Outer Darkness

The doctrine of eternal damnation is an admittedly difficult truth, to say the least. Let me say that this is a horrifying and distressing doctrine for anyone to contemplate and attempt to understand, let alone accept. It is heart-breaking beyond words. I have struggled with it my whole walk with Christ (about 37 years), especially the last 16 years of serious study. This is why some Christians cannot believe in a literal, eternal hell. They allegorize it so that some day everyone gets to Heaven or they believe in the annihilation of the soul. But, a literal reading of the Bible clearly reveals that this is not the case. Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else in the New Testament, and He spoke of it as a real and eternal place.


"But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Mathew 8:12, see also Mark 9:43, Revelation 20:14)


What I will share with you is what I have come to understand hell will be like, from a literal, plain reading of the Bible.


First of all, not many people know that the Bible indicates that there are degrees of punishment in hell. The New Testament has a lot to say about degrees of rewards for believers in Heaven (see Matthew 5:11-12, Matthew 6:1-2, 2 Cornithians 5:10). In the same way, there are degrees of punishment in hell. Consider the following Scriptures:


For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. (Matthew 16:27)


And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile ... (1 Peter 1:17)


"Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town." (Matthew 10:15)


How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29)


As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely." (Mark 12:38-40)


“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luke 12:47-48)


Now, this is huge. We haven't dealt with the eternality of hell yet, which may be the tougher issue to comprehend, but in terms of fairness of punishment, this should rattle some critic’s past arguments. We hear all the time about how unfair it is for God to punish some generally nice person in the same way as Hitler. But, as we can see from these Scriptures, it is not true.

Now, Jesus said, “no one is good but One, that is God,” so all that reject Him deserve to go to hell because only God is perfectly good. But, there will be a difference in what is experienced there for each individual person, according to their works. Even though each will get a punishment fitting to their sin, hell is not a place anyone wants to go. It is a place of darkness, torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth for everyone sent there. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, is the only one that can keep you from this horrible place.


So, we have seen that the punishment will be appropriate for each person in hell, but how can an eternal hell be appropriate, just and right? I believe eternal damnation is justified for at least 5 reasons.


1. The punishment will fit the crime, so to speak, in that there are degrees of punishment for the wicked based on each one’s works.


2. God is eternal and created human spirits to be eternal. Because people were created to live forever, hell is necessarily eternal.


3. As a person continues to exist eternally in sin, separated from God, they bring about for themselves "each day" in hell the just punishment for their sin. In order for justice to be served, an eternally sinning person does demand an eternal punishment.


4. God has made hell a choice. It is the option for human beings who do not want to spend eternity with Him. For those who never heard of Christ, before or after the cross, they are saved by faith in God. Each heart will be examined by God for sincere faith and He will not send anyone to hell wrongfully. For those who have heard the good news of the cross of Christ, they will be judged based on whether they have received Jesus as Lord and Savior or not.


5. God has made a way for everyone to avoid eternal damnation in hell, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone can receive Christ by faith and have their sins forgiven, so no one has an excuse for not being able to achieve eternal life with Jesus.


Have you repented of your sin, sincerely and from the heart? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation? If you have not, there is no sin that is unforgivable except for the sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus paid the price for all of your sin at the cross so that you can be saved freely by God’s grace, through faith in Him. One cannot be made right with our perfect Creator by doing good things. We must be forgiven of our sin by Him. God is love and a God of justice. The Creator of all things became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, and took our punishment upon Himself so that we can live forever in His Kingdom. Ask God for forgiveness now, and receive new life through our Lord Jesus Christ.



Some additional resources:

http://www.gotquestions.org/levels-hell.html


http://www.gotquestions.org/eternal-hell-fair.html


http://www.harvest.org/knowgod/


https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/knowgod.cfm

Bite-Sized Bible Studies: A Stumbling Stone

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." (Romans 9:30-33)

The stone is Christ. The stumbling stone separates the sincere in heart towards God from the insincere. The unbelieving do not have a true heart for what is right or for truth and so they stumble on the stumbling stone, they stumble at Christ.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)

Bite-Sized Bible Studies: Every Eye Will See Him

Christ is in the world today, in that He indwells those who have been born again. But, Jesus is returning bodily (and soon) at His 2nd Coming. 

