Psalms 88's Portrait of Hell
Part Three
Continuing on from where we left off at the end of Part Two...
One may not suffer in the way that he or she expected, but no one gets away with anything. In many cases, living with a guilty conscience or in fear of exposure is worse than having been caught and punished. Having gotten it over with, at least then one can move forward without being haunted by the fear of having his or her past exposed.
Psalms 88: 8, 18 speaks of being separated from acquaintances, lovers, and friends, being a shut in.
When Adam and Eve sinned, their first reaction was to try to hide (self-induced separation) themselves from the omnipresence and omniscience of God (Gen. 3: 8). They knew that God can not look upon sin with approval, let alone maintain fellowship. of course can not be done. We can run, but we can't hide separate ourselves from the omniscience and omnipresence of God. When God called out to them, asking them where they were (Gen. 3: 9), God was not seeking information. In His omniscience, He already knew that. God wanted THEM to see where they had gone, suffering separation (spiritual death) in their relationship with Him (Gen. 3: 17).
Sin separates Man from God and godly people. When things are not right with God, the mere presence of godly people can disturb us, reminding us of where we have drifted.
The sin of disbelief will keep unbelievers separated from God for all of eternity. Sin separates one from godly friends, lovers, and acquaintances. Ungodly, worldly-minded people do not feel comfortable around godly, eternity- minded people; and vice versa.
Friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God (); and vice versa.
There is a difference between a Christian being friendly (Rom.12: 18), and being a friend in the sense of having a personal, bonding relationship with the people we interact with every day.
Recently I have accepted many "friends requests" on Facebook. As long as this opportunity is available, I see this as an opportunity to share Biblical principles with others via the posts and comments that I place on Facebook. Associating with worldly-minded and behaved individuals was one of the criticisms the religious crowd raised against Jesus. The spiritual question in such associations is who is influencing who (1Cor. 15: 33/Matt. 28: 19, 20).
While I am happy to answer specific spiritual questions (sent to my ministry @ batmq.net), I am not a fan engaging in conversations (FB Chats on FB Messenger) relating to secular issues beyond their spiritual significance. I have been married to the same woman for 47 years. I am not on FB seeking any personal relationships. By nature, I am a hermit that enjoys solitude. I wish only good and no harm on anyone. What you see is what you get. People are free to come and go, as they please.
The more spiritually mature an advancing disciple becomes, the less and less of an interest he or she will have in what the world has to offer. As one spiritually matures, worldly-minded people are going to have less and less of an interest in you, and of the things that, as an advancing disciple, interest you.
Spiritually mature believers are often accused of becoming a "holier than Thou" type of individual. This is a natural response when what the advancing disciple says and does disturbs the comfort zone that the deceptive fallen nature in Man provides. Religious people do not like to be spiritually challenged. If they can't attack the message, they will attack the messenger (Matt. 7: 6).
Take heed when worldly-minded and behaved people speak well of you. The world loves its own. Advancing disciples live in the real world, but are not an accepted part of it (John 15 :19). Advancing disciples seek the praise of God, not worldly-minded people. Advancing disciples will become enemies (someone to contend with) of worldly-minded people when you tell them the truth (Gal. 4: 16).
“Blessed (worthy of praise) are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets (true spokesmen of God) who were before you (Matt.. 5: 11,12 NASB parentheses mine)."
Reconciliation with God is always immediately and readily available (1John 1: 9), but reconciliation with people is not. The SIN of refusing to forgive separates people. Reconciliation between people can not take place unless ALL parties involved desire it to take place. Reconciliation between people begins with a godly type of forgiveness. Godly forgiveness means that the SIN is never brought up again in a condemning fashion.
We are accountable for our own willingness to forgive; not the willingness of other people. Here in the real world, there may be times that after seeking and receiving the forgiveness of God, forgiving ourselves, and forgiving others on our end, that we must accept the fact that reconciliation with certain others may never take place this side of Heaven. In such cases, there is the need to let go and to move forward (Eccl. 3: 6).
