What the Lord Jesus, and others, said about hell : Book of Revelation

“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” – Matthew 5:29. (Mark 9:47 also has something quite similar.)

People do not like to think or talk about hell – especially those who are headed there! But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

We need to know that the Lord Jesus Himself often warned about the reality of hell. The above verse is in His Sermon on the Mount, a message often quoted because of its wonderful promises. However the consequences of disobedience are also evident. Hell is mentioned in Matthew 5:22 and 5:30 as well.

Jesus also stressed in that same sermon that, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” – Matthew 7:13.

He later warned, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28. That solemn warning is repeated in the Gospel of Luke, “But I will warn you who to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” – Luke 12:5.

The religious leaders of the day were not exempt. To them, speaking of their religious hypocrisy, He said, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” – Matthew 23:33.

Hell is described as a place of fire. ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones,’ the Lord Jesus will say to the lost souls at His coming judgment, ‘into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.’ – Matthew 25:41. The apostle Peter also warned, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.” – 2 Peter 2:4-10.

As the author of Hebrews wrote, “…our God is a consuming fire” – Hebrews 12:29, so it is little wonder that fire plays a major judgment and punishment for the wicked. However, the one ‘whom Jesus loved’ wrote: “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” – 1 John 4:16. The choice is ours.

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself stated in the Book of Revelation, “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” – Revelation 1:17.

At the Great White Throne Judgment following the Millennium, “…books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books…they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:12, 13, 15, 14.

In John’s vision in the Book of Revelation, a ‘lake of fire and brimstone’ is again mentioned: “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:8.

The Lord Jesus Christ had explained the ‘heart of man’ while He walked the earth: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” – Mark 7:21-23. Sin defined.

Paul warned about the consequences of sin: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Galatians 5:19-21.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

Sin is the transgression of the Law of God. As John wrote: “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4. We are all sinners, even those who have been saved, as Paul wrote: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23, and “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.

Hell indeed is very real – eternally real! Since Christ is both our Creator and our Saviour, who died for our sins and defeated death by His resurrection, it is folly for anyone to reject His revelation about hell. Your eternity depends on coming to the knowledge of the truth – accept the Lord Jesus Christ into your life today.