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The scariest thing about the Bible is that it’s true!
Why is that, you may ask???
Because if the Bible is true, that means Hell is true, and it’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). You’d be smart to fear the One who will judge you and then throw you into Hell. Only God can do that, so you should be afraid of Him.
Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Understanding the Biblical context helps us realize the seriousness of God’s justice alongside His mercy. The Bible, while filled with messages of hope, love, and salvation, also addresses divine judgment, eternal consequences, and the holiness of God. These themes can be unsettling or scary because they warn, convict, and reveal the serious nature of sin and rebellion against God.
Here are some of the Bible’s most frightening verses:
Mark 9:43 – “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.” Jesus uses stark imagery to warn about sin’s seriousness and the eternal punishment of hell, urging radical measures to avoid it.
Romans 2:5 – “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath.” Paul warns that resisting repentance accumulates God’s wrath, a fearful consequence for the unyielding heart.
Revelation 20:15 – “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This verse describes the final judgment, where those who reject God face eternal torment. Will your name be listed in the book???
Nahum 1:3 – “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.” While God is patient, this verse warns that justice is certain and inescapable, which is a sobering truth about God’s intolerance of sin.
Matthew 13:41-42 – “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus speaks of the final separation of the righteous and the wicked, highlighting the grievous fate awaiting unrepentant sinners.
Matthew 25:41 – Jesus warns, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” The concept of being stuck with the devil and his minions in everlasting fire is terrifying in its permanence.
Matthew 7:21 – Here, Jesus matter-of-factly states that, “Not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Simply calling yourself a Christian is not enough. Don’t be a fake Christian or a false convert!
Revelation 21:8 – “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” This verse lists those who will face eternal punishment, painting a frightening picture of the consequences of sin and unbelief. And who isn’t guilty of one or more of those things???
Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This signifies that every human being has sinned and cannot meet God’s perfect standard of holiness and righteousness. In the end, a liar is no better off than a murderer, they’re both sinners who have missed the mark.
Hebrews 10:31 – “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” This emphasizes the seriousness of facing God’s justice without mercy. Falling into His hands without repentance is terrifying because He is a holy and just God who must punish sin.
Luke 16:23-24 – The parable of the rich man in hell, begging for relief, paints a vivid picture: “And in Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out 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.'” This passage illustrates the rich man’s suffering in the afterlife, highlighting the consequences of a life of indifference and the irreversible chasm between the righteous and the sinful.
Conclusion
The Bible contains many passages that evoke fear, awe, and dread. From the ten plagues of Egypt, to the valley of bones in Ezekiel 37, as well as the strange beasts in Revelation, the Bible is filled with terrifying supernatural and apocalyptic imagery. Additionally, the Bible’s darker side includes terrible stories such as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the beheading of John the Baptist.
Still, the scariest thing about the Bible is its vivid portrayal of divine judgment and the consequences of sin—especially the idea of torment for the unrepentant and everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. God’s wrath is wholly righteous, the response of a holy and just God against sinners who have not accepted the atonement of Christ.
If there were ever a vote for which Bible verse was the scariest, my vote would go for Matthew 10:28. Imagine you’re walking down a dark alley and encounter a dangerous axe murderer. That would be pretty terrifying, right? In Matthew 10:28, Jesus said: “Do not fear him who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” In other words, your fear of the axe murderer is nothing compared to the fear you should have for the One who can throw you into Hell!
Many modern churches are doing a great disservice by focusing only on God’s love without preaching about God’s judgment and the eternal consequences of rejecting Him by their sinful actions. Once you find yourself forever separated from God instead of entering Heaven, it will be too late to change your mind.
Now that’s a scary thought!
