Tabernacles Central

Hell: The reason that is was created and why it was never meant for you

Many object to the thought of a loving God condemning people to hell for failing to believe in Him. Some think eternal torment is unjust and antithetical to everything that a “good” God should do. “How,” they think, “is it just for God to condemn people to hell when the odds are so stacked against them and they have little choice in the matter?”

Still others say, “I refuse to believe in God just because He threatens me with torment.” They judge that being punished for not believing in God is unfair and that they should be able to make a choice whether to believe without being coerced through fear. They reject God for, like Don Vito Corleone, “making them an offer they can’t refuse.”

So many objections

While these and many other objections to hell seem good to the natural man and even reasonable, they are wrong because they misunderstand the fundamental reality of the situation. Here is a truth,

“God cannot violate His own nature. God does not change. What He has been He will always be. Therefore, the judgment for the sin of rebellion that God decreed upon Lucifer and the fallen angels cannot change, either.”

This is important to understand because one of the main mistakes people make is to assume that God has any choice in the matter. Once you begin to realize the truth of why hell was created, who it was created for, and why some people go to hell, everything starts to make sense.

The original rebel

Before this creation came into existence, Lucifer, the bright and shining one, sinned against God.   Lucifer, who was the sum of all wisdom, an archangel perfect in beauty, because of sin or pride decided that she wanted to be like God and led a rebellion against the Almighty.  It is written,

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

Isaiah 14:12-14

War in heaven

Furthermore,

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Revelation 12:7-9

And finally,

“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:”

Matthew 25:41

In Her rebellion, Lucifer led about one-third of the angels to abandon their first estate and support her bid to become like God. Michael, another archangel along with the rest of the angels who remained loyal to God, waged war and defeated Lucifer and the other fallen angels.

The creation of the Lake of Fire

In the aftermath of this rebellion God created the Lake of Fire as punishment for these heavenly insurrectionists. The punishment of the Lake of Fire is eternal simply because it was created in an eternal realm to punish eternal beings for sins that were so grievous that they truly deserved such an eternal judgment.

However, before that punishment was carried out, Lucifer tempted Eve who persuaded Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit. In fact, Lucifer tempted Eve to sin just as she had sinned, by tempting her with the desire to be a god.  It is written,

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:5

Satan’s “Hail Mary”

In tempting man to sin, Lucifer thought she had God upon the horns of a dilemma. If God punished Lucifer for what she and those who followed her did, then God (who is just) would have to punish Eve and her husband, too. However, if God allowed Adam and Eve to live having committed the same sin as she did, God could not punish her and remain just.

Lucifer actually thought she had God in a “Catch 22” situation that might result in her going scot-free for the sin that she had committed. At the very least, she thought, if she were cast into the Lake of fire, she would take mankind down with her too.

However, something happened in the Garden of Eden that Lucifer did not anticipate. Instead of killing Adam and Eve for their sins, God killed animals in their stead and clothed them with the skins. It was the first blood sacrifice. Most likely these animals were sheep used in anticipation of the sacrifice that His Son would make on the cross of Calvary thousands of year in the future. In utter surprise to Lucifer, not only did God not kill Adam and Eve but He did not let Lucifer off the hook, either.  God merely postponed her judgment until the final judgment at the end of time (this creation).

Here is the reason people go to hell,

“A just God can’t punish one person for committing a sin and not punish another person for doing the same thing.”

The reason people go to hell is that they commit the same sin Satan did and therefore they must receive the same punishment she does. It is God’s nature to be consistent, therefore, God cannot judge one being for a sin and not judge another person for the same sin committed in the same way. If people do as Satan did, they must suffer the same punishment that she will suffer. God explained this in the book of Ezekiel,

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

Ezekiel 18:20

Here is a truth,

“If you join Lucifer in her rebellion you will also join her in her punishment.”

When Jesus says that people will be cast into the lake of fire forever he is not threatening anyone. Christ is merely making a statement of fact. It is like one person saying to another, “Hey, watch out for that cliff because if you drive off of it you will fall to your death.”  It would be silly for the other person to say, “You are just trying to scare me into driving on the road by trying to threaten me with death.”  You would look at the person and say, “I am not threatening anyone here, I’m just warning you of the danger because I am concerned for your life.”

Coercion has nothing to do with telling someone about the last judgment and the Lake of Fire.  You should not have to coerce a drowning man to accept the flotation device you have thrown him.  It should be obvious what to do with it and why you provided it. Likewise, warning people of the consequences of sin is not coercion but concern for their well-being. If they ignore the obvious signs their death will be a natural outcome of failing to heed the warning.  God created the Lake of Fire to deal with the rebellion of Lucifer and his fallen angels and it is just a fact of reality that, if you rebel, that you will end up there with him.

