How Could A Loving God Make Hell?

If God loves us, why did He make hell? Is hell a real place of eternal fire and brimstone where the condemned suffer forever as punishment from God? The Bible says in 1 John 4: 8 that “God is love.” So, if God loves us, how can a God of love make such a horrible place for humanity? It doesn’t seem to make sense for God to condemn His own creation. That is why some have speculated that the doctrine of hell is a falsehood fabricated by charlatans with the purpose of scaring others and (through fear) convincing them to follow their teachings, to attend their churches, and to give money to their ministries. Is this so? What does the Word of God say? The Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and there is nothing more authoritative than God’s Word (John 17:17). We are interested in what the Bible says. Let’s allow the Word of God to reconcile in our minds these two ideas that seem contradictory: eternal damnation and a God who loves us. Hell exists The word “hell” is mentioned 54 times i