Vaccinated by the Blood!

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

2 Peter 2:4-9

When a child first learns about Hell it can be pretty scary. Punishment can be frightening enough, but punishment usually ends. And of course in a loving home, a reassuring hug usually follows the spanking. But where is the “reassuring hug” as a follow up to Hell? The suffering in Hell goes on forever. The Bible does not talk about a rehab program for those who have served their sentence in Hell.

Hell is like death itself. Hell will be separation from all that is good and righteous and holy. Hell is permanent. Like death you don’t spend a few days or years in Hell and then when that is done you graduate to Heaven. To be perfectly honest it makes me very uncomfortable to write this.

Going to Hell is not like taking a wrong turn on a trip and ending up in the wrong town. From Hell there is no return. In Hell there is no relief. In Hell there is no kind deed, word or thought.

So in the English language we have developed a vocabulary of phrases using the word “Hell” to express displeasure, assign condemnation, and generally be negative towards others.

As a follower of Jesus it is easy to be critical of others who turned to Jesus simply because they are afraid of Hell. What about the Love of God? Isn’t that why we should follow Him? Of course we love Him because He first loved us, but He is the same God who will without mercy send those whose sin is not covered by the Blood of Jesus to ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.

When I was a child Polio ravaged the world. There was great fear of the disease which would turn a healthy child into a permanent cripple. Then came Dr. Jonas Salk and a vaccine that would protect me from Polio. It was amazing and a wonderful relief that there was a way to avoid the prison of polio.

Sin has ravaged the world, and there should be great fear of the prison of Hell that awaits those who have not been vaccinated by the Blood of Jesus.

The Blood of Jesus provides an escape from Hell for every man, woman, boy or girl who has ever lived. Jesus death not only provides a way for me to go to Heaven, but Jesus death rescues me from the Fires of Hell!