A father has killed eight children, including seven of his own, in the US state of Louisiana. The victims range from one to about 12 years old.
Dad Who Tried to Kill His Family Learns His Fate.
New Details Show How Father Planned to Kill His 5-Year-Old Son.
Father Found Guilty in Murder of his Four Children, Their Grandmother in Lancaster in November 2021.
Johnston County father confessed to killing kids, appears in court.
When you read these actual news headlines, what is your first thought? Hopefully, if you’re a rationale and moral person, you will be horrified. What kind of father would kill his children? What kind of mind would it take for someone to take the live of another, let alone one of their own children!
Every day, we are constantly reminded of the evil in this world, evil we simply cannot comprehend. It’s bad enough when there is violence among friends and strangers, but when you read about a situation where there is murder between family members, it is especially distressing.
That said, what kind of person, man or woman, would kil their own children? Demented? Sadistic? Psychotic?
Now, why do you think of God in those same terms? If you believe in hell, you must believe that God is demented, sadistic, or psychotic. We are all children of God; how can anyone possibly believe that God would send His disobedient children to burn in hell forever; the torture and pain. And as a former firefighter, I can tell you that the human body is not able to withstand fire, so in order for you to burn in hell forever, God would have to perform one of his miracles to keep you alive so you would burn forever.
It’s pretty cut and dried for me. The penalty for sin is death, not eternal life burning in hell. Our God is a loving God, not hateful or wrathful or revengeful. When we sin, He is deeply saddened, maybe even frustrated, because He knows we are committing spiritual suicide. The wicked will perish in the end, but it will be their own fault, and not at the hand of God.
The other day I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a reel of a pastor, standing at the pulpit, his Bible in a hand stretched out towards Heaven, and he was literally shouting at the congregation, “I’ll tell you what’s wrong with the world today! It’s that no one fears God anymore!!”
Seriously? We’re supposed to fear God? Why in anyone’s right mind would want to go to Heaven and spend eternity with someone they are afraid of. There are enough people, in battered relationships, trying to escape to a better life but are afraid of their spouse. They want to leave, but fear the repercussions. It’s like saying, “She lives in fear every day that her husband will kill her, but she wants to spend the rest of her life with him.” Asinine, isn’t it?
A 19th Century parson was confronted with the truth about hell. His response? “I know there is no hell, but if I don’t preach hellfire every Sunday, I can’t fill the pews!” Is that what all this is about, filling the pews? Are we in a contest to see who has the most church members? Or does having a higher membership mean the offering plates will be heavier?
The word fire is seen all throughout the Bible, but I believe it has been greatly misperceived. Remember Moses and the “burning bush”.
“And the Angel of the LORD (there’s that Holy Name “Angel” again) appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.” – Exodus 3:2
How can a bush be on fire, yet not be consumed by it? That’s because it wasn’t literal fire. It is my belief that what was perceived as fire was actually the Glory of God.
In Genesis 1:1, God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light. How can that be since God didn’t create the sun and moon until the fourth day. Where did this “light” come from? From the Glory of God. God’s Glory is so bright it can light the earth; it is perceived as fire. It can make your face glow.
“So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.” – Exodus 34:30.
Moses never cast eyes on God, but simply by being in His presence, his face glowed with the Glory of God, and Moses’ face was so radiant, it made those around him afraid! Moses had to wear a veil over his face just so he could be in the presence of others.
“But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” – Exodus 33:20.
Moses asked to see God’s Glory, and that was the response from God. God then placed Moses in the cleft of a rock, and shielded him with His hand as He passed by. And what about the “pillar of fire” that led the children of Israel through the wilderness. Was it actual fire, or was it the brightness of God’s Glory? And here’s a good one.
“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD.” – Leviticus 10:1-2.
Wow! Sounds like God is a tyrant! All Nadab and Abihu did was lit their censers, and God rained fire down on them and killed them. But wait, it doesn’t say God killed them, it said fire “blazed forth from the Lord’s presence”. And was it literal fire, or was it like the “fire” in the burning bush. Let’s continue to Verse 4.
“Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.” – Leviticus 10:4.
Things that make you go “hmmm”. Explain to me how God’s fire can consume Nadab and Abihu, but their tunics survive so they can be carried out of the camp? As a former firefighter, I can also attest that when someone dies in a fire, everything burns. I’ve never encountered a burn victim who was incinerated, yet their clothing survived. What is written in Leviticus Chapter 10 is an account of perceived fire, but it wasn’t really fire. It was the brightness of the Glory of God.
“Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” – Psalm 80:3
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18.
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.” – Isaiah 60:1.
“Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.” – Ezekiel 10:4.
“And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.” – Ezekiel 43:2
“So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them.” – Numbers 20:6.
I could go on, but I hope you get the point.
Yes, the wicked will perish in the end by what is perceived as fire, but it will actually be the Glory of God that consumes them. And let me clarify, it will not be a punishment from God, it is just the natural consequence of sin. Moses was righteous enough to be in the presence of God, but not enough to see His face. And Moses’ brothers and the rest weren’t even righteous enough to look at Moses’ face, let alone be in the presence of God.
If we perish in the end, it will be because we have not prepared ourselves to see the Glory of God. Man can see it, but he will have to be pretty righteous. I’m not suggesting man has to be perfect, because no one is perfect. But if you try to live a righteous life, confess your sins to God and are truly sorrowful for hurting Him, God will forgive. But you can’t turn your back on Him. You can’t ignore Him six days a week and go to church on the seventh. You can let your Bible gather dust. And above all, you have to love God so much that it hurts you to hurt Him. Then you will be truly sorrowful for sin, God will know your heart, and He will forgive.
His mercy endures forever. But He will not sentence you to hell.
Don’t fear God; love Him!