Many folks have said Jesus taught more about hell than he taught about heaven. Why is that? In this generation, if you talk about hell, the penalty for sin, repentance, judgment, punishment; they will call you evil, hateful, judgmental, and unloving. Truth is Jesus is love, and He spoke often on these very topics.
Not mentioning hell and punishment is a 20th century phenomenon that only proves the enemy has gained control of church doctrine and the world. In times past, most preachers taught on all the things Jesus taught, eternal damnation included. Today it’s quite the opposite.
End Times
Paul told Timothy that the “time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine”; they will only want to hear pleasing things. They will “accumulate for themselves teachers to satisfy their own desires” and to support the errors they hold (2 Timothy 4:3). Today’s churchgoers don’t want the truth of the gospel that challenges them. They want to feel good about themselves as they walk in their sins. That doesn’t make them born-again; they’re like the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom Jesus constantly condemned as fakes and frauds (Matthew 23).
Direct Reference to Hell
Indirect Reference to Hell
Warning Warning Warning
Jesus warned His disciples and followers of the consequences of sin, hell. Christians who don’t want to hear the full counsel of God are usually guilty of many sins themselves. Or much worse, they don’t know because their false teachers have not taught them the whole gospel message. Ignorance is not an excuse with God (John 1:9) and (Romans 1:19).
Correction
After careful research I discovered that Jesus didn’t speak more about hell or eternal damnation than heaven. But the numbers are very close. I’ve found a little over 150 times Jesus spoke about heaven and almost 145 times He spoke about hell and damnation of eternal fire.
It’s Ridiculous
It is ridiculous not to warn people about hell or the consequences of sin. Deceitful teachers have perverted the message of hellfire to be judgmental, unloving, and hateful. Those who say that are the ignorant and “false prophets and teachers” the Bible warns us about (2 Peter 2:1). The truth is, it’s LOVING to teach both heaven and hell. Not receiving Jesus has eternal consequences that is why Jesus taught so much about eternal damnation.
If people are heading off a steep cliff, the worst thing you can do is say nothing and look the other way. Jesus did the opposite. He warned people! Like the Pharisees and Sadducees of His day. Today churches are filled with self loving hypocrites (2 Timothhy 3:2). They are going to hell and taking many congregants with them through their false teachings.
Preaching Truth
Today’s ministers will only speak of God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and all the things God wants to do for them. They are from the school of “health and wealth” or “prosperity preachers”. Those who taught the prosperity gospel are the “ravenous wolves” spoken of in (Matthew 7:15). They are leading today’s church into apostasy. Beware those ministers have morphed into the hyper-grace messengers (sin is ok becasue we are under grace). They twist the truth into a lie with their words.
But Jesus had much to say about God’s justice, holiness, wrath, judgment and punishment and how we are to serve God with our lives. Few church sermons will even mention those topics. There is no profit in speaking about those things.
Today, most preachers fail to teach all that Jesus spoke about. They cherry pick to soothe their audience’s ears and to keep the money rolling in. This will cause many to never coming to knowledge of the truth of salvation; yet think they have. This is death. It may be your church’s fault, but it’s your responsibility to know the whole truth. Your eternal destiny is on the line.
Jesus was a Loving Teacher
Jesus taught on both heaven and hell. He discussed the “narrow gate” that leads to life, and the Wide Gate that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
If you talk about hell or eternal damnation people will say “that’s not very loving! How can you tell people they’re going to hell? Or they will say only a terrible person would say people are going to spend eternity suffering!”. But I say and God agrees; how can you be loving if you don’t tell people about the consequences of sin? If you don’t, you don’t love God, man, or truth.
Jesus’s Direct References to Hell
- Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
- Matthew 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it away. It’s more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
- Matthew 5:30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off 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.
- Matthew 10:28 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.
- Matthew 11:23 You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
- Matthew 16:18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
- Matthew 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
- Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
- Matthew 23:33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
- Mark 9:43 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.
- Mark 9:45 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.
- Mark 9:47 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.
- Luke 10:15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to hell.
- Luke 12:5 I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
- Luke 16:23 And being in torments in hell, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Jesus’s Indirect References to Hell
Jesus also spoke about hell indirectly. This means, He talked about hell but used other words such as destruction, fire, furnace, darkness, etc. Here are the indirect references:
- Matthew 7:13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
- Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
- Matthew 13:40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
- Matthew 13:42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- Matthew 13:50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- Matthew 18:8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
- Matthew 22:13 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.
- Matthew 25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Matthew 25:41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
- Mark 9:44, 46, 48 where Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.
- Mark 12:40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.
- Luke 13:3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
- Luke 16:24 Then he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
- John 5:29 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 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
Love Mandates Warning
The real question is, How could you not tell people about hell?
The Catholic Church made up the idea of Purgatory, a of middle ground between heaven and hell. There’s a tendency in most folks to want to bridge the gap between these two completely different destinations. But Jesus is clear and the bible is clear that there’s no middle ground.
We either face the comfort of heaven like Lazarus, or the torment the Rich Man experienced Luke 16:19-31. There is no middle ground.
If you read this and you’ve never surrendered your life to Christ, you need to know you’re heading off that cliff. You’re embracing the torment and woes Jesus lovingly discussed in an effort to warn you.
If you have any concern at all about whether the blessings or woes are for you, I’d consider it a privilege to hear from you. I’d appreciate the opportunity to answer any questions you have and pray for you!