New CreationSample

What will happen to unbelievers at the final judgment?

Jesus will judge unbelievers openly according to their works, and He will cast them into hell with the devil and his angels as an everlasting punishment.

As Christians, we usually don’t enjoy talking about hell. It’s scary and upsetting and sometimes concerns people we’re very close to. But it’s also necessary to talk about it.

The Bible uses many images and pictures to tell us about the future, both about heaven and hell. And the images of hell are horrific: fire and sulphur and punishment and pain. But the main point of these images and pictures is this:

God is a holy, consuming fire, and when Jesus returns God will pour out His presence upon the whole universe. And here’s the scary part: God’s holy, consuming presence will prove destructive and tormenting to those who aren’t in Christ.

But don’t misunderstand this. This hell, this destruction, doesn’t happen because God isn’t love. God is love; but God is also holy. He is the righteous judge of the world. Any sin, big or small, goes against God’s holiness and therefore deserves punishment. Because He is holy, loving, righteous, all-wise, and all-knowing, God is the only one who can judge people correctly. God bases His judgment on what people do or not do, say or not say, and think or not think. In that way, He is just. Those who are cast into hell will only be receiving the punishment they deserve.

You see, hell is what happens when God’s anger is finally poured out and consumes wickedness. The only hope is to be in Christ when that happens. Anyone who accepts Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for their sins and who receive Jesus’ righteousness will not be consumed because He has taken the punishment for their sin upon Himself. The choice is straightforward but it is also the most important decision anyone will make.

Spend some time today thanking God for His gift of salvation. Pray for the chance to answer questions or share your experience with anyone who might not have chosen to follow Jesus. Each of us have been in the position and we can be encouraged by how grateful we are that we learned about Jesus.