R.I.P.
During the Halloween season, it's common to find tombstone decorations on people's lawns that read, "R.I.P."
The acronym is Latin in origin and translates to meaning, "Rest in Peace," referring directly to the hope that the deceased individual is at peace wherever they are.
Christians began using "R.I.P." on headstones in the 1700s. The term fit the promise that God makes in His Word that whoever believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and their LORD and Savior will be resurrected to eternal life. To expand on that belief, the Bible teaches that the resurrection life God promises us is void of fear, pain, suffering, tears, and death. Essentially, believers will be at peace in Heaven with God, no longer subject to sin and forever under God's grace and love (ref. Revelation 21:4).
As for anyone that does not believe in Jesus as their LORD, well, that's a different story (R.I.P. would not be an appropriate term under those circumstances). Instead, everyone else (unbelievers, agnostics, atheists, people of other faiths) would be awoken to a different resurrection - one of judgment and condemnation - ultimately leading to eternal imprisonment in hell (ref. Acts 4:12). Jesus, in Matthew 8:12, describes hell as a place of darkness filled with sorrow and agony (gnashing of teeth meaning to grind one's teeth, as though in pain). Jesus goes on to describe hell further in the books of Mark and Luke sharing that it is a place of unquenchable fire, eternal torment, and a place of no return. In fact, Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else.
Hell is a harsh reality. It is never described as a place where satan and his demons throw parties, engage in sin, and live comfortably. Unless Jesus is a liar, hell will be a nightmare come to life that will never end. Thinking about the Halloween decorations all over people's lawns, those spooky scenes will pale in comparison to what hell will be like.
A place of such great torment seems so unfathomable and unrealistic, especially if ordinary people end up there. Hell seems more suited towards the worst criminals and offenders of mankind. I have struggled to comprehend it at times but I have grown to understand and believe that God is as equally merciful as He is equally just. This principle that God must punish sin (sin is anything that goes against the will of God) is repeated throughout the Bible and we see that there is no difference in punishment for sin of any degree. As the Bible explains, if someone is guilty of breaking one commandment, they are guilty of them all (ref. James 2:10). Hell was created as a place to punish sin and to be clear, nobody is born without sin (ref Romans 3:23).
I have heard many people, including Christians, try to discredit hell. But if hell is not real, would Jesus have had to suffer and die on the Cross? If hell is not real, would the disciples have martyred themselves sharing the gospel (the good news of Jesus)? If hell is not real, why did Jesus emphasize that we must share the good news of the Cross with everyone so they may be saved? If hell is not real, is there any merit to anything Jesus said or did at all? After all, it would make Him a liar if hell is not real.
It has been said that the greatest trick God's enemy, satan, ever played is to get people thinking he is not real and that hell does not exist. Satan wants nothing more than to deceive us and make us believe that there must be peace and rest after we die. He wants us to believe that all it takes to escape hell is to be a good person and that following Jesus is not necessary. He wants us to celebrate death, darkness, demons, murder, and horror - labeling it fun and entertaining. The last I checked though, there's nothing fun about any of these things.
Satan may also try to keep us from eternal peace and life by getting us to think about the state of our deceased loved ones or loved ones that do not follow Jesus today. Believe me, we all want the comfort and hope in believing that our loved ones are with the LORD or at least in a better place. But if we believe the Bible is God's Word and that Jesus is who He says He is, then we must accept the reality of hell, no matter how it makes us feel. We must accept that people, even those closest to us, are responsible for the choices they make when it comes to following Jesus.
The fact is this - God doesn't want anyone to perish or die and go to hell, period (ref 2 Peter 3:9). And that is why it is so important that messengers like myself and others who believe speak up. If you saw a friend was about to walk off a cliff, you would try to stop them right? The reality of sin and hell are indeed hard to swallow, but what I find just as hard to swallow, is that God loved us so much that He traded His life for ours. Jesus Christ, the One who gave His life for ours, is indeed the Son of God, which makes Him equal to God. And when we follow Him and obey all He has commanded us to do, we will be reconciled to our Father in Heaven, living out eternity on the peaceful and merciful side of the fence.
I truly do not care what my headstone reads, but I believe because I have made the decision to follow Jesus, share His grace and truth with the world, and do the will of the Father in Heaven (ref. Matt 7:21) that I will have complete rest and peace - that I will be resurrected just as Jesus was, awoken to new and everlasting life, free to worship my Creator endlessly.
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