Hell, A Reality God wants us to Escape

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 9:17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 18 For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke. 19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother. 20 And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

 

Merry Christmas! Whatever happened to “peace on earth and good will to men?” This is the same chapter in Isaiah that gave us, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6)

 

Can’t we just ignore this portion and go on with the business of a merry Christmas? Sorry, can’t do that. God’s wrath against sin is not turned away from the hypocrite, the evil doer, and those whose mouths are full of lies and folly, by putting up a Christmas tree and sticking some presents under it. It is only turned away by grace through faith in that little babe in the manger.

 

His wrath spilled out on His people in the days of Isaiah in very real pain and agony because they had turned away from God. It didn’t matter who turned away, the young men, the widows, the fatherless, all who turned away from God experienced His judgment.

And this occurrence of God’s wrath was meant to be an example for us! 1Co 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

 

I beg you, don’t let this example pass you by in vain. These judgments were meant to be a picture of hell, a place where the wrath of God is poured out forever upon the souls who rejected the gift of the Christ. Note the references to fire and smoke in verses 18 and 19!

In verse 20 a picture of souls forever hungry and never satisfied, this hunger so painful that a man would be willing to chew off his own arm to satisfy it, but no satisfaction shall come…..forever.

 

There will be no relief in hell, where “His hand is stretched out still. What will it be for you this Christmas? Will you receive Jesus Christ, the prince of Peace,  as your Lord and Savior or will you continue the life of the lying, evil doing hypocrite, who thinks he or she can make do with the eternal wrath of God!

 

Here is the promise for you, if you turn to Jesus! But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (Jn 1:12)

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.