Is There An Eternal Judgment?

We live in a day and age where many people seem unwilling to accept the idea of an eternal judgment. They say, “How could a loving God send anyone to hell?” Does the Bible really teach such a thing or is it something invented by fundamentalists to try to control man’s behavior? Though it is certainly true that what the Bible says about hell can be used incorrectly, and controlling behavior should never be the goal of a spiritual leader, look at what Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 1. I’ll pick it up in verse 7 but if you want you can begin with verse 3. 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

What else could we possibly understand Paul to mean here except an eternal, everlasting separation from God? The safest way to understand the bible is with the phrase, “when the literal sense makes sense, seek no other sense”.  This phrase sums up how you and I speak to each other.  If I say, “I am going to the store”, you don’t think that means that I am going someplace quiet to ponder God’s provision in my life.  You think, “He’s going to the store”…the literal sense of the phrase.  Anyway, Paul’s words here are consistent with the words of Jesus in the gospels and with other writings of Paul and other biblical writers. There is an eternal judgment for those “who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Trust in Jesus today while you still have time. There will be no second chances and the judgment of God is everlasting…not my words…His words.