8.1 If I die will I not come back as something else?
God’s Word says in Hebrews c9v27-28a “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.” So God says that you will only die once. (For questions about reincarnation please see this link.)
8.2 I can accept that heaven is forever but I cannot accept that hell is forever as well.
- How do you know that heaven is forever? Is it because you would like it to be so, or because that thought gives you a happy emotion, or because a great human orator said so? No, it is forever because God says so in His Word (8a-e).
- In a parable, which is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, the Lord Jesus said, “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable” (Luke c3v17). Also twice God puts both everlasting life and everlasting judgment together in the same verse as follows: Daniel c12v2 says “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Matthew c25v46 says “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
- A number of writers in both the Old and New Testaments speak of God’s judgment. Its different aspects are given in different places. As well as the above quotations there are various authors, in both the Old (8f) and New Testaments (8g-k), that speak of the everlasting aspect. You cannot decide that you will accept everlasting life and reject everlasting judgment even though the judgment thought horrifies you. It is God in His Word that speaks of both everlasting life and everlasting judgment. To believe anything else is to put limited, weak, changeable and sinful people’s ideas above those of the all knowing, almighty, unchangeable and holy God.
8.3 If God is a God of love, how could He send people to hell?
First of all, God did not make hell for people. The Lord Jesus spoke in Matthew c25v41 “… everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” God does not want any human being to go to hell (8l). In order to prevent it, He sent His Son to suffer, bleed and die at Calvary to provide a way of escape (8m). God will always remain just (8n&o) but if people refuse His way of salvation what alternative is there? In a real sense, the only people who go to hell are those who choose to reject God’s forgiveness and His free gift of everlasting life and therefore take the consequences. But the great news is that because of Christ nobody needs to go to hell!
8.4 If God is all-powerful and loving, why does He allow wars, tragedies, suffering, sorrow and evil?
- If you wanted God to end all suffering and evil who would you want Him to get rid of? You would probably suggest: terrorists, murderers, rapists and child abusers. If all these people were removed would the world be a perfect place? No. If God also removed: corrupt politicians and business people, psychotics, thieves and hooligans, would the world be a perfect place? No. Cannot those we love hurt us? Cannot we, through our greed and selfishness, cause pain to those who are closest to us and to others? So somewhere along the path we are the cause of some of the suffering. The point is that while we want God to stop what is wrong in this world we do not want Him to stop what is wrong with us!
- As shown at 8.3 God is just and unchanging. So if God came down now He would have to stop and judge all sin, including your own! Are you prepared for that?
- All the wrong things in the world are the result of sin having entered the world. God is not the originator of any evil (8p) but people brought it into the world (8q). However if some people were in a difficult situation and refused the offer that could save them, then would not the adverse or bad consequences would be theirs. “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John’s Gospel c3v17). Sadly, often people do not trust in Christ as their Saviour and so, as a result, the world is reaping the consequences.
- If you are really concerned about the evil in the world what are you doing about the evil in your heart? This link is to a page where a booklet [Where is God when things go wrong?] which answers this subject in greater depth, is available.
Bible References:
8a John’s Gospel c3v15 “That whosoever believes in him (the Son of God – v14) should not perish, but have eternal life.”
8b John’s Gospel c3v36 “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.”
8c John’s Gospel c10v27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
8d Romans c6v23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
8e Titus c1v2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”
8f Isaiah c33v14 “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
8g Matthew c3v12 “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
8h Matthew c18v8 “Wherefore if your hand or your foot offend you, cut them off, and cast them from you (figurative of taking, if necessary, strong action to deny the fulfilment of sin): it is better for you to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.”
8i Mark c3v29-30 “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost has never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He (Jesus Christ – v7, 23) had an unclean spirit.”
8j Hebrews c6v2 “Of the doctrine … of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”
8k Revelation (written by the apostle John) c20v10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, … and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
8l 2 Peter c3v9 “The Lord … is not willing that any should perish (meaning to go to hell), but that all should come to repentance.”
8m 1 John c4v14 “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”
8n Isaiah c45v21 “Tell you, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who has declared this from ancient time? who has told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.”
8o James c1v17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
8p James c1v13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man.”
8q Romans c5v12 “Wherefore, as by one man (Adam – Genesisc3v6-7 {8r}) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
8r Genesis c3v4-7 “And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die: For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened …” (emphasis mine).