Hell is as eternal as Heaven | Clip from Divine Retribution

He talks about a couple of other options that humanity has come up with. Well, maybe we'll just be annihilated. That's what that means. And he gives clear biblical evidence that is not what occurs. In the accounts in Scripture where Christ describes the coming judgment, there is always a conscious awareness of the punishment and an awareness of why you're being punished.

The Conscious Punishment of the Wicked

Every scene that we see, there is a conscious awareness of the misery, of the punishment that you have earned and are being given. So annihilation is not a biblical option. And then the other one was kind of a purgatory kind of thing.

Okay, you'll be there a long time, but not eternally. And as you mentioned earlier, forever doesn't mean forever. One of the arguments that Edwards gives is, not only is there no Scripture that supports that, but this is given, this judgment will be declared in an existence that's eternal.

Time has stopped being counted. The old creation is gone. There is an eternity now. Eternity with God or eternity away from God. And so when Christ says to the believer to enter into this wonderful provision that you've been given, it's timeless now.

It's a timeless existence. There's no limit to that. But there's also no limit when Christ says to the unbeliever who has rejected Him that they will enter into an everlasting punishment.

Right, and the language is the same. So if you shorten the punishment, you have to shorten the reward also.

The Eternity of Reward and Punishment

Yeah, yeah. And again, if God is sentimental and not just, what's to keep Him from looking upon those in the new creation? And what's to keep Him from looking at us and say, you know, I just, I'm tired of you.

And so you now are removed from the new creation and cast into a judgment. So yeah, we have to be honest as we read the Scripture, even if it's a painful topic.

He also says that if that is what God is doing, if He says forever but He doesn't really mean forever, then it's a wickedness because it's like He's issuing threatenings to try to govern us and to coerce us into behaving a certain way when He's not really going to carry out the punishment.

So it's like a parent who threatens their child constantly but never, you know, I'm going to get you and they never do.

God's Warnings Are Not Deceit

Yeah. So governing the world by deceit.

Yeah.

But who governs by deceit? I was thinking when I read this sermon this week, the enemy has governed us by deceit, but God never does. And so if He gives us this warning, it will be carried out. He mentions those four things, you read them, four good things.

I mean, is there any, you know, ultimate outcome from judgment that is good? And He mentions them. So of the four, Chuck, you know, any of those that kind of hit you for the first time or that you found most compelling?

I don't think there were any that hit me for the first time. The one that always tends to get my attention is how He glorifies Himself through His grace on the vessels of mercy, you know, undeserved. And it probably says something about being egocentric, that I'm not more gripped by the fact that He is vindicating His majesty or glorifying His justice.

But it is a marvel that He shows mercy to people who don't deserve it and that is magnified even in the punishment of the wicked.

God's Justice, Mercy, and the Glory of Grace

Yeah. I think that it is hard not to look at those second two that He mentions, the third and fourth, dealing with His grace. That it does put grace in the right context. And it is very easy, especially, you know, in the Mid-South where grace is a word that's heard everywhere, you know, so to speak.

And the gospel is kind of told, at least in parts, quite often through our culture still. And the word of, the idea of forgiveness. But I just, you know, it just gets shrunk in my eyes what I've been given in being given Christ.

And part of the measure of that is what I've not been given. And, you know, how I can wake up each morning and, you know, if the weather isn't nice, I'm grumpy. And I'm sulky and self-pitying, you know.

And I think, then you read a chapter like this and you think, how can you ever wake up and have that perspective when you realize what you've not been given today and what today might have been. So, yeah, many wonderful things.

God's justice and His character is made right, lifted up high, and God's enemies are amazingly rescued. Thanks for watching the clip. We hope it was spiritually beneficial for you. We really do appreciate being able to interact with you through the comments.

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