Why do people go to hell?
I have been watching on US netflix a documentary called Hellbound?
Basically its pro-universalism. But it seems to not accurately bring across the doctrine of eternal torment. But then again, it fails to explain WHY hell exists. It seems to think that it's due to bad behaviour, but never puts across salvation. It keeps talking about God's grace etc, but never posits what salvation is, and as such seems to think that everyone is a christian who is going to heaven, but that we who believe in hell think everyone is a christian who is either going to heaven or hell on God's whim.
Here is my explanation of hell.
In the beginning God had a plan of who he was going to make, everyone from beginning to end was written down and planned. They had free will, and could choose salvation or damnation. God saw that through Adam's sin that ALL would go to hell, everyone from Adam to the last person born would burn in hell.
So God made Israel, he selected a people to be his light unto the world and provided them with a law of action - at such a time that his nation was one of the big players. Humble yet vocal, through Israel God brough forth Kings and Prophets to preach and reflect His mercy and Grace, This led to epistles, prophecies, proverbs and psalms. Some failed and some succeeded.
Israel ultimately failed in its mission, but did just enough to ensure that God's work was done.
Eventually, Jesus came onto the scene and sealed the deal, his famous sermon on the mount established what Christian behaviour should be, and through his death and resurrection paved a way for eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and adoption into God's family.
Those who believe on Jesus are saved, and adopted into God's family, are ultimately children of God, and cannot lose their salvation - conversely those who do not believe are condemned for their sins, and are children of Satan.
One goes to a new Heaven and a new Earth to live with God, the other goes to Hell, to suffer with their father - the devil.
Now God knew what would happen, he knew who would be saved (i.e. who would believe) and he knew who would would choose not to believe. But in order to draw all men unto him, he had to create both wheat and tares..why? Put simply, God does not 'make' you believe, he simply gives you the opportunity to through the sharing of the gospel, but God knew on day 1 if you would believe or not. But God forces no one to believe or disbelieve. You either accept or reject the offer.
The universalists seem to bring this down to God's love, and assume that both the saved and unsaved are unwilling pawns in God's evil game. In fact in this documentary one interviewee even asserted that God had made both good and evil. They reduce the issue down to God being a puppeteer, and uses Westboro as an example of the fundamentalist, when they're a law unto themselves and do not represent real fundamentalism. God does not make people go to hell, they make themselves go to hell. God also gives everyone the opportunity to go to heaven, but he expends his resources where he knows people will believe, but there are cultures out there where God's judgment has come down. But, if he knows someone will believe and be saved, he will expend his resources to ensure that person's salvation. There is not one person in hell today who would have believed in God when they were alive, all are people who reject God and always would have.
On the cross Jesus drew all unto him, it says it right there in the bible, some came, and some walked away. Thats why people go to hell. It's not simply because of sin, as sin is dealt with on the cross, It's because they reject God that they burn, and thus the weight of their sins drags them to hell. Christians can sin day in day out and they will still go to heaven. I always pondered this you see, why would 'temporal sin' lead to 'eternal punishment'? Well, it doesn't, rejection of God's grace and the embrace of Satan does. You see, you're either with God, or you're with the devil.
That my friends is why people go to hell.
Basically its pro-universalism. But it seems to not accurately bring across the doctrine of eternal torment. But then again, it fails to explain WHY hell exists. It seems to think that it's due to bad behaviour, but never puts across salvation. It keeps talking about God's grace etc, but never posits what salvation is, and as such seems to think that everyone is a christian who is going to heaven, but that we who believe in hell think everyone is a christian who is either going to heaven or hell on God's whim.
Here is my explanation of hell.
In the beginning God had a plan of who he was going to make, everyone from beginning to end was written down and planned. They had free will, and could choose salvation or damnation. God saw that through Adam's sin that ALL would go to hell, everyone from Adam to the last person born would burn in hell.
So God made Israel, he selected a people to be his light unto the world and provided them with a law of action - at such a time that his nation was one of the big players. Humble yet vocal, through Israel God brough forth Kings and Prophets to preach and reflect His mercy and Grace, This led to epistles, prophecies, proverbs and psalms. Some failed and some succeeded.
Israel ultimately failed in its mission, but did just enough to ensure that God's work was done.
Eventually, Jesus came onto the scene and sealed the deal, his famous sermon on the mount established what Christian behaviour should be, and through his death and resurrection paved a way for eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and adoption into God's family.
Those who believe on Jesus are saved, and adopted into God's family, are ultimately children of God, and cannot lose their salvation - conversely those who do not believe are condemned for their sins, and are children of Satan.
One goes to a new Heaven and a new Earth to live with God, the other goes to Hell, to suffer with their father - the devil.
Now God knew what would happen, he knew who would be saved (i.e. who would believe) and he knew who would would choose not to believe. But in order to draw all men unto him, he had to create both wheat and tares..why? Put simply, God does not 'make' you believe, he simply gives you the opportunity to through the sharing of the gospel, but God knew on day 1 if you would believe or not. But God forces no one to believe or disbelieve. You either accept or reject the offer.
The universalists seem to bring this down to God's love, and assume that both the saved and unsaved are unwilling pawns in God's evil game. In fact in this documentary one interviewee even asserted that God had made both good and evil. They reduce the issue down to God being a puppeteer, and uses Westboro as an example of the fundamentalist, when they're a law unto themselves and do not represent real fundamentalism. God does not make people go to hell, they make themselves go to hell. God also gives everyone the opportunity to go to heaven, but he expends his resources where he knows people will believe, but there are cultures out there where God's judgment has come down. But, if he knows someone will believe and be saved, he will expend his resources to ensure that person's salvation. There is not one person in hell today who would have believed in God when they were alive, all are people who reject God and always would have.
On the cross Jesus drew all unto him, it says it right there in the bible, some came, and some walked away. Thats why people go to hell. It's not simply because of sin, as sin is dealt with on the cross, It's because they reject God that they burn, and thus the weight of their sins drags them to hell. Christians can sin day in day out and they will still go to heaven. I always pondered this you see, why would 'temporal sin' lead to 'eternal punishment'? Well, it doesn't, rejection of God's grace and the embrace of Satan does. You see, you're either with God, or you're with the devil.
That my friends is why people go to hell.
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