God's Level of Organization

Tough Questions for Christians #20—Bumbling Idiot God
Tough Question #20

AZ goes back to talk about one of his favorite subjects: hell. In response to his question on the purpose of hell, many Christians rightly quote Matthew 25, which states that hell was made for the devil and his angels. AZ says that either God made hell for only the devil and his angels, and so didn’t know what purpose he would use it for, or He knew full well that he would condemn most of humanity and so made it for that purpose. If he did the first, God seems to be unknowing as to his purpose—thus a “bumbling idiot”—or he knew full well and was disingenuous as to his purpose.

Well, Jesus makes it clear that the purpose of hell is to punish the devil and his angels. And if there’s anyone who would know, it’s Jesus. But AZ, and most Christians, aren’t really thinking about different kingdoms. There is the Kingdom of God and there is the Kingdom of Satan. The Kingdom of God is pretty clear—those who follow Jesus and do all they can to obey God’s mercy and to live purely. The Kingdom of Satan is multiple—it has anyone who is judging, killing and lying for their own purposes, even if that purpose is opposed to other people who are also killing, judging and lying. God made hell for those who are in the kingdom of Satan—thus, the devil and his angels, or “messengers” which is what angel means.

Adam, a long time ago, decided to join in with the kingdom of Satan, and so he was placed under the angel of Death—a messenger of Satan. And almost all of us choose, at one point or another, to join the kingdom of Satan when we condemn an innocent person, when we lie for our own gain or when we harm or kill another. That means we are all included. This is why Jesus had to create another kingdom, so we could learn the way of mercy, receive forgiveness and get out from under Satan’s authority.

As long as we are choosing to judge, lie and murder, we are Satan’s children (John 8). And so we deserve to go where Satan goes. If we choose mercy, forgiveness and repentance, we are Jesus’ followers and we deserve to go where Jesus goes. And that’s the way it goes.