Do you have a problem with the idea of a loving God condemning people to an eternity in hell? Well, you should. Because no-one ever had a bigger problem with this idea than God himself. In this series of articles we will examine Jesus’ teaching on this subject, in an effort to understand the nature of this problem. Have we misunderstood and exaggerated what Jesus said, or have we seriously under-estimated the near-impossibility of eradicating evil without eliminating ourselves?

This is a highly controversial and, in places, speculative subject; and we are not claiming to know all the correct answers. We ask only that you prayerfully weigh the evidence presented, whilst seeking fresh insights into the nature and ways of God that may surprise your current understanding. Space has been included for comments at the end of each chapter: so it is hoped that these will lead in time to further insights from which we may all learn.

The following is a brief summary of the topics covered. We have attempted to organize these so that you can either read them ‘book-fashion’, from beginning to end, or else dive directly into the topics that most interest you.

Click Ebe a to start at the beginning, or on any of the topics below:

Echiche mmadụ

It is clear that what we choose to believe will radically affect how we value both our own lives and those of others. In these opening chapters we will start by examining what part our human experience and perspectives have played in shaping our understanding of the Biblical teaching on this subject.

• Gịnị Ka Chineke Na-ekwu, ma ọ bụ Gịnị Ka Anyị chere?
  If there is no supreme justice, how can the powerful be held to account? But if there is, then we should recognize that our limited human viewpoints are prone to serious bias.
• Ihe ndabere mere eme
  Man began by knowing God: but having broken faith he faced death not knowing what would happen next. God promised restoration: but how He would do it remained a mystery.
• Okwu Jizọs
  Ka ọ na-erule n'oge Jizọs bịara, ụfọdụ echiche guzosiri ike n'echiche ndị Juu; but their contemporary meanings did not always tally with the explanations that Jesus gave…

Mmekọrịta dị n'etiti ịhụnanya na ihe ọjọọ

We humans can also be surprisingly naïve concerning the nature of the relationship between ‘good’ and ‘evil.’ In these chapters we explore the real nature and interrelationships of goodness, ihunaanya, freedom, selfishness and corruption to help us grasp why these moral issues are of such huge consequence in the light of eternity.

• Gịnị mere Chineke ji Sisie ike?
  So much is said about Jesus’ love and forgiveness that we often suppose Jesus has a more liberal attitude towards sin than God had in the past. N'ezie, his standards are much tougher.
• Agaghị ekwe omume nke ịhụnanya mmanye
  No English word has ever been more dangerously devalued than ‘love.’ To ask, ‘If God is omnipotent, why can’t He make us more loving?’ turns out to be a logical self-contradiction.
• Ihe ọjọọ gburugburu
  Gini, given time, can we not improve? Don’t most of us really want to simply love and be loved? So why does evil tend to multiply in a downward spiral?

Ozi Jizọs

We now take an in-depth look at Jesus’ own descriptions of what will happen when we die and how God will ultimately intervene to put a stop to all the evil in this world.

• Jizọs na-ekwubiga okwu ókè? Rabbinic teachers often used deliberate exaggerations to make a point. Wasn’t Jesus simply doing the same thing?
• Kedu ihe anyị maara ruo ugbu a?
  Before moving on to consider the teaching on this subject elsewhere in the New Testament, it would be helpful to summarize what we can definitely say on the basis of Jesus’ own teaching.
• Mgbalị ịghọta
  Jesus’ own assertions, plus some unresolved questions about his exact meaning, leave us facing an intellectual and emotional struggle to understand and accept his message.

Nsogbu Chineke

No-one ever had a bigger problem with the idea of condemning people to eternal destruction than God himself. In these final chapters we will consider the extremes of pain which He has endured so that none of us need suffer such a fate.

• Iru újú nke Chineke
  Before drawing this study to a conclusion I want us to make an attempt to comprehend God’s own perspective on the wrongs we have done.
• hell na-emeri?
  The span of history is littered with the ruins of once-great and seemingly invincible civilisations. So far human life has survived. But is our ‘luck’ about to run out?
• Ma ọ bụ eluigwe ịkwụ ụgwọ?
  We are accustomed to being told that if we fail to “win through” there will be “hell to pay!” But the truth is that we can never win or earn a place in heaven, no matter how hard we try.

Mgbakwunye

• Ihe odide ntụkwasị A – How Long is an Aeon?
  Does eternity ever end?
• Appendix B – The Buck stops Where?
  How can there be a permanent end to guilt and shame?
• Appendix C – Is Death Forever?
  Can there be any end to a person’s suffering in Hell?
• Appendix D – The Unforgivable Sin
  What is this, and why is it unforgivable?