Hell no!
I’ve often been accused of simplifying things. I own it.
I heard a sermon recently about “The Judgement Day!” I have to tell you that it freaked me out a little. I grew up with the mentality of GUILT! Even if I didn’t do anything particularly offensive, still there was guilt to keep me humble? Did it really?
No guilt and condemnation have one thing in common: torment. I replayed all the sermons I’d heard on The Judgement Day” da da da... (think... Law and Order on tv).
Guilt is like a shark. You’re in the ocean, you know it’s there, but you just don’t realize how dangerous it is until it bites you.
So I have some rhetorical questions. Did fear ever turn a heart toward God? I grew up with the thought that Jesus was the only way to avoid Hell! Hell was talked about a lot! I’m only going to give you I’ve example of what Hell might be like. I’m going to use Adolph Hitler as an example. I read this once in a book and I can’t get it out of my head. I don’t even know the name of the book but I sure do remember this example.
Be careful this is graphic, but then most of us watch tv so this isn’t any more graphic than that. But, this could be true!
This guy walks through Hell before he’s ushered into Heaven. He’s watching people relive their worst sin over and over again. Hitler was in a cage of sorts. He was at the top of his game! World domination is laying at his feet. He’s excited! After a few minutes he hears gas coming in to his tank and he can’t breathe. The fumes overwhelm him. He’s now in one of his own concentration camps with the people he murdered. He’s experiencing his own “gas chamber” , but one very real component is missing... he can’t die. He evaporates and then it starts all over. This happens to him for eternity.
I’ve heard people actually say, “ hey, all my friends will be in Hell!” We’ll throw a party. Really? From what I understand there isn’t any beer in Hell. Last thing I heard there were no parties. You could risk it and choose not to believe I guess. But if you accept Jesus as Lord just to escape the torment? Is that going to save your soul?
As I said, rhetorical question. Fear will not save you from Hell. Believing in God will not save you from Hell. Now here’s a biggy! The devil believes there is a God. Matter of fact, they used to be buds. The devils knew who Jesus was. When they saw him walking on earth , did they ask him to save them? No, they did ask him to have mercy on them by letting them torment a few pigs to death. Really made their owners quite angry.
What is the other question they asked? “ Have you come to torment us early!” Wow! Talk about being resigned to your destiny. Yep, the devil himself knows there’s a Hell. He knows that’s where he’s headed. Guess what his master plan is?
Well it isn’t to repent. Nope it’s to take as many of us with him to hell as possible to get revenge on God. That’s twisted thinking, or is it? We must be really important to God. He must love us so much that the devil takes his time to steal us from Gods hands.
Now, all of that Hell jazz and devil jazz is real. I don’t now about the Hitler thing, but think about it.
So, you are a child , what can I take away from you that will devastate you? How about your parents? Just ask anyone who has lost a beloved parent. Life changes. Now if God were as horrible as some people describe him? Then being away from him would not be a bad thing.
Who wants to live with or for someone who could strike you dead for no good reason, then laugh about it? That’s how some people see God.
I must admit, because of the abuse I suffered I had a love/hate relationship with God. Someone asked me what my image of God was and I said that he had a bat, I was tied to a pole, couldn’t escape and was running as fast as I could only to wrap myself tighter to the pole. No escape! . I saw God as an abuser. Well it made sense. The people in my life that were abusing me were “Christians” in authoritative positions.
Why wouldn’t he be just like them? Didn’t he put them in my life to teach me something? Weren’t they there at Gods command?
Please hear me. The answer is “NO!” If God wanted to teach me a lesson all he would have to do was to forsake me. Leave me like a beloved parent with an abuser. But he didn’t.
No, he made himself into Jesus and walked this hell on earth, just to ... die. I can’t understand it. He loves us that much. These are not cliches. I’ve walked this road for way too long to serve up some load of crap that won’t do anything but make you run.
When I thought he was abusive I loved him out of fear. I loved him so he wouldn’t get angry with me. I treated him like an abuser. It was my point of reference.
If you are an abuse survivor think about how badly you wanted to soothe the abuser? What would you have given him/her to make them stop? Would you do your best to prove your love for them by being exactly what they expected you to be? Guilty!
I lived in the “don’t make God mad” zone. I couldn’t count on anything or anyone. I didn’t trust people that said they loved me. I was afraid.
I had people get mad at me because I wouldn’t say the cliche, “ I love you in the Lord!” Or even say the words “I love you” without giving those words the gravity they deserve. I’d lied so long that love meant a whole lot more to me than getting what I want from you. Uh oh!
I heard someone gasp. Isn’t it true? Isn’t the word “love” one of the most misunderstood words? I can’t love you if I don’t know you. I won’t say it unless I mean it. Don’t say it to me unless you’re willing to walk a mile in my shoes and not run the other direction.
