Introduction

The concept of hell, though varies across different denominations because of theological perspectives and interpretations of scriptures, has some important tenets: divine justice, eternal punishment, moral responsibility, and the existence of moral evil.

Main Points:

Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth {his} sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed {thee}? or thirsty, and gave {thee} drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took {thee} in? or naked, and clothed {thee}? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done {it} unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done {it} unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did {it} not to one of the least of these, ye did {it} not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

• Divine Justice: This passage underscores the importance of our actions and decisions, for ultimately, they determine eligibility for eternal life or eternal damnation: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats". The final judgment, in the "Great White Throne Judgment"
  Revelation 20:11-15

  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is {the book} of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. {hell: or, the grave} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

  symbolizes the ultimate separation of good and evil.
• Nature of Hell: The traditional, biblical understanding of hell consists of three parts: eternal, conscious, and punishment.
  • Eternal: the duration of hell is eternal. Because people are made to last forever, they will either live eternally in heaven or eternally in hell: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt"
    Daniel 12:2

    And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame {and} everlasting contempt.

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  • Conscious: those in hell are not asleep or annihilated; instead, people are awake and aware of their experience. Jesus said, "While the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"
    Matthew 8:12

    But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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  • Punishment: hell is a just punishment for sins, for it is not an unearned sentence but a lawful condemnation of sinners who deserve the penalty they receive: "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire"
    Jude 1:7

    Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. {strange: Gr. other}

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Memory Verse

Eternal, conscious punishment in hell is a serious matter. Anyone who values their eternal soul wants to avoid hell at all costs. Thankfully, God has secured for us a rescue from the just sentence of hell for our sins. God sent his Son Jesus who satisfied the righteous requirement of the law that condemned us to hell. In one of the most famous passages in the Bible, we learn, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life".