Hell is a Real Place... And Most People Are Going There
By Kristie Cody
Most of the people you know will go to hell. Think about that... Most of the people that you know, will go to hell when they die. Unless you know everything there is to know with absolute 100% certainty, you need to read and consider the following writing. Doing so may very well alter the course of your life and your eternity, as well as those over whom you exercise any measure of influence. I say that, not because of my words that follow, but because of the words of Jesus, our Creator and Savior, Judge of all of creation.
Take note of all the people you encounter throughout a normal day. Family, friends, co-workers, the person beside you at the gas pump, the cashier at the grocery store, the person in the other aisle pushing that buggy with the squeaky wheel, the person assisting you on the other end of the telephone line, the woman walking her dog down the sidewalk, the person collecting garbage for the city, the young man handing you your order through the drive-thru window, the person who cut you off in traffic, the lovely neice who calls you just to chat, the beautician styling your hair, the lady at the bank counter, the mechanic fixing your car, the homeless person you pretend not to notice, that TikTok influencer you like so much... Most of these people will spend eternity in hell. Think about that. Most of the people you encounter on any given day will spend eternity in hell. Though it is a harsh reality, it is reality nonetheless.
Misconceptions, Deceptions and Outright Lies
When it comes to the subject of hell, there is no shortage of disputes, denials and outright dismissals surrounding even such a possibility, let alone reality. It is apparently quite comforting to convince oneself that hell is not a real place, therefore, it does not require any real thought or consideration. Eternal punishment is a concept so far outside of our human perspective that it simply cannot be taken seriously. In fact, as one Jehovah's Witness once told me, "A good God wouldn't send anyone to hell." Consider that statement. Such "reasoning" measures God by man's flawed and ever-changing standard of "good." No credence is given to the fact that we are the created, God is the Creator, and as such, He sets the standards, not us. The Bible clearly shows that man is measured and judged by God's perfect, unchanging standard of good. Furthermore, God does not send anyone to hell. Each person makes that decision for himself. In the Jehovah's Witness theology, hell is not an actual place of torment, it is merely "symbolic". A general rule of thumb within that particular cult is that when the Bible says something that does not line up with their theology, whatever the Bible says is "symbolic" and not to be taken literally. Although their own literature clearly shows this is their standard approach, they will not openly admit it. This twisting and denying of God's word paves a path straight to hell for all who ascribe to it.
Aside from cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses, there are many clearly defined yet completely false religions teaching lies, leading untold numbers of people away from Jesus and straight into the pit of hell. False religions include Islam, Catholicism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and every belief system other than Biblical Christianity. Detailing the falsities of each of these errant belief systems is far beyond the scope of this writing. Suffice it to say that every belief system that does not squarely align with and limit itself to the clear teachings of God's word, The Holy Bible, is a false religion designed to lead people away from Jesus, away from the salvation that only He provides, and straight into eternal punishment. There are no exceptions. The majority of these religions are seldom, if ever, under serious attack by the secular world because they pose no real threat to the preferences and lifestyles of a secular world. The only belief system that is seen as a threat to this secular world is the one that teaches the truth of Jesus Christ... Biblical Christianity. All others are satanically contrived deceptions and are therefore acceptable to this satanically deceived world. Every one of these false religions are leading people into everlasting hell. Bible-believing Christians are now openly considered "extremists" by our government, left-wing politicians and their constituency, as well as the main stream media. Christian doctrinal teachings instruct us to pray for those who reject Jesus. Islamic doctrinal teachings instruct muslims to kill those who reject "allah". Yet our society kowtow's to Islam, calling it the "religion of peace", while calling Biblical Christianity "extremism."
At the other end of the spectrum, you will find countless people who hold to the claim that this life is all there is and once you die, that's it, there is nothing else. Atheistic and Agnostic Evolutionists fall into this category. The common thread holding their religion together (yes, it is a religion) is stubborn arrogance resulting in the elevation of man to a god-like status, leaving no room for a Creator to whom they should owe any measure of accountability. Their belief that man evolved from literally nothing, thanks entirely to the magic ingredient of lots of time, and randomly became the sentient, intelligent beings we see today requires a measure of blind faith not found in all of Christianity. Literally, nothing blew up (aka the Big Bang) and, over lots of time, randomly evolved into everything we see today, all by itself with no need for an actual designer. Left to its own devices, chaos became order and nothing became everything. Of course, this is something that has never been observed actually occurring in real life, but nevertheless, here we are. Enveloped in this blind leap of faith is the evolutionists belief that animals of one kind produced animals of a totally different kind simply because of lots of time. This is known specifically as macroevolution, but is the common implication when the subject of evolution is mentioned. The basic claim is that genetic mutations took place causing one animal to evolve into a completely different animal, such as dinosaurs to birds, aquatic creatures to land animals, etc. Evolutionists completely ignore the fact that genetic mutations result in a loss of genetic information and what they claim happened requires an acquisition of new genetic information. Although that does not randomly and naturally occur in real life, this notion is so necessarily woven into the fabric of the religion of evolution that it is not to be questioned or challenged in any manner.
