What Jesus saves us from!

In the second chapter of his short booklet, Jonah offers a chilling look inside the belly of a fish. He compares his brief stay crammed in this slimy creature as a literal hell. While the imagery is frightful, the most disturbing commentary he gives is, “I am cast out of thy sight!” (Jonah 2:4) This was our Lord’s greatest agony as He hung from the cross. It wasn’t the crown of thorns, his open wounds or even His nail-pierced hands that caused Him to wail from that tree. The greatest torment of Christ is revealed in this one excruciating cry: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" For the first time in eternity, Christ experienced separation from the Father as the sins of the world piled upon Him. What He had dreaded most and what caused Him to sweat crimson bullets in the garden was now being realized in proportions no mortal man can ever fully fathom. In that one haunting moment, God had no choice but to turn away from His Only Begotten because He cannot look upon sin. For Christ, it was more than He could bear even for a split second. And to be separated from God for all eternity is more than any soul can ever bear. Man can endure physical pain. We can overcome mental anguish. But the wailing and gnashing of teeth in Hell is not because of the fiery flames. It is the sheer torment of total separation from God. Imagine no hope and no Light, only the frightful realization of being lost in utter darkness for all eternity. This is what Christ came to save us from!