Tag: hell

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Revelation

Though judgment falls

Revelation

We saw in chapter 14 the warning of eternal judgment that would fall on all those who rejected God, and instead took the mark of the beast. And like I said earlier, there are those who really get upset at this idea of eternal judgment.

But as we saw in Revelation 9, there is a reason that it is eternal.

The reason? There comes a point in people’s hearts where they reach the point of no return. They have so hardened their hearts, that no matter what judgment falls, no matter how painful it is, they simply refuse to repent. Instead, they simply curse God more and more.

That’s exactly what we see in this chapter.

Here we see the wrath of God being poured out in full strength. And whereas there had been limits in the seal judgments (one-fourth) and in the trumpet judgments (one-third), there are no limits now. Instead, the whole world is affected.

All the people who have the mark of the beast are covered with painful sores. (Revelation 16:2)

The sea turns to blood and every living thing in it dies. (3)

The rivers and springs of water all turn to blood because of the blood that they themselves shed in killing God’s people. (4-7)

The protections that we have to keep the sun from harming us are stripped away and people are burned by its intense heat. (8)

The people’s response?

They were seared by the intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues but they refused to repent and glorify him. (Revelation 16:9)

“Surely if these judgments keep up, they will repent, though, right?”

The whole world is thrown into darkness as Egypt once was. The people are are in total agony because of their pains and sores. (10-11a)

But they refused to repent of what they had done. (11b)

“Yes, but surely, they can’t keep holding out like this, can they? They must eventually come to the point where they will repent, right? Nobody could possibly be that stubborn not to repent.”

The Euphrates River is dried up, and with that barrier out of the way, now all the kings of the East come together for one last war against God. (12)

Evil spirits come performing miraculous signs, trying to give the kings of the earth hope that they will be able to stand against God. They gather at Armageddon, and the final bowl of wrath is poured out.

Lightnings, rumblings, peals of thunder and the worst earthquake in the world’s history hits the earth.

The cities of the nations collapse and this empire that stood against God is given the full fury of His wrath. Islands sink. Mountains fall. Huge hailstones fall to the earth crushing men. (20-21)

The result? Repentance?

No.

And they cursed God on account of the hail, because the plague was so terrible. (21)

What’s my point?

There can be no escape from hell without repentance. But all that we see from this chapter is that when people harden their hearts, there comes a point of no return. And when they go to hell, they have definitely reached that point.

Even if were theoretically possible for a person to repent in hell and escape, no one ever will.

So if you’ve been rejecting God to this point, soften your heart now before it’s too late. God has no desire to send you to hell.

He sent his Son to die for you so that you wouldn’t have to go to hell.

And now he says,

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked…Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live…Repent and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, 32)

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Revelation

A final warning

Revelation

I have said more than once over the past five years I’ve been writing this blog that God is patient, but that his patience will not last forever.

And here in this passage, I think we see that patience just about to run out.

Here we see an angel flying out, proclaiming the gospel to every nation, tribe, language, and people one last time. And he shouted,

Fear God, and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water. (Revelation 14:7)

I wonder if this is a real angel or if it’s merely symbolic of the gospel going out to the whole world. (Matthew 24:14)

Or perhaps it’s both. Either way, the gospel goes out one last time. And with it comes warning.

“Now is the time to turn to God. His patience has run out and the time for judgment has come. Fear him. Give him glory. And worship him. Before it’s too late.”

The warnings are intensified by the next two angels.

Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. (8)

This is a preview to what we will see later. Babylon had once been a great empire, but it was totally pagan, a people who had turned their backs on God and were committing adultery with the world.

John no doubt saw Babylon as a symbol of Rome. And for us today, Babylon and Rome are symbols of a godless society, a society in which antichrist will arise.

But this angel cries out, not only that Babylon will fall, but that it has already fallen. It is dead while it yet lives. It’s only a matter of time before all will see it.

Then the third angel cries out a final warning.

If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.

He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. (9-11)

In short, there is no middle ground. You have to choose sides. Either you worship God or you worship the beast. And if you choose to worship the beast, all of God’s wrath will be poured upon you.

A lot of people hate the idea of hell. They can’t believe that a loving God would punish someone forever in conscious torment. But it can’t be any clearer here. There will never be rest, day or night for them. Rather, they will face torment for all eternity.

