John 1: 1-5 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Through Him all things were made and without him was not any thing made that was made. Meaning that all things came to be through Him. And upon Him we owe our continued existence. Upon Him all things exist by His constant intervention. In a way, all things and being exist because He continually allows us to do so.

Now imagine a holy and perfect God who cannot tolerate sin, rebellion, and rejection because they are counter to His being in a way that, for example, a cancerous tumor on someone’s arm is counter to that person’s normal self. Not that we could harm Him with our rebellion, but like that cancer on the person’s arm, eventually it must be cut out and discarded, because it cannot exist as part of us. It is against us.

And yet He allows us to still be part of Him, even in a small way for now, lessening the effects of our sin and rebellion, even for those who hate Him. He wants all to be able to choose to either Him or ourselves. We can choose Him and be redeemed through His Son, Christ Jesus, accepting the free gift of forgiveness that is offered through Christ’s payment on the cross for our sin. Or we can say to Him, “I don’t want to be with you or part of you, I will go my own way.” In that case, one day when the time comes for God to send away all those who do not wish to be part of Him, they will no longer feel any part of His grace, mercy, peace, or love.

Hell literally will be a complete separation from the One who brought us into being, only with none of those things we have in and through Him right now. Instead, there will be only our own needs, wants, desires, and cravings. Little immortal beings that cannot know or feel any of what God is, but allowed to exist always in our own tortured minds and hearts.

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce