What does the Bible say about hell? Is it a real place? Will God actually send people there? If so, why would a loving God do that? And what about heaven? Is it real? If so, will everyone, eventually, go there? If not, who will?

And what about nations? Does God bless whole nations? Does He judge whole nations, as well? If so, could our nation be under judgment or could it be fast approaching?

Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day.” This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s post and a list of all the Bible readings so you can check them off as you go. You’ll also find the daily posts on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both these Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here.

Today’s Readings:

Numbers 9 & 10
Psalm 31.6-14
Proverbs 11.7-11
Mark 9.30-50

Is Hell Real or Will Everyone Go to Heaven?

Numbers 9 & 10:

Silver Trumpets

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying. ‘Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation ….’ (v. 10.1).

Trumpets are frequently mentioned in the Bible. They were used here to signal several things: calling the people so Moses could speak to them, calling the leadership, and signaling the time to break camp and move out. In other places, trumpets were used to call the people to war and to signal other events.

At the Last Trumpet

But the greatest trumpet call will be when the church is taken out of the earth and God’s judgment begins …

[I]n a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Cor. 15.52).

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God… And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4.16-17).

Those who belong to Him will be called “out of the camp.” Who are those who belong to Him? I’ll talk more about that in a minute, but first, what about those who are left behind at that last trumpet call? Could some of them be destined for hell? Is hell even a real place? Will God actually send people there? Let’s look at our New Testament reading.

Mark 9.30-50:

Is Hell Real?

In Mark 9.42-48 Jesus warned us about a place where the “worm does not die and the fire is not quenched,” what we know as hell. And in Matthew 3.12 He said:

His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Many have asked, “Why would a loving God send anyone to a place like hell?”

The truth is God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2.4). Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels.

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matt. 25.41).

And in fact, God sent His son to suffer and die and take the punishment we deserved.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (Jn. 3.16-17).

It’s their rejection of His provision that sends men and women to hell.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn. 3.18).

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (Jn. 3.36).

Purgatory & Annihilation

Some believe that hell is purgatorial, that we will stay there for a season until our sins have been sufficiently punished. Others think that death is the end, that we are annihilated or that life just ends.

Yet, the book of Revelation talks about two men Satan will use during the Tribulation. They are called the Anti-Christ (or the Beast) and the False Prophet. Revelation 19.20 says that at the end of the Tribulation:

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Notice these two were cast “alive” into the lake of fire.

Satan himself will also be cast into that lake of fire, but first, he will be locked up for 1,000 years. At the end of that 1,000-year time period:

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev. 20.10).

Did you get that? 1,000 years later the Beast (Anti-Christ) and the False Prophet are still alive and still being tormented. Dr. Jeremiah in his book, What in the World is Going On? quotes Harry Ironside:

The lake of fire is neither annihilation nor purgatorial because it neither annihilates nor purifies these two fallen foes of God and man after a thousand years under judgment.

But the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet are not the only ones in danger of hell’s eternal torment.

Only One Remedy

So, back to the question about who belongs to God and is destined for heaven.

Jesus warned that unless we have dealt with the sin in our lives, we all face eternal torment (Mk. 9.42-48). And there is only one thing that can keep us from God’s just and righteous judgment.

The remedy for sin is the cross of Christ. We can never be good enough on our own to avoid hell’s fury. We can’t be religious enough or do enough good works. Our good works won’t be weighed against our bad. We won’t spend time in purgatory to pay off our sin debt.

We will never get to heaven on our own. The only way is to come to the end of ourselves, recognize that we are sinners, hopeless and helpless, and desperately in need of a Savior. We must repent (turn away from our sin) and seek His forgiveness.

Only One Right Answer

On Judgment Day, if God was to ask us, “Why should I let you into heaven?” there is only one right answer. “Because I am in Christ and my debt was paid on the cross. I have accepted the gospel by faith and exchanged my sin for His righteousness.”

If we have done that, we don’t need to have any fear of eternity. Instead, we can wait expectantly for the trumpet to sound!

The time is short. Hell is real. We’re all going to live forever. It’s just a matter of where! That should compel us to think soberly about our own relationship with God.

Let’s be found waiting expectantly and excitedly and working to bring others into the kingdom so they can go with us when that trumpet sounds.

If you’re not sure about your relationship with God, find a good Bible-believing church and go and talk to someone. If you’re not sure where to start, you can find a list of good churches here and here.

You might, also, want to read these posts:

“Do You Live with a Sense of Guilt?”

“Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?”

Today’s Other Readings:

And now a few thoughts about our other readings …

Psalm 31.6-14:

Hate What He Hates & Love What He Loves

Verse 6 begins, “I have hated those who regard useless idols…” Do you hate what the Lord hates or do you tolerate and look the other way rather than allow anyone to think you’re “religious”?

We are not to hate the person, we’re rather to love them and be gentle and not argumentative (2 Tim. 2.23-26; Gal. 6.1), but we are to hate the sin and we are to speak the truth in love at the appropriate time (Eph. 4.15) and not appear to agree by our silence.

And what about your own life? Do you hate your sin? Or do you tolerate it with, “I know I’m not perfect but ….” or thoughts like, “Well, compared to …” Let’s learn to hate what God hates and love what matters to Him.

Proverbs 11.7-11:

Pray for Our Nation

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked (vv. 10-11).

And 2 Timothy 2.1-4 says:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

While we should not place our hope and trust in government, we are commanded to pray for our president and all those who are in authority over us. We need to pray for their salvation and the wisdom to make righteous decisions.

Not Just Our Leaders

But it’s not just our leaders. I believe our nation is perilously close to God’s judgment if it has not already begun. We need to remember that He used the Babylonians, an even more wicked nation, as His instrument of judgment on the nation of Israel (Ezek. 21.1-12). He could just as easily (and rightly) use Iran, Russia, North Korea, or any wicked nation to judge us. We must not think that we are above His righteous judgment.

Those of us who belong to Christ can take comfort in Isaiah’s words:

Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings (Is. 3.10).

But that doesn’t mean that we couldn’t end up living in a completely different nation. Look around. It is already happening. What was once condemned is not openly demanded as a right (Ps. 36.3, 52.3). And just as Isaiah warned the nation of Israel:

That word woe is a strong warning.

Persecution & Hardship

Neither does it mean that we won’t face intense persecution and hardship as a result of those continued changes (Jn. 16.33; 2 Tim. 3.12). But if we do, He will give us the strength and grace to endure it (1 Cor. 10.13) and bless us along the way.

¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim. 3.12-13).

So, let’s pray for revival in our own hearts and in the hearts of the people of our nation while there is still time.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about the sovereignty of God, the seriousness of complaining, and how the sins of our parents and grandparents affect us.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

 

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.