Why does this have to be so?

Number one, we were created eternal beings. The question is not whether we will live forever. The question is where.

Number two, if people will not receive God as king, they must be separated from him, if for no other reason that they don’t want to near him. But the thing is, life without God is hell.

If you don’t believe me, look at the world around you. We have tried to live in a world where God is not king. What’s the result? Murder. Rape. Terrorism. All manner of atrocities.

The experiment has failed.

And this is a world where God is still here, working in the lives of people. What will a world completely devoid of God be like?

But it doesn’t have to be that way. On the cross, Jesus drank the wine of God’s wrath for us. He experienced the full strength of God’s anger so that you don’t have to.

But if you reject him, then you’ll have to drink it yourself.

What will you choose?

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2 Peter

A destruction that is not sleeping

2 Peter

Sometimes we wonder why God allows so much evil in the world. We wonder why God doesn’t do something now about the people who are doing evil.

And in addressing the false teachers and their fate, Peter gives us an answer to this.

He says,

In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction is not sleeping. (2 Peter 2:3)

In short, though it seems like God isn’t doing anything and that justice will never come, it will come. Condemnation is hanging over the wicked, ready to drop. And their destruction is sure.

Peter then gives three illustrations of this from the Old Testament.

First there were the angels that sinned whom God sent straight to hell.

This is actually kind of unusual, because for the most part, demons are not bound. They are free to roam the earth and wreck havoc.

But apparently some demons were so bad that they were bound up and are now being held for final judgment. (We’ll talk more about this when we come to Jude).

Second, there were all the people on the earth in the time of Noah. People who were so bad that, “every inclination of the thoughts of [their] hearts was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5)

And for all the years that Noah built the ark, warning these people to repent, they continued on in their sin, seemingly unpunished. But when the flood came, judgment fell and they all perished. Noah and his family, however, were saved.

Third was the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. For years they lived in utter depravity, such that Lot was afraid that two visitors to the city (who turned out to be angels) would be raped if they stayed out in the open.

Ultimately, his neighbors’ actions proved him correct. And so God judged that city, destroying it. But again he spared Lot from that destruction.

And so Peter concludes,

If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. (9)

Some points here.

First, though it says that the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials, it does not mean we will never go through them. That bad things will never happen to us.

But through them all, God will be with us and see us through. And ultimately, we will find rest with him in heaven.

But as for the evil, they will be judged. Peter tells us that they are being held for the day of judgment, and in the meantime, their punishment has already started.

Nobody likes the idea of hell and eternal punishment. I certainly don’t. But it is reality.

Now, the final judgment won’t come until after the millennium in which Christ reigns. But until that time, those who have died apart from God are undergoing punishment for their sins.

And on the day of final judgment, John tells us that they will be thrown into a lake of burning fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

Sadly, if the judgment of Satan is any indication, they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

It’s not a pretty picture. But it’s the truth. And it’s justice.

Justice will be done someday. That’s the hope of judgment. And that’s the fear of judgment.

It’s the fear of those who have rejected Christ.

But for those who have put their faith in him, Jesus says,

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)

How do you see judgment day? With hope? Or fear?

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2 Thessalonians

Why many will perish

2 Thessalonians

In chapter 1, there is a disturbing passage.

Paul tells the Thessalonians,

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you…

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:6, 8-9) 

If you want to define hell, verse 9 pretty much sums it up. It’s being shut out from the presence of the Lord forever.

Some people try to think of destruction as annihilation, but every scripture we see shows hell is a conscious state. And what is hell if it isn’t being shut off forever from the One who is life, love, and joy?

But why? Why are people shut off from him?

I think we see the answer in this chapter.

Here Paul addresses a misunderstanding of something he had written earlier. Some people were worrying that Jesus had already come and that they had somehow missed it.

And Paul says, “No, when Jesus comes, it will be crystal clear. There will be no missing of it. You will know.”

How?

In short, Antichrist must come first. He will oppose God, and he will set himself up as God in the temple, probably one that has yet to be built in Jerusalem.

From the time of Paul, and even before that, we have seen the power of lawlessness in the world, inspired by the Father of Lies who would destroy us. But he has been restrained, probably by the Holy Spirit.

The day will come, however, when the Spirit will step aside and all hell will literally break loose, with Satan having free reign on this earth.

