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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Exodus 38:1-39:21
Matthew 25:31-26:5

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Matthew 25:46 (CSB): “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

We were not made to comprehend the infinite. We can imagine something that will occur in ten years, a hundred years, even a thousand years. But we cannot comprehend something that doesn’t have a limit, that cannot be explained using things like space and time.

We are so glad God sent Jesus to live among us. God the Father is infinite in His attributes. So, we could know a few things about Him but only touch the very tip of the iceberg. However, we can understand Jesus much better. He came to live in space and time. In doing so, God the Father made it possible for us to know more about what He’s like since looking at Jesus (God the Son) is essentially the same as looking at the Father (John 14:9).

Our limitations become obvious once again when we think about life after death. It is easy to believe that when a Jesus-follower dies, they are immediately ushered into the presence of God in Heaven. Yet, when we try to think about how long we will be in Heaven (forever!), it goes beyond our comprehension.

But there is another reason I chose Matthew 25:46 as the verse for today. It not only talks about eternity (that we cannot fully comprehend), it tells us that those who are in Hell will spend just as much time there as those in Heaven.

Matthew 25:46 (CSB): “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Notice that the word “eternal” describes both Heaven and Hell. In the original language (Greek), the same word describes the time people will spend in both destinations.

There are all sorts of beliefs that people have held about Hell that are not biblical. Some believe in universalism, which states that no one goes to Hell, or if they do, they won’t stay there. Some believe in annihilationism, which states that the wicked will only spend a set period of time in Hell, after which they will cease to exist.

Many views of Hell seek to make it less offensive and traumatic. But a biblical view renders all of those views false.

Matthew 25:46 makes it abundantly clear that unbelievers will be in Hell for as long as Jesus-followers are in Heaven. And that’s where the concept of infinity comes in. Both places will be populated forever … and ever … and ever. The people in Heaven and the people in Hell will never, ever cease to be in the same location for eternity.

Our minds can’t grasp it. But to the extent that we can, it should motivate us to be more intentional about sharing the good news of the Gospel with the people around us. We need to tell them about how Jesus can make them right in God’s eyes before it’s too late. And if they aren’t willing to receive the Good News, then at least we can rest in the fact that we did our part and shared it with them.

Because Hell is forever, and forever is a long, long time!

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you feel the weight of what an eternity in Hell would be like, knowing that you would never, ever leave that place.
  • Ask God to allow that thought (and feeling) to move you to share the Gospel, the greatest news that anyone could hear.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the eternality of Hell, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“Is hell real? Is hell eternal?”

“How is eternity in hell a fair punishment for sin?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)