The reality of hell

Matthew 25:41 (NIV)

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. 

This verse is toward the end of a teaching or sermon by Jesus called “The Olivet Discourse”.  It starts in Matthew 24 with parallel passages in Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36.  Jesus was asked "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  "When will these things be?" is referencing the destruction of the Jewish temple (occurred in AD 70) and the rest of Matthew 24-25 concerns a future tribulation period and the Second Coming of Christ.  The last section of the discourse begins in Matthew 25:31 that concerns the judgment of the Gentiles after Christ’s return.  He will separate the Gentiles according to how they treated Israel (“these brothers of mine”) during the tribulation period.  Those who did not treat Israel well are symbolic of unbelievers and unbelievers will be cursed and thrown into the eternal fire. 

Jesus spoke about the reality of hell many times in the gospels.  A key word search on hell finds 15 different verses where Jesus referred to this place and such a word search does not include this passage where the word hell is not stated directly.  In passages like this one and Matthew 5:29 the word for hell is ‘Gehenna’ that is a permanent place of destruction.  Gehenna was a real place south of Jerusalem where filth and dead animals and dead people (criminals) were burned.  In other passages, like Matthew 16:18, the word for hell is ‘Hades” (Sheol in the Hebrew), a non-permanent place for the disembodied souls of the dead.  It is not the eternal location of the souls of the dead like Gehenna is.  Gehenna also refers to the “lake of fire’ or ‘eternal fire’

Jesus is stating that unrighteous people are cursed and will go to a place of eternal fire that is prepared for the devil and his angels. To be cursed Biblically is to be separated from God. There is great controversy about this passage, e.g. is Jesus talking about entire nations or individuals, is He saying that good words saves people and failure to do good condemns people, and is He really talking about anyone other than the devil and his angels?  Indeed, I believe that He is talking about both nations (look at those condemned in the Old Testament) and individuals who choose to be unrighteous.  He is not talking about salvation by good works as the uniform testimony of the New Testament is that salvation occurs by faith, not by good works, but good works are a result of faith.  And, indeed, He is talking about anyone who is an unbeliever as unbelievers are followers of the devil and his angels (John 8:42-45, I John 2:15-16, John 3:18-20, other verses). 

A passage like this causes the sincere/serious reader/listener to ask yourself the question about your eternal destiny.  The context of the Olivet Discourse is to teach you to be prepared for the Lord to return at any time, prepared not only via your salvation through faith but also your good works as a believer in helping others.  Remember what Jesus concluded in the verse preceding this one (Matt 25:40).