2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 — in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

I have said before that I do not always “like” the topics that the Holy Spirit lays on my heart for these pieces. So it is with today’s topic.
Most of the time I, like most Christians, prefer not to think about, much less talk about, hell. It is, however, a responsibility. There are those who prefer to believe, preach and teach that there is no hell, or that if there is, God will not allow any human to fall into it. It is hard to imagine how they come to this conclusion, given the clear teaching of Paul, and more so of Jesus Himself who spoke more of hell than anyone else, and more of hell than Heaven.
Let us be quite clear. There are two eternal destinations — Heaven (and then the new Earth), and hell. Anyone who has not admitted their sin, acknowledged Jesus as God and the Son of God, and accepted Him as Lord and Savior will spend eternity in hell. As believers we must make this truth universally known.
Those who believe a loving God would not condemn anyone to hell will often point to 2 Peter 3:9 as suggesting that God will allow none to be condemned:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

That great old commentator Matthew Henry gives the lie to the error:

God has no delight in the death of sinners: as the punishment of sinners is a torment to his creatures, a merciful God does not take pleasure in it; and though the principal design of God in his long-suffering is the blessedness of those whom he has chosen to salvation, through sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth, yet his goodness and forbearance do in their own nature invite and call to repentance all those to whom they are exercised; and, if men continue impenitent when God gives them space to repent, he will deal more severely with them, though the great reason why he did not hasten his coming was because he had not accomplished the number of his elect.

We must make it clear. For those who have not repented and accepted God’s gift of salvation, hell is the inevitable destination and it is terrible.
The great Italian poet Dante imagined the following words inscribed on the gateway to hell:

Through me the way is to the grievous city;
Through me the way is to eternal pain;
Through me the way among the people lost.
Justice incited my sublime Creator;
Divine Omnipotence created me,
The highest Wisdom and the primal Love.
Before me there were no created things,
Only eternal, and I eternal last.
All hope abandon, ye who enter in!”

The words describe a place beyond description — but it captures two truths about hell that can not be denied. It is a place of despair — eternal grief and pain, and it was created by a loving God. The Bible repeatedly makes it clear:

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Tell your friends.