We are continuing our meditation on eternal matters and specifically considering the topic of Hell. Some believe that Hell is where a person who rejects God's free pardon for sin is annihilated. Annihilation means "to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; to destroy utterly." Three times in the passage we examined yesterday, Jesus used the Greek word aiōnios, meaning “eternal, perpetual,” to describe the eternal separation of individuals from God in Hell (Matthew 25:41-46). That does not sound like annihilation. It is clear from Jesus's teaching that someone who rejects the Gospel and persists in their sin will endure eternal punishment at the end of his life.
Svetlana Stalin, daughter of Joseph Stalin, who led Russia from 1922 to 1953, was present at her father's death and stated she would never sit beside a dying unbeliever again. She remarked that he went into Hell kicking and screaming. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). Voltaire, the philosopher and critic of Christianity, reportedly died crying out in torment, as did King Charles IX of France, David Hume, and Thomas Paine. Speaking for those who know God, C.M. Ward said, “No Christian has ever been known to recant on his deathbed.”
The question we need to ask and answer is: why would a loving God send anyone to Hell? How wicked must someone be to deserve Hell? Is there a boundary that a person crosses? Jesus addressed this question with the following:
16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever 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 (John 3:16-18, Emphasis added).
The question isn’t why a loving God would send people to Hell; the question is, why would anyone choose Hell over a loving God? The Creator has established the path to salvation. The reality is that the entire human race is in the same predicament. We have all fallen short of God's ideal for living. None of us can claim that we have never sinned. If you have sinned even once, it is enough to label you a sinner. We all suffer from the same affliction. Sin is what eternally separates us from God. James puts it this way: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" (James 2:10). If there could have been another way for God to bring you to heaven, apart from sending His Son to die a cruel and torturous death, don't you think He would have chosen it? God has granted humanity the gift of free will, but His justice demands that rebellion be penalized. A holy God cannot permit sin in His presence: “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (Habakkuk 1:13). Therefore, He honors the choice made by a rebel who refuses to repent.
Because of His love for humanity, God initiated a rescue plan for the Son of God to assume human form and serve as a Substitute for guilty mankind, bearing the punishment Himself. This way, God's justice would be satisfied, allowing Him to reach out in love to save all who choose to surrender their lives to Him and walk in obedience. When we repent (changing our minds and the direction of our lives) and accept Christ, the Spirit of God empowers us to live for Christ. We also hold the answers for others, and the Holy Spirit grants us the strength and boldness to share with them God's rescue plan for humanity. We damage Satan's kingdom by proclaiming the truth of God's Word and freeing precious souls from enemy control. God has revealed to us what happens in the end, and guess what? Those who belong to Christ triumph! Keith Thomas
Taken from the series Insights into Eternity. Click on study 4 or this link: The Truth About Hell.
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