Question from a friend of WordTruth Press:

WordTruth Press Response:

You are not alone in your apprehension about the doctrine of Hell.  Many people have a hard time grasping the concept.  I think the hardest part to grasp is that God is holy, holy, holy (Isaiah 6:3).  He is perfect, righteous, blameless, and good.  Mankind is obviously not holy.

Also, understand that God did not originally create Hell for humans.  He originally created it for the angels who rebelled along with Lucifer (Matthew 25:41).  Later, as mankind rebelled against God (thereby following Satan's rebellion), God pronounced the same just punishment for mankind.

Hell is a place of separation from God.  God does everything in His power to offer grace to every human being.  Only those who continually refuse His grace are finally given over to their rebellious choice -- in effect, it is not God who sends people to Hell but people choose to go there.

>>>And what makes my sins different from that of Hitler's?
>>>

The Bible says that "each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12, NKJV).  Your sins are yours, and Hitler's were Hitlers.  

Also, remember that there are degrees of punishment just as there are degrees of reward.

"That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:47-48, NKJV).

>>>I can never be sure that I'm not going to hell - nobody can.
>>>

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24, NKJV).  You can be sure by believing in the LORD Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin.  There are many other verses like this such as John 3:16, Acts 16:31, 1 John 5:11-13.

>>>God is all powerful and all knowing, that means he already knew I would write you this letter, already knew if I would go to heaven or hell . . . so everything and nothing that I do, will already be known to him.
>>>

Just because God knows something beforehand does not mean that He causes it!  You and I live in a sequential progression of time.  Don't try to get into circular reasoning such as above.  All that matters is that you heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and believed in Him.  Because of your faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, you ARE saved for all eternity.

>>>I want to visit this place and take a look around. Find out what's really going on there. This person called Satan used to be an angel.
>>>

You might want to read through some of the messages on "Spiritual Warfare" - click here.

>>>If the only way to get into Heaven is to be worthy of God's grace and the only way you go to Hell is if you are some evil being - no one evil would be in Heaven and those who live in heaven are all good.
>>>

No one is righteous (Romans 3:10) and therefore no one is worthy of God's grace.  That is what makes God's grace so precious!  He loves us even though we DON'T deserve it.  The only way to get to Heaven is to be perfectly righteous.  One sin and you don't make it.  That is why God had to use such radical means to save us.  When His Son died for us, God not only forgave our sins but granted to all who believe the righteousness of the LORD Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).  By trusting in Christ, you receive the righteousness of Christ.  That is how you are able to enter Heaven, the "home of righteousness" (Revelation 21:27).

>>>How is it that Lucifer turned evil in Heaven and was it after Lucifer that God created Hell?

You might want to read through some of the messages on "Spiritual Warfare" - click here.  But the answer to your second question is "yes" -- God originally created Hell for the rebellious angels.

>>>Did all those who lived before Jesus go to Hell?
>>>

No, those who believed in God and His promises received eternal life also.  Prior to the coming of Christ, people believed in the Christ (Messiah) who was to come.  One has said they believed "on credit."  In other words, they believed what God promised concerning Christ, that God would deal with sin, and by faith they trusted in a just and holy God.  God has always saved people by grace and through faith.

>>>I also read in the bible that even the lowest angel in heaven is better than the most perfect human on Earth. That to me means there's a hierarchy in heaven. How can this be so when God love's everyone equally.
>>>

Considering angels are spirit beings and humans are flesh/spirit beings, angels are currently more powerful than human beings.  One day, however, God will glorify those who believe in Christ.  In Heaven, we will occupy a higher place than the angels.  The Bible indicates we will even assist in judging the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3).  Nevertheless, in Heaven humans and angels will join together in praising the LORD Jesus!

>>>What do people do in Heaven? Do they have jobs?
>>>

We will worship the LORD Jesus, have perfect fellowship with Him and with one another, and we will serve the LORD in whatever tasks/capacity He directs.

>>>When I was thinking about Hell, I was sad that God would create such a place. If I went to Heaven, I think I'd want to go to Hell and save those out of Hell and bring them up to Heaven. God is compassionate, sending people to Hell isn't compassion. The only way I could see it fit for anyone to go to Hell is to think of myself as a meaningless puppet.
>>>

You are not a meaningless puppet.  You are a human being, made "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27, NKJV).  You have been given an eternal soul, a mind to think, emotions to feel, and a will to make choices.  Precisely because you can choose to love, you can also choose to hate.  God chases every human being with the riches of His grace and kindness (Ephesians 4:4-10).  Only those who continually reject God's grace are confined to Hell where they can never hurt anyone else.  Those who are judged for their sins and punished in Hell will not want to be in Heaven.  "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27, NKJV).  Once this judgment has occurred, the decision of a rebellious person is sealed.  He/she will not change.

