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Author's Preface
What Does the
Bible
Really Say About Hell?
Why write about hell?
For many it’s a joke. It seemed especially funny
when the TV news reported snow falling in Hell,
Texas—causing hesitation in the use of the phrase
“till hell freezes over.” In the Phoenix area
there is talk of sinners getting some years off their
“hell sentence” because of time served in the
sweltering summers of southern Arizona. Magazines like
the New Yorker love to use cartoons which depict
the horned devil chatting with surprised arrivals in the
fiery region. Hell and the devil have been the butt of
many a joke.
For others it is a more
serious issue. What does a teaching of hell say about
God? Some preachers use fear of hell to keep the flock in
line or try to frighten unbelievers into repentance. Some
evangelists don’t hesitate to use this approach.
But most ministers are
avoiding the topic of hell altogether. My uncle Peter,
who has preached the gospel for over fifty years, told me
he couldn’t remember preaching on hell then added,
“There are better things to preach about.” I
couldn’t agree more.
So for me to write
about hell may seem at first out of character to those
who know me. In fact, a member of one congregation I
served chided me for not preaching about hell. My
reticence reflected, no doubt, a general nervousness
among clergy today to preach about hell, so my response
to him was admittedly trite. Since I knew some members
had to endure a sort of hell all week, I said I would
rather give them a good dose of heaven on Sunday! My
preference is to follow the example of the Bethlehem
angel whose message was, “good news of great
joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10, emph.
added). To me this is being “ev-angel-ical.”
I want to be that kind of “angel-messenger.”
However, the questions
of thoughtful people deserve careful answers. When it
comes to grieving folks, the need for sensitivity in
response is imperative. When asked about the departed
loved one, it is certainly appropriate to withhold
judgment. Yet the nagging questions remain. What does
happen to those who die, especially those who have not
passed the litmus test of orthodoxy? Or are there other
criteria? Other destinations? What do our answers tell us
about God?
While every author
hopes his efforts will be widely read, I am most anxious
that “Bible-believing” Christians ponder what I
have written. I consider myself in this camp. The
watchword in the early days of our Evangelical Covenant
denomination was, “Where is it written?” This
still applies. Sentiment or personal preference must not
be determining factors in establishing Christian dogma.
One motivation for
writing this material was the discovery that what has
often been believed to be the biblical teaching is not,
on closer examination, the complete story. I have found
that many of the images of hell used in some evangelical
preaching actually come from Mesopotamian mythology, the
Apocrypha, a misunderstanding of biblical literature,
medieval art, or even Hollywood, not from careful
biblical exegesis. Where the word hell is used in
the King James Version it is usually a translation of
“sheol”—the grave, or
“hades”—the land of the dead. When the
word “gehenna” is used, its reference is to the
Valley of Hinnom, which Jesus used as a powerful metaphor
for judgment. These simple discoveries led me to study
the significant references to hell in the Bible. What I
found is contained in this book.
My primary motivation
is to share a view of God that is in harmony with Jesus
Christ. The living Word of God, Jesus, is our best guide
to understanding the inspired written Word of God.
Without sliding into sentimentalism, the Christian
portrayal of God must not be distorted or corrupted by
suggesting that God would sanction a form of punishment
so cruel it could only be termed demonic. On the other
hand, we cannot disregard those passages that clearly
teach a serious judgment for God-rejecters. Yet as those
made in the divine image we long for a justice where the
punishment fits the crime.
So what view of
judgment harmonizes with the love of God as revealed in
Jesus Christ? What does the Bible mean by hell? The
concepts of personal responsibility and accountability
are clearly taught. Judgment day is both every day and a
coming day. What happens when creatures appear before the
Creator? How do justice and mercy meet on that day? What
is the Bible really saying?
Many devout persons far
more scholarly than I have pondered these questions
throughout the ages. While I hope to add something of
substance to this discussion, I would be presumptuous to
assert that I can give definitive answers to such
questions. What follows is my fallible yet best effort to
interpret the meaning of the written Word in harmony with
the living Word, Jesus Christ. I trust the reader will
then find that even in a book about hell, there is still
good news, of great joy, for all the people.
—Randy Klassen
San Andreas, California
What Does the Bible Really
Say About Hell? orders:
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