Jessa Duggar-Seewald of the hit TLC show "19 Kids and Counting" recently emphasized the reality of God's judgement and hell and issued a call to repentance in a strongly-worded Facebook post.
On Wednesday, the 22 year old Duggar daughter, who does not shy away from discussing controversial issues on her various social media pages, addressed her 170,000 plus followers:
"I will speak to you a hard truth," she writes. "I do not write this because I think that it will bring me popularity. It won't. But it is Truth from the Word of God: the Bible. To not tell people this is to hide the truth from them. To keep silent is to not care for their eternal destiny! I care about you, and this is why I am speaking out!"
The Conservative Baptist, who married Ben Seewald last Fall, explains that "In this world, people have seared their consciences. The standard of what is 'ok' or 'permissible' in our society today, hardly reflects God's standard."
Citing lust, pornography, adultery and other sexual sins, Jessa warned that most people are "content" to live their lives no matter what others think. But in the end, it doesn't matter what society believes is or isn't acceptable. "When unbelieving, sinful men die and stand before God, He justly condemns them to hell," she explains.
The 22 year old highlighted some common excuses people use regarding religion. Referencing a person who believes in "a loving God, not one who would send people to hell," Jessa called the argument contradictory to the Bible.
"The person speaking this is right - their god is not angry with them. He can't be, because he doesn't exist," she continued. "They are not talking about the God of the Bible. They have created a god in their own mind to suit themselves. They have removed any notion of the Justice of God, and have created a god of their imagination that they can be comfortable with. The Bible teaches that God is a Just Judge, and He must punish sin. Every one of us have broken God's law, and hell is our deserved punishment. (Unless you're reading some very distorted 'translation' of the Bible, you cannot get around the fact that there is a hell)."
However, Jessa encourages readers that there is a way to avoid eternal punishment through the blood of Jesus Christ. She writes, "Repent! Turn away from sin, and to Jesus Christ today! Be saved from the wrath to come.The believing man has Christ's perfect record put to their account. God gives him a new heart and new desires."
She references several Bible verses, including the popular passage John 3:16, which reads "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
She concludes her post with a call to action, "If you find yourself a sinner in need of Jesus, then open your Bible today and begin to read the books of John and Romans. Let the Word of God root out the sins of your heart. Do not let up until you have found Salvation for your soul!"
The 22 year old is no stranger to addressing hot-button issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, on her social media pages. Most recently, Jessa came under fire for comparing abortion to the holocaust and insisting that "Every life is precious."
Her latest post also did not sit well with many readers, who criticized her call to repentance as "embarrassing" and "grossly ignorant." Some even mocked her message, writing comments such as, "Why did I read this? I need to be out there sinning!"
Others, however, expressed appreciation for Jessa's words and fearless dedication to sharing the Gospel.
"Thank you for bolding speaking the truth in love. Thank you for using your platform to glorify God," wrote Hannah Rogers.
Added another reader, "Proud of this young lady for standing on truth. A truly loving person could not watch people walk into a disaster without warning them. Jesus took the penalty for sin (eternal damnation), so at the end of our lives we won't be judged necessarily for the specific sins as much as we will for rejecting the only pardon available - Jesus' blood. Why someone would pass up a freely given gift and choose the penalty because being too prideful to be told you are wrong...nonsensical. Glad she's standing up for truth."
