“Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped” (Philippians 2:5-6).
But, Lucifer did. He said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven. … I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14).
The first lie ever told is that God can’t be trusted because He’s withholding something that we deserve. Lucifer told himself this lie and believed it. Then, he told the second lie — wrapping it up in the first one — and got Adam and Eve to believe both of them:
“You surely will not die! For God knows that, on the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5).
Perhaps the most insightful definition of sin is missing out on what God has for us. As always, the devil flips that on its head and presents a counterfeit, aiming to convince us that we’re missing out if we choose to live God’s way.
The consequence of sin is the second death — the death from which there’s no resurrection. The devil tells us that, instead, sin is the ticket to real living. Only the repentant will inherit eternal life and experience the fullness of life that we can only imagine now. In a sense, the second death (hell) is the ultimate missing out. That’s the tragic irony of the two lies.
Hell has always been associated in my mind with suffering excruciating agony of humiliating shame and undeniable guilt in view of not only God, but the entire universe. I’ve associated hell with the horrific realization of “what might have been” — the ultimate reality check of “missing out” — that washes over everyone who is lost in the end. But if hell is the second death, it actually puts an end to the most tortuous suffering ever — like it did at the cross for Jesus. So I’m wondering what to call the horror I’ve always called hell. Any suggestions?