This Antichrist will come with counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders, and many will be deceived into thinking he truly is Christ. And ultimately they will perish for it. (3-10)

Why?

They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 

For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11)

Here we see the main reason why so many people perish in hell.

God has given them the truth of the gospel. Even those who never hear the gospel, they have the witness of creation and their own conscience. (Romans 1)

And yet, they refuse to love the truth that they may be saved. Instead, they delight in their own wickedness.

Most people today don’t believe, not because they can’t believe, but they don’t want to believe. Because they know that if they choose to believe, they cannot simply continue in their sin but must repent. And they don’t want to do that.

And so God says, “Fine, you don’t want to believe the truth. Here is a very powerful lie. Go ahead and consume it.”

They do, and for all eternity, they will embrace their wickedness, cursing God, never coming to repentance. That’s why people perish.

How about you? What do you do with the truth? Will you embrace it and be saved? Or will you cling to your own sin and perish?

Remember the words of the Lord who said,

As surely as I live…I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! (Ezekiel 33:11)

Why choose death when you can choose life? The choice is yours.

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Romans

The problem and wonder of election (part 4)

Romans

A question that often pops up when we talk about predestination is, “You say that God predestines who will go to heaven. So that must mean that God must predestine people to hell as well.”

I answered this to some degree on my last blog.

In a sense, I suppose you could say that he predestines people to hell.

But don’t get me wrong. God does not tell people, “I’ve decided you are going to hell! It doesn’t matter if you repent. It doesn’t matter if you choose to believe in Jesus. None of that matters, because I have already made my decision.”

Instead, he says, “My plan is to give you justice for your sins. That’s what you deserve.”

Then, as I said before, he waits to see if you will do anything to change his mind. That if on your own, without his intervention, you will start to seek him.

But the thing is, no one ever does.

So ultimately, what I believe is this: People go to hell by their own choice and to heaven by God’s.

God has given us free will. We can choose to follow him or to not follow him.

Yet left to our own devices, without any intervention on God’s part, all of us rebel against God, and all of us go our own way.

There is no exception. It is, ultimately, the story of humanity.

So God had to make a choice. He could do nothing and let all perish or do something and save some. God chose to do the latter.

That’s why Paul says,

It is just as Isaiah said previously: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” (Romans 9:29)

Sodom and Gomorrah through their own free will chose to rebel against God. And God chose not to show mercy to them, but rather to give them what they deserved: judgment leading to death.

Israel also chose through their free will to rebel against God. But God chose to show mercy to them and gave them what they didn’t deserve: grace leading to life.

What was the difference between the two (I suppose, technically three)? Nothing. Except for one thing. God’s election.

And again, that’s the wonder of it all. We were no better than anyone else. Yet God chose to save us.

So yes, we are saved because God chose to intervene in our lives.

But if we go to hell, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

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Romans

A damned way of thinking

Romans

No, I am not swearing. The things we see in this passage are literally ways of thinking that will lead to people’s damnation.

To be honest, I find it hard to believe that people in that time held these ways of thinking.

Some people were saying, “God is happy when I sin because when I do, it shows how good he is in contrast. So why does God judge me when I’m simply doing what he wants?” (Romans 3:5)

But Paul quickly debunks that idea by saying, “What are you talking about? God doesn’t take pleasure in your sin, even if it does ‘show how good he is.’ If God thought that way, there’s no way he could judge the world.” (Romans 3:6)

On a similar vein, others were saying, “Well, if I do evil, good will result. When I sin, everyone will see just how good God is in contrast to me and they’ll glorify him. So I should just sin more.”

To that, Paul simply says flat out,

Their condemnation is deserved. (Romans 3:8)

I doubt that people still hold these ways of thinking, but there are still other similar arguments people make today. Today we’ll look at one, and tomorrow we’ll look at another.

God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us. (Romans 3:5)

People nowadays use this in a different context than in Paul’s day. They say things like, “How can God punish people who have never heard?”

But as we’ve seen in previous chapters, God has given people enough evidence to believe that he exists, even in lands where the gospel has never reached.

They have the evidence of creation and their own laws and consciences. And yet they reject what they’ve been given.

These people will not be judged based on what they don’t know, but on what they do know. So the judgment they receive will be entirely just.

Other people say, “How can God send people to hell? That’s so unjust, making people suffer forever just for rejecting him.”

