| For those who reject His Creatorship and | | | | eternal separation from Him. Because He is Holy, |
| Godship, He has ordained a place for them in | | | | he cannot tolerate the presence of the unholy, of |
| eternal isolation from Him. This eternal isolation is | | | | sin. The natural and normal result of the choice to |
| so intense that it is referred to in the Bible as a | | | | sin, to refuse to accept His Creatorship and |
| Hell, as a place of eternal torment. It will still be | | | | Lordship, is eternal separation from Him, which is |
| eternal life, but it will be eternal life in seclusion | | | | effectively death (Rom 6: 23). |
| from our Lord and Maker. | | | | Fortunately, God in His infinite mercy has crafted |
| Have you ever been alone? Really alone? You | | | | a plan, one which He set into motion before He |
| think no one cares? No one wants to talk? | | | | even created the earth, knowing what His |
| Imagine a place on this earth of isolation. Imagine | | | | creation would do. He ordained that His own Son |
| the prisoner of war who is put into an earthen | | | | would die to bridge the gap between God Himself, |
| cell, and fed once a day. But even that prisoner, | | | | from whom every man chooses to separate, and |
| as alone as he may feel, is not truly alone. | | | | man, the creation. By being God Himself and |
| Perhaps he can see the soldiers when they come | | | | taking on the nature of man, when Jesus Christ, |
| to bring his daily food. Perhaps the rats and | | | | the Son of God, was put to death, his death was |
| cockroaches visit him in his cell. Perhaps he hears | | | | able to pay the penalty, not of His own sins, |
| the tortured screams of other prisoners. Perhaps | | | | because He had none, but our own sins, because |
| he converses with his God. He is not truly alone. | | | | He was pure in His death. |
| But nevertheless, he is experiencing a type of | | | | You see, the acceptance of His death for our sins |
| living hell. Now imagine what that same cell would | | | | is the same difference as not eating of the |
| be like with no food, no rats, no soldiers or fellow | | | | forbidden fruit (which we have all done, in one |
| prisoners, and worst yet, no God. That is Hell. | | | | form or another). It is the same difference as |
| You see, when God created us, He created us | | | | paying a tithe of our property and our yearly |
| for Heaven, not Hell. He created us to always | | | | increase. It is the ultimate form of recognizing |
| have communion, fellowship, and communication | | | | that God created everything, including us, and that |
| with Him. Starting with the first man and the first | | | | He gave us everything we have. It is simply |
| woman, Adam and Eve, man as a race has | | | | saying that I cannot, as man, do it on my own; I |
| chosen to 'eat of the forbidden fruit', to sin, or | | | | need a mediator, someone to stand in the gap |
| turn away from God. Everyone who has ever | | | | for my rebellion, and prevent eternal isolation |
| lived to the age of understanding has done it, | | | | from the Creator of the universe. |
| turned away from God, and failed to recognize | | | | Questions for discussion: |
| Him as God and Provider. Not only failed, but | | | | Describe your view of the nature of God and His |
| purposely tested Him to show that they are in | | | | redemption plan. |
| control of their own lives. The Book of Romans | | | | Have you struggled with what you perceived as |
| tells us: "For all have sinned and come short of | | | | God's wrathful and vindictive nature? |
| the glory of God" (Rom. 3: 23). | | | | Does this lesson help you see that eternal |
| Once we have sinned and rejected the promises | | | | separation is a direct result of our sin, not His |
| of God, His life-giving power, once we eat of the | | | | vindictive nature? |
| forbidden fruit, so to speak, once we firmly | | | | Have you sinned (rebelled against the Creator of |
| establish that we own our lives and our futures, | | | | the universe)? |
| we effectively tell God that we no longer need | | | | Can God, in His holiness, permit sin in His |
| Him, that we can do it on our own. And the | | | | presence? |
| natural and fair end of that decision is that God | | | | Have you accepted His loving plan to keep you |
| gives us exactly what we ask for and desire: | | | | from eternal separation? |