HELL.
If there is no Hell, there is no Heaven. They stand or fall together. Hell is a demand of a moral Universe. If this life is all there is, then injustice reigns. If there is life beyond physical death with retribution for wrongdoing, then righteousness rules. In that sense Hell is good news, in that the wicked will not get away with their wickedness, but everything will be brought to judgement. It is comforting to know that, if a friend was murdered and the murderer never caught, God will bring the matter to judgement. To lose sight of the reality of Hell is to reduce the Church's mission to a social, economic and pastoral one. Theology divorced from life and pastoral practice is not Biblical theology. Biblical truth is to change lives and not to promote discussion. The Bible makes it clear that every person who is not a Christian is Hell-bound. So far as Hell is concerned, the question is not one of "Do I like the idea?" but "Is it true?" The only option for cancer is treatment, however painful. It is the same for sin. It has to be removed. The majority of people in Britain do not accept Hell as a reality. However, today's majority opinions are no more reliable that when men said that the World was flat.
God's thoughts are not man’s thoughts. Man has no option but to believe what Jesus said about the unbeliever. Jesus speaks more about Hell than anyone else. He regarded the Eden story as true. He believed that Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale. He knew that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, despite the declarations of Jesus, all over the World life is treated cheaply. 30 million lives were lost when China became a Communist state. 43 million lives were lost under Communism in Russia. This is a modest estimate. Little is done by the United Nations in respect of civil wars and genocide, unless, as in the case of Kuwait, the price of oil is affected. Man without God is inadequate. God created man to work and to achieve, in the same way as God works and achieves His purpose. Many people wonder what they are living for. Ask a cross section of society and it is doubtful if many would say why they are living. The Bible says that man was designed to bring glory to God.
Perhaps the reason why the teaching of Jesus about Hell is so unpopular is that He seemed to suggest that a high percentage of the human race were heading there. Narrow is the path to life and few there are who travel on it. Broad is the path to destruction and many are there who travel on it. Ignoring the issue of Hell neither changes the truth about it nor saves anyone from going there. If there is such a place and, if there is the risk of a single human being going there, it is an act of compassionate love both to warn those likely to go there and to tell them how to escape from the danger, which awaits them.
It comes as a surprise that the thrust of the teaching of Jesus about Hell is directed to His Disciples. There is no such thing as a teaching in Scripture of once saved - always saved. The teaching is always about the process of salvation, going on to perfection. It is a process of going on repenting, going on believing and going on serving. There is no word of retirement or sitting back and watching the World go by. At any time the believer has free will to switch off the process and turn his back on the way of holiness. He is then in danger of consigning himself to Hell. Jesus spoke about the person who turned back being of no use in the Kingdom of God. He urged Disciples to persevere to the end, however hard the going was.
In the days when the populace were illiterate, it was the practice to convey truth in pictures. Dante's inferno was an attempt to convey the danger of Hell to the people of the Middle Ages, who had no books to read. Today man attempts to trivialise that concept of Hell. One way this is done is through comedy. Laughter is a defence mechanism, to shake off fears. Modern man literally laughs it off. Reverence and laughter cannot exist together. Perfect laughter casts out fear. When Hell becomes an everyday expletive to describe nothing more than a trivial disappointment, it loses its value and power.
The process of dying, which can be painful and humiliating, is now more to be feared that death itself, which it is assumed leads to oblivion. This is said to be a relief for many. To commit suicide or even to allow others to arrange for an early demise is for man to enter eternity imbued with his own blood. It is in the same degree as murder. Is that the way a person would wish to appear before the judgement seat of Christ in a final act of destruction of the greatest gift of God to that person - his own body?
There is no evidence of oblivion beyond death. On the contrary, the resurrection of Jesus testifies to the contrary. It is one of the best-attested facts of human history. There is no need to apologise for believing it. This was no ordinary man. Jesus said that He had power to lay down His life and power to take it up again. Such a man deserves to be given attention on the subject of death. The real fear of death springs from a belief in the continuity of conscious life beyond the grave, coupled with a belief that the quality of that life will bear a direct moral and judicial relation to the way man has lived this life. It is the anticipation of judgement, which gives death its painful sting. Paul speaking about the certainty of eternal life could state that death had no sting left for those who were assured of eternal life with Jesus. Death is the last great enemy of mankind. However, mankind tends to shrink from that awful prospect of judgement at the end of his life. Instead of looking forward to it as the greatest moment of his existence, he refuses to talk about it, even when making a will. To make a will brings man to the clearest thought that tomorrow he may not be here, which in turn poses the question - where will he be? If he can laugh it off, it eases the painful possibility. It is one thing for unbelievers to try at all costs to evade the thought of it, but quite another for believers to ignore it. Perhaps that is one reason why Jesus spoke to the Disciples about Hell.
