The Fearful Destiny of Non-Believers
“For,
as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as
enemies of the cross of Christ. Their
destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their
shame. Their mind is on earthly
things. But our citizenship is in
heaven. And we eagerly await a
Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:18-20)
What
is so important that Paul has to repeatedly remind the believers? What is it that causes him to be in
tears? It has to do with the
destiny of a non-believer. If men
have to reject God’s salvation, their soul will perish forever after
death. Many believe that since God
is abundant and merciful, like a father, God will certainly not put people in
hell and cause them to suffer.
There are even Christians who believe that those people who do good all their lives will definitely not suffer because the
gracious God will grant them rest.
Hell
is designated for the Devil and the rebellious angels (Matt 25:41, 2 Peter 2:4,
Rev 20:10). They disobeyed God, and
God gave up on them, subsequently deserting them to a land of waste, known as
hell. The origin of this “land of
waste” can be traced back to the Old Testament where it mentioned the Valley of
Ben Hinnom, located at the south end of Jerusalem, once
known for a place where idol worshippers sacrificed their children through fire
(2 Chron 28:3, Jer
7:31). It is a place detested by
God and a placed where waste was gathered and incinerated. The Jews believed that hell is a place
where sinners receive their punishment.
Jesus
reminded us many times about the reality of hell, where the worms do not die
and the fire not quenched (Mark 9:48). Sinners are tormented in this place of
eternal punishment (Matt 25:46) with weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt
13:42). Because hell is so
frightening, our Lord warned us to avoid it at all costs. “If your right eye
causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose
one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matt
5:29)
Though
sinners face this fearful situation, God has provided salvation for them,
hoping that they will repent and believe in the Son of God to redeem them from
eternal death. “For God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
him. Whoever believes in him is not
condemned…” (John 3:17-18). Paul
was sent from God to preach this Gospel of salvation; some received and became
God’s children, while others rejected.
Some have even become the enemy of Christ. Paul, knowing hell to be such a dreadful
place, vehemently encourages those who only know to enjoy their present lives
to escape from this eternal torment.
Thus,
brothers and sisters need to grasp the current opportunity to spread God’s
salvation to friends and relatives who have not yet known the Lord; this is to prevent
them from suffering the eternal punishment. Do not fool ourselves or listen to Satan
say, “they may not certainly die; God’s love is forever abiding…” The Jews thought God only punishes those
deserving it, but our Lord said, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse
sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no!
But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:2-3) Remember the Lord’s word, “…whoever does
not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18)
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