I’ll be honest. I don’t like the teaching about hell. I’d rather believe that all people will eventually go to heaven.

The problem is that’s not what the Bible teaches. That’s definitely not what Jesus taught either.

But I’ll make two points on this.

First, God is simply giving people what they want. And what people who reject God want is to be as far away from God as possible. They want to live their own way. They want to do their own thing.

But what they eventually find out is that God is the source of love, joy, life, and everything that is good. And so separation from God is separation from everything that is good.

What is that kind of existence? Hell.

Second, God sent his Son to suffer and die for our sins so that people wouldn’t have to go to hell. Jesus did all the hard work.

All we have to do is put our faith in him and his work on the cross.

To say, “Father, I know I’ve messed up my life by going my own way. Forgive me. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again. I’m putting my trust in you from now on.

Now please work in me to change me and make me more like yourself each day.”

And when we make that choice, we find life. It’s not that hard. The only hard thing about it is not wanting to let go of our way.

I love how C.S. Lewis put it. In the end, people either turn to God and say, “Your will be done,” or they turn away from him and he tells them, “Your will be done.”

Whose will is being done in your life?

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John John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

Railing at God, humbling ourselves before him

The gospels

This is one of the most famous stories from the cross. Along with Jesus, two robbers were crucified by his side. And at first, both mocked him. In the ESV, it says,

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)

Somehow, that word, “railed,” really strikes me. It makes me think about how many people rail at God when they face the consequences for their sin.

Here was this criminal who had done wrong and was being punished for it, but far from being repentant, it seems he felt that he was being wronged.

Perhaps he felt justified in the things that he had done, and so as he railed at Jesus, he said, “Are you really the Christ? Then save me from this! I don’t deserve this!”

Apparently, according to the other gospels, the second criminal joined in with the first in railing at Jesus, at least at first.

But perhaps as Jesus refused to answer, but instead only looked with pity upon his abusers, the second criminal started to quiet down.

He saw the dignity of Jesus in a situation where all dignity had seemingly been stripped away from him.

He saw the compassion, love, and forgiveness Jesus had for those who had crucified him.

And as he did, perhaps he remembered all the stories he had heard about Jesus. Perhaps, he had even gone to listen to Jesus at one time and seen him perform all those miracles.

As he considered all these things, perhaps he then looked at himself, and for the first time, admitted, “I was wrong. I made all these excuses for what I did. But ultimately, those were just excuses. I was wrong. I deserve this.”

And so after hearing again the railings of the man beside him, he said,

Don’t you fear God…since you are under the same sentence?

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. (Luke 23:40-41)

Then he turned to Jesus, and pled with him,

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. (Luke 23:42)

I’m not sure, but perhaps for the first and only time on the cross, Jesus smiled. And he said,

I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

And in that moment, the man was saved. In death, he found life.

As I said, so many people are like the first man on the cross. They do wrong, but when they are caught in their sin and suffer for it, instead of admitting their wrong, they rail at God.

Sometimes, people wonder how God could allow eternal punishment.

I think part of it is because there is no repentance in hell. Rather, there is an eternal railing against God.

They rail that they were justified in their actions. And they rail that God would punish them for what they know deep in their heart is wrong.

And part of hell is the knowing they are wrong and are getting what they deserve but being too proud to admit it.

But for those who will only recognize their sin, humble themselves, and repent, as the second criminal did, there is forgiveness and there is life.

But that time is now. Because once you are dead, it is too late. As the apostle Paul wrote,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

How about you? Have you humbled yourself before Jesus? Have you received his salvation?

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Matthew Matthew 22

Parable of the Wedding Feast: Entering God’s kingdom on his terms

Matthew

In this story, we see continued warnings from Jesus about rejecting him and the consequences of doing so.

He told the story of a king who invited people to his wedding banquet. But when all was ready, the would-be guests refused to come. Another translation puts it, “They were unwilling to come.”

And though time and again, the king sent messengers to plead with them to come, they “made light of it and went their ways.” (KJV).

More, they even turned violent, beating and killing those sent to them.

This was a picture of Israel as we’ve seen in the other parables, but it’s also a picture of how many respond to the gospel today.

God pleads with us to come into his kingdom. He himself makes all the preparations; all we have to do is come.

But many people make light of his invitation and go their own way. And some even abuse and persecute those who offer the invitation.