Hell is one of the most common swear words in use today. The taking of the name of God and His throne room - Heaven - are other common swear words. Believers should never use the phrase - for Heaven's sake - or even for goodness' sake. Goodness is a name of God, for only God is good. Nor should believers use the word Hell - except in its proper context. Such blasphemies are usually at the base level a form of defiance, a show of bravado, daring the Deity to strike down those who utter them. It is interesting that most obscenities are drawn from the two most sacred relationships - those between man and God and those between man and woman. Indeed Hell is now regarded as little more than a mild expletive. This debases the meaning of the word. It is strange that, while the World talks too much about Hell, the Church talks too little about it. Some believers even say that they could not be comfortable in going to Heaven, if there was someone they knew in Hell. What nonsense!
The general implication today is that Hell is quite unacceptable to a well-adjusted, mature, integrated, civilised society. Man has come of age. The idea of Hell was for immature people. The trouble with that idea is that the one who spoke most about Hell has been universally acclaimed as being sane, balanced and totally wise and sensible. It was Jesus who spoke most about Hell. God is not only a God of love, but also a God of justice and full of wrath. When man truly loves someone, he is bound to be angry on behalf of that person, when someone hurts the person, who is the objective of his love. It would not be love otherwise. God is a complete personality, just and merciful, holy and compassionate, kind and severe. He is jealous for His name. He will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. It is Jesus, the Son of God, who tells man about His Father, with whom He had spent eternity. Man dare not suggest that he understands God better than His own Son.
One of the most common responses to Hell is that man makes his own Hell on Earth. Hell is reduced to the most miserable experiences on Earth, such as famine or war or imprisonment. However miserable a person may be on Earth, it is a far cry from what the Bible teaches about the eternal state of mankind. However desperate the situation is on Earth, there is always the hope of a miracle to change the situation. There may be an airdrop of food to relieve the famine. There is the prospect of the prison sentence coming to an end, perhaps with parole as well. One day the war will end and peace will be restored. Once a soul reaches Hell, all hope will have gone forever and there will be no possibility, however remote, of escape from the eternal punishment. On Earth, there is always the possibility of grace relieving the situation. Grace is favour to sinners who deserve nothing but condemnation. In Hell, all grace will be at an end. God's opinions are what matter. What is important is what pleases God. He loves truth and obedience. Sincerity is not enough. A man may be perfectly sincere and yet, sincerely wrong. The results can be fatal.
God is fundamentally opposed to religions, because they do not work. Any other way than faith in Jesus and obedience to His words is cheap imitation. Cornelius was a godly man but was not saved without Jesus. When Noah found faith in God only seven people were saved. Millions drowned. God had asked Noah to preach for 120 years before the Flood took place. Lot and his two daughters were rescued from Sodom but many others were lost. Everyone is guilty, when judged by his own standards. By criticising others man shows that he knows what is right and wrong. The things, which a man criticises in others are generally the things, which he actually does himself. God judges every man by the same standard. All pagans support the same moral standard the World over. Nowhere is murder praised. Stealing is universally declared to be wrong. This shows that the law of God is written on the hearts of all people, just as the Bible says. God also judges the Pagan by his own conscience. No one will be able to accuse God of not being fair. He will be absolutely fair.
