Many (some cults and even some professed Christians) are offended at the thought of eternal everlasting punishment, but Jesus the Christ spoke about Hell more than anyone else in Scripture. Here is a sample:
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Matt 5:29)
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 10:41-42)
Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matt. 22:13)
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’
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, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— where‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:42-48)
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt 10:28)
‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Now if eternal life is life forever in the new heavens and earth, with God. Then eternal punishment is just that. Eternal, unending Condemnation...Damnation. An eternity absent from the presence of God and the glory of His power...in other words....punishment never ending...forever . (Matt. 25:41;46)
Other Old and New Testament passages proclaim eternal punishment as well
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. (scorn/distain) Dan. 12:2
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice (Jesus) and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:25-29)
Note: the only good one can do is done through Jesus Christ because without him you can do nothing. (John 15:5) For God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us (a one time offering of himself on the cross) So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21) For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Cor 5:7) Once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Heb. 9:26) So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Heb. 9:28)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. ( not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:8-10; Titus 3:5-7)
Jesus the Christ is the only doorway by which anyone can enter into the kingdom of God. ( I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved ....(John 10:9).
Jesus the Christ is The Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by him (John 14:6) "He came that we may have life, and have it more abundantly...."
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers (pharmakois- used of people using drugs to induce stupor or insensibility of people into living by their illusions-where we get our english word Pharmacy) idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8)
“Then He (King Jesus) will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.(his agents or messengers)
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants (diakonos: servant or minister) also, disguise themselves as servants (ministers) of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Cor 11:3-5;13-15)
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 13-15)
Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:6)
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess 4:16-18)
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Rev. 21:1-4;27)
I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Rev 13:1-4;8)
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us manifests the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. (2 Cor 2:14-16)
Where do you stand with this message of hope. Are you one who believes all this around you just happened. That the universe just created itself somehow through billions of years. Earth perfectly positioned for life. In a solar system seemingly insignant in this vast universe. Before anything existed there was absolutely nothing. No matter to form everything we see. In just the right place in the universe to observe the heavens. To experience an eclipse. You see God did it this way for His glory. He did it because he could and can still do miraclous things.
By Faith we undertsand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are not seen were not made of things which are visible. (Heb 11:3)
I know this because I am one of his miracles. I wasn't looking for God. God was looking for me. I heard. I listened, I cried out. He reached down out of heaven and instantaneously changed this man from His enemy to one born ,not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us, and sent His son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)
You have to be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect to inhabit the kingdom of God. Am I perfect? I am still in this flesh, blood and bones body which is passing away. And so are you. Death is inevitable.
Christ Jesus is the righteous perfection of every soul brought into the kingdom by grace through faith. His precious blood covers the regenerate. For Sin is that bad. It required a blood sacrifice. But the one offered had to be perfect. Only one could pay the price. His one and only Son, eternal, with the Father. The word who was in the beginning with God and was God. The Word that became flesh and dwelt (Tabernacled) among us.
I hear Amazing Grace being sung at many funerals, by people who have no idea what they are singing. "Amazing Grace so sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me....." A wretch is one who is deserving of hatred. That's right to be hated by God Himself. He understood his wickedness before a holy and righteous God.
John Newton who wrote the song, had been a part of the slave trade. A wicked blasphemer and violent man. In his later years he said “Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
I have had people say to me, "Oh, that's the old Testament." Folks, the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Jesus quoted the Old Testament as did the Apostles. Jesus The Christ is the prophet, priest and King of the Old Testament all wrapped in one. He came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Not to destroy them. (The ten commandents are not ten suggestions. As Ted Koppel so many years once said.) And His Kingdom will never pass away.
This life is a vapor, a mist that is here for a little while and then passes away. God is not the author of confusion. And confusion, rebellion, violence, anger and rage are all around us. People do not want the God of Scripture because it interfers with their lifestyle. People want to practice wickedness because it is in their nature. People love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. But God has put eternity in our hearts. And we all have a sense of what is right and wrong. But a conscience can be seared, as with a hot iron, and sin will prevail.
Where do you stand with this one called Jesus Christ. You are either for Him or aganist Him. He was born into the world as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. For without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. He was that perfect passover lamb. And as the death angel passed by each doorway in Egypt, smeared with the blood of a young lamb, and spared the first born of Israel. So it is with the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross that sets us free.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb. 2:14-15)
So death has been destroyed. And each person who confesses Jesus Christ is Lord and believes in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Col. 1:19-20)
He will come again not as the lamb, But as the Lion of Judah In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power, when He comes in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to admired among all those who believe... (1 Thess 1:7-10)
