Know Jesus: No Hell - No Jesus: Know Hell!

If there is not such a thing as hell, why would Jesus have died for us? For those of you that doubt hell's existence, or have been lied to, here is exactly what Jesus had to say about it...

(Matthew 5:22 KJV) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
(Matthew 5:29 KJV) And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
(Matthew 5:30 KJV) And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
(Matthew 7:13 KJV) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
(Matthew 7:19 KJV) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(Matthew 7:21 KJV) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
(Matthew 7:22 KJV) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
(Matthew 7:23 KJV) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
(Matthew 8:12 KJV) But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 10:15 KJV) Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
(Matthew 10:28 KJV) And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
(Matthew 11:23 KJV) And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
(Matthew 11:22 KJV) But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
(Matthew 11:24 KJV) But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
(Matthew 12:32 KJV) And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
(Matthew 12:36 KJV) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
(Matthew 12:40 KJV) For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
(Matthew 12:41 KJV) The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
(Matthew 12:42 KJV) The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
(Matthew 13:30 KJV) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
(Matthew 13:40 KJV)As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
(Matthew 13:42 KJV) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 13:48 KJV) Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
(Matthew 13:49 KJV) So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
(Matthew 13:50 KJV) And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 16:18 KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(Matthew 16:26 KJV) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Matthew 16:27 KJV)For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
(Matthew 18:8 KJV) Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
(Matthew 18:9 KJV) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
(Matthew 18:34 KJV) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
(Matthew 21:44 KJV) And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
(Matthew 22:7 KJV) But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
(Matthew 22:13 KJV) Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 23:14 KJV) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
(Matthew 23:15 KJV) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
(Matthew 23:33 KJV) Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
(Matthew 25:30 KJV) And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 25:41 KJV) Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
(Matthew 25:46 KJV) And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
(Mark 9:43 KJV) And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
(Mark 9:44 KJV) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
(Mark 9:45 KJV) And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
(Mark 9:46 KJV) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
(Mark 9:47 KJV) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
(Mark 9:48 KJV) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
(Mark 12:40 KJV) Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
(Luke 10:15 KJV) And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
(Luke 12:5 KJV) But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
(Luke 12:46 KJV) The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
(Luke 13:3 KJV) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
(Luke 13:27 KJV) But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
(Luke 13:28 KJV) There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
(Luke 16:23 KJV) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
(Luke 16:24 KJV) And 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 15:6 KJV) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
(John 5:29 KJV) And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
(Revelation 2:11 KJV) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
(Revelation 2:21 KJV) And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not
(Revelation 2:22 KJV) Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
(Revelation 2:23 KJV) And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
(Revelation 21:8 KJV) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

What is Hell really like?

Has anyone ever told you to go die in hell? My guess is that they were not being as mean as they intended to be...one only wishes they could die in hell; it's torment is eternal. I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "The party in hell has been cancelled due to the fire". I know a lot of people that are going to be disappointed! Without giving it much thought, we mortals assume that if hell even exists, it is worth going to so that we can have fun while still 'alive'. Many of us believe in heaven but refuse to believe in hell. That's like believing that the Philadelphia Eagles did indeed win the Superbowl, but that the New England Patriots did not necessarily lose. What keeps many souls from buying into the whole idea of hell is that they cannot believe that our loving God would be so cruel. With so much at stake, I say we ask God about it Himself, by opening his word. (Opening the word of God is opening his mouth!)

Could God be so cruel?

Why would our God, who is love, prepare such a place of torment for us? Actually, he didn't. It was prepared for the devil and his angels. "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" - Matthew 25:41 Then, once sin entered into the hearts of man, our death became certain. "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." - Genesis 2:17 Since we are all born in the image of Adam, we are all born into sin and death, and all sin is always directed toward God. Since God is pure holiness and righteousness, He cannot tolerate sin. It is the very wrath of God that burns against the wicked and disobedient that is hell. "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" 
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

Jesus warns us of hell

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." 
-Matthew 10:28

"So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." 
- Matthew 13:49-50

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. - Mark 9:43-48 (Note here that Jesus is quoting scripture, from the prophet Isaiah, spoken 700 years prior. "And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." - Isaiah 66:24)

God does not want a one of us to suffer

Fortunately for us, it is not God's will that any of us should suffer. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9 In fact, He pardons us abundantly! "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." - Isaiah 55:7 What about the people who have never heard of our loving God? He wouldn't send them to hell, right?  "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." - Romans 1:19-21 God will show Himself to everyone! 

As hard as it is to think about hell, it weighs much more heavily on my heart the fact that God sent his only begotten son to it in our place. "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" - Ephesians 4:9  Not only did Jesus endure hell while never having sinned a day in His life, He actually became our sin for us. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." - 2 Corinthians 5:21 The only thing worse than letting Jesus take the fall for us, is letting Him do it for nothing. Right now, Jesus is preparing a very, very special place for us, and it is ours for the asking! "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." - John 14:2 It truly is your choice; you can choose to spend eternity wailing and gnashing your teeth where your worm dieth not in flames, or you can choose to live in the mansion Jesus prepared for you.  Can we call this a no-brainer?! Determine your eternity today by praying this prayer, and meaning it with all your heart:

Heavenly Father, 

I know that I am a sinner, 

and unless I accept your gift of salvation, 

I am lost forever. 

I thank you for sending your son to die for me 

and save me from an eternity in hell.  

I now receive Jesus as my Savior. 

In His holy name, I pray.

Or, if you're in a hurry - 

"Jesus save me!" 

Sidenote: Before you go digging into your bible, it is important to know that the word 'hell' is found in the Authorized King James Version 54 times. All the new translations have it much fewer times. In fact, many have taken it the hell out. 

  New King James Version….......32 times

  New International Version…....…14 times

  New American Standard Bible…13 times

  American Standard Version….…13 times

  New Living Translation………….13 times

  Revised Standard Version…......12 times

  New American Bible………......…0 times!

Although you can learn from any bible, it is in many bible scholar's opinions (and my beginner's mind) that the words in the Authorized King James Version of 1611 are God's preserved words. "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." - Psalms 12:6-7 

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my friend Renee Driscoll, who helps me keep Bible Bait Biblically correct.