We are looking forward to it and it is what makes all the hardships of life worth it. We must be just as willing to accept Scriptural teaching on an eternal, torturous hell. Both are taught with the same strength of language and are promised by the same unchangeable God. Both should drive us to serve God faithfully and endure until the end.

Created by John Bass, last updated.  11/14/2023