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IS HELL FOR REAL? 11-19-23
While the majority of Americans (67%) believe heaven is real, that number drops slightly (61%) when it comes to a belief in hell. The current owner of Twitter, prior to when I heard he changed its name, is quoted as saying: “I’m OK with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.” That statement clearly indicates that he doesn’t know what hell will be like and that he really does not believe the Bible- if he has even read any of the Bible. Hell is an uncomfortable subject for most people, but its reality is a part of the gospel. Eternal condemnation and separation from God are the very reasons Christ died for us. Hell is a reality that no one need fear if faith is placed in Christ. One of our duties to God is to let people know they don’t have to go there. Eternal punishment awaits those who do not follow Christ. So many people ignore, refuse to believe, or just don’t even consider their eternal destination and a real hell is there waiting for them.
Read 2 Thessalonians 1:3-7a
3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[a] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.
We are bound to thank God always for you: For Paul, the giving of thanks for God’s great work was an obligation – he was bound to do so, and it was fitting, because of the work God did in the Thessalonian Christians. Paul’s wording here is strong. “Paul has already written a very warm letter, containing some passages of high praise for the Thessalonian church. It is probable that in the subsequent communications that they had had with him (whether by letter, or by word of mouth) that had said that they were not worthy of such praise. Paul strongly maintains that his words had not been too strong.” “It is your duty to praise him. You are bound by the bonds of his love as long as you live to bless his name. It is meet and comely that you should do so. It is not only a pleasurable exercise, but it is the absolute duty of the Christian life to praise God.”
Because your faith grows exceedingly: Paul thanked God because the Thessalonians had: Exceedingly growing faith. Abounding love. Patience and faith in all… persecutions and tribulations. This faith and love, thriving in the midst of persecutions and tribulations, made Paul boast of the Thessalonians to other churches. “His verb for ‘groweth exceedingly’ is an unusual one (here only in the Greek Bible) and gives the thought of a very vigorous growth.”
Spurgeon explained how to get a strong and growing faith: “By that means you are to grow. This is so with faith. Do all you can, and then do a little more; and when you can do that, then do a little more than you can. Always have something in hand that is greater than your present capacity. Grow up to it, and when you have grown up to it, grow more.”
So that we ourselves: This “is a very emphatic expression, much more emphatic than we would have expected in such a connection. It implies a strong contrast.” (Morris) The idea is that though it was unusual for someone who planted a church to glory in its success and health, Paul was so impressed by what God was doing among the Thessalonians even Paul took the liberty to glory in that work. “By these words Paul shows us that we are under an obligation to give thanks to God not only when He does us a kindness, but also when we consider the kindness which He has shown towards our brethren.”
The persecution and tribulation of the Thessalonians set the righteousness of God on display.
Which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
Which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God: God’s righteous judgment was at work among the Thessalonians, beginning at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), and purifying them as followers of Jesus. The good result – showing them worthy of the kingdom of God – was manifest evidence that God was good in allowing them to suffer the persecutions and tribulations described in 2 Thessalonians 1:4.
We usually think that God is absent when we suffer, and that our suffering calls God’s righteous judgment into question. Paul took the exact opposite position and insisted that the Thessalonians’ suffering was evidence of the righteous judgment of God. Where suffering is coupled with righteous endurance, God’s work is done. The fires of persecution and tribulation were like the purifying fires of a refiner, burning away the dross from the gold, bringing forth a pure, precious metal. The idea behind counted worthy is not “seen as worthy” but “reckoned as worthy” as in a judicial decree. Paul’s prayer was that the worthiness of Jesus may be accounted to the Thessalonian Christians.
Since it is a righteous thing with God: Many people question the righteousness of God’s judgment. They believe that God’s love and His judgment contradict each other. But God’s judgment is based on the great spiritual principle that it is a righteous thing with God to repay those who do evil. Since God is righteous, He will repay all evil, and it will all be judged and accounted for either at the cross or in hell. The judgment of God means that there is nothing unimportant in my life. Everything is under the eye of the God I must answer to. “A world in which justice was not done at last would not be God’s world at all.”
To repay with tribulation those who trouble you: God was also shown as righteous when those who persecuted the Thessalonians were repaid with tribulation according to their evil works. They probably believed they did God a favor when they persecuted the Christians, but the righteous God would repay them and not reward them. “Often retribution is pictured as overtaking men in the world to come, but there are not wanting passages which indicated that it may operate in the here and now (e.g., Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).”
