The reality of hell is becoming a hot topic of late (pun intended). I have encountered at least two beliefs, one that states all people are saved because of Jesus' sacrifice and won't go to hell and the other states that those who go to hell won't stay there for eternity. Of course these are not the only views of hell I have ever heard of or that exists. Some think we are currently living in hell and at times I almost feel inclined to agree with them. Some think that hell does not exist at all.
I have to be honest and say that I wonder sometimes what bible people are reading. I don't mean to be condescending, and I am all for discussion and different views and interpretation of scripture as long as it is held within the confines of the scripture. What I mean is the absolute answer to any discussion in the end should be the scripture itself. Until God reveals it to you or the understanding is brought to light, take it in a literal context. So what I would like to offer are some rebuttals as it were to statements being made concerning hell.
The first thing we should realize is that Satan is at work doing the same thing he's done since Adam and Eve. Deceiving. Satan deceived Eve in two ways. First he questioned God's word. He said, "Has God said you shouldn't eat of this tree?" (paraphrase). He questioned what God said, he questioned the Word. Today, it would be, the bible doesn't say homosexuality is a sin. The bible doesn't say people will spend eternity in hell?
Questions in the form of statements that are designed to cause the listener to doubt the truth of what they know. Eve however, refuted Satan with "Yes God did say we couldn't eat of that tree". She was firm on what she knew to be true. Satan then hit her with this. He said, "God doesn't want you to eat of that tree because he knows if you do then you will be like him and he won't be able to control you." (paraphrase). He did a character assassination against God and planted a seed of distrust in Eve against God's intentions toward Adam and her. The seeds of doubt and distrust produced the fruit of rebellion. Satan's very sin.
So allow me to tackle a couple of questions (statements).
1. Why would a caring and loving God send anyone to hell.
True. God is a loving and caring God and wouldn't send anyone to hell. People send themselves their by their own choice to reject Jesus.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:16-17
You see, what people are leaving out is the "choice" part. The part where responsibility is put on our shoulders. People don't want responsibility for their choices or rather they don't want consequences to their choices. So, no hell or consequence for rejecting Jesus and living in sin, no responsibility for sinful actions.
God created hell for Satan and the angels that rebelled. Mathew 25:41. Hell is the eternal consequence/judgement of sin. God is a loving yet just God. We have grace that when we miss the mark/fall/sin, we can go to Him and receive forgiveness. If we do not, then judgement. A judge does not set a criminal free if they are found guilty just because he likes the guy. Would it be right and just to allow those who rejected Jesus and lived sinful rebellious lives to enter the kingdom along with those who accepted Jesus and did their best to live right? The sacrifice of Jesus is there to save all people, but that sacrifice has to be received.
2. Hell isn't real, it is just symbolic.
Ok, symbolic of what? If it is symbolic of something then that something must be a hell of a place. (pun intended).
"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." Luke 16:23
"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment."
2 Peter 2:4
When the bible references hell, it is speaking of a literal place. What people also tend to neglect is the spiritual aspect of God. Whether you want to believe it or not there are two worlds in existence. The physical world that we are currently in and the spiritual world that we cannot see with our physical eyes. This where believing with out seeing comes into place. People who tap into the spirit world or claim to see ghosts are not exactly flaky. I don't believe they understand what they are seeing or experiencing, but they are experiencing. Think about people who have had near death experiences. They often recount hovering above their bodies and seeing people, but those people don't see them or they see people who have previously passed on yet no one else can. The veil between worlds is thin and we are meant operate in both yet carnality prevents the full extent and understanding. Hell is real, it's there and it's eternal.
The truth is that God loves and cares for everyone. Saints and sinners alike. We are all sinners. It's God's love and grace that we must accept and receive. God doesn't hate people who sin. He hates the sin. When my children do wrong. I have to correct them. I love my children, its the wrongs they do I don't like. When they are corrected the wrong will be corrected.
Satan to this day uses the same old tactic of doubt and unbelief to deceive people into rejecting Jesus and not believing in hell. No matter what people want to believe or not believe, it doesn't change the truth of hell. Now, what are we going to do with the truth of Hell? Let's Just Settle It.
In Christ,
Kevin
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
One Size Fits All
I just read a short blog post by Mary one of the young girls of my church. In her post she begins with questioning why she wakes up in the early hours of the morning with thoughts of the worlds troubles on her mind and heart. Most recently the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. She mentions child abuse and the danger of escaped criminals a well.
This young lady's family is big by some standards. There are ten children, eight girls and two boys. Each one of them have been raised in a Christian home. There father, whom passed away a couple of years ago, was/is a kind, meek, and wise man. He was/is also firm standing in the care of his family and serving the Lord. Their mother has been and still is their constant. She is the glue and connection they all have with each other. Each child is unique and outstanding yet you can see the same heart.