God is compassionate.  He is also just.  It would not be compassionate to permit someone to continue to rape, pillage, and murder without correcting such behavior.  Neither would it be compassionate to allow someone into Heaven who rejects the only way for one to get to Heaven.  Is it not up to the holy God who is offended by sin to determine the means of forgiveness and redemption?  We should be grateful that there is a way of redemption at all -- not complaining about the method.

>>>My Grandpa had a burn barrel that he tossed garbage into - meaningless stuff. He never tossed anything that had value into the burn barrel. I don't like to think of this analogy, it means I am potentially meaningless. It makes me wonder what I could do to make sure I'm worthwhile to God.
>>>

My child, you are precious in God's eyes!  God could have wiped out humanity and started over.  He would have been perfectly just in so doing.  But God chose the greater work -- He chose to redeem sinful people.  He considered you so important and so precious that He willingly sent His Son to be murdered on a cross just for your sins!  If you had been the only person in the world who ever sinned, Christ would still have come and died for you.

>>>I remember reading a passage about a rich man asking Jesus what he could do to get to heaven. Jesus told him to give up all his riches and follow him. Is that the only way I could be worthwhile to God?
>>>

The rich young ruler was prideful in thinking he had perfectly kept God's law.  Also, Jesus saw that his material possessions were more important to him than his love for the LORD.  So Jesus was not giving a prescription for all humanity on how to get to Heaven.  He was merely offering a choice for the young man to reveal his true heart.  The rich young ruler walked away sad because he love his wealth more than he loved God.

You are already worthwhile to God.  The Bible says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV).  The word "workmanship" is a word that means "masterpiece."  God has made you a "new creation" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Follow Christ and you will fulfill the good works He has planned for you.

>>>what would you ask Jesus if he were around today? Sometimes I wonder what he'd tell me? If he told me to give up all my riches, would I be able to?
>>>

I would ask Him what all the crazy dreams we dream are about ;-)  If God clearly spoke to me and told me to sell everything and follow Him, I would like to think that I would do so.  Here is what I am sure of -- God is at work in my life because of Christ.  He is preparing me for whatever He has in store for me.  So when the time comes that He wants me to do something difficult, I trust that He will have prepared me along the way to make that faith decision.

>>>I am curious, why did you start this website? What do you do with your life? How has God changed your life? Why do you believe in God? How can I be sure I'm doing the right things?
>>>

I started this web site because of my love for the LORD Jesus Christ.  In obedience to His command to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV), I have developed a site to reach out to seekers with the gospel and build up believers in the "faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3, NKJV).

My, my, so many questions!  Let me give you some advice.  Take one day at a time.  Learn a little bit of God's word each day.  Ask for His help in understanding and applying it to your life.  Then by faith, prayerfully commit yourself to following the LORD Jesus Christ.  He will not let you down.  Even if you still have lingering questions, trust that He will reveal to you what you need to know when you need to know it.

>>>My friend told me that God has a perfect plan for everyone, that Earth isn't suppose to be full of sorrow, we just come short of the glory of God which makes life sad. How can I be sure I'm following God's plan?
>>>

Yes, Jesus assured us that in this fallen world, we will have tribulation.  But He also assured us that He has overcome the world (John 16:33).  Only in Heaven will we live in perfect joy and perfect peace.  Until then, we need to work to take as many people there as we can.

>>>Sometimes I know ahead of time that I will sin - that I'm not a strong enough person to find a way around it, can I ask permission to sin?
>>>

You may not ask permission to sin.  If you know ahead of time there is a strong temptation, then you need to exercise your faith by asking God for help.  You need to avoid what needs to be avoided.  And you need some more mature Christian friends to help you say "no" to the temptation.  Also, it is never enough to simply fight temptation -- you must replace the evil with righteousness instead.  Do not simply say, "I will not do _______" but instead "I will do ____".  There must be something to fill the void.  That something is obedience to Christ's commands.  While there will be times that you sin, God has given you the specific, repeatable act of faith to perform when that happens: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, NKJV).

I hope this gets you started toward finding your answers in God's word.  Remember, take it one day at a time.  And "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6, NKJV).

May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus!

Rev. Randy Lariscy :-)
President - WordTruth Press℠
 

©  Copyright 4/10/2004, Randy Lariscy.