[2 Thess 1:3-12] 2025.10.19Look Up and Live Part 1, The Eternal Horror of Hell
[2 Thess 1:3-12] 2025.10.19Look Up and Live Part 1, The Eternal Horror of Hell
2 Thess 1:3-12
The final judgement of humanity (v.6-7)
The eternal horror that awaits the unbelievers (v.8-9)
Persevering in the gospel mission for the glory of God (v.3-5, 10-12)
Greetings
Good morning, brothers and sisters!
Let’s pray as we open God’s words.
Dear Lord Jesus,
We give you thanks and praise for you descended from heaven into this world and even into the depths of hell just so we may rise from the dead and ascend with you into heaven and share in your glory. This morning as we open your word, please help us behold more clearly the reality of hell and help us hold firmly to the gospel, to your saving name, our only salvation.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Introduction: Where is your soul going?
A couple of years ago, I was talking to my friend at church, and we were sharing our experiences in doing walk-up evangelism.
If you don’t know what that is, it is literally walking up to strangers and telling them about Jesus.
And as we were chatting, we were trying to see which is the most powerful question that we can ask a stranger, that would get them to move towards Jesus or even consider Jesus as their Lord and saviour.
Now having some sales and hospitality experience under my belt, I said the best question one can ask is, “what is stopping you from believing in Jesus?” This is similar to what I used to ask my clients and customers, “what is stopping you from upgrading to the next menu?” or what is stopping you from signing this contract?”
This question is powerful because it lets me know the one thing that this person is struggling with, and I can address that and move them one step closer to Jesus.
I thought this was a brilliant question to ask, except this friend of mine turns to me, he stares into my eyes and says, I’ll ask them, “where is your soul going?”
I remember taking a step back and thought to myself, this question is not just too heavy to ask, it is also offensive. How can you ask anyone, “where is your soul going?”
And yet, this morning, this is the question I want to ask each and every one of you.
Where is your soul going?
Where is your soul going?
And more than that, I want you to have your friends, your loved ones, your parents and your children in mind, and consider where their souls are going?
Because death is not the end, Jesus will come back to judge the living and the dead.
And as Jesus says in Matthew 25, on that day, those who are worthy of God’s kingdom will receive eternal life, and the ungodly will receive eternal punishment.
And for the next three weeks, we will start a new mini-series called “Look Up and Live” as we explore the topics of heaven and hell.
This week, we will focus on the topic of hell with the help of 2 Thessalonians 1, and we will see how the eternal horror of hell helps us to persevere in the gospel mission for the glory of God.
And to do that, we will first look at the final and total nature of God’s judgment, and then we will focus on the reality of hell and what that means for the unbelievers. And finally, we will see how Paul encourages all of us to persevere in the gospel mission for the glory of God.
Our three points this morning are:
The final judgement of humanity (v.6-7)
The eternal horror that awaits the unbelievers (v.8-9)
Persevering in the gospel mission for the glory of God (v.3-5, 10-12)
The final judgement of humanity (v.6-7)
So now, let’s begin with our first point, the final judgment of humanity.
2 Thessalonians is Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonian church, and we know that this church suffered great opposition from the very beginning.
In Acts 17, Jason, who was a new convert and a new member of that church, had his house raided by local mobs, and he was dragged to the local court and forced to pay a bond. All because he followed Jesus.
By God’s grace, they held fast to the gospel, and they continued to gather while the apostles were in other cities.
However, in this letter, we learn that the church is now facing two new challenges.
In chapter 2 verse 2, Paul warns them not to be deceived by false messages, especially by letters that impersonate the apostles. Because in them are lies saying that Jesus has already returned.
Then later in chapter 3 verse 11, we are told that the problem of laziness or idleness that is taking over the church from within.
And so here in chapter 1, Paul begins his letter by talking about the final judgment that is to come. Knowing that this will help the Thessalonian church to defend against false teachings related to this and perhaps purge the laziness from the church.
Now, let’s turn to our Bibles and look at verses 6 and 7.
6since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you
7and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels,
In these two verses, the Bible tells us that the final judgement is for all humanity.
It says that God will judge the world based on how they treat God’s people, how they treat his church.
Those who persecute Christians, who inflict harm and suffering to them, will be punished by God.
And the Christians who endure these sufferings and are faithful till the end, they will find relief and rest in God.
Verse 7 tells us that all of these will certainly take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus, that is, when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead.
And on that day, all of humanity, whether past or present, asleep or awake, will be judged.