Atheists and Agnostics will contemptuously accuse Christians of using circular reasoning with regard to the Bible, yet they manage to remain completely oblivious to the circular reasoning required by their religion: date the fossils by the rock layers and date the rock layers by the fossils... They claim to "follow the science", yet there is no actual science supporting the theory of macroevolution that can withstand even a meager measure of scrutiny. Still, by all appearances, large numbers of people have been taken in by this monumental lie about our origin by blindly accepting that it must be a "proven fact" because it has our government's stamp of approval, it is taught as "fact" in schools, and all of the "experts" (the really smart people) say it's true. A serious, inquisitive look at macroevolution reveals a ridiculously impossible idea requiring nothing less than complete faith in the musings of faithless men. Where did matter come from? How did sentient, intelligent life come from non-living matter? Since two sexes are required for reproduction, which sex "evolved" first? How is that even possible without both sexes available for reproduction at the same time? Under examination, it does not take long for the macroevolutionary tale to unravel and reveal itself as a complete deception. Unfortunately, very few take the time to seriously investigate and, instead, accept it at face value because they are told to by the "experts" and, quite frankly, they are more comfortable simply following the crowd. Sadly, that crowd they are following is on a fast track to a very real hell, led by a very real satanic deception.
Sprinkled into the mix, you will find people who subscribe to the belief that there are many paths to Heaven and that only the really, really bad people will go to hell. This belief system is based on nothing more than the wishful imaginings of people who want the rewards of heaven, but without the restrictions placed on us by our Creator. Even a minimal comparison with the written word of God quickly exposes the complete falsehood of this line of belief. I actually had one person say to me that, if there is a God and a heaven, he will go there because he believes he is a "pretty good person". He has never killed anyone, he tries to do what is "right" and he tries to live an honest life. Forget the fact that he does not accept Jesus as his Saviour and denies the infallible truth of the Bible, he's basically a good enough person that, if there is a God and a heaven, he should be allowed to go there. He is quite content to live with that assumption without further investigation of any kind. His mind is made up that that makes sense to him, so that must be the way it is. There is no need to do anything other than continue living the way he always has and that will be good enough... if there really is a God and a heaven. This is another form of complete denial of God's word that will only lead him and countless others to everlasting hell. In fact, anyone subscribing to this line of thought should try the following experiment: Drive to the most affluent neighborhood in your city and pick out a house you'd like to live in. Knock on the door and tell the person who answers that you are there to move in. Tell them that you believe you are a good enough person that you should be able to live in that house and that you will be moving in, despite the fact that you do not know them and they do not know you. Do you honestly expect that they will agree and allow you to move into their home? If not, then why would you expect God to allow you to move into His home when there is no relationship between the two of you?
Moving on, we have all heard the increasingly popular, yet fully false assertion that God loves us all so much that everyone will eventually be accepted into Heaven. This is the satanic lie of Universalism. One person's path may be different than another's, but, eventually, everyone's chosen path leads to heaven. There are variations of this imaginary journey, with some involving reincarnation or some other made up nonsense not found in the Bible. This is just a culmination of wishful thinking on the part of man, mixed with satanic deception, that allows man to live as he chooses, while still feeling spiritual, as though he, in and of himself, possesses some measure of godliness. This view, as well as the other views detailed above, could not possibly be more wrong. They are wrong, not because I say so, but because God says so. None of these views align with the clear teachings of God's holy word. This idea of "everyone will eventually be accepted into Heaven" is just another satanic deception that man has chosen to cling to because it suits his preferences. This is yet another path straight into the pit of hell.
