"Hell ain't a bad place,
Hell is from here to eternity!"
- Iron Maiden
Bruce got it wrong. Hell is a bad place. "Prove it!" you say. I can't. I don't have any Hell-rocks. But I believe what the Bible says, that it is a real place. A place for the unrighteous, the unrepentant, the unholy. A place of everlasting suffering.
But what is it really, and why do people go there?
That looks painful. The Bible says that Hell was "created for the Devil and his angels". When the time comes, that is where they will go. They aren't there yet! Not all of them anyway. Some are indeed locked up in darkness somewhere, but that is another story. Hell predates the creation of mankind. I know, you could say the concept was created by the Egyptians or Greeks and then passed down to the Jews who incorporated it into their theology, but the Jews didn't talk about it much. Not until Jesus showed up. Isn't it possible, though, that the first man knew about Hell and passed the knowledge down to everyone else after that? That the idea originated with God, not man?
Like I said above, it can't be proven. It has to be believed on in faith. So from a Christian perspective, is Hell a place of eternal torment in a lake of fire, or is that figurative language to describe a horrible place? I think it's both. Revelation talks about the "lake of fire and burning sulfur", but the book is symbolic. "Fire" can mean cleansing or destruction. In this case, destruction. Hell isn't meant to clean anyone up. It isn't annihilation, either, but eternal torment.
This a film maker's idea of eternal torment. "Torment" in some people's minds means hooks, chains, demonic torture, blood, dismemberment. Remember, though, that the demons will be suffering too, and not torturing anybody!
Dante had the Devil in a frozen lake at the center of Hell. Some have described it as having many levels, with varying degrees of torment. I think Mary K. Baxter as well as Clive Barker read Milton and Dante when they were kids. Baxter wrote that book about how Jesus took her on a tour of Hell so she could tell the world about it. As if the Bible wasn't enough. Jesus Himself told a parable about the rich man and the beggar, how the rich man went to his place in torment, which was a place of flames. The Old Testament talked about Sheol, where the "shades" are.
Constantine showed Hell as a blasted-out city. This one was particularly unnerving for me for some reason. Imagine a place with no reprieve from the heat. . .
Then there is the painting above, which is downright weird. A "vision of Hell", by a Polish artist named Zdzistaw Beksinski. Everyone has their own idea. But George Foreman's vision is most interesting of all. He said he died and went to a place that was dark and lonely, a place absent of light and feeling. God was not there. And that, my friends, is what Hell really is. Eternal separation from God.
Whether or not it is literal flame or metaphorical flame is not important. What is important is that it's a real place, and you don't want to go there. Or do you? If a person wants nothing to do with God here, why would they want to be with Him forever in Heaven?
Why do people go to Hell anyway? Sin, plain and simple. Sin lands a person in Hell. See, sin demands judgment. If it is not atoned for, there is punishment. In Christian theology, Christ paid for the sins of those who believe and they are then considered "righteous". Not because they are good, but because Jesus bought them at the price of His own death. The reward is eternal life. All you have to do is follow Jesus and believe what He said. R.C. Sproul put it this way, badly paraphrased: Pygmies in Africa don't go to Hell because they never heard the Gospel of Jesus, they go to Hell because are sinners. Sin, that rebellion towards God, is what damns us. Not a lack of hearing. Jesus saves because He wants to, but He's not obligated to do so. We are eternal beings, and there is an eternal reward for us, destruction or life.
Hell, it would appear, is a perpetual state of wickedness. There will be no parties, and no reprieve from whatever torment is assigned. The Bible hints at people being "stuck" in their sin even after death. It is a place of utter, continuing ruin. No relief from the addictions, no peace, no grace, no forgiveness. Just anguish.
Does anyone really want to go there?
Hell is from here to eternity!"
- Iron Maiden
Bruce got it wrong. Hell is a bad place. "Prove it!" you say. I can't. I don't have any Hell-rocks. But I believe what the Bible says, that it is a real place. A place for the unrighteous, the unrepentant, the unholy. A place of everlasting suffering.
But what is it really, and why do people go there?
That looks painful. The Bible says that Hell was "created for the Devil and his angels". When the time comes, that is where they will go. They aren't there yet! Not all of them anyway. Some are indeed locked up in darkness somewhere, but that is another story. Hell predates the creation of mankind. I know, you could say the concept was created by the Egyptians or Greeks and then passed down to the Jews who incorporated it into their theology, but the Jews didn't talk about it much. Not until Jesus showed up. Isn't it possible, though, that the first man knew about Hell and passed the knowledge down to everyone else after that? That the idea originated with God, not man?