The result? Judgment and death.

The king then sent invitations to all, both good and bad. This is a picture of how after Israel rejected the gospel, the gospel was then taken to the whole world. And many who were invited responded and entered the kingdom.

But then we see a twist in the story.

As the king looked at those in the banquet, he noticed a person without wedding clothes. He was simply dressed as he wanted to be with no regard for the host’s requirements. The king went up to him and asked,

Friend…how did you get in here without wedding clothes? (Matthew 22:12)

The man had no answer and was cast out in the darkness, “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 22:13).

In the same way, many people today hear God’s invitation to the kingdom, and they try to enter. But they try to enter on their own terms with no regard for God’s requirements.

What is God’s requirement for entering the kingdom? John tells us,

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

In other words, in order to enter the kingdom of God, we must be clothed with Jesus Christ. Apart from him, there can be no entering the kingdom.

But many people do not want to enter on God’s terms. They want to enter on their own, spitting on the very invitation God has sent them and the price Jesus paid on the cross that they might come.

We cannot do that.

You can either go to heaven on God’s terms or to hell on your own. There is no in-between.

How about you? Are you coming to God on his terms? Or are you trying to come to him on your own?

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Luke Luke 16

The rich man and Lazarus: The reality of hell

Luke

Hell. It is not the most pleasant of topics. And yet Jesus taught on it. And in this passage, he makes it very clear that it exists, and what’s more, describes what it is like.

First, it’s a place of torment. You see this idea all throughout the passage from beginning to end. More, it’s a place of conscious torment.

There’s no idea in this passage that people’s consciousness is wiped out upon entry to hell. Rather, people are conscious of their situation and just how awful it is.

Second, there is a chasm that cannot be crossed between the righteous and the unrighteous. Once you are in hell, there is no way out. There can be no repentance at that point.

Third, it’s so awful that no one wants to be there, nor do they want their loved ones there.

Sometimes, in Japan, people don’t want to become Christians because if they do, they have to face the reality that their grandparents or parents that have already passed away are in hell. But listen to the rich man’s plea.

Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. (Luke 16:27-28)

Abraham told him this was impossible. That even if he allowed it, his brothers had already rejected God’s word to them, and they still wouldn’t believe even if someone came from the dead to warn them.

Ironically, another man named Lazarus did rise from the dead as a testimony to the people that Jesus was truly the Son of God. But Jesus’ enemies rejected him anyway, and plotted to kill not only Jesus, but Lazarus as well.

But the point is, this man did not want his family to join him there. And I don’t think anyone wants their loved ones to join them in hell either.

So if you or your friends are refusing God’s salvation because your loved ones are in hell, remember this man’s words. They don’t want you to join them.

How can we avoid hell? Only by putting our faith in Jesus. By believing that he died on the cross for our sins and that he rose again. By making him your Lord and Savior.

Some people say, “How can a loving God send people to hell?”

What they don’t understand is life without God is hell. Without the Source of life, love, joy, and peace, how can you call that situation anything but hell?

God doesn’t send people to hell so much as people choose to go there. They choose to turn their backs on the Source of all that makes life worth living.

And when they do, when they cut themselves off from Him, what do they have left?

Only despair. And that is hell.

How about you? Will you turn to the Source of life? Or will you turn your back on Him? It’s your choice.

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Luke Luke 16

When we fail to prepare

Luke

This is one of the most graphic depictions of the afterlife, probably because it’s the most personal. In particular, it is a graphic picture of what hell will be like.

Many people think that this was an actual incident, the reason being that this is the only story Jesus tells which names a person.

Whether it is a true story or not, I don’t know, but it is a clear warning to those who fail to prepare for eternity.

It is, in fact, the bookend to this chapter, which starts with a story of a person who did prepare for his future albeit through shady means.

Jesus starts the story by talking about a rich man who lived in luxury. He had no needs or wants unfulfilled, and therefore never gave a thought to his future. Nor did he give a thought to the people around him.

There was a man named Lazarus that he passed by day by day. Lazarus was a beggar, and my guess is that it was through no fault of his own.

But through illness or perhaps some other problem beyond his control, he was reduced to begging for a living.

Lazarus longed just for the crumbs from this rich man’s table, but the rich man never gave him a moment’s notice.

And so they lived.

