“Why would a good and loving God let anyone suffer the eternal torment of hell?”

This is a familiar accusation against God in our 21st century culture. At it’s core, is the allegation that God cannot possibly be loving, and in control of everything if He allows anyone to experience such a horrible place as Hell.

Recently, I was dialoguing with a Yale professor who’s written a book championing Rob Bell’s argument for universalism. The premise of his work is that a “God of love” cannot possibly consign anyone to a place of eternal torment. Hence, this doctor of theology argues: “All (including Hitler, Stalin, the demons and the devil himself) will ultimately be saved”.

THE KINGDOM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS vs. THE KINGDOM OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
My response to this ancient and tried accusation is that ultimately, our salvation isn’t about our assent to mere philosophical principles about justice, kindness and peace. It’s about our fidelity to a God/Man Who has been promised to rule the Nations. Human salvation is deliverance from an unworkable order of chaos and ultimate destruction, into an eternal Kingdom where love, truth, goodness, joy and life operate without hinderance. Furthermore, the foundation of this Kingdom is entirely predicated upon one’s relationship to the King of this Kingdom; a King Who is the essence of this grand, order. The Bible describes this order of love, truth, goodness, joy and abundant life: “righteousness”.

Those who have no baseline faith in this King, nor His order of “righteousness”, are subjects of the anarchist kingdom of unrighteousness. One cannot say they subscribe to the King’s order of righteousness and have no fealty toward the King Himself. The King is the Doorway, and indeed relationship with the King, is the Way itself within His realm of righteousness. Righteousness is, at its core, “right relationship with the King”. And the King’s great desire is to be as perfectly united to His human creation, as He Himself is with His Eternal Father.

There’s a lot there in these few statements. But they are essential truths that the Bible underscores from Genesis, through the prophets, the gospels and through the end of Revelation: God’s aim is for humanity to be thoroughly, and intimately united to Himself, in thought, emotion, will, and behavior.

God’s aim is for humanity to be thoroughly, and intimately united to Himself, in thought, emotion, will, and behavior.

“You shall love the Lord your God, with all of your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; Mark 12:30)

Having asserted this baseline understanding of His Kingdom, it follows that all of the Kingdom of heaven will be a hell for those who have no will to live under the Kingdom’s King of righteousness. Put another way, those who have tasted no sense of the wisdom of humbling themselves before the King, operating in meekness under the reign of the King, hungering for the reign of the King, being purified from every vestige of disagreement with the King, and see little value in bringing their heart, soul, and mind into harmony with the King, will utterly despise the order of the King when it becomes the order of the earth.*

On the day that the world sees the resurrected Jewish King, Jesus of Nazareth, return to earth to set up His government, humanists, satanists, dominionists, universalists, nationalists, fatalists and communists, will all tragically love their self-directed ways and opinions no less than they do today. They will not tolerate the sovereign reign of another – even though life itself functions to perfection in submission to Him. They will be filled with protesting narratives that will stir them to crave, and be bent toward their own self-government, no less than they are today.

Here’s the immovable problem to this circumstance: The King has a Father. And the Father is adamant about His Son ruling the nations (the diverse collection of humanity on the earth) The Father simply will not suffer insurrection against fidelity to His Son.

“I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.” I will declare the decree: ‘The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.'” (Psalm 2:6-8)

The supreme expression of justice on the earth is that the Father’s Son, the King, is worshipped and loved and honored by all of creation. His judgment (to finally turn human beings over to the tyrannical self-rule that’s been raging in their hearts against His rule) will be altogether just and true and righteous.

Here’s the key point: Those that Jesus consigns to hell will neither want, nor submit to His reign any more in His presence than in His absence.

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'” (Matthew 25:41)

By eternally separating them from Himself, Jesus is removing them from relationship with Himself – which is the realm of His reign. He is giving them what they’ve wanted – to live in a kingdom other than His; indeed, in a state that exists independent of relationship with the King – the One Who has been ordained to rule every human soul ever born.

Why would anyone not want to live under the reign of a King Who rules with perfect love? In order to answer this question, we must understand the essential nature of human life, in a broken and fallen world. 

THE KINGDOM OF THIS WORLD IS UNDER A CURSE
The Bible tells us that humanity exists under a curse that causes our hearts to desire thoughts, ways, and behaviors that destabilize us from the way of life, and will ultimately destroy us.

Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these children are under a curse!  (2 Peter 2:14)

This curse infects every human heart – all 8 billion of us. We’re born with it.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12) 

The curse compounds itself (Romans 1:18-32) If we don’t deal with it, it doesn’t lie there and get weaker. It multiplies, infects and harms others around us. It utterly destroys, souls, relationships, societies etc. If the curse is not put in check it has the capacity to destroy all of humanity and the earthly creation.

The curse is essentially composed of rebellion. Our unwillingness to live as God’s creatures, unwilling to live under His rule is what constitutes and feeds this rebellious curse.

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:5) 

The curse is 100 times worse than cancer. 

Hell is nothing less than the horrors of the curse – with no restraint to hold it back. Fear, unsatisfied lust, murder, suspicion, shame, and alienation all thrive in hell. The inhabitants of hell are utterly, forever helpless to fend off the hideous, torturous, destructive power of these dynamics. (Matthew 18:34; Mark 9:48)

What kind of loving God would let a disease one hundred times worse than cancer spread boundlessly?**

Hell is God’s answer to imprisoning, and restraining the viral, devastating nature of the curse. In hell, the human soul will experience unabated terror, shame, torment, isolation and hatred – including self-hatred. It will be the complete vacuum of every bit of light and grace that Jesus preveniently gives to the human soul in this age.

“Hell… where ‘their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (Mark 9:44)

Originally, hell is/was God’s answer to the rebellion of satan and the angels. It was never intended for humanity. Indeed, God has made every provision for us to not be consigned to hell. (John 3:16) But He will decree those who reject His mercy to this eternal condition. (See Mark 9:45-47; 2 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 21:8)

At its essence, the great torment of hell is really the rage of creation against a perfect, and loving God, Who has made every provision for humanity to thrive apart from the ravages of the curse, enjoying His reign – forever.

Unless we break our agreement with the curse by surrendering our lives to the Curse Breaker, Jesus Christ, unless we take up our own cross in covenant with Him, we are living in rebellion to Him and His Kingdom – AND we are giving more power to the curse in our world.

JESUS IS THE CURSE-BREAKER
Fortunately, there is ONE MAN Who possesses the unique qualifications to set us free from the power of the curse. He’s the only person ever, Who’s claimed to have the authority to put an end to the curse… and “He’s the friend of sinners.” (Luke 7:34)

The claim that God has inflicted hell upon His creation can hold no water for one, vital and historically important reason: At great great cost, Jesus Christ made every provision for us to escape the looming threat of hell. 

Knowing the dynamics that are arrayed against us, He forever set aside His eternal state as the uncreated God, and voluntarily subjected Himself to the death-curse that we, ourselves, inflicted upon Him. It was a horrible torture, and a gruesome death. Jesus was put to death by humanity. Romans imperialists, religious elites, and the oppressed poor abhorred Him, betrayed Him, tortured Him and then executed Him. We put God to death! Every single one of us. Had He been born in any other culture; any other age, or among any other society, Jesus would have fared no better. We’re all guilty of rejecting, despising and killing Jesus.***

In view of all this we ask: Where are we going to find a better leader, with more wisdom, more ability, more commitment to our good, more tolerant patience, compassion toward our decrepit condition, more understanding of our self-betraying heart, and power to bring us into fruitful love than Jesus? 

Jesus is the Leader our hearts have always longed for! He’s the perfect Leader, Who leads with perfect wisdom, perfect love, perfect power, perfect empowerment… etc. Under His leadership we live with the ideal antidote to the corruption of the curse. Instead of hatred, we experience perfect love. Instead of fear – security. Instead of lust – pure, and holy satisfaction. Instead of loneliness – mutual, unashamed union with God and others… There’s no logical reason why any human being would not thrive, emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually living under Jesus’ reign. None.

In the final analysis, Hell is God’s “prison” then for those who irrationally oppose the perfect Leader that our own hearts crave now.

When Jesus returns (yes, we believe that…), He will rule the earth with perfect love and perfect wisdom and justice. With death and the curse banished, Jesus, and those in His Kingdom, are forever free to enjoy 100% mutual, perfect love, where there is no taint of hostility, fear, suspicion or alienation – only joy, beauty and affirmation centered around the radiant, joy, beauty and affirmation of Jesus Christ.

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:3-4)

Here’s the critical question: What then should He do with those who have resisted, and rejected His perfect, loving, all sacrificing leadership? Would a God of love endlessly tolerate a viral curse infecting His Kingdom?? Of course not. The truth of the matter is, Jesus reigning over humanity isn’t an issue that’s up for debate. It’s a settled fact – determined by the will of the Father. It will be a manifest reality.