The Reality of Jesus and Reliability of the Bible
Jesus came to earth to give Himself as the ransom for all who would believe in Him. He was horribly tortured and literally nailed to a cross. Jesus died a humiliating, excruciatingly painful death and endured separation from God in order to pay our sin debt in full. He did not do all of this to save us from an "imaginary hell" or from mere annihilation. He did not do this as just another means of salvation. The very insinuation of such an idea displays astounding ignorance at best, and willful denial at worst, of the clear teachings of the Scriptures. Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself in order to save us from an eternal fate so real, so horrific that the human mind cannot begin to comprehend it on this side of eternity. People scoff at His word, laugh at Him and mock Him today, just as they did while He hung on that cross 2,000 years ago. Yet, He is still patiently holding back His final judgment in order that the last person who can be saved, will be saved. Time, however, is quickly running out.
Before getting further into this matter, it is important to keep in mind that, when Christians speak of Jesus, we are not speaking of some mythical person pulled from our collective imaginations and placed on a divine pedestal. No. Jesus was a real person, just as you and I are real. For the secular minded, historical evidence has provided abundant proof of the actual, physical existence of Jesus. Even well-known author and agnostic atheist, Professor Bart Ehrman acknowledges the foolishness of trying to deny the actual, physical existence of a very specific Jesus who lived in the Mediterranean during the first century. I mention this not to imply that Professor Ehrman's acknowledgment is the proof needed to confirm the actual existence of Jesus, but rather to highlight the fact that even those who oppose the complete reality and sovereignty of God Almighty are forced by clear evidence to acknowledge the actual, physical existence of Jesus as reality.
The actual, physical existence of Jesus is further evidenced by the fact that time as we know it was divided and recorded based on His birth. Think about that for a moment. Jesus was not a person of high social ranking with regard to worldly standards, yet His very existence in this world was so impactful, so significant, that time immemorial is divided in accordance with His birth. Time is recorded as "B.C." (before Christ), and, "A.D." for time after His birth, (latin phrase "anno Domini", meaning, "in the year of our Lord"). Jesus did not own land. He likely did not own anything beyond the clothes He wore. Jesus did not sit on the throne of any earthly kingdom. He was looked down upon and openly scorned by those whom society elevated and venerated. Jesus was hated, rejected, spat upon, beaten, tortured and crucified. Yet the Gregorian calendar, which records time based on the birth of this man, Jesus, is still used as the primary civil calendar by 86% of the recognized countries in existence today. This fact alone should make one pause and consider that there was something so profound, so absolutely consequential about this man called Jesus, that His birth divided time as we know it. Of course, in more recent years, the secular world has begun substituting "B.C.E." and "C.E." in an effort to diminish the impact of Jesus on time and history. Try as they might, they cannot erase Jesus or the significance of His existence on this earth.
On a similar note, our society tries to downplay the significance and authority of the Holy Bible. Some will claim that it is full of errors and contradictions, yet these claims quickly evaporate upon closer inspection. Some try to claim that science has disproven the Bible. Again, such claims quickly evaporate upon closer inspection. Others flippantly dismiss the Bible, saying it is just a book, like any other book, written by men. There is clearly zero actual thought put into that assertion. Simply put, mere men would not write the Bible because the Bible condemns mankind and restricts man to submission under a higher authority. These are two things that basic human arrogance simply will not accept. Had any such book been written by men alone, it would have faded into obscurity long ago. The fact is, the Holy Bible has divine authorship, God Himself, and therefore, it has withstood the test of time. God did what no mere man could accomplish with regard to writing His message to us. He used 40 different men, most of whom never met one another, to write the 66 books of the Bible. These books were written over a span of roughly 1,500 to 2,000 years, in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), on three different continents, with a unity of message that can neither be explained nor produced by human means alone. All of this was done without the benefit of the modern technology that we take for granted today. Before you dismiss the inerrancy and the divine authorship of the Holy Bible, accept this challenge: try to discredit and disprove it. I don't mean do a quick Google search to find a website supporting your presuppositions or letting Snopes do your research for you. I mean actually take the time yourself to study the Bible and try yourself to disprove it. You cannot do it. The Holy Bible is the written word of God.
What Did Jesus Say About Hell?
As we move forward in this article, it is wise to bear in mind that Jesus did not seek merely to entertain anyone or simply fill an awkward silence with idle words. In fact, He actually warned that, "...every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matthew 12:36). Each and every word Jesus spoke was deliberate and far more full of meaning and importance than can possibly be expressed here. Jesus spoke with a purpose and for a purpose at all times. No idle words ever left His lips. Keep that in mind as we explore what Jesus said about hell.
