"WHATEVER HAPPENED TO Hell?"- by Michael Trapasso J.DAttorney and Counselor At Law
The John Wayne of our family was my Uncle Ray – he was a tall Texan, handsome ... and yes, a cowboy. His cattle ranch was on the outskirts of Huntsville, Texas. Strong and independent, he seemed to have little need or interest in religion. Something happened that changed all of that.
In 1978, this rugged cowboy was working in his pasture when suddenly he began to experience chest pains. He rested under an old tree, but was no better. A few hours later he was in the emergency room having suffered a massive heart attack. The emergency staff worked tirelessly to save him. Soon, however, he lost consciousness ... only to awaken to a greater and deeper consciousness.
As his life slipped away, he descended, according to his own testimony, to a place that was unmistakable: into the regions of the damned! This rough, tough icon of masculinity experienced such terror that it melted away the persona of fearlessness. After he descended into this bottomless pit, absolute horror gripped him as the doors to this black hole of hell began to open for him. He knew once he entered, there would be no exiting of this place of eternal night.
The staff was able to save his life before he made an entrance into this hellish abyss. Upon regaining consciousness, he told the story of what happened to him. He asked for a Bible and read it. In it, he found a description of the place he had been to and never wanted to return again - a place called ‘hell.’ So shaken by the experience, he not only became deeply religious, but later became a pastor, warning others of that dreadful place.
After my Uncle’s experience and the life-changing effect it had on him, the question of hell’s existence was settled for him. Many people, however, if not most, while believing in a heaven, doubt that there is such a hell.
Purpose of This Pamphlet
The purpose of this pamphlet is to address such questions as: Is there a rational basis for a belief in hell in this day of enlightenment? Is hell really real?
Nature
Nature has proven to be a wonderful teacher. Take the lowly ants for example. Merely watching them for a while, one learns the value of organization, hard work and cooperative effort for the common good.
Birds too, have not only aided our understanding of the dynamics of flight, but flamed our passion for freedom. Is there anyone who has watched these creatures soar effortlessly thru the sky and not admired the beauty and value of their freedom? As long as birds fly, they will remain a testimony to mankind that freedom is better than bondage, better than tyranny.
Even the changing seasons of the year are nature’s witness and reminder of the transitory nature of our own lives. And speaking of our lives, nature has a clarion message – for those who will listen – about the nature of the afterlife.
Nature, indeed, strongly suggests the nature of reality beyond the grave. Consider the ‘imprint of dualism’ upon our very existence: birth/death, entrance/exit, day/night, good/evil, healthy/sick, odor/odorless, taste/tasteless, balanced/unbalanced, silence/noise, happy/sad, up/down, right/wrong, yes/no, victory/defeat, sight/blindness, straight/crooked, pure/impure, sweet/bitter and positive/negative (electricity) to cite a few examples. Yes, this dualism, this two-ness, this either/or – is plainly the nature of our reality. Amazing isn’t it?
Now think about it; for peace of mind, a person may choose to believe that there is birth, but no death; that there is day, but no night; that there is good, but no evil; that there is sweet, but no bitter; that there is a positive charge, but no negative. Would disbelief in these opposites – that is, in death, night, evil, bitter and a negative charge cause these to not exist? Of course not! The whole world could believe these five realities do not exist, but it would have no effect ... they would just continue to be real. Yet, this seems to be precisely the state of mankind. Let me explain. The majority of people believe in a heaven or some vague notion of a pleasant state in the life to come. They not only believe this, but also believe their loved ones will be there with them. But if you were to ask these same people, “Do you believe there is a place called hell in the life to come and is it possible you or your loved ones could be there for eternity?” many, if not most, would say, “No” to both questions. No offense is intended, but such thinking is irrational. It seems that mankind – to overcome the fear of the unknown – imagines one place, but denies the other. Nature, by way of the ostrich, tells us that sticking-the-head-in-the-sand approach to dangerous or unpleasant realities, doesn’t make the danger disappear. Now I ask the reader to consider this: “In light of the dual nature of our existence, as illustrated in the examples above (birth/death, etc), is it then rational to believe there is no dualism in the life to come, only a heaven but not a hell?
Signs from Above
To many, because they have neither seen nor experienced the reality of hell, they, therefore, do not believe it exists. Unfortunately, such reasoning is flawed.
For example, while reading this pamphlet, you may be sitting perfectly still ... or so it seems. All of your senses, at this precise moment, would suggest to you this calmness, this stillness is in fact your state of reality. The truth is, however, – right now – you, the author and the rest of humanity are spinning thru space on the earth’s axis at a speed of up to 1,000 m.p.h. (depending on your exact location). Buckle your seat belt. You are also traveling even faster – approx. 67,000 m.p.h. in a circular motion around a huge, flaming ball we call our sun. Are you dizzy yet? Hold on to your hat. You are also traveling approx. 490,000 m.p.h. as our solar system travels around our galaxy!
This journey by you thru space doesn’t seem real does it ... but it is ... you space traveler you!
Does the fact it doesn’t seem real negate such reality? No, it doesn’t and the point is, neither would a disbelief in a place called hell negate its reality.
Black Holes
Yes, nature speaks to those who will listen. The sun is wonderful, bathing the earth with light and heat. But there is a dark side to the universe: black holes. The nature of black holes is such that descriptions of them are found – not just in science books – but in horror stories and films as well.
