Many people do not believe in hell.  There are others who believe in hell but think that very few go there.  It might be a place for fallen angels, but only a very few human beings end up there, the most notorious sinners, perhaps.  Since God is all merciful and loving, how could He confine a person to such immense suffering for all eternity?

Many, perhaps, would water down a belief in eternal damnation because it is too much to bear, or they imagine that this terrible catastrophe couldn’t happen to them.  Or, perhaps, since some don’t want to give up their present life style, they go into denial, or put out of their minds such dreadful thoughts.  There is no proof of it anyway, so why worry about it?  Preachers should not preach about it because it leaves a bad taste, smacks of fire and brimstone, which is out of fashion and something of the past.

How do we determine the truth about Hell?  To find an answer, we turn to Sacred Scripture and place our total belief and submission to the mind of Christ readily accessible in the Gospel.  Jesus is warning us that real people go there when He says:

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13–14).

In the Apostles’ Creed, there is a phrase, “He descended into hell;” which has made people speculate on Jesus’ destination.  Was it to Limbo, which was the waiting place for souls ready to enter the Kingdom, or was it the real Hell?  The answer is revealed in the book Warning from the Beyond by the human demon Judas Iscariot during an exorcism, when he said: “He came right down to Hell, and not only to Limbo, where the souls were waiting.”  And to the exorcist question: “Why did He go down to Hell?”  He said: “To show that he died also for us.  It was terrible for us [demons].” 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about hell:

“To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice.  This state of definitive, self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called ‘hell’.” [Section 1033]

"The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs." [Section  1035]

What we are learning is that the persons going to Hell suffer a complete abandonment and separation from God without the possibility of ever being reunited with their Creator and His love.  So we must become totally aware of how we are living our life, before it’s too late, because we may be unconsciously choosing to go to hell.

Thus the issue that some will go to hell is decided, but the issue of who in particular will go to hell is undecided.  We know God is merciful, but He is also just!  Let’s don’t push our luck, but rather, remain faithful to give ourselves the best chance of attaining our #1 goal in life, heaven.

Hell, for all eternity, is such a dreadful thought that we don’t want anyone, even our enemies, to go there.  God’s mercy stops the moment of death, so we must always be prepared.  Through our prayers, sufferings and fasting, we can save the souls of many of our family members and friends, who are living in sin or have turned their back on God.

[Read the section on Hell in the book for more details.]

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