Is Hell Real?

A George Barna survey revealed that about 76% of Americans believe that heaven exists and 71% believe that hell exists.

How many people think they will go to heaven and how many think they will go to hell? Just 0.5% of Americans think they are headed for hell.

Obviously hell is not a good place to go. What is hell? Is hell a real place? Who is going to hell and who is going to heaven? (Can we know the answer to that question?) Our web site has a counter (provided by Living Waters Ministry) that shows how many people are dying and it states that most of those are going to hell. Why do so few people believe they are heading for hell, yet here is a claim that most are going to hell? Over the next few posts to this blog we will answer these questions.

Let's start with Matthew 5:29-30 -- these verses that tell us how serious Jesus said hell is.

"And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. And if your right hand offend you, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell."

How valuable is one of your eyes? If you were offered $1,000,000 for one of your eyes, would you sell it? What if you were offered $10,000,000 for both of your eyes? Would you sell them? Of course not!! Your eyesight is valuable and precious.

Yet Jesus says that given the choice, the better choice is to give up your eye instead of going to hell.

He then talks about giving up your right hand. One's right hand was much more valuable in Jesus' time than now. For example, without your right hand you could not defend yourself and you would be at the mercy of anyone who wanted to job or kill you. Yet Jesus says that given the choice, the better choice is to give up your right hand instead of going to hell.

Jesus talked more about hell than about heaven. These verses just begin to scratch the surface in revealing to us what hell is like.