Mere Missions

104 • M ere M issions : M oving F orward to M ultiply

the early church fathers found this to be so important as a doctrine that it was included in our sacred roots. The Nicene Creed states, “We look to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.” Though the body of every human will return to dust upon death, the soul survives eternally, either to a life of eternal fellowship with God or to a life of eternal separation from God; either eternity in heaven or eternity in hell; either a life of eternal bliss and shalom or a life of eternal woe and torment. The tragic news is that every soul, from Adam and Eve to now and into the future, was and is born into the bondage of sin and are at enmity with God (Gen. 6.5; Ps. 51.5; Eccles. 7.20; Rom. 3.23, 5.12; Eph. 2.3). The destiny of the souls of all humankind is automatically determined to be separated from God and His presence. There is no escape. All are doomed. We are helpless and hopeless on the road to eternal destruction (Matt. 7.13-14). The criticalness of sin not only leads to the eternal reality of hell, but it will lead to such chaos on the earth that if God “does not cut the days short,” we would destroy each other (Mark 13). Though we do not like to hear it, God is at war with us. We are all rebels and have rebelled against our Creator, God Almighty, and He must deal with the rebellion (2 Pet. 2.4-10). These are high stakes. The wrong decision has catastrophic eternal consequences. The eternity of hell is far worse than the temporal deepest needs and poverty of humanity. It is separation and torment from God that will have no end. The Scriptures are clear: And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ~ Daniel 12.2 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. ~ Matthew 25.46