Confessions (1John 1: 9) of post (after) salvation sin made to God by a born again secures forgiveness and RESTORES the fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14) that he or she HAD with God. Ongoing fellowship is MAINTAINED by forsaking (John 8: 11) the same type of sin in the future.
Once received, salvation is never lost (Romans 8: 1), but fellowship, and the accompanying earthly (2Cor. 13: 14) and heavenly (e.g.1Cor. 3: 15) benefits and rewards can be suspended or forfeited.
When out of fellowship with God, one is not going to have the mindset compatible and necessary to move forward along the road to spiritual maturity.
Confessing but then not forsaking the sin results in a born again believer going around and around in a revolving doorway going in and out of fellowship with God, and never moving forward along the road to spiritual maturity.
Ultimate and permanent separation from God is the end result of committing the sin of disbelief in a presentation of the unadulterated Gospel Message (Rev. 20: 15).
There is no need for me to list the countless examples of the physical and psychological pain and suffering that are the result of sin; being it our own sin or the sin of others whose negative choices and behaviors impact the lives of those around them. One will not live very long before experiencing the pain that the wounds of sin can bring.
When we encounter undeserved suffering, or when we feel that God has given us the short end the of the stick in life, we are on a very slippery slope.
The devil, being an experienced warrior in the realm of spiritual combat, knows just what buttons to press and when to press them for maximum effect. The devil will be right there to rub salt into these open wounds of undeserved suffering or dissatisfaction. The devil does so by parading the unscathed (Psalms 73: 5), prosperous (Psalms 73: 3) lives and painless departures (Psalms 73: 4) of many ungodly persons living all around us.
The diabolical objectives in this strategy is to lead advancing disciples into develop a "Why be good?" mindset (Psalms 73: 13). Such verses as Phil. 1: 21 and 2Tim. 2: 21 a has two Biblical answers to this "why be good" question, but that is a lesson for another day.
When one considers that God gave us His Son (John 3: 16), He already has given us more than any one of us deserve.
When we encounter undeserved suffering, or when we feel that God has given us the short end the of the stick in life, we are on a slippery slope.
The devil, being an experienced warrior in the realm of spiritual combat, knows just what buttons to press and when to press them for maximum effect in his relentless desire to destroy us. The devil will be right there to rub salt into these open wounds of undeserved suffering or dissatisfaction. The devil does so by parading the unscathed (Psalms 73: 5), prosperous (Psalms 73: 3) lives and painless departures (Psalms 73: 4) of many ungodly persons living all around us.
The diabolical objectives in this strategy is to lead advancing disciples into develop a "why be good" mindset (Psalms 73: 13). Such verses as Phil. 1: 21 and 2Tim. 2: 21 a has two Biblical answers to this "Why be good?" question, but that is another lesson for another day. When one considers that God gave us His Son (John 3: 16), He already has given us more than any one of us will ever deserve!
The psalmist concedes that he almost "slipped and fell (Psalms 73: 2) " into the devil's hand when he was out on this slippery slope. That was, until he considered (Psalms 73: 3) the eternal end (Mark 8: 36/Rev. 20: 15) of the type of individuals he envied ( Psalms 73: 17)
Earthly prosperity with God (3John 1: 2) is indeed a blessing. But earthly prosperity without God can be a trap (Deut. 8: 14) for those who have it, and for those who don't. In times of prosperity, those who have it may forget about God and or the things of God (Deut. 8: 14). Those who don't may become envious of, or covet (Exodus 20: 17), the possessions of others. Such sin and mental attitude separate us from fellowship with God and others.
In Psalms 73: 14 the psalmist speaks of the hopelessness experienced by someone who is suffering from an incurable physical illness which may or may not be the result of sin.
