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(Thoughts on God's Glory and the reality of Hell)
Luke 13:6, "And He(Jesus) began telling this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?'
If a farmer finds out that one of his apple trees never produced an apple, the farmer would rightly say, "it's a tree but to me it is no apple tree, it is worthless to me." A passer by who has never seen this farm before might walk by and seeing the tree say, "Oh my, what is this ordinary worthless tree doing in among all these apple trees, its wasting space." Even though apple trees are good for some shade, or nesting for birds or providing away for carbon monoxide to be turned into oxygen it would not be worth calling it an "apple" tree if it does not produce apples. It would be missing its true existence for even being created and planted. Therefore it is cut down by the owner and thrown into the fire to be burned.
If you owned an apple tree farm and one of your apple trees never produced and apple, which is why you planted it in the first place, you would cut it down and plant another one in its place. God would do the same to us if we don't do the #1 thing we are suppose to do, which is to know and enjoy His supremacy. The farmer would be seen as wise for cutting down his barren apple tree and planting another one in its place. Just as God is seen as good and wise for throwing those who don't live for Him, and throw them in hell to be burned as fire wood forever.
Now I would like to talk more about the reality of Hell being forever, thus the torment of the wicked people whom God throws in hell will be "eternal." Is this true, that sinful human beings will be "burned" forever in torment? Also is it logical to believe this as well? Lets start this investigation with the scripture that dwells on this topic.
2 Thessalonians 1:9, "They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."
Jude 1: 6, "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Jude 1: 13, "foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever."
Mark 9:45, "It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched"
Matthew 25:46, "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
From mere scripture the answer is too oblivious to spend any more time proving, the torment of the persons in hell is indeed eternal. Here is the question. WHY is there Eternal Punishment? The answer is that there is an Eternal God in the equation. Where is Scripture to show that?
Psalm 147:5, "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."(If a being is truly "Infinite" in one aspect is impossible for them not to be infinite in all there other properties. For how can infinity be truly infinity if it is contained by finite bounties?)
Psalm 135:13, "Your Name, O LORD, endures forever, Your fame, O LORD, throughout all generations."
Genesis 21:33, "Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God."
Isaiah 40:17, "All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless."
Romans 16:26, "according to the commandment of the everlasting God"
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 4:11, "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."
(1)One of the main reasons people have a hard time dealing with the eternal Hell of which God personally created to torment sinners, is owing to the under-evaluation of Gods worth and value. If one were to truly see and think about God as "INFINITE" and thus infinite in His worth and supreme value then eternal punishment makes much more since.
Gods worth and Value is so eternal and infinite that in Romans 3:25-26 we are told the reason Jesus died on the cross was to vindicate or clear God's righteousness because in His infinitely valuable Righteousness God had "passed over the sins that were previously committed." A righteous God cannot "pass over...Sin" and still be an infinitely Worthy God and "judge" of the Cosmos according to Romans 3:25-26. This just goes to show how infinitely Valuable God's worth is, in that the Cross was about God clearing His Name because we tainted it when God forgives our sins without punishment. But "thanks be to God" that He not only desired to be the "just" but also the "Justifier" of "many" through Christ Jesus. Romans 3:26
God is infinite. Therefore one sin, which is committed against an infinite God, has to have an infinite punishment against it. For the greatness of the insult is according to the greatness or worthiness of the one being insulted. Insult a poor man and little happens. Insult a Supreme Court judge in the courtroom and you go to jail. Therefore Sin is an infinite insult to God because God is infinite in both value and worthiness. Therefore to rightly uphold God's own endless worth God created Hell for endless punishment to vindicate His eternal worth and value. Eternal punishment Shows displays the Eternal Worth of God forever.
In light of this I would wish to talk briefly about the Glory Jesus Christ. For it must speak quite loudly that Christ must be Infinite in both worthiness and beauty if His one sacrifice perfectly and eternally atoned so vast a people from the infinite punishment that God the Father originally purposed to pour on them forever, for the sin they committed.
Hebrews 1:3, [Christ] being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person."
Christ is the perfect brightness and effulgence of the Majestic God's Glory and value. Christ is the exact "image of His person." Inarguably if God has infinite joy in Himself, as He so does, then He must have this same infinite delight in His Son as well, since His Son is the "brightness of His glory and express image of His person." Meaning Jesus was more than adequate to cover all the sins of the worst sinners. For although they sinned against an Infinitely valuable God, yet they themselves are only finite. But Christ who is Infinite value and Infinite shining forth of God's own glory and delight, perfectly obeyed the Father and did this as an Infinitely worthy person. Thus Jesus Christ is much more able to repair and to take away the sins of the whole world. Therefore rendering the worst of sinners, not only forgiven, but also adorned and beautified with Christ righteousness and light as a robe to wear forever. Therefore I exhort all to behold the enduring and immeasurable excellence of Christ Jesus, who is God Himself, who saved to the uttermost every sinner who would come to Him, follow Him and love Him as the infinite treasure that He is. Oh saints of the living God rejoice and be amazed at who your Savior is, and how successfully He saved you a sinner. May this be our daily mediations and songs of our hearts.
