History Books in 90 Days: Ezra 8-10
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV); The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
When we think of the dot and the line analogy (life on earth as the dot and life after death as the
line), we normally assume the line to be heaven, but the line is eternity. For some that will be
heaven and the new earth, but for many that will be hell and the lake of fire.
This is a sobering truth that much of the church today is embarrassed about, so much so that
renowned Christian leaders in the West are creating their own views about the afterlife. Some
propose that those in hell will continue to receive chances to turn to God and others hold to
the idea that all unbelievers will be forever annihilated. There are other propositions made, but
all are feeble attempts to wiggle around an issue that Jesus made very clear. God does not
want anyone to perish, and He takes no pleasure in casting people from His presence, but He
refuses to strip us of our will to choose. God does everything He can to give people chances to
choose Him. No one will be able to say, “If only You would have given me another 6 months, I
would have chosen You!” In fact, the verse in 2 Peter shows us that Jesus is delaying His return
precisely to give everybody all the time He possibly can so that they will come to Him.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Do you find yourself embarrassed about the Bible’s teaching on Hell? Do you feel the need
to make excuses for God?
2. Meditate on the verse in 2 Peter, and also spend some time thinking about God’s justice
and praising Him for it. Think about the evil in the world. What would happen if God was
not just? Think about God’s holiness and how we all fall short of it. Think about God’s
mercy and compassion. Think about the love and justice He showed by sending Jesus to
die on the cross.
3. Ask God to give help you feel the weight of eternity and the reality of hell. Ask Him to give
you His heart for the unsaved. How does He want you to act differently in response to what
He’s shown you?
For more information on this subject, check out part 1 of Pastor Ray’s message series: Eternal
Rewards
