The absence of God's presence

The absence of God's presence is the essence of hell. ¹Hell is anywhere God's presence is not.

People live in ³rebellion to God every day. How? They do not acknowledge God as the Source of love and life (breath); the Creator and Sustainer of everything! 

Instead, they live as if God is irrelevant; that the blessings of life are their right to have and do with as they please, as if someone owed it to them; i.e., they are entitled to these blessings. And if they don't get what they believe they deserve, they become angry and bitter. This is the approach to life many ²choose to take and live by daily.

And if they never come to the place where they acknowledge His relevance, value, and significance, they will continue on that same trajectory and path throughout their lives.

As a result, God will honor that choice throughout eternity as well. God doesn't send people to hell. They are already on that path unless and until they choose to put their trust in Him.

If the absence of God's presence is hell, then what is the fullness of God's presence? Bliss, paradise, a continual feast, i.e., heaven.

For a further discussion on why many are disillusioned with God, click here

For a discussion on the key to answered prayer, click here

For a discussion on whether hell is literal, click here. 

For a further discussion on how hell is a continuation of our current path, click here

For a discussion of whether we are rebels to God, click here.

For a discussion on whether God's wrath is reasonable, click here

For a discussion on how death and hell are defeated, click here 

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Footnotes:

¹this is not necessarily a specific location - though it may be. But it is a disposition or attitude of rebellious distrust (all distrust of God is rebellion to Him. It is asserting that God is a liar and not who He claims to be as all-loving, wise, powerful, and everywhere present). 

Objectively, God is everywhere present. Nothing functions or even exists without Him. But if we willfully turn away from God, then for us, God does not exist and is not present. God is not dead, but to us He is.

In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, notice the rich man did not regret his rejection of God, nor did he resent God for being where he was or desire to turn to Him even in his torment. He only wanted water to relieve his thirst - he only wanted a gift from God - not God Himself.

Is this not also true of humanity in general when we go through great pain? God is not our end, but the means to another end...relief. This is often the reason we pray. We don't want God; we only want comfort through the gifts (blessings) of God.

"...You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." - Jas 4:2b-3 ESV

Luke 16:23-26, 28, 30-31 ESV

"...and in Hades, being in torment, he (the previously rich man) lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

²this choice is laid out in Rom 1:18-23 (emphasis added).

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness (i.e., which springs forth from rebellious distrust of God) suppress the truth. 

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God (He is irrelevant) or give thanks to him (their choice), but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images (their choice) resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." 

³The following passage lays out the nature of our rebellion. These are comments made to Job by Elihu in Job 35:6-16. The fourth and only "friend" of Job whom God did not rebuke, unlike the other 3, suggesting that his comments to Job were on point.

"If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him (God)? And if your transgressions are multiplied (many), what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand? (This is also quoted by Paul in Rom 11:35). Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man - i.e., your bad or good deeds affect only men, not God.

Because of the multitude of oppressions, people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty (those stronger than us, who oppress us).

But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’ - i.e., there is no gratitude to God for all the gifts we receive or trust in God when we go through challenges. We don't want God. We only want relief through all the gifts He gives and we enjoy daily without giving Him thanks or acknowledging Him as the giver.

There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men (who believe God is not there or is irrelevant until we are suffering). Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it - Why? Because we don't really want God; we only want His blessings - the comfort and relief from pain His blessings bring us.

How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him! - i.e. we demand He respond the way we think He should when we are in pain - but our complaining does not impress God or cause Him to respond.

And now, because his anger does not punish, and he does not take much note of transgression - i.e., because God has not dropped the hammer on Job for his complaining and demands - Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiplies words without knowledge.”

To Job's credit, at the end he responded correctly...

Job 42:1-6

Then Job answered the Lord and said: 

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.  ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes - (I change my view of you and my attitude towards you).”

How are we able to admit our unfaithfulness

We can - and will - only acknowledge the depth of our brokenness to the extent that we recognize God's perfect acceptance - embrace - of us and love for us in and through Christ. 

