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Are we to hate the
lost in hell?
How
should we regard souls that have already perished? Does God still love those who are
lost or does he lose his love for them after they have died? Or Does God only truly
love those that he knows are going to be saved? Even though I have a brother who has
perished, I still think on him and even still love him even though im the only one I know
of in my family who believes he is in hell. (He died of a drug overdose, and I know from
evidence of his life that he was not a repentant Christian). The pain of remembering
him never goes away. Basically, I do not know how to regard those who have rejected
God, I suppose I should hate them along with God, although I dont know how I can be happy
with God for all eternity knowing that people I know are burning below me.
First of all, you can only hope that your brother repented and
received the Lord in those last moments of life that he had. Just like the dying
thieves on the cross, one rejected the Lord as he was dying in pain, and the other
repented and received the Lord. Luke 23:39-43 says, "And one of the malefactors
which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But
the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the
same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds:
but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day
shalt thou be with me in paradise." They both would have been in extreme pain,
weak, and possibly offered pain-killing drinks, as was Jesus (but He refused).
Matthew 27:34 says, "They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he
had tasted thereof, he would not drink." Right up until the last moment,
they both had the opportunity to repent and receive the Lord. Hebrews 9:27 says,
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
Genesis 6:3 says, "And the
LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh:
yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." Some people take that
out of context and say that man can get to the place where he rejects one too many times,
and then he cannot get saved, even if he wants to, because the Holy Spirit has given
up on him. That is not true. The Holy Spirit will not always strive with man,
because there comes a time when man dies. In this case, 120 years was the limit,
because that is when the flood would come and all who rejected the Lord would die in the
flood. That is why the Holy Spirit would only strive with them for 120 years.
I once read a story of how a
young man was raised by his godly mother, but he rejected the Lord. Eventually, he
went to work on a ship, and lived a wicked life. One time in a storm, he was washed
overboard. As he was out in the waves about to perish, he cried out to God,
repenting of his sins, and asking the Lord to save him. God spared his life.
The first thing he did when they got back into port, was to go home and tell his mother
what had happened to him -- that he had gotten saved. But what would his mother have
thought, if it was one of the other sailors at her door, telling her that her son had
perished in a storm at sea? She would have thought that her wayward son had perished
and gone straight to hell. God spared his life, to give us a glimpse of what He can
still do in hard hearts right up until the moment of death. In the case of your
brother, that is all that you can do at this point, is hope that he repented and received
the Lord in the last moments of his life.
Because we do not know for sure
what took place in the hearts of people in the moments before their deaths, it
is not wise to dwell on them. What we must center on is the living. We cannot
help our loves ones who have died. If they are in heaven, they do not need help,
because they are in the blessed presence of the Lord. If they are in hell, there is
nothing that we can do to help them. Luke 16:19-26 says, "There was a certain
rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every
day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full
of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the
beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died,
and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy
on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou
in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he
is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there
is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can
they pass to us, that would come from thence."
If a person is in hell, he soon
finds out that there is no help for him. So he then turns his attention to his loved
ones who are yet upon earth, and longs for someone to reach them with the gospel.
That is what we should center on -- trying to reach those who are yet alive. Luke
16:27-31 says, "Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send
him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them,
lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if
one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the
dead." God is not going to send someone back from the dead to reach them.
It is up to us to give them the Word of God. If they do not listen to it and repent,
then they would not repent if God sent back someone to earth to tell them what it is like
after death.
We are not to hate lost people
who have died, or God for giving them the torment that they deserve. God loved them
and gave His Son to die on the cross for their sin. They rejected that great love
and sacrifice, so now they are experiencing God's great love for holiness and purity,
which means that sin must be perfectly judged. Revelation 14:9-11 says, "And
the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and
his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the
cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast
and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation
16:9-11 says, "And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God,
which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the
fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of
darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven
because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."
Revelation 21:8 says, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death." Revelation 22:10-17 says, "And he saith unto me, Seal not the
sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let
him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is
righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every
man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,
the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the
city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers,
and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to
testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and
the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely."
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