Is God in Hell?

Meditation Journey Day 37                         

Hi Friend,

The short answer is Yes! By the way, hell is not the abode of Satan.

But that may surprise some people so lets see what the Bible says…

Today we focus on verse 8 of Psalm 139, “If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in hell, you are there!”

Other translations of this verse add the accent word “Behold” to the second part of the verse. It reads “If I make my bed in hell, Behold, you are there!”  Adding the word “Behold” underlines the fact that David is startled by God being in hell too! Does the idea of people meeting God in hell surprise you? It did me when I first began my study of Psalm 139 in 1974. I once believed hell was the place absent of God, but that can’t be true because God is omnipresent. He is everywhere!

What would God be like in hell? You might want to sit down for this because the idea of hell does not seem too nice. Here on earth we know God through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the face of God and all the fullness of God dwells in Him. He is the Good Shepherd and loving Friend to all who believe in Him. When we get to heaven Jesus will be the Lamb that was sacrificed to become our Redeemer and the Savior of the world. Jesus Christ is the Bright and Morning Star, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will welcome all who trust Him into a kingdom of peace, joy and love. It is a Kingdom filled with sweet sounds of worship and beautiful colors of the rainbow.

In hell, and to all who reject Him, He will be very different. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of The One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” In hell God is the Judge of perfect Justice. God’s complete judgment and wrath will be poured out on all who have rejected His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:36). I know this is not popular teaching in our present world, but it is what the scriptures teach. Actually it may surprise you to know, Jesus taught more about the reality of an eternal hell than anyone else in the Bible. He taught this because He wanted everyone to understand God’s holy love is full of Justice. (See, Luke 16; Matthew 13, 25; Mark 9; and Rev. 20, for some of what He taught.)

Knowing that God is everywhere, including hell, means God is in control of everything.

David learned that there is no place in the universe where the LORD does not administer justice.  Not one particle of the smallest atom is out of His Sovereign Authority. He is the Almighty and Everlasting God that will bless the faithful that trust His Son and the Perfect Judge that will punish the evil doers. He is worthy of our complete trust because He is the faithful God of Justice. He is worthy of all our worship because He alone cares for us with absolute authority. We can rest secure in Him because the LORD of heaven and earth is a good, loving and just God!

If God does not have full control and authority over everything what value is it to me to belong to Him?

Observation: David is surprised to learn God is everywhere. That God is in Heaven is expected, but to find God in hell shocked David….. and most of us!

Interpretation: God being in hell reveals God is in total control and He is a God of Justice. He now reveals Himself as our Good Shepherd and invites us to enter His Kingdom. He desires all people to be saved from God’s wrath. We who believe will one day receive the full reward of our faith by being with Him in Heaven forever. He is worthy of worship because He is the Sovereign God of Justice. We can fully trust Him to defend the weak and ultimately bring peace to the whole universe.

Application Prayer: Father God, thank you for being so powerful and the Sovereign God over all good and all evil. My trust grows in You as I see your control of everything. I rest in your loving kindness and powerful justice… in Jesus Name, Amen.

What is your take away?