Answered by Randy Alcorn
1. Jesus spoke of Hell as a literal place, describing it in graphic terms (Matt. 10:28;13:40-42; Mark 9:43-44).
2. Hell is as literal as Heaven (Psalm 11:4-6) and as eternal as Heaven (Matthew 25:46).
3. Hell is a place of punishment designed for Satan and the fallen angels (Matthew 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
4. Hell will also be inhabited by people who do not accept God's gift of the Savior (Revelation 20:12-15).
5. Hell is a horrible place of suffering and everlasting destruction (Matthew 13:41,42; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).
6. In Hell people are conscious, regret-filled, retaining all their capacities and desires with no hope for any fulfillment for all eternity (Luke 16:22-31).
7. Because God is just, there will be degrees of punishment in Hell. Unsaved people—everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life—will be judged by God in relation to the works they have done, which have been recorded in the books of Heaven (Rev. 20:12-15). The severity of punishment will vary with the amount of truth known and the nature and number of the sins committed (Matt. 11:20-24; Luke 20:45-47, Rom. 2:3-5).
