Hell, Fire and Brimstone

We've all heard it; we've all seen it.  The preachers on TV telling people if they do not repent, they are going to Hell.  The street preachers standing on their soap boxes screaming at people that they need to turn to God or they will burn for eternity.  And we all roll our eyes, Christians and non-Christians alike.  I can't speak to exactly what the non-Christians think, but I imagine it's something along the lines of, "This is ridiculous.  I'm not going to burn in Hell because I tell a few lies or cheat on my math test." Or maybe it's something like, "There's no such thing as sin. We all make choices, and some people have assigned negative and positive connotations to them, but in the end it's just a choice.  I'm going to do what I want."  Or perhaps I'm completely off.

I know the Christians roll their eyes because we think "this isn't the way to win people to Jesus. No one is going to hear 'Oh, I'm going to Hell, well then I'd better find Jesus. He's the only salvation.' These people need to know God LOVES them, Jesus died for them.  That's how we win them to Jesus."  We don't like the bullhorn, soap box, fire and brimstone preachers because they give us Christians a bad name.

But I've got to tell you, I've been reading the book of Revelation of late, and while I might not do it, I can see where the fire and brimstone preachers are coming from.  The book of Revelation, the book that details the end days of when Jesus will return, is some scary stuff.  The horrible things described in that book make my stomach churn, literally.  Plagues of stings from scorpion-like insects that will cause writhing for 4 months, rivers of blood so that there is no water to drink, scorching heat that burns the flesh, utter darkness that causes men to eat their tongues.  This is horrifying stuff.  And each day when I open my Bible to read all I can think is, "I do not want a single person on this planet to suffer this fate.  They need to know Jesus," and then I begin to cry and pray like crazy.  It has been like this for the last two weeks now. I read, I writhe in horror at the fate of mankind, I imagine those I know and love, and even those I don't know, suffering this fate, I cry, and then I plead with God on their behalf.

I now get it.  I get why people might preach these realities.  In some ways, preaching Hell, fire and brimstone could be an act of preaching love.  "I love you enough that I do not want to see you suffer. I love you enough that I need you to know what happens if you do not recognize your brokenness and turn to Jesus.  I need you to know that there is an escape from this torture and His name is Jesus.  And I need you to know that knowing Him will not only spare your eternal life, it will radically bring you joy in this life."  In reading this book I've really been wondering if this really is the way to go.

And then time and again I read these words in Revelation, "and they did not repent of their deeds" and "they did not repent, so as to bring glory to God."  The people living in these horrors do not even see it. They don't see that if they would just say "I'm sorry, you were right God. I need Jesus," that everything would change.  No matter what they see, they have hardened their hearts to the one who can free them.  It is just like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16.  The rich man ignores the needs of Lazarus his whole life and when he dies he sees the error of his ways.  The rich man begs God to go tell his family the truth about who God is, but God says "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:31)  No matter how real the signs, how miraculous the miracles, how horrific the wrath of God, many will turn and walk away from Jesus and never believe.  This just breaks my heart.  I have no words to describe my sorrow.

I'm not really sure what God is teaching me through this.  Perhaps He is teaching me that some will be won to Him with love, and some will be won to Him with tales of the horror to come.  Maybe there is a time and a place for both.  But I think even more so He is breaking my heart for those who are lost and in need of Him.  He is causing me to ponder, to weigh heavy, the great need for Him is this world.  He is giving me a sense of urgency to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations."  This world needs Him.  Not just a fleeting need of "oh He will make their life a little better" or "oh He will get them through this rough patch".  No this world needs a Savior, a "my life is in ruins, I don't deserve to keep living, I deserve Hell, but You loved me enough to redeem me, You want me to know joy, truth, goodness, and these can only be found in You, spare me from myself and the eternal consequences of my sin" Savior.  And this is why I am here.  I am here to tell the world about this Savior.  May God continue to break my heart and open my mouth to tell of ALL that He has done.

And He has done it.  He has made a way. He has rescued us.  "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with Him." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10) He does not, read that again, He DOES NOT want to pour out His wrath on us!  He longs for us to know Him, to come to Him, to spend eternity where "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain" (Revelation 21:4)  There is such freedom from this horrible world, such freedom from our bondage, and it costs us nothing.  He gives to us the gift of life freely, "And He said to me 'It is done, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost" (Revelation 21:6, emphasis added).  He will give you life, He will give it freely.  You just have to ask, you have to want it.  Once you taste a life with Him, a water that forever quenches your thirst, you will willingly give Him all of you.  We follow Him, we sacrifice because He did.  We want to be like Him, we long to give Him the glory. I challenge you to look at Jesus, really look at Him, read His words, get to know this man, and you will want more.  You will want this water of life that He gives without cost.

The book of Revelation ends with the Holy Spirit and the church beckoning to the those who do not know Jesus: "'Come' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes to take the water of life without cost." (Revelation 22:17) So please, come! Come and listen and drink from the streams of life.  May you know a God who does not want to pour out His wrath, a God who has restrained His wrath for thousands of years, a God who has made a way to protect people from His wrath in His son Jesus. God does not want to see His people perish, but ultimately He must put an end to the evil of this world.  So come, choose Jesus, run from the world and into the loving arms of a Savior. I want this for you, I weep over this for you.  This is my prayer for you.  May you be spared the horrors of Hell and live with Jesus in eternity forever and ever. Amen.