At the day of judgment, the wicked shall be set on Christ’s left hand, and upon clear evidence, and full conviction of their own consciences, shall have the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them; and thereupon shall be cast out from the favorable presence of God, and the glorious fellowship with Christ, his saints, and all his holy angels, into hell, to be punished with unspeakable torments, both of body and soul, with the devil and his angels for ever.
(Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger Catechism Question 89)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
As we have seen, the subject of judgment is a topic that most people would rather not hear about and, as a result, many pastors would rather not preach about. However, to gain a complete understanding of eternity we must go beyond the topic of judgment and now address the even more uncomfortable and devastating Biblical doctrine of eternal punishment in hell.
The Apostle Paul explained to the elders of the church at Ephesus:
I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God. Acts 20:26-27
In other words, Paul is saying that Jesus would hold him accountable if he had avoided the hard and uncomfortable topics and neglected to teach the church the whole counsel of God. Like Paul we must teach the whole counsel of God. If we are to be innocent of the blood of the world we must even teach on topics that the world and, many times, even the church does not want to hear about.
In the Old Testament when God’s people did not want to hear the hard truth of God’s Word the Prophet Micah sarcastically admonished them saying that they wanted a preacher to “Preach to you wine and strong drink, that one would be the preacher for this people.” Micah 2:11 Similarly, in the New Testament Paul warned that rather than hearing the hard truths of God’s eternal Word many in the church preferred to gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
People throughout the ages have always preferred religious leaders that offered them gods that would let them pursue their sins without any consequences. Gods that would tell them comforting lies. But, as Paul explained to the Galatians, he was not seeking the favor of men but God. If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 If we are to be innocent of blood we must teach the whole counsel of God, including the truth about hell, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us.
What is the eternal fate of those who refuse Christ’s free offer of life?
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of the only Son of God. John 3:18
Those who reject the teachings of Christ, those who reject the free offer of salvation are condemned…because [they have] not believed in the Name of the only Son of God.
What will that condemnation look like?
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Though we do not want to hear it or believe it, Christ teaches us that there are three hard lessons that we must understand about hell.
First, we must understand that hell is real. Hell is part of the reality that God created.
Very often when we read the Scriptures we search for verses of hope and assurance. This is, of course, a very good habit. We all need hope, assurance, and comfort. But, at the same time we gloss over or ignore verses of condemnation that strike fear and terror in our hearts. In keeping with Paul’s admonition to hear the whole counsel of God, consider an oft quoted and beloved verse.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Those who respond to the love of God offered to the world through Jesus Christ have eternal life.
But have you ever stopped to consider the meaning of the word perish?
Those who do not respond to the love of God will perish. They are on their own; condemned. They are without hope. Ephesians 2:12
Each one’s work will be shown for what it is for the Day of Judgment will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and fire will test the quality of each persons work. 1 Corinthians 3:13
If you were to do a word search in the Bible of the word hell and its synonyms you would discover that no one, no prophet, no priest, or no Apostle, spoke more about hell than Jesus Christ. Jesus, the only one who is able to save us from hell, wanted to ensure that we all understand the reality of hell.
What did Jesus want us to understand about hell?
Gehenna
I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I warn you whom you should fear. Fear him who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Not one of them is forgotten by God. But the very hairs of your heard are all counted. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:4-7
Gehenna is one of the words used in the Bible to describe hell. Gehenna was cursed by God because it was where the unfaithful Israelites sacrificed their children on altars to other gods.
Go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, Gehenna…and proclaim there the words that I will tell you…they have forsaken me and made this an alien place…they burned incense to other gods…and filled this place with the blood of innocents…this place will no longer be called…the Valley of the Son of Hinnom but the Valley of Slaughter. Jeremiah 19:2-6
Christ is urging Christians to stop fearing the unbelievers and stop compromising with the world. Instead, Christ urges us to get our priorities straight and fear God because God will cast those who reject him into that terrible place of alienation, rejection and ultimate despair, Gehenna, Hell, the Valley of Slaughter.
On the other hand, remember Christ says in the same passage God cares for all of his creatures, even sparrows, and, created in God’s image, you are more valuable than the sparrows. God knows you inside and out. God knows your heart, your thoughts, and sees your actions. Repent, call on his Name, praise him for purchasing your eternal salvation, and take care to obey and honor him.