In the spiritual realm, we have all been stricken with an incurable (by human means) spiritual condition (spiritual death). Adam and Eve came down with this condition on the day they sinned (Gen. 2: 17). With one exception, this condition has been passed down through the male partner to every member of the human race at conception (Psalms 51: 5).
The one exception being the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was what qualified Him to be the lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world (John 1: 29). This exception was established via the virgin conception, excluding the male (Joseph) from the process.
Mary, identified herself as a sinner when she referred to God as HER savior (Luke 1: 47). Because the sin nature is passed down through the male partner (Romans 5: 12), God could (and did) use a woman to conceive, carry, and give birth to what became the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ at the First Advent.
When skeptics have difficulty accepting this area of doctrine, remember it took an angelic visitation to convince Joseph (Matt. 1: 19 - 21). Mary was told how she would conceive and that it would not involve sexual intercourse with a man (Luke 1: 35).
The fact that she became pregnant, and never had intercourse with a man, removed any doubt (if any) she might have had concerning the reality of angelic visitation (Luke 1: 29) that she experienced. Joseph knew that he wasn't the father of the child that Mary, to whom he was betrothed, was carrying. Joseph had to accept in an act of faith the nature and means of Mary's pregnancy, even though it took an angelic visitation to do it.
Mary was awake and spoke with the angel (Luke 1). The angel spoke to Joseph in a disturbing dream (Matt. 1: 20).
As long as one remains spirituality dead, he or she is separated from God with no hope of recovery by way of human (good deeds/religious rituals) means.
God's complete plan of salvation was in His mind before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1: 4, let alone the Fall of Man. The details of the plan, however, were announced in stages over the course of human history. The INDIVIDUAL human souls of each dispensation (period of time) were and are accountable for their INDIVIDUAL response to the plan of God to extent that the details had been announced.
As of the dispensation of the Church Age in which we are now living, God's plan of salvation has been completely disclosed. Accordingly, the one and only way (John 14: 6) to have our spiritually dead spirit (with which we come into this world) regenerated is by the renewing work of God the Holy Spirit (Titus 3: 5). This work of God is automatic and the immediate divine response to an individual believing (placing his or her trust and confidence) in the Person and the atoning Work that the Lord Jesus Christ finished (John 19: 30) on the cross. At that moment, one is born again and the recipient of eternal life.
At THAT moment, God the Holy Spirit permanently (Romans 8: 1) ”seals - Eph. 4: 30 NASB" (marks for identification) the now born again believer as a child (regardless of biological age) of God. At that moment, one is born again (John 3: 5, 7) and is the recipient of eternal life (John 3: 16).
The "saved" soul has now gone from what was a hopeless situation to becoming a Heaven-bound individual. Not by good deeds, good behavior, or "religious" activity, but by faith in what God has done.
Saved from what? Saved from the Rev. 20: 15 lake of fire.
In summary, the isolation, separation, physical suffering, and hopelessness of life-threatening or life ending disease can be a great challenge, but pales in comparison to the isolation, separation, suffering, and hopelessness that will be experienced by those who find themselves in the lake of fire for ALL of eternity with NO hope of relief or release.
Unlike the body with all the types of pain that it can produce, the soul within never dies. Life after physical death of the body is not a matter of IF, but of WHERE and HOW it WILL be experienced.
The Gospel Message that reveals the ONE and only means of entering Heaven (John 3: 5, 7), and the ONE and only alternative being the Rev. 20: 15 lake of fire, is NOT a message of hate.
It's a message of love that needs to be heard. You can not love someone and be not concerned for their spiritual well-being.
It is beyond human comprehension to truly appreciate just how awesome Heaven and eternity WITH God will be (1Cor. 12: 4, 7), or how awful the lake of fire WITHOUT God will be for those who WILL find themselves in one or the other.
Denying the existence God or the truth of His Word does not make either one go away! As bad as the separation, isolation, and hopelessness that the human experience can bring to us here on Earth, such things pale in light of the separation and hopelessness that will be experienced by those who find themselves in the lake of fire.
