One of the highest grossing movies of all time had an ending that left movie goers gasping. At the end of Avengers: Infinity War the antagonist defies movie logic by eliminating many of the beloved heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the few people who have not seen this movie, Thanos believes that the universal resources are being depleted and a rate that will eventually see the extinction of every living creature in the entire universe. To save this supposed eventual outcome Thanos decides that by eliminating half of the living universe now, those remaining will be able to enjoy the resources available since there will no longer be an over consumption of limited material. He saw this scenario take place with the desired effects earlier in the movie by eliminating half of one world. After he kills half of the humanoid creatures on the planet; those left behind end up in a world that showed significant rebirth. So, since the plan worked once it will work across the universe, is his thinking.

The heroes of the story show up to stop Thanos because they do not want to see anyone die and would rather protect life by saving it not by destroying it. The elimination of half of all life would mean they would see their friends, family, loved ones, all disappear before their time. In their minds Thanos must be stopped to save those closest to the heroes.

Like any movie the heroes are supposed to stop the bad guy just in time after an intense struggle. The protagonists arise from the ash and rubble from this fight victorious and everything goes back to normal. What is surprising is infinity war took another approach. In this movie Thanos wins. By snapping his fingers half of all life in all the universe is destroyed. In an instant the audience realizes they saw, some for the first time, a movie where the bad guy is the victor. If not for the years of backstory this movie may not have fared well in test screening. But why?

People love a “happily ever after” they want to see the good guy succeed and the bad guy fail. An audience wants to believe that if one behaves how one should they will end up with a positive outcome. When we go to the movies we sometimes see ourselves in the position of the good guy. We want to believe that all our kindness, hard work, and dedication will lead to something like a “happily ever after”. So when we see movies or read books or hear stories that do not fit this model we have a tendency to reject it. We refuse to believe that the hero can fail. We reject the idea that the good guy may not be the good guy or that sometimes the story isn’t fair. These stories are seldom aired, written about, or put to film. So, should it be a surprise that we reject the concept of Hell? After all the concept of Hell goes against the approved story concept.

There are books written about how Hell isn’t real. Rob Bell is the most famous author in this regard. He goes through much pain trying to show that Hell isn’t real, or if, by some chance, if it is real, it is not permanent. After all how could God send us -the good guy- to a place of everlasting torment? If anything this would make God the bad guy, would it not? We hate stories that end this way so we reject it, just like a test audience rejects a movie. But this is not a movie, story, or podcast. We are dealing with eternity, not just 40, 50, or 80 years. So it is important that we, at least, know something about this. We should not dare play Russian roulette when considering eternity. Here’s the point just because we may not want to believe this story does not mean that it is not a true one. In order to understand why God would allow anyone to go to eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46; Rev 14:9-11) we have to first understand God. Often our issue begins at not understanding who God is. We would rather see our selves as good and determiner of what should happen. So this means our understanding of this subject begins with us and not with Him. Where if we want to understand Hell, we NEED to understand God. So, what can Hell show us about God or who will be there?

Occupancy of Hell

No one wants to believe they will be going to Hell. Which if we are to believe cheesy 1980 action movies it seems there will be a lot of people there. But will Hell only be filled with protagonists and antagonists shooting each other looking for clever tag lines? If we are to believe what the Bible teaches the answer is no. You know that sweet old lady down the street who is so kind to everyone and always has a smile? Yup, she is just as likely to be going to this place of torment just as much as the drug or murder on the nightly news. Which is not good news for you. But take a step back a moment, don’t get defensive. Instead ask why? First, honestly look in the mirror and ask do people know the “real” you? You know the thoughts you have the actions you’ve done. Have they all been pure? Have you ever been jealous that someone had more than you, a better house, job, car, status? Have you ever caught yourself saying inappropriate things? Have you ever judged someone based on appearance alone? What about on their life choices or intelligence or lack of intelligence? Here is the thing all of this points to one thing your desire and what you want. You want the supermodel body, Bill gates’ money, the intelligence of Einstein. Your desire is for health and financial security. You want to live for you! What does this have to do with Hell? Well God, through His written word says God will give us over to what we desire (Rom 1:24; 26; 28) and the things we desire are truly wicked (Jer 17:9).

Let me paint this picture. That kind old lady down the street, God has hidden from those around her the things in her heart. no one knows them except for Him and her. So what we see is kindness but this only hides her gossiping for example. Once she dies God takes away everything except her own desires which shows everyone how wicked she truly was. All the impatience, greed, slander, lies come forth and who she really is in her heart is on display for all gathered to see. This is the idea that is brought forth in the book of James where desire leads to sin and sin leads to death. This is because the desires of our hearts are wicked.

We can see this type of transformation take place today. We see a baby and there is this innocence and purity about a newborn. We can picture a baby asleep in a crib yet this little baby eventually becomes Hitler, Stalin, Pot, Jung-un, Dahmer, Bundy, or Gacy. We can see this transformation from innocence to corruption through these people. When we are face to face with God this transformation will take place when we are given over to our desires. We become the thing we have been trying to hide. This creature given over to all of it’s own desires can go to only one destination.

