You’ve probably heard this myth as well. The worst part about hell, some people reason, is that you are alone. Hell is isolation, and since we are made for fellowship (with God and others) this is what makes hell such a terrifying judgment.
Of course, the truth is that there is no place our omnipresent God isn’t. It isn’t the absence of God that makes hell terrifying, it is his nearness that makes it so. Hell is not the absence of God, but the absence of his mercy and grace. Oh yes, God ispresent in hell to exercize perfect justice and judgment.
Our confidence is that in Christ our sins have been atoned for, and we are at peace with God. In Christ we have the true and lasting intimacy with God we were created for. Therefore, the nearness of God is our goal, and we can draw near to God as he sits upon a throne of grace and expect grace, not judgement.
