Hell is often described as a place of eternal punishment and suffering, reserved for those who have rejected God and His laws. Hell is typically seen as the final destination for the souls of the damned, where they will experience separation from God and the torments of the afterlife (Matthew 13:50, Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:14-15) .
The Westminster Confession of Faith, teaches about the reality of Hell. The Confession states that “The wicked, who know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” 1.
John Calvin believed in the reality of Hell and its eternal nature. He wrote, “The chief point to be attended to in this passage is, that the punishment of the wicked will be eternal, not only as to its duration, but also as to its intensity” 2.
Jonathan Edwards, in preaching on Revelation 6:15-16 said, “Wicked men will hereafter earnestly wish to be turned to nothing and forever cease to be that they may escape the wrath of God.” 3
Hell is an eternity in a place of eternal punishment, suffering torment and separation from God from which there is no escape or relief. Understanding this is vital towards our appreciation in the work of Christ and to also obey His command to preach His gospel. 4
- Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 33, paragraph 1 [↩]
- Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, Chapter 25 [↩]
- Series I. Writings of Jonathan Edwards. SERMONS, Page 4, https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/10692010 [↩]
- The Biblical Evidence for Hell [↩]
