Who Is Hell For?

In brief, I touched on this subject last Thursday. Hell was made to quarantine those wicked angels who sided with Satan. I also pointed out that even religious people end up there, as was the case with the Pharisees.

As we study the scriptures, we understand that hell is for all who reject God. One category of sinners is those who never heard the gospel. Some people call that unfair but God doesn't. This is because the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write in Romans 1:20 (BBE) regarding the Lord's revelation in his creation, "For from the first making of the world, those things of God which the eye is unable to see, that is, his eternal power and existence, are fully made clear, he having given the knowledge of them through the things which he has made, so that men have no reason for wrongdoing:"

There are also people who deliberately disobey the Lord. As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:8 and 9 (BBE), "We are conscious that the law is good, if a man makes a right use of it, With the knowledge that the law is made, not for the upright man, but for those who have no respect for law and order, for evil men and sinners, for the unholy and those who have no religion, for those who put their fathers or mothers to death, for takers of life,"

Then there are those who profess to believe in the Lord but don't obey his commandments. As Paul wrote in Titus 1:16 (BBE), "They say that they have knowledge of God, while by their acts they are turning their backs on him; they are hated by all, hard-hearted, and judged to be without value for any good work."

We also observe the way people choose heaven or hell by how they live. Using a farming metaphor, Paul warned his readers about planting the right seeds in Galatians 6:7 and 8 (BBE). "Be not tricked; God is not made sport of: for whatever seed a man puts in, that will he get back as grain. Because he who puts in the seed of the flesh will of the flesh get the reward of death; but he who puts in the seed of the Spirit will of the Spirit get the reward of eternal life."

From these verses alone, we realize that the people who live only for themselves are hellward bound whereas those who live to please God inherit paradise. Selfishness is pride's armor but yielding to Christ makes him our spiritual protection.

I hope to be writing more about this dichotomy in my next Book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? Living only for self is a sure way to end up in eternal torment.

On Thursday, I'll explain from the scriptures why God created such a horrible place like hell

How to be Free in Prison

Having one's freedom restricted is irksome to most people. After all, the whole point of a penitentiary is to make people penitent. But what if I said that some folks actually were freer in jail than those on the outside?

The Apostle Paul certainly spent plenty of time behind bars. In fact, we wouldn't have nearly the number of epistles if Paul were allowed to go free. He'd be too busy preaching to write much to the churches.

Paul was in prison when he wrote in Philippians 1:12 and 13 (BBE), "Now it is my purpose to make clear to you, brothers, that the cause of the good news has been helped by my experiences; So that it became clear through all the Praetorium, and to all the rest, that I was a prisoner on account of Christ; And most of the brothers in the Lord, taking heart because of my chains, are all the stronger to give the word of God without fear.

Paul didn't waste time pouting over his ill fortune either. He wrote in Philippians 4:21 and 22 (BBE), "Give words of love to every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their love. All the saints send their love to you, specially those who are of Caesar's house."

Quite a few people came to faith in Christ because Paul was thrown in prison. One notable example was in Philippi when Paul and Silas were put in the stocks. Instead of railing against their unfair and unjust treatment, they prayed and sang hymns. Because of this, no prisoner escaped when God sent an earthquake and the cell doors opened.

We read in Acts 16:29-31 (BBE), "And he (the guard) sent for lights and came rushing in and, shaking with fear, went down on his face before Paul and Silas, And took them out and said, 'Sirs, what have I to do to get salvation? And they said, 'Have faith in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will have salvation.'"

So we see from just these two examples that God uses jail time for saving souls. One mistake Christians make is to assume that they'll never suffer adversity. I hope to correct that error with my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? The Lord lets our faith be tested but he never forsakes us.

On Saturday, I'll post about how we are like half breeds in this world. We can sympathize with Cher but we also are new creations living in old bodies