A Scary Thing Happened to Evangelism

Halloween can be a scary time of the year. But I think there is something much scarier, and it doesn’t just happen once per year; it’s happening daily, and it’s increasing in frequency. What is it?

Our motives for evangelism are changing as our culture is shifting – and not in a good way.

Consider the question, “Why should you share your faith?” Today, you’re more likely to hear phrases like, “because my faith is important to me”, or “because I want others to know Jesus like I do”, or even “because the Bible tells me to.”

What’s missing in these modern motives for evangelism?

Think about all the “I”s and “Me”s and “My”s in the quotes above. What about the concern for them? What about the concern for their eternal destiny apart from Christ?

What about Hell?

For many, it feels odd even reading that word because it is so rarely discussed among believers. If we don’t talk about it, we don’t think about it. And if we don’t think about it, the reality of it simply starts slipping away. Pretty soon, the sense of urgency to share Jesus with our neighbors, co-workers, and loved ones begins to slip away as well.

I think we can reclaim that urgency with a few reminders of what the Bible makes clear awaits those who do not place their trust in Christ.

Hell is everlasting punishment

Matthew 25:31-46CloseMatthew 25:31-46 "But when the Son of Man* comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations* will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' "Then these righteous ones will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' "And the King will say, `I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!' "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, `Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.* For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' "Then they will reply, `Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' "And he will answer, `I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)  paints a vivid picture of Jesus coming in His glory and sitting upon His throne where He gathers the nations.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on His left.” (32-33)

A few verses later, He makes the destination clear for those on His left.

“Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (41)

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (46)

Other very strong verses about the future punishment awaiting those who do not trust in Jesus for salvation include2 Thessalonians 1:5-10Close2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) andRevelation 20:10-15CloseRevelation 20:10-15 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave* gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) .

Hell is everlasting destruction

First, we need to understand what destruction is (and isn’t) in the Bible. We can tend to think of words like obliterated, destroyed, or annihilated. However, the Bible translates this word often to describe something that has lost its purpose or has been ruined. For example, it can refer to “desolate” waste land (Ezekiel 6:14CloseEzekiel 6:14 I will crush them and make their cities desolate from the wilderness in the south to Riblah* in the north. Then they will know that I am the LORD." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ), and Jesus uses this word to describe “ruined” wineskins that no longer function (Mark 2:22CloseMark 2:22 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). We must keep this notion in mind if we are to understand everlasting destruction correctly.

In Matthew 7, Jesus bluntly shares a future of destruction for those who do not follow Him.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14CloseMatthew 7:13-14 "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell* is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) )

Revelation 14:11CloseRevelation 14:11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) paints a vivid image of this destruction that is hard to think about, but dangerous to ignore.

“And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night…” (Revelation 14:11CloseRevelation 14:11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) )

The overall picture is striking. Those who seek to find life in themselves ultimately forfeit true life. Only eternal ruin remains. How this should provoke us toward outreach and evangelism!

Other verses that are clear about destruction includeLuke 13:3-5CloseLuke 13:3-5 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ,Romans 9:22CloseRomans 9:22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) andHebrews 10:27CloseHebrews 10:27 There is only the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) .

Hell is everlasting banishment

Eternal separation from God is probably the most well understood (and most described) aspect of Hell. However, banishment is much stronger than separation. Banishment involves the active and ongoing judgment of God. The Bible describes this aspect of Hell in strong terms.

As we saw above inMatthew 25:41CloseMatthew 25:41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, `Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.* OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , Jesus doesn’t just say “Depart from Me.” He makes it clear that they are banished to the “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”  InRevelation 22:14-15CloseRevelation 22:14-15 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , the wicked are forever excluded from wondrous fellowship with God. Jesus describes the experience of those who are banished when He says, “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth” (Luke 13:28CloseLuke 13:28 "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ).

It is banishment to a place where there is conscious torment, an awareness of guilt, and a loathsome understanding that their punishment is just because of their sin.

Many are not aware that the future punishment, destruction, and banishment of non-believers is one of the few topics addressed by every single author of the New Testament. It was of critical importance to them, and it should be of the same importance to us.

When we think about our neighbors, loved ones, and others who do not know the Lord, let’s be respectful in our talk, let’s be authentic in our witness – but also, let’s be urgent in our outreach. Let’s not forget about this oft-forgotten motive for evangelism.

May God grant us numerous opportunities to “save some by snatching them from the fire” (Jude 1:23CloseJude 1:23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,* but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.* OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ) as we seek to bring others to Him.

Copyright © 2021 Brock Anderson, used with permission.