Christ's Suffering in the Flames of a Living Hell

At the present time I am preparing some scripts for our new video series on the Character of God. I just penned these thoughts and had to share them. The light of the cross is so blindingly bright, the purity of God's love is so vast and broad I can only stand in awe. I am moved, challenged and humbled by the cross. May these thoughts bless you as they have blessed me.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matt 27:46 

God did not forsake His Son. Yet as Christ was carrying our sins upon Himself, He died as the man who cannot be forgiven for this is the will of man. In these words of Christ we see the curse of sin upon Him, the curse expressed by Cain.

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth… Gen 4:14 

The word fugitive can mean to stagger and shake. Christ demonstrates that he carried the curse of Cain. He felt that God’s face was hidden and He shook under the sense of our guilt. The Scripture reveals what hides the Father’s face.

Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.  Psa 69:7 

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Isa 59:2 

With reference to the Father we read:

For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. Psa 22:24 

The shame of our sins covered the face of Jesus so He could not see the Father’s face. The Father did not turn away. He faced death as every sinner will face death at the conclusion of the great controversy. Christ felt the coals of fire in His soul.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented [confronted] me.  (6)  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.  (7)  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.  (8)  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. Psa 18:5-8 

Christ suffered the death of the wicked. A fire came forth from the midst of Christ and devoured Him. Our sins upon Christ caused Christ to suffer as Satan and all the wicked will suffer in the end.

Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee… Eze 28:18 

As our substitute Christ’s sanctuary or body temple was defiled by the multitude of our iniquities. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The terrible death that Satan will die has already been experienced by Christ on the Cross. The heart of Christ exploded from the fire brought forth from the midst of Him and there came forth water and blood. Our Saviour died in the fires of a living hell and this is exactly how the wicked will die. I pause and reflect with amazement that just as the Father never left His Son but suffered with Him through his death on the Cross so also our Father and Saviour will be right there with the wicked suffering with them in those flames of hell. The Scripture tells us:

In all their affliction he was afflicted…  Isa 63:9 

No father can rejoice at the loss of a child, it is agony for him and so our Father and His Son will suffer again the agonies of the cross with the wicked in their death. As the righteous stand upon the walls of Zion and see those they have loved in those flames, the Saviour will have to carry them through that cross and it will take a thousand years to prepare them for that event. Like Mary and the disciples beholding the Son of God on the cross wept in agony so too will the righteous be pierced by the eternal loss of those they once loved but refused the grace of God. Only then are we told that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  Rev 21:4 

This occurs after the death of the wicked in Rev 20:

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  (14)  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  (15)  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:13-15 

As Christ rose from the grave of His suffering 2000 years ago he will also be raised from His agony of losing billions of His children who spat upon Him, despised him and refused His loving mercy. And as Christ is raised up by the blessing of the Father we also shall be raised up with Him to enter into the new earth without one shadow of sorrow remaining.