Hell Is For Real
A while back there was a book, followed by a movie, called, Heaven is For Real. I don’t know much about either one of them, just that they featured a cute little boy who somehow went to heaven and back.
I imagine that he describes the amazing beauty and grandeur of heaven. I’m guessing that the whole supernatural experience changed his life.
Well, I have a similar tale to tell; but it’s not about heaven. It’s about hell.
Twice in the last year, God has shown me something else. He has made it crystal clear to me that hell is for real. These two experiences have been the most terrifying of my life.
I’m not going to describe them in detail for you. Frankly, they are too harrowing to recount.
I will say that the first time happened when I was just waking up. I viscerally and physically felt this demonic force dragging me down to the netherworld. It drained every source of energy from my body, and I felt myself succumbing until I finally summoned up the strength to beg God for help. As always, when we turn to him humbly, He is faithful.
The second time was just last night — actually in the middle of the night. That one is too fresh to go into at all. I’ll just say that after it was over, when I woke up breathless with my heart pounding in my chest, I realized that God had given me a taste of how absolutely horrifying is hell.
Now I am not sure why He has graced me with this information. I don’t know why He wants to make sure that I get it. But from these experiences I have learned that there are ghastly, eternal consequences for our behavior.
This culture doesn’t preach anymore about Judgment, heaven, and hell. There was a time (way back in the dark ages — that is, before the 1960s) when people believed in hell. They knew that the Devil was real. Folks weren’t as focused on this life but getting to the heavenly place after death.
To be an atheist was unheard of. I never even heard the word until I was all grown up and in California. But now it seems that many, if not most, people don’t think God exists.
Frankly, I think that this is the dumbest — and most dangerous — of all delusions. I mean, how in the world can anyone look around at the stars, at newborn babies and roses and mountains and not behold God Almighty? Although I came to be a Christian late in life, it never occurred to me to be an atheist.
But now it’s all the trend. Even worse than that, society has taken a light-hearted approach to the demonic. This denial of evil has to be one of the most horrendous outcomes of the 60s.
There’s even a television show called, Lucifer. Of course, you couldn’t pay me to watch it. But as I understand it, the Devil is portrayed as not evil, but misunderstood. How low this culture has descended that such a despicable television show is allowed to be aired.
As Voltaire said, the Devil’s greatest trick is convincing people that he doesn’t exist. Well, I am here to tell you that he does — and so does hell.
It may not be a consoling, feel-good message, like the adorable tyke in the Heaven is Real series. But it’s just as true.
Given that none of us get out of this life without being judged and going either up or down, now is a very good time. No, not a good time to turn on one of the perverse shows featured by the shameless media.
But it’s a great time to take stock of one’s life. As Pascal said in his ” Pascal’s Wager,” what if there is a God? And heaven? Hell? Wouldn’t it be smart to get one’s moral house — and faith in God — in order? Not tomorrow, but today?
Because from what I have learned, hell is such a terrorizing place, that you really and truly don’t want to be there for a moment — much less eternity. And no hook-up, marijuana joint, blasphemy towards God, or anything else is worth it.
