NOTE: Purgatory, the imagined place of remedial suffering, has no
scriptural foundation.
There will be no appeal after the passing of sentence at the Great White Throne Judgment. All who have rejected Christ will be present: "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. . . . Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Revelation 20:13–14).
Billy Graham writes: "No matter how excruciating or how literal the fire of hell may or may not be, the thirst of a lost soul for the Living Water will be more painful. . . . Hell, essentially and basically, is banishment from the presence of God for deliberately rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior."
Helping Strategy
1. If the inquirer is fearful of hell and the possibility of going there, stress the need for certainty about his or her eternal salvation. Explain "Steps to Peace with God," page 11. In Christ, he or she need not fear hell: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
2. If the inquirer denies the existence of hell, share material from the "Background."
3. If the inquirer accuses God of being unjust in condemning people to hell, point out that "the everlasting fire," according to Matthew 25:41, was prepared for the devil and his angels, not for mankind. If a person goes to hell, it will be because of his willful sin in rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (John 3:16–18; John 5:24). Point out that God will forgive and save the person if he or she will receive Jesus Christ. Share "Steps to Peace with God," page 11.
4. If the inquirer accuses God of being unjust for condemning those who have never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel, remind him or her that God has condemned no one to hell, but that those who end up there will have condemned themselves (John 3:16–18). In the case of those who have never heard, trust God to do the right thing! We can be assured that He will be fair and merciful. There are degrees of rewards to be given at the judgment seat of Christ (Luke 12:47–48; 1 Corinthians 3:12–14). One may logically conclude that there will also be degrees of reckoning for those deprived of hearing the Gospel.