Seriousness of Hell
Is hell an everlasting reality? I personally do not want to write this article because I do not want to deal with it. I am afraid I may come to the conclusion that it is endless. I would rather not deal with the subject at all. Does repeating something make it true? Does not believing or acknowledging something make it untrue? That's rather ostrich-like. Ignoring something accomplishes nothing other than getting sand in our ears.
Hell is not our commission. The Bible and the words of Jesus say it is real but that is not our main message. When some preachers talk about hell they sound like they are glad about it.
Will lost persons suffer endless torment? There is something very odd that I have noticed. If a preacher or personal study seems to reveal that hell lasts thousands of years instead of being multiplied trillions of years long, the basic attitude is, “Whew! That was close.” There seems to be a very great difference between almost infinitely long suffering and actual timelessness.
I have come across a number of person's videos about Rethinking Paul or Rethinking Hell. Now, it is good to ask questions because then you get answers. However, it seems that many people are seriously revisiting old philosophies and doctrines of devils while minimizing where the Scriptures are quite clear.
Maybe there is a question mark over the idea of persons who have never heard the name of Jesus. Paul tells us the heathen are not so innocent as we may have been told (Rom 1:20). It may be somewhat up in the air. What is not up in the air is persons who have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)
God is The Absolute One. What do I mean by that? God is extreme, off the charts. He does not do anything a little bit. Everything He does is almost ridiculously magnified to a point that is infinitely beyond our imagination. If He shows His truth and justice, it is greater and more complete and far reaching than we can comprehend. In a sense, God is the most deadly force in Existence. If God wishes to demonstrate His love, it is also far beyond our ability to perceive. He is absolute and infinite in every one of His attributes. His white-hot justice and His kindness are apparent opposites yet one absolute attribute does not cancel out or diminish another infinite quality of His Being.
It would seem that these infinite opposites have no way of being reconciled.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Psa 85:10)
God has a plan to reconcile these opposites. It is not by magic or by God pulling rank because He is bigger or stronger than we are. He cannot reduce His absolute purity because He wants to be a nice guy. How are His white-hot perfection and His love, which is His nature, going to exist in the same universe? They cannot. How are mercy and its opposite, truth, going to reconcile and not cause the extermination of all existence? How can the love of God approach absolute righteousness and not destroy God Himself? Impossible!
Yet, God has devised a way to accomplish the impossible. He sent Jesus to suffer the infinite wrath of God in our place. Jesus was able to do this, being a man. His death had infinite value being Himself also divine. God's love is shown to anyone who places faith in the work and person of God's Son, Jesus. In Him, “mercy and truth” have met and reconciled. “Righteousness and peace” have kissed each other. The absolute opposites have come to rest in Jesus.
But certainly damnation cannot be endless, can it?
Many are counting on God's character being merciful. Are we going to mix the caustic acid of God's wrath on sin with the sticky sweet honey of His love to produce a puke-warm mixture of compromise that is better than Jesus?
This is what I was afraid of, coming to the obvious conclusion. The job of God's mercy has already been taken. Jesus is God's mercy. Jesus is the second chance. Sin is bad. Sin's consequence is death. However, sin is not really the problem when compared to the offense of slighting God's Son (John 3:19).
As I walk with The Absolute One, His love seems to be greater than I ever imagined. Being the eternal and unchangeable One, His wrath is also greater than could ever be comprehended.
But isn't God merciful? Yes! Hence, Jesus, the very Mercy of God.
I believe that small children, the weak minded, and possibly the heathen who have never heard the Gospel will see God's mercy. I hope that the condemnation that Jesus promised is not endless. However, as I see the enormous price that Jesus paid to effect the Great Rescue Mission that believers are the beneficiaries of, I have to realize that the heart of God is very serious about our response to His Son.
Nov 4, 2024