God’s not trying to scare you into heaven

God is not trying to scare people into His kingdom but merely warn them of the consequences of a final judgment that was set in motion before the foundations of this world. The final judgment has to take place because of Satan and her demons. This judgment was only postponed because Lucifer tempted Eve to sin. Rather than condemn people to hell, God has been doing everything in His power to deliver mankind from that awful fate ever since.

The law of the Medes and  Persians

There is a biblical story about a man name Daniel who served a King named Darius.  There was a strict Law of the Medes and Persians that decreed that once a king made an official proclamation it could not be undone.

Some wicked men, who did not like Daniel (a prophet of God) conspired to persuade the king to make a decree that no one should pray to anyone except Him.  The king, not realizing the purpose of their evil plans, made the decree. Then, when the wicked men found Daniel praying to God instead of the King, they accused him of breaking the law!

Let sleeping lions lay

The king, who liked Daniel and knew that he was a righteous man, worked all day and into the night to undo his rash decree.  The law of the Medes and Persians simply could not be broken. So the King commended Daniel to God and threw him into the lion’s den.  God was with Daniel though, and not one of those lions harmed him all night.

This is what Lucifer (Satan) did to Adam and Eve.  She knew that God would have to judge them for committing the same sin that she had.  Satan purposefully tempted man to sin so that God would be either forced to kill them or set Lucifer free. What God has been trying to do for the last 6000 years is make a way that we can go free. The plan God came up with is Jesus Christ.

God gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have eternal life.  God asked His own son to die in our place and pay the price for our sins.  Our loving Father had to do this because we could never be sinless ourselves. Our Father says to all of us that if you sin, like Lucifer, you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.  It is not a threat but just a statement of the reality that exists. Hell is as much a fact of spiritual life as gravity is a fact of natural life. If you ignore either reality, you will die.

Hell is more certain than gravity

All those who don’t believe in Hell are just monumentally wrong. They want to wish something away that is more certain than gravity. Just because people believe God is unjust for creating the Lake of Fire doesn’t mean it does not exist.  They just do not understand why it exists and why they will end up there.

God is not the villain here, Lucifer is (a.k.a Satan.)  The Father of Lies is the one that tempted Eve who started all this mess.  God created the Lake of Fire for fallen angels who sought to usurp His very Godhead.  Our Father never intended a single human to suffer eternal damnation.  The only way people are cast into the Lake of Fire is if they refuse to take the lifeline God throws them.  The lifeline our Lord offers is Jesus Christ.

Satan is the culprit

People blame God for terrible things in the world, but the real culprits are Satan and the fallen angels. They are the perpetrators of all the symptoms of sin on this planet. Blame them and not God, for they are the reason that things have gone so badly. God, on the other hand, is the only one who is trying to fix what they wrecked.

In conclusion, you will only suffer eternal torment if you insist on entering into the rebellion of Lucifer.  God, in His righteousness, visits that same judgment on you if you follow in the footsteps of Satan’s rebellion.  God wants you to live forever with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth. Therefore, the Holy Spirit says,

“If you join Jesus in His obedience you will also join Him in His reward.”

This is the act of a loving and merciful God.  This is the act of someone who is on your side.  God’s grace results from love that forgives anyone who repents, asking Jesus Christ to save them.  God spares you from the predicament that Lucifer has put you in because He wants to save you.

And the “Truth is”…

What I say to you here is the truth.  If you really want to know, this is the reason that people go to hell.  Moreover, this is the reason that we must allow God to save us through His son Jesus Christ. Amen.

How can I apply this teaching to my life?

Simple: Accept Jesus and don’t go to hell. Sounds obvious, but sometimes it’s difficult to see the forest for the trees.

Just accept that God is not threatening you with hell in order to coerce you into believing.  Hell is inevitable and He wants to warn you and save you from that awful fate.  Picture yourself in a rowboat without oars about to slip over a thousand-foot waterfall. God is dropping you a rope with a sign that says, “Grab Jesus!”   God says,

“It’s kind of obvious what you should do.”

Jesus is the only hope you have of escaping the disaster ahead of  you. God didn’t have to ask His Son to take your place on the cross, but He did anyway.  So, bottom line, don’t go to hell.  Realize that hell is not inevitable but optional. It is just that simple. Take the lifeline that God has given you and ask Jesus to come into your heart. Humble yourself and repent of your sins and God will forgive you.  Allow God to save you from a fate that is literally much worse than death.

Podcast: More Good News!

The Great Judgment by Billy Graham

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