It seems that the existence of Hell not only seems inhumane and unfair to the unbelieving world, but even professing Christians struggle with the reality of eternal damnation and would rather that such a thing ought not be because they feel that the idea of anyone being forever and unrelentingly tormented for all eternity regardless of what evil they might have done in this life goes against the nature of a God of love and mercy but the author of the following piece makes some excellent points that should help us understand why anyone would be condemned to eternal damnation:
If we are going to persist in enmity and rebellion against our Creator in this present life, then why would we not continue to do so in the next?
If we refuse to take pleasure in doing that which is good and right in the eyes of our Creator, then why would we take pleasure in doing so in the next?
If we are not willing to live and do all things on the terms that God has set forth in this life, why would we in the next?
And if we persist in refusing the love and mercy of God in this life, why would we be receptive to it in the next?
And why should God allow into His Kingdom unregenerated and unrepentant souls who refuse to turn away from their sins and submit to Him?
Why should He allow into Heaven those who take pleasure in that which is sinful and evil in His eyes?
And why should He make citizens of His Kingdom those who constantly reject His offer love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption?
to no longer take pleasure in those things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ Almighty who is the source of all truth, (Jn. 14:6)
no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God, (Mt. 6:25-33)
to no longer fear what men can do to us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, (Jas. 1:5) nor depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
And it is this new inward transformation that reconciles us to our Creator (2 Cor. 5:18) from whom we had once been estranged and just as our souls are cleansed from sin and our spirits regenerated in Christ Jesus thereby liberating us from the eternal tormenting punishment that must come upon all who remain in their sins, so one day we look forward to the liberation of our bodies from death itself when our mortal and corruptible forms are transformed into that which is immortal and incorruptible and from that which is imperfect to that which is perfect (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and lastly, creation itself will be delivered from the curse placed upon it because of sin when it is made into a new and better world (Rev. 21-22) and the new and better world to come was the world that God had initially created to begin with and in that world there was no death, no suffering, and no evil, just as in the new world to come, there will be no death, no evil, and no suffering as there is now, and it was a world in which existed a perfect and uninterrupted harmony between God, man, and nature, just as there will be in the new world to come, but an act of disobedience and transgression consequential beyond comprehension disrupted that harmony when the first man Adam and the first woman Eve ate of a fruit from a certain tree which they were warned of God to not eat from which was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, having been warned that in the day that they ate thereof, they would surely die (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3)
But when they committed that fateful act, it was then that
the world fell into the fallen decaying state that it is in now and in which
death and suffering abound beginning with them when, upon the eating of that
forbidden fruit, sin entered into them and when sin entered into them, the
sentence of death came upon them just as they had been warned (Gen. 3:19) and
from them, the sin which entered into them and brought about their eventual
deaths, was also passed down to all of mankind for all of us are descendants of
that first man and that first woman and because we are their descendants, we
have also inherited the sin that entered into them (Rom. 5:12) and because of
that sin which we have inherited, we all sin in some form or fashion and as a
consequence we all die for as it is written, the wages of sin is death (Rom.
6:23) but sin is not merely confined to outward behavior or performance or even
the words we speak, but it is rather the inherent inward corruption of our very
nature defiling our thoughts, hardening and darkening our hearts, and
corrupting our very motives which is why it is written that we are not defiled
from that which comes from without, but that which comes from within (Mt.
15:11, 18-20) and which is why it is written that all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) which demands of us nothing less than
moral perfection and not just in our outward acts but also in our inward as
well which is why it is impossible by our own efforts and our own goodness to
enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, for sin taints, corrupts, defiles, twists,
and distorts more than we can comprehend and the effects of sin are not merely
confined to mankind, but all of creation is subjected to a curse because of sin
which is why it is written that the entire creation groans and travails in pain
to this day. (Rom. 8:19-22)
And it is because of the pervasive
nature of sin and how inwardly corrupt it makes us to the point that even our
own efforts to do that which is good are made to fall short in some form or
fashion that it became necessary for the sinless and uncorrupted Christ to
offer Himself up on behalf of sinful man; to do for sinful man what sinful man
could never do for himself and that was to purchase in His death the redemption
of mankind and after having purchased in His death our redemption was raised
again from the dead so that we by our faith in Him would be justified before
Father God Almighty, be reconciled to Him, and made citizens and members of the
Heavenly Kingdom and that new and better world to come that has been promised
to all who will in all sincerity call upon the name of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins so that they will not be sentenced to
eternal damnation, but so that they will be brought into the Kingdom of Heaven
where there will be peace, joy, contentment, and happiness before the Lord God
Almighty for all eternity.