Everything Glorifies God

Yes, you read that right. There is this idea that an eternal punishment can not glorify God. Even Rob Bell talks about this in his book “Love Wins” on page 108 we read “Restoration brings God glory; eternal torment doesn’t.” He states on the same page “The belief that untold masses of people suffering forever doesn’t bring God glory”. I would wonder if Rob has read Romans 9:22-24 which states:

“What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

All of creation was made as a way to honor and glorify God. This includes Hell. Hell demonstrates God’s wrath and judgement upon those who have rejected the one way escape from this eternal torment. Through Hell, God’s children see the true nature of His glory.

Hell demonstartes that God is righetously severe, powerful, and merciful toward His children. How could Heaven be Heaven without the eternal reminder of His Holiness? How much more thankful will the saints be when they are shown the wrath from which they had been saved?

What the unrepentant despise is not that God would show mercy, but that He would not show mercy to everyone. At this they revile. How can God be loving when He not only allows but created Hell? This is to assume we know what holiness is and that even a inkling of holiness should be enough to save someone from the fiery pits. The problem is what I said at the beginning. That EVERYONE is wicked and have only personal desires. God is a King and He can not tolerate anyone who would claim “I know better than God”. God will not tolerate those who would usurp His throne and those who choose their own way over His need punished for this rebellion. So how is He loving or full of mercy? It is not because He saves everyone but because He saves someone! The simple fact that there are those that are saved from this eternal judgement show how incredibly loving and merciful He is! This is not to say that His mercy is diminished because He does not save everyone but instead it is demonstrated by His saving of some. It is Hell that demonstrates to those He has saved how truly great His saving mercy is.

Jesus Christ and Hell

There is no one ever that knows the weight, judgement, pain, and torture of Hell better than God the Son including all who are sent there. These men and women, even after being there for 10,000 years, will be no closer to saying “It is finished” than the day they first arrive. They will never get past the surface of the burning lake whereas Christ drank it all was the only one to declare “tetelestai!”

Considering everything Christ went through Paul writes to those in Corinth regarding those who, even in the face of all Christ had done and all the evidence of the resurrection, refuse to bow the knee. Paul writes “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord come! (1 cor 16:22). When considering that Christ did not stoop to one knee, what His requirement is to follow Him, but stooped to the grave and there are those who would refuse to even bend the knee, such a man or woman be damned. If Christ, knowing full well, the weight and torment resigned for everyone, was willing to endure the cross, those who refuse to endure a little rug burn on their knee before Him deserve Hell.

Would King Jesus descend off the throne of Glory to a transited stable and ultimately to the curse, ridicule, torment, garbage dump of a cross under the full weight of His Father’s wrath to relieve us of a limited and abbreviated punishment?

What should the end result be for those who would rather spend time with an electronic box than with the One who chose to save us from a never ending Hell? What should He do with those who scroll past His son in their daily lives yet choose instead to engage in things that are less satisfying that leave us feeling empty? What does God say about this? Jeremiah 2:12-13 shows us.

Be horrified at this, heavens;
be shocked and utterly appalled.
This is the Lord’s declaration.For My people have committed a double evil:
They have abandoned Me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot hold water

Even if an eternal punishment is not included this verse shows that preferring anything to the life giving water of Jesus Christ is nothing short of horrific.

Grace, mercy, and transformation

Infinity War is not the end of the story though. Disney released another film a year after Infinity War called Endgame. Just like other fantasy or fairy tales we saw that there was a reversal of the curse. In the beginning of the first movie we see the happy and jovial world that we have come to know was overridden with evil. Evil overran the entire world and it was shown that Thanos had won. But in the next movie we see that this evil is overcome through great sacrifice from the hero, iron man. If this was where Disney wanted to end the Marvel Universe the rest of the end would be a world free of evil with everyone returning to the way things were before the curse. We saw all of the evil vanquished as they all turn to dust. When this happened there was an applause at the theater I was in. No one felt sorry for Thanos or his minions. No one was in tears over the loss of the bad guy.

Here is the point all of us, without Christ, are hated by all of Heaven Ps 5:5-6; Ps 16:5; Jn 3:36). You and I and all our loved ones are the villains in this story. The hosts of Heaven will cheer for our demise they will not shed a tear over our destruction. Yet God in all His love and mercy decides this should not be the way this story ends. He decides to offer a way back to the light. He saves the villain and calls them His children. While all the Heavenly Hosts are aghast that one so Holy and pure would choose to align Himself with those who would seek to kill Him if they could; God lets them kill His Son so that they could become part of His family. This doesn’t make sense to the on looker, this is not how stories are supposed to go. The villain is supposed to pay for what they have done. To have the hero pay for what the antagonist had done so the antagonist can become family to the hero is absurd!

But how can we enjoy Heaven knowing that some of the ones we love are being tormented in Hell? Bottom line is this. All love we have for each other will be replaced by a stronger love for Christ. Yes, I love my wife, but this love pales in comparison for my love of my Savior. I will have those in my life I will want with me in Heaven. But I know I will be okay without them in Heaven because I will be with Christ. My love for Him is so much more intense than my love for them. If our love for others is stronger than our love for Him we are not suited for His kingdom. We demonstrate this by declaring “I will not be happy in Heaven because my loved one is not there”. This means love for the loved one is greater than the love for Christ. When we are in Heaven we will be so overcome by our love for Him we will not remember the love we had for someone else. We only need to take one look into Hell and see how much He has saved us from and into what we have be saved to be overcome with all the emotion love carries with it.