Everyone’s experience of hell will be different

Each Wednesday I’m looking at what I posted exactly one year before – I obviously didn’t check before I decided to do this to make sure I wasn’t going to stumble across something, erm, like this…

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Did you know that people receive punishment in hell according to their bad works on earth? I’d always sort of assumed that all Christians are treated the same in eternity, and all non-Christians are treated the same in eternity. Not true. Randy Alcorn explains for us:

Because God is fair, hell won’t be the same for everyone. The severity of punishment will vary with the degree of truth known and the nature and number of sins committed.

And there are even a couple of Bible passages, with my own emphasis added:

Then [Jesus] began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:20-24)

And in the hearing of all the people [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Luke 20:45-47)

Fair enough? I’m glad we had this little talk.

Note: I’ve edited this for today’s post, but you can still see the original here.

Related articles

• Does a loving God send people Hell just because they don’t accept Jesus? (winteryknight.wordpress.com)

Biggest dreams coming true

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There have been a couple of examples recently in which people have won record amounts in Euromillions or whatever, and the journalists’ reports almost always refer to the winners buying their ‘dream house’, and/or their ‘dream car’, or going on their ‘dream holiday’. Whatever it is that they’re going to spend their newfound wealth on, it’s always something they’ve apparently dreamt of. Probably the most overused phrase by lottery winners would be, ‘it’s a dream come true!’

Not wanting to be proud but these people have way less ambitious dreams than I do. When I wake up in the morning I don’t remember taking a sports car for a test drive or looking round country houses and imagining where my bed could go, I remember myself flying, or being immensely strong, or being able to move things using my mind! Mostly flying.

The thing is that actually if I invest enough time and effort into most of the dreams lottery winners talk about, I can achieve them to a certain extent. If I make enough sacrifices, I could probably go out one day in a few years’ time and buy my ‘dream car’. But then it would probably break down one day, or get stolen, or whatever. Randy Alcorn wrote about this:

Who would want to divert kingdom funds to build a dream house on earth if they understood that either it will leave them or they will leave it? Instead, why not use our resources to send building materials ahead to the Carpenter [who] is building our dream house in heaven?

C.S. Lewis summed this up well, as he so often does:

Christianity proposes not to extinguish our natural desires. It promises to bring the desires under just control and direct them to their true object.

So our true dreams can be fulfilled, it’s just that they probably won’t be fulfilled while on earth. But we have a unique opportunity as Christians to store up for ourselves these treasures in heaven, through abstaining from sin, performing good works, and radically using our money, possessions, time, and skills for the glory of God right now. And, by the way, this isn’t a selfish thing (only doing good now because we’ll get a reward later). The treasure we have stored in heaven will increase our ability to glorify Jesus in eternity, so doing good works now actually enables us to do more good works forever!

Shall we all become a bit more radical for our eternal good and God’s eternal glory?

Why suffering

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I’m currently listening to an audiobook by Randy Alcorn – it’s very good. I’m sure the review will be up soon at my book review blog.

Anyway, in this book he asks the tough question: why does suffering exist? He answers the question in a number of different ways but for me one of the highlights was when he looked at Romans 8:

‘I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us…For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.’

If the apostle Paul were asked, ‘Why suffering?’ he would answer in one word: ‘Glory.’

Suffering is real. Suffering is bad. But the result is glory. F. F. Bruce explained that glory is not compensation for suffering, but the result of it; suffering is actually necessary for our future glory.

This is ultimately seen in the cross of Christ. The resurrection is not there to make up for Jesus’ suffering on the cross, it could only happen because of his suffering on the cross.

Paul’s picture of childbirth is perfect: without the pain, there would be no new life.

Let’s not imagine that somehow Satan is thwarting God’s plans by making us and others suffer; it’s all part of God’s ultimate redemptive story, and the future glory is surely going to outshine any suffering anyone has experienced while on this earth.

90 Days of God's Goodness by Randy Alcorn (audio)

Randy Alcorn offers a 90-day devotional study of what the Bible says about God’s goodness. Each day’s entry is 5-10 minutes long, opens with a Bible passage and closes with a prayer.

Alcorn seems to be acutely aware of what God’s goodness really looks like. The little stories used throughout show that God still shows His goodness through even the toughest times. Each day is different and highlights a different aspect of God’s goodness.

Randy Alcorn’s a great communicator and does not shy away from some really tough subjects in this. No doubt if you have ever faced a hard time, or indeed if your life at times is nothing but hard times, this book will encourage you and draw your eyes to the loving, all-powerful God.

The narration is good but I’m not convinced the audio format’s the best for this because of the additional paraphanalia you need for the sake of five minutes, but if that’s what you’re looking for I’d recommend this pretty much unconditionally.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.