DEATH, THE INTERMEDIATE STATE, THE RESURRECTION AND THE FINAL DESTINY — page 20

The Judge of All the Earth Will Do Justice

There will be no children or people with mental disabilities who have not reached an age of responsibility in hell (Deut. 1:39; Jonah 4:11). God is faithful and just, and He will not allow any of these “little ones” to perish in a lost eternity (Matt. 18:10-14). They will be recognized under the shelter of Christ's blood, even if they were not able to appreciate it intelligently. Regarding these people, we can take comfort in the Word of God, which says: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25) The people who end up going to a lost eternity are responsible human beings who had many opportunities to believe in the testimony that God gave them, but they voluntarily and consciously refused it.

Nor will there be anyone in hell (the lake of fire) repenting of their sins and genuinely remorseful for what they did in life. Man's heart will not be changed by a change of circumstances. Men who now hate the gospel will continue to hate it when there. As mentioned, there will be “weeping”, but it will only be self-pity. There will also be “gnashing of teeth”, but it will only be the venting of their anger against God, hurling insults and curses against Him.

This shows that pain and suffering do not lead a person to repentance. The Scripture says that it is “the goodness of God” that “leads to repentance” (Rom. 2:4 – TB), and there will be no goodness of God shown to those in hell. Unless by the new birth, the hearts of men will not change. The Lord said: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh”, meaning that the fallen sinful nature in man cannot be changed, whether by culture, education, or suffering (John 3:6). This is the reason why man needs a new nature, which is communicated to him when he is born again.

Furthermore, those in hell will no longer be loved by God! The Lord said about Jacob (a believer) and Esau (an unbeliever): “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau” (Mal. 1:2-3). This was not said during their lives, but long after these two men had left the scene. God loves all men while they are here on Earth (John 3:16), but if they have refused His grace and testimony and died in their sins, He ceases to love them. God once loved Esau, but he died as a rejecter of God, and now he is no longer loved by Him. What a solemn thing; no one in hell will be able to say (truly) that they were not loved by God!