TUESDAY February 3, 2026

The Danger of Losing Your Soul

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Mark 8:36-37

In the New Testament, who taught about hell? You may be surprised, because Jesus taught about eternal punishment to the multitudes and His disciples. He described a place of fire and torment:

Matthew 25:41: “ ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ”

Matthew 13:41-42: “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:46: “And these [sinners on His left hand] will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Just as heaven is a real place of comfort, hell is a real place of torment. People will be wailing in a fiery furnace forever. In this life, there are many invitations and opportunities to accept Jesus Christ, but how sad it is for those missed occasions, because death comes without warning.

This is exactly what happened in the true story about the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man had all the luxuries he wanted in life, whereas the poor beggar laid at the rich man’s gate with sores all over him. The wild dogs came and licked his sores.

The poor man died, and suddenly, so did the rich man. You see, before Christ’s Resurrection, the righteous went to Abraham’s Bosom––a place of comfort; but the wicked went to Hades––the realm of the dead. A large gulf separated the two places. The rich man cried out: “ ‘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’ ” (Luke 16:24). Abraham reminded him of his lifetime of comfort and wealth; he had gained all the world had to offer, but he lost his soul. Do you value your soul?

A little faith will bring your soul to heaven; a great faith will bring heaven to your soul.
~Charles H. Spurgeon~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!