"If so excellent a person would offer himself to undergo such suffering for poor sinners, what could the strictest justice require more, whatever affronts they have been guilty of. This is enough to appease the greatest anger of God. God desires no greater sacrifice. It fully makes up with God. It is enough to balance the debt contracted by the sins of the whole world. 'Tis great aggravation of sin, it makes it an infinite evil and to deserve and infinite punishment [because] it is committed against the infinite majesty and glory of God. But if that person who is the brightness of that glory of God will stoop to bear the punishment of sin, that must be sufficient to answer it and to balance it....It is a great a thing for a person who is the brightness of God's Glory, to die, as it is for Gods glory to be sinned against. And no doubt but the sacrifice of Christ will be of [an] infinite account with the father. His blood will be precious in His eyes because it is the blood of Him who is the brightness of His own glory. God's own glory is doubtless infinitely lovely and dear to Him, and so is the Person who is the shinning forth of that Glory... How lovely do such appear in the eyes of God the Father. Doubtless God takes delight in His own beauty and glory. This is always acceptable to Him that here can be no danger of His rejecting [of those found in Christ]...'Tis wonderful that a creature should be admitted to such a privilege as believers have by their interest in Christ, that they should have His worthiness so imputed to them." (Jonathan Edwards, "Jesus Christ Is the Shining Forth of the Fathers Glory")
Therefore it becomes easy to answer the question why and how God is able and willing to show, the children of election in heaven, "eternal" and ever-increasing happiness as they are conformed to the image of the one who saved them! How is the all-righteous Judge of the universe able and willing to show infinite grace to sinners who deserved His infinite wrath instead? Since God is infinite in intrinsic Value, beauty and Worth, then any sin no matter how small it is automatically becomes an infinite cosmic treason against God. And therefore as Judge the only righteous and right way to punish infinite treason is an infinite punishment, so that justice is fully satisfied. There if no punishment a finite invaluable creature can go through which would equal "infinite" in its degree. For as long as the creature is finite it is impossible to satisfy infinite punishment by mere degree of pain for a set amount of time, as infinite is compared to the infiniteness of God’s worth. Therefore the duration of the punishment must be infinite in order for justice to be satisfied with the punishment of a finite creature requiring and infinite punishment, although there will never be a time when it can be truly said that justice is not satisfied; for there will never be a time where God’s infinite Greatness can be said to be found out.
Therefore this shows how INFINITE Jesus Christ obeyed and loved God the Father that not even eternity will give the Father the time to exhaust the grace that Christ’s love and obedience to the Father purchased. This shows two immeasurable realities to me that sinners, which deserved infinite punishment, are now brought into infinite pleasure and grace. First it shows the intrinsic worth and value of Jesus Christ who, with His Blood, purchased our salvation. His blood or He Himself must be of infinite value if He was able to buy infinite grace and happiness for His church. This to me gives all the proof of Christ Deity, for only God has truly infinite worth. It shows the greatness of Christ’s value in that He was not only able to purchased our forgiveness and the taking away of our sins, but was able in addition to purchase for us Infinite grace and kindness. Romans 5:9-11, Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Also Romans 5:15, "But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many." And also, Romans 5:17, "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)" Second this demonstrates the pleasure God the Father has in His Son Jesus Christ that He is not only willing to pardon and administer grace but He delights and longs to do so, to the ones for who Christ become for them their substitutionary lamb and righteousness. The worth of Christ’s death and obedience is so infinite and the love of the Father so boundlessness toward His Son that the saints will have infinite grace bestowed on them. And can anyone suggest infinity can be exhausted? Therefore there will never come a point in time where it can be said that the infinite grace has now be fully imparted.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Also Romans 5:15, "But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many." And also, Romans 5:17, "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)" Second this demonstrates the pleasure God the Father has in His Son Jesus Christ that He is not only willing to pardon and administer grace but He delights and longs to do so, to the ones for who Christ become for them their substitutionary lamb and righteousness. The worth of Christ’s death and obedience is so infinite and the love of the Father so boundlessness toward His Son that the saints will have infinite grace bestowed on them. And can anyone suggest infinity can be exhausted? Therefore there will never come a point in time where it can be said that the infinite grace has now be fully imparted.
