Love wins!

I am starting to think differently about heaven and hell. Yesterday, I had to drag my kids into Boston in order to get a copy of Rob Bell's new book, which I'm preaching on this weekend. I'm halfway through the chapter on hell, but I can already see in today's text what Rob is talking about.

Zophar is basically accusing Job of exploiting the poor, never being content, letting his greed drive him. From God and Satan's conversation in the first chapter, we know that this is simply not true.

Zophar is assuming that since Job is being punished that he did something wrong, thus the accusation of the above sins. Job is our oldest Scripture and you can tell that they have no concept of heaven and hell, but we insert it in there, since that seems to be our frame of reference nowadays.

This line is telling, "Life is a complete wipeout for God-denying people, nothing surviving God's wrath."

God is a righteous judge, not allowing exploitation, discontentment, and greed in the age to come. If God-denying people aren't willing to give up these attitudes and behaviors, they will continue to live in the hell they have created for themselves (and others on earth). If they are willing to let go and let God take over, his wrath will consume the whole of their lives, leaving only that which is pure and true.

Rob explains it well, "Paul makes it very clear that we will have our true selves revealed and that once the sins and habits and bigotry and pride and petty jealousies are prohibited and removed, for some there simply won't be much left."

He's referring to this section of 1 Corinthians 3, "You are God's house. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely."

I am taking abundant life head on. After I am judged by God, I want to be found worthy of taking on even more responsibility in the kingdom that is to come. On earth as it is in heaven.