HIGHWAY TO HELL
Job
18:1-21
Voltaire,
the French philosopher of the eighteen century was lying on his deathbed.
Addressing his doctor, the bitter author said “I am abandoned by God and man. I will give you half of what I am worth
if you will give me six months’ life.” The doctor replied, “Sir, you cannot live six weeks.” To which Voltaire
responded, “Then I shall go to Hell, and you will go
with me.” Soon
thereafter, he died into a Christless state and entered Hades.
“The wicked perish without
hope,
because they die without God.”
Steve Lawson said
“Know God, know hope. No God, no hope.
Sinners without God have nothing to hang on to when encompassed by death. Far
worse, they have no one to hang on to them…no Savior, no Redeemer, no Conqueror
of death.”
It
is a sad thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, which is why Hell
exists. It’s the eternal judgment of God for the ones who do not believe. Jesus said
“and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.” Matt 13:42. In Mark’s gospel we read
“And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter
the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,
‘where their worm does not die and
the fire is not quenched.” Mark
9:47-48
John penned these words in the Book of Revelation about the ones
who rejected the gospel.
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his
presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw
the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.
Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were
judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And
the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who
were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they
had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in
the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Rev 20:11-15
This
is how Bildad believed Job would face death….alone and lacking a deliverer. Bildad
at this point in his “interrogation
mode”
believed that Job was one of the wicked and he would die in empty despair as
the lost. Bildad
believes there is unconfessed and hidden sin in Job’s heart, and if he was
unwilling to confess, he too, would die with the wicked.
We have to understand something here as we approach this
text!
Every
single one of us is a sinner, including Job and his three friends. Every
single one of us has broken the heart of God, because of our sin. Every
single one of us is “lacking” as we approach the Judgement
seat of God without the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Every
single one of us is no different than Voltaire apart from the gospel
penetrating our hardened hearts with grace and truth. Every
single one of us is going to Hell; apart from the miracle of redemption in
Christ alone, through the gospel.
Hell
is described as a place of conscience torment.
Jesus told a true story
“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich
man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his
eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out,
'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his
finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'” Luke
16:22-24
In the same story we read “And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send
him to my father's house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of
torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them
hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from
the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the
Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”
Luke 16:26-31
Hell
is described as outer darkness and eternal suffering.
Matthew penned these words “I tell you, many will come from east and west
and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while
the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Mat 8:11-12
The
reason Hell is so terrible is because God is so great. And
despising Him is so evil that it deserves this terrible punishment. The truth is that the wicked do die and are eternal separated
from the everlasting mercy and grace of God. Bildad
responds with truth about the state of the wicked, but he also lacks to preach
the redemptive plan for sinners as well.
Where are the comforting
words of grace for a broken man who has lost much?
Where is the hope that lies
within your heart Bildad?
Where is the compassion of
directing Job into His loving sovereign arms?
Where is the sermon that
points us to God and His grace?
Bildad have you forgotten what you have heard growing up? Have
you forgotten how God dealt with…..
Adam
and Eve and provided a sacrifice for them. Genesis 3
Noah
and his family, in how God delivered them out of wrath over the wickedness of
mankind. Genesis 6, 7, 8
Abraham
and his son when they climbed Mount Moriah and God provided a sacrifice for
Abraham. Genesis 22
What about you me? When we are in the presence of others in
their pain and sorrow and brokenness?
Do we forget to tell them
about the whole counsel of God and His redemptive plan for sinners?
Do we forget to tell them
about the hope found in the Kinsman Redeemer?
Do we forget to tell others
about the saving grace found only in Jesus Christ?
Or; Do you just go guns
blazing and telling others how wicked they are and they are on their way to
Hell?
Apart
from Christ everyone is going to reside in Hell. So
we need to warn them, but also wrap our arms around their legs, pleading and
begging them to rest in the gospel of Jesus Christ. What
Bildad describes here is correct for the lost unregenerate sinner, it’s a
horrible place reserved for the unredeemed. But what Bildad neglects to say to Job is how he can find
rest and hope for his broken soul. What
Bildad fails to understand is that our sin through the fall of Adam is the
effect and reason why Hell exists. Sin is devastating and no rescue at all….except through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Bildad
is so angry at this moment, “All comfort
and compassion, has now left the building” (v2-v4) Bildad
is going for the throat to finally close the mouth of his disrespectful friend. Bildad
summarizes the destruction of those in Hell; that the wicked will die without
hope and they will not escape God’s judgment! (v5-v21)
Is Bildad right? Yes!
