How to deal with the reality of hell · 11:33pm Apr 6th, 2018
I recognize that this is an unpopular and uncomfortable topic. That does not make it any less important, or worth talking about.
1. Face reality. Hell exists. It is a place of eternal suffering. Anyone who rejects God will go there. And no amount of human-based rhetoric will change that.
We all deserve to go there. We do evil (sin) from our births. We are not, in general, taught to lie, cheat, or steal; we just do it, even as kids, because it seems to benefit us; "I'll just slip a mini-flashlight into mom's groceries; she won't find out." Didn't work for me as a little boy in preschool, but it highlights the issue. I wanted the mini-flashlight, so I tried to sneak it into what mom was already buying, even though she'd said no. Fortunately, she caught the thing as the cashier was holding it up to scan it, and she was not happy. She had not raised me to be a thief.
Romans 3:23 says, "...for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:10 states, "None is righteous, no, not one..."
King David began both Psalms 14:1-3 and 53:1-3 in this way;
"The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
Romans 6:23 begins, "For the wages of sin is death..." Ecclesiastes 7:20 adds, "Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, who does what is right and never sins.
The Bible is clear. We deserve hell, and there is no avoiding it without a true, heart-felt, loving turn to God.
If you've gotten to this point (and probably well before it); you'll probably be wondering why, if God is love, why some people go to hell? The fact is, God hates evil. He can't stand it! And, being righteous and holy and just, evil - sin - must be judged and punished. Furthermore. it's not that God sends them to hell; people CHOOSE to go there by their rejection of Him. God has, on numerous occasions, given people more than adequate time to stop doing evil and turn to Him. God delayed the punishment of the Amorites/Canaanites (Genesis 15:16) and Israel and Judah after them in order to give them time.
Moreover, God Himself rises early to warn us of the consequences. God sent prophets throughout the time of Saul, David, Solomon, and the Divided Kingdom to give warnings, pronounce coming judgment, to tell of the coming Messiah, and to give hope. As God Himself said, in Exodus 34:6-7; "And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
God gives us chance after chance to repent and turn to Him. No, we can't stop sinning entirely; even believers sin. But we have a Hope. God not only warns and is slow to anger, He provided a Way out. That Way is Jesus Christ.
2. Seek Jesus. Always, always, always.
God wants you saved even more than you do. He says, in Ezekiel 33:11; "'As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’" He sent part of Himself - Jesus - to die that we could have a way out. God's desire is that all people might be saved.
He does, however, leave the choice to you. God does not force us to make a choice. He does give His creation the ability and, some might say, even the honor, of free will. Again, God desires that all people might be saved, but knows that tragically many will not. It is our decision; continue on the road to destruction and face worse than ruin, or not only realize our sins, but turn to God and beg His gracious, generous forgiveness through Christ?
I implore the reader to choose Christ. His love can cover your sins entirely. This is not an invitation to sin more; that would be wrong and against what Christ stands for. However, it does mean that when a believer sins, they are forgiven. The proper response is love, gratitude, and a desire to improve.
Hell is avoidable. And God has given us a Way through Jesus. How will you respond?
May God go with you all.
Amen.
I actually stole a care bare when I was little, I didn't put it up with what my Granny was buying, but in my case, no one noticed. I felt bad about it though, and didn't enjoy it as much.
If I reject god I guess I’m already going to hell. It’s a tough reality I’ve had to face from family members but I’m already going to hell so I might as well go all the way while my soul burns. Redemption was offered to me and I rejected it so I already know I’m going to hell and it’s the reality I’ve decided to live with. If being an outcast of the catholic faith means I’m going to hell then in my opinion it’s a price worth paying as the corruption of the church and it’s teachings being cast out of my personal life is worth the price of my soul burning forever.
Please don't use this site for religious messages. I, myself, am not Christian, but omnitheistic. Because of this, seeing people using this site, which is for fanfiction about a little girls cartoon about talking pastel colored horses, to spread religious messages, no matter the religion it's from, is actually quite offensive. You shouldn't go around telling people that if they're not believers that they'll go to Hell. If you believe it, go ahead. I don't care what other people believe, but I do care when said people try to shove their beliefs down other people's throats.
Well said, Fire. Very well said.
May God go with you as well,
4834978
Every single work of art, from popular works like the paintings of Picasso to the lesser medium of fanfiction, is someone trying to express their beliefs and opinions and present them to other people. That's just how creativity works. If you don't want to see artworks coming from a perspective or faith that you personally find distasteful, you always have the option to not read or look at them.
4834880
There is a massive difference between rejecting the teachings and hypocrisy of a Church, and rejecting God himself. I have several friends who are no longer a part of the Catholic Church (and don't really classify themselves by any denomination, myself included) that still firmly believe in Jesus and God. Heck, even Jesus himself was a rebel from the established church of his time (in a manner of speaking).
4834669
The conscience shows quite the display of tough love, doesn't it?
4836493
Perhaps, but there are bound to be children on this site, so telling them that if they don't believe in God that they'll go to Hell isn't right. People should be free to make their own choices, so seeing people trying to force their own beliefs on others pisses me off. I don't care what you believe, just so long as you don't try to force other people to believe the same thing.
4836702
I see your point, but a part of our Faith is that we should spread both the Word and a warning. The reality of Hell is a frightening one, there's no quarrel there, but there's no "forcing" others to do anything anywhere in there.
If your parents and the local law enforcement advise you against using cocaine because of how poisonous and overall unhealthy it is, would you say that they're forcing you not to use it? Sure, it's an illegal drug with terrible side effects, but there are still hundreds of people who use it that have never been punished outside of the natural repercussions of using it. It's the same thing with Christians and Hell: people are absolutely free to make their own choices, but we warn against following the wrong path because we're concerned for your safety. It's never meant as a robbery of free will, nor will it ever be.
4836853
I think I see what you're trying to say. It still annoys me, but I see where you're coming from.
4836493
Indeed. And ayyy Mud Briar avatar
4834978
I respectfully disagree. This is a personal blog, so Fireheart has the right to post his thoughts. He's not shoving anything down anyone's throat...if he were going onto other people's pages or blogs, that would be shoving stuff down people's throats. And he's not attacking anyone either. He's allowed to speak his beliefs, as does anyone else. This is his own personal blog on his own page, and it's optional to read said blog, y'know?
4836903
What can I say? I could really relate to him.
4836943
Yup!
4836943
4836945
You both have my gratitude.
4837155
No problem, my friend!