A Sobering Reality

Knowing he would soon die, a man wrote the following for inclusion in his obituary.  “Well folks,” he said, “it’s been fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute.  But this is the big it.  I’m off to the great beyond.  Drinks with Churchill, Hemingway, and my brother Tom are next.” 

It sounds delightful.  But was this man’s optimism justified?  Having now entered what he called “the great beyond”, is this man really sharing drinks with Churchill, Hemingway, and his brother Tom?  Can we all look forward to being reunited with loved ones and socializing with historical figures after we die?  Will we, like I’ve heard so many say, find ourselves “up there” fishing or golfing or doing whatever else we love to do here on earth?  When death comes, will we all live happily ever after?  I’d love to say yes.  But that’s not what the Bible teaches.  On the contrary, because God is holy and we are sinners, the Bible says our default destiny is not heaven.  Apart from saving faith in Christ, our default destiny is hell. 

Today, we don’t talk much about hell.  In many churches, the reality of hell is seldom, if ever, mentioned.  Even as Christians, we don’t—at least on an emotional level—want hell to be true.  Regarding hell, C.S. Lewis said, “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power.”  I can relate.  Here’s why.  From our “this world” perspective hell seems unfair.  How can it be right to punish someone forever in hell when they only sinned on earth 50, 70, or 90 years?  How can that be fair? 

Most people have decided it’s not fair.  Because God is love, they reason that—if hell exists at all—it can’t go on forever.  They insist that, in the end, everyone will end up in heaven or—after sufficient punishment—simply cease to exist. 

It’s tempting to believe that.  The thought of people I love consciously suffering in hell with no hope of relief—ever—is overwhelming.  But as much as I’d like to believe that the agonies of hell will come to an end, I can’t.  Not if the Bible is God’s word.  In Matthew 25:46, Jesus himself tells us that both the joys of heaven, and the agonies of hell, never end.  Speaking of those who will ultimately be condemned, Jesus says, “…they will go away to eternal punishment.”   Then, in his next breath Jesus adds, “but the righteous—that is those who are redeemed—to eternal life”.  Unbelievers to eternal punishment!  Believers to eternal life!

Here’s the point.  In the same sentence, Jesus applies the word “eternal” to both heaven and hell.  That’s significant!  It’s not rational to believe that, in the same verse, the word “eternal” has one meaning in regard to “eternal punishment” and a different meaning in regard to “eternal” life.  If “eternal” means “unending” with regard to heaven, it must also mean “unending” in regard to hell. 

Which brings us back to our original question.  “How can this be fair?” The most obvious answer lies in who we sin against.  That would be God.  It’s hard for us to grasp—but sinning against an infinite God is worthy of infinite punishment?  The reason we don’t comprehend this is because the weight of our mutiny against God is lost on us.  But I promise.  It won’t be on the day we see him face-to-face. 

There’s more.  A second reason the agonies of hell will never end is because the sinning of its occupants will never stop.  We catch a glimpse of this in Revelation 16:8-11 where John describes the response of rebellious “earth-dwellers” to God’s severe judgment just prior to Christ’s coming.  While literally suffering “hell on earth” those without Christ obstinately steel themselves against God, curse him, refuse to repent, and defiantly refuse to offer their Creator the glory and gratitude he is due.

Too often we imagine hell being filled with people who are now sorry for their sin.  People who are longing for a second chance.  People who are hungering to follow Jesus if only they could.  But that’s not what we see here.  Certainly, every occupant of hell will be desperate to escape their sufferings.  But even if that were possible, not one of them would choose to do so at the cost of bending the knee to Jesus.

This is all very sobering.  I need to say more but I’ve run out of space.  A critical question remains.  How can a loving God send people to hell?  Doesn’t the reality of hell make him a monster?   We’ll address that question next week.