After two weeks of scheduling conflicts and technical difficulties we are excited to have the Mobile Word Podcast back and running. To make up for lost time we are planning to upload 1 or 2 episodes per day over the next week and the 7th and 8th episodes are now available on itunes and on this site. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the online Bible study!
This reflection series deals with the topic of Hell. Using Jesus’ illustration of the Rich Man and Lazarus as recorded in Luke’s gospel, this week we’re reflecting on hell as a place of delusion.
Most people can relate to chasing the elusive, longing for more and settling for less. We desire fellowship, love, and presence, and often drive it away or can’t hold on to it when we have it. The tragedy is that for all our awareness of our problems, most of us do little to change the state we find ourselves in. We go year after year chasing things that repeatedly leave us dissatisfied. We go year after year making choices that do more to isolate us from others than unite us with them. If we know this to be true, why don’t we do anything to change and stop the cycle?
The answer lies at the center of the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. While the Rich Man is open to his suffering and loneliness, what he isn’t open to is his desire to leave the place he is in, or to admit to where he is. Not once does he ask Abraham to take him out of hell. He instead requests satisfaction be brought to him in hell. He even believes that he remains the master to Lazarus even after Lazarus is in the Kingdom of God and the Rich Man in hell. The Rich Man is hopelessly delusional about his problems and his fate.
The terror of hell does not end suffering and loneliness. The scariest aspect of hell is that the Rich Man is hopelessly delusional about himself and his condition. In the same way an addict will deny the damage they have caused to themselves and others, an occupant of hell is forever in denial. The nature of sin is such that a person bound in it is so obsessed with, so fixated on themselves that although they suffer and although they are unhappy, they are addicted to the very suffering and loneliness they want to escape.
Sin tempts us with things that God knows will not satisfy us. But under the influence of sin we are willing to damage anything, anyone, even ourselves to have them. Sin creates delusion, and hell is the end result of sin in a human life, cementing eternal delusion on what is good for them and what they actually need.
Only Lazarus is named in Jesus’ story. This detail is not subtle at all, if one sees that the choice to only name Lazarus was made in the context of a lesson regarding hell. The named man Lazarus has an identity. He is real. He is accepted. He is loved. He is forever at peace with the Father, as Lazarus. The unnamed “Rich Man” is eternally anonymous. He does not know who he is. He does not know what he needs. He does not know how to fix what he knows is wrong. He is eternally separated from the God who gave him life, left to live out eternity in isolation, forever searching for what he will never find. His life was consumed by wealth that replaced God as the focus of his worship. Thus, his eternal state in hell echoes the priorities of his worldly life. In eternity as in life, he was simply “the Rich Man.”
1Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.
We are easily overcome by two things: what is powerful and what is beautiful. When we are in the presence of something more powerful than we are, it is easy to submit to its power. When we are in the presence of something more beautiful than we are, it is easy to submit to its beauty. When Ezekiel had this vision he noticed the power of God’s voice and then he noticed the radiant glory that His presence brought to the land. Many of us have read the Bible and have yet to experience the power of God’s voice. Why is that?
Perhaps we must ask ourselves if we even want to experience the power of God’s voice as it is meant to be heard. Or do we know that to hear the voice of God unobstructed might mean that the authority of His power and voice would override ours, and tell us what we don’t actually want to hear? Might that voice lead us where we don’t ever want to go? There is undeniable power in hearing the uncompromised voice of the living God, and there is unavoidable authority with that power. If we want to experience the power of the living Word and the voice of God we must listen to Him. If we listen to Him, we will be overpowered by Him. Not the power that takes life, but a power that transforms and creates NEW life.
Many of us have sought God in our spirit and in the Bible and have found nothing but a judgmental, angry and violent God. We have yet to find the beauty that Ezekiel witnessed in this vision. How can we experience His beauty? The first answer seems obvious. First, we have to look at Him. We cannot rely on the second-hand illustrations and compositions, and testify to have seen God and an ugly God for that matter. We have to gaze upon the LIVING God as He was and is. If we observe His anger, ask yourself, “Why is He angry?” If you observe His violence and anger, ask yourself, “What preceded His anger and violence?” “Was He always angry?” “What made him angry and was the violence justified?”