Black holes are invisible holes in space. You can’t see them with human eyes, nevertheless, they’re there. If warning signs could be posted in space before these gigantic suck holes, the words, ‘ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER IN’ would be appropriate. Black hole is an apt name because even light itself cannot escape from the clutches of a black hole! If it be true that the phenomenon of black holes is a sign in the heavens, what warnings do they declare? Are not black holes analogous to that which is described in the afterlife? Strange is it not, that Jesus Christ described hell as an ‘outer darkness’ from which there is no escape – an eternal black hole one might say. (Matt. 8:12, 15:46, 22:13; Luke 16:26)
Fire Beneath Our Feet
Earlier, reference was made to the reader’s perception of sitting still while reading this pamphlet. It was pointed out, however, contrary to such perception, we are all ‘men in motion’ (ladies, pardon the use of masculine gender for both sexes). At times, we rely too much on our five senses to grasp the nature of reality around us. Consider the earth, our temporary abode.
Whenever in flight, the author looks forward to getting his feet planted on the ground again. The ground, envisioned as security, is of course the upper crust of the earth. This crust varies in thickness, but on average, it is only about twenty miles deep. That, my fellow earth dweller, means that this safety net we call the crust, is only an extremely small percentage of the earth’s mass – approximately .0005%. Relatively speaking, this very thin layer is the only thing protecting us from being pulled down by gravity to the next layer, the mantle. The mantle is approximately 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Extremely hot considering water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This mantle is approximately 1800 hundred miles thick. Beneath it is the earth’s core, approximately 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit – hotter than the sun! While not continuously cognizant of this reality, we are reminded of it, nevertheless, when we see on the national news pictures of an explosive volcano. The ascending smoke, the ground shaking force, the spewing of hot, molten fire high into a black sky are the voice of nature speaking once again. Such explosive events in nature sound an alarm. They say in the natural (with overtones of the spiritual) what an ancient prophet, John the Baptist warned. He spoke of fleeing from the ‘wrath to come,’ warning those who don’t, they would suffer destruction by ‘unquenchable fire.’ (Matt. 3:8,12)
So too, volcanoes remind us that we live on a fiery ball, protected only by a few miles of ground. Were this thin layer suddenly removed, our fate would be sealed by fire. Based on an ancient text of Scripture (I Peter 3:20), the ground might properly be analogized to the longsuf-fering and mercy of God, only temporarily protecting us from the wrath to come.
Witness substantiation
This booklet began with my uncle’s testimony of having descending into the regions of the damned. His witness bore great weight with many who knew him because of the immediate, radical change that he made in his life. His witness is not alone, however; there are many others.
My wife’s physician, Dr. Donald R. Whitaker of Jefferson, Texas is an outstanding doctor. In fact, he was honored as Doctor of the Day six years in a row in Oklahoma. Dr. Whitaker was an avowed atheist. Something happened to him that changed all that. In 1975 he was diagnosed with acute hemorrhagic necrotic pancreatitis. After surgery was performed on him, he was expected to live only six hours, no more than seventy-two. While he lay dying, suddenly, according to his own testimony, he slid down into a “black void like you can’t believe, it is so black...” He had a feeling of ‘impending doom.’ He was so frightened, he couldn’t stop shaking. After this terrifying descent, he saw what appeared to be flickering fire. Three times during this, the longest night of his life, he descended into the horrid blackness. According to his own testimony, he was prayed over by a Christian friend for approximately three days after coming off the respirator and laying in a coma. After receiving prayer, he then accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and received a miraculous healing. Since that time (some twenty-five years ago), he has radically changed his life, still proclaiming Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
In 1933, Kenneth Hagin’s heart stopped beating; he had an incurable heart condition. He descended down, down, down into a pit. “Darkness encompassed me ‘round about – darkness that is blacker than any night man has ever seen,” is how he described that awful experience. The farther down he went, the darker and hotter it became. At last as he descended, he could see fingers of light on the darkness wall.
Like Dr. Whitaker, he also traveled downward three times. Likewise, this experience caused him to cry out to God resulting in salvation; later Kenneth Hagin was healed of his heart condition that five doctors said he had to die from.
In the summer of 1849 in New York City, there was a Cholera rage. As a result, Davis W. Clark witnessed many a person’s dying words. He made a compilation of these testimonies in a 569 page book entitled, Death Bed Scenes. Below are just a few examples from his book of the some of the last words of people who were dying:
“I see a sad, horrible night approaching, bringing with it the blackness of darkness forever ... this is but the beginning of sorrows!”
“until this moment, I believed that there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and I feel that there are both and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”
“Last night I believe I was in hell and felt the horrors and torments of the damned! But God has brought me back again and given me a little longer respite.”
Sacred Writings
Various ancient texts from Christendom’s sacred book, the Bible, warn of such a place as described by those whose testimony is cited above:
“And as he was tormented in Hades ... he cried out and said ... send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in torment in this flame.” (Luke 16:23-24)
“Their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone.” (Rev. 21:8)
“ ... there no longer remains any other sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fiery indignation...” (Heb. 10:27)
“... but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; there will be the wailing and the gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 8:12)
Deception
Suppose with me for a moment that there really is a satan, that he and an army of fallen angels were thrown out of heaven ages ago. Suppose with me further that he hates God and that this satan knows his destiny is eternal damnation. What would you expect him to do? Would he not try and turn mankind away from God? Would he not try to bring as many people as he could to hell with him?
Assuming this is true, how then would he implement such a master plan? First, would he not contradict what God has said to mankind about a coming judgment? In fact, this is precisely what we find satan doing in the opening pages of the Bible written thousands of years ago. In Genesis the 3rd