Banished

Genesis 4
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 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; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

Some people have said that they have had near death experiences where they claim to have died and gone to Hell. One of the common themes from all of the accounts is that Hell is a place where there is no hope. All hope is gone. Loneliness, despair, agonizing regret, all of what is negative or wrong is there. It is eternal separation from God.

Jesus called it a "Lake of Fire, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Cain was banished from the presence of God. Yet, he reached out to beg for mercy. For him, it was hell on earth.

When we choose to go our own way, to live in sin and rebellion against God, God lets us wallow and live in hell on earth, in hopes that we will see the error of our ways so that we will call upon His Name to deliver us from our mistakes and restore us in His Grace.

Later, God has promised to those He calls His children:

Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Hebrews 13:5
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

You have a choice. You can be a child of God, or you can be your own person. Where you live for eternity is YOUR choice.

Revelation 7:14
“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

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