A. Some are in danger of going there, Matthew 5:22—“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

B. Our body could be cast into hell, Matthew 5:29-30—“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” [Jesus is not saying that one should mutilate the body by literally cutting off parts of the body. He is powerfully pleading that we need to have control of the body, a self-mastery. He is emphasizing that we should stop the actions (and thoughts that can lead to actions) of the body that would separate us from God, and sin separates us from God. The result of that separation is eternal hell.]

C. God can destroy the body and soul in hell, Matthew 10:28—“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

D. We could be cast into hell, Matthew 23:15—“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

E. Damnation in hell for some, Matthew 23:33—“Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

F. Those who do not believe are condemned to hell, Mark 16:16—“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

G. Eternal punishment for the wicked in hell, Matthew 25:46—“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Then we move on to Revelation, chapter 20, verses 13 through 15 [“The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”] That text speaks of hell as the final abode of all who are lost after the Day of Judgment. It’s called “a lake of fire and brimstone.” Hell is a place where the Devil and his followers will spend eternity, Revelation 20 and verse 10 [“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”].

Jesus spoke of the punishment of hell as “hell fire,” Matthew 5, verse 22 [“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”]; as unquenchable fire, Mark 9, verse 43 [“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—…”], and also a place where “the worm does not die,” Mark 9, verse 47 and 48 [“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, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’”].

A foretaste, a glimpse, of hell is seen in that story that Jesus relates in Luke 16, about the rich man and Lazarus. As we know from the story, the rich man found himself in the torments of Hades awaiting the final judgment, but he was suffering there already. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus for water, just to dip his finger in water and drop it on his tongue, because he was in anguish in those flames, Luke 16, verse 24 [“Then 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.’”]. This story is a glimpse—an insight—into what is, perhaps, an even more devastating and more frightening fate that awaits the lost—hell.

We don’t want to leave on a sour note. We don’t preach much “hell fire and brimstone” any more, because people don’t like to hear it! But God’s sense of judgment was satisfied by sending His Son to die and to shed His blood. So if we avail ourselves of that blood, then we do not have to face these eternal consequences!

This has been a very brief look at what the Bible has to say about the doctrines of rewards and punishments.