“The doctrine of eternal punishment in hell is about as barbaric and non-compassionate a doctrine as there could possibly be. How unchristian! How un-Christlike to think that God would leave people in torment forever and ever!” I am sure that you have heard of or thought this complaint yourself. It captures the sentiment of a growing number within our society, professing Christian and non-Christian alike. Many times it is assumed that the doctrine of hell is peripheral to the biblical account of God and was certainly not taught by Jesus Himself. Such an opinion, however, is simply an opinion. It is foreign to the biblical reality
and ignorant of the actual words of Jesus. The Old and New Testaments are unequivocal on the judgment of the wicked. Moreover, of all the voices in the Bible, no one speaks more extensively on the subject of hell than Jesus Himself. For example, in Jesus’ depiction of the final judgment in Matthew 25 he says to those who did not obey him, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and His angels” (Matthew 25: 41).

Jesus was convinced of the reality of hell. Are you?

Something to think about from “The Kingdom Perspective.”

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of
these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

~ Matthew 25: 41-46