I've been doing
a lot of reading and study on the
subject of hell lately. There has been
a tendency in some churches to claim
hell is not real, or that if it is,
it's only a temporary place. Those
claims fall flat on their faces when
you look at what the Bible teaches on
the subject. There isn't room for me
to do a complete study of hell in an
issue of Gleanings, but let me share a
conversation I had some time ago.
He asked me, "Do
you believe in a real place called
hell?"
I told Him that
Jesus certainly believed it, and that
was good enough for me. We talked
about some of the verses where Jesus
spoke of hell.
But I tell
you that anyone who is angry with
his brother will be subject to
judgment. Again, anyone who says to
his brother, `Raca, ' is answerable
to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who
says, `You fool!' will be in danger
of the fire of hell.
Matthew 5:22 NIV
Do not be
afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be
afraid of the One who can destroy
both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28 NIV
If your
hand causes you to sin, 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. And if your foot causes you to
sin, cut it off. It is better for
you to enter life crippled than to
have two feet and be thrown into
hell. And if your eye causes you to
sin, pluck it out. It is better for
you to enter the kingdom of God with
one eye than to have two eyes and be
thrown into hell, where " `their
worm does not die, and the fire is
not quenched.'
Mark 9:44-48 NIV
Then he asked
the question that was really on his
mind, "How can a good and loving God
send people to hell?"
It's a fair
question and one that many people
struggle with.
The first thing
to think about is that hell was never
designed for people. It was designed
for Satan and the angels that chose to
follow him in His rebellion and
outright war against God.
Then he
will say to those on his
left,`Depart from me, you who are
cursed, into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his
angels.
Matthew 25:41 NIV
Secondly God
never "sends" anyone to hell. People
get their based on their own choice to
rebel against God, as did Satan and
the demons.
For God did
not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the
world through him. Whoever believes
in him is not condemned, but whoever
does not believe stands condemned
already because he has not believed
in the name of God's one and only
Son. This is the verdict: Light has
come into the world, but men loved
darkness instead of light because
their deeds were evil. Everyone who
does evil hates the light, and will
not come into the light for fear
that his deeds will be exposed.
John 3:17-20 NIV
God created us
in His own image and He loves us so
much that He sent Jesus to die on our
behalf so we could avoid the torment
of hell. He takes no pleasure in our
suffering. Scripture tells us that He
would much rather we turn to Him and
be set free.
I don't know
what you picture hell to be like.
Jesus certainly didn't think of it as
a "party place" where we could hang
out and indulge our favorite sins. I
don't know if the fires are real or
metaphorical. I don't much care to be
honest, neither one has any appeal for
me to spend eternity in. An eternity
of separation from God is an
unpleasant ending to this life that I
wish to avoid.
I don't know the
exact physical location of hell. Nor
will I ever because I've given my life
to Christ. To be honest I have no
desire to go there even for a visit or
to see where it is.
According to
Jesus (and in my book there is no
better source), hell is real; hell is
eternal; and hell can be avoided. All
it takes is heartfelt repentance,
belief in Christ and surrendering
Lordship of our lives to Him.
Until next time,
rejoice that God loves us so much that
He sent Jesus to keep us out of the
fiery pit for all of eternity.
Hallelu Yah
(Praise God)
Be blessed
Kevin
