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Hell, Not Heaven, Is Our Default Destination

By J.D. Greear

Most people assume that as long as they don’t mess things up in their time here on earth, they’ll go to heaven when they die. But Scripture says the opposite. God created us for heaven, but the rebellion of the human race, in which we are all participating, has destined us for hell.

Hell, not heaven, is our default destination.

Notice the breadth of who is described as going to hell in Revelation 21:8: “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (ESV).

Included in that list are the ones you’d expect: murderers, sorcerers, etc. The “really bad” guys. But it also includes a lot of people who could be found in the church, like:

  • The cowardly – those who would never stand for Jesus in front of their friends
  • The faithless – those who went to church but never really trusted God enough to obey him with their relationships or their money
  • Idolaters – those who wouldn’t put God first in their lives
  • Liars -those who came to church but whose submission to God was not sincere

Hell is an eternal place of torment, and all of us—no matter where we fall in that list—are deserving of its agony. That reality makes me think of the words of Charles Spurgeon: “These are such weighty things, such that when I dwell upon them, I feel far more inclined to sit down and weep than to stand up and speak to you.”

The images described in Revelation are awful, including fire and burning sulfur. There is some question as to what is metaphorical and what is literal in Revelation, but even if these things are symbols, whatever they are pointing to is unspeakably awful.

And, we have to assume hell is eternal, because the same word that is used for “everlasting life” is used for “everlasting death.”

You say, “But how is that fair? An eternity in hell for only 70 years of sin?”

Sin gains its wickedness by the one it’s committed against. If you punch a hole in a wall, you have to pay for the wall. If you punch a dog, that’s worse. If you punch the woman behind you in the grocery line, you’re going to jail. If you approach the Queen of England with your fists raised, something worse than jail may happen to you. Sin against an infinitely holy God is infinitely wicked.

J.D. Greear
J.D. Greearhttp://jdgreear.com
J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church, in Raleigh-Durham, NC and author of Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches That Send (2015), Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary (2011), Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved (2013), and Jesus, Continued…: Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better Than Jesus Beside You (2014). See more from Pastor J.D. on Facebook.

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