Will Anger Send You To Hell? - Soul Choice Ministries

Why Does Jesus Warn Us That Anger Can Put Us in Danger of Hell Fire?

Let us look at what Jesus said.

Matthew 5:21–22:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Jesus brings true understanding and interpretation to the law against murder. He makes it clear that it is not only those who commit the act of murder who are in danger of judgment, but also those who have murderous intent in their hearts. This heart attitude begins with anger.

1. What Does It Mean to Be in Danger of the Judgment?

Believer’s Bible Commentary (page 1220) states:
“He could be taken to court.”

David Guzik explains:
“God’s morality addressed not only the end but also the beginning of murder. Whoever is angry without a cause has committed a sin and is in danger of having God examine their heart to determine the level of punishment.”

2. What Does It Mean to Be in Danger of the Council?

Believer’s Bible Commentary (page 1220) explains:
“‘Raca,’ an even more serious sin, is the insult of calling a brother an ‘empty one’—a word of contempt and abuse. Those who used such words were subject to trial before the Sanhedrin, the highest court in the land.”

MacArthur Commentary (page 1131) adds:
“This level of anger has progressed to now standing before the highest court to determine a more serious penalty.”

3. What Does It Mean to Be in Danger of Hell Fire?

Vine’s Dictionary (page 246) notes:
“‘Fool’ is a more serious reproach than ‘Raca.’ ‘Raca’ scorns a man’s mind and calls him stupid, while ‘fool,’ from the Greek word moros, scorns his heart and character; hence the Lord’s more severe condemnation.”

David Guzik adds:
“To call someone ‘Raca’ expresses contempt for their intelligence. Calling someone a ‘fool’ shows contempt for their character.”

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary (pages 900–901) explains:
“The three degrees of judgment are meant to be expressed here—all clearly referring to divine judgment. The ‘judgment’ represents the inferior courts, the ‘council’ represents the Sanhedrin, the highest court. Just as there are levels of judgment in human courts, so there will be levels of divine judgment for those who break this commandment.”

The most terrifying moment a human being could experience is to be found guilty before the Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme Judge, at the Great White Throne Judgment, and then be cast into hell.

The three forms of anger progress from a person’s emotions, to the mind, and finally to the heart.

A True Account

This occurred before we entered full-time ministry but after the 23 Minutes in Hell experience. Following that vision of hell, we went through seven years of testing before a publisher approached me to write the book. There is always a test—or multiple tests—before promotion, and these tests reveal what is in our hearts.

During this time, one particular incident stands out. I discovered that a Christian friend had lied and slandered me to a well-known pastor I knew. Shocked, I called him and asked why he had lied about me. He became extremely angry, yelled at me, and hung up.

I truly wanted to resolve the situation, as we had been friends for many years. My wife and I decided to go out for lunch and allow him some time to cool off. A couple of hours later, we thought it best to visit him and his wife in person to show our sincere desire for reconciliation.

Before we left, we received a call from another pastor friend who often prayed and had a prophetic gifting. He asked if we had recently spoken with this individual and warned us to be careful, saying that this man had anger and a spirit of murder harassing him. The Lord was merciful to protect us.

When we arrived at the couple’s home, the husband was not yet there, so we explained to his wife what had happened. As we were finishing our conversation, he stormed in, furious that we were in his home. We quickly tried to explain that our desire was to reconcile, but he became enraged and rushed toward my wife, raising his fist and shouting, “What do you want!” His wife grabbed his arm just in time to stop him from hitting her. My wife calmly replied that she wanted restoration.

Nothing was resolved that day, and we had to leave. We forgave him for his behavior, and months later this believer repented.

We all need to control our anger. For believers, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to do this—but it is our choice whether or not to yield to Him. If we allow anger to go unchecked, it will only worsen and can open the door to a demonic spirit.

Biblical Wisdom on Anger

Proverbs 16:32: “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty.”
Proverbs 19:11: “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.”
Psalm 37:8: “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.”
James 1:19: “Dear brothers and sisters, you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”

The Progression of Anger: The Example of King Saul and David

1 Samuel 18:6–11:
When David returned from defeating the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul, saying, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him. From that day forward, Saul kept a jealous eye on David. The next day, the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he had a spear in his hand. Saul hurled the spear, saying, “I will pin David to the wall,” but David escaped twice.

1 Samuel 19:1, 11:
Saul spoke to Jonathan and his servants that they should kill David. Later, he sent messengers to watch David’s house to kill him in the morning.

1 Samuel 20:30; 23:7:
Saul said, “Send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” He then gathered the people for war to pursue David and his men.

Saul hunted David for fifteen years, his anger progressing from jealousy to attempted murder, and finally to obsession—employing his armies to pursue David day and night.

Song of Solomon 8:6:
“Jealousy is cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.”

Any one of the three levels of anger is serious before God. As believers, we must consider how we deal with anger and how we speak to others. Guarding our attitudes, hearts, and tongues is of utmost importance. Ask God to reveal the root cause of any anger. Repent, forgive, and ask for healing.

A Final Thought

The Bible is clear that the only sin that sends a person to hell is the rejection of Jesus Christ. However, can an unrepentant heart full of anger harden a believer to the point of rejecting and abandoning faith in Christ? Why all the warnings about avoiding sin?

I will leave that for you to decide.