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