“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41 (NIV)
“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NIV)
Built into each of us is a sense of justice. When we witness an injustice, we want the individual held accountable for his/her actions. We expect the villain in the movie or book to be captured and punished. We expect good to triumph over evil. This is part of being created in the image of God. He is perfectly just. Hell was created to deal righteously with the devil and his angels. Due to the fall of man in the garden, humankind is all tainted by sin. We are deserving of eternal punishment, but God provided a way for us to be reconciled to him. God set the standard punishment for sin and made a way to still deal righteously with evil.
Prayer: God, thank you for being a just and loving God. Thank you for making a way to deal with sin once and for all. Bring someone across my path today to plant a seed to avoid everlasting destruction. In Jesus name. Amen.