But he answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you” … And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth … Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” … And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:12,30,41,46)

What Jesus Said About Hell

Before Jesus was born the angel of the Lord announced to Joseph the son to be born of Mary would save His people from their sins. An angel of the Lord named Gabriel came to the virgin Mary telling her the son to be born through the Holy Spirit would be great and called the Son of the Highest. At the birth of Jesus, the angels sang before the shepherds the news of glory to God in the highest and on earth peace with goodwill toward men. There would be great joy when the Savior of the world was born and the message of God’s saving grace would bathe the world with joy. Three decades after His birth, the Son of God began to teach the people the will of the Father.

When Jesus finished His mountain sermon, the people were astonished and amazed at his message for He taught them as one with authority, unlike their teachers of religious law. The multitudes and religious leaders who came to hear the man from Nazareth teach soon learned His message was clear, concise, and forthright and emboldened with the power of God. Jesus taught about love and forgiveness and the mercy of God. But He also did not accept the hypocrisy of the Pharisees or the veiled threats of His accusers lightly and His preaching had an edge of strictness. His preaching became more targeted as He drew closer to the cross. Three days before His death, Jesus told His disciples about the coming judgment of His Father upon the world. There was no mincing of words in His message.

Jesus used parables to impress upon the hearts of the people His message. The parables of the fig tree, the days of Noah, the faithful, and evil servant warn the disciples of the uncertainty but the suddenness of the coming of judgment. Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins to warn of being unprepared for the final day followed by the parable of the Lord who gave three servants responsibilities and the judgment when he returned. In his final parable of sheep and goats, Jesus brings home the reality of divine judgment upon all nations gathered before the throne of the King. A constant theme throughout was the Son of God warning the people there will be consequences to those who refuse to obey the will of the Father.

When the Son of God comes all the tribes of the earth will mourn. In the days of Noah, many were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day came and took them all away. They died in the flood. If the wicked servant says in his heart the master is delayed and begins beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come and cut him in two where there will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. The five foolish virgins will come late to the bridegroom’s door because they were unprepared and hear the words, “I do not know you.” When the one talent man returned his talent to the Lord, he was called a wicked and lazy servant. His talent was taken from him and the unprofitable servant was cast into the outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Finally, in the judgment scene of the shepherd dividing the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, Jesus tells the multitudes those who are lost will hear the words, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” These will go away into everlasting punishment.

Believing Jesus is the Son of God demands accepting all the teachings of Christ. There is much to learn from the life of Jesus about forgiveness, love, kindness, compassion, and abundant mercy. Jesus loved to spend time with children. He disavowed the hatred of the downtrodden and dispossessed people of His day. The Samaritan woman learned the man at the well was a man of eternal compassion and wisdom. But the message of Jesus also taught there are consequences to sin and the heavenly Father will punish those who do not do His will. From the mountain sermon to His final lessons before the cross, Jesus taught everlasting punishment as the consequence of sin. There will be no mercy for the disobedient. Jesus taught and affirmed the word of His Father that a place of eternal torment is real and most people will find their eternal destiny in the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell is real. God is not willing that anyone should perish but they will lose their soul if they do not obey the word of God. Jesus affirmed and taught this message. Repent. Believe. Obey. Prepare. A great day is coming.