John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God has not made it difficult for us to respond to Him. In the previous article, we saw that God wants us to believe. Belief will cause someone to obey. Paul called this the “obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26).
However, God also promised that those who disobey Him would “perish.” God is not speaking about physical death, for many people who act wickedly live longer than the righteous! Paul said, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The death of which he speaks is spiritual, culminating in an eternity in hell.
Hell is not prepared for you and me. It is prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Hell is described in some frightening ways in the New Testament. According to Mark’s account, Jesus described it as “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44, 46). He also said in Matthew 8:20, “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Finally, Revelation 20:15 describes hell as a “lake of fire” and 21:8 says that the unrighteous will burn with “fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
The description of hell in the Bible should scare you like nothing else in your life. To go to such place means failing at the purpose God has for your life and wasting His great love. The alternative to eternal death is too great to miss!
Kyle Campbell
