The idea of divine judgment is probably one of Christianity’s most offensive teachings. I think this is because there’s a lot of misinformation about Hell and the Devil.
For example, some like to think that Hell is a continuous party place. Another false assumption is that the Devil lives in Hell and has red skin, horns, hooves, and a pitchfork.
But none of that is biblical. The Bible describes the Devil as the commander of the powers in the unseen world, the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God (Ephesians 2:2). He’s not in Hell now, but he’s going there one day.
Because of Christianity’s biblical teaching on Hell, some atheists have criticized our faith and said that it’s at the root of a lot of the world’s problems. They claim that people, because they believe this, do horrible things in the name of religion.
Actually, history directly contradicts that assertion. History shows us that a lack of belief in God and in the afterlife is at the root of many atrocities.
If the atheistic Joseph Stalin really believed that he would be accountable to God and face Him one day, do you think he would have been as cruel as he was? Would Mao Tse-tung and other atheistic mass murderers have done the things they did if they believed they would face a final judgment? If Hitler believed in a future judgment, would he have murdered six million Jewish people?
Timothy Keller points out, “It is the lack of belief in a God of vengeance that ‘secretly nourishes violence.’” So, we can view a belief in Hell as a constraint on cruelty.
Belief in the afterlife affects us in this life as well as the next one. And it should motivate us to live godly lives.
That’s not to say that there will not be good people in Hell. That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? Of course, when I say “good” people, I mean people who trusted in their own human efforts, people who trusted in their own personal reality, people who trusted in the religious things they did. Eternal life is possible only because of God’s mercy and grace. He sent His Son to die in our place—not because we’re good people, but because He loves us, even though we’re helpless sinners.