(2)Another reason people have a hard time seeing why the Almighty God would create hell to punish and torment wicked human beings forever is that they see God as loving, as they should, and therefore they cannot conceive how a God of "love" could torment human beings forever.
For some reason people pick God's "mercy and love" and then try to decipher what is logical for the Almighty God by comparing what He does ONLY to those attributes.
I ask, why logically compare what God should do only by contrasting His actions to His "love or mercy", and not to ALL of Gods attributes. By including all of God's perfection it would seem to produce the best and most accurate conclusions, would it not? But by only comparing God's actions to His love and mercy, and not all His attributes, you will have very false logical conclusions about who God is and what He does. I hope for your sake you can see this.
Why not compare what God does in Hell, not only to His mercy or love but also His WORTH and VALUE. Lets do that and see what we come up with. IF God is INFINTE in His worth and value, because He is an infinite fountain of perfections and excellencies, then if a person would sin against this INFINITE GOD then God, for Him to be a GOOD and JUST God, would have to punish that person for an INFINITE duration. For this person has sinned against an Infinitely worthy God. Thus accumulating an infinite insult, which only rightfully deserves, if punished according to the degree of the offence, and infinite torment. For God to be a Good God that upholds truth and justice in the universe He created, will have no other choice, but to punish sin with INFINTIE Punishment because and an INFINITE God is in the equation. God is also loving because He administered justice were justices demands it, and thus all these perfections are displayed for all to see. God is loving because in punishing the sinner He is showing love to His Son to whom sin so much insulted and dishonored. This in returns makes God more Glorious, meaning the creature will be better able to see and joy the blinding light of Jesus Christ for all times.
If people don't get punished for eternality, then that will only mean one thing, God is not infinite in His worth and value. The eternal punishment of the wicked in Hell is at its most fundamental aspect a declaration of the eternal and infinite Greatness and Glory of the One insulted by sin, and thus eternal punishment must be administered. Hell is here by design of God as a way to and make known the Glory of God's Infinite Holiness and Justice. God is making known He is a perfect Judge over His moral universe He created. He is the Almighty God who is not be to trifled with.
Think about this. Why would God put tiny humanity on a tiny planet in a huge galaxy, which is part of Billions of billions of other splendorous galaxies, which comprise the universe? Did he do this to make a point about Himself or about us?
It is self-evident, if God is true, that all creation is to make a point about God and is Majestic Glory. Then logically worship is clearly seen as the main reason God made us, to enjoy knowing Him. And Heaven is where this design of God is fully recognized for blood bought saints, by Jesus Christ.
(3)Lastly I wish to ask and answer the question what is this "second death" which is spoken of in the scriptures?
2 Thessalonians 1:9, "They will suffer the punishment of eternal [death] away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might"
Rev 20:14-15, "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
In Corinthians 2:14 we see when we are spiritually dead that we cannot understand God or anything of God, in any real or internal since of the heart or mind. Now, even if you are an atheist you might enjoy the beauty of creation, the sun, stars, and a cool breeze in the summer, but you do this separate form enjoying creation as an internal heart felt worship to God. But the enjoyment of a beautiful sunset is enjoying the beauty of God's creation given to make known the Glory of God and to give pleasure to the creature in beholding Christ in it. Even though you are "spiritually Dead" you are still able to, in a small part, enjoy externally some of the blessings and beauties of God, even within a church setting.(Heb. 6:3-:12, Matt.7:21-23) An unbeliever can go to church and be blessed in a small part externally by the means of "grace" that surrounds him or her.
Now the "second death" is a total removal of all God's Glory from an unbeliever. This is why it is called a second death. Because we are all born sinners we are already "spiritual" dead(Ezekiel 37), and when we died physically we will die not in part as now, but completely away from all blazing light and Glory of the invisible God. Which leaves such individuals incomplete "blackness of darkness forever"(Jude 1:13). Which is why 2 Thessalonians says, "They will suffer the punishment of eternal [death] away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."
Understand we are all born "dead in sins". The second death is the absolute removal of all God's beauty from unbelievers. The day of "Christ coming", or His coming the second time is the fulfillment of God keeping true to His blood bought saints, that they will see all His promised Glory, so that they might finally see their grand and glorious God and Savoir forever. For the others, "He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness", it is also called the "vengeance of Eternal fire".(Jude 1:5-6)
It is strange to think that while hell is a "lake of fire", or "eternal fire", yet at the same time it is "blackness of Darkness forever". How these two realities are going work together (fire while dark), I hope never to find out by experience. And if you do not either, then I exhort all to repentance and a life worth of repentance, while looking with the eyes of faith at our risen Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ for what He really is. A Cosmic treasure so valuable and beautify that all is to be looked upon as less and nothing compared to Him. Amen
Yours in Christ: Oshea
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