Hell is the English word for hades (Greek), broadly the place of the underworld. The recent inaccurate end-of-the-world predictions aside — which, while misguided on specifics and delivery, are actually helpful on this one point: getting the message out there — God’s judgment is real. For all of us.

If God is good and just and since He promises to reconcile all things because of His great love, then there will be judgment. Lots of it. Complete justice.

Hell is a place of judgment, a terror and a consuming fire — because God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 10:29). It’s part of the message, just not the whole of the message. To minimize Hell — or more specifically, the Lake or Fire or the second death (Rev. 20) — is to minimize the Gospel. Our hope is in the One conquered all His enemies, sin, death, Satan, and Hell for which was designed for Satan’s punishment (Matt. 25:41).

Thank God that Jesus the righteous One lived the perfect life you and I should have lived but haven’t, and died the wrath-absorbing death you and I deserve, but don’t have to endure because we have faith in Him.

Francis Chan asks if we are trying to erase hell from our minds, and other important questions in this book trailer:

Simply put: we can’t afford to get it wrong.