William G. T. Shedd published this defense of the doctrine of endless punishment in 1885, citing the Biblical references to the realm of Sheol as evidence of the existence of a hellish afterlife for the wicked.

As a believer in the existence of hell, Shedd seeks to convince readers of the nature of the afterlife for the sinful. He considered it to be a manifestation of God's will to punish those who do evil upon the Earth, and was moved to defend the doctrine from recent arguments against its existence from authors and preachers of different denominations. Shedd considered mounting a defense of his beliefs to be justified from a moral perspective; God's retribution is to be taken as a form of divine justice.

Shedd is often cited as representative of the growth in the Calvinist philosophy of Christianity, which ascended to prominence through the mid- to late-19th century in the USA, as part of a broader revival of Christian beliefs. He was a Presbyterian theologian well-known for his breadth of knowledge; his Biblical commentaries and essays on historical and literary subjects adjacent to the Biblical lore renowned for their exacting depth.