The day after Osama Bin Laden’s death, my neighbor and I discussed the event as we pushed our kids’ on their swings.
“I know it sounds bad,” he said, “but I feel like he didn’t suffer enough.”
“God will take care of him,” I assured him.
While the hope of being in God’s presence in heaven sustains believers in Christ who suffer in this world, hell also serves a purpose. It ensures that justice will be served. Joni Earickson Tada says, “Without hell, the ‘why’ behind so much pain will never be resolved. Without hell, there is ultimately no justice or fairness. For God to be God, for heaven to be heaven, there must be a hell. . . . Unless hell exists, there is no justice in the world.” She points to Hitler and his cohorts, those responsible for the monstrous anguish of millions and how “these people were never paid back remotely in proportion to the pain they caused.” Hell ensures that they will get what they deserve. (Excerpted from Who Goes There? p. 214)
This past week I was honored to be a guest on Debbie Chavez’s radio show, and we discussed some of this. If you’d like to listen in, here’s the link:
http://debbiechavezshow.com/2011/05/02/5-2-2011-how-christians-views-of-heaven-and-hell-have-changed.aspx
Tags: Hell, Osama Bin Laden
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