I saw a portion of a recent podcast that Kirk Cameron did with his son. They were discussing the topic of Hell and more specifically the doctrine of Hell and what final punishment looks like. Kirk stated that he didn’t believe that Hell is an eternal punishment but instead a place where a just God punishes in relation to the sinner’s life and sin, and at some point, they would finally be annihilated or cease to exist. Is that what the Bible teaches?
I want to be clear that I think Kirk is saved and a brother in Christ that has helped many people come to faith in Christ. However, I will say that he has strayed from biblical theology in his view on Hell. I understand that it doesn’t feel good or doesn’t seem just that someone would suffer for eternity. However, my feelings and opinions don’t override the Word of God. We are the finite trying to understand the infinite and when you sin against an infinite God it makes sense that the penalty would be infinite.
I do believe there is a good case in scripture for varying degrees of punishment in Hell. One of those is found in Matthew 10 where Jesus is instructing the disciples about how to deal with people and towns that reject them and the message of the Gospel.
14 If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.
15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
— Matthew 10:14-15 (CSB)
Notice that Jesus said it would be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than for a town that openly rejected the disciples and the message of salvation. That is just one place that indicates there are varying degrees of punishment in Hell. What about the length of punishment in Hell? Well for that I think we can look in Revelation 14 and see what God’s Word says there.
9 And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb,
11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name. — Revelation 14:9-11 (CSB)
It is clear that the punishment is eternal, and I am certain that anyone that rejects Christ or has rejected Christ will be included in the number that suffers forever and ever. Hell is a horrible place and it should break our heart to think that anyone we know might go there.
Don’t be tempted to let feelings override what you know the Word of God says. God’s Word is perfect, and it makes it clear that Hell is a real place and punishment is eternal. Let’s pray for those that we know that don’t know Christ. Ask God for opportunities in 2026 to tell them about Jesus. Commit to praying for them regularly this year and ask God to soften their heart to the Gospel. After all, it is His desire that no one would go to Hell but instead that they would spend their eternity with Him.
