Have you ever wondered how God can send people to hell? How can a God of love, a good God send people to hell? The answer: He doesn’t.
Jesus Himself declared in Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”. Hell was prepared for the devil and His angels. So why does man go there? They make a choice. They reject the gospel because they love darkness rather than light. As image bearers of God, mankind possesses the gift of choice. They can choose to heed or ignore the gospel call of God unto salvation (Romans 10:13-16). Moses and Joshua exhorted the Israelites to make a choice (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15). Read Proverbs 1:24-29.
From the time that God sought out Adam in the Garden of Eden, to the time of the end of the ages, God is crying out to man. (Genesis 3:9; Revelation 22:17). The great commission of the church is that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”(Luke 24:47). Revelation 21:8 is not saying that “bad people” go to hell and “good people” go to heaven. We are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. We are made new creatures and begin to walk in the newness of life. We become holy as He is holy.
Listen to how Paul describes the life that is changed by faith in Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”. Hell is the bad news. Heaven is the good news. Selah
