Sin's Horrors and Christ's Hope

During camp last week, I was asked many times about what the Bible says about hell.  There were questions like, "If God is so powerful, why doesn't He destroy hell?"  Well, the Bible says someday He will (Rev. 20:14).  Another question was, "If God loves people so much, why did He create hell?"  The Bible reveals that hell was originally created for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).  When man chooses to be a devil and rebel against God, he chooses his own destruction.  God has demonstrated His love for man by sending Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of all who repent and trust in Him in the world.  God has made a way of escape available to all.  It is folly to blame God for allowing eternal destruction when He has not only warned all, but given us the means to be saved through faith.

Hell is a real place of eternal torment, even as heaven is a place where Jesus shall wipe every tear from our eyes.  Hell is described as a place of outer darkness where people are bound, weeping in anguish (Matt. 25:30).  Jesus again and again and again spoke of how those in torment will have worms feeding on them that die not and their fire is not quenched (Mark 9:44, 46, 48).  It is a place of eternal suffering, pain, regret, and sorrow.  All of us have had a share of physical and emotional pain and suffering in this life, but those who die in sin will have it multiplied beyond imagination - and forever.

The knowledge of the terrors of hell ought to have a singular effect on us who still walk this planet:  it provides insight of how detestable, destructive, and evil sin truly is.  An eternity in the fires of hell is the only just punishment for a single lie.  Think about it!  We might lie and think nothing of it, just like a habitual shoplifter with sticky fingers.  When the thief is caught he must return the item, pay a fine, and perhaps spend time in jail.  Many legal systems declare this a just punishment for the crime.  Hell is a just penalty for a single sin:  that's how awful sin is!  The trouble is, we often don't see the punishment of hell as fit for the crime.  People complain God is too severe.  That is because we do not recognise the horror of sin.  Looking at the description of hell given us by Jesus shows us with crystal clarity how bad sin is.  A good judge ensures justice is satisfied, and God is righteous and good to judge the wicked.  Man's pathetic excuses to justify his sin before God will not stand, for the Law shuts the mouth of the most self-righteous and reveals our guilt (Rom. 3:19).

The Bible gives man the true facts concerning the nature of suffering, pain, sickness, and death in this world:  they are all results of sin entering the world.  These are merely symptoms of sin's infection.  The pain and suffering in this world is a direct result of man's rebellion from God and passed down every generation until now.  There was no death in this world until sin entered in (Romans 5:12).  This world has been forever polluted by sin and will someday be dissolved (2 Peter 3:10).  God will make a new heaven and new earth founded upon His righteousness where no sin can enter.  Praise God He has made a way of salvation for all who repent and trust in Him!  God demonstrated His love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).  The existence of hell is not evidence of God's wickedness or weakness, but His justice.  The fact Christians will be brought faultless before the Father with joy reveals His love, grace, and mercy.  God is compassionate and patient, not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

It is reasonable all men deserve hell for their sins, and impossible that a sinner should be ushered into heaven's glory.  Yet what is impossible with men is possible with God.  Man through sin brought suffering into the the world, but through Christ's death this can be reversed.  Someday we will put off these bodies of flesh and be raised incorruptible with Christ forever.  Revelation 21:3-8 says, "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." ⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." ⁶ And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷ He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. ⁸ But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Our days spent on this earth in a sense is a little slice of both hell and heaven.  For Christians it is the closest we will ever be to hell, and for unbelievers it is the closest they will ever be to heaven.  Which side of that line are you on?  Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  John 3:36 says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."