The first is this: Free will makes hell necessary. Hell is God’s great
compliment to the human race — by it he is saying, “If you do not wish to live
with me, you don’t have to ” And if people do not wish to live with God, there
must be a place where they can be away from God.
The second point is: Justice makes hell necessary.
What about all those whose crimes were never discovered and never received the punishment due them?
There is a day of judgment coming. No one is going to get by with anything.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Romans 14:10-12
Great White Throne Judgment-Rev. 20:11-15
Sometimes we wonder if there is any justice in this world, but final justice will come at the end.
2 Peter 2:4-9
The Bible, in speaking of heaven, says, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor
will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names
are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).
Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven tells the story of Ruthanna Metzgar, a
professional singer, that illustrates the importance of having our names written
in God’s Book of life. “Several years ago, she was asked to sing at the wedding
of a very wealthy man. According to the invitation, the reception would be held
on the top two floors of Seattle’s Columbia Tower, the Northwest’s tallest
skyscraper. She and her husband, Roy, were excited about attending. At the
reception, waiters in tuxedos offered luscious hors d’oeuvres and exotic
beverages. The bride and groom approached a beautiful glass and grass staircase that led to the top floor… followed by their guests. At the top of the stairs, a maitre d’ with a bound book greeted the guests outside the doors. ‘May I have your name, please?’ ‘I am Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband, Roy.’ He searched the M’s. ‘I’m not finding it. Would you spell it please?’ Ruthanna
spelled her name slowly. After searching the book, the maitre d’ looked up and
said, ‘I’m sorry, but your name isn’t here.’ ‘There must be some mistake,’
Ruthanna replied. ‘I’m the singer. I sang for this wedding ’ The gentleman
answered, ‘It doesn’t matter who you are or what you did. Without your name in
the book you cannot attend the banquet.’ He motioned to a waiter and said, ‘Show these people to the service elevator, please.’ The Metzgars followed the waiter past beautifully decorated tables laden with shrimp, whole smoked salmon, and magnificent carved ice sculptures. Adjacent to the banquet area, an orchestra was preparing to perform, the musicians all dressed in dazzling white tuxedos.
The waiter led Ruthanna and Roy to the service elevator, ushered them in, and
pushed G for the parking garage. After locating their car and driving several
miles in silence, Roy reached over and put his hand on Ruthanna’s arm.
‘Sweetheart, what happened?’ ‘When the invitation arrived, I was busy,’ Ruthanna
replied. ‘I never bothered to RSVP. Besides, I was the singer. Surely I could go
to the reception without returning the RSVP ’”
God has extended to you an invitation to an extravagant banquet. It is the wedding feast of the Lamb. It is a place of great joy, celebration and outrageous blessing.
But you have to respond to the invitation. Without your response — that RSVP — it does not matter who you are or what you did.
What is important is how you responded to God, whether you accepted his invitation to live in a relationship with him and be a part of his life.
Where you spend eternity will be the result of your personal choice!
