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Paul defined hell as "everlasting destruction from the presence of God." An ominous prospect indeed, to be cast away from God with no hope of reconcilition. In life there is hope, but death eliminates hope. That is why the scriptures say, "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" [2Cor.6], for "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." [Mat.22.32]. It is now, while we still have breath, that we seek his face and strive to stay in His presence. But, it's not easy to maintain a spiritual bearing. The tendancy is to forget our calling amidst the blessings of God. Still, God has promised to be with us, even in our failings, and that makes all the difference in this earthly life - lest we should leave His presence, and that is the path to destruction. We read that "Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."[Gen.4.16]. The meaning of "Nod" is "wandering", or "vagabond", and the bible record shows us that the history of Cain's progeny reveals, not only a society outside the will of God, but also one characterized by murder and violence.There is another illustration in the scriptures [one among many] that points out the danger of leaving the presence of God. It is where Israel [formally, Jacob] sends his son, Joseph, to see to the welfare of his brothers and the flock.[The image is of Christ seeking the lost sheep of Israel]"I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of Israel."[Mat15.24] Joseph's brothers had left the valley of Hebron to pasture their father's flock in Shechem. Hebron means "enchantment; society; association" - it was also the dwelling place of their father. When Joseph arrived at Shechem seeking his brothers, a man told him, "they have moved from here; for I heard them say, 'let us go to Dothan.' "[Gen37.17] Dothan, according to Cruden's Concordance, means "the law, or custom," and it was there, at Dothan [or Law] that the brothers - now absent from the presence of their father - conspired against Joseph to kill him and throw his body into one of the pits. As we know, Joseph[who is, in every sense of the word, a type of Christ] narrowly escapes being murdered by his brothers only to be sold into slavery and taken to Egypt.
In this story, God has given us a picture of what happens when someone [in this case, Joseph's brothers] departs from His Grace, [Hebron] and enters the stronghold of the law [Dothan]. When you are not in the presence of God, any crime - even murder - can become a reasonable option. The story also issues a warning: What is more perilous than to assume the roll of a free moral agent - to decide for oneself, without benefit of Godly counsel, what is right and what is wrong? Isn't this exactly what Adam and Eve did? Didn't the Nazis do this, too? The consequences, when left to fate, can be nothing but disastrous.
Jesus told us to "Judge not, that ye be not judged."[Mat7.1] and "pray for them that despitefully use you."[Mat5.44] This seems seems impracticable, doesn't it? But it is the fellowship of Jesus that calls upon us to be different. It is his presence that encourages us to step out of line - to "cut off the hand that offends you" or as Paul says, to "Mortify, therefore your members which are upon the earth."[Col.3.5] This wisdom is incomprehensible to the natural man and that's a fact. But what's the alternative? Destruction? Hell in this life and perhaps into the life to come?
home
page one - The Gift of God
page two - "increase our faith"
page three - The Evidence of Faith
page four - Eternal Security
page five - A New Law
page seven - Brightness
page eight - Caleb
page nine - Palliation of Sin
page ten - The Light of Hope
page eleven - Rapture