Is it necessary to speak about Hell? Is it not an irrelevance today, with so much social injustice around? Jesus and the Disciples did not seem to major on the subject. However they did speak freely about judgement. This was an integral part of their preaching. Judgement inevitably involves both reward and punishment. The Gospel includes both the wrath of God and His mercy. John the Baptist warned his listeners to flee from the coming wrath. The first preachers addressed Jews, who knew very well about Hell and therefore it was not necessary to major on it. Hell underlines the seriousness of sin. Modern man finds it virtually impossible to conceive of his actions being offensive and insulting to a holy God. Increasingly the vulgar is filling the conversation and thinking of modern man. Even recognised comedians descend to the vulgar to get a laugh. Without laughs, they do not get paid. The concept of holiness is disappearing day by day. If Hell is what sin deserves, then man needs to take sin more seriously as well as Hell more seriously. Those who consider that God would never allow anyone to go to Hell will have a sentimental picture of God, an image born out of their own thinking, rather than the God who is revealed in Jesus. Hell must be preached, if man is to preach the whole counsel of God. It must be presented in balance with the other parts of Scripture. Man must not gloat over the lost, nor sell the lost short by ignoring the consequences of sin.
Before considering Hell itself, what are the other possibilities facing man at the moment of death and what credence is there to the claims of their supporters? The main three alternatives:
1. Universalism is the belief that everyone will end up in Heaven, regardless of what they make of the claims of Jesus. Good old God will see man through in the end. He just loves man too much that all will get there one way or another. Universalism is widespread today. When Scripture speaks of all men bowing before Jesus at His coming, it does not imply that all men will do so willingly. Some will do so in fear and trembling and others with great resentment. There are various texts, which are used to support this view of the Universalists. “God so loved the World that He sent His Son to die for man’s sins.” This carefully omits the end of the verse – “that all who believe in Him will live.” For the Universalists, believing in Him becomes believing about Him. Modern man has such a high opinion about himself that he cannot conceive of a holy God, who demands righteous behaviour. Jesus takes sin very seriously. Just how seriously can be understood from Calvary. If all men were to end up in Heaven regardless of how they behaved on Earth, the sacrifice of Jesus would have been pointless. If all men ended up in Heaven, what was Jesus doing telling the story of Lazarus in Luke ch 16 v 19 - 31?
2. Annihilationism takes the view that only saints go to Heaven and the rest will be eradicated. So as long as this life is tolerable and there are a few high points, what more should man expect. “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die.” That is the philosophy of many in the 21st century. That avoids the unpalatable idea of perpetual torment and is therefore appealing. Some who hold themselves out to be Christians believe in annihilism. They deny the continued existence of the wicked. Thereby they render a place of eternal punishment unnecessary.
3. Reincarnation appeals to man on two grounds. It enables him to consider that he is not responsible for his sins, since he inherited them from a previous life. The prospect of being reincarnated to a new existence encourages him to put off the question of dealing with the sins in his life. He can enjoy life now and deal with that matter in a future existence. How devious is the heart of man, always excusing his wrongdoing and blaming others for his situation, without ever facing up to his responsibilities.
What does the teaching of Jesus have to say to these three beliefs? “It is appointed for man to die once and then the judgement.” What is the single qualification for Hell - it is the rejection of Jesus Christ as saviour for personal sins. It is a man’s sins, which drive the man from God. Through Jesus, God offered a way to reconciliation - the only way to reconciliation. For man to reject that provision of a saviour is to seal his own eternal state. Romans ch 1 v 28 puts the same point in another way. It speaks of God punishing those who did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, which He had given to them. Man is made in the image of God. Sometimes the image is very blurred but there is within each human being a sense of right and wrong and a sense of justice. For man to reject that sense is to condemn himself to separation from God forever. Man diligently seeks after knowledge about almost every subject under the sun - except the knowledge of God. Acts ch 17 v 27. It was the purpose of God that man should seek after Him and feel his way towards God and find Him. If a person is genuinely seeking after God, he is bound to find Him, because God is genuinely seeking after that person. The question is this - is the search a genuine one or a sham? God tests the heart of man.
Why did Jesus die? Jesus died for three purposes.
1. To pay the price for sin. The justice of God demanded a penalty to be paid for the insults to Him as Creator. Every sin is a personal insult to a holy God. God cannot simply overlook sin. His holy person demands justice. It is a part of the very person of God. The amazing fact is that God asked His Son to pay the price which no one person could pay.
2. To avert the wrath of God. God's wrath is simply His implacable hostility to sin. His wrath is a judicial sentence. It is like a statutory penalty, which has been decreed and cannot be changed. It has to be meted out. Jesus diverted the wrath of God towards sinners by His death on the cross. Like providing shelter from the scorching noonday sun in the desert, Jesus shielded the believer from the scorching wrath of God. John ch 3 v 36.