God’s final judgement will be declared on all humanity, and there won’t be a second judgement or a second chance.
Because God’s great mercy and his perfect justice have both been revealed on the cross, there is no greater mercy and there is no greater justice than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s only son, our Lord and saviour.
We do not live in the shadows of the Old Testament, still eagerly waiting for the Messiah, our saviour, to come. Rather, we live in the light of the New Testament, in the end times that began with Jesus’ birth.
And when Jesus gave himself up on the cross to die for our sins, forgiveness was made available to all who look upon him. Those who look up shall live.
And all humanity will be judged based on their response to Jesus in this life, his is the only name that saves.
And so, on that day, when Jesus returns, he will not come to bring forgiveness but to bring judgment on the world.
On that day, no one can say it isn’t fair, or they didn’t know, or give any excuse or reason for God to change his verdict. Because the reality is that
God is rightfully angry with us, and we deserve his righteous wrath.
Yet our sinful nature often hinders us from believing this and remembering this.
We say to ourselves, sin is not that big of a deal. Or we say to ourselves, we can repent tomorrow. Or even worse, we think that because we are
Christians, we can abuse the forgiveness that we have in Christ and continue in sin.
Friends, sin is serious. So serious that not a man, but the Son of God had to die to redeem us.
Now, some of you might think I’m not that bad; in fact, you might think yourself quite good.
But the Bible tells us that even the best of us here have fallen short of the glory of God.
No matter how good you are in the eyes of men, before the eyes of God, God says, ‘sinner.’
If we do not understand how we are all tainted by sin and how estranged and hopeless we are before God, then we will never understand why Jesus, the Son of God has to die in our place.
We must not be so foolish as to ask, ‘God, why are you so arrogant that the only way to be saved is to look upon your Son?’
Because as sinners, we are completely at God’s mercy. We are sinful creatures at the mercy of a holy and just God.
With our sins, we have betrayed the love of God, we have severed the relationship, and we are in no position to complain, negotiate, or even speak before God.
Let us not forget that if God spoke the world into existence and he can just as easily destroy us with his breath.
The only reason that you and I are here is because God has been patient with us.
Jesus can return as soon as he ascended to heaven, but Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3 that the reason why he hasn’t is because God is ‘patient with us, not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.’ (2 Peter 3:9)
But God’s patience is not infinite, Jesus will return from heaven with his angels to judge the world, and it will be a total and final judgement.
Our response to Jesus in this life will determine the outcome of that judgment and the eternal destiny of our souls.
And the Bible tells us that a horrific punishment awaits those who reject the name of Jesus.
So let us move to our second point, and look at the eternal horror that awaits the unbelievers.
The eternal horror that awaits the unbelievers (v.8-9)
Let’s turn to our Bibles and look at verses 8 and 9
8when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength
Here, Paul says that when Jesus returns, he will take vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Notice that in the context of our passage, ‘those who don’t know God’ and ‘those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus’ are not two different groups of people, but refer to the same group of godless unbelievers, which includes those who are persecuting the Thessalonian church.
Jesus will punish these unbelievers because of their disbelief and disobedience.
In our previous point we have established that Jesus will be the one to judge humanity on the last day and here we see that Jesus will also be the one who will punish the unbelievers.
This is because Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the father, ruling over all things as the firstborn over all creation. And everything is created through him and for him. (Col 1:15-16)
And so, it is only fitting that Jesus will be the judge and the punisher. Moreover, as early as Deuteronomy, we are told that vengeance belongs to the Lord. (Deut 32:5)
But what this also means is that the punishment will be carried out completely in terms of degree and duration because it is the almighty and eternal God who punishes.
Turning to our Bibles, in verse 8, we are told that flaming fire will be part of the punishment, and in verse 9, we are told that the unbelievers will have to pay the penalty of eternal destruction.
The imagery of fire has been used throughout the Bible when speaking of God’s judgement, such as in Daniel 7 or Isaiah 66.
Here, however, God’s flaming fire is placed alongside the penalty of eternal destruction to paint a terrifying picture of hell and to remind us once again of the eternal horror that awaits the unbeliever.
To illustrate this, here are some examples in the New Testament:
When Peter was talking about the last days, he says,
2 Peter 3:7 (CSB)
7By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
And in Matthew 25, Jesus said that when he returns, he will separate the false believers from the genuine believers
Matthew 25:41,46 (CSB)
41“Then he will also say to those on the left (false believers), ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
46“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous (genuine believers) into eternal life.”
In these passages along with our passage in 2 Thessalonians, we see that hell is not a place where the unbelievers cease to exist.
