With the recent comments of the Australian International rugby player Israel Folau the subject of Hell has had more attention in a few days than it has had in years!  But perhaps that’s not surprising as the subject of Hell has become less and less preached on in the church.  Let’s face it, it’s seen as one of the embarrassments in the Bible.  Just the mention of ‘Hellfire Preaching’ conjures up the picture of some demented, Jabbering, lunatic in a dog collar and dingy clerical robes.  Surely such a subject belongs to a less enlightened age.  Far better to focus on the love of God rather than a subject no-one wants to hear about!  But over the next few months we’ll be taking a look at what the Bible teaches about Hell and why it’s essential that we understand the doctrine of ‘Eternal Punishment’.

God doesn’t want to punish anyone!

The caricature of the ‘God of the Old Testament’ is one of a vengeful God dishing out punishments left, right and centre.  But is that a true reflection?  In the middle of Ezekiel, a book that has a fair amount to say about judgement, the Lord makes this statement: ‘Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live’ (Ezekiel 18: 31-32)   This is about as far as we can get from the caricature of a vengeful God.  This is a God who relents in sending calamity upon people unless absolutely necessary!  Jonah, probably the most reluctant prophet in history, points out:  “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:20) when the Lord spares the people of Nineveh after their repentance.  This sentiment is carried into the New Testament.  Peter, in his second letter, points out: ‘The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’ (2 Peter 3:9).  The picture is clear, God will judge, and punish where necessary, but only if people won’t repent!

What about Jesus?

There’s been a tendency, in some parts of the church, to present Jesus as some kind of messianic ‘Flower Child’, a divine ‘Hippy’ as it were, preaching peace and love to each and all!  The problem is that doesn’t really square up with the first words out of Jesus’ mouth in Mark’s Gospel.   ‘Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”’ (Mark 1:15-16).  The implication is clear; the gospel is good news, but only to those who repent!  This brings us face to face with the overlooked fact that Jesus taught more about Hell than he did Heaven and almost all the teaching we have on the subject comes from his lips!  Now, if that’s the case, we must take his teaching on the subject very seriously!  At the end of a series of parables found in Matthew 25 Jesus contrasts the fate of believers and unbelievers.  In the parable (as it’s called, preview is a better description) of the ‘Sheep and Goats’ after welcoming believers into the kingdom he addresses the unbelievers.  “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” (Matthew 25:41).  The passage ends on a sombre note: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).

In conclusion.

Jesus had much more to say about Hell which we’ll look at next month, but the theme of his teaching is very clear and fits with the picture of God’s reluctance to punish.  In Mark 9:43 Jesus uses a form of Jewish teaching which used extreme metaphorical examples to make its point.  ‘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.  The point is clear, Hell is to be avoided at all costs!  The consistency of the Lord urging his people to turn from their sins and repent in the Old Testament coupled with Jesus’ consistent message of repentance in the New illustrates this.  None of us are deserving of God’s mercy yet: ‘For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:21).  In other words, Jesus, through his death on the cross, took our punishment and the justice of God was satisfied.  As such, the teaching of eternal punishment is part of scripture and needs to be taught alongside the call to repent and experiencing the wonderful mercy and grace which the Lord freely offers!  Just think about it, otherwise, what have we been saved from?

To be continued….

Feel free to listen to this sermon on the subject of the Final Judgement from Matthew 25:31-46: Be Real!