3. Jesus restored the broken relationship between fallen man and a holy God. If a drunk driver drove his car into a new expensive car, there are three consequences. 1. There is the cost to the drunk driver of repair - more than he can afford. 2. The owner of the new car is angry and rightly so. Something very precious to him has been damaged. 3. The relationship between the drunk driver and the owner of the new car is ruined. They are hardly on speaking terms. Justice demands that something be done to put matters right.
Sin has the same three effects.
1. It has damaged something very precious to God the Creator. When God looked over creation after He had finished, it was perfect. He was thrilled with it. Sin in the form of man's rebellion was a blot on the landscape.
2. God was angry. He is right to be angry when He looks upon the sin in this World. Children He has created are starving to death, while their parents spend money on weapons killing each other. Children are being aborted before being given the opportunity to enjoy life, while their parents worship the goddess of sex. Children are being abused by parents. Hard working people, who are striving to provide for their families, are finding their life in ruin because of theft or drunken driving or mindless violence. God's own children are locked up in prison because of their belief in Him, when belief in Satan is acceptable. No wonder God is angry! The wonder is that God contains that anger so long. He is longsuffering and exceptionally patient. Even so the Scriptures are full of instances of divine wrath poured out on mankind - the Flood - Sodom and Gomorrah - earthquakes - famine - the exile of the Jewish people - all kinds of wars and disasters. Yet man refuses to repent. Rev ch 16 v 8 - 11. Consider the lengths to which God has gone in order to invite man to repent and turn to Him, thereby avoiding eternal punishment. The Bible. Conscience. The Prophets. Jesus. The Disciples. Preachers. Evangelists. Families. Doctors. God has made it clear that He does not want any single person to die spiritually.
3. The relationship is broken and will never be quite the same again. It is easy to say that God's forgiveness is so great, but whereas God forgives, man does not necessarily forgive. People have to live in this World with the consequence of their sins. Spilt milk is still spilt. It cannot go back into the bottle. Those with a criminal record may have fewer opportunities to earn their living. Parents who have abused their children may never experience renewal of their earthly family. General Booth said: "I wish that Christians could spend one night in Hell in order to see the urgency of their evangelistic task."
4. To destroy the works of the Devil. 1 John ch 3 v 8.
Jesus is the one who taught most about Hell. If man breaks a bone in his body, he goes to the doctor. So far as sin is concerned, God has provided only one remedy - the man Jesus. Jesus alone saves man from his sins. No other human being can do that. No religion can do that. It may be a form of religion, but without power. Healing has its place but salvation is the heart of the message of Jesus. Either man does not believe in Hell or he is culpably callous. The Devil will try all he can to sidetrack believers from the task of evangelism. Fear is a perfectly valid reason for responding to Christ. As both God and man Jesus is in a position to restore man to God. All over the World people try to get rid of their bad habits or sin, but they cannot do it. Religions distort God's word by applying human logic to it. They create another Gospel. Ezekiel ch 18 v 31-2. God has no pleasure in the death of anyone. Judgement has been delayed in order to give people more time.
The soul goes to Hell simply because it refuses to love. At death man is cut off from the love of God. The refusal to love is eternal. It is like playing blind man's buff and at death the person takes off the mask to find out that he has gone blind. The soul in Hell will want God's love but cannot get it. Hell is eternal suicide for hating love. To be forced to love someone is Hell. Hate and love are opposites. Justice forces the soul in Hell to love God. God hardened Pharaoh's heart. God came to Pharaoh in love through Moses and told him to mend his ways and let the slaves go. Pharaoh refused and his heart, devoid of love to his fellow man, hardened towards God. The sun, which shines on wax softens it, while the sun which shines on mud hardens it. It is the same sun, but the response in the heart of man determines the outcome of God's grace to him. Hell is that place where there is no love.
What exactly does Jesus teach about Hell? Mat ch 25 v 31 - 46. Is the language literal or symbolic? This is one of the great difficulties in interpreting Scripture. Like any other language sometimes the words are to be taken literally and on other occasions figures of speech are used to convey truths but the words are not to be taken literally. Jesus is answering a specific question- “when are you coming back?” This was not a figurative idea or a concept. It was specific. He uses three parables - and these are not to be taken literally - to challenge people as to whether or not they are ready - and then Jesus speaks of a specific time when every man would stand in judgement before Him. He delivers a very factual statement as to what will happen. Those who have rejected the truth and have refused to serve the Saviour will go away into eternal punishment. Jesus actually spoke about Hell on ten separate occasions. This is more than anyone else. Every prophet had a theme to his ministry. Jesus' great theme was the Kingdom of God. He came to usher it in. He wanted men to live as He did under the rule of God, inspired by the presence of the Holy Spirit within them, living in fellowship with His Father as He did. That was one of the purposes for which He came to Earth. Therefore He had to warn the people of the consequences of rejecting the Kingdom.