So, let me return to the main subject. Judgement! What will God use to judge us by? It can't be sin because if we accept Jesus as our true Lord and Savior, then sin is not an issue. It's already forgiven. Wow! Hard to conceive.
Anyway....so what is it? I've pondered and read scriptures today to see what in the world would God judge me for at the "JUDGEMENT DAY"! da, da da.
Well, it isn't because I didn't do something. The Bible is clear that we can not work for our salvation. It even says that people will say to him, "but we did everything you asked us to" and he'll reply, sadly I"m sure, "yes, but you didn't know me." Can it possibly be that simple? Can it possible be that the level of joy I walk with him on this earth will determine the level of joy I have in heaven? In spite of all the bad things that happen? Is it possible that I will be judged on how much peace I had with God? What about how I loved someone with more than just words? Not the act of loving...the "being" of loving. Now that's hard to understand. How can I be love to someone?
The Bible calls it laying down your life. So, does that mean I'm supposed to give up my free will? No!. I am responsible to God for doing exactly what he put me on this earth to do. It's very important....please hear me... he sent me here to tell you how wonderful he is. He sent me here to tell you that he loves you and that he isn't mad at you. He sent me here to tell you that he understands your pain and all your efforts to "do the right thing" and how often things just go wrong. I'm here to tell you that he loves you with a love that neither you nor I will understand this side of heaven.
Isn't that faith? Trusting that God loves us in spite of everything we've been through? In spite of all the people on this earth that have hurt us? In spite of all the "Christians" who were abusive?
It takes faith to get beyond all of that. So, I'm thinking maybe I could be judged on how much peace I had on this earth with God and how my life reflected Him. Did you see any part of him in my life? Did anything I say or do point you to him? Did my life make him look good?
Remember, there is no perfection this side of heaven. But I know as well as you do, what is right and what is wrong.
However, Jesus didn't come to make us right, or perfect, or acceptable to a perfect God. He didn't come to make us look good so he could look good. Admit it people, we've all thought these things, just haven't been able to put them into words.
He came to love. He came so that we could ALL get to know Jesus and The Father and the Spirit and learn to have peace on earth in spite of , and no matter what, happens to us here.
I have a prayer for you. May this earth be the only hell you ever experience. May your worst day here be but a moment in time compared to eternity. May you grab hold of God's hand and get to know him, realizing that you will never understand him.
Is it about hell? No. It's about love...
I heard a sermon recently about “The Judgement Day!” I have to tell you that it freaked me out a little. I grew up with the mentality of GUILT! Even if I didn’t do anything particularly offensive, still there was guilt to keep me humble? Did it really?
No guilt and condemnation have one thing in common: torment. I replayed all the sermons I’d heard on The Judgement Day” da da da... (think... Law and Order on tv).
Guilt is like a shark. You’re in the ocean, you know it’s there, but you just don’t realize how dangerous it is until it bites you.
So I have some rhetorical questions. Did fear ever turn a heart toward God? I grew up with the thought that Jesus was the only way to avoid Hell! Hell was talked about a lot! I’m only going to give you I’ve example of what Hell might be like. I’m going to use Adolph Hitler as an example. I read this once in a book and I can’t get it out of my head. I don’t even know the name of the book but I sure do remember this example.
Be careful this is graphic, but then most of us watch tv so this isn’t any more graphic than that. But, this could be true!
This guy walks through Hell before he’s ushered into Heaven. He’s watching people relive their worst sin over and over again. Hitler was in a cage of sorts. He was at the top of his game! World domination is laying at his feet. He’s excited! After a few minutes he hears gas coming in to his tank and he can’t breathe. The fumes overwhelm him. He’s now in one of his own concentration camps with the people he murdered. He’s experiencing his own “gas chamber” , but one very real component is missing... he can’t die. He evaporates and then it starts all over. This happens to him for eternity.
I’ve heard people actually say, “ hey, all my friends will be in Hell!” We’ll throw a party. Really? From what I understand there isn’t any beer in Hell. Last thing I heard there were no parties. You could risk it and choose not to believe I guess. But if you accept Jesus as Lord just to escape the torment? Is that going to save your soul?
As I said, rhetorical question. Fear will not save you from Hell. Believing in God will not save you from Hell. Now here’s a biggy! The devil believes there is a God. Matter of fact, they used to be buds. The devils knew who Jesus was. When they saw him walking on earth , did they ask him to save them? No, they did ask him to have mercy on them by letting them torment a few pigs to death. Really made their owners quite angry.
What is the other question they asked? “ Have you come to torment us early!” Wow! Talk about being resigned to your destiny. Yep, the devil himself knows there’s a Hell. He knows that’s where he’s headed. Guess what his master plan is?