If our understanding of - and trust in - His total acceptance and love is incomplete, so will be our ¹ability to see and acknowledge our distrust of God, i.e., the essence of our sinful condition. 

And what is the full extent of God's acceptance and embrace of us? It is the same as His loving embrace of His Son, i.e., it is perfect-complete-total! 

"The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." - Jesus, praying to His Father right before he's betrayed by Judas and crucified the next day - John 17:22-23 ESV

How much does the Father love the Son? However much that is, is how much he loves us i.e., it is the same as His love for His Son!!! It is equal to His love for Jesus!!! Total and infinite!! Selah (reflect on this and let it sink in. Ask God to reveal this to you more fully).

The only way to grasp this is to ask God to reveal this to you. Otherwise, you (we) will not see it.

"All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." - Matthew 11:27 ESV

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (i.e., bears His image) that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength (that comes to us through faith) to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." - Eph 3:14-19 ESV

For a closer look at the above passage, click here. You may wish to bookmark it to read later after you are done with this article.

Why does He love us this way?

Because...

1. We are like God - i.e. in His image - and if we are in Christ we are His beloved child, not unlike Christ is in the image of God and His only begotten Son. 

2. Christ lived a life of perfect faithfulness to His Father - the life that God designed and intended us to ²live (but failed to live and still fail now). He lived His life to honor His Father but also for us. Through our faith in Christ, God credits Christ's perfectly righteous life to us as if we lived it. In Christ we are now perfect in the eyes of God. We will never be more acceptable or embraced by God than we are right now! 

Do you believe this? Paul in his letter to the church in Rome says to ³"reckon" (consider) it so.

And we won't experience the depth of God's love until we ⁴acknowledge the depth of our distrust in Him i.e., our lack of faith. And we won't admit that distrust until we grasp (by faith) His total acceptance and loving embrace of us. These go hand in hand. We must see both to fully know and partake of God in the fullness of His love. 

We must acknowledge our distrust of God and turn from it, so we might more clearly and fully see "...the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

For a fuller discussion of Christ being the only begotten Son, click here. 

For a fuller discussion of the love the Father and Son have for each other, click here

For a fuller discussion on why God values us as bearers of His image, click here

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Footnotes:

¹We will only admit the extent of our brokenness to others (and ourselves) to the extent we believe we will still be accepted and not rejected when we do. 

We all want to be fully seen but also fully accepted. But to be fully seen usually means we will be rejected; except with God who fully sees us and totally embraces us, warts and all.  

²as well as died the death we should have died.

 ³Rom 6:11

English Standard Version
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Berean Standard Bible
So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Berean Literal Bible
So also you⁺, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus.

King James Bible
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:11 is not saying we are dead to the allure (temptation) of sin, but to its legal claim of condemnation on us. That claim is forever gone because our judgment was totally laid on Christ. Jesus paid it all!!! It is finished!!!

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." - Isa 1:18a ESV

must count
λογίζεσθε (logizesthe)
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 3049: To reckon, count, charge with; reason, decide, conclude; think, suppose.

⁴the more we grasp how great our distrust of God is the more we realize and appreciate how great his love must be to still love us in light of this distrust.

The devil is a prowling lion

What is a major way the devil works in today's culture and society? Through those in positions of power... "Influencers," if you wish. 

For example, if an outside influence can control U.S. lawmakers, it can control the U.S. laws made. Laws shape behavior and ultimately culture. 

How can lawmakers be controlled?

Bribes, threats, personal ambition.  

All of these are used to influence or control any official within government who holds a position of power and influence, such as judges, governors, AGs, attorneys, administrators, etc. 

Or those outside government, such as company Presidents, CEO's, administrators, board directors or board members, heads of departments, educators, entertainers, reporters, athletes, i.e., those with highly specialized skills in their area of expertise. As well as ministers, priests, pastors, deacons, etc.

The greater someone's influence, the greater the likelihood they will be approached and pursued to be used for harm.