In the very first sermon that Jesus preached, as recorded in the Bible, He addressed the reality of hell and warned that most people will go there.
Matthew 7:13-14
13) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Notice the count provided in this passage: many vs. few. According to Jesus, the majority of people will choose the less restrictive wide gate and broad way. They will live as they choose, focused on enjoying their own worldly desires, rather than submit themselves to the clear will and plan of their Creator. Just seven verses down in that same chapter, Jesus gives this terrifying warning:
Matthew 7:21-23
21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
A person will never hear more horrifying words than those spoken by Jesus in verse 23. No amount of denial, arrogant rejection, excuses or rationalizations will alter the finality of the fate following that particular declaration from His lips. Do not be fooled by worldly deceptions. In this passage, Jesus highlights the fact that even many professing Christians will be shocked to find out that they are not allowed into the kingdom of heaven. We humans can become masters at masking our thoughts and hiding our true motives. We may easily fool others around us but we have absolutely no chance of fooling the One who created us, the One who sees what is in our hearts.
God made it clear to the prophet Samuel when Samuel was on his mission to anoint the next king of Israel (David), that we do not look at other people as He does.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (emphasis added)
Jesus declares this same truth in his letter to Thyatira, the church that tolerated sin rather than disciplining it.
Revelation 2:23
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. (emphasis added)
Jesus is the One who created us. Jesus is the One who came down to earth as a man and sacrificed His life to save us from damnation. Jesus is the One who will judge everyone who rejects Him and the salvation only He can provide. Keeping all of this in mind, let's look at what Jesus said about hell - the very place He gave His life to save us from going.
Mark 9:42-48
42) And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43) And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45) 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:
46) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
In this passage, Jesus described hell:
- twice as "the fire that never shall be quenched";
- three times as a place "where their worm dieth not";
- three times as a place where "the fire is not quenched".
In the passage above, Jesus described hell as a place of unending horror. He describes a place of torment with undying maggots and perpetual fire. The repetition of these phrases in this short passage, spoken by Jesus Himself, should drive home the reality and unending horror of this place called hell. Jesus is not advocating for self-mutilation in this passage and He is not merely entertaining His disciples with colorful fairy tales. Jesus is expressing the importance of putting a stop to thoughts and behaviors that lead to immorality and to sin. He is issuing a very serious warning to His disciples while stressing the horrific consequences of failing to heed this warning. Jesus is warning of an actual, very real place of punishment and torment.
Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 12:4-5
4) And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5) But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Jesus' words in these passages make it clear that there is a part of you that lives on after the physical body is dead. That part of you that lives on is your soul, as mentioned in Matthew 10:28, and that part of you can be cast into hell. That this part of you can be cast into hell is cause to "Fear him" gives the clear implication that this is a horrible fate, not merely a ceasing to exist, as those who teach annihilation would claim. Once the body is dead, if the soul ceased to exist, there would be no reason to fear anything or anyone since there would be no consequences to experience beyond the physical death of the body. Jesus Himself makes it very clear that this is not the case. Jesus warns in these two passages that the unseen part of you, your soul, lives on after the physical body is dead and that unseen part of you can be cast into hell, "where their worm dieth not" and "the fire is not quenched." Jesus did not utter idle words. Why would He give such a strong warning if there wasn't a real danger to be aware of and avoided?
Matthew 23:33
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Jesus says that hell is a place of damnation. In Matthew 23, in His scathing address to the scribes and Pharisees, people society held in high regard, Jesus openly and publicly warns of real consequences for their hypocritical conduct. He is not saying everything He says to them only to warn them of fictional consequences in some make-believe, mythical place. No. He was calling out real people for their real behavior that was sending them and others to real damnation in a real hell. Jesus clearly spoke of an actual place called hell.
Look at the warning Jesus gave to the Pharisees in the book of Luke:
Luke 16:19-31
19) There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20) And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25) But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26) And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27) Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29) Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30) And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31) And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Some people say that Luke 16:19-31 is a parable like Jesus' other parables. Others say that Jesus is recounting an actual event. That particular discussion is beyond the scope of this study. Suffice it to say, Jesus found this story and the information therein important enough to publicly tell it to the covetous Pharisees who had just ridiculed him for his teaching on the unjust steward. In looking closely at this passage, keep in mind that Jesus had a reason for every word He spoke. Nothing He ever said that is recorded in the Bible was merely chit chat or for entertainment. The words Jesus spoke during His ministry here on earth were words of eternal importance, words of deep meaning, words of correction, and words of warning. Only a fool will ignore the words, teachings and warnings of God incarnate. That being said, let's take a look at what Jesus reveals in the passage above.
