Amy, a daily podcast listener from Omaha, Nebraska, my hometown, I tend to ask this, I understand

hell to be the absence of God, but of course, he is omnipresent.

If God is everywhere, is he also in hell, what do you say, Pastor John?

There are at least two important responses to Amy's question.

John is to say, yes, hell is that, hell is the absence of God, and we need to answer

in what sense is he absent or present.

But the other response is to say that hell is, as is described in the Bible, is terribly

more than the absence of God.

So let me deal with each of those just a little bit.

Yes, hell is the absence of God.

Here's 2nd Thessalonians 1, 7 to 9.

The Lord will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting

vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the

Lord and from the glory of His might.

So yes, yes, hell is away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might.

So the promise of Psalm 1611 will not come true in hell.

In your presence, there's fullness of joy at your right hand or pleasures forevermore

know because His presence like that won't be there.

For the prayer of Jesus in John 17 is not going to be answered in hell when Jesus prayed.

I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory

that you have given me before the foundation of the world and that the love with which you

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