The Reality of Hell, Part 2 of "Heaven and Hell"Sample

Hell is a place of outer darkness

“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:11-12)

Jesus told several parables about His kingdom. These stories revealed how glorious this kingdom will be. It’s compared to a wedding feast or a great banquet with guests from all over the world and God as the Host. It must be really great to attend that feast!

However, Jesus also adds a warning to these stories. For there will be people who have been invited, but won’t come. Or they come on their own terms, without proper clothing (which means they don’t accept the offer of Jesus’ righteousness on their behalf, but want to earn their own salvation). These people will be shut out from the feast and “thrown into the outer darkness”. This entails more than just missing out on a good banquet. “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”, Jesus adds. It’s a place of remorse and pain.

I don’t know whether hell will literally be a dark place. Darkness is a symbol that Jesus uses to put into words the unspeakable. However, reality will correspond to the symbols Jesus chose. Hell actually can’t be anything but utter darkness, since Jesus, the Light of the World, is not there.

Jesus’ parables are meant to warn us. How do you respond to this warning?