--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people use the word hell, what do…" description: "\"When people use the word hell, what do they mean? They mean a place, an event, a situation absent of how God desires things to be. Famine, debt, oppres..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/rob-bell-1025_absent_when-people-use-the-word-hell-what-do-th_260698.jpg" --- # When people use the word hell, what do they mean? They… ![“When people use the word hell, what do they mean? They mean a place, an event, a situation absent of how God desires things to be. Famine, debt, oppression, loneliness, despair, death, slaughter--they are all hell on earth. Jesus' desire for his followers is that they live in such a way that they…” quote by Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/rob-bell-1025_absent_when-people-use-the-word-hell-what-do-th_260698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/rob-bell-1025_absent_when-people-use-the-word-hell-what-do-th_260698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/rob-bell-1025_absent_when-people-use-the-word-hell-what-do-th_260698.jpg) > “When people use the word hell, what do they mean? They mean a place, an event, a situation absent of how God desires things to be. Famine, debt, oppression, loneliness, despair, death, slaughter--they are all hell on earth. Jesus' desire for his followers is that they live in such a way that they bring heaven to earth. What's disturbing is when people talk more about hell after this life than they do about Hell here and now. As a Christian, I want to do what I can to resist hell coming to earth.” [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts the concept of hell as a future punishment with the idea that hell can be present in worldly suffering, urging believers to act against creating such conditions. **In simple terms:** Hell can be present now; act to prevent suffering. Key Takeaway Work to bring heaven into the world. Themes faith social justice theology Mood determined hopeful Type inspirational call to action When to use this quote - poverty relief - conflict resolution - community building - mental health support Key Concepts Christianity ethics compassion Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify and alleviate modern "hell" in your community? - What responsibilities do believers have to address suffering? A Different Perspective The notion of "hell on earth" can be subjective and may overlook systemic causes beyond individual control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absent/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Disturbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturbing/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Famine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famine/) [Followers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/followers/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Hell Coming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-coming-2570310/) [Hell Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-earth-310171/) [Hell Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-life-392542/) [Hell Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-mean-1826833/) [Hell on earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-on-earth/) [Here and now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-now/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-talk/) [Resist Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resist-hell-2570309/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughter/) [This life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-life/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“Many people don't fear a hell after this life and that's because hell is on this earth, in this life. In this life there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/many-people-don-t-fear-a-hell-after-this-life-and-that-s-because-hell/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“Hell in life indicates a state of suffering, of agony, of torture (by others, by circumstances, or by ourselves), and of insipid colors and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-ripstein/hell-in-life-indicates-a-state-of-suffering-of-agony-of-torture-by/) [Jacqueline Ripstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-ripstein/) > [People can either create paradise or Hell on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-can-either-create-paradise-or-hell-on-earth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The idea of heaven is Christianity's way of creating a hell on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/the-idea-of-heaven-is-christianity-s-way-of-creating-a-hell-on-earth/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [“Those who have aimed at utopia have often been the most effective at unleashing hell on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-wigg-stevenson/those-who-have-aimed-at-utopia-have-often-been-the-most-effective-at/) [Tyler Wigg-Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-wigg-stevenson/) > [“My sixteenth was anything but sweet; it was more like the passage into hell on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-moseley/my-sixteenth-was-anything-but-sweet-it-was-more-like-the-passage-into/) [Kirsty Moseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-moseley/) > [I feel bad for these preachers man, they're on their jets doing all of that stuff because there's a lot of people living hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-montgomery/i-feel-bad-for-these-preachers-man-they-re-on-their-jets-doing-all-of/) [Ryan Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-montgomery/) > [I think earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in Hell; and earth, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-think-earth-if-chosen-instead-of-heaven-will-turn-out-to-have-been/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I could believe only in the hell I was living in, a hell on earth, and it was man-made, not God-made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/i-could-believe-only-in-the-hell-i-was-living-in-a-hell-on-earth-and/) [Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/) > [“Forks was literally my personal hell on Earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/forks-was-literally-my-personal-hell-on-earth/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [We're in a place where no words can tell the truth about what happened... But they have to. This was hell on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksander-kwasniewski/we-re-in-a-place-where-no-words-can-tell-the-truth-about-what/) [Aleksander Kwasniewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksander-kwasniewski/) > [“Outfitted with a 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer, one Bofors 40 mm autocannon, and one 105 mm M102 cannon, it can and does unleash hell on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/outfitted-with-a-25-mm-gau-12-equalizer-one-bofors-40-mm-autocannon/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“If there's a Hell on Earth, it's high school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-desrochers/if-there-s-a-hell-on-earth-it-s-high-school/) [Lisa Desrochers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-desrochers/) > [“He will take this hell on earth and someday show us how hell was building heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-allen/he-will-take-this-hell-on-earth-and-someday-show-us-how-hell-was/) [Jennie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-allen/) > [What has always made a Hell on earth has been that man has tried to make it his Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-h-lderlin/what-has-always-made-a-hell-on-earth-has-been-that-man-has-tried-to/) [Friedrich Holderlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-h-lderlin/) ## More by Rob Bell > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/why-blame-the-dark-for-being-dark-it-is-far-more-helpful-to-ask-why/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“This story... blasts to pieces our biases and labels with a declaration that God is on everyone's side, extending grace and compassion to everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/this-story-blasts-to-pieces-our-biases-and-labels-with-a-declaration/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [One truth is that suffering raises profound questions with the universe. The other truth is that grace, gift and generosity also raise profound questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/one-truth-is-that-suffering-raises-profound-questions-with-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/for-jesus-heaven-and-hell-were-present-realities-ways-of-living-we/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Love is what God is, love is why Jesus came, and love is why he continues to come, year after year to person after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/love-is-what-god-is-love-is-why-jesus-came-and-love-is-why-he/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [I believe that God is love. I believe that Jesus came to show us this love, to give us this love, to teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-believe-that-god-is-love-i-believe-that-jesus-came-to-show-us-this/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news-2/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“I don’t read the Bible like a flat line. I don’t see all of the passages in the Bible sitting equally side by side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-don-t-read-the-bible-like-a-flat-line-i-don-t-see-all-of-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [To elevate abstract doctrines and dogmas over living, breathing, embodied experiences of God's love and grace, then, is going the wrong direction. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/to-elevate-abstract-doctrines-and-dogmas-over-living-breathing/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The modern world has created airports and hospitals and put 10,000 songs in our pocket. 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It takes firm resolve to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-takes-quite-a-spine-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-takes-phenomenal/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) [Explore all 305 Rob Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## More Absent quotes > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. 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