Dwight L. Moody once said that if you ever speak about Hell, you’d better have tears in your eyes. Hell is one of those realities that we Christians should not like to think about and if you do, shame on you. It should sadden you greatly that some people have died without God and some will die without God and some people you see every day could die without God.
I had some thoughts on the topic of Hell while watching Smallville recently. (I wonder how many people are thinking where the connection is at this point.) In Season 7, Episode 12, Fracture, Lex has gone to find Clark’s cousin with amnesia. No one knows where he was, but he did get shot there and sent back to Metropolis. The only way to get the information is to have Clark go through an experimental procedure where his brain waves are linked to Lex’s. In other words, he goes inside of Lex’s mind.
While he is there, he encounters Lex’s evil side, that longs to kill him and looks just like the Lex he meets every day. He also meets Lex’s good side, a small kid named Alexander who is constantly hunted down by “Lex” in an attempt to kill his good side that makes him weak.
Towards the end of Clark’s time in Lex’s mind, Lex captures Alexander and takes him away to kill him and while Clark needs to get out, he goes to save Alexander. As this is going on, in the real world, the real Lex has suddenly flatlined as a result of the procedure and Chloe must use her healing powers to save Lex from death or Clark will die also.
As she heals him, Clark has entered a room in “Lex’s” memory that looks like the foyer of Luthor mansion where Alexander is about to be killed. Suddenly, as Chloe begins to use her power, a bright light enters that room and Clark is able to stop Lex and free Alexander. I find this something fascinating.
It’s almost as if the show is saying that if Lex’s good side had died, Lex would die.
That’s, in some ways, what Hell is. Hell is where you have as little as you as possible. As your goodness dies off, you get closer and closer to Hell. Now I don’t think your goodness dies entirely for you still are and you have goodness in being, but you have the bare minimum of such goodness.
I’ll also say I don’t believe in the fiery furnace of Hell. I take that as a metaphor due to Hell being a place of darkness. The point I see is that Hell is a place of judgment and it is the worst place that you can ever think about being.
If anyone thinks I doubt this, I shall share a story. A few years ago someone IMed me on PALtalk and told me that Saddam’s sons had been found and killed and were saying “Isn’t this great?!” Now, when people who do evil are stopped, I am pleased for that, but I also had a piece of sadness. I realized then that those two had just entered Hell forever, and there would be no escape.
Think about that some.
Yes. I think it’s just. Yes. I think it’s the best option available. Yes. I do defend the doctrine of Hell.
I don’t get any joy out of it though and I wonder about Christians who would practically love to hold marshmallows over the fires of Hell.
I also then wish I took it more seriously because I know people who are going there.
I speculate as to what people go through there that it could be some theologians are right in saying that Hell and Heaven could be the same place in a sense. However, what people experience as the love of God in Heaven, that is experienced as wrath by those in Hell. They have spent all their lives avoiding God and not bowing a knee to him and for all eternity, they are surrounded by his presence then. That would be Hell.
Now I also believe that people have a body in Hell, but it is not a glorious one. They could be, in essence, living death. Again, that is speculation and I can’t say for certain what all it would involve. The Bible doesn’t say anything really about that for unbelievers because I don’t see the Bible as trying to address secondary matters we speculate on. It doesn’t give us information for the sake of curiosity but information for the sake of our salvation.
I suppose as I wrap this up I’ll just give an evangelical call. Dear friends. People are going to Hell every day. Let’s go out there and make a difference to stop that.
Support Deeper Waters on Patreon!
