By

Shelby G. Floyd

I have been preaching 65 years. Over all those years I have probably preached on eternal punishment about 10 times. And also I have probably preached on heaven about 10 times. And so I think that is reasonable over a 65 year period. Actually, I had a preacher a few years ago to tell me that he had never preached a sermon on hell. At the time I thought perhaps you need to go back and read your Bible, because Jesus preached on heaven and Jesus preached on hell!

And so my lesson today is “Eternal Punishment Versus Eternal Life.” Jesus taught that when the Son of Man comes he will judge the nations and separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats! Then Jesus closed his discussion with these words:

“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46 ESV).

Antithesis

The statement above is an “antithesis!” In language this is when two opposing concepts are placed side-by-side. One example is when our great Patrick Henry said, “give me liberty or give me death!” That was easy to understand. Jesus was just as plain when he said at the judgment God will give you either “eternal punishment” or “eternal life!”

Now in the statement of Jesus each noun is modified by the word “eternal.” If life is eternal, then punishment is also “eternal!” I am reading a written debate of 430 pages in small print between Alexander Campbell and Dolphus Skinner. This debate was published in 1840, on the very subject that we are discussing today.

Jesus used simple language to teach the people. The words of Matthew 25:46 are easy to understand. And so, I believe the truth does not need to be expressed by a lot of complicated words and concepts. Jesus made it plain and simple! There will be either “eternal punishment” or “eternal life.”

Hell

Now in the New Testament the term “HELL” occurs 23 times. 12 times it translates the Greek term “Gehenna.” But also 11 times it translates from the Greek term “Hades.”
But what is Jesus talking about when he refers to hell based upon the word “Gehenna?” Gehenna was an area near the southern part of Jerusalem. Jeremiah and other prophets reveal how that area got the name “Gehenna.”

At one time the children of Israel were disobeying God by presenting their children to be burned in the fires of “Molech.” This was a pagan worship by some of the people surrounding Israel. Can you imagine parents taking their children to be burned in fire as an act of worship to God? Then you can picture all of those dead bodies lying around burned. Soon it was filled with worms and all kinds of disgusting things. And eventually the children of Israel turned this place into a garbage dump. It was so vile and hated. Gehenna is the word that is translated “hell.” The other word translated hell is “Hades.” Jesus said one time to some people, “you snakes, you brood of vipers, how will you escape being condemned to hell!” (Matthew 23:33).

Hell is described in Mark 9:46, “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” This image is from Isaiah who is talking about the worms that are feeding on the bodies of dead people: “and they shall go forth and look up on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isaiah 66:24).

In his commentary on Mark, J. W. McGarvey wrote, “it is talking about the worms that feed on dead bodies. Jesus applied this to the future state and it represents those who shall be cast into hell as being in a state of decay and rottenness, while unquenchable fires are burning, but never consuming them.” Therefore I think we all understand something about the fires of hell!

HELL IS FOR THOSE WHO CAUSE PEOPLE TO SIN

Next, we shall notice that Jesus said hell is a place for those who cause people to sin. I know that none of us would intentionally cause someone to sin. We shall now look at seven examples.

1. Cause to Stumble. Please open up your Bible and look at Mark 9:42: ““If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” (NIV). These words are not difficult to understand. Jesus is talking about someone who would cause a little one who believes in him to sin. By “a little one,” he is talking about someone just baptized into Christ! Jesus uses very strong language to describe that person. If you cause one of these little ones to stumble that believe in Jesus Christ, you would be better off if you just had a big millstone tied around your neck and you were thrown out into the middle of the sea. The sea is an awful place! I just watched the movie of the USS Indianapolis. This ship was sent out during the end of the 2nd world war. It carried the atom bomb over to be used to end the war. After they delivered it, they were left without support since it was a secret mission. Then they were torpedoed, the ship sank, and about 316 sailors and Marines survived! As they floated on the ocean, the sharks were eating them up!

Now Jesus said if you cause 1 of these little ones to stumble, you would be better off swimming with the sharks so to speak. So, our first example teaches us not to cause Christian people to stumble and sin.

2. Your Hand Causes You to Sin. Jesus said if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! “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. (Mark 9:43 NKJV). Again in the above scripture hell is translated from Gehenna. Hell is the fire that shall never be quenched. Or go out! We are not just talking about fire. We have fires all the time, but they are able to put them out, but this is fire that can never be quenched. Quenched is a good word that means extinguished.

So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! Jesus used that word figuratively. I heard the story of a man who could not stop stealing chickens. So he read what Jesus taught and went out and cut off his hand! Jesus taught that we should cut off whatever is causing us to sin!

3. Your Foot Causes You to Sin. Jesus taught, “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell (Gehenna), into the fire that shall never be quenched.” (Mark 9:45 NKJV). All football players listen up! We do not want anyone to cut off his foot. This is a figure of speech designed to encourage someone to cut off whatever is causing other people to stumble!

