Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Matthew 18:8-9 (KJV)

And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Mark 9:45 (KJV)

Both of these passages capture Jesus referring to a place called hell. Contrary to popular belief, hell is a real place. Jesus mentioned hell a lot- to warn people so they wouldn’t go there. The truth of the matter is that no one has to go to hell- and if they had any idea of what it was like, they would do everything to avoid it. Yes, hell is real, but we all can choose not to go there.

Jesus paid the price so we would not have to go to hell, but people still go there. Why? Because people reject Jesus, the one Person that can keep us out of hell. If people follow the devil rather than Jesus, hell is where the devil will lead them. You see, people actually don’t go to hell because they are bad or have done wrong, but they go because they reject the payment for their sins which has been made by Jesus. He went to hell so none of us have to. Rejecting Jesus and His sacrifice is rejecting the only way payment can be made for our sins. And those who do so will go to hell for eternity.

Sin has eternal consequences. Man is unable to make resititution for his own sin, so if he refuses to believe in Jesus and doesn’t receive the payment Jesus made on his behalf, he will burn in hell, in outer darkness- forever. On the other hand, when someone asks Jesus to be their Savior and Lord, they receive all Jesus is and all He has done for mankind. As a result, they will escape the torments and punishment of hell.

Hell was not created by God for man; it was originally created as the place where the devil and his demons would be punished. However, when people reject Jesus, they automatically side with the devil and will go to hell with him when they die. And once a person has died, their choice is sealed- there is no going back once someone has passed away. A person in hell has no hope- they will be there forever with no way out.

Jesus died, went to hell, rose from the dead, and ascended so we could go to heaven instead of hell.The choice is up to each of us. Jesus paid a debt that none of us could ever pay. He did it as a free gift. Believe and receive Him today so you can escape hell and live with Jesus in heaven.