I recently preached a sermon entitlled, "Hell, Adding Dimension to Hope," from 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 as part of our current sermon series, "Unwrapping Hope." The premise of the message was that just as the study of heaven helps Christians to better understand the hope that God has given them in salvation, the study of hell adds greater dimension to a Christian's understanding of hope.I would like to take a moment to expound on a concept that I was only able to briefly touch on in my sermon. The connection of God's glory and hell. Within pop culture, hell is viewed as Satan's hangout spot. Within much of western Christendom, hell is overtly or inadvertently diminished by treating the subject with silence. Contrary to these two views, the Bible clearly teaches that hell is a real place that demonstrates God's glory.
God created heaven so that His unveiled glory could be demonstrated to believers. The awe of heaven will not be so much the beauty of heaven itself, (although the beauty will be beyond anything our finite minds can imagine), but the reality that one will be able to bask in the presence of God's unveiled glory. Simply put, God's glory is demonstrated through heaven by the fact that He can redeem sinners and make them holy so that they can experience His unveiled glory.
God created hell to punish sin with eternal righteous punishment. So then how does this reflect God's glory? Well, whenever we sin it is an attack on God's glory. God's response to this attack on his glory by punishing the offender is a demonstration of both His glory and the infinite value of His glory. This does not mean that God delights in a sinner suffering, but instead demonstrates that the infinite value of God's glory, His justice, and righteousness demand the ultimate penalty for sin be eternal punishment in hell. This is how John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him," fits with 2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."
Both the beauty of God's redemption and horror of God's judgment equally demonstrate His glory.
Praise God that he sent His Son to pay the penalty for sin by being an atoning sacrifice so that one might someday stand in the presence of God's unveiled glory.
God created hell to punish sin with eternal righteous punishment. So then how does this reflect God's glory? Well, whenever we sin it is an attack on God's glory. God's response to this attack on his glory by punishing the offender is a demonstration of both His glory and the infinite value of His glory. This does not mean that God delights in a sinner suffering, but instead demonstrates that the infinite value of God's glory, His justice, and righteousness demand the ultimate penalty for sin be eternal punishment in hell. This is how John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him," fits with 2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."
Both the beauty of God's redemption and horror of God's judgment equally demonstrate His glory.
Praise God that he sent His Son to pay the penalty for sin by being an atoning sacrifice so that one might someday stand in the presence of God's unveiled glory.
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