This is a big word in the Bible that we don’t talk about much. We don’t like it. Many choose not to believe that it is a real place and we have all kinds of questions as to why a loving God would send those who don’t know Him to eternal punishment. Having said all that, this is a series of devotionals on the Big Words of the Bible and one of those Big Words is hell. It is a sad word and a sober word and a destination God does not want for anyone but it is real and Jesus had a great deal to say about it. 

Perhaps the clearest picture of hell is found in Matthew 25. These are the words of Jesus. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

I don’t know what hell will be like but I do know that it is life lived in the complete absence of God and His love. I cannot imagine a life or place where there is none of God present. 

God has been on a divine rescue  to redeem images gone wrong in the fall. Man chose to rebel against God and in response the creator chose to send His Son to pay for that rebellion and bring people to Himself. He came to save us from ourselves, our lostness and eternity without Him. 

As Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:16-21).

Father, thank you for your amazing grace and great love that would bring me from darkness to light and from eternity without you to eternity in your presence. Give me a heart of concern for those who don’t yet know you so they too can join