II Thessalonians 1:9
“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power”.
Paul brings up the topic of Hell. Probably one of the most uncomfortable topics in the bible. Some may say, “I would prefer the message of God’s love.” True, but I’ve heard it said that Jesus brought up the topic of Hell more than anyone in the bible.
We have a natural dread on the topic. We shouldn’t ignore it. Some try to explain it all as fiction and ignore it. Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” When it comes to mind, seek to address it. Jesus gives a remedy. If we accept His sacrifice for us, then He promises us Heaven.
Today’s passage gives a description of why Hell is so terrible. We are “away from the presence of the Lord”. God is our creator. We were designed to be connected to Him. Just like a battery operated item needs a recharge, so do we. If the Lord wasn’t directly involved in sustaining creation, all would fall apart. Paul said in Acts 17:28, “for in Him we live and move and exist…”.
God sustains all. Our next heartbeat happens, our cells function, our taste buds celebrate a meal, the delightful music and our ability to be soothed by it all come from Him. Our ability to be motivated and achieve goals is from Him. The beauty and wonder of creation are His. The reward that work brings and concept of a restful weekend are His. Love and the desire to be loved are His. All the treats that satisfy us are His: candy, coffee, fruit and so on.
To reject or put off God in this life won’t separate us from all these good things, but will in the next. As was stated earlier, the most tragic part of Hell is being “away from the presence of the Lord”. All of the delightful part of what makes life wonderful will be gone. All of the delights of the previous paragraph won’t be there. Not because of punishment, but because all those things are from God, so without Him, there will be no joy whatsoever. Just like an extroverted friend can bring the party with Him, so with God comes all good things. Their are other aspects of Hell that make it terrible. But being away from God is the worst.
Lord, thank You for wanting to be with us in this life and the next. Thank You that Your company is so wonderful. Thank You for the sacrifice of Your son and how He saves from Hell.