Those who reject Jesus and disobey his gospel should not underestimate the consequences of their sinful choices made within their finite lifetime.
Now, at this point, some of you might be thinking, how is God just when the punishment seems to far outweigh the crime?
On the surface, this makes sense. But once we properly consider the sinfulness of sin and the holiness of God, then it is not hard to see why the sins of one lifetime are met with eternal punishment.
Even in our world today, there are some horrific crimes where we might agree that even punishment by death does not do justice to the crime that was committed.
Yet on the other hand, studies show that the death penalty lacks the deterrent effect that lifetime imprisonment has.
And I find this interesting because I believe one reason that God tells us death is not the end, but eternal fire and destruction awaits non-repentant sinners, is because he hopes that this may shock the sinner into considering Christ.
Likewise, for those who are persevering in their faith, this truth helps us to stay the course and run the race.
And as we run towards Jesus, we do not keep running just for the sake of our salvation, but rather we do so for the glory of God.
And this brings us to our third and final point, persevering in the gospel mission for the glory of God.
Persevering in the gospel mission for the glory of God (v.3-5, 10-12)
So far we have discussed the final and total nature of God’s final judgement, and we’ve looked at the eternal horror that awaits the unbelievers.
These are two powerful truths that motivate Christians to persevere in the gospel mission.
And this is also true for the Thessalonian church.
In verses 3 and 4, Paul gives thanks to God for their flourishing faith and their increasing love for one another. And verse 4 tells us that all this happened while they were enduring constant persecutions and afflictions.
And when I look at these verses, I can’t help but realise this is what I usually tell my friends when they ask me how life is at St Paul’s Kogarah.
When people ask me what the church is like, I tell them that Kogarah has gone through some rough years. We are not a big church, but those who are here are faithful remnants.
I tell them the volunteers are faithful in their service and growing in their love of one another. At the very least, our family felt warmly welcomed and loved by all of you.
And over time, after hearing many of your stories and testimonies, I believe the reason behind all these is because your faith is placed firmly in the gospel.
And this is certainly good news for anyone who comes to our church.
And so we must persevere in the gospel mission, not only for our own salvation or the salvation of those around us, but it is so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified.
This is what Paul says in verses 11-12:
11 In view of this, we always pray for you that our God will make you worthy of his calling, and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good and your work produced by faith,
12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
These verses remind us that to persevere in the gospel mission, is to prove ourselves worthy of God’s kingdom and to have every desire to do good works.
And ultimately, this is so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified.
And a church that glorifies Jesus is a church with a flourishing faith and an ever-increasing love.
And this must also be a church that attracts non-believers and brings them into a saving faith.
Last week, David and I went on a staff retreat, and we spent almost 24 hours over two days to imagine what a god-glorifying church would look like here at St Paul’s Kogarah.
And one of the things that we talked about is that we need to be a church that has an immense hunger to see people saved. We have to be hungrier than the gates of Hades.
And this hunger must be firmly rooted in the Jesus’ final judgement and the eternal horror that awaits the unbelievers.
And let us be reminded that we cannot save those who died without knowing Jesus. By then, everything is too late.
This is similar to hotels and airlines; you cannot sell yesterday’s room night, and you cannot sell the empty seats of the previous flight.
And so we must make use of the time and opportunity that God has given each and every one of us to make Jesus known and invite others to believe in his name.
Also, I’m not sure if you realise that the reality of hell doesn't need to be believed.
Jesus does not teach us about hell and then ask us to believe it’s real. Jesus simply tells us the reality of heaven and hell, because it is real for all of us, regardless of what we believe.
However, Jesus did invite us to believe in his name, because all who believe in him will be saved.
And Jesus knows that every soul that is saved brings glory to God.
So let us be a church that would persevere in the gospel mission and have a great hunger to see people saved, knowing that with every conversion, Jesus’ name is glorified.
Conclusion
As we finish, let us consider once more the certainty of Christ’s return to judge the world, the reality of the eternal punishment of unbelievers in hell.
I pray that these truths will always spur us on to live out our faith, but also give us great hunger to save the lost.
I hope that we may be a church that always glorifies the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let me finish out time by praying the words 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.
Heavenly Father,
I give you great thanks and praise for the brothers and sisters here at St Paul’s Kogarah, for their flourishing faith and their ever-increasing love for one another. Father, I pray that you will make us worthy of your calling and by your power, you will fulfil our every desire to do good works produced by our faith. So that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by us, and we by him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.