Jesus speaks about wailing and gnashing of teeth. Would He deceive man? Every word Jesus spoke was the truth. Of all human beings only Jesus could challenge people around Him to accuse Him of sin. Jesus spoke about the unquenchable fire and the eternal punishment. He spoke about the broad path to destruction. His positive language does not detract from the solemnity of His message. He also spoke from personal experience. "I saw Satan thrown out of Heaven." The teaching of Jesus about Hell is quite unambiguous and of awesome seriousness. According to what Jesus said, Hell is a reality of unspeakable solemnity.
Jesus likens Hell to Gehenna. It was the rubbish dump outside Jerusalem, situated in the valley of Hinnon. Wasted lives are like rubbish to God. Hinnon was a deep gorge to the west of Jerusalem. It had a sinister history. It had been the centre of worship of Molech, an Ammonite deity demanding the sacrifice of live infants in gruesome orgies. All the sewage and refuse was thrown into Gehenna. The waste was kept down in two ways. Incineration by fire of what was combustible and digestion by worms of what was digestible. There were no plastics and metal tins in these days. Steep cliffs confined the heat and the smell. Its lowest point was too deep for the sun to penetrate. In Jesus day the corpses of criminals were thrown into Gehenna. The ultimate disgrace for a Jew was to be left unburied. That is true today. That was why it was so significant that Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, so that it would not be dumped in Gehenna. Judas Iscariot ended in Gehenna when the rope broke as he hanged himself and he fell into Gehenna. Acts ch 1 v 25.
Hell was therefore described by Jesus as a place of physical discomfort and a place of mental depression. Weeping and gnashing of teeth combines two different emotions - sorrow and anger - leading to frustration. Memory lasts forever. Those in Hell will remember the times when they shut the door on the invitation to follow Jesus. Perhaps as a young person they stopped going to worship. Perhaps they chose to devote themselves to their career or family or so many other activities, worthwhile in themselves, but which stole the love in their hearts, which God wanted directed towards Him. Hell is also a place of moral depravity. Without the grace of God all men would be beasts. Those in Hell, deprived of grace, will be beasts and will be beastly to others. Personal disintegration will follow quickly. The idea that many have of preferring to be in Hell with their loved one is misplaced. There will be no love for one another. All love will cease. Man catches a glimpse of that in places like Bosnia and Rwanda, where people, once neighbours, were killing and raping one another. Hell will be a place of social deprivation. All social life will be no more. The absence of every virtue will be matched by the presence of every vice. Jesus spoke of those there as cursed. Mat ch 25 v 41. It is almost impossible for the human mind to imagine the depth of such torment. Rev ch 20 v 10. The Devil will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Mat ch 25 v 46. This makes it crystal clear that punishment is eternal and without end. The clear understanding of Scripture is that endless torment is for both fallen angels and sinful human beings. God's justice demands that there will be degrees of punishment for the wicked. Punishment will be commensurate with their sinning in the light, which they had received. It will nevertheless be eternal punishment for all of them.
Mat ch 10 v 28. Chapter 10 recounts the advice and teaching of Jesus to His disciples. His warning about Hell was to them. Man is to work out his salvation with fear and trembling. Phil ch 2 v 12. There are constant exhortations to fear God. 1 Pet ch 2 v 17 and Rev ch 14 v 7. There are 5 benefits for the believer, who has a healthy fear of Hell.
1. Diligence in evangelism. If death is final and Hell is permanent, the task of preaching is urgent for a believer as is the duty to live a life, which reflects the Holy Spirit within him.
2. Reverence in worship. Heb ch 12 v 28. Awe and gratitude should be ever present in worship. Quakers were given that name because they trembled before God. Man’s deepest gratitude is the knowledge that he has been saved from Hell. Does man grasp every opportunity to worship Jesus?
