This is a hard topic to discuss; one, because the reality of this situation is literally heartbreaking. And two, it makes me righteously angry becuase of the world's indifference.
Did you know that mankind is the only thing in all of creation that was made by the very hand of God, not spoken into existence? He breathed His own breath, the very breath of God into us, which gave us life. And when that breath leaves us, life is then over. We were far and above all other things, His proudest accomplishment; even more so than the Angels.
And now, despite the confirmations, the obvious signs, despite fulfillments of prophesy, the massive, worldwide movements, and all of the proven, scientifically validated biblical evidence, people still stubbornly refuse to believe in the existence of God (and the foretold consequence of that action). We know what is coming, we're being told time and again what is on the horizon, yet, people still choose not to accept the truth; not even for selfish reasons of self-preservation.
Let me say this to you with 1000% certainty: The spiritual realm is very real; more real than even you or I in this moment. Why? Because it exists without the limitations put on the life of a human. There are angels and demons as old as the earth, who can, and likely has, studied your family, generation after generation with consistency.
Hell is 100% real! And it will be filled with people, good and evil alike, who genuinely didn't believe that it even existed or that they lived a good enough life that hell couldn't be possible. No doubt, there may be someone reading this very article who will one day reflect on this message and would do anything possible for just one more chance. And unfortunately, that simply will not be possible.
So does this make our God a bad guy? Why would a loving God banish people to an eternal hell? First, let me just remind you of this... God is not and would not "banish" humans, His most prized and beloved in all of creation, to anywhere void of Him.
But it is made ABUNDANTLY clear, that you have a choice. The road to hell has a million caution signs, a billion red flags, and is littered with obstacles and challenges to encourage a different route. The entryway is wrapped solid in caution tape and flashing lights, all very clearly blasting out warnings of what to expect beyond a certain point. To descend into its territory, one must completely ignore all of the signs, a lifetime of teachings, and all of the familiar warnings to get there. You would have to cover your eyes, plug your ears, forfeit the roadmap, and ignore all the facts that have launched the world's largest, most profound, and epic movement in the history of time. If you find yourself wandering into (or awake in) hellish territory, it wasn't an assignment or banishment, it was a personal choice to belong. God isn't putting anyone anywhere. He chose you with the cross. All He asks is for you to make a decision- He died for you, will you live for Him? If not, He promises to honor that decision.
Regardless, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The single most worrisome, regretful thing that could ever and will ever happen, is that very, heart-stopping moment when a person stands in front of a God that they denied, refusing to accept the possibility of His existence, and is powerfully turned away to an eternal place of anguish and suffering, simply because of your very own decision not to accept the invitation. This is your eternal destiny- a coherent, awake, aware, consciousness that will continue on forever. Hell wasn't designed for human punishment, it was a place of finality for those who betrayed God in the eternal realm. Should intentional denial and unacceptance in our realm be treated any different? Isn't this also betrayal?
God isn't unfair. He provides you with a chance every day that you wake up to choose differently.
What is unfair, however, is the mockery of the sacrifice He made in order to offer you the grace necessary to live life eternally in the most magnificent paradise you could ever imagine.
What is unfair is being beaten, ridiculed, mocked, humiliated, cursed, spit on and flogged, tormented, then put to death via the worst execution possible, having never committed the first sin or crime.
What is unfair is the common grace that God consistently bestows upon you day in and day out, despite your denial, ungratefulness and pride.
What is unfair is the fact that all of history lies between the two book ends of Genesis and Revelation and that you still fail to understand or accept the truth, despite holding the entire script of past, present, and future within the very palms of your own hands.
What is unfair is that deception and ignorance rule the minds and hearts of the very people that God has sacrificed so much for, then established all of the warning signs to prevent death, yet we are careless to ignore all that He has taken the time to place before us.
Pause on this for a moment: let me ask you... what or how does any one else benefit from convincing another person that there is a God, that we have eternal spirits, and that you get to choose how you will spend your eternal afterlife? Do you think we are handed out bonuses for performance? Sounds silly doesn't it?
Because it is. Those trying to share the truth with you, that they have themselves already discovered, DO NOT BENEFIT. At all. And that's the point. This isn't a sales pitch that somehow benefits the seller if a buyer agrees, rather it's a sharing of fact from a perspective of love and concern, trying to spare others from a regret like you could never possibly imagine.
These folks aren't impressing their beliefs on you for their own benefit, they are trying to do it for yours!!
The best advice that I could ever give you, is to listen!
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
