Why is There No Escape From Hell?

 You might be surprised by this but some errant churches teach that hell won't last forever. Even the cultic house church I once attended believed that every person ever born would eventually be saved.

Even a casual reading of the Bible proves that there's no escape from hell. The most famous story of that place is told in Luke's gospel.

In Jesus' parable, a rich man found himself in hell and he begged Abraham in heaven to send the beggar Lazarus to cool his tongue with a drop of water. The rich man also asked that somebody warn his five brothers not to end up where he was.

Luke 16:25 and 26 (BBE) says, "But Abraham said, 'Keep in mind, my son, that when you were living, you had your good things, while Lazarus had evil things: but now, he is comforted and you are in pain. And in addition, there is a deep division fixed between us and you, so that those who might go from here to you are not able to do so, and no one may come from you to us.'"

Heaven, by contrast, is a place of perfect righteousness. When the universe has it's epic melt down and is replaced by new heavens and a new earth, only goodness will be allowed there. As 2 Peter 3:13 (BBE) states, "But having faith in his word, we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth, which will be the resting-place of righteousness."

And though some people think that the New Jerusalem will be a physical city, I believe it's actually the returning saints of Christ. The verse in Revelation 22:15 (BBE) shows that wicked people won't be part of God's new kingdom. "Outside are the dogs, and those who make use of evil powers, those who make themselves unclean, and the takers of life, and those who give worship to images, and everyone whose delight is in what is false."

A day will come when everybody who ever lived will be judged. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:10 (BBE), "For we all have to come before Christ to be judged; so that every one of us may get his reward for the things done in the body, good or bad."

Furthermore, the Lord wouldn't be just if he let the unrepentant and infinite sin of Christ-rejecting wicked folks pass without eternal punishment. Isaiah 45:21 (BBE) shows how serious he is about his righteousness. "Give the word, put forward your cause, let us have a discussion together: who has given news of this in the past? who made it clear in early times? did not I, the Lord? and there is no God but me; a true God and a saviour; there is no other."

We rejoice then that God won't pardon the unforgivable sin of rejecting him until death. And because we can count on his wise judgement, I'll include that in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? As I've written before, we have enough revelation in creation to know that there's an all-powerful maker.

On Saturday, I plan on posting about work and a Cat Stevens song.

Is Satan the Boss of Hell?

This is another question which people, for the most part,  fail to answer correctly. To many, Satan comes and goes as he pleases from that place of punishment. But does the Bible say this?

Now Jude 1:6 (BBE) does say, "And the angels who did not keep to their kingdom but went out from the place which was theirs, he has put in eternal chains and in dark night till the great day of the judging."

Even so, we know that demons are working even today to sabotage God's plans. So not all of them are in chains.

But what of their leader? Scripture says that he testified against believers in heaven. Job 1:7 (BBE) speaks of a day when the Devil came in with the sons of God. "And the Lord said to the Satan, 'Where do you come from?' And the Satan said in answer, 'From wandering this way and that on the earth, and walking about on it.'"

We also read that the Devil was thrown out of heaven. When Christ's disciples came back from their first missionary trip and reported that even the demons were subject to them, Luke 10:18 (BBE) reports, "And he said, I was watching for Satan, falling from heaven like a star."

We also read of this fall in Revelation 12:7-9 (BBE). "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going out to the fight with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels made war, And they were overcome, and there was no more place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was forced down, the old snake, who is named the Evil One and Satan, by whom all the earth is turned from the right way; he was forced down to the earth, and his angels were forced down with him."

We also have the promise that Satan will be eternally incarcerated in the lake of fire with his followers. Revelation 20:10 (BBE) assures us, "And the Evil One who put them in error was sent down into the sea of ever-burning fire, where the beast and the false prophet are, and their punishment will go on day and night for ever and ever."

It's plain then that Satan doesn't have the ability to go into and out of hell as people think. Neither is hell his kingdom but his eternal prison. What a joyous day that will be for those who love God!

I'll point out Satan's weaknesses in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People tend to ascribe either too little or too much power to the Devil. I hope to set the record straight on that.

On Thursday, I'll blog about why there's no escape from hell.

Who Will be Barred from Heaven?

 I've written before about sinners and obliquely mentioned who won't be allowed in heaven. Thanks to the Apostle Paul, I can be more specific.

Those proponents of political correctness want us to tolerate supposedly alternative lifestyles. Too bad for them that God doesn't share their reprobate ideas. Instead, they'll face his wrath and miss out on eternal joy.