To know God’s beauty we have to look upon God and witness Him completely. Second, we have to see His impact on His surroundings. Notice that verse one did not merely say that He possessed glory but that He brought glory to the land. Something of beauty beautifies its surroundings. People will climb up dangerous, foreboding cliffs in order to capture a photo of a rare and stunning plant or animal. Something of beauty brings out the beauty in the things that it encounters. God does not simply desire that we find Him beautiful. He desires that we see His beauty in creation and that through His creation we ultimately see Him as the most glorious figure in our lives. To know God is to know His power and be overcome by it. However, without an awe for His beauty and the beauty of all He touches we cannot attest to having known Him as He is.
This reflection series deals with the topic of Hell. Using Jesus’ illustration of the Rich Man and Lazarus as recorded in Luke’s gospel, this week we’re reflecting on hell as a place of suffering.
Last week we discussed the suffering of longing and emptiness that all people can relate to. If asked what remains as another fear common to all, most would likely answer, “loneliness.” We humans were created for fellowship. Even before we were brought into this world, God designed us for fellowship with him.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Genesis 1:26-31
Then, being brought into this world by our parents and family, we were born and raised to be “with” people, loved, cared for and nurtured by them.
As we get older and our lives separate from family and home, we find ourselves apart from people more than we find togetherness with them. While independence does have its place in human development and is an integral part of finding unity with the Father who created us, fellowship with people is where we are given the fullest sensation of what we were designed to experience. Thus, being constantly alone is a fate that most are terrified and tormented by.
The Rich Man, aside from his eternal dissatisfaction and longing for relief from his suffering, is completely alone in hell. He is left alone to ponder both his condition and the absence of a solution to his suffering. He is alone, with no one to listen to his problems, no one to offer any empathy or compassion.
When confronted with Church or Christianity, many people view both as a burden. For many people (especially in the modern Western world), individuality and the freedom it seems to give them is enough to give them the brash and prideful overconfidence to look God in the face and say to him, “I don’t need you! Leave me alone!” But we learn from the Rich Man that hell is a place where we are finally given our way. Hell is a place where God hears our request for isolation and gives us what our hearts desire. In effect, we request to be alone and God ultimately respects our desires and leaves us alone. Therefore, where many people view hell as a sort of large jar with people scrambling like insects to escape, only to find the judgmental, jealous and cruel God firmly tightening the lid, according to Jesus, hell is quite different. Hell is a place that the people residing there have in their heart of hearts requested, and who have received what they demanded.
We are often our worst company, our worst comforter and our worst coach. On the other hand, Jesus Christ came into this world as “Emmanuel.” Jesus is, “God with Us,” and hell could not be more radically different. Hell is “Man with Himself.”
Read Lamentations 5Things are not the way they are supposed to be. This we can all agree is indisputable. The questions we ask are “Why?” and “What can we do to change our situation?” Our instinct is to look at external factors influencing our status and to seek a remedy to those factors. We see injustice and decide that the best course of action is to address the social and legal issues underlying the injustices. We see poverty and decide that a new social initiative requiring more legislation or community activism will most effectively change the situation and fix the problem.
The problem is that poverty has never been solved. Injustice has never been solved. We do in fact have an obligation to do what we can to improve our communities and the lives of those around us. However, regardless of the amount of time, energy and resources we throw at a problem, the problem will persist, most likely grow and exist for others to wrestle with after we have passed on.
So, is there any hope? Is there any point in addressing these issues if the outcome will never change and our efforts will have little to no impact on the problems? If we rely on our own efforts and believe that our new idea or program will conquer the insurmountable summit of suffering in this world, then no. The solution to these problems is counterintuitive. Where we think that the first step is to attack the problem head-on, the opposite is actually true. In order to address problems in the world and discover a solution we must look internally rather than externally. The problem is in each of us. The problem is not others. The problem is inside of us. Only by addressing the problem within each of us will we find the origin of our current world issues. We will also discover that by finding the origin of our problem we also find the origin of the solution. God created the world we live in upon the spirit of shalom. The world was created for balance, harmony, unity, self-sustainence and comprehensive blessing.