Well it isn’t to repent. Nope it’s to take as many of us with him to hell as possible to get revenge on God. That’s twisted thinking, or is it? We must be really important to God. He must love us so much that the devil takes his time to steal us from Gods hands.
Now, all of that Hell jazz and devil jazz is real. I don’t now about the Hitler thing, but think about it.
So, you are a child , what can I take away from you that will devastate you? How about your parents? Just ask anyone who has lost a beloved parent. Life changes. Now if God were as horrible as some people describe him? Then being away from him would not be a bad thing.
Who wants to live with or for someone who could strike you dead for no good reason, then laugh about it? That’s how some people see God.
I must admit, because of the abuse I suffered I had a love/hate relationship with God. Someone asked me what my image of God was and I said that he had a bat, I was tied to a pole, couldn’t escape and was running as fast as I could only to wrap myself tighter to the pole. No escape! . I saw God as an abuser. Well it made sense. The people in my life that were abusing me were “Christians” in authoritative positions.
Why wouldn’t he be just like them? Didn’t he put them in my life to teach me something? Weren’t they there at Gods command?
Please hear me. The answer is “NO!” If God wanted to teach me a lesson all he would have to do was to forsake me. Leave me like a beloved parent with an abuser. But he didn’t.
No, he made himself into Jesus and walked this hell on earth, just to ... die. I can’t understand it. He loves us that much. These are not cliches. I’ve walked this road for way too long to serve up some load of crap that won’t do anything but make you run.
When I thought he was abusive I loved him out of fear. I loved him so he wouldn’t get angry with me. I treated him like an abuser. It was my point of reference.
If you are an abuse survivor think about how badly you wanted to soothe the abuser? What would you have given him/her to make them stop? Would you do your best to prove your love for them by being exactly what they expected you to be? Guilty!
I lived in the “don’t make God mad” zone. I couldn’t count on anything or anyone. I didn’t trust people that said they loved me. I was afraid.
I had people get mad at me because I wouldn’t say the cliche, “ I love you in the Lord!” Or even say the words “I love you” without giving those words the gravity they deserve. I’d lied so long that love meant a whole lot more to me than getting what I want from you. Uh oh!
I heard someone gasp. Isn’t it true? Isn’t the word “love” one of the most misunderstood words? I can’t love you if I don’t know you. I won’t say it unless I mean it. Don’t say it to me unless you’re willing to walk a mile in my shoes and not run the other direction.
So, let me return to the main subject. Judgement! What will God use to judge us by? It can't be sin because if we accept Jesus as our true Lord and Savior, then sin is not an issue. It's already forgiven. Wow! Hard to conceive.
Anyway....so what is it? I've pondered and read scriptures today to see what in the world would God judge me for at the "JUDGEMENT DAY"! da, da da.
Well, it isn't because I didn't do something. The Bible is clear that we can not work for our salvation. It even says that people will say to him, "but we did everything you asked us to" and he'll reply, sadly I"m sure, "yes, but you didn't know me." Can it possibly be that simple? Can it possible be that the level of joy I walk with him on this earth will determine the level of joy I have in heaven? In spite of all the bad things that happen? Is it possible that I will be judged on how much peace I had with God? What about how I loved someone with more than just words? Not the act of loving...the "being" of loving. Now that's hard to understand. How can I be love to someone?
The Bible calls it laying down your life. So, does that mean I'm supposed to give up my free will? No!. I am responsible to God for doing exactly what he put me on this earth to do. It's very important....please hear me... he sent me here to tell you how wonderful he is. He sent me here to tell you that he loves you and that he isn't mad at you. He sent me here to tell you that he understands your pain and all your efforts to "do the right thing" and how often things just go wrong. I'm here to tell you that he loves you with a love that neither you nor I will understand this side of heaven.
Isn't that faith? Trusting that God loves us in spite of everything we've been through? In spite of all the people on this earth that have hurt us? In spite of all the "Christians" who were abusive?
It takes faith to get beyond all of that. So, I'm thinking maybe I could be judged on how much peace I had on this earth with God and how my life reflected Him. Did you see any part of him in my life? Did anything I say or do point you to him? Did my life make him look good?
Remember, there is no perfection this side of heaven. But I know as well as you do, what is right and what is wrong.
However, Jesus didn't come to make us right, or perfect, or acceptable to a perfect God. He didn't come to make us look good so he could look good. Admit it people, we've all thought these things, just haven't been able to put them into words.
He came to love. He came so that we could ALL get to know Jesus and The Father and the Spirit and learn to have peace on earth in spite of , and no matter what, happens to us here.
I have a prayer for you. May this earth be the only hell you ever experience. May your worst day here be but a moment in time compared to eternity. May you grab hold of God's hand and get to know him, realizing that you will never understand him.
Is it about hell? No. It's about love...
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