Did God create hell?
In short, yes, God did create hell. We know this because John 1:3 states, "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." Everything that has ever been, is, and ever will be originated from God, the Creator (Colossians 1:16).There is a spirit realm called Hades (Greek) and Sheol (Hebrew) and this realm is sometimes associated with hell. However, the Bible describes Hades/Sheol differently than it does hell. Hades/Sheol is a place where people's spirits go when they die (see Genesis 37:35). It's different than hell, because the people of God went there too, not just the wicked. In the New Testament we see that Hades may be somehow separated into two sections, one of suffering and one of comfort (Luke 16:19–31). Other words associated with hell are Gehenna and the lake of fire.
God created hell as a place of suffering for the Devil and his demons; it is described as a lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). The Bible makes it clear that hell is a real place where the spirits of the unsaved will be ultimately sent for all of eternity (Revelation 20:14–15; Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43–48). Hell is a just final judgment for the angels who rejected God to follow Satan (Matthew 25:41). Similarly, those who reject Christ will also end up in hell (2 Peter 2:4–9). Only God has the power to send someone, human or demon, to hell (Luke 12:5). Revelation 1:18 tells us that Jesus has "the keys of Death and Hades."
There is a way to avoid being banished to hell, and that is by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord. Through His sacrifice and His resurrection, we have a clear path to salvation and right standing with God, being brought into His family from now through eternity (John 3:16–18, 36; 5:24).
Is hell real? Is hell really forever?
Who will go to hell?
Is hell eternal separation from God?
Is there really an afterlife?
How can I be sure that when I die I will go to heaven?
Truth about Eternity