Darkness
Jesus is the light of the world. Whoever follows [Jesus] will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. John 8:12
Christians are to walk in the light as he is the light. 1 John 1:7 Light symbolizes the joy and happiness of those who have turned to Christ for salvation and now walk with God. Because they know and embrace the truth, they are blessed by God. They know the truth and are set free. John 8:32 They are happy. They know joy.
However, those who do not walk in the light as he is in the light, 1 John 1:7, will at the time of their judgment will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12
While there is much evil in this life, through God’s common grace we see much goodness as well, even among the most depraved. The woman with a long criminal record can also be a caring mother. The mixture of good and evil exists in the worst of men and women. But in Hell it will be all darkness. Evil shall reign supremely. (The Collected Works of Robert S. Williamson)
As God reminded Job, “The wicked are denied their light.” Job 38:15
Think for a moment about your greatest fears, the thoughts that haunt you. That is a small taste of what hell will be like.
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. Ephesians 4:18
Those sentenced to hell will live with their darkest thoughts and wicked understanding, forever alienated from the life of God. They will be eternally in darkness away from the light of Christ. Because they are forever estranged from the source of life and grace they are forever alienated from peace and joy. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The expression to gnash teeth is used to convey rage and anger. For example, we read that when the members of the Sanhedrin heard [Christ], they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. Acts 7:54 Like the members of the Sanhedrin who opposed Christ, those in hell will both rage against God and be furious with themselves for so foolishly and arrogantly living their earthly lives with no thought about eternity.
Never Dies
Almost everyone has endured some terrible experiences in their lives — debilitating accidents, life-altering illnesses, imprisonment, the death of loved ones, the slavery of addiction, divorce. For the most part we are able to soldier through these experiences, looking forward to better days in the future. So, using our above examples, if hell meant being exiled to Gehenna, The Valley of Slaughter, or being cast from God’s presence into darkness, those condemned there would like to think that they could endure it knowing that the punishment, no matter how horrible, and no matter how long, was still temporary. However, according to Christ, hell is not temporary. The suffering, alienation, and darkness of hell is eternal.
If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:46-48
Christ is not advocating self-mutilation, rather he is emphasizing the fact that the torments of hell do not die. The fire of hell is not quenched.
In Christ’s parable of the sheep and goats, after the unbelievers try to convince Christ to allow them to enter heaven, Christ, the Judge, announces his verdict:
The wicked will go away to eternal punishment but the righteous will go to eternal life. Matthew 25:31-46
In the Greek, Christ uses the same word for eternal, aionion, for the fate of both the wicked and the righteous. In other words, just as the joys of heaven are eternal, the punishment of hell is eternal.
Jesus emphasizes the same point in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus begged:
Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. Luke 16:24-26
Lazarus was in agony in [the] fire of hell but there was no way out. There was no escape. No one can cross from there (hell) to us, (heaven).
While these are just a few of the metaphors for hell that Jesus Christ the Creator painted while he was here on earth, there is no denying that Christ wanted everyone to take his warning with the utmost seriousness and accept the alternative: his free offer of eternal life.
Second, returning to the text that we have been considering:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Christ explains how people end up in hell. It is Christ, the Judge, who pronounces the verdict, condemning them to hell. It is Christ who destroys both the soul and the body in hell.
For many Christians this is an uncomfortable thought. I have heard pastors try to soften these hard words of Christ by saying that the only people in hell are the people that choose to go there. The fact, so the argument goes, is that God is so loving that he is willing to give everyone what they want the most, even if that means hell. If they want hell, God, against his better judgment, is willing to comply.
According to Christ, this false teaching is simply not true. Now there is no doubt that people want their sin. They enjoy their sins and choose to pursue them. It is also true that people want to ignore God and refuse his free offer of life. Titus 3:5 They choose sin over God. They may even casually joke about going to hell to be with their friends. But they don’t really believe that they are choosing hell. While they may joke about hell, they believe in their heart of hearts that if there really is an afterlife, they will be able to use their powers of persuasion at the pearly gates to gain entrance into heaven. They rationalize, “Okay, sure I’ve sinned but I don’t deserve Hell. I’ve done so many good things there must be a place for me in Heaven.”
No one chooses hell. In fact, when the time comes to face the verdict in Christ’s courtroom they actually try desperately to hide from Christ to avoid the reality of hell.
The kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called on the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of [the Father] who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb [Jesus Christ!].” For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand it? Revelation 6:15-17
Those facing the reality of hell begged the mountains to fall on them. They would rather be buried alive under tons of rock and debris than face the eternal condemnation of Jesus Christ, the Judge. They begged the mountains, “Hide us from…the wrath of the Lamb!”
In another instance Christ warned the false teachers of his day that it would be better for them to be pinned down and drowned by a millstone on the bottom of the sea than to face the eternal fires of hell.
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea… If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Matthew 18:6-9
Similarly, the Apostle Paul explained.
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 1:9
The Biblical picture is that sin separates us from the presence of God, which is the source of all joy and indeed all love, wisdom, or good things of any sort. We were created for God’s immediate presence…To lose his presence totally that would be hell – the loss of our capacity for giving or receiving love or joy. (Tim Keller, The reason for God, Penguin)
Again, as we have seen, Christ is the Lamb of God, offering salvation.
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17
But do not be deceived by false teachers, Christ is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, presiding over the celestial courtroom. It is Christ who is the one who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Third, Christ advises everyone to fear the Lord.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Are you afraid of the one who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell?
The Bible teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the dividing line between the righteous and the wicked, between the discerning and the foolish, between the saved and the damned. We fear the Lord because we know that we will all individually stand before him one day, exposed for what we are.
We all want to be accepted. Because we all want to be loved, admired, and receive the praise of men, it is easy for us to fear men. We fear what they think about us. We fear what they may say about us. We fear that they may reject or persecute us. But instead of fearing men, those who begin by fearing the Lord are laying a firm foundation for wisdom. They take Jesus’ teachings on eternity, hell and heaven seriously: they accept his sacrifice on their behalf: and they examine the way that they live their lives in the light of his commands.
Those who don’t fear the Lord in this life will fear the Lord as they stand before the tribunal of Jesus Christ.
After God miraculously freed Israel from slavery in Egypt he led them to Mt. Sinai. There, God came down on mountain.
The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death…
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him…When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Exodus 19:10-19, 20
God’s chosen people, the people who he had just freed from slavery and led with a pillar of smoke and fire, feared God. They experienced, at a distance, the awesome power of God, and they trembled in fear. They knew that they could not survive the voice of God.
If God’s Old Testament children, the children he loved, trembled in fear, what will be the reaction of those who reject God upon realizing their eternal fate?
The Head of the English Atheist club, Sir Francis Newport said to those gathered around his deathbed: “You need not tell me there is no God, for I know there is one, and that I am in his presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell! Oh, that I could lie for a thousand years upon the fire that is never quenched, to purchase the favor of God and be united to Him again. But it is a fruitless wish. Millions and millions of years will bring me no nearer the end of my torments than one poor hour. Oh, eternity, eternity forever and forever! Oh, the insufferable pangs of Hell!” (David E. Pratte, Gospel Way)
Who do you fear?
We may be very uncomfortable speaking about hell, but according to the Scriptures, and according to the words of our Savior, hell is a very real place.
The Apostle Paul wrote to his young friend, Timothy:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is useful for teaching, for repoof, for correction, for training in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
To be faithful to our commission as ambassadors in Christ’s Kingdom we must speak clearly about the Judgment that everyone will face as well as the reality of hell. We are to teach, reprove and correct misconceptions so that our friends, neighbors, and family members will be thoroughly equipped to understand and prepare for eternity.
In John’s vision of heaven, he reported:
I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!” Revelation 12:10-11
Prior to his expulsion from heaven, Satan had stood before God pointing out our sins and accusing us of unfaithfulness: however, Christ has taken those accusations of Satan, our sins, upon himself. So now the gates of hell can not prevail against his Church. Matthew 16:18 Satan and his forces have been hurled down. The decisive battle has been won by Christ!
We often imagine that the Church is under siege and about to be crushed by the forces of evil, but that is not how Christ and John see it. The Church is actually a mighty army besieging Satan’s headquarters. Hell’s gates cannot stop the Church’s assault. Those who were at one time captive to Satan are being liberated and brought into Christ’s Kingdom. We have triumphed over (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of [our] testimony. When we love Christ more than our lives, when we love our neighbors enough to tell them about the love of Christ that will save them from the depths of hell, Christ will say of us, “They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given by the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon the earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil. The end of God’s appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient…The wicked who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.
(Westminster Confession of Faith, Of the Last Judgment)