We hear it all the time "God is love" "He will just forgive everyone in the end, how could a God of love send people to hell?" God is indeed love, but he is also perfect, just, holy, righteous, sovereign, omnipotent (all powerful) omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all knowing), jealous, and vengeful. He is justified in all actions, holy above all and wrong in nothing. Also, God does not send anyone to hell, he is not willing for any to go there. 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Hell was not even created for mankind, but for Satan and his angels. Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" No person will be able to point their finger at God and blame him for their not knowing, or accuse him of sending them to hell. Even the people in the middle of the African bush have heard the unspoken testimony of creation declaring the glory of God and ignore it. They have chosen to worship the creation and not the creator. God promises to be found by anyone that seeks after him with all their heart. 1 Chronicles 28:9 "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul."
God will not just allow everyone into heaven, he can't. It is impossible for sin to enter into his presence without being utterly consumed. As mentioned in last weeks post, God is a consuming fire. He can't tolerate sin because he is perfect, holy and righteous. The lost being cast into the lake of fire for eternity is tragic, and it is something that we as Christians can do something about it if we would be faithful witnesses for Christ, Lord help me. Those that belligerently defy God, and shake their fists at him, when they cry out in their time of calamity the Bible tells us that the LORD will hold them in derision. He will mock at their pleas for mercy. God will hold his enemies in derision while he pours out his fierce wrath and indignation upon them. There are a great number of passages of scripture that show us this, I will list a few.
Pslams 2: 1-5
"1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."
Pslam 59:1-9
"1 Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord.
4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.
5 Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.
6 They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
7 Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?
8 But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.
9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence."
Proverbs 1:22-31
"22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."
Isaiah 34:1-2
"1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.
2 For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter."
Zephaniah 3:8
"8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy."
The Lord is merciful, gracious and love. As we can clearly read though, he is also a God of war, judgment, justice and vengeance. Hebrews 10:31 "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Pray for me, lets pray for one another that we would surrender to the call of the great commission. There will be no mercy for the lost of all the ages at the great white throne judgment. What a terrible day that will be.
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