O, Hell, where is your sting?

Growing up I always envisioned Hell as a fiery cave with red, devilish figures running with pitch forks.  My biggest objective to Hell was the idea of living in a scorching desert for all eternity (not a fan of 120 F weather), but I found Hell neither appealing nor repulsive.

Over the past couple years I've realized that my idea of Hell was completely wrong.  Yes, it maybe HOT with creepy figures working for Satan, but that wasn't the worst of it.

What if Hell encompassed everything that God was not?  

What if Hell was a place completely absent of God and attributes that represent God?

If God is love, then Hell is a place where hate is fully matured: murder.

If love is patient, kind, etc. (1 Cor 13), then Hell is full of selfishness, envy, and pride.

If the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23), then Hell is hate, sorrow, disharmony, frustration, cruelty, wickedness, apathy, and chaos.

If disobedience to God (sin) fully manifested leads to death (Rom 6:28), then Hell is a place of constant death and suffering.  Eternal suffering at the maximum human capacity.

Now THAT sounds like Hell!

Why do I think my second description is a closer representation of Hell? 
Because Jesus endured unimaginable, undeserved suffering.  He took our place.  In order for him to "suffer anguish, be despised, and rejected", He must have been saving us from something terrible. More than a fiery cave.

Why pay attention to Easter?

The validity of the Christian faith hangs on this one holiday.  Prove that the resurrection never happened, and Christianity is nothing more than another philosophy of morality.

"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ for the dead...And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" 1 Cor 15:12-19

Casting Crowns- "Glorious Day"