Today's Scripture Reading (December 30, 2023): Matthew 10
I admit that
I don't speak much about hell. To be blunt, I don't think hell is a central
part of the Christian message, although I also know that others disagree with
me. I believe that the central belief that we need to be teaching is that we
serve a God of love and grace. However, the Bible does teach about hell. And
so, let me take a few moments and reveal what I believe about hell. But let me
stress that you don't have to agree with me. There is room for disagreement in
our conversation about Hell. So, with grace in your heart, let me answer some
questions that I have been asked about the Hell of the Bible.
Is Hell real? Yes, I believe it is. There is enough of a story and content to
make me believe in the reality of Hell. I believe that Sheol and Hades exist as
a transitioning point that I really don't understand, and I don't think the
Bible helps us out there. But Sheol and Hades exist in some form. I do not
believe that Tartarus exists (In Greek mythology, Tartarus is a deep abyss used
as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked), even though Peter
mentions it in 2 Peter. I think he is trying to illustrate a point about False
Teachers, and he uses the Greek idea of Tartarus to make his point. I believe
that Gehenna is also an illustration of the real spiritual hell, or maybe Gehenna
is the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation.
Is the Bible literal when it comes to hell? No, I don't
think so. I have heard the argument that you have to take hell literally or the
Bible is worthless, but I disagree. There is much in the Bible that is symbolic.
The Bible is made up of many genres of writing, and it uses many tools to get
the message across, and those tools include stories and illustrations. Gehenna
is an excellent example of an illustration. Gehenna existed just outside of
Jerusalem, and it made sense that Matthew would especially use it as an
illustration. But it is just an illustration, although it is a pervasive one.
An argument that the Bible must be literal plays into the hands of those who
want to tear the Bible apart, so it is not necessarily a card that we want to
play, and to me, it doesn't make sense because that is not how we communicate. I
believe Hell exists, but we have no idea what it will be like, except to say
that I would not want to condemn anyone to that eventuality.
Is Hell made of fire? There is a
story about a young girl acting out in class. At her wit's end, her teacher
decides to educate the young girl on the trial of Hell (something that I don't
approve of, just in case someone is wondering). But the girl's behavior does
not change. Finally, the teacher asks the child if she is afraid of being sent
to hell for her behavior, and the girl shrugs her shoulders and answers, "Not
especially; my Dad sells air conditioners." Okay, it is an old and not
especially politically correct story, but I am not sure that air conditioners will
help. No, I do not think that hell is fire. Fire is an excellent example of destruction.
A few years ago, I wrote a blog post on Job 31:12 (It is a fire that burns to destruction; it would have uprooted my harvest).
Here is part of what I wrote.
One more note about hell. Job's comment about the
fire of Abaddon or Destruction or Hell indicates how long this association
between fire and hell has existed. But we need to be careful not to think that
Hell is literally fire. I do not believe
that this is true, and Job's comment here seems to support the idea that hell
is made up of a figurative fire, not a literal one. For Job, it is not that Hell
is literally going to burn his life and
uproot his crops. But fire has long been seen as a force of complete destruction.
Just like some had chosen to destroy their lives with an affair, so hell is
like that, a place where we choose to be, and yet a place where we can only be destroyed.
And the fact that we freely choose destruction only makes hell an even
sadder and scarier place. (Garry Mullen – June 20, 2018).
What
is Hell like? I don't know. Traditionally, I would have said that
Hell was a place where God was not. We cannot imagine the evil of a place that is
a direct result of the absence of God. Even in the valley of Hinnom, with the
people sacrificing their children to this false god, God was still there. I
believe that he was holding the children, that his tears bathed the valley as
we disobeyed him and committed this unthinkable evil. Even in the worst moments
of World War II, in the gas chambers and the mass graves, God was there holding
and weeping over his children. In the worst moments of your life, God is with
you. We need to reclaim the phrase "Goodbye" as Christians. Too often,
the sentiment is that "We don't say goodbye, we say see you later. Goodbye
is too final." But the origin of the word goodbye is "God be with ye."
Why would we ever let someone leave our presence without saying "Goodbye"
or "God be with you." If Hell is a place where God is not, I don't
think that we can imagine the horrors that such a place would hold.
But Hell is still not our primary focus. Let me close
with this thought from 2 Peter. "The
Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead
he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Our truth is that God is waiting for us to come to
repentance. And if we do, then Hell is unimportant in our lives.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: Mark 6
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