Like I said above, it can't be proven. It has to be believed on in faith. So from a Christian perspective, is Hell a place of eternal torment in a lake of fire, or is that figurative language to describe a horrible place? I think it's both. Revelation talks about the "lake of fire and burning sulfur", but the book is symbolic. "Fire" can mean cleansing or destruction. In this case, destruction. Hell isn't meant to clean anyone up. It isn't annihilation, either, but eternal torment.
This a film maker's idea of eternal torment. "Torment" in some people's minds means hooks, chains, demonic torture, blood, dismemberment. Remember, though, that the demons will be suffering too, and not torturing anybody!
Dante had the Devil in a frozen lake at the center of Hell. Some have described it as having many levels, with varying degrees of torment. I think Mary K. Baxter as well as Clive Barker read Milton and Dante when they were kids. Baxter wrote that book about how Jesus took her on a tour of Hell so she could tell the world about it. As if the Bible wasn't enough. Jesus Himself told a parable about the rich man and the beggar, how the rich man went to his place in torment, which was a place of flames. The Old Testament talked about Sheol, where the "shades" are.
Constantine showed Hell as a blasted-out city. This one was particularly unnerving for me for some reason. Imagine a place with no reprieve from the heat. . .
Then there is the painting above, which is downright weird. A "vision of Hell", by a Polish artist named Zdzistaw Beksinski. Everyone has their own idea. But George Foreman's vision is most interesting of all. He said he died and went to a place that was dark and lonely, a place absent of light and feeling. God was not there. And that, my friends, is what Hell really is. Eternal separation from God.
Whether or not it is literal flame or metaphorical flame is not important. What is important is that it's a real place, and you don't want to go there. Or do you? If a person wants nothing to do with God here, why would they want to be with Him forever in Heaven?
Why do people go to Hell anyway? Sin, plain and simple. Sin lands a person in Hell. See, sin demands judgment. If it is not atoned for, there is punishment. In Christian theology, Christ paid for the sins of those who believe and they are then considered "righteous". Not because they are good, but because Jesus bought them at the price of His own death. The reward is eternal life. All you have to do is follow Jesus and believe what He said. R.C. Sproul put it this way, badly paraphrased: Pygmies in Africa don't go to Hell because they never heard the Gospel of Jesus, they go to Hell because are sinners. Sin, that rebellion towards God, is what damns us. Not a lack of hearing. Jesus saves because He wants to, but He's not obligated to do so. We are eternal beings, and there is an eternal reward for us, destruction or life.
Hell, it would appear, is a perpetual state of wickedness. There will be no parties, and no reprieve from whatever torment is assigned. The Bible hints at people being "stuck" in their sin even after death. It is a place of utter, continuing ruin. No relief from the addictions, no peace, no grace, no forgiveness. Just anguish.
Does anyone really want to go there?
Such a great description why people need Jesus so they don't have to go there
ReplyDeleteInteresting.. I liked Barkers interpretation. Franks Hell, where what he craved most was all around him, but he could never touch/have it. Nick Cages description of Hell from the movie 'Drive Angry'( goofy movie, not one to watch with kids around) was interesting it as a lonely cell where the only thing you could see was the suffering of those closest to you. knowing you were powerless to do any thing about it. some interesting takes on from Hollywood..
ReplyDeleteThank you both for your comments. Hollywood is great at bringing this subject to light. I might have to check out that movie, Cap, just for fun.
ReplyDeleteChristianity is the only religion in the world with an eternal hell. All other religions eventually allow one to work off their sins in purgatory. Why anyone would want to join that stupid cult is beyond me. Quit believing in old shit and start thinking for yourself.
ReplyDeleteWell brother, I do think for myself. And I have found that no other religion has a Savior who died for people's sin. I will go with the one who brings me to Heaven despite myself!
DeleteI'm curious about R.C. Sproul's quote: was he saying that people who never heard the gospel are destined for hell, with no hope at all?
ReplyDeletePeople are destined for Hell because they sin, not because they haven't heard the gospel. God doesn't have to save; He does because He is gracious. I think it's a perspective issue. But if God wants to reveal Himself to lost people, He can do that any way He wants, such as showing up in Muslims dreams and visions.
Delete