Suppose these other people are right. Suppose God merely passes over the unbelievers and leave them in the place of judgment. But where is this place of judgment? Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Is there a sense in which God passes over the reprobates and leaves them in the place of judgment? Yes, but only in the sense that he does not need to remove them from a place of non-judgment (as if there is a neutral place) to place them in a place of judgment, because the place of judgment is where they start out in the first place, and this place is God's own hands.

Thus there is nothing passive about reprobation, hardening, or judgment. If ever it seems as though God's is less active toward the reprobates as he is toward the elect, this is only because his relationship toward the reprobates already cannot be any more active. They begin in his fists of wrath, they remain in his fists of wrath, and they will be crushed by his fists of wrath. There is no room left for him to be more active than this. Does he leave them to be tormented by the devil? But even the devil is in his hands.

Once my wife saw a small spider on the carpet at home and tried to kill it. She took a piece of tissue paper and pressed down firmly on the spider. When she lifted her hand, the spider was flattened, and appeared to be dead. But I knew a little about spiders, and so I said, "It is faking! You have to really crush it. Hurry!" Even as I was speaking, the spider straightened up itself as if it had suffered no damage and started to run for its life. My wife was quick enough and caught it under the tissue again. I said to her, "You need to press really hard on it, crush it between your fingers with the tissue, and then flush it down the toilet."

And if you are a non-Christian, this is what God is going to do to you. At a time of his choosing, he will crush you with his hands and flush you down to hell, to the cosmic sewage system, as if you are nothing more than spiritual excrement. This is by no means overly dramatic or imaginative, nor is it an exaggeration. The New Testament word for "hell" is "Gehenna," and refers to the Valley of Hinnom, located at the south of Jerusalem. By the first century, the Jews were still using it as a garbage dump, where they would keep the fire burning to destroy the waste. Jesus uses it to represent the place where God would dispose of the reprobates. The implication is that the non-Christian is spiritual garbage. If you reject Jesus Christ, you are nothing but a piece of trash.

My point is that this is what the blood of Christ saves us from. To diminish the wrath of God is to diminish the blood of Christ. We insult Christ's atoning work when we say that reprobation and hardening are merely passive, or when we portray divine judgment as not as terrible than it is. That is, to underestimate the wrath of God is to underestimate the blood of Christ that saves us from it. On this basis of a correct understanding of the magnitude and terror of divine wrath, the extreme extent of human depravity, and then the corresponding saving power of the blood of Christ, we press the point: "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3).

The plagues of Egypt were terrifying, but something infinitely worse is coming. When it comes, there will be no repentance, and there will be no escape. What is your refuge? Where lies your salvation? What is your substitute for the blood of the lamb? Are you going to put iced tea on the doorframes instead of blood? The Destroyer will come in and slaughter you. Are you going to put a Buddha in front of your door? He will send both you and your Buddha to hell. Are you going to put a picture of Muhammad on your door? But he is already in hell waiting for you. Are you going to hide behind your science? Are you going to rely on your philosophy? But God has made foolish the wisdom of the world (1 Corinthians 1:20).

If you are a non-Christian, then you are in great danger. At any moment now, the Destroyer will come and throw you into the lake of fire to be tortured forever. Even the blood of animals cannot save you this time. The type and shadow of the atonement can only save you from the type and shadow of judgment. But the ultimate judgment is coming, and the final reckoning is near. This time it is coming for more than your firstborn. Hurry! Take refuge behind the blood of Christ, and the Destroyer will pass over you. Come! Join those who are already feasting on the Lamb of God, those who have already found life in Christ, and be saved from the wrath to come.

(end of series)

Posted in Theology, Expositions | Permanent Link