3. Perseverance in service. The fate of those who failed to keep their lamps trimmed and to use their talents is a sobering reminder of their responsibilities. Faith is demonstrated by faithfulness. The righteous shall live by keeping faith. Heb ch 2 v 4. Jesus made the keeping of His commandments the test of love for Him. John ch 14 v 21. Do believers diligently keep the commandments of Jesus?
4. Obedience in holiness. A belief in Hell deepens an understanding of divine holiness in His people. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. Heb ch 12 v 14. Sanctification as well as justification are necessary to escape Hell and enter Heaven. Holiness is not an optional extra for the really keen. Believers are saved from sin for righteousness.
5. Confidence in persecution. Psychologists confirm that lesser fears can be overcome by a greater fear. Jesus urged His Disciples to have a greater fear of God than men. Fear Hell more than death. Luke ch 12 v 4. Jesus was speaking to His Disciples at this point.
Mat ch 22 v 1 - 14. Many are called but few are chosen. Many want to be justified but few want to sanctified. Many want forgiveness but few want holiness. Many want to attend the banquet but few want to prepare themselves for the banquet. They do nothing to get ready and expect to be admitted to glory just as they are. They are in for a shock. Jesus did not come to offer a better style of living. To be a believer is not to lead a more moral life style. Jesus threw down the straight choice of Heaven or Hell - eternal life with God in Heaven or eternal punishment in Hell. Heaven is God with His people. Hell is the place where people exist without the presence of God. Hell is total separation from God. It is the place where God cannot be found. For a short period Jesus was in that position as God piled the sins of mankind onto the frame of His beloved Son and turned His back on the scene, such was God's revulsion at the sight of the sins clinging to the body of His Son.
Imagine the total absence of grace. It was grace, which clothed Adam after he sinned. In Hell man will have no physical protection or covering - no warmth or light from the sun – and no friends. The Holy Spirit will be absent. The fruit of the Spirit will be totally absent. Therefore there will be no love, no joy, no peace, no patience, no kindness, no goodness, no faithfulness, no gentleness, no self-control on man’s part or on the part of any other soul in Hell and no healing for the memories. Life will be full of missed opportunities and the realisation that man has brought this all on himself and that it will be permanent. There is no one to blame. And this goes on forever.
It is essential to remember that Jesus is the one appointed by His Father to pass judgement. That is why He spoke with such urgency. He knew that He would have to consign to Hell those who refused His offer of eternal life. As He taught the Disciples, Jesus knew that on one day in the future they would stand before Him in judgement. No wonder Jesus spoke to them with such urgency. Almost all man’s information about Hell comes from the lips of one whose knowledge of the Father was that of an only Son. Deut ch 18 v 19. God will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to Jesus and heed His messages from God. It is not for man to apportion others to Heaven or Hell. There is more than a hint in the Bible that there will be surprises on Judgement day. Mat ch 7 v 21 - 23. Mat ch 25 v 37 - 46. On that day the mercy of God will be stretched to its limits. If man is truly trusting in Jesus, he need not fear for himself. For the rest, he must leave matters in the hands of God.
Acts ch 17 v 31. God has delegated the task of judgement to a human being - Jesus will decide the eternal destiny of every human being, including those who dared to judge him - Caiaphas and Pilate. Before Jesus will stand every leader of nations throughout the World and throughout time, all founders of religion, who have rejected the way of Jesus, all the World's richest men, who have served mammon rather than God, all the brilliant scientists, philosophers, pop stars, doctors, teachers, housewives, nurses and millions whose names are known only to God. All must appear before the judgement seat of Christ. He will separate the sheep from the goats. No witnesses or evidence will be called, since everything about man is already known and recorded in the books in Heaven. There will be no trial. On what basis will the judgement be passed? The things, which have been done while in the body in this life, whether good or bad. 2 Cor ch 5 v 10.
