There will come a day ~ the day of Judgment ~ when every responsible person will give an account for himself before the Almighty God of heaven. Beyond that day of Judgment lies a never ending existence ~ an eternity. There are only two eternal abodes. One offers peace, the other offers eternal agony. This article is intended to note several facts about the place of eternal punishment, Hell.
The Certainty of Hell
Jesus taught very clearly the existence of Hell. He stated in Matthew 5:22, “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”
Jesus’ apostles also taught that there is a hell, in numerous places. One such example of this is the statement of John in Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” To deny the existence of an eternal hell is to deny the infallibility of scripture. If you believe in the word of God, you are constrained to accept the factuality of its existence.
What Sort of Place is Hell?
It is a place of horrible shame and contempt. Jesus described it in Matthew 25 (vs. 30) as a place of “utter darkness” where there will be “weeping” and “gnashing of teeth.”
It is a place of vile companionship. After all, the adulterer, fornicator, idolater, murderer, drunk, and others of this ilk will all be there (cf. Galatians 5:19-21). Surely you do not want to be in such company for an eternity?
It is a place of memory and remorse. The rich man of Luke 16 had not taken any of his possessions with him to the Hadean world. But he had taken with him his memory. To miss eternal bliss, and carry with you for eternity the knowledge of what you could have had will be torturous indeed.
It is a place without hope. It is possible to endure great affliction today, if we truly believe there will be release tomorrow. But in Hell, the suffering and sorrow will be endless.
Who Is Going There?
Obviously, the wicked. Those who will not obey the gospel of our Lord. As our Lord stated in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Everyone who does not accept Jesus as their Savior by obedience to His gospel will spend eternity in Hell.
How Shall We Escape?
The answer is obvious, by obedience to the gospel of Christ. It is God’s power to save. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” All should become obedient to God now. Hell is too awful to risk going there for even one minute longer. Where are you going to spend eternity?
