James from Auckland, New Zealand asks, Pastor John, how does God's pre-destining people

to eternal hell bring Himself glory?

Well, before we embrace the term pre-destining to hell, we need to make some qualifications,

the very statement is one that is very rare if present in the Bible in those terms.

I could think of one or two texts that could almost be paraphrased that way.

So, I don't want to be too hard on the question, but here the qualifications I want to put on the phrase

before I give the answer that I see.

There will be no one in hell who does not deserve to be there.

No one will be there who can give a good reason, a warranted reason why they shouldn't be there,

and all of the world will know this and will vindicate God in it.

There will be no doubting of the justice of God at the last day.

That's the first thing that has to be said biblically is that no one will be in hell who doesn't deserve to be there.

Second, no one will be in hell who's not in a state of rebellion against God.

If we have any sense, people are being thrown there who are not in rebellion against God,

but they are lovers of God, or they are repenting toward God, or they are embracing God,

or they are somehow not in rebellion against God, that's just a foreign concept to the Bible.

The only people who will suffer are people who have been opposing God and are at the present moment.

In hell, opposing God, rejecting God.

And the third thing that needs to be said to qualify that phrase predestined to hell is any election and predestination.

I think the Bible portrays God as choosing graciously to save some sinners,

not choosing to make some really good people bad.

It always pictures him as rescuing sinners before the foundation of the world.

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