Satan has forever done his best to destroy the fabric of the family. His tactics are plain and easy to see, divorce, abuse, abandonment, etc., with these he seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, that which God has ordained to be the first place His love is to be present. Young girls like Mary, grow up with out fathers or with abusive fathers or absent fathers. Girls who grow up with these circumstances often are led into lives of self destruction and exploited by the twisted minds of others
In the movie "The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers", Aragorn catches Eowyn niece of King Theoden practicing with a sword. Aragorn comments on her skill with a sword and Eowyn responds, "The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them.". Later in the third movie of the trilogy "Return of The King", we see Eowyn in battle armor riding out to war with the other soldiers.
One of our commissions from God is Proverbs 22:6 which says, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."
The one thing the enemy does his best at keeping us from doing is training our children how to fight spiritually. We want our children to learn to defend themselves from bully's and anyone who would try to hurt them physically, but we can neglect the defense against Satan who seeks to harm them spiritually. We must gird up ourselves and shake off hesitancy and fear, and set ourselves to teach our children to be warriors. Laochra Eirigi, Warrior Arise.
We must teach our children boys and girls how to wear the Armor of God. You have probably seen the cartoon pictures of a child wearing God's armor that was too big and the idea was for the child to grow into it. I am not downing that at all, but here is a different view. The Armor of God that is given to us already fits. It fits us perfectly as children and as we grow, it grows with us. One size fits all. The training doesn't come in learning to grow into the armor, it comes in learning to how to use it. Part of the problem is that sometimes we ourselves don't know how to use it.
A friend of mine posted this on facebook. His seven year old daughter woke up one night after having a nightmare. His daughter told him that when she woke up that she thought instead of running to daddy she prayed to God to take the bad dreams away and told Satan to get out in the name of Jesus. That my friends is training your child.
" Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. " Ephesians 6:11-12
The shoes of the gospel of peace, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, and prayers of supplication.
Battles are brief but wars are longer. We are in a war where battles are won and lost. The war has already been won, but the battles are daily and must be won. Soldiers don't fight for themselves. They fight for others. Their king, their country, their people. Jesus is our King. The Kingdom of Heaven our country. God's creation of man our people.
Laochra Eirigi, Warrior Arise. Learn your armor. Learn what it's for. Learn how to use it, then teach your children. Begin sowing those seeds into them. They aren't too young. They aren't too small. One Size Fits All.
In Christ,
Kevin
This young lady's family is big by some standards. There are ten children, eight girls and two boys. Each one of them have been raised in a Christian home. There father, whom passed away a couple of years ago, was/is a kind, meek, and wise man. He was/is also firm standing in the care of his family and serving the Lord. Their mother has been and still is their constant. She is the glue and connection they all have with each other. Each child is unique and outstanding yet you can see the same heart.
Satan has forever done his best to destroy the fabric of the family. His tactics are plain and easy to see, divorce, abuse, abandonment, etc., with these he seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, that which God has ordained to be the first place His love is to be present. Young girls like Mary, grow up with out fathers or with abusive fathers or absent fathers. Girls who grow up with these circumstances often are led into lives of self destruction and exploited by the twisted minds of others
In the movie "The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers", Aragorn catches Eowyn niece of King Theoden practicing with a sword. Aragorn comments on her skill with a sword and Eowyn responds, "The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them.". Later in the third movie of the trilogy "Return of The King", we see Eowyn in battle armor riding out to war with the other soldiers.
One of our commissions from God is Proverbs 22:6 which says, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."
The one thing the enemy does his best at keeping us from doing is training our children how to fight spiritually. We want our children to learn to defend themselves from bully's and anyone who would try to hurt them physically, but we can neglect the defense against Satan who seeks to harm them spiritually. We must gird up ourselves and shake off hesitancy and fear, and set ourselves to teach our children to be warriors. Laochra Eirigi, Warrior Arise.
We must teach our children boys and girls how to wear the Armor of God. You have probably seen the cartoon pictures of a child wearing God's armor that was too big and the idea was for the child to grow into it. I am not downing that at all, but here is a different view. The Armor of God that is given to us already fits. It fits us perfectly as children and as we grow, it grows with us. One size fits all. The training doesn't come in learning to grow into the armor, it comes in learning to how to use it. Part of the problem is that sometimes we ourselves don't know how to use it.
A friend of mine posted this on facebook. His seven year old daughter woke up one night after having a nightmare. His daughter told him that when she woke up that she thought instead of running to daddy she prayed to God to take the bad dreams away and told Satan to get out in the name of Jesus. That my friends is training your child.
" Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. " Ephesians 6:11-12
The shoes of the gospel of peace, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, and prayers of supplication.
Battles are brief but wars are longer. We are in a war where battles are won and lost. The war has already been won, but the battles are daily and must be won. Soldiers don't fight for themselves. They fight for others. Their king, their country, their people. Jesus is our King. The Kingdom of Heaven our country. God's creation of man our people.
Laochra Eirigi, Warrior Arise. Learn your armor. Learn what it's for. Learn how to use it, then teach your children. Begin sowing those seeds into them. They aren't too young. They aren't too small. One Size Fits All.
In Christ,
Kevin
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