When we compare our imperfections with the harmony of the created order, we will be pointed in the right direction of fixing what is broken and healing what is sick. In Jesus Christ exists the fulfillment and revitalization of the created order. In Jesus Christ there is hope that change WILL happen and that it CAN start today. In Jesus Christ there is no longer fear, there is no longer hunger, there is no longer injustice. No fear, because Jesus conquered the threat of fear by overcoming the thing we fear the most, death. No hunger, because the words of God illuminated by the Holy Spirit sustain us daily, even when our physical bodies endure weakness and pain. No injustice, because the injustice we perceive is actually just punishment for our undeniable sin, and true injustice is revealed in the perfect God accused, mocked and murdered upon a cross as a condemned criminal in the face of cheers and jeers from a guilty crowd. We want change. So does God. The question is, are we willing to inherit and adopt God’s heart for change? or do we look upon Jesus and say, “I’ve found a better way”?
This reflection series deals with the topic of Hell. Using Jesus’ illustration of the Rich Man and Lazarus as recorded in Luke’s gospel, this week we’re reflecting on hell as a place of suffering.
Describing hell as “a place of suffering” is obviously nothing new. Most people with no experience with Christianity would agree. Throughout the years, hell has been depicted in art and the media as a fiery place of torment and torture. When most people hear the word, “hell,” immediately they think of demons, devils, screaming, fire, blood, all under the terrifying and brutal umbrella of “suffering.” An oft-used tactic from the pulpit has been to illuminate these images in the hopes of scaring the congregation into an increase in attendance or in giving. Not all churches deploy this strategy, of course: many pastors illuminate these images out of sincerity to the truth that hell is a terrible place that we should be terrified of. However, whether used from a self-centered or Christ-centered pulpit, hell equals suffering.
Reading the passage in Luke’s gospel, some might be surprised to learn that the Rich Man is actually speaking from inside of hell. Aside from the mention of the burning that apparently consumes the Rich Man, the stereotypical images of hell are mysteriously absent. Where are the demons? Where are the torture tools? Where is the terrifying Satanic imagery?
What we do find is in many ways more terrifying and far more relatable. In the place of the physical suffering we often equate with hell due to the plethora of images depicting torture, we find that his suffering has much more to do with satisfaction. He has a thirst that cannot be quenched. He feels a burning sensation from within that he cannot escape. This is the suffering of hell that Jesus illustrates in this story. And it is this idea of suffering that should connect with all of us.
While most of us can live out our lives avoiding physical torture, what none of us can avoid is the internal desire for satisfaction that we can never satisfy. We all want things we cannot have, and we all have felt that aching pain of lusting after something that is forever beyond our reach. From infancy there is nothing more torturous or cruel than the idea that there is something that we are being prevented from having. What we learn from the Rich Man is that hell is where that complete dissatisfaction goes on eternally. Hell is a place where we can never be satisfied and will remain forever unfulfilled. Jesus teaches that unity with him and the Father is where we, as the children of God, find complete fullness, where our cup is allowed to overflow. Therefore, hell is a place where God is absent, the occupants remaining out of reach of that fellowship with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, forever suffering an eternal emptiness. Hell is Godless and thus, utterly hopeless.
18 “Your own conduct and actions
have brought this on you.
This is your punishment.
How bitter it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!
I writhe in pain.
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds within me,
I cannot keep silent.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;
I have heard the battle cry.
20 Disaster follows disaster;
the whole land lies in ruins.
In an instant my tents are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
Jeremiah 4.18-21
There is unnatural stress and anxiety in this world. It seems that fears breed fears, that once we overcome one, another soon takes its place. We are surrounded on a daily basis by the things we have and don’t have. We struggle to maintain and protect what we have, and we fight for a place to earn and gain possession of things we long for.
While we realize that we should probably relax more, let things go faster, not strive to have all that we want and just be happy, who can really accomplish this genuinely? Perhaps for a limited period of time we can, but eventually we hear the sound of running out, having less or needing more. This is inevitable in our world and our hearts. We strive for what we cannot actually obtain on our own. We strive to satisfy our restless souls with everlasting peace; we strive to satisfy our unhappy hearts with eternal happiness that continues to elude us.
Although it is easier to point the finger and blame something other than ourselves for our restlessness, the truth is that we continues to choose our will over God’s that would lead us into the place where we desire rest and peace over anything else. God desires that we find true peace and happiness, but He also proclaims to us that only in a life united with Him and faith in His son Jesus can we find both. Until we yield to God’s will and authority in our lives we will forever sense the encroaching presence of pressure and strife as we seek to satisfy our souls in this world by ourselves. No person in human history has found the holy joy and peace that God offers apart from Him. Apart from God there is a private place in the heart of each person that longs for rest from the battle, to find what ultimately does not exist in this world. We are designed to know peace and happiness intimately. God desires that we rediscover our design and know peace and happiness. Will you continue to strive and fight? Will you stay on high alert awaiting the next wave that may or may not overtake you? Or, will you concede defeat in the fight for control and know victory in this world by accepting the control of the living God by faith in Jesus Christ?
