It seems odd to have a section that only highlights the benefits of
why one should believe in the eternality of hell. It’s crazy to think there are
pluses to this immense minus. But there are many.
First I would put this doctrine in my category of “Devastatingly Beautiful.” This is
where I put the doctrines that are so dangerous and devastating but also afford
and allow for such worship as cannot be brought by any song I’ve heard or sung.
The eternality of hell is devastating because real people go to a real
hell – forever. There are no second chances after death. In fact this life we
live has second chances every second. After death there is one place for those
who have spurned God’s call and shunned his righteousness and aimed to live
their own life without God. God mercifully gives them what they desire – an
eternity without his closeness. We cannot come to this dry-eyed or
bushy-tailed. This ought to take the wind out of our sails and crush us on the
rocks of devastation. People will die and they will suffer forever…
Think about that, people you know will die and they will suffer
endlessly. Think about their screams; try to imagine their pain. Now think
there’s a way out of that torment – that terrible suffering – a way has been
made to release you and them from your and their just damnation and his name is
Jesus! He bore that incomprehensible wrath in your place for your sins! Do you
love your friends? Of course, now tell them to be saved, redeemed by Jesus! At
the heart of the arguments on the limitations of hell is a dangerous plot to lose
the urgency of missions. Our dying world must be saved from the just torment of
eternity. And only God can save them from his own wrath through Jesus’ atoning
death.
Now think about the beauty of salvation! See the storm clouds of God’s
divinely just wrath poured out completely on Jesus – you see the only way that
Jesus could bear the eternal wrath of God is because he himself is a part of
the eternal Being. The only possible way for God’s entire eternal wrath to be
cleared from your name is if Jesus being fully God and full man stood and took
that wrath for you – it’s the doctrine of propitiation - because only an eternaly Being could bear an eternity of wrath in on the cross.
We cannot lull our friends or family into a false sense of security by
allow them to think hell is ending or that it is not going to be terrible. To
allow them to think such things would be like leading them there yourself.
Spurgeon said in Lectures to My Students something that has stuck with me for
years essentially it is this: Do not be a blind pastor leading you people
blindly to hell; an unredeemed pastor is like a blind man making claims about
beautiful paintings or a deaf man telling the world of Mozart, he cannot tell
the world of what he does not know. Therefore make sure you know and believe
the gospel lest you lead your congregation to hell and be greeted there by
their screams of torment, “You lead us here!” This will be the screams of those
we love if we do not tell them urgency and dangerousness of hell and the beauty
of the salvation of Jesus.
Ask yourselves what makes missions seem more urgent hell that is
ending or hell that is eternal? Ask yourself what makes God’s hatred against
sin more perfect hell that is ending or hell that is eternal? Ask yourself what
makes God’s salvation more inescapably beautiful hell that is ending or hell
that is eternal? Ask yourself what makes God’s glory so vast as to truly show
us that what we know of God is limited and finite hell that is ending or hell
that is eternal? Finally ask yourself what shows God’s way to be far higher
than our ways, hell that is ending or hell that is eternal?
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