What are the qualifications for Heaven? Forgiveness and holiness. God is prepared to forgive man, if he genuinely repents of his sins and strives for holiness. Why did God create the human race? God so enjoyed the company of His only begotten Son, that He desired to have a larger family. God never intended Hell for human beings. Hell was prepared for the Devil and his fallen angels. God has no pleasure in the death of any single human being. Ezekiel ch 18 v 23. By refusing the offer of a saviour and aligning himself with God's enemy, man chooses to go to Hell. God has no desire to get His own back for all the insults He has suffered at the hands of human beings. He is simply not like man. He did not wait for man to want to be salvaged from the rubbish dump of fallen humanity before He took action on man’s behalf. Jesus said that He was the way to Heaven. Believers too must keep on the way by walking with the Lord in holiness and repentance. The whole life of being a child of God is a continuous process of going on repenting, going on believing and going on serving. The verb in Scripture, which explains this process, is the present tense continuing. Hence the challenge of Jesus to persevere to the end. A drowning man, who lets go of the life belt thrown to him, will slip away into the depths of the sea. In this way Jesus throws man a lifebelt to hold onto Him, so that He might bring man safely to Heaven. “Abide in me” - is a command, not just good advice. All over the World people try to get rid of their bad habits or sin. Religions distort God's word by applying human logic to it. They create another Gospel.
Satan. John ch 13 v 2. Satan put the thought of betraying Jesus into the heart of Judas. Paul warns man to resist the wiles of the Devil. The New Testament teaches that Satan is a malignant reality always hostile to God and His people. He despises God's people. The Bible talks of schemes of the Devil. The struggle is against the spiritual forces of this World. Demons are fallen angels who serve Satan. Satan comes to rob, kill and destroy. “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” If man has never been confronted by the Devil, he must be going in the same direction. Satan likes his job. Wiles are well-laid plans and schemes. Man must discern Satan at work, since his work is not always obvious. The Devil does not need to bother, if man is scoring own goals. However, he has openings, if man is tired and does not get enough sleep. He is not haphazard. He is well prepared. Ultimately Satan is out to destroy the work of Christ.
Satan is the greatest mind in the Universe outside of the Godhead. Satan dispensed with Judas, when he had done his work. Satan wants the head of broadcasting, the director of education, the Prime Minister etc for his kingdom. He narrows down man’s view and creeps in without advance notice, catching believers off guard. So they need to watch and pray. That was the advice of Jesus to His Disciples. Jesus knew that if Satan had the audacity to tempt and attack the Son of God, he would do the same to His Disciples. Jesus spent a long time training the Disciples how to cope with Satan. That teaching is all there in the Scriptures recorded for today's Disciples. They ignore it at their peril.
The parable of the tares and wheat - Satan came at night. It should have occurred to the Disciples. Satan left no footprints. It was much later when the crops grew that it became obvious that he had been. There was panic and a desire to uproot the crop. The Master said to leave it and let it grow. All was not lost but would have been, if the crop had been cut down.
The Devil's technique is clear from Genesis ch 3. He beguiled Eve by appearing as a talking snake. How intriguing! That certainly caught Eve's attention. Today he makes glasses move round the table. How intriguing! He speaks as if a relative who has died. How interesting! He teaches doubt. Has God said? He creates uncertainty. He slanders the character of God and His motives. Surely you have it wrong? He suggested that God was hard on them. God is not like that. "He will allow everyone into Heaven." Satan suggests that God is unreasonable and that He does not have man’s best interests at heart. He is subtle, insinuating doubt and fear. The Devil denies that God is good. Sometimes he comes as an angel of light, as near the real thing as possible - not grotesque and ugly. Jesus warned that there would be many false Christs - spiritual and attractive. Highly respected men are not always right - test what they say against the Scriptures. If a believer has any big decisions to make, he should share them with trusted believing friends before any action is taken. Be expecting an attack, especially after a good experience of God. Elijah defeated Baal and then suffered depression as Jezebel attacked him. Luke ch 4 v 13. Satan left Jesus for a while. It is a global battle. Keep an eye on the overall strategy. Sometimes it is a question of holding fast on certain fronts. The general does not always tell his troops the whole plan of the campaign. Withdrawals are not necessarily defeats. Man should watch out for the vulnerable areas in his life, especially idleness as evidenced in the story of David and Bathsheba.
The call to "Follow me" sounds almost too simple. Yet by following in the footsteps of Jesus and living the way He lived day by day for the rest of a man’s life, it is the only sure and certain way of spending eternity in Heaven and being saved from spending eternity in Hell. That is the advice, which Jesus gave to His very own Disciples. One of them did not make it. Judas fell by the way and ended in Gehenna, literally and spiritually. It is a foolish man who does not heed the message in Deut ch 18 v 19.