Many Christians today say: “Surely it is better to conceive of the gospel as a place where there will be some temporary punishments until in the end people simply lose all consciousness: they are ultimately annihilated.” Others believe it is manipulative and cruel to even think about hell and say, “Let's just talk about the love of God.” However, there are several things that really need to be said. This is not an easy topic, but it must be addressed.
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If I accept that hell is real, eternal and more terrifying than anything else, it would be a lack of kindness and love on my part not to warn you, just as it would have been a lack of kindness and love on the part of Jesus not to have warned the people of his time.
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Jesus is the one who introduces most of the horrible images we have about hell. He can openly tell His followers who risk being crucified, beaten, sawed, and all the rest: “Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear Him who is able to destroy soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). He talks about dungeons and chains, about the darkness outside. People sometimes say, “I would like to go to hell. “All my friends will be there.” There will be no friends in hell. Jesus talks about weeping, moaning and gnashing of teeth. That is why it should not surprise us that He weeps for the city when its inhabitants do not repent or believe.
Therefore, if people think that warning people about hell is manipulative, they should accuse Jesus of manipulation. However, the accusation of manipulation only makes sense if the threat of hell is not real. No one would talk about manipulating people to get out of a burning building if they were warned of the dire consequences of staying inside and asked to get out. If I accept that hell is real, eternal and more terrifying than anything else, it would be a lack of kindness and love on my part not to warn you, just as it would have been a lack of kindness and love on the part of Jesus not to have warned the people of his time.
