A tragedy is
defined by Webster's Concise Dictionary as a serious drama with an unhappy
ending or a sad event. Some tragedies happen by accident, but some are foreseeable
and avoidable and should be prevented at all costs.
One such
tragedy is eternal separation from God. You might wonder what it means to be
separated from God and why it is a tragedy. Understand that God is holy and, therefore, cannot coexist with sinners, but we are sinners, so sin
has separated us from Him right there. And it is a
tragedy because not having a relationship with God on a personal level in
this life is a significant loss. Still, the Bible also teaches that not being in
a personal relationship with God sends a person to hell after death, a tragedy
that does not need to happen. Hell is not desirable; it is a place of never-ending torment.
But really,
why does one need to have a relationship with God; what good would that do? God
created humans for a loving, ongoing relationship, but that relationship was broken
by sin: disobedience. So our sin is what caused the separation
between God and us. We know from the Bible that sin must be forgiven
or punished. The punishment for sin is eternal separation from God in hell. Although the other option is to be forgiven, one has to decide whether one wants to be
forgiven or, by default, be punished by going to hell.
Anyone who
would like to be forgiven would have to repent of their sins and ask God for
forgiveness through Jesus Christ, who took God's prescribed
punishment upon Himself in our place—death on the cross. Anyone who accepts Christ's offer
is saved from hell, and their relationship with God is restored; the gap is
closed, and one becomes a child of God.
Since a
personal relationship with God in this life and eternity in heaven are both
possible, don't you think it would be tragic to end up in hell? Hell can and
should be avoided because of the Bible's frightening description of hell. See
some of hell's descriptions below:
●
A place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (see
Matthew 13:42).
●
A place of eternal fire (see Matthew 25:41; Jude 1:17).
●
A place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
●
A place where the fire does not go out (see Mark 9:43).
●
A place of everlasting destruction and being shut out from the Lord's presence and the glory of His might (2 Thessalonians 1: 9).
●
A place of a fiery lake of burning Sulphur (Revelation 19:20;
21:8).
●
As the second death (Revelation 20:14).
Now that you
know what the Bible says about hell, would you agree that not having a personal
relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the worst tragedy that could ever
happen to anyone? I think so, and I encourage you to make the decision that
will keep you out of that awful place called hell.
On the other
hand, heaven is a desirable place and is described below:
●
A place of eternal life (see Matthew 25:46; John 5:24; Romans
3:23).
●
A place for the children of God (see John 1:12).
●
A place of no condemnation (see John 5:24).
●
A place with many mansions (see John 14:2).
●
A place with pearly gates and streets of gold (Revelation
21:21).
●
A place where God reigns (see Revelation 19:6).
●
A place without death, sorrow, weeping, or pain (see
Revelation 21:4).
●
A place of feasting (Revelation 19:7-8).
Now compare these two places! Please don't go to hell because you don't have to. Repent and turn your life over to Jesus; know that "Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so
also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins
of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring
salvation to all eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27 NLT).
Think about
it, call on Jesus, and do it soon!
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