⦁ First and foremost, note that neither Lazarus nor the rich man ceased to exist upon their physical death in this world. Lazarus was "carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom," a place of comfort and blessedness beyond the grave. The rich man "died and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments". Both men experienced physical death in this world, but rather than ceasing to exist, each went to another realm of fully conscious existence: Lazarus to a place of comfort and the rich man to a place of torment. Though their physical bodies in this world had stopped functioning and died, their souls, that unseen part of each man that encompassed his true being, the life that had animated his earthly body, lived on in a fully conscious state.
⦁ People in hell can see. (verse 23)
⦁ People in hell can cry and speak. (verse 24)
⦁ People in hell can recognize other people they knew in this world and remember them by name (verse 24).
⦁ People in hell desire mercy but do not receive it. (verses 24&25)
⦁ People in hell feel heat, pain and are tormented. (verse 24)
⦁ Hell is a place of fire and torment. (verses 24 & 28)
⦁ People in hell still have the same character they nourished and developed while in this world. Notice in verses 24 and 27 that the rich man still viewed Lazarus as someone beneath him, someone to be sent to do as the rich man desired. The rich man never addressed Lazarus directly or apologized for not helping him during his life on earth. He very clearly still viewed Lazarus as a person of lower status than himself and asked "father Abraham" to dispatch Lazarus to do as he requested. The rich man still had the same haughty character that he had developed during his life on earth.
⦁ A person's fate is sealed upon his or her death in this world. (verses 22-23, 25-26)
⦁ People in hell remember their lives in this world and they remember their family. He knew that they would "also come into this place of torment" unless they repented. He wanted to warn them but was unable. (verses 25, 27 & 28)
⦁ The realm after this present world is divided into two places: a place of comfort and a place of torment. No one can pass from one side to the other. (verse 26)
⦁ People in hell can hear. The rich man had no trouble hearing and comprehending what Abraham said to him. (verse 27)
⦁ If a person will not believe the written word of God (referred to here by Jesus as "Moses and the prophets"), then that person will not be persuaded by a miracle, even a person rising from the dead. (verses 29-31)
⦁ People in hell know they deserve to be there. Nowhere in this passage does the rich man dispute that he is where he deserves to be. Nowhere does he mount a defense for himself. Never once does he claim to be unjustly sentenced to this place of torment. He knows that he is exactly where he deserves to be.
Not everyone in hell will receive the same punishment.
Matthew 23:14-15
14) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widow's houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Mark 12:38-40
38) And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
39) And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
40) Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
Luke 10:12-15
12) But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
13) Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14) But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
15) And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
Jesus makes it clear that there are varying degrees of punishment in hell. His words recorded in the synoptic gospels reveal, not a one-size-fits-all punishment, but rather an eternal punishment that is individually designed for those who enter.
Jesus warned of a coming judgment for all of mankind.
John 5:28-29
28) Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29) And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Matthew 25:31-33, 41, 46
31) When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
41) Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
46) And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Jesus' warning in these two passages leave no doubt that there is a coming judgment in which everyone will be judged. People who have rejected Jesus will be condemned "into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" and "shall go away into everlasting punishment". Those who have truly accepted Jesus as their Savior will go "into life eternal." Jesus is not ambiguous in his warnings. People are literally going to hell. Annihilation is not even an option. Universalism is equally nonsensical and non-existent. Jesus is very straight-forward in His warnings, yet people still go to extreme theological lengths to deny that He said exactly what He meant, and He meant exactly what He said.
It is well worth noting that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven. Knowing that He had only a short time in this world, why would He choose to spend so much of that time warning people about the dangers, the certainty and the eternality of hell if it did not actually exist? Jesus very clearly believed in a literal hell. He clearly believed hell is a real place and that the majority of people will go there. Jesus believed it so much that He willingly gave His own life to pay the sin debt that each and every one of us owe. He provided the way for every one of us to be saved from this horrible fate that He spent so much of His time warning us about. We each have a responsibility to accept the salvation that He purchased and offers to us. We also have the free will to reject it. Each and every person on this earth makes this decision for himself or for herself. After you take your last breath in this world, if you find yourself in hell, you will remember that the choice was yours and you chose hell. You sealed your own fate.