Shorthand notes below and presentations slides available to download in the “Save” circle above:
Introduction
Matthew 9:37 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers
are few;”
People are dying all around us…people who we love and respect. Just this week at least
two people I know of in this gathering of believers lost former co-workers who they
respected and admired. Others have beloved family on death’s door and have shared
the gospel with them in the hopes they will receive Jesus.
o I want to be sensitive to the hurt and pain of losing someone you love and respect
without knowing if they have trusted in Jesus as we discuss a very sobering topic
today – the reality of eternal punishment and separation from God for those who
do not submit to Jesus by faith.
Pray
Why is the Harvest Plentiful?
Man is broken and sinful
o Romans 3:9-12, 23 “9 …all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is
written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for
God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does
good, not even one.” …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (see
also Psalm 14:1-3)
o Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother
conceive me.” (see also Psalm 58:3)
o Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good
and never sins.”
Many people need Jesus
o Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is
easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is
narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
o Matthew 7:21-23 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your
name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me,
you workers of lawlessness.’”
“many” (Gk. polys) – a very great number, overabundance that is too great
to number
Many are on the wrong path, and many are self-deceived
What is Hell?
Eternal state of conscious, punishment and separation from God for those who have not
put their faith and trust in Jesus.
o What we typically imagine (burning lake of fire) exists after judgment day (See
below), now, when someone dies they are punished and separated, but not in
“lake of fire” described in Revelation 20:14
Confusion Over Hell
In the gospels, Jesus talked more about judgment and eternal separation from Yahweh
then He did about heaven
Much confusion about hell due to influence from other religious viewpoints:
o Judaism – form of purgatory where you must be cleansed of unrepented of sin
(traditionally 12 month process)…only psychological anguish, not physical.
Unredeemable people (mostly gentiles) cannot be cleansed and will have
no portion in the eternal paradise with Yahweh
o LDS/Mormon – spirit prison where can be taught gospel, repent and turn to Jesus
– if not repentant, then remain separated from God with devil and angels.
o JWs – hell is an unconscious, non-pain (psychologically or physically) but
annihilation. In fact, eternal torment is completely against god’s character
because he is love.
This view is continuing to gain sway with evangelicals.
o Wiccans – no hell, sin, or devil…cycle of reincarnation
o Hinduism – Naraka is the Hindu hell. Yama is the god of death. He is one of
millions of gods and goddesses. Most Hindus believe hell is not eternal.
Reincarnation keeps people out of hell if they end one their lives going there.
Moksha is the transcendent state attained when the cycle of dying and rebirth
ends through the law of karma.
o Buddhism – Like Hinduism, samsara is the constant cycle of unenlightened
individuals of life, death, and rebirth. In samsara there are realms of existence,
including a non-eternal hell-realm of tortured consciousness which someone will
eventually make their way out of after enough rebirths.
o Islam – “And whosoever disobeys God and His Messenger, then surely, for him is
the fire of Hell, he shall dwell therein forever.” (Quran 72:23)
closest understanding to scriptural depiction of eternal separation from
God and punishment that we refer to as hell
Theology of Judgment and Hell
Those who do not believe in Christ stand condemned.
o John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the
only Son of God.”
o John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
o Hebrews 10:26-27 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the
knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful
expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
One, final Judgment occurs after this life is done based on deeds that confirm our faith
during this life, here on earth. There is no second chance.
o Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that
comes judgment”
o See also, Revelation 20:11-15, Acts 17:30-31, Romans 2:5, Matthew 10:15; 11:22,
24; 12:36; 25:31-46; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Hebrews 6:2; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6
no purgatory in scripture
Wayne Grudem comments, “This final judgment is the culmination of many
precursors in which God rewarded righteousness or punished
unrighteousness throughout history.”
(e.g. blessing and deliverance to Abel, Noah, patriarchs, Moses,
David, and the faithful of Israel // judgment and punishment with the
flood, Babel, Sodom, Gomorrah, individuals, nations, and angels in
the unseen realm.
Jesus Christ himself will be the judge (see John 5:22) and believers
will help in the work of judgment of fellow believers, unbelievers,
and angels (see 1 Cor. 6:2-3). The final judgment is a necessary,
public display of the justice of God which satisfies our need for
justice in the world, enables us to forgive others freely, and provides
a motive for righteous living and evangelism.
Punishment is everlasting.
o There are positions of universalism, annihilationism, and conditional immortality,
but these are all heretical teachings to the word of God.