And again, the human will, being what it is, will no more honor, and/or submit to the perfect reign of Jesus in this next age, than we have in this one. If we want a life that exists autonomous and disconnected from His leadership now, we will honestly not clamor for it anymore when He’s standing right in front of us. Our hearts are that that tainted by the curse, and stubbornly set on our selfish ways.

BELOVED, TODAY, Jesus offers us freedom from the curse, and a new life of profound goodness under His reign. If we will dialogue with Him, admit that our hearts have been filled with accusations against His leadership, admit that we’ve wanted our own way and ask Him to forgive us for not trusting Him, He will forgive us, and show us how to live free from the power of the curse that stubbornly clings to our lives. If you want His forgiveness and His liberating leadership you can have both, instantaneously, by praying a prayer like this:

Jesus, thank You for everything that You’ve done for me – most especially, for dying on the cross. Forgive me for the many ways I’ve rejected You, and rebelled against You and Your ways. (It may be helpful for you to recall some of the ways you have rebelled and resisted His reign in your life.) My heart has been filled with sin, and the ways of the curse. I want it to be clean, and filled with the ways of Your love. Please come into my life, and lead me. Put to death the things in me that keep me separated from You, and from others. Direct me into the joys of everlasting life, forever living under Your reign.

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JSB • August, 2025 (Revised)

In 2015, while I was fully awake, the Lord gave me an open vision of hell that’s forged a deeply-rooted sensitivity to the horrors of hell. Check out my story in this companion article, “From Hell to Heaven“.

You may also find this article by Dr. Sam Storms informative: “10 Real Things Everyone Should Know About Hell“.

*NOTE: This is also why it is SO VITAL that the Church respond to the (1 Peter 4:17-18) corporate judgments of the Lord in this hour, by giving the world an example of how to respond to the reign of a holy, sovereign and gracious God. The corporate judgments upon the Church right now are intended to give the unsaved world a witness of the blessedness of His reign that liberates humanity from the oppressive, murderous, selfish ways of unrighteousness. If the world sees us casting off the judgments of the Lord with self-justification, and violently demanding our own way, they will find no reason, and see no example of how, or why to respond to the Lord any differently than we have. They will see no reason not to live from the flesh. They will hear no joy re: the contra-curse goodness of His reign. Nor will they understand the pathway into His Kingdom. They will remain in a mind-set that divorces the heart, mind and soul from His leadership, and the Kingdom of righteousness.

**For us to sit in judgment re: “Why” God allowed the curse to infect humanity in the first place is to assume that we know more than God, see further than God, love deeper than God. This is nothing if not the foolish pathway of pride. The fact of the matter is we’re not God. (We should at least know this much…) We did not create ourselves. Each of us struggle with a curse that will ultimately put each of us to death. God invested Himself in supplying both a way of escape from the penalty of the curse, and the Object of our desire for perfect love and perfect leadership in His Son.

***There is great power and hope in the apostolic belief that “CHRIST DESCENDED INTO HELL.”

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison…” (1 Peter 3:18-19)

A sixth century Catholic devotional reading for “holy Saturday” (the day after Good Friday – and the day before Resurrection Sunday) reads: “Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him – He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . “I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . . I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.”

The fact that Jesus as a man in death encountered hell itself declares that there is no power, affliction, stronghold, illness, curse nor depth of evil that can be arrayed against us that is not subject to the reign and authority of Jesus.

Beloved. Death was never His equal. It was only His enemy.

Below are 24 Scriptures from the Bible on topic of Hell

For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD. And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. Isaiah 66:22-24

At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:1-2

If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. Matthew 5:29-30

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. Matthew 7:13

…but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you. Matthew 11:20-24

Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:40-42

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous. Matthew 13:47-50

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  Mark 16:16

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. Matthew 18:6-9

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers unit he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. Matthew 18:32-35

You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? Matthew 23:33

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” . . . Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . .  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  Matthew 25:31-46

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”  Mark 9:42-48

Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’. But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the protest in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.’  Luke 13:24-28

In being in torment in Hades he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.  Luke 16:23-25

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment. 2 Peter 2:4

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Jude 7

[These people are] wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Jude 13

If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.Revelation 14:9-11

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Revelation 19:20

And the devil who had 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. . . . Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:10, 14-15

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If you would like to dialogue about these scriptures, and/or the reality of hell, and/or the promise of eternal life in Jesus’ Kingdom, contact me: Jon Boegl xaris4u@yahoo.com I’d love to connect with you.