Look at what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (KJV). "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

While this is not a comprehensive list, it does show that out-and-out sinners of all sorts will end up barred from God's kingdom. Even those who claim to have same-sex attractions, or who believe their the opposite gender of the physical bodies they were born with, will miss out.
Some folks object that they were born homosexual or lesbian. Like June Hunt of Hope for the Heart aptly said, these people are victims of mistaken identity. Thousands of former homosexuals and lesbians attest to the fact that they can and have changed. If those individuals were actually "born that way," change would be impossible.

No matter what a person's proclivity toward forms of sin is, the Lord commands people to forsake their supposed lifestyle and obey him. If they don't, he honours their choice by sending them to the place where all other wicked rebels end up. This is because he knows that heaven would be hellish for those individuals so he graciously lets them go to where they desire to be.

Why does sin bug God?

This is like asking why people get so upset about being slandered and unfairly condemned. Sin is disobedience to God's protective laws. He wants people to reap the benefits of obeying him rather than falling for Satan's soul-destroying lies.

Sin is also an insult to the Lord's holiness. His desire is that we should be free of self-centeredness and pride. Sin, on the other hand,  is our middle finger response to all the magnanimous good God seeks for us. Like a child who demands his own way, humanity fell into the trap of sin in Eden when Eve fell for the idea that God was keeping back good things from her and Adam. Since then, the sin virus has infected us all.

Sin likewise helps Satan to drag many gullible people down with him to hell. We think we need to make our lives livable rather than trusting in the wisdom and loving protection of our Lord. Satan, a rebellious angel who dragged a third of the heavenly host down with him, doesn't love us at all. We're just pawns he can use, abuse, and toss in the garbage when we no longer are useful to his diabolical purpose.

God also showed his magnanimous love for us by substituting his son in our place to atone for sin. He could have just wiped out humanity or made us all robots but we wouldn't genuinely love him. Neither would we appreciate his grandiose gift of salvation had he not allowed us to know both good and evil.

You Think You're Going to Heaven is my next book, provided that something doesn't happen to stop me writing it. People need to think about eternity and realize that life is so easily snuffed out. Like an elevator, we can only go up to God or down to eternal conscious torment. As much as we would try to deny this, it's the way it is.

How Could God Send Millions of People to Hell?

Here's another question asked by critics of Christianity. To them, God sounds like a petulant little boy who punishes his pets for not doing what he wants them to do. I've even felt in the past that he was stingy and sadistic because my faith wasn't enough to heal my eyes. No matter how I tried, the prayers and laying on of hands by Christians resulted in only disappointment.

How sad it is that critics of God don't know him personally. These people only know about him from what they hear TV preachers say or from Bible stories they heard when they were children. Isn't that unfair of such folks to condemn the Lord because of what others have said?

Knowing about somebody isn't like knowing them. I know about famous people but I actually know none personally. For example, I couldn't call David Bowie on the phone like I could an acquaintance or personal friend, even if I had his home number. He doesn't know me and doubtless would be upset if I called him. In the same way, people who don't have a personal relationship with Christ can't accurately judge him and the other two members of the trinity.

Because critics don't understand the Lord's character, since they don't have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, they mislead others with their misconceptions. Perhaps the worst of their misapprehensions is that God sends people to hell. Like John Cleese noted on one TV show, hell is a voluntary organization. People choose to go there rather than obey God. The Lord has given us a choice, limited though it seems, so we could either surrender to his plan for us or go our own way.

God doesn't delight in the death of the wicked. In fact, he would rather have people surrender their lives into his loving care. Since forced love is not love at all, he gave us the option to obey or disobey. At death, he graciously lets people face the consequences of their decision.

In my How I Was Razed memoir, I showed how I finally learned that God is the heavenly Father who providentially led me to know him better. Check out this glorious journey from cultism to Christianity at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books. What a huge difference knowing his true character has made in my life. I hope others discover the real character of God like I have.

Don't All Religions Lead to God?

While having lunch with friends at a local restaurant, a woman asked me this question. Thanks to excellent Bible teachers such as Hank Hanegraaff, R. C. Sproul, Ravi Zacharias, Alistair Begg, and John MacArthur, I was able to answer her question in a reasonable way.

So, why don't all religions lead to God? Let's look at four major world religions. Buddhism teaches that there are no gods and that we must achieve complete selflessness to obtain enlightenment.

Hinduism teaches that there are many gods. Also, those who live a life filled with good deeds  will come back as a higher life form. If they are wicked, they come back as perhaps an insect or a rat. Those who finally get their spiritual act together will reach nirvana, according to what I've learned about it.