When their time came, Lazarus was escorted to Abraham’s side where he was comforted, but the rich man descended to hell where he was in torment.

And when he cried out for relief, Abraham responded,

Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. (Luke 16:25)

What was Abraham saying? This man had spent his whole life enjoying his life on earth. He accumulated wealth, he enjoyed pleasure, and generally did whatever he pleased. But he did not prepare for eternity.

Lazarus, on the other hand, though he had nothing on this earth, indeed, though he suffered greatly while on earth, nevertheless prepared himself for eternity.

And so when the time came, Lazarus received comfort, while the rich man suffered in agony.

The problem with the rich man was not his riches. The problem was that he had not prepared for eternity.

He had not, as Jesus put it, used the wealth he had been given in such a way that he would be welcomed into eternal dwellings with God. (Luke 16:9)

Let us not be foolish as this man was. Let us remember that this life is but a breath, and that we need to prepare for eternity. For if we don’t, we will suffer his fate.

How about you. Are you prepared for eternity?

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Matthew Matthew 10

When persecution comes

Matthew

Persecution.

Not a pleasant word. And not something that I really want to go through. But one thing that the Bible warns us is that it will come. Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3:12,

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Not might be. Not possibly will be. Will.

Like I said in the last blog, if your goal is to be like your Teacher, some people will hate you for it. Persecution is just the next step beyond that.

Jesus knew that, so he warned his disciples about it. He called them (and us) sheep among wolves. (16)

What instructions does he give about facing persecution?

First, as I mentioned before, be on your guard. Watch out for the people that would hurt you because of your faith.

Jesus was talking about physical harm, of course, but we could extend it to emotional harm as well. There are some people with vile tongues that will try to hurt you because of your faith. Know who they are.

And if you’re in danger of getting hurt either physically or emotionally, Jesus says to flee. Don’t feel like you have to keep preaching to them once you’ve fulfilled your duty.

Rather, Jesus says that if they reject your message to,

Shake the dust off your feet when you leave [them]. (Matthew 10:14)

Jews used to do that when leaving foreign lands because they felt to take the dirt from those lands into Israel would be to make Israel unclean.

And so Jesus was telling his disciples, “Make it clear to these Jews who reject you that they are the ones who are unclean because they have rejected your message, and that their blood is now on their own heads, because you have warned them.”

In the same way, we should let people know, “I’ve done my duty, but you’ve rejected my message, and now you’re persecuting me because of it. I feel sorry for you and love you, but I can’t make you believe.

“You are now responsible before God for what you do with what I’ve told you.”

And then leave. Once you’ve fulfilled your duty, there is no need to expose yourself to further abuse.

It is easy, however, once we’ve been exposed to persecution to become afraid that it will happen again. And because of that, we become hesitant to speak again to others who have not heard the message.

But Jesus tells us,

Do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known.

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. (Matthew 10:26-27)

In other words, “My words that I have told to you in private will eventually get out. Nothing can stop it, not even persecution. So don’t be afraid. Keep proclaiming boldly what I’ve told you.”

He then warns us not to fear those who can kill their body, but the one that can destroy body and soul in hell. (28).

That’s not Satan. Satan is a victim of hell, not the ruler.

But we are to remember that people are dying and going to hell every day because they have rejected God. God has no choice but to send them there, because no impure thing can enter heaven.

That fear for those we hold dear should be more than enough to keep us proclaiming boldly the message of the gospel no matter what persecution we may face.

But then he gives us words of comfort,

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (29-31)

Jesus tells us that though persecution will come, God will not forget you. He will see you though.

And if the time comes when you must die for his sake (Jesus never says that the sparrow won’t die, only that it never happens apart from God’s will), even in that God will be with you and you will see him shortly on the other side.

So let us not fear persecution. Rather let us proclaim boldly the Word of Life that he has given us.

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Matthew Matthew 13

Parable of the net: A coming judgment

Matthew

It has been said that Jesus spoke more on hell than he did about heaven. And here we see one of his teachings on the coming judgment.

As I’ve mentioned before, it can get frustrating to see all the evil in the world and wonder why God doesn’t do more about it.

But here, we see the day is coming when he will. All will be caught up and brought before him to be judged, both the living and the spirits of those who have died.

On that day, those who are evil will be weeded out from those who are righteous. While the righteous will be rewarded and go on to live with God forever, it is the wicked that Jesus focuses on here.