What will you choose reader? Will you choose to submit to the authority of your Creator and take pleasure in doing the things that are good, honorable, and pleasing in His eyes, or will you persist in taking pleasure in the things that are evil in His sight? If you desire the mercy and forgiveness of sins that God offers and if you desire to do that which is good and pleasing in the eyes of our Creator, then I urge you reader, if you have not done so already, to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Redemption is but a simple sincere prayer of repentance away:
"Lord Jesus I need you.
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
What will you choose reader? Will you choose to submit to the authority of your Creator and take pleasure in doing the things that are good, honorable, and pleasing in His eyes, or will you persist in taking pleasure in the things that are evil in His sight? If you desire the mercy and forgiveness of sins that God offers and if you desire to do that which is good and pleasing in the eyes of our Creator, then I urge you reader, if you have not done so already, to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Redemption is but a simple sincere prayer of repentance away:
"Lord Jesus I need you.
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/if-eternal-hell-seems-unfair-to-you-youre-missing-the-point.html
2. John 3:16
3. John 1:14
4. 2 Corinthians 5:21
5. Hebrews 7:26-27
6. Romans 4:25
7. Romans 10:9, 13
8. 2 Corinthians 5:17
9. John 14:6
10. Matthew 6:25-33
11. Matthew 10:28
12. James 1:5
13. 2 Corinthians 5:18
14. 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
16. Genesis 3:19
17. Romans 5:12
18. Romans 6:23
19. Matthew 15:11, 18-20
20. Romans 3:23
21. Romans 8:19-22
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There's a vast difference between being refused entry to the Kingdom and spending a literal eternity being tortured and burned *alive* in some PLACE called "hell". Read the entire chapter of Luke .. the wicked in each instance are said simply to "perish". Which is completely in keeping with the totality of scripture as concerns the ultimate fate of the wicked. "They shall be ashes under your feet" Malachi4:1-3 assures us ... "the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."
ReplyDeleteIn 1Cor15:51-54 we are told we will not 'put on immortality' until the resurrection. If the wicked are punished, burned, and tortured for eternity then by definition they are immortal which directly contradicts the clear teaching of the full scope of scripture on the subject that tells us that *only* the righteous shall receive eternal life.
To be sure the wicked will suffer punishment in the process of their final destruction ... but they WILL be destroyed "root and branch" never enjoy *life* again ... *forever separated* from God and His kingdom ... but not tortured, burned and punished forever.
God is NOT a sadistic monster.
He is even merciful *in* His justice.
One more point to ponder ... how can the sins of any one person in the span of one human lifetime be so egregious as to warrant *eternal* punishment. That's both illogical and unreasonable .. which attributes can NOT be found in our otherwise just and merciful Creator God.
Hell is not full of people who God rejected but is full of people who rejected God. The book of Revelation makes it very clear (Rev. 14:9-12); also read the parable of Lazarus and the rich man; Hell is described as a real place where the rich man found himself in torment.
DeleteIt is also called a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
There can't be torment or weeping and gnashing of teeth if Hell is not a real place. As putting on immortality, Paul was speaking of bodily immortality, not the immortality of the soul; it already is immortal and when it departs the body, it will either be in Heaven or it will be in Hell.
Hell is a place where no one should ever want to go and because life will one day end for everyone, the first thing that each person should do is find out what can be done to avoid that place of everlasting torment.
If people would reject the love and mercy of God in this present life, why would they be receptive to receiving in the next? If they will not submit themselves to His authority on earth, why would they in Heaven?
Hell is more than just an everlasting incineration, it is complete separation from God but it is not a matter of God sending people to Hell, it is that people send themselves there by rejecting Him and setting themselves at enmity with Him.
The only two who will be cast into The Lake of Fire alive will be the Antichrist and his helper. Others will be souls of the wicked and unrepentant.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't just their souls that are cast into the Lake of Fire. It is also their bodies. (Rev. 20:5, 12-15) They are tormented in both body and soul.
Delete