Heaven and Hell. Some people assume Christianity is a religion which, if followed carefully and precisely, guarantees entrance into a personal heaven of safety, peace, love and joy. Some assume that Christianity poses impossible commands and rules that ultimately doom us to the looming hand of a judging God, anxiously awaiting the opportunity to throw us into a fiery eternity in hell to punish us for not being perfectly like him. While these assumptions are incorrect and based on sources outside of the Word of God, this two-pronged understanding of Christianity’s take on the afterlife is prevalent in today’s world.
As is the case with many topics, we have very little actual description of hell as it is mentioned in the Bible. However, one can argue that not knowing the entire scope of hell actually is a sign of God’s grace, in saving us the complete and detailed nature of hell. What we do know is that hell is a place God desperately wants us to avoid and we in turn should have a strong desire to avoid it. In the Bible, God paints a picture of hell with few colors, but the colors he does use are enough for what we need to know about this place called “hell.” The Bible teaches us that hell is:
By examining these three aspects of hell we can hopefully come to a better understanding of why God gave his Son for us in order to spare us of this terrible place.
While there are many references to “hell” or “gehenna” in the Bible, our examination will focus primarily on the passage of scripture found in the Luke 16:19-31. Jesus’ description of the Rich Man and Lazarus provides us with more than enough to come to a complete understanding of hell.
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:19-31
Join us for the remainder of the reflection series next Thursday.
What does it mean to be a Christian? What does the world around us think it means for someone to be a Christian? What does it mean to be a witness of Jesus Christ? On this episode of the Mobile Word Podcast we address the question, “What does it mean or look like to be a witness of Jesus Christ? How we define being a witness and how we live as witnesses of Jesus Christ has a profound impact on the world around us.
Check out the latest episode at our Mobile Word Podcast page or on Itunes.
Remember to send in any comments, questions or scriptures for use on the Podcast at: mobilewordministry@gmail.com
3Hide the fugitives,
do not betray the refugees.
4 Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
be their shelter from the destroyer.”
9 So I weep, as Jazer weeps,
for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,
I drench you with tears!
The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit
and over your harvests have been stilled.
Isaiah 16:3-4, 9
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
God’s character does not evolve and change like ours. God’s character does not learn and grow like ours. The character of God was not underdeveloped in the Old Testament and fully developed in the New Testament. God has never changed and never will. This pertains to His grace and mercy as it does to every aspect of His character. God has always sought to preserve life and to bless the children He created. God has never sought the destruction and suffering of any people. When we observe the punishment and discipline of people or nations in the Bible the question is not, “Why is God so angry?” The more pertinent question is, “Why did the people ignore God’s commands and do that which they knew they should not?”
The Bible is filled with God’s mercy and God’s forgiveness even predating the human life of Jesus Christ. Grace and mercy are God as much His power and sovereignty are. Sadly, as God’s mercy predated the life of Jesus, so did the sinfulness of man. If a child is told not to steal and then goes ahead and steals, would our first question be, “Why is the child receiving discipline?” or, “Why did the child commit the crime?” For most of us it would be the latter. We complain that God seems quick to judge, but we say this as we show ourselves to be even quicker to judge than He is.
In the same way that Jesus’ commands seek to free us from our slavery to sin, God has always sought to free us from the sin of Adam. God is aware that a life dictated and controlled by sin not only separates us from Him but will harm, enslave, and ultimately kill us. Why would we choose death over life? When the alternative has been explained, the warning given and the way out of death into life provided, why do we choose death over life? Before we criticize God for disciplining we should better criticize our stubbornness to the point of death.
If God declares His desire to save you, why not be saved? If God declares that your life of suffering and pain grieves Him, why not believe that His desire is for your life rather than your ultimate demise? We must come to faith in Jesus Christ to have life, but we must never deceive ourselves into believing that with Jesus Christ came the first sign of God’s desire for grace, mercy and life. God has always loved and has always recognized our need for Him in order to live. Allow yourself to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and allow Jesus to reunite you with the Father who has always sought your eternal salvation.
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