Updated: 3/16/2023
Do all unbelievers go to Hell (then the Lake of Fire)?
The question, do all unbelievers go to Hell (then eventually the lake of fire), has been asked quite often? The short answer would be, yes. The scriptures say yes. Specifically, it says, “[i]f you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (New International Version, Rom. 10.9-10). And “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again'” (John 3.3)
With that being said, God already knows who is going to Hell, then eventually the lake of fire, before a person is even born given His perfect foreknowledge.
As revealed in Rev. 13.8, “[a]nd all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (King James Version). This seems to allude to the fact that before the foundation of the world, we are either in the Lamb’s book of life or we are not. Moreover, 1 John 3.20 states, “[f]or whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (English Standard Version). Therefore, He certainly knows our life from beginning to end. He knows what we will do and therefore whether we will accept Him as our God.
Given that God is infinitely just and all-knowing, He is clearly able to discern whether someone is rejecting Him versus someone who is confused, has doubts, etc. Moreover, Rom. 1.20 says, “[f]or since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (New International Version).
Additionally, some people wonder why people were created if God knew they were going to Hell. While this question probably has more than one answer: One reason is these people are part of God’s will. For example, if Hitler did go to Hell, which he may have, why did God create him especially given all of the pain he inflicted on others? We can speculate that Hitler existed to show just how evil one can be among all of the other possibilities. He had “ripple effects” from a large-scale, big picture viewpoint as well as in the individual lives and stories of those affected. As Isaiah 55.8 states, “‘[f]or my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.”
For more information on ripple effects, you can watch this video called “Generational curses and the Ripple Effect”:
God doesn’t want to send anyone to Hell (2 Pet. 3.9), but some just do not want to have anything to do with Him and eventually end up in eternal torment as a consequence. These people chose to freely reject Him, end up in Hell, and wouldn’t have it any other way even while they are in Hell, in my opinion. God is a just God, we are the sinful ones, and they are where they belong.
Works Cited
“Generational curses and the Ripple Effect.” YouTube, uploaded by Cross Examined,
27 Feb. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7mguc8p8DA.