“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will remove from His Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:40-42 NLT)
As frightening as those verses are, the worst part of hell isn’t what we perceive as physical pain and agony, but the emotional anguish of being in an environment completely separated from God. That’s beyond anything we can imagine because no living being on earth has ever been completely separated from His presence. Just as sin separates us from God in life, death separates those who have persisted in their sin from God for all eternity. What might that look like?
John writes in 1 John 4:16-18: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is Love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them,. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.”
If we’re separated from God, we’re separated from His love. The opposite of love isn’t hatred, it’s fear. Love means security in Him, peace, hope, satisfaction, confidence, companionship, community, and many other positive things that bring comfort and joy. Fear means never a moment of peace, constant anxiety, it essentially means living in fear every second.
Since God is love, there is no love in hell, but God is also light, so hell will be complete darkness. Jesus said in Matthew 19:17 “There is only One who is good” who is God, so, in His absence there will be nothing good in hell. God is life, which implies fellowship and interaction with others, hell will be isolation and loneliness. God is filled with grace, mercy, kindness, none of which will be present in hell.
In this life we have family, friends, jobs, the ability to see other beautiful places and people from other countries who broaden our appreciation of who God is and how creative He is and how much joy life affords us. Hell will be without joy of any kind. Try to imagine life without the joy of having someone in your life whom you love and by whom you’re loved.
Yet, even as I write that, I realize there are millions of people in this world who could say, “That’s me! I must already be in hell!” But here’s the sad truth, that’s only one small aspect of the real hell, yet few make the connection between their misery in this life and the absence of Christ as Savior in their life. Jesus IS life so the adage is true: No Jesus, No life! Know Jesus, Know life and peace, happiness, joy, fulfillment, and many more positives.
If you’ve continually pushed away from any thought of Jesus, believing you don’t want anything to do with God, Jesus, the Bible, Church or anything that smacks of religious belief, read carefully again the words above, because when you die, you will get your wish, and I guarantee you, you won’t like it. Why not rather open your heart to life by opening your mind and heart to Jesus? At least investigate His claims for yourself.
Please tap on anewstory.com and allow Ron Hutchcraft to walk you through a brief, but helpful explanation of how to begin a relationship with the Lord Jesus, the only One who can save you from an eternity in hell.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 