4. Your Eye Causes You to Sin. If you eye causes you to sin, perhaps you would be better off if you pluck your eye out. In Mark 9:47, Jesus said, “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 (Gehenna).” (Mark 9:47 NKJV). Notice in this statement of Jesus, he placed some words in antithesis. “One eye” and “two eyes” are placed in antithesis. Also, “the kingdom of God” and “hell fire” are also placed in antithesis. So we have a choice!

5. The Deathless Worm and The Unquenched Fire. In Mark 9:44-48, Jesus described hell as a place “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” The term “worm” stands for your consciousness; your eternal consciousness would be like a worm in hot ashes! It will never be quenched. Therefore, we have completed our study of Mark which is as plain in teaching as any place in the Bible.

BIBLE PICTURES OF HELL

Next, we have some Bible pictures of what the Bible hell (Gehenna) will be like!

1. The Vastness of Hell. Hell is going to be vast! It will be big! And Jesus described hell as a lake of fire and brimstone. I have been to Florida and looked on the big Gulf of the United States. I like to look at the ocean, but I do not want to be in the ocean! It is a scary place. Jesus said hell will be as vast as the ocean. In Revelation 20:10-15 hell is described as a lake of fire and brimstone! Can you imagine going down to Florida to the beach and as you look on the ocean it is on fire with brimstone boiling up out of the ocean. That is the picture presented to us in Revelation 20:10-15:

“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. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 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. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

These are among the last words that Almighty God communicated to man back here on the earth! We do not want to be thrown into the lake of fire. This is a picture that all of us can do without. So hell is vast, it is big, and you will want to stay away from it as far as you can!

2. The Confinement of Hell. The second picture available that we look at is the confinement of hell. No one likes to be confined. Hell is described as a furnace of fire. At the judgment day, people in that furnace of fire will not be like Shadrach, Meshack and Abendigo! You will be confined.

In Matthew 13:40-42 Jesus said, “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Those of you who grow little flower gardens, it is necessary to pull up the weeds. That is what Jesus will do! He will pull up the weeds and throw them in the fire. This is not a pretty picture. It is better for us to pull up the weeds while we were living on this earth.

3. The Nature of Hell. The third picture is the nature of hell. Hell is described as a baptism of fire. We preach water baptism for the forgiveness of sin. And I preach, “the baptism of fire” for those who are lost at the last day! Let us hear the words of John the Baptist at a water baptizing:

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:7-10 NKJV).

4. The Horror of Hell. I took my family when they were young to experience Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Of course, I had to go to the extreme when we experience something new. So, we chose to go all the way to the center of the giant cave. The guide said that if we would cooperate, they would turn the lights out. When they turned the lights out it was not a good feeling. I have a vivid memory to this day. I actually had to reach up and touch my ear to see if I was still in the body. You are only conscious of your mind! If hell is just as bad as being in a big cave with no light, I don’t want to go there. Hell will be a horrible place. The Bible pictures hell as a place of “outer darkness!”

We read of this place in God’s word, “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:26-30).

It is a place of outer darkness! We do not want to go there. It will be far worse than Mammoth Cave!

5. The Separation of Hell. The fifth picture of hell is that of a separation! It will be like being separated at death. The separation is described in Revelation: “But the cowardly, [a]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8 NKJV).

Hell is described as the second death! The first death is bad enough. The second death is even worse. It is a separation into a lake that burns with fire and brimstone!

6. The Eternity of Hell. “Eternity” is the same word that Jesus uses in our text at the beginning of this lesson in Matthew 25:46. It is “eternal,” or “everlasting.” The apostle John described it in the book of Revelation:

“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11 NKJV).

7. The Isolation of Hell. For whom did God prepare hell? Jesus said in Matthew 25:41, “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.” (Matthew 25:41 NKJV). Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels! And then again in the same chapter Jesus gave the final order: “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46 NKJV).

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

I hope you will always remember this lesson today. And I hope you also will remember the reading at the beginning of our lesson about the rich man and Lazarus as recorded in Luke 16:19-31!

There was a rich man that was clothed in purple and fine linen and he fared sumptuously every day. And they brought a beggar and threw him down at the gate. And it came to pass that the beggar died and the angels tenderly carried his spirit away to Abraham’s bosom.

After some time the rich man also died and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment. And he could see Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out to Father Abraham to send Lazarus that he might dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue because he was tormented in the flame.

Abraham replied, Son remember in your lifetime you had all your good things and Lazarus suffered bad things. But now he is comforted and you are in flames. Abraham will not send Lazarus back to cool the rich man’s tongue even with one drop of water!

I love the bluegrass song by Ralph Stanley about “One Drop of Water!”

Give me one drop of water, the rich man cried from hell
One drop of water, but still no water fell
He always was a selfish man, his heart was filled with greed
Now a little drop of water is all he’ll ever need
Now a little drop of water is all he’ll ever need.

Make the decision for heaven to be your eternal home and enjoy eternal life forever!

Copyright © 2026 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

 

Shelby G. Floyd delivered this sermon on August 16, 2026, at the Heartland Church of Christ, 1693 West Main Street, Greenwood, Indiana 46142.