And he says of them,

The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:49-50)

Why does he tell us this? I think more than anything, it’s to give us hope. It’s to remind us that evil will not last forever, and that it will be dealt with for all eternity. And in a world full of evil, we need that hope.

But I think he also tells us this as a warning. That God’s patience will not last forever.

God does not desire that any should perish, but if they stubbornly reject him despite all his entreaties to them, he will let them have what they desire. A life without him forever.

Unfortunately, what they will find out is that a life without God is a life of despair. And that’s what they will have for all eternity.

So many people run from God because they think he’s trying to kill their joy. But the reality is that there is no joy apart from him.

So as you look at the evil around you, remember a day of judgment is coming. And ask yourself, “Am I ready?”

If you are, if you have received God’s salvation by faith, ask yourself the next question: “Are those I love ready?”

If they aren’t, are you doing everything you can to make sure that they are.

Hell is a reality. Jesus taught it. Do you believe it? Do you believe it enough that you are working for the salvation of those you love?

Categories
Proverbs

When we fail to warn the lost

Solomon writes some very poignant words here in these verses.

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who guards your life know it?

Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?  (Proverbs 24:11-12)

Every day, people are going to hell.  They’re being led away to eternal death.  They’re staggering toward their own slaughter.  What are you doing about it?

Because hell is such an unpleasant subject, people don’t want to talk about it.  But not talking about something does not make it go away.

And God will hold us accountable if we don’t warn people about where the path they’re taking is leading.

We cannot force people off the path which they were taking.  That’s not our responsibility.  We can’t make people change.  But God does call us to warn them.

He will not accept the excuse, “But I didn’t know they were going to hell.”

Many people try to convince themselves that their loved ones will go to heaven even though they haven’t put their trust in Jesus.

People try to convince themselves because they are afraid to confront their friends and family with the truth.  They’re afraid that they’ll be rejected.  That the people they love will get angry with them if they share the truth.

But deep down, they know what God has said about the matter.  And Solomon warns us that God knows our heart.  We can hide nothing from him.

And so what God told once told the prophet Ezekiel concerning Israel, he now tells us concerning our loved ones.  Paraphrased, here is what he says.

I have made you a watchman for those around you; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

When I say to your father or mother, your brother or sister, your husband or wife, your child, your friend, or your coworker, when I tell them ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their lives, they will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

But if you do warn them and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.   (Ezekiel 3:17-19)

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Isaiah

Something worse

Isaiah

We get a peek at the timeline in this passage, and find that Ahaz has just died as Isaiah writes this.  But it’s probably not of Ahaz’s death that Isaiah writes about in verse 29.

The Philistines were probably rejoicing at the death of the Assyrian king who had caused much suffering among them.

But Isaiah warned them that although this particular king would no longer cause them grief, their troubles were not at an end.  Rather it would only get worse.

His son would take over from where his father had left off, and in addition, famine would hit the land.  As a result, the Philistines would be wiped out from the earth, and there was no hope for them.

On the other hand, the people whom the Philistines had caused much harm to over the years, the Israelites, would find refuge and safety in Zion once more (Isaiah 14:30, 32).

What can we learn from this?  God often brings discipline in our lives in order that we might repent.

One of the reasons he sent the Assyrians against the Philistines (and the Israelites, for that matter) was that in their suffering, they might turn from their sins and turn to God. But when the Philistines refused to repent, they were utterly destroyed. 

The only reason why God spared the Israelites was because of his own promises to Abraham and their forefathers, that their descendants would continue on forever, and that the Messiah would come from their line.

But anyway, the warning Isaiah gave the Philistines of greater judgment is similar to a warning Jesus gave a man he had healed.

The man had been lame for 38 years, but Jesus healed him.  When Jesus met him later, he told the man, “See, you are well again.  Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”  (John 5:14)

In other words, “You thought your prior affliction was bad?  Don’t just rejoice that you’ve been healed.  You have a much deeper problem.  Your sin.  And unless you repent, something worse will happen to you.

“Your lameness was a temporary affliction.  Hell, on the other hand, is forever.”

What do we do with the warnings of God?  Do we ignore them?  Or do we heed them?

May you heed the warnings of God that you might find life, and escape the eternal punishment that is to come to those who refuse to repent.