Part Three
Continuing on from where we left off at the end of Part Two...
One may not suffer in the way that he or she expected, but no one gets away with anything. In many cases, living with a guilty conscience or in fear of exposure is worse than having been caught and punished. Having gotten it over with, at least then one can move forward without being haunted by the fear of having his or her past exposed.
Psalms 88: 8, 18 speaks of being separated from acquaintances, lovers, and friends, being a shut in.
When Adam and Eve sinned, their first reaction was to try to hide (self-induced separation) themselves from the omnipresence and omniscience of God (Gen. 3: 8). They knew that God can not look upon sin with approval, let alone maintain fellowship. of course can not be done. We can run, but we can't hide separate ourselves from the omniscience and omnipresence of God. When God called out to them, asking them where they were (Gen. 3: 9), God was not seeking information. In His omniscience, He already knew that. God wanted THEM to see where they had gone, suffering separation (spiritual death) in their relationship with Him (Gen. 3: 17).
Sin separates Man from God and godly people. When things are not right with God, the mere presence of godly people can disturb us, reminding us of where we have drifted.
The sin of disbelief will keep unbelievers separated from God for all of eternity. Sin separates one from godly friends, lovers, and acquaintances. Ungodly, worldly-minded people do not feel comfortable around godly, eternity- minded people; and vice versa.
Friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God (); and vice versa.
There is a difference between a Christian being friendly (Rom.12: 18), and being a friend in the sense of having a personal, bonding relationship with the people we interact with every day.
Recently I have accepted many "friends requests" on Facebook. As long as this opportunity is available, I see this as an opportunity to share Biblical principles with others via the posts and comments that I place on Facebook. Associating with worldly-minded and behaved individuals was one of the criticisms the religious crowd raised against Jesus. The spiritual question in such associations is who is influencing who (1Cor. 15: 33/Matt. 28: 19, 20).
While I am happy to answer specific spiritual questions (sent to my ministry @ batmq.net), I am not a fan engaging in conversations (FB Chats on FB Messenger) relating to secular issues beyond their spiritual significance. I have been married to the same woman for 47 years. I am not on FB seeking any personal relationships. By nature, I am a hermit that enjoys solitude. I wish only good and no harm on anyone. What you see is what you get. People are free to come and go, as they please.
The more spiritually mature an advancing disciple becomes, the less and less of an interest he or she will have in what the world has to offer. As one spiritually matures, worldly-minded people are going to have less and less of an interest in you, and of the things that, as an advancing disciple, interest you.
Spiritually mature believers are often accused of becoming a "holier than Thou" type of individual. This is a natural response when what the advancing disciple says and does disturbs the comfort zone that the deceptive fallen nature in Man provides. Religious people do not like to be spiritually challenged. If they can't attack the message, they will attack the messenger (Matt. 7: 6).
Take heed when worldly-minded and behaved people speak well of you. The world loves its own. Advancing disciples live in the real world, but are not an accepted part of it (John 15 :19). Advancing disciples seek the praise of God, not worldly-minded people. Advancing disciples will become enemies (someone to contend with) of worldly-minded people when you tell them the truth (Gal. 4: 16).
“Blessed (worthy of praise) are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets (true spokesmen of God) who were before you (Matt.. 5: 11,12 NASB parentheses mine)."
Reconciliation with God is always immediately and readily available (1John 1: 9), but reconciliation with people is not. The SIN of refusing to forgive separates people. Reconciliation between people can not take place unless ALL parties involved desire it to take place. Reconciliation between people begins with a godly type of forgiveness. Godly forgiveness means that the SIN is never brought up again in a condemning fashion.
We are accountable for our own willingness to forgive; not the willingness of other people. Here in the real world, there may be times that after seeking and receiving the forgiveness of God, forgiving ourselves, and forgiving others on our end, that we must accept the fact that reconciliation with certain others may never take place this side of Heaven. In such cases, there is the need to let go and to move forward (Eccl. 3: 6).