All that is necessary to control the direction of any person or institution - be it a company, a church, a news outlet, a high-profile athlete, ¹entertainer, and any person or organization of influence - is to probe around and find the ²individuals who bite when offered power or money or cave in when threatened i.e., those who are most easily controlled and compromised. These are the ones without strong principles or character but instead are driven to secure for themselves (or protect) their own personal gain and not the benefit or gain of others i.e. they are takers, not givers, and the weak link in the chain of any institution or organization. Most in an organization can be good people, but if you lasso the head, you direct the body.

The reason these controllers - who seek to recruit others to their cause - hate followers of Jesus (or the principles of some philosophy or religion), is that these followers are least likely to be controlled by someone else and are deliberately and uncompromisingly loyal to another e.g. God - in the case of followers of Christ. 

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Lions prowl around and roar because they are hungry predators. Their drive is relentless and comes from the need to stay alive. They are parasites looking for a host or predators, driven by emptiness and the need to fill it. They are only interested in filling their own belly.

The above passage is simply saying, keep your eyes open and be aware that satan is always looking to overtake and consume someone. His pursuit is relentless. And if you are not aware and prepared for his attacks, he will catch you off guard and consume you.

To say it another way, if you are a person in an institution of influence, you are a fat target and most likely will be approached and potentially attacked and compromised, so be prepared. He has many ways to compromise feckless, weak humans. He studies, knows, and exploits human frailties - which is true of all of us if we are not anchored in God through Christ. 

If someone is not principled or loyal to a higher good or higher value system beyond their own private gain - such as loving and honoring God and their fellow man or woman - you can almost assume they are compromised in some form or fashion, whether knowingly or unknowingly. 

Globalists are relentless in their pursuit of power and control. They are master manipulators and power-hungry control freaks. Therefore, "...Be sober-minded; be watchful..."

Globalists relentlessly seek to influence and control anything or anyone to further their ends, whether someone willingly cooperates or not. This is why those who wish to remain free and loyal to their Creator must always be vigilant and prepared to resist and fight against globalist (satanic) control. 

These controllers and deceivers are children of Satan - whether knowingly or unknowingly. Satan is the father of lies, the accuser, the destroyer, and the great deceiver all wrapped up in one being. If they are of the same character and conduct themselves in this same way, they are following in his footsteps and thereby become a tool in his hand - whether knowingly or unknowingly. 

What we are talking about in this article is not about skill set or abilities, etc. We're talking about the character of individuals. Individuals who can be equally as gifted (if not more gifted) as those who are principled and have character i.e., you can't tell the difference between those with character or without character by abilities alone. We're talking about people who will use their abilities and position to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want instead of serving their fellow man and honoring their true Creator.

For a discussion of the difference between dictators and leaders, click here. 

For a discussion of the difference between malicious intent and unintentional incompetence, click here

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Footnotes:

¹have you ever wondered why so many actors are politically left-leaning? 

²This is why Trump is least likely to willingly be controlled by others - contrary to many of the conspiracy theories that say he's knowingly part of some bigger plot. 

The globalist controllers will attempt to utilize Trump's actions (or anyone else's) to their ends, and may even have some success, but that is not necessarily because of someone's willing cooperation. 

There is a difference between being a willful co-conspirator vs a useful idiot. Intention matters in how to utilize and compromise each. And if the globalists can't turn someone willfully through bribe or threat, they will try to utilize them some other way and any way possible to further their agenda. 

Trump's weakness is the need for constant praise and the need to be better than anyone else, but this is different than doing things solely for their own benefit. I believe Trump's desire to help others is genuine and sincere. It is the primary means by which he seeks to garner praise. 

This is his Achilles heel, and I think how he got sucked into the COVID narrative... though not one hundred percent. He utilized hydroxychloroquine and pushed back on shutting down schools and businesses. 

For a further discussion on the contrasts between Trump and Fauci's positions on COVID, click here. 

Trump is a pragmatic businessman, not an ideologue i.e., it's all about the bottom line results for Americans and their economy.