See, E.g., Bart Ehrman in 2020 Newsweek article teaching false doctrine of
annihilation “What Jesus Really Said on Heaven and Hell”, where he wrote
“None of us, of course, knows what will happen when we pass from this
world of transience. But [Socrates’s] two options are still the most viable.
On one hand, we may lose our consciousness with no longer a worry in this
world. Jesus saw this as permanent annihilation; Socrates as a pleasant
deep sleep. In either scenario, there will be no more pain. On the other
hand, there may be more yet to come, a happier place, a good place. And
so, in this, the greatest teacher of the Greeks and the founder of
Christianity agreed to this extent: when, in the end, we pass from this
earthly realm, we may indeed have something to hope for, but we have
absolutely nothing to fear.”
o Revelation 14:11 “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and
they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and
whoever receives the mark of its name.”
o Revelation 20:10 “…and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the
lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will
be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
o Matthew 25:41, 46 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you
cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…And these will
go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
o Mark 9:43, 48 “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to
enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable
fire…‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’”
There is scriptural evidence that there will be degrees of punishment in hell, just as
there are degrees of rewards for believers.
o Matthew 11:22 “But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment
for Tyre and Sidon than for you [Chorazin and Bethsaida].”
o Luke 20:47 “[The Pharisees] who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make
long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
o Luke 12:47-48 “And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready
or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not
know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to
whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they
entrusted much, they will demand the more.”
John W. Frame comments, “The chief variable appears to be knowledge. Those who sin
against greater knowledge will be subject to the greatest condemnation. Nevertheless,
even a relatively lighter beating from God, lasting through eternity, is a terrible thing to
contemplate. No one should try by some exegetical or theological trick to mitigate the
harshness of this doctrine. That harshness is the whole point. To be separate from God,
from his inheritance, from his people, and to be under his wrath forever is terrible to
contemplate.”
Wayne Grudem’s Personal Application Questions on Judgment and Hell:
o How does the awareness of the fact that we will all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ affect your life today? What do you think it will feel like to have all
your words and deeds made public on that last day? Is there an element of fear as
you contemplate that day? If so, meditate on 1 John 4:16-18 “So we have come to
know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides
in love abides in God, and God abides in him.17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also
are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in
love.”
o Have you previously thought very much about laying up treasures in heaven (see
Matt 6:19-21), or about earning greater heavenly reward? If you really believe
this doctrine, what kind of effect do you think it should have on your life?
o How do you think it will feel to participate with Christ in the judging of angels, and
indeed in the judging of the whole world (see 1 Cor. 6:2-3)? What does the fact
that God allows us to participate in this final judgment say about our creation in
the image of God and his purposes for us in the universe? How does that make
you feel about yourself and your eternal relationship to God?
o Think of some of your Christian friends in your church. How do you think you will
feel when you watch them stand before Christ at the final judgment? How will
they feel about you at the time? Does the contemplation of this future judgment
affect the way you think of your fellowship with each other as brothers and sisters
in Christ today [Ed. Note: it should lead us to seek unity]?
o Are you glad that there will be a final judgment of both believers and unbelievers?
Does it make you feel a sense of God’s justice, or do you sense some unfairness
and injustice in the whole idea?
o Are you convinced that Scripture teaches that there will be eternal, conscious,
punishment of the wicked? When you think of that idea in relationship to Satan
and demons, do you feel that it is right?
o Is there anyone who has wronged you in the past, and whom you have had
difficulty forgiving? Does the doctrine of final judgment help you to be more able
to forgive that person?
God’s Compassion for the Lost
This terrible reality informs Jesus’ compassion and mercy.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach
repentance.”
1 Timothy 2:3-4 “This [prayer for all] is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem at their persistence in not receiving Him:
o Luke 13:34 (see also Mt. 23:37) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered
your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were
not willing!”
o Luke 19:41-44 “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42
saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make
for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come
upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround
you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and
your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you,
because you did not know the time of your visitation.””
Jesus died so that we may live
o 2 Cor. 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him
we might become the righteousness of God.”
o 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die
to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
o Romans 3:21-26 “21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested
apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is
no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are
justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This
was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had
passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time,
so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Share this truth Church….those of us who have trusted in Jesus do not need to fear the
reality of hell
o But we should be tremendously motivated by this terrible reality to share the
truth of the gospel with all those we can – especially those whom we say we love
and with whom we have personal relationships to have an opportunity to share.