We can see a statement like 2 Thessalonians 1:6 in much the same context as those passages in the Psalms where the writer happily wishes ill upon his enemies – they are a prayer of entrusting the judgment of these enemies to God, instead of personally taking the initiative. The tribulation upon these persecutors of God’s people is not like a purifying fire. It is like the fire of a pure and holy judgment.
And to give you who are troubled rest: The Thessalonian Christians were persecuted and had tribulation; and God used it for His glory. But the time of persecution would not last. A day of rest is promised for every believer.
Read 2 Thessalonians 7b-10
This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
From heaven.— Paul seems to delight in calling attention to the quarter from which “the Lord Jesus” (the human name, to show His sympathy with trouble) will appear. With his mighty angels.—Literally, with the angels of His power—i.e., the angels to whom His power is entrusted and by whom it is administered. The angels do not attend merely for pomp, but to execute God’s purposes.
In verse 8, In flaming fire.—Most critics agree to change the punctuation here, by omitting the comma after “angels” and inserting it after “fire.” The flaming firehere is not the instrument of the vengeance—i.e., hell-fire—but the common pictorial attribute of the Divine Presence (Exodus 3:2; Exodus 19:18; Daniel 7:9). Taking vengeance.—The expression in the original is one which is said to be found nowhere else in Greek literature, save in Ezekiel 25:14 (though in Hebrew there is an almost exact equivalent in Numbers 31:3), so that it is difficult to assign the correct meaning. It certainly does not mean “taking vengeance” in the sense of “taking His revenge,” as though our Lord had conceived a personal grudge and were wreaking it. What it does mean would seem to be “assigning retribution:” appointing, that is, to each man what satisfaction of justice he must make. The very word for “vengeance” can only mean vengeance exacted on some one else’s behalf. (Comp. 1Thessalonians 4:6, and Psalm 79:10.)
On them that know not God.—According to the Greek, the word “them” should be repeated also in the next clause. The effect will then be to mark off the culprits into two classes: “them that know not,” and “them that obey not.” A comparison of Ephesians 4:17-18, 1Thessalonians 4:5, shows that by the first class are meant Gentiles; a comparison of Romans 10:16; Romans 10:21 (and many other passages) will show disobedience to be the characteristic of the Jews. The Greek negative particle here is one which shows that the ignorance of the one set and the disobedience of the other were just the points for which they were to be punished: therefore, of course, only those Gentiles whose ignorance was voluntary, who chose (Romans 1:28) to be Gentiles when they might have been joined to the true God, are objects of wrath. Here, as the context shows, St. Paul is thinking chiefly of those Gentiles and Jews who actually persecuted the truth.
Obey not the gospel.—A noteworthy phrase; see the reference. The gospel, the “glad tidings,” contains not only a statement of facts, but also a call to obey a law which is the outcome of the facts. Even the acceptance of evangelical promises requires a submission. (Comp. Luke 24:47; Acts 11:18; Revelation 22:3.) It is here called specially the gospel “of our Lord Jesus Christ,” because the sin of the Jews (who constitute this class of sinners) consisted precisely in the willful rejection of Jesus as the Christ.
Then verses 9 and 10 tells: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction — Not the annihilation, but the perversion and utter ruin of all their powers of body and mind, so that those powers become instruments of torment and sources of misery to them in all possible ways. As there can be no end of their sins, (the same enmity against God continuing,) so neither of their punishment: sin and its punishment running parallel through eternity itself. They must of necessity therefore be cut off from all good, and all possibility of it. From the presence of the Lord — Wherein chiefly consists the salvation and felicity of the righteous. What unspeakable punishment is implied even in falling short of this, supposing that nothing more were implied in the punishment here spoken of! But this phrase, destruction from the presence, or face, of the Lord, as Bishop Hopkins justly observes, expresses not only that they shall be expelled from that joy and glory which reigns in the presence of God and of Christ, but that his presence shall appear active in the infliction of their punishment, so that they shall find his wrath issuing forth like lightning to appall and torment their spirits, while his power glorifies itself in their ruin and misery. When he shall come to be glorified in his saints — For his wonderful glory shall shine forth in them, and he will manifest the greatness of his power in rendering them glorious; and to be admired in all them that believe — With respect to the efforts of his almighty power and love for their complete salvation. Or, they shall be filled with wonder at what is done by Christ for and upon them, so far exceeding their most sanguine expectation. Because our testimony, &c. — As if he had said, I reckon you of this number because of the credit which you gave to our preaching.
Read 2 Thessalonians 11-12
11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The prayer we discover in these verses is one of many prayers that the Apostle Paul offered up on behalf of the churches scattered across the Roman Empire, churches he often helped establish. Let me first read through this amazing prayer, and then we can look for more closely at some of the pieces with which it was composed. Paul writes in verse 11…To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, [12] so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen? Amen! Using the immediate context, as well as some of Paul other’s writings, let’s think together about the different parts of this prayer.
For example, notice the opening request of this prayer. Paul asks that “God may make [them] worthy of his calling”. Now, if you stop and think about it, when is the last time you prayed that prayer for someone else, or for yourself, or had someone pray that prayer for you? That’s simply not a pray I’ve ever prayed, nor can I recall anyone ever praying it for me. But look! There it is, right there. So, if this is a biblical prayer, why is it such a uncommon prayer? I think the reason that prayer is so rare is that the language seems to ‘rub’ against our theology. Here’s what I mean: one of the foundational ideas of the gospel itself is that you and I are NOT worthy, and we NEVER will be worthy, of God’s deliverance and divine favor. Why? Well, according to Paul in Romans 3:12, because of sin, “all… have become worthless”. Only through the worthiness of Jesus, the Righteous One, can we hope to stand before God.
. So, there’s the same idea, but this time, it’s not a prayer. It’s a statement of what God is already doing. But there’s more. In his first letter to the disciples in Thessalonica, Paul reminded them, in 2:12, of how…we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. Paul urges the Ephesians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”. So, in one sense, Paul is simply praying for that which he is prescribing. Let me suggest that a prayer for God to “make you worthy of his calling” is just another way of praying for you to “walk in a manner worthy of [that] calling”. Okay. But… what exactly does it mean?
I think what would help us with this word “worthy” is to think less about behavior that is deserving and more about behavior that is fitting or befitting. Did you notice how, in all of these examples, the word “worthy” is always used in connection with some other great and glorious reality? “Worthy of…” his calling… of his kingdom… of his gospel… of the Lord Jesus… or… of God himself.
You see, this prayer is not about God making us great and glorious. This is a prayer about God working in and through us, so that our lives reflect his greatness and glory (“Father, make it clear we are living for something great and glorious.”); Paul is asking that they live in a radically distinct way, one that fits (or befits) the radical distinctiveness of Chris and his gospel.
Now with that in mind, consider how Paul simply expands on the initial request. For example, look again at his second request in verse 11: Paul prays for these disciples, that God “may fulfill every resolve [or, desire] for good”. What exactly does that mean? It means the worthiness for which Paul prays begins with our resolutions, our desires, our intentions, our commitments. How is Paul praying in light of such resolutions and desires? That God might fulfill them! That such resolutions become reality. Do you have resolutions and desires this morning? Resolutions and desires for change in your own life? For change in another’s life? Resolutions and desires for what is true and good and right? For God’s will, for God’s best? If you do, then I want to pray for you as Paul prayed for the Thessalonians. If you do, share those with others in our church family, so that they can also pray this prayer for you.
But notice how Paul connects that word “fulfill” to yet another request. May God “fulfill every resolve for good AND every work of faith by his power.” Whoa! Do you see how the Apostle is moving here from mere desire to actual deed? Paul mentioned in verse 3 of this chapter how the faith of his readers was “growing abundantly”. And as the prayer indicates, that faith was being manifested in actual works, not just resolutions or intentions. Speaking of works, in his previous letter, Paul wrote about their “work of faith and labor of love” (I-1:3), and in this letter, he goes on to pray (in the very next chapter) that God would “comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” (II-2:17).
But wait! There is a greater prayer we could pray. It’s the very next request in Paul’s prayer: may God fulfill your desires and deeds… “so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you”. Now look at what Paul has done. He’s brought us back to this idea of reflecting worthiness, specifically the worthiness of Jesus. But Jesus being glorified assumes our desires and deeds are Christ-centered, right? Remember Paul’s wording here: “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you”. Paul is talking about others, both believer and unbelievers, giving the credit to Jesus for something they see in us. He’s talking about people being in awe of (or at least, thinking highly of) Christ because of our desires and deeds.
Now look at how the last part of this prayer explains the previous point. Jesus gets all the glory because… he gives all the grace. The glory is fully God’s because it is God who “fulfills”. It’s all and only possible (v. 12) “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That deals with any misunderstandings about worthiness, doesn’t it? Yes, we are saved by grace as Paul stressed in Ephesians 2:8. But we are also empowered by grace. Paul spoke about this clearly in I Corinthians 15:10…
But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