Islam teaches that there is only one god who has no partners. Allah is portrayed by the Qu'ran as distant and uncaring. If adherents do good works and beg forgiveness for sins, Allah might consider letting them into paradise. The only way to be assured of salvation from hell is to be martyred in the cause of jihad.

Christianity teaches that God is a tripartite entity, being one what and three WHOs. Unlike in Islam, God so loved the world that he sent his son so that whosoever believes in him would have eternal life in heaven. And unlike all other belief systems, no human works are righteous enough to allow people into God's holy presence. Christ paid the price for those who turn from their self-centered ways, ask forgiveness of their sins,  and surrender themselves to his rulership.

As you can plainly see, none of these religions agree with each other. This is why history is filled with religious and sectarian violence.

From my study of these religious systems, I conclude that only Christianity corresponds with reality. The Bible has proven itself reliable through its fulfilled prophesies, textual consistency, historical accuracy, and understanding of sinful humanity's behaviour.

I hope to write at length about this and other topics in a new book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Eternity is a long time and scripture shows us that there are only two destinations for souls after death: heaven and hell. I hope people think long and hard about this. According to Christ, there are no second chances after death.

Please check out my previous paperbacks. How I Was Razed is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.  Deliverance from Jericho and When a Man Loves a Rabbit are for sale on my book page.

Something far better than cookies and Kool-Aid

Monday, August 3, will mark a milestone in my life. Forty years ago, I made a decision that profoundly changed me. From my Deliverance From Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, here is the story of how I started on a spiritual journey that continues to this day. My hope is that you'll follow the same path that I did back then.

"Sharon's mom is having a Vacation Bible School in her basement. She wants me to invite everybody I know. Would you like to come?" Diane invited.

At first I felt ambivalent, remembering what happened the previous summer. "I suppose so," I said after thinking it over, "I can always go home if I don't like it."

Diane and I attended all five days of this home-based Vacation Bible School. I came expecting to enjoy Kool-Aid, cookies, and stories. To my amazement, I received a much more valuable truth in the curriculum.

Once we were settled down, Mrs. Blacklock began her lesson. "Did you know that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus?" she asked. As I had never heard that doctrine before, I listened all the more intently.

"The Bible says that we are all sinners and that nobody is good enough to go to heaven," she continued. "Going to church is nice but it won't save you on Judgment Day. Only believing in Jesus Christ will save you from going to hell."

I felt shocked. Could this honestly be true? No one told me about that before. I thought only wicked people went to hell.

"If you give your life to Jesus, he will come into you and live in your heart." This sounded impossible too. Jesus was up in heaven and God appeared uninvolved with his creation.

As she outlined how Christ died to pay for our sins and that we could be forgiven because he took our punishment, my heart stirred within me. Could this actually be true?

Then Mrs. Blacklock told the story of Nicodemus and how he was an outstanding religious teacher in Israel. Even with all his education and status, he had no understanding of what it meant to be born again. Suddenly, I realized the meaning of what Jesus said.

A few years previously, a Christian clown visited Jericho and performed magic tricks in the boys' Playroom. Along with the usual vanishing objects and interlocking hoops, this man told us how Nicodemus met Christ late one night. It was merely one of many Bible stories to me then. Now I realized that it applied to me as well.

I pondered what Mrs. Blacklock taught us all during the week. As at previous Vacation Bible Schools, I coloured, memorized Bible verses, and listened to Bible stories. Mrs. Blacklock handed out Gos-pills for correct answers. They were actually jelly beans but I savoured the play on words. Mrs. Blacklock also pretended they were vitamins as she handed them out and urged us to, "Vite 'em in to Sunday School." She then told us about her church and the fun we would have while attending it.

On Friday, Mrs. Blacklock asked us a life-changing question. "Would you like to invite Christ into your heart and accept him as your saviour?" Though I could think of no serious sins of which I was guilty, except for stealing the glass lumps, I decided I had nothing to lose. I raised my hand and said yes. Our teacher led us in the sinner's prayer and then she welcomed us to the family of Christ. Though I felt nothing dramatic happen, joy and a sense that God was pleased with me filled my heart.

I ran all the way home, a distance of a few blocks, after the school ended. "I've been born again!" I exclaimed to the family as I rushed through the front door. They all stared at me, saying nothing. Doubtless, Mom and my sisters thought I had lost my mind. I felt let down because I thought they would understand this important life-transforming decision I had made. Either nobody told me or I failed to understand that not everybody would comprehend my spiritual transformation.