Confessions (1John 1: 9) of post (after) salvation sin made to God by a born again secures forgiveness and RESTORES the fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14) that he or she HAD with God. Ongoing fellowship is MAINTAINED by forsaking (John 8: 11) the same type of sin in the future.
Once received, salvation is never lost (Romans 8: 1), but fellowship, and the accompanying earthly (2Cor. 13: 14) and heavenly (e.g.1Cor. 3: 15) benefits and rewards can be suspended or forfeited.
When out of fellowship with God, one is not going to have the mindset compatible and necessary to move forward along the road to spiritual maturity.
Confessing but then not forsaking the sin results in a born again believer going around and around in a revolving doorway going in and out of fellowship with God, and never moving forward along the road to spiritual maturity.
Ultimate and permanent separation from God is the end result of committing the sin of disbelief in a presentation of the unadulterated Gospel Message (Rev. 20: 15).
There is no need for me to list the countless examples of the physical and psychological pain and suffering that are the result of sin; being it our own sin or the sin of others whose negative choices and behaviors impact the lives of those around them. One will not live very long before experiencing the pain that the wounds of sin can bring.
When we encounter undeserved suffering, or when we feel that God has given us the short end the of the stick in life, we are on a very slippery slope.
The devil, being an experienced warrior in the realm of spiritual combat, knows just what buttons to press and when to press them for maximum effect. The devil will be right there to rub salt into these open wounds of undeserved suffering or dissatisfaction. The devil does so by parading the unscathed (Psalms 73: 5), prosperous (Psalms 73: 3) lives and painless departures (Psalms 73: 4) of many ungodly persons living all around us.
The diabolical objectives in this strategy is to lead advancing disciples into develop a "Why be good?" mindset (Psalms 73: 13). Such verses as Phil. 1: 21 and 2Tim. 2: 21 a has two Biblical answers to this "why be good" question, but that is a lesson for another day.
When one considers that God gave us His Son (John 3: 16), He already has given us more than any one of us deserve.
When we encounter undeserved suffering, or when we feel that God has given us the short end the of the stick in life, we are on a slippery slope.
The devil, being an experienced warrior in the realm of spiritual combat, knows just what buttons to press and when to press them for maximum effect in his relentless desire to destroy us. The devil will be right there to rub salt into these open wounds of undeserved suffering or dissatisfaction. The devil does so by parading the unscathed (Psalms 73: 5), prosperous (Psalms 73: 3) lives and painless departures (Psalms 73: 4) of many ungodly persons living all around us.
The diabolical objectives in this strategy is to lead advancing disciples into develop a "why be good" mindset (Psalms 73: 13). Such verses as Phil. 1: 21 and 2Tim. 2: 21 a has two Biblical answers to this "Why be good?" question, but that is another lesson for another day. When one considers that God gave us His Son (John 3: 16), He already has given us more than any one of us will ever deserve!
The psalmist concedes that he almost "slipped and fell (Psalms 73: 2) " into the devil's hand when he was out on this slippery slope. That was, until he considered (Psalms 73: 3) the eternal end (Mark 8: 36/Rev. 20: 15) of the type of individuals he envied ( Psalms 73: 17)
Earthly prosperity with God (3John 1: 2) is indeed a blessing. But earthly prosperity without God can be a trap (Deut. 8: 14) for those who have it, and for those who don't. In times of prosperity, those who have it may forget about God and or the things of God (Deut. 8: 14). Those who don't may become envious of, or covet (Exodus 20: 17), the possessions of others. Such sin and mental attitude separate us from fellowship with God and others.
In Psalms 73: 14 the psalmist speaks of the hopelessness experienced by someone who is suffering from an incurable physical illness which may or may not be the result of sin.
