God is Good - Really!
The Bible describes two possible futures: we can live eternally, or perish; it never threatens eternal torment.
Explore the message of the Bible, and read what it actually says - not what you may have been told. Discover a message of hope and love, not eternal torment. Join us in understanding the true nature of life after death.
The book, 'Jesus and the Other Place', was published as a paperback and ebook in August 2025, and as a hardback in September. You can buy a copy from Amazon, amongst other places.
Our Services
Sermons, talks and seminars
I'm happy to talk for free, but travel costs would be appreciated
Sermons in church services, talks and Interactive seminars are all available - about the book, or a variety of other subjects connecting what we believe with how we live, all designed to deepen understanding of scripture, enhance personal faith journeys and help people flourish.
About the book
I was asked to write something short about the book, and came up with this...
I have been talking about my faith for over 50 years now, and listening to the objections which are raised. One of the most common (and, for many Christians, one of the most difficult) is the question of what will happen to people who do not follow Jesus.
Almost everyone outside the church understands that we believe they will be tormented for ever. We offer them a way to avoid this fate, but that doesn't help: it simply confirms to them that our God is a monster. What does help is understanding what the Bible really says on this subject – so I wrote a book about it.
This book seeks to take seriously what Jesus tells us about the fate of those who do not follow him. The message Jesus gives us about the next world can be found throughout the Bible, and is very simple: we are offered two paths, and we can choose between two possible futures – we can receive eternal life, or we can perish.
Traditional mainstream Christian teaching says the unsaved will suffer eternal torment, but this is not the biblical message. The doctrine of eternal torment distorts the gospel message, disrupts our evangelism, and makes honest and sensitive pastoral care for the bereaved even harder than it is already. Even worse, it presents our Heavenly Father as a cruel monster.
Contrary to what many Christians have been taught, the Bible clearly and consistently teaches that those who reject God will perish – they will cease to exist. This is a dreadful fate, but it is not cruel: we are free to spend eternity with him, but we are not forced to be in his presence.
Reviews
Understanding What the Bible Tells Us
Did Jesus Mean What He Said?
Many people are familiar with John 3:16 - it is possibly the best-known verse in the whole Bible.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
What Jesus actually says seems to be pretty clear. You have two choices: if you do not believe in Jesus, you will perish; if you believe in Jesus, you will gain eternal life. You can perish – which means to die or be destroyed – or you can live eternally. Through Jesus, you have the choice.
The one vital question we have to ask is: can we believe what He is saying here? Is Jesus telling us the truth?
It's Not Just Jesus
Jesus brought a fresh revelation of God's character and activity, but on this point - the question of what happens if you choose to reject God's will for your life - Jesus is simply repeating what is clearly and explicitly taught throughout the Bible.
The choice we are offered is a very simple one: we can choose to live, or we can choose to die. Unsurprisingly, the consistent advice is: choose life! Avoid the path that leads to death.
We see it in Genesis - the penalty for sin in the Garden of Eden: "you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). We see it in the Psalms - the wicked are "like the chaff that the wind blows away" (Psalm 1:4). We see it in Paul's letters: "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
In the 'outer darkness', which Jesus talks about, we find 'weeping and gnashing of teeth' - which speaks of sadness and anger, but not suffering, and there is no suggestion that this sadness and anger will be unending. In the Bible, God punishes sin when necessary, but it is His love which is unending.
Why Does This Matter?
Many people believe that God punishes unbelievers with everlasting torment - suffering without end, in a place called 'Hell'. The Bible does talk about Hell, but in the Bible it is simply the place where the dead go, waiting until the judgement day when everyone will be resurrected; it is not a place where anyone is punished.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for 'Hell' is 'sheol'; in the New Testament, the Greek word is 'hades'. They can both be translated as 'the grave'.
After the last judgement, those who have eternal life will continue to live in the presence of Jesus, and those who do not have eternal life will perish, just as Jesus said. God does not want anyone to die; but, if they choose to die, He does not stop them.
And, whether we live or die, God loves us. As a loving Father, He only punishes us when necessary, to help us learn how to live and how to love. To use the jargon, His punishment is only and always redemptive, always life-giving. Our loving Heavenly Father is good and loving - always, and to everyone. He does not want us to die, He does not want us to suffer.
The doctrine of eternal torment is completely absent from the Bible; it is a lie, and completely distorts the character of God. The God of the Bible is not a monster who torments people: He is good and kind and loving - as we clearly see in the person of Jesus.
If you are still not convinced, or if you struggle to convince others about this... please: read the book!
Contact Us
Visit my personal website:
http://hazelden.org.uk/otherplace/
Or the GitHub microsite:
https://github.com/PaulHazelden/TheOtherPlace/blob/main/README.md
Or leave reviews here.
Or send a message using this form:
In Brief
Summary
The book is a clear and accessible statement of the Bible's teaching about Hell, and a brief but comprehensive survey of the more complicated issues and doctrines around the subject of Hell - what it is and who goes there. It clearly presents what Jesus tells us about Hell, which is very different from the medieval picture we are often presented with.
About the Book
This book seeks to take seriously what Jesus tells us about the fate of those who do not follow him. The message Jesus gives us about the next world can be found throughout the Bible, and can be summarised very simply: we are offered two paths, and we can choose between two possible futures – we can receive eternal life, or we can perish.
Traditional mainstream Christian teaching says the unsaved will suffer eternal torment, but this is not the biblical message. Contrary to what many Christians have been taught, the Bible clearly and consistently teaches that those who reject God will perish – they will cease to exist. The doctrine of eternal torment distorts the gospel message, disrupts our evangelism, and makes honest and sensitive pastoral care for the bereaved even harder than it is already. Even worse, it presents our Heavenly Father as a cruel monster.