Why Hell Is Hell

When most people think about hell, they think about torture, eternal fire, and other physical punishments. Although these things will take place in hell, there is something far worse that will be the defining characteristic of what makes hell result in eternal suffering. When Jesus returns, the glory of God is going to be revealed to all people. The Bible says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, "to the glory of God the Father" (Philip. 2:10-11). In other words, God will be glorified when all people bow before his Son and confess that he is Lord over all. So, which would glorify God more - if he forced people to bow down to him who really didn't want to do so, or if all unbelievers saw how amazingly glorious God is and genuinely fell down and worshiped the One who they had shunned their entire lives? I think God would be much more glorified if the most hardcore atheist in the history of the world fell down and worshiped him genuinely than if he was merely forced to do something that he had no desire to do. Thus, I believe that the greatest suffering in hell will result from people seeing how amazing and glorious their Creator is and facing the reality that they are shut out from this amazing glory forever because they shunned him while they were on earth. Emotional pain can be much worse than physical pain. Imagine that you have deeply fallen in love with someone, but because of the way you have treated him or her, you are thrown into a dungeon forever. It is really cold in this dungeon, and you feel the pains of hunger since you only get one slice of bread per week, but your deepest pain comes from being eternally separated from the one you have fallen in love with and the overwhelming remorse you feel from having treated him or her so badly when you've now realized how kind and loving that person was to you all the days of your life.

So, why does God send people to hell who reject him while they are on earth? Although there are a number of reasons why he does this, I believe the most convincing one is that when people die, God just gives them what they wanted their entire lives. If you live a life pursuing non-God things instead of your Creator, then he gives you the very thing you wanted (separation from God) when you die. Why should God force people to spend eternity with him who desired other things instead of their Creator? Nobody can blame God for giving people what they want when they die. If God himself is your heart's desire, then he will give you what you want when you die (himself). How can we know if God is really our greatest desire? Do we spend our time pursuing him instead of godless things? Is he the chief object of our affections, the One who gives us the greatest joy and satisfaction? Do we reject the things that God hates and pursue a life that is pleasing to him? Are we unashamed of the glorious Son of God who bore the full wrath of the Father as the price for our sins? All of these things are evidence that a person has truly come to know Christ as their all-satisfying Treasure!