Is it true that the Bible teaches us that evil people will go to a place called Hell, to be tortured by the Devil until God is satisfied that we have paid for our sins? Many people believe that to be true, and many religions who say they are Christian teach their members that it is true.

I would like to draw your attention to another article, where it is shown from the bible that we do not have a soul within us that survives death. Since that is so, what is there to torture? Something would have to survive death to be tortured, yet the Bible clearly says that dead people know nothing at all. There is nothing to torture.

If hell exists who created it? Has God created a place to torture the dead? "No, of course not," you say, "Satan did!" I would refer you to John 1:3, which refers to the word when it says, "All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence." If hell is a thing, a place, then the word of God had to have created it on God’s behalf, because the word created everything that exists, absolutely everything. Satan does not have the power. So, no, hell does not exist. This is very clear from the Bible.

There is a contradiction in the claims about hell, though, isn′t there? In fact, there are at least two major contradictions. The most important is that such a claim really insults and slanders Jehovah. It claims that he tortures his own creation and does so in an excrutiatingly painful fashion: by burning people in everlasting flames. The Bible, however, clearly states that "God is love" In 1 John, 4:8-10 it says, "Whoever does not love has not come to know God, because God is love. By this the love of God was revealed in our case, that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might gain life through him. The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins."

How can burning people in a fire for an eternity be an act of love?

Obviously, it is not, it is an act of malicious hatred! A God of love would do no such thing, and Jehovah certainly does not. It is a fiction, a lie. Jehovah does not torture people, not even those who oppose him. Instead he very lovingly provides for them. Matthew 5:45 tells us how important loving behaviour is to Jehovah, when it says, "so that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? Are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing? And if you greet your brothers only, what extraordinary thing are you doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing? You must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Note the last comment, because it shows that Jehovah considers treating people lovingly is a perfect thing to do and that it is what he himself does for everyone, even those who reject him. How then can anyone claim he tortures people?

The second lie is that hell fire is supposed to punish or compensate for sins. However, the Bible makes it very clear that the result of sin is not torture, but death. Romans 6:23,states, "For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord." Because we sin, we grow old and die. But, Jehovah has made other arrangements, and the true compensation for sin is the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He died in pain to ransom us from sin. His death is what compensates for our sins, and Jehovah accepted that voluntary sacrifice as the purchase price compensating for our sins. Torture is not necessary, since Jesus has already taken our sins upon himself and relieved us of them, and as a result we can look forward to everlasting life here, on earth.

If you have a question about this or any other bible subject, please ask it in an email.