Jesus' Teaching About Hell

As He moved among the people, Jesus often lovingly but sternly warned them of the reality of eternal punishment in Hell and the urgent need to escape it.

Jesus healed many people as He moved around Palestine. He claimed to be God on several occasions. He preached about God’s love and forgiveness. But He also taught about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible. As God’s Son, He understood the realities of Hell more than anyone could and loved people more than anyone else. One day, after telling several stories about God’s love and forgiveness, Jesus told this story:

“A rich man wore the finest clothes money could buy and ate like a king every day. Living in the street outside the walls of the rich man’s mansion, a poor beggar named Lazarus lay covered with sores. As the dogs licked at his sores, he hoped to eat at least whatever fell from the rich man’s table.

“When the poor man died, angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.

“From Hell, in constant torment, the rich man looked and saw Abraham and Lazarus far away. He cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Let Lazarus dip the tip of his finger in water and come cool my tongue. I am in agony in these flames!’

“Abraham answered. ‘Child, don’t you remember that while you lived, you had everything you needed, and Lazarus suffered hard times? Now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. But even if someone from here wanted to go there or if someone there wanted to come here, it is impossible because a cavernous, impassable gulf is established between us.’

“Still in anguish, the rich man pleaded for his family: ‘Then please, send Lazarus to warn my five brothers so they can escape this impending doom.’ Abraham answered, ‘The Word of God gives clear warning. Let them heed it.’

“‘But, Father Abraham,’ the rich man continued, ‘If someone comes back from the dead to warn them, they will repent.’

“‘No,’ responded Abraham, ‘if they aren’t convinced by God’s Word, then they won’t be convinced by someone coming back from the dead.’

Jesus spoke of this future place of torment many times and in vivid detail. He spoke of darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth, an unquenchable, eternal fire, and where the worm does not die.

Southwest of Jerusalem sat a perpetually burning, maggot-infested garbage dump, which was previously a place where pagans and Jews alike offered infant sacrifices. By this time in history, the Jews had been using this place as a picture of eternal punishment. Jesus also used this well-known Valley of Gehenna as a stark illustration of Hell. He spoke with conviction of Hell’s reality and encouraged people to repent to avoid going there.