J. I. Packer once said, perhaps one of the most sobering truths ever uttered: “Hell is truth known too late.”1 Sadly, many non-Christians choose to not believe in a literal hell, but in the false doctrine of Annihilationism, believing that when they die they are extinguished or annihilated after death. These unbelievers in the Scriptures choose to believe this doctrine rather than the clear teaching of the Bible that all those who don’t know Christ will experience an eternity of suffering in hell. (Matthew 25:46) tells us: “Then they [the unsaved] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Not only will there be eternal punishment in hell but everlasting torment for we read: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10). Clearly to torment someone “forever and ever” they must be in existence – not annihilated. You can’t eternally punish and torment someone who has no existence. Eternal punishment and torment only works when the person is in existence.
So, I believe, the Scriptures are clear that there is a literal hell and all the unsaved will suffer eternal punishment and torment. And I believe this is one of the main reasons Jesus came to earth so we wouldn’t have to ever go to such a place. While Jesus speaks a lot about the beauty and joy of heaven, He also speaks quite extensively on the agony and eternality of hell. And if you believe in Jesus you have to accept His teachings, one of which is the truth of hell.
My friends, as J. I. Packer shared, hell is absolute biblical truth and therefore we as Christians need to warn those who don’t trust Christ as their Savior that time is too short to gamble on your eternal state. C. S. Lewis said it so well: “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”2 And since the truth of Christianity is of “infinite importance,” outside of worshipping Christ, what can be more important, in the life of a Christian, than sharing the gospel and praying for the lost. The eternal destiny of souls is weighing in the balance and as Christians our gospel is the only cure to prevent our unsaved family, friends, and whoever God puts in our path, from eternal separation from God and eternal banishment in hell. So if, “hell is truth known too late,” let it not be said of us that we failed to share the truth of the gospel because we ran out of time.
1 J.I. Packer – Hell is truth known too late.
2 Christianity: if false no importance if true infinite importance
Hell: Truth Known Too Late, and the Invoice Is Forever…
From the desk of the Auditor.
People don’t ignore hell because they’ve never heard of it. They ignore it because they’ve heard it, filed it under “unpleasant,” and then built a whole lifestyle around not having to look at it again.
That’s my audit finding. The rest is just excuses in nicer fonts.
So, by the numbers we go:
1. “Hell is truth known too late.” And a lot of people try to dodge that truth by swapping in annihilationism (the idea you just blink out), because it feels cleaner than judgment.
2. Scripture doesn’t treat hell as a temporary timeout. It calls it “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46), and it describes “tormented… forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Curt’s point is blunt, maybe even surreal: eternal torment requires continued existence; you can’t punish a non-entity.
3. Jesus didn’t only sell heaven. He also warned about hell’s reality and duration. If you claim (dramatically clutching your chest) you believe Him, you don’t get to “decline” the parts that ruin your breakfast.
4. Because this is “infinite importance,” Christians don’t get to treat evangelism like an optional hobby.
Well, ya can…but Time is short, souls are real, and the gospel is the only cure. Word
5. One thing I hear from folks is how they regret their old perspective: we learn about hell early and often, then don’t listen anyway. Well, watch this:
Humans have two superpowers: selective attention and self-justification. Hell collides with both.
6. We build “alarm fatigue” around eternal things. When a warning is repeated, the brain starts treating it as background noise. Same with smoke detectors, same with Scripture. Familiarity doesn’t create obedience; it often creates immunity. “I already know that” becomes “I no longer feel that,” and then you’re one rationalization away from ignoring it.
We prefer doctrines that don’t cost us anything.
Curt points out annihilationism isn’t just a theological conclusion, it’s a comfort purchase: same sin, lower perceived risk. We amaze ourselves at shopping for a god who agrees with them. The modern world calls that “being thoughtful.” Heaven calls it something else.
7. We discount the future like amateurs who think eternity is “later.” Hell is future-facing, so we treat it like retirement: important… eventually… once things calm down… right after this weekend… right after I fix my mood… right after I get my life together. That’s temporal discounting with a halo of denial. The catch is: death doesn’t schedule around your personal development plan.
8. We mistake moral vibes for moral solvency.
A lot of people live like “basically decent” is a payment plan. But the Christian claim isn’t “good people go to heaven.” It’s “forgiven people do.” Hell becomes unbearable to contemplate if you’re still clinging to the fantasy that God grades on a curve.
We hate the idea that truth has authority over us.
Hell is offensive because it declares that reality is not negotiable. It says choices have finality. It says God is not a consultant.
And every part of the fallen human heart prefers a world where consequences are adjustable and “my truth” gets veto power.
So yes, we hear about hell early and often. The problem isn’t information. It’s submission. Hell isn’t “truth nobody knew.” It’s truth people kept postponing until postponement became permanent.
Travelers Advisory:
If you treat eternity like a rounding error, don’t act surprised when it posts to the wrong account forever.
Thanks Mr. Blattman