By Justin Edwards
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| PersonalFailure |
2) How could a good God send people to hell for eternity?
I took the opportunity to answer some of PersonalFailure's questions in her commenting section, and I wanted to post them here to include some links that might help her learn more about the reality she is facing should she continue raising her fist against the very God who breathed life into her lungs and causes her heart to beat each day. I would ask you to pray for PersonalFailure that God would crush the stoniness of her heart that she might have ears to hear and believe in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And perhaps you could leave a comment here or at her blog showing her grace and the love of Christ within you. She desperately needs Jesus.
You can read the entire article here (which it seems she already deleted at part 2 of 2 comments): You're Enjoying This Way Too Much
Hi PersonalFailure, thanks for linking to my article. I think I can help you with a few of your quandaries.
You said:
You said: "Um . . . oooookaaaay. Why? Why would God, maker of heaven and earth, omnipotent and omniscient, need to give me a new "transcendent" body in order to torment me? It seems a bit, what's the word I'm looking for? Unnecessary? Sadistic? Bizarre?"
The answer to your question can be found in Revelation 20. The beginning of the chapter tells us there are two resurrections: the resurrection unto life and the resurrection unto death. These two resurrections are separated by 1,000 years, but both involve receiving new bodies as your former body will have been turned to dust as it rots in the grave.
When you die, your soul goes to one of two places: heaven or hell. But at these resurrections, our souls will be rejoined with new bodies. I'm sure you've heard it before that the real you is your soul and your body is just the shell of the real you. So it is in the future in that your soul will once again be housed in a physical body, even after it became dirt. That is why you will need a new body because your old body will no longer exist.
You said:
"Seriously, what is going on in the writer's mind that that makes sense and seems worthy of worship?"
This is easy to answer. God is just and He is good. Just like crimes on earth must be punished, crimes against God must be punished. It would be unjust and evil for a judge to let a murderer go free, yes? Why do you think it should be any different that a good and just God should let a murderer go free without justice? In fact, God would be very corrupt if He let people go out of His courtroom without justice being satisfied. And justice in your case will be receiving your new body to be subject to everlasting torment because you disobeyed the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You said:
"God never meant for hell to be for people? God's omniscient, right? If he is, the above statement makes no ****ing sense at all. Not one bit. If he isn't, well, that kicks the rest of your theology in the teeth. Either way, stoopid."
Perhaps the quote you addressed was poorly worded, however, the truth is, God indeed created hell for the devil and his angels, but it will also be the prison for which the ungodly will be sentenced for eternity.
This is the bottom line: your mockery of God and your continued rebellion against Him will lend to your destruction. Your sin has separated you from the holiness of God, and unless you repent and believe the Gospel, you will perish. We are all sinners because we have all broken God's Law. But in His mercy He has chosen out of the counsel of His own will to save some from His justice. That is love. We all deserve justice, but some of us will be shown mercy. A day is coming when you will no longer have the opportunity to turn to the Lord your God and be healed. That day could come in the next few minutes, tomorrow, or 10 years from now. That's why today is the day of salvation. You have broken God's Law, you have sinned against Him personally, you need a Savior, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood for all who would believe in Him and repent from their sins. If you continue to reject the FREE grace of God, then you can expect the following to happen to you after you receive your new resurrected body:
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:11-15
I'm glad you found my blog. I hope you visit it often and I welcome your comments and dialogue on the various articles and videos. And know this - I am not here for argument for the sake of argument. I'm here because I care for you and I love you, even though I don't know you. I understand the reality of hell and the preciousness of God's grace, and would do anything within my power to help you understand these eternal truths. Take care.
