Jesus does not mince words when it comes to sin and to our eternal fate. Our King wears a crown of thorns to show us that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23)—eternal death. And Christ the King will return to separate the sheep from the goats. The goats, the unrighteous, “will go away into eternal punishment” and the sheep, the righteous, “into eternal life” (Mt. 25:46).
Throughout Scripture, Jesus is direct, clear, and stern when it comes to Hell. This sternness is not what we see in the grumpy old guy who shouts threats at kids for running on his lawn. It is more akin to the mother who cries out with full voice at her small child as he is about to wander into traffic.
Jesus’ motivation is rooted in a deep love and desire for all to know salvation. He came with compassion and mercy—not “to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Lk. 5:32). He began His public ministry with these words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk. 1:15).
Repentance and Hell go together: if there were no Hell, there would be no need for repentance. Jesus deeply desires that everyone be saved (see 1 Tim. 2:4), but many do not want to be saved. They would rather “save” themselves (which is not possible) than be saved by Him whose blood was poured out for their forgiveness and salvation.
Jesus directly references Hell numerous times in the Gospels. St. Matthew’s Gospel includes nine references, and St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John have one reference each as seen in the following verses. While there are many important passages that also deal with Hell from the standpoint of the result of the Final Judgment, these passages deal directly with its reality and nature:
But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, “You fool!” shall be liable to the hell of fire. (Mt. 5:22)
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mt. 7:19)
I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. (Mt. 8:11–12)
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt. 10:28)
The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. (Mt. 13:41–42)
Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Mt. 18:7–9)
But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen. (Mt. 22:11–14)
And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. (Mt. 25:30)
Then he will say to those at his left hand, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Mt. 25:41)
Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell. (Mk. 9:42–47)
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.” (Lk. 16:22–24)
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. (Jn. 15:5–6)
Reflect on the words Jesus uses in these twelve Scripture passages: fire (used eight times), gnash their teeth, weep, darkness, flame, and burn. These words are far from comforting; they are deeply troubling.
Jesus’ blunt words are also the opposite of how Heaven is described by St. John in the book of Revelation: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (21:4).
The Gehenna that Jesus speaks about was a valley southwest of Jerusalem. In this dark, ominous valley, children were burned in sacrifice to the pagan god Moloch. Consequently, the Jews referred to Gehenna as “the abode of the damned,” a term later adopted by Jesus. So when Jesus used the word Gehenna, the Jews knew exactly what He was referring to: Hell itself. Furthermore, the term “Gehenna” is used twelve times in the New Testament, eleven times by Jesus.
Sadly, many continue to distort Jesus’ teaching and ignore these clear references to Hell. Satan tempted Eve with these words: “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’” (Gen. 3:1); and he likewise continues to plant doubt in man’s mind: “Did Jesus really say Hell exists? Was He not speaking figuratively? Surely, an all-loving God would never send anyone to Hell!” “Surely we can hope that all will be saved, and that Hell is just a psychological manipulation.”
Satan wants us not only to doubt Jesus’ words, especially about Hell, but even to distort them. Thus, many focus exclusively on Heaven while others imagine a world without consequences. “Just don’t kill anyone” or “Just be a good person” are the words that many parishioners and children hear from their “spiritual fathers” and “parents” even when they are playing with fire—that is, living in mortal sin. Priests who remain silent on contraception and parents who condone their children’s fornication will also be held accountable for such sins.
At the same time, we ought not to live simply to avoid Hell. No one who lives with this as his primary motive lives in the joy, peace, and freedom Jesus promises to those who follow Him to Heaven. The authentic disciple of Jesus lives entirely for God and for Heaven. We want to be worthy of the wedding banquet of Heaven, which is possible only by God’s grace.
Author’s Note: While we could not discuss each Gospel reference about Hell in this article, we have expounded upon the subject thoroughly in our new release, The Truth About Hell, available from Sophia Institute Press. This article was adapted from a chapter in this book.
Photo by Jeferson Argueta on Unsplash
