A terrible place

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'  The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

They also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'  He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:31-46).

We’ve all seen some pretty strange places.  Maybe you’ve gone vacationing and visited a place where you just felt uncomfortable.  Maybe you’ve watched news footage from some distant location and wondered how anyone could live there. 

Today I want to take you on a trip.  Our destination is a large country, populated with more than a billion residents.  The climate is a study in extremes.  The mountains are bitter cold with constantly howling winds; the plains swelter with high heat and oppressive humidity.  The mountains are whipped with constantly blowing snow; there is little visibility and travel is nearly impossible.  Residents huddle in drafty cabins, isolated from outside contact.  Finding something to eat is hard; finding relief from hours of boredom is even harder.  Conditions prevent the sun from shining; clouds and snow make everything monotonous.

The low lands, while heavily populated, are nothing to write home about.  The mountains trap the clouds, so the sun beats down mercilessly day after day.  There are no shade trees; the plains are covered with low brush and many kinds of thistles. Because the plains are so flat, water moves slowly and is full of bacteria, making it unsuitable for washing or drinking. There is no breeze, and the smell of rotting decay hangs in the air. These conditions are perfect for all sorts of allergens and insects; if you are not sneezing, you’re busy swatting at flies and mosquitoes. 

The economy is in shambles.  Money is worth nothing and no one has the means to run a business.  There is no healthcare system; if you are sick or disabled, you’re on your own. Without electricity or fuel production, travel is slow and communication difficult; if a family gets separated, it is virtually impossible to find each other again, given the sheer size of the country and its immense population.

Living in such a place, you would think that citizens would band together for mutual protection and support.  Sadly, this is not the case. Without money to pay for law enforcement, everyone lives in constant fear of being a victim.  Bullies run unchecked, until someone bigger and meaner puts them in their place.  Although surrounded by people, everyone is trapped in their own little world, scared of trusting anyone else.  This miserable existence has poisoned love; although many have wistful memories of good relationships, the harsh reality of daily existence has made everyone cynical and cold.  Other people, even friends and relatives, are treated as resources to be ruthlessly exploited.

All in all, a thoroughly miserable place.  Are you eager to go there for a visit?  It may surprise you, but more than half of the people in the world will eventually move there permanently.  Of course, I’m referring to hell. 

Granted, no one knows what hell is really like.  We know that being there is a truly awful experience.  In my own inadequate way, I’ve tried to give you a taste of how miserable time in hell could be.  I’m sure that the reality is much, much worse.

Is hell a real place?  You bet it is.  The Lord does not tell lies.  Hell is a place God created to punish Satan and his army of demons.  Hell is a place so terrible that even the devil will be miserable there.  Certainly not a place that I want to be stuck in!

Jesus said that a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned (John 5:28-29).  Those who go to hell will suffer both physically and mentally.  The physical pain will be awful and never-ending; imagine having nausea that never lets up, a large blistering sunburn that never stops throbbing, a severe backache that never allows you a moment’s rest.  But as bad as that is, the mental torment will be even worse.  In hell there will be no love, no peace, no hope that things will ever get better.  Hearts will be filled with anger and hatred and self-loathing.  Minds will be consumed with fear and sadness and despair.  Worst of all will be the knowledge that it could all have been avoided; Jesus offered eternal happiness in paradise, and His offer was foolishly rejected. 

We know that God is love (1 John 4:8); it seems odd that He would make such a terrible place as hell.  But our ancestors did not think it strange.  Because of sin, the world has long been a harsh place to live.  Insects and bad weather destroy our harvests.  Predators and disease kill our livestock.  Fires and floods destroy our towns.  All these disasters are the result of sin, because it is sin that causes suffering.  Before sin, life on earth was paradise; after sin, life on earth is a pain-filled struggle.  Our ancestors understood this; they looked forward to a time when there would be no more wars, no more crime, no more lies.  They wanted to be free from temptation.  They wanted to escape the hurt caused by sinful behavior.  They wanted Jesus to take away their sins so they could live in eternal happiness.  They also wanted Jesus to separate them from unrepentant sinners, those foolish people who thought of sin like a rose, thorny but beautiful. 

Ages ago, sin destroyed paradise.  God won’t let that happen again.  When Jesus returns, He will burn this world with heavenly fire, purifying it of all sin.  Then He will remake the earth into the paradise that it was, so very long ago.  But who will get to live there?  Not the devil or his demons; they would taint it with their foul presence.  God will lock them up in a place so far away that their screams will go unheard. 

Those demons won’t be alone in their prison.  Jesus will act as judge over humanity.  Every human being will rise from the dead and stand before God’s Son.  Then Jesus will do something truly terrifying—He will separate the eternally cursed from the forever blessed.  The blessed have no reason to fear—in life, they trusted in Christ as their Savior, the friend who died to forgive their sins.  But what about the rest, those who made fun of God’s Son or had no time for Him in their lives?  They have good reason to be afraid; the sin they find so appealing curses them with God’s eternal punishment. 

When you have faith in Jesus, it shows in your behavior.  Christians are filled with God’s love and they show it by caring for others, even when that care is expensive or inconvenient.  Such behavior shows love and respect for our Maker and Redeemer.  Unbelievers also show the content of their hearts by how they act.  They make their own happiness job one.  When they help others, it is for selfish reasons—they plan to call in the favor at some future time.  They bail out of relationships when commitment takes effort.  Such behavior shows no love or respect for the God who gave them life and every opportunity that they foolishly wasted.

The King will separate humanity into two groups.  The smaller group is made up of sinners washed clean by the blood of Christ.  They did nothing to deserve this wonderful gift; it was God’s decision, motivated solely by love, to offer them redemption through His Son.  Jesus gave them many opportunities to serve Him during their years on earth, and though they messed up lots of times, they died content, knowing that the Lord forgave them and used their efforts to make the world a better place.  To them Jesus says: come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

The larger group are those who ended life still filthy in their sins.  They had no use for the cross, the blood, the empty tomb.  They were focused on other things—advancing in business, being popular, getting the best stuff, living it up.  The Lord gave them time and resources, gifts that they used selfishly or simply wasted.  Instead of making the earth a better place, they just filled it up with their garbage.  When they died, they were not worried about the consequences of sin.  To them the King says, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 

God will not let our sin spoil His perfect new world.  If we are forgiven, all is well—but those who are still corrupted by sin have no place with us in paradise.  God will send them to join Satan and the demons in hell so they can never again insult us, strike us, betray our trust, take things from us, lie to us, or use us for their own advantage.  Paradise will be free of sin and full of love; it will be a place where all wounds are healed and there is never any fear.  Our ancestors understood that God is doing us all a favor by sending hardened sinners away; if he did not, we could never have complete peace and happiness. 

Sadly, many of your friends and relatives are in the wrong group right now; they are living without Christ, and if things do not change, they will stand with the condemned on Judgment Day.  I’m sure that you don’t want to be separated from them forever.  So talk to them.  Tell them how important Jesus is to you and how much you want them to live with you and the Lord forever.   Be a pest; keep inviting them to come with you to church.  When you send a card, letter, or email, always include a Bible verse.  Pray for them every day, and pray out loud when the two of you are together.  When they compliment you on something, give the credit to God because He helped you.  As Christ said, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).