John 3:10-12 lays out pretty well the three reasons people will not embrace Christ: (v.10) they do not understand the gospel; (v.11) they refuse to receive the gospel; or (v.12) they do not believe the gospel.
That fourth thing is the teaching that those that do not accept Christ will not merely perish (as in John 3:16), die the second death or even be cast away from God’s presence for all eternity. It is that the God of the bible will send most people to an eternity of conscious and severe suffering. They simply can’t get past the madness of such a message.
Thing is, unlike those who preach such a message, these folks have really thought it through. They’ve asked themself what kind of God metes out such a punishment to mere humans who not only can’t comprehend it, but often can’t understand what they have done to even deserve such a thing.
They also can’t comprehend his purpose. This is a little like when a kid from the US goes to a foreign country with different laws and finds himself serving the rest of his life for something that, in the US, might get you a probation. They actually break the law because the punishment is so severe they don’t believe it really exists. Imagine a state that had the death penalty for going one mile an hour over the speed limit, but nobody knows anyone who has ever been executed for it. You would take that penalty less seriously than you would take a $30 fine, because you can’t wrap your head around it.
And when non-Christians see the penalty for sin as losing not only this life, but what John 3:16 calls “eternal life”, with the alternative being permanent death, they can wrap their heads around the decision they are being offered.
A side benefit is they can see God as just - the wages of sin is, in fact death - and it is easy to see that as the justice of a true loving God, and not a vindictive torturer.
Interestingly, as a Christian, that is all I wish on the unsaved: That they do not receive eternal life in the presence of their creator. And, of course, outside the presence of God, there is no life.
and a good perspective,
I’ve found its because of arrogance that people do not understand and therefore can not believe. God will not sit down with us and sup with us through our arrogance, we must come humbly to him to learn and he will be there and we will hear him.
For those that refuse to receive the message, we can only brush the dust off and as were leaving pray that God will do something in the future to cause that person to consider him before they run out of time (their life),
In some ways, that may be true. Nevertheless, the Bible seems pretty clear to me on the subject. First, we have the entire book of Revelation.
Then, there is the story of the beggar and the rich man, Luke 16: 19-31. I particularly draw your attention to verse 24.
Matt 5:22 mentions hellfire. Then there's Mark 9:44,45.
So, to discard the doctrine of eternal torment seems unwise to me. Those who reject Christ because they reject this doctrine, have rejected Christ. Maybe it is just an excuse, and they weren't going to accept Him anyway?
You are employing a typical spurious liberal and annihilationism hermeneutic, that of determining truth by what to what you believe conforms to your idea of a "loving God."
However, God in His love does not bluff, but in love tells of both eternal life and eternal punishment, warning of the eternal reality of choosing sin over Him. And does not attempt to deter living a life of fulfilling lusts by warning of simply being toasted in the end,. but of going "into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:43-44)
God also created Lucifer and other angels which rebelled, yet it is clearly taught that "the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)
And that the lost will be told, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" And of being (Matthew 25:41) "tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." (Revelation 14:10-11)
As for attempts to justify annihilationism, I have responded to such in posts as here , here and here
The Bible tells us that when we see Him (the Risen Ascended Jesus) we shall be like Him. Many passages in scripture tell us that God is 'clothed in righteousness' there is 'no sin in Him'. Early in the Bible it is made plain that humankind were kept from the Tree of Life because that would have had them living forever in their sinful state. God's love is like coals of fire upon the sinful nature. To be alive forever in a state of sinfulness, awash in the Light of God's 'radiance' will be agonizing, a fire not quenched where the worm dieth not.
Put in a more succinct way, God has told us what the Universe will be like in the next phase of His creating. His Light/Love will shine throughout that phase, infused into every nook and cranny. To those who love The Lord and have been delivered from their sinful nature, that phase will be 'Heavenly'. To those who hate The Light, that phase will be agonizing suffering. God will not be the one responsible for that choice, for it is a choice, always a choice.
The caveat to that reality is, it is within God's purview when/where that choice is final. Connect that revelation to the 'observer phenomenon' in Physics, that the observer effects the experiment thus the observer's choice effects the outcome, and you have a modern, rational answer for the fourth reason some reject The Gospel of The Grace of God in Christ.
Yes, you're quite correct. God is a God of justice. He gives us our wages-what we are due. And He would be unjust if He did not give us what we're due. That is, unless someone else paid our price.
But people are blinded to wanting and desiring to live a righteous life before God. They are enslaved to sin. And because they are enslaved to sin, they are free against living a righteous life.
Eph 2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
Eph 2:3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Eph 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
This is most important in understanding. Unbelievers cannot understand spiritual things unless God opens their hearts and eyes. They are like the men of Sodom groping for Lot's door but never reaching it. And they'll make all sorts of excuses. We were once like them, walking in the ways of this world. It is Christians that have been blessed through grace in understanding the mind of Christ. If we understand this principle, we can be much more tolerant of godless people living unrighteous lives and less tolerant of seasoned Christians who seem to want to join in with the frivolities.
Interesting side note here regarding, 'Benjamin'. He was the second son to Rachel and Jacob. And right off the bat in Matthew 2:18 after God sent Joseph and Mary off to Egypt because the baby killer Herod was offended and commanded all the children in Bethlehem, and in the coasts, from two years old and under to be killed. (Satan works overtime.)
Matthew 2:18 (Paul would have known what "Jeremy the prophet" had foretold in Jeremiah 31:15, but the whole chapter would now be the 'Gospel'.
18 "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."
Not what? Jeremiah 31 explains, and Christ is in all of the 'who' that was even Written of and about by Jeremiah. And those who claim the 'law' is no longer in effect are deceived.
Like I said above a side note regarding the heritage/lineage of Paul and what he is saying in Romans 11:1.
Romans 11:2 God hath not cast away His people which He *foreknew* (little predestination lingo planted again by Paul) Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias?
(This would be Elijah who along with Moses the lawgiver were shown to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. An interesting side note, which must mean something to Christians of any time.)
back to Romans 11:2 how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
3 "Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, and digged down Thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life."
4 BUT what saith the answer of God unto him? "I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." (Quoted from IKings 19:10-18, and now part of the Gospel.)
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
What does this mean to Christians this day? Grace was alive and well way back in Elijah's time?
6 And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. BUT if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, "God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear";) unto this day. (Quoting Isaiah 29:10)
9And David saith, "Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always,"
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to *provoke* them to jealousy.
It is far less important what we want/preach, but rather what God has foretold/forewarned would be.
Oh, one more side note, the devil is the only named entity that has been judge to 'hell'/extinction and he is said to be destroyed from within, as though he never existed. Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick;
therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.''"
Paul tells us in Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Those that choose 'death' are going to get just that, death, as if they never existed. There will not be the wailing and moaning for eternity for those that love God to be reminded of evil.