Sadly, I’ve heard many make this statement. It’s not because they’re fearless, believing they can withstand the nightmare waiting for them; it’s just another way of saying, “I’m gonna do my own thing, and I don’t want anyone, including God, telling me what to do.” It's spiritual suicide.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (John 3:19-21)
An old man once told me, “I don’t want to hear that crap. I’m going to hell where me and my buddies will be playing cards.” Such an infantile belief that God’s punishment will consist of letting us do our own thing is prevalent, unfortunately.
Jude calls hell “the blackness of darkness forever.” Although scripture describes hell as fire, the word is simply a metaphor for raging, burning desire or anger.
The Greek word for ‘death’ means ‘separate,’ and refers to the separation of the soul from the body. Eternal death means eternal separation. Not only will you be separated from any physical body with hands, feet, eyes, and ears, but you will be forever separated from others and God Himself. Your eternal existence will be in eternal darkness, where only you and your memories will exist. No friends, no demons with pitch forks, and no brooding Hollywood caverns to grope around in.
Nothing. Blackness. Darkness. Forever. Your screams will not be heard, not even by you. It will be you and your sins, together, forever.
