All Things New: What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell?

In several places, Scripture testifies to the idea that there is a reality in which everything is very good (Gen. 1:31); a reality in which all things are made new (Rev. 21:5); where “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them,” praises God and the Lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:13); a place where Jesus, the Light, fills all things (Eph. 4:10 ) and every knee bows and every tongue gives praise (Rom.14:11, Phil. 2:10-11, Isa. 45:23). Well, if that’s the case—and Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35)—then where the hell is Hell? I mean, how do we reconcile Scripture with “popular” notions of “Hell” …an endless Hell? That question comes as a surprise for many; for we’ve been told that the popular view of Hell—a place where God tortures people or allows people to be tortured forever without end—is a biblical idea. The more I’ve studied it, the more I’ve become convinced that this “doctrine” is a very unbiblical idea… perhaps it’s even a satanic idea. In the following pages, I’d like to just offer some assistance in constructing this new mental paradigm—a biblical paradigm that allows for an eternal day in which everything is good. In the first section, “Exegetical Paradigms,” I’ll examine the three leading views of Hell in light of Scripture and offer a set of ideas that has led me to embrace the idea of redemption for all. In the next section, “Theology,” I’ll suggest a few ways in which the idea of redemption for all may relate to one’s current theological system. In the last section, “Pastoral Care,” I’ll suggest some reasons as to why I think all of this matters.—Peter Hiett