In the spiritual realm, we have all been stricken with an incurable (by human means) spiritual condition (spiritual death). Adam and Eve came down with this condition on the day they sinned (Gen. 2: 17). With one exception, this condition has been passed down through the male partner to every member of the human race at conception (Psalms 51: 5).
The one exception being the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was what qualified Him to be the lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world (John 1: 29). This exception was established via the virgin conception, excluding the male (Joseph) from the process.
Mary, identified herself as a sinner when she referred to God as HER savior (Luke 1: 47). Because the sin nature is passed down through the male partner (Romans 5: 12), God could (and did) use a woman to conceive, carry, and give birth to what became the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ at the First Advent.
When skeptics have difficulty accepting this area of doctrine, remember it took an angelic visitation to convince Joseph (Matt. 1: 19 - 21). Mary was told how she would conceive and that it would not involve sexual intercourse with a man (Luke 1: 35).
The fact that she became pregnant, and never had intercourse with a man, removed any doubt (if any) she might have had concerning the reality of angelic visitation (Luke 1: 29) that she experienced. Joseph knew that he wasn't the father of the child that Mary, to whom he was betrothed, was carrying. Joseph had to accept in an act of faith the nature and means of Mary's pregnancy, even though it took an angelic visitation to do it.
Mary was awake and spoke with the angel (Luke 1). The angel spoke to Joseph in a disturbing dream (Matt. 1: 20).
As long as one remains spirituality dead, he or she is separated from God with no hope of recovery by way of human (good deeds/religious rituals) means.
God's complete plan of salvation was in His mind before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1: 4, let alone the Fall of Man. The details of the plan, however, were announced in stages over the course of human history. The INDIVIDUAL human souls of each dispensation (period of time) were and are accountable for their INDIVIDUAL response to the plan of God to extent that the details had been announced.
As of the dispensation of the Church Age in which we are now living, God's plan of salvation has been completely disclosed. Accordingly, the one and only way (John 14: 6) to have our spiritually dead spirit (with which we come into this world) regenerated is by the renewing work of God the Holy Spirit (Titus 3: 5). This work of God is automatic and the immediate divine response to an individual believing (placing his or her trust and confidence) in the Person and the atoning Work that the Lord Jesus Christ finished (John 19: 30) on the cross. At that moment, one is born again and the recipient of eternal life.
At THAT moment, God the Holy Spirit permanently (Romans 8: 1) ”seals - Eph. 4: 30 NASB" (marks for identification) the now born again believer as a child (regardless of biological age) of God. At that moment, one is born again (John 3: 5, 7) and is the recipient of eternal life (John 3: 16).
The "saved" soul has now gone from what was a hopeless situation to becoming a Heaven-bound individual. Not by good deeds, good behavior, or "religious" activity, but by faith in what God has done.
Saved from what? Saved from the Rev. 20: 15 lake of fire.
In summary, the isolation, separation, physical suffering, and hopelessness of life-threatening or life ending disease can be a great challenge, but pales in comparison to the isolation, separation, suffering, and hopelessness that will be experienced by those who find themselves in the lake of fire for ALL of eternity with NO hope of relief or release.
Unlike the body with all the types of pain that it can produce, the soul within never dies. Life after physical death of the body is not a matter of IF, but of WHERE and HOW it WILL be experienced.
The Gospel Message that reveals the ONE and only means of entering Heaven (John 3: 5, 7), and the ONE and only alternative being the Rev. 20: 15 lake of fire, is NOT a message of hate.
It's a message of love that needs to be heard. You can not love someone and be not concerned for their spiritual well-being.
It is beyond human comprehension to truly appreciate just how awesome Heaven and eternity WITH God will be (1Cor. 12: 4, 7), or how awful the lake of fire WITHOUT God will be for those who WILL find themselves in one or the other.
Denying the existence God or the truth of His Word does not make either one go away! As bad as the separation, isolation, and hopelessness that the human experience can bring to us here on Earth, such things pale in light of the separation and hopelessness that will be experienced by those who find themselves in the lake of fire.