Francis Chan speaks about Hell
While the Bible speaks of hell by name only 14 times (per NIV, 1984), it also uses other terms for it, like outside, and darkness. In fact, Jesus used the term darkness to refer to hell specifically at least three times (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25: 30). Elsewhere, darkness is described as part of what hell is like (2 Pe. 2:17; Jude 6, 13).
However, that is not all; in fact, hell is described in far more graphic terms than simple darkness, or even “blackest darkness … reserved forever.” In Jude, fallen angels are described as being bound in “everlasting chains” in hell. Additionally, in all three of the accounts in Matthew (8:12, 22:13, 25:30), Jesus describes hell as “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” All of these accounts portray hell as a location outside of God’s kingdom, where there will be those unfortunate enough to spend eternity in it.
In the Gospels, Jesus is very descriptive of hell, describing it as containing fire (Matt. 5:22; 18:9), a place where one’s entire body can be physically thrown (Matt. 5:29, 30; 18:9; Mark 9:45, 47; Luke 12:5), a place of condemnation (aka punishment, Matt. 23:33), a place where God can “destroy both soul and body,” (Matt. 10: 28, Luke 12:5 explains this), a place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12), a place where “the fire never goes out,” (Mark 9:43), a place of continual torment (Luke 16:23), and a place where “gloomy dungeons” are located. In Mark, Jesus quoted from Is. 66:24 three times in quick succession to illustrate the horrors of hell, where “‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’” However, all of this imagery is meaningless if one does not consider it to be real.
While the Bible speaks of hell by name only 14 times (per NIV, 1984), it also uses other terms for it, like outside, and darkness. In fact, Jesus used the term darkness to refer to hell specifically at least three times (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25: 30). Elsewhere, darkness is described as part of what hell is like (2 Pe. 2:17; Jude 6, 13).
However, that is not all; in fact, hell is described in far more graphic terms than simple darkness, or even “blackest darkness … reserved forever.” In Jude, fallen angels are described as being bound in “everlasting chains” in hell. Additionally, in all three of the accounts in Matthew (8:12, 22:13, 25:30), Jesus describes hell as “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” All of these accounts portray hell as a location outside of God’s kingdom, where there will be those unfortunate enough to spend eternity in it.
In the Gospels, Jesus is very descriptive of hell, describing it as containing fire (Matt. 5:22; 18:9), a place where one’s entire body can be physically thrown (Matt. 5:29, 30; 18:9; Mark 9:45, 47; Luke 12:5), a place of condemnation (aka punishment, Matt. 23:33), a place where God can “destroy both soul and body,” (Matt. 10: 28, Luke 12:5 explains this), a place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12), a place where “the fire never goes out,” (Mark 9:43), a place of continual torment (Luke 16:23), and a place where “gloomy dungeons” are located. In Mark, Jesus quoted from Is. 66:24 three times in quick succession to illustrate the horrors of hell, where “‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’” However, all of this imagery is meaningless if one does not consider it to be real.
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