To Encourage You

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 “those who do not know God and . . . who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus . . . will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

We all live in a world full of consequences. How we live and what we do or don’t do matters a great deal. The Bible is very clear about this. It is a book that is all about truth and to read and believe it is to protect oneself from deception. On the other hand, the devil is a deceiver. He promises blessings where there are none and a life free of consequences when in fact there are many. 

So, who are you believing? Do you believe the Word of God regarding the truth and consequences it speaks of, or do you believe something else which in the end will prove to be a lie? The Bible speaks of the wonderful consequences of putting our faith in Christ. In that most famous verse, John 3:16, we are told “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That’s the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in brief but beautiful words that promise an eternity of peace, love, and joy to all those who believe. 

The Word of God is filled with truth about what that eternity will be like. For example, in one place we are told “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him“ (1 Corinthians 2:9).  In God’s great economy of words, we are given much in this brief verse to meditate on for many hours. The consequences of belief are tremendous! 

But what about those who don’t know God? What about those who, in their willful ignorance (2 Peter 2:5), reject the Truth of the Word of God – the gospel of our Lord Jesus? Does it matter? Are there any consequences, or is this just much ado about nothing? Well, the Bible is clear that there are definitely consequences. And just as the consequences of following Christ are too wonderful for us to fully comprehend, the consequences of rejecting Christ are too horrible for us to fully comprehend. The verses above touch on this. They tell us that what is waiting for those who are never born again, to those who never believe the gospel expressed so beautifully in John 3:16, is the following: “the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” 

Note that this punishment will be eternal. When it has gone on for a thousand years it will have only just begun. The consequences are forever and ever, never to end. Further, it is called “destruction.” The specific Greek word that is so translated actually means “ruination.” As one commentator on this passage has written “This does not mean a cessation of existence but rather the loss of all that makes existence worthwhile . . . The lost will not cease to exist but will experience forever a life of uselessness, hopelessness, emptiness, and meaninglessness, with no value, worth, accomplishment, purpose, goal or hope.” 

Further, as the Scripture above explains, this destruction will be experienced “away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” You see, all the blessings of this life are a reflection of the presence of the Lord. Every good gift is from Him. All beauty, grace, love, joy, peace, hope – anything good, is wholly a gift bestowed on us, whether we acknowledge it or not, by the presence and power of our great God. To be shut off from His presence and power is to likewise be shut off from all the blessings that accompany them. It is too bleak to fully comprehend, but it is the truth about the consequences for anyone who enters eternity as one who has rejected the promises of God. 

So, what are you believing regarding the consequences of the life you now lead? Is it the truth of the Word of God, including both its wonderful promises and its sobering warnings – or are you believing something else? Are you ready to accept the consequences of a belief system that is rooted in something other than the truth of God’s Word? Are you believing someone other than the One Who alone rose from the grave on the third day? Well, if you are, please consider that we live in a world full of consequences, for what we believe and how we live most definitely matter – and those consequences will matter for a long, long time.