"For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be (Mt 24:27)."

The rapture of the church is imminent. At the rapture, the believers will meet Him in the air and are glorified in the twinkling of an eye (1 Thess. 4:17, 1 Cor. 15:52). Shortly after the rapture, the world is then thrust into what Jesus called “Great Tribulation.” According to Daniel (9:24-27), this period of time will last 7 years. Jesus' Second Coming brings the Great Tribulation to an end. 

The Second Coming is the physical, bodily return of Jesus to earth, with His church, to rule and reign over God's Kingdom forever. 

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen (Rev 1:7).

"Every eye will see Him" like "lightning flashing across the sky." The Second Coming of Christ will not happen in secret. There will be no doubt or question as to His arrival. 

Bite-Sized Bible Studies: In the Spirit

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." (Romans 8:6-9)

Humanity is far from perfect. The God of all creation is perfect. How can sinful humanity be reconciled to a perfectly right God?

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

By repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus Christ, we are born of the Spirit of God; God's Spirit and our spirit become one. We were all born with bodies of flesh, but we must be born of God's Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God indwells the believer through faith in Christ.

How else could we be made right with God except by the grace of God? That's exactly what the Bible alone teaches. We are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus alone!

If we are sincere in our repentance of sin and truly believe that Christ died for our sins, than we are "in the Spirit", safe and secure in Christ eternally.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Bite-Sized Bible Studies: Our All In All

If we are looking for happiness, pleasure, satisfaction, fulfillment, righteousness or approval in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ, then we will continually be disappointed, let down and even devastated. Jesus never lets us down! Everything we need is in Him (not from Him but in Him) alone, and only He satisfies and loves us unconditionally, especially His own.

"...which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:23)

Give Him all- and let Him be your all in all. What will it be today: fullness of joy or disappointment?

Bite-Sized Bible Studies: Only to the Faithful

“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, ‘I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight (Luke 10:21).’”

The discoveries and wisdom of humanity is limited to the material things of this universe. The wisdom of God comes from God alone to any heart open and willing to receive from Him, through faith in Jesus Christ.

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).”

“For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent (1 Corinthians 1:19).’”

For the atheist, materialist and evolutionist, this statement in First Corinthians alarmingly confirms their own belief: that they will be destroyed and brought to nothing, according to their belief that the universe will someday die and all life will cease. Even they can agree that the wisdom of the wise will be destroyed and the understanding of the prudent will be brought to nothing! But, what they do not know is that what they believe is only partially correct and that God has hidden the full truth from them and revealed it to “babes”. There is an eternal hell for the faithless and there will be a New Heavens and a New Earth for the faithful (Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1)!

It seems good to God to reveal His truth only to those who love Him and seek Him sincerely and honestly. Don’t we do the same? Don’t we protect ourselves from those we know are not really true, but reveal more to those we know and trust?

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14).’”

“Of such”. The wisdom and truths of God are for those that come to Him with child-like trust, sincerity and faith. We must seek the truth in all sincerity and be willing to go wherever that leads us.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).”


“... in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).”

Bite-Sized Bible Studies: I Am With You

“For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land--Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you," says the LORD, "to deliver you."
Jeremiah 1:18-19

If God is for us, who can be against us? And yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:31, 37

The end of the age is upon us. And like Jeremiah, we must share an unwelcome message of a coming calamity unfolding before our eyes. Share Christ today no matter the cost. We are safe in Him. He is with us and will deliver us. He will be with His people, He will be glorified and He will deliver us, “by life or by death (Phil. 1:20),” all the way up to the rapture of the church; then we will be with Him and will return with Him to establish His Kingdom on a New Earth. Bless and empower your church, and come quickly, Lord Jesus.