Tommy Mann

  Are there degrees of punishment for people in hell? The question might seem absurd to some; how could there be degrees of punishment? It isn’t like some people will get out early for good behavior. Some define hell as being away from the presence of God, and everyone in hell will be equally separated from God’s presence. Does God set the temperature to different levels for different people?   Humanly speaking, it seems odd that there might be varying degrees of punishment, but at the same time, doesn’t our sense of justice lead us to feel like there should be? Wouldn’t we expect Hitler to somehow have it worse than, say, that agnostic that just wasn’t sure what to believe? Would the atheist whose life’s work was to disprove God have it worse than the one who just didn’t give it much thought?    I believe the Bible does teach there are degrees of punishment. Hebrews 10:29, for example, mentions the “worse punishment” for those who flagrantly trample under foot the b...

Q. What is hell? A. Hell is the place of torment where the unregenerate will reside after death.   The concept of hell is becoming more and more intolerable, which has led many to ditch the idea. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t like the thought of hell, and I wish people didn’t go there. With that said, we don’t form our theology around what we wish, hope, or feel. Our doctrine must come from the Word of God, and in this case, the very words of Jesus. While some words are debated (like “the pit” and “the grave”), we do know that Jesus spoke about hell at least ten times in the gospels. Some have tried to reduce the idea of hell down to a reference to the town garbage dump, but that idea has been discredited. The reality is Jesus taught that there is a literal hell. Speakers like Rob Bell have argued against the existence of hell ( Love Wins), writing that Jesus is too loving to allow people to go there. Francis Chan rebutted that we need to “stop apologizi...

Have you ever wondered where Jesus went after He died? Did He go to heaven or hell? Did His soul remain in the tomb? Where Did Jesus Go? explores where Jesus spent the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and it offers an in-depth look at many places that people are curious about, including Heaven, Paradise, and New Jerusalem Hell, Hades, and the Lake of Fire; and Gahenna, Tartarus, and Purgatory. Come find out for yourself where Jesus’ soul was while His body was in the tomb. Get the book on sale, with free shipping, here.  

I’ve never wanted an author to be so right. I’ve never seen an author be so wrong. First, before we get into Bell’s teachings on hell that are at the center of this controversial new book, I want to point out some flaws in his thinking. On page 10 Bell is busy criticizing the evangelism methods that some Christians employ, and he says that the Bible never tells people to have a personal relationship with Jesus; Jesus didn’t say that, he points out, nor did Paul, Peter, John, James, or the woman who wrote Hebrews. We do not know who wrote Hebrews. Many believe it was Paul, others, Barnabas. I have heard theories and opinions, but to matter-of-factly attribute the book to a woman like we know who wrote it is wrong. This might not seem like a big deal, but it flies in the face of the premise of his book, that we don’t know anything. On the opening page he blasts someone for asserting that Gandhi is in hell. His response: “He is? We have confirmation of this? Somebody knows this? W...