Why Does God Send People to Hell?

I address the recent issues with Rob Bell, "Love Wins" and those who question the character of the God of the Bible- who sends sinners to hell forever.

Does God Really Love the Whole World?

I would like to choose one main passage from both the Old and New Testament to show the heart of God for the salvation of the nations.

Old Testament:
Jonah 4:11, "And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

In the above passage God is rebuking Jonah for his hard heart towards the Ninevites and God's mercy from preventing judgment. Therefore, I believe this passage is significant for the following reasons, (1) God shows his love for nations, not just the nation of Israel, (2) God teaches Jonah that He prefers mercy over judgment and does not take lightly the punishment of even a pagan nation, and lastly, (3) God choose Jonah to bring salvation to the city by preaching repentance, thus God uses people with His heart to prevent judgment.

New Testament:
Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The above passage takes place after Jesus was raised from the dead and was leaving His eleven disciples his final instructions on how they should continue without His earthly presence. Jesus teaches the following about world missions in this passage, (1) Jesus is concerned about the salvation of the nations, not just the nation of Israel, (2) Jesus died and rose from the dead to secure the salvation of the nations- this will be what the disciples teach, and lastly, (3) Jesus will use the disciples as preachers with the Gospel message to bring light to all the nations in every age till He returns.

In conclusion, the Bible from both the Old and New Testament shows the heart of God for the salvation of the nations. Peter, a close disciple of Jesus, said in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Thus, God has always been and will always be focused on the redemption of all people in the world!

Is Heaven Boring?

“Your heaven is boring! We have multiple books the size of your Bible called the ‘Vedas,’ which tell countless adventures in the heavens, beautiful descriptions of the gods who live there, and the endless pleasures that are enjoyed,” spoke the young Hari Krishna while we were debating about Jesus and the need for the cross. I retorted back in confidence, “Well, if you want to talk fiction then so does Disney World, Hollywood, and Islam!”

Well, my line of reasoning sounded better in the heat of the moment. However, as I drove home that day and prayed and meditated on the people I had met while street witnessing in the party town of Belmont and Clark in Chicago, I began to realize that what the young man had said had a bit of truth to it. If one were to gather together all the descriptions of heaven and what happens there it would seem like the Bible is sort of keeping heaven a “big secret” or in Bible terminology, “a mystery.”

Why? If our God is the only real God and the Bible is really the unique “true” Word of God, why not talk about heaven in a “Lord of the Rings” kind of way? Really, why didn’t Jesus just simply sit down and say to the disciples, “Okay guys- get ready for me to blow your mind! Get out the ink and scrolls- clear your calendars! I am going to tell you all about heaven!”

Seriously, I hear all the time about these “supposed visits to heaven” and wow, they really have a ton of material- but Jesus on the other hand can only share just a few verses. Plus, the descriptions are sort of “cheesy” when compared to today's make believe world found in most movies and books, ie, "Avatar, Star Wars, etc." For example, Jesus only describes heaven with a few vague terms like, mansions, golden streets, and a place of treasures. In comparisons, the writers of the Hindu Vedas explode with color and in-depth descriptions. Also, even most elementary children could be more creative if asked to describe a "type of heavenly place." They might say heaven has giant water slides from the moon to the earth ending in a rocky road ice cream ocean. Therefore, why didn’t God give us more to hold on to?

Even the Muslims have a place where there are virgins, non-alcoholic wine(?), and slaves to serve the faithful. However, John the Revelator, who has the grandest vision of heaven, simply talks about flying creatures covered in eyes (sounds pretty dull compared to virgins), trees with fruit, a clear river, and a big city made of jewels and precious metals. Why stop there?

As I was driving home that day all these thoughts flooded into my mind. I was getting discouraged; heaven was looking really dull compared to the extravagant descriptions of the Hindu heavens (See art here)! There are sexy goddesses doing sensual things, warring gods creating and destroying all over the universes. It seems like Hindus are living out the greatest eternal adventure!

At that moment of losing my joy in heaven and the glory of God I felt the Holy Spirit come over me and God spoke to my heart, “The reason I have not ‘bribed’ you with notions of grandeur is because I only want to show my glory to those who love me for who I am. Heaven is simply where I am- am I enough for you?”

Even to this day tears come into my eyes when I recount this powerful Word from God. I believe God was never intending to lure us in with our carnal desires of what heaven could be. He is drawing His children to be with Him- period. All the other “heavens” just seem like a “bigger” version of our earth, filled with emptiness. If God is God, heaven would have to be so much greater than our world as the distance is between our world and His. That is why I believe the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT), "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."

Jesus said it like this to the Jewish people of His day, “You have no idea where I come from or where I am going” (John 8:14). After all the things written in the entire Bible and all the ideas presented by man, I still believe, “We have no idea what awaits us, no idea.”

Note: Here is the detailed article that I was asked to review and share my thoughts on, click here.

Bored in Life, its Time to Grow!

Ever feel like you are stuck in the same place in life? Same job, same attitude, same outlook... same boring routines? Believe it or not I get that feeling all the time! I know most people would think that because I am so full of life and energy that I couldn't possibly be bored, but it is actually the opposite. I face daily the pressure to just maintain the "same ole' church" have the "same ole' marriage," "pray the same ole' prayers," and "keep the same ole' routines."

It is like every time I achieve something new or buy the newest gadget, after awhile it becomes boring and I start looking for the "newer thing." The "new phone," the "new workout routine," the "new TV show."

So what is the answer to the "boring-ever chasing happiness life?" Some might just simply say, "Jesus." However, there are a ton of people who have "Jesus" and they are still super bored in life- like Judas, he had Jesus, but he wasn't satisfied with Jesus, he still sought after money to fill a void in his life. Thus, I believe the answer to a boring "same ole' same ole' life" is a "growing relationship with Jesus."

Peter said it like this in 2 Peter 3:18, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!" We can reach the end of so many things like physical fitness, TV shows, jobs, material things, temporal relationships- even religion! However, you can never reach the end of knowing God- He is always exciting and never ending joy (Psalm 16:11)! He makes everything new and vibrant, just ask Peter- he walked on water!

I want to encourage you to come to Metro Praise for the month of March and learn the secret of an exciting fulfilled life... it is time to GROW in JESUS! This week's message is "Grow Up!" Join us and watch your life change before your eyes!

www.metropraise.org