And this truth should drive us to our knees in adoration and praise to our
glorious God. This
truth should remind each and every one of us of that great love that He has for
us. This
truth should fill us up with compassion and boldness to tell the lost about
this terrible place and the only way to escape it, is through the gospel truth
of Jesus and His saving grace. In
our natural state we are all wicked, lost, and dammed people, as Bildad
describes here; including himself. Romans chapter three
is very clear about our natural state, but what we read near the end of Romans
three, is what warms and blesses our hearts with hope and joy. Paul said
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by
his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his
blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to
show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Rom 3:21-26
Resting
in His grace and mercy as He is our substitute for our sins of the past,
present and future. We
are justified though the sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus
was our “propitiation” which means He was our
substitute to satisfy the justice of God’s wrath over our sin. The
moral obligations that we owe for our sins are paid to God though Jesus’ death
and now the Father is satisfied. Isaiah wrote of this truth “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he
was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us
peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the
iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not
his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that
before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and
judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he
was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my
people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his
death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet
it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his
soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong
his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of
his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous
one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their
iniquities.” Isaiah 53:5-11
Though
tragic to read, but joy fills my heart because it’s this truth that speaks hope
into my heart. Jesus
is the ONLY WAY to be delivered from such a horrible and wicked place. Jesus
is the ONLY WAY we will ever have victory over our sin; and the gates of Hell
will not prevail against His grace through the gospel. Despite
my sin and suffering we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Despite
my daily battle over my sin, we are forgiven and declared not guilty before a
holy Judge. The Apostle John wrote this to remind us of this this truth “In this the love of God was
made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we
might live through him. In this is love, not
that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10
What we need to understand about suffering is this! As
children of the Living God we will all taste some darkness until we are
delivered into Heaven’s glory. And
to understand that Christians will have seasons and times of suffering that
leave you feeling lonely and empty. And
though you are redeemed you will sin, but when you sin, you will hate it with
holy passion. This
is where we need to “lean
in” more and
rest in His grace, as He delivers you into eternity, despite the suffering and
your sin. We
will go through seasons and moments of life that feel like your own personal Hell (Gehenna). But
the amazing thing about that is that we will never reside there for all
eternity, based on the grounds of the finished work of Christ. Our
present Hell might feel uncomfortable as we walk our way into His glory, but
our hope is in the Light, that shone into our darken hearts and revealed His
glory and love through the gospel. This is what Bildad failed to explain to
Job.
Remember this truth “Therefore,
having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have
renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to
tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend
ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel
is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of
this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For
what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your
servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who
said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ.” 2 Cor 4:1-6
What
seems and feels like hell on earth for the believer, is nothing compared to the
eternal weight of glory when we stand with Him for all eternity.
Can you imagine what it will
be like for those who
reject the truth of the
gospel and the Written Word?
Bildad
has given a vivid picture of their end or beginning. The bible is very clear
what happens! Its’ devastating and horrible, something I never want to
experience for me or even our worst of enemies. What
Bildad describes is something that should drive Bildad to his knees; especially
if his friend Job really did sin against God. Instead
of scaring people to Heaven, tell them the whole story from the bad to the
good. Don’t
just stop at the bad, because the Bible says “we all have fallen short of the
glory of God.”
What we learn from Bildad’s response is this….. It
reminds of the place that was our home, before the gospel awakened our dead
hearts. Paul wrote
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved
us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by
grace you have been saved.” Eph 2:4-5. Knowing
this truth should cause every one of us to pursue God and His Son, Jesus Christ
all the more. For
the believer our death ends
in victory,
but for the unbeliever
it ends in eternal defeat and torment.
So!
Be gentle when counselling and consoling a hurting
brother or sister. Bildad
lost his patience and went right to fire and brimstone. Don’t do that, but
speak the truth in love at the right time.Be discerning of misguided theology and read your bible
clearly and faithfully.
Just
because a brother or sister is going through a time of suffering, it’s not always
the result of sin. You
are not God, and you cannot see into the heart of the hurting brother or
sister, so stop playing judge and jury over their life. Address
sin when it’s open for the world to see; but be very careful of your
examination to always rush to the idea, “You
must have sinned.” We
must show caution in what we say, and not automatically assume the worst.
Our
response is to set their eyes upon the very one
who can save their soul from
Hell.
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