Doesn’t this phrase sound familiar to you? Usually we will hear it from
people who give the expression of surprise, shock or maybe frustration over
some stuff.
As I was listening to my classmate talk about hell, this question just rang
in my head, “What the hell?” It has never come across my mind why some people
would use this phrase whenever something shocking occurs? Therefore, I went and
googled it and according ‘Urban Dictionary’ some of the definitions stated
there said that, “What the hell” was just an expression.
Really? Is that all it is, just an expression? This compelled me to blog
this, for whoever that uses this phrase “What the hell?”, yes, you’ve really
got to ask the question “What the ‘Hell’?”
And my take on it is that, if you knew, it will shock your socks off.
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In Hebrews
9:27, it says that “27And just as each person is destined to die
once and after that comes judgment”. For those who have been found guilty of their sin
will be thrown into hell. Hell is a place of terror and eternal torment.
In 2
Thessalonians 1:8-10 “8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those
who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord
Jesus. 9 They will be
punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his
glorious power.10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory
from his holy people-- praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for
you believed what we told you about him.”
Wow!
And in response to this, some people ask "How could a loving God
send people to hell?" Well I don’t think He “sends” people to hell but
hell is a place for those who turn away from Jesus or reject Him. We are mostly
bombarded with messages of a God that loves but we mostly forget that He is
also a God that is holy and just. Since He is a God of justice, there must be
due punishment for those who are wicked and turn away from Him.
A lot of Christians talk about heaven and try to avoid the word “hell”
because, it is scary or judgmental, or you just don’t want to appear
intolerant, etc. But, more than just a shocking expression to most pious
people, hell IS a real place. It is a place not only for those who do not know
Jesus but also a place for those who reject Him.
And don’t think that just because we’ve said the salvation prayer, we’re
pretty much set for heaven. Christians, or “so-called” Christians could go to
hell as well. If we don’t live our lives now right and properly, be constantly
aware that we’ve got to work out our salvation, we could end up there too.
Because our God is a God of holiness and justice, and holiness and justice not
only applies to non-believers, but also to us as Christians.
How should we be living our lives in this present day with this thought
in mind? How wise are we in living our lives now because it will be accounted
for and will determine our destiny in the future after this earthly life has
ended.
I totally agree with you, Kathrine, that our God is God of holiness and justice. Christians need to walk with Him, for when they stop walking with Him or relating with Him, they will finally end up in "what...the Hell!"
ReplyDeleteYou ask "how can a loving God send people to hell". That's interesting because more and more people are wondering that. I too have been asked several times. And many prominent ministers too have started to change their theology on Hell.
ReplyDeleteWe read in one of the articles that some have taken to believe in annihilation - where in those sentence to hell will simply be wipe out and they cease to exist or have 'eternal life'. It reminds me of a Buddhist goal and doesn't actually seem so bad. I mean really, wanting to live forever is an old notion. Today nobody does. Movies portray that feeling.
What is your take?
I must say that I'm intrigued by the idea of annihilation, lol!! A cessation from, everything, the toil, the expectations, the pain, the constraints..
DeleteThe cessation of everything.. The toil of life does take a toll onto us.. Unless there is something better to look forward to.. Which for us, should technically be heaven.. But how many of us Christians really give more than a fleeting thought about it as we go through our toils?
To live forever, people do ya know.. All these stem cell researches, cryogenic freezing stuff.. People do want to live forever.. Cos, I suppose they are afraid that they'll cease to exist..
And maybe, I'm not too much like the majority..
:)
Regarding the frequently asked question of "How can a loving God send anyone to hell?" I've come across one of David Pawson's books entitled "The God & The Gospel of Righteousness" in which he said he normally replied to such question with "Where did you get the idea that God is loving?"
ReplyDeleteHe pointed out that there is very little direct mention about God’s love the Bible. Direct references to God’s love are few and far between. Less than one verse in a thousand mentions God’s love. Here are some facts: No mention of God's love in Genesis; Exodus, one verse; Leviticus, no mention; Deuteronomy, one verse; no mention in Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles. There are one or two in Psalms, nothing in Proverbs, Song of Songs & Ecclesiastes. One verse in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel; nothing in Daniel. In Hosea, a few verses; Amos, nothing; and so on through all the minor prophets, not a word. There is not a word in Matthew, Mark or Luke. There are a few verses in John and most significantly, not a single mention in the book of Acts — and Acts shows us how the early church evangelized. How did the apostles do it without ever mentioning the love of God? Could you go out and evangelize without mentioning the love of God? But what they preached is "repent & turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance" (Acts 20:21). Interestingly, it is Jesus himself that talks most about hell instead of Paul, Peter or John.
He goes on to say that very mention of the love of God that we'll find in the Bible is directed either to God in praise or to believers in fellowship. Not a single verse about the love of God is directed to unbelievers.
In addition, it is wriiten in Rev 14:17-20 God will severely pour His wrath on unbelievers like the trampling of winepress...and blood flowed out rising up to the horses' bridle for a distance of 1,600 stadia (300km). What a horrific image and so much volume of blood. So yes, Yahweh is a loving God but he will still punish unrepentant sinners horribly. That's why we must "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgement has come..." (Rev 14:7).
What the hell? Yeah it is becoming a common statement nowadays. Trust me. I have heard people uttering this line before. Nobody likes to talk about hell let alone mention it. The message we are to share with others is a message of love and not of fear and torment. Yet as you have pointed out, the Bible clearly records the incidences of hell and what happens to people thrown into it. In Hebrews (:27, it is said that during judgment those who have been guilty of their sins will be thrown into hell, the place of eternal torment. You then shared on 2 Thes. 1:8-9, which says that those who do not know God and obey His Good News will face eternal separation from God. This is a mouthful for any one to swallow especially a non-believer. Yet, does this imply that we just share about the love of God through Jesus Christ and full-stop(.), nothing else. I say we can start of with the news of God's love but in the course of time hell will become a topic that we cannot avoid,. So why conceal the truth about hell from the knowledge of any person for that matter. They will feel uneasy with such a message but this is the truth at face-value. Remove the topic of hell from the discussion and you will find that in turn there is no need for a Savior. Why accept Christ if good works motivated by the love of God can take us to heaven. It makes little sense. Preach hell and you have a complete message of the Gospel. We are saved from hell. Sure, the word hell and the descriptions about it can cause fear to anyone but we have to note that the Good News is not a feel-good message. Every believer has to be responsible for their actions, and the doctrine of hell might just keep them on their toes for every action. The one time or few times act of accepting Christ as personal Savior does not offer a "blanket protection" for the unrepentant sinner. Paul's message is repent or perish, or as I will put it, "Be mindful of your actions or else you could be heading to HELL."
ReplyDeleteIt is so important that we as ministers of the gospel get our Theology on Heaven and Hell correct. Being in a position where others look to us for answers, we need to project a clear impression of it. We can't take the general idea or just represent the popular thought of the day, but we need to be biblical, based on Truth and Fact and not fiction.
ReplyDelete