Is: 66:22-24 “‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sab- bath to another, all [redeemed] mankind will come and bow down before me,’ says the LORD. ‘And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all [redeemed] mankind.’”
Dan.12:2 “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Matt. 5:22 “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Matt.8:12“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matt. 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (= Gehenna).”
Matt. 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Mk. 9:47 “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.”
2 Thess. 1:8-9 “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”
2 Pt. 2:4 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment.”
Jude 6 “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home– these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.”
Rev.1:18“I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
Rev. 14:9-11 “A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.’”
Rev. 20:10-15 “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged accord- ing to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Six Observations:
- The Devil, his demons, and every unbeliever share the same destiny.
- It is God who consigns people to Hell (Mt.10:28; Rev.1:18).
- References to “weeping and gnashing of teeth” indicate that the punishment will be conscious (Mt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; cf. also, Rev. 14:9-11).
- The contrast between eternal punishment and eternal life indicates that both states will be without end (Mt. 25:46). No rehab!
- Reuniting of the body with the soul reveals that Hell (and heaven) is a spatial place (cf., Mt. 10:28; Jn. 5:28-29).
- Mt. 10:15; 11:22, 24 (note Jesus’ “more bearable”) and Lk. 12:47-48 strongly suggest there are degrees of torment in hell. The punishment will fit the crime.