The subject of “Hell” is the most solemn subject in all of Scripture. It is the truth about Hell that convicted me of my lost and sinful condition before God and gave me the desire to be saved. It is also the truth that gives me the motivation and desire to reach out to lost sinners with the gospel, so they may be saved and have the blessed hope of eternal life in heaven.

Will the lost sinner be alone in Hell? Before I was saved I, like many others, used to say in jest, “I won’t mind going to Hell for that’s where all my friends will be.” I had no idea that the picture we get of Hell is one of torment and misery beyond description. I don’t know that we can say one will be “totally alone,” but even if there are others that the lost can communicate with, there won’t be any joy or relief from their suffering in Hell. Here are some scriptures which give us some idea of what Hell is like:

*Matthew 22:13 says, “Then the king said to the servant, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into OUTER DARKNESS; there will be WEEPING and GNASHING OF TEETH’” (NKJV). This verse, along with Matthew 8:12 and 25:30, teaches us that even if there are lost sinners close to each other in Hell, they won’t be able to see each other. I have been in underground caves where the darkness is unbelievably black and surely Hell’s darkness will be just as great. There will be no end to this darkness, for in Jude 13 we are told that lost sinners in Hell are as “wandering stars for whom is reserved THE BLACKNESS OF DARKNESS FOREVER.” Besides that, there will weeping (emotional agony) and gnashing of teeth (physical agony), so even if one has others near them in Hell, they won’t enjoy their company.

*Mark 9:43-44 states, “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two hands, to GO TO HELL, into THE FIRE THAT SHALL NEVER BE QUENCHED—where ‘Their WORM DOES NOT DIE, and the fire is not quenched.” Hell is also described as FIRE; we see this again in Revelation 20:15, “And anyone not found in the Book of Life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE.” Some believe the “fire” spoken of here is literal, but since we just saw that Hell is a place of “outer darkness” I believe “fire” symbolizes God’s JUDGMENT upon the sinner in Hell. We are told “the fire is not quenched” and thus God’s judgment will never let up. This is confirmed in John 3:36, “He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the WRATH OF GOD ABIDES ON HIM.” We are also told that the “worm does not die”; which may symbolize the endless torment of a guilty conscience reminding them of their sins against God and how, as you say, “they were mistaken in not believing.”

Will the lost keep their same bodies that they had when they were alive? No, they will be given different bodies that are able to endure eternal judgment in Hell. The Bible speaks of their “resurrection of judgment” in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth…those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” Revelation 20:12-13 says, “And I saw the dead…standing before throne…the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death (the grave) and Hades (the unseen world of spirits) gave up the dead which were in them.” They are then cast into Hell as we saw earlier from Revelation 20:15. Their body and soul will then experience God’s judgment, as we see in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but fear Him who is able to DESTROY BOTH SOUL AND BODY IN HELL.” The word “destroy” here does NOT speak of annihilation, but of “ruin” and “loss.” Instead of having a body and soul experiencing “eternal bliss in heaven” (as believers in Christ will enjoy), their body and soul will experience “eternal misery and suffering in hell.”  (402.5)  (DO)