It might be surprising to learn that Jesus spoke more about Hell than he did Heaven. Jesus actually spoke more about Hell than anyone else in the Bible. Hell is the eternal destination of those who die without Christ. The purpose of Jesus's death and resurrection was to save us from this horrific fate. Quite literally His resurrection provided the only way to save us from our sins. Only perfectly righteous souls can be in the presence of God. Our righteousness cannot come from within, it must come from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. As I john 2:2 says, He is the propitiation for our sins. That word propitiation means to satisfy the wrath of God against sin.
The Road To Hell
Matthew 7: 13 tells us that the road to Hell is easy. It is broad and the gate is wide. It is, like the old rock song says, a "Highway to Hell". Many people go in through its wide gate.
But the narrow gate is described differently in Matthew 7: 14. It is difficult and not so many find it. In John 10: 9 (a) Jesus describes Himself as the gate. He says, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved."(NIV)
How is hell described by Jesus?
In Matthew 8:12 Jesus describes it as a place of darkness where there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth". Where Heaven is always described as light, Hell will be the antithesis of this. This expression is used in 4 other places by Jesus.
In Matthew 5: 22 Hell (here translated from the word Gehenna) is said to be a place filled with fire. Again, in Matthew 18: 9 he refers to Hell fire. In Revelation 20: 14 we read about the Lake of Fire.
In Matthew 24: 41 the fires of Hell are said to be everlasting, i.e. eternal. In Mark 9: 48 it is described as a place of eternal torment or torture. The fire never goes out. In Matthew 25: 46 Jesus describes Hell as a place of eternal punishment.
In Luke 16: 19-29 we discover that there is a vast gulf between Heaven and Hell. No one can pass between the two.
In Luke 12: 5 we are told that God alone has the power to cast someone into Hell.
Gehenna
The Greek word 'gehenna' refers to a place where dead animals and refuse from Jerusalem was piled up and burned. It was a place where the fires smoldered constantly. It was also the place in the Old Testament where child sacrifices were made to the false god Molech. Children were burned alive to this god whose image was a bull. It was a perfect metaphor for the reality of Hell which is described in Mark 9:48 as place where the fire never goes away.
Hell Was Prepared For The Rebellious
In Matthew 25: 41 Jesus tells us that Hell was prepared for Satan and the demonic angels who rebelled against God. Second Thessalonians 1: 9 says that those who don't know Jesus will be "punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power". Jesus will bring recompense to the world.
The Devil Seeks To Destroy You
The Devil hates God and hates His creation. The Devil's greatest joy comes from destroying the souls of men. The Devil lies to us and tries to consume us. I Peter 5:8 says the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.
God's Escape Plan
We talk so much about God's love that sometimes we don't want to think about judgment. The people around us who we know and love need to realize that Hell is real. God, thankfully, has graciously provided a way of escape.
C.S. Lewis once said,
"The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."
We don't have to live the most wicked of lives to go to hell, we only have to live a life without God.
Fear Not
For Christians we need not fear. Isaiah sums up God's love and protection so well in Isaiah 41: 10,
"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’"
Ask yourself, "Who is it that is with you?"; "Who is it that is your God?"; "Who is it that strengthens and helps you?"; "Who is it that upholds you against evil?". If you don't know or you know it isn't God, reach out to Him now, before time runs out.
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