Just a Thought

I was thinking today about fearing God.  I realize some do not like this perspective on God, but such an understanding of the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  I have an analogy that I thought was interesting:  I remember as a child being called to the dinner table, but never coming when my mother first called because I was having too much fun with my friends; my mother would continue to call me, but I continued to ignore her and have fun. What always found my attention was my mother’s threat to inform my dad that I was not listening.  If dad came home before I did, I was in a world of hurt.  My father loved me, and part of loving me meant discipline. This would mean restriction from seeing my friends, or a hand across my backside.

What I find interesting about the situation is that my mother would have to plead with me to come and eat a wonderful home cooked meal, and that only the threat of an angry dad would cause me to come.  It is strange that the God of heaven and earth would have to resort to punishment to get us to come to him.  All of the wonderful things he has to give; a table full of pleasures, joy, and peace, but we will not come unless threatened.  We are not threatened to come and be slaves, but to come and be sons and daughters.  Maybe hell is the right place for those who find God’s invitation to his presence and family so avoidable.

Hell Part 3 (A new Family)

The idea of hell is not a palpable concept. The thought of anything unpleasant being eternal is horrifying. If the Christian Gospel is true, then the cross shows at what lengths God will go to ensure we do not end up there. If my father, mother, or brother were to suffer this eternal fate, how could I enjoy heaven while they suffer in hell? The answer may not be anymore pleasant than hell itself.

These are only my thoughts and not God ordained revelation; I am only trying to work out a difficult concept. In Mathew 12:48 Jesus said, “He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Jesus answers his own question by stating that those who do the will of the Father are his mother, brother, and sisters. When the final judgment comes and the dead are raised, we will enter a completed new heaven and a new earth, but we will also enter a completed and renewed family.

Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[f] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Some of us will lose brothers sisters, mothers, and fathers to the gospel, but Christ promises hundred fold returns. In a world where those who have done the will of Christ’ Father, we will become ourselves, fathers, brothers, mothers, and sisters to one another. The fullness of Christ love through God and the body of believers will encompass and fill every need with overflowing peace, joy, and fullness of God’s righteous family.

Those we once loved, we will no longer love with pity and mourning, but with knowledge that they are where they wanted to be. They wanted judgment more than the compassions of a righteous God; they wanted freedom from the yoke of Christ more than his or our presence (better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven). We can rest in their eternal state because they wanted nothing more than to be where they are, so there is nothing left to want or hope for them. This is tragic but it makes sense to me. All souls will be stripped bear, and all nakedness exposed; our tragic fallen state revealed in it entireness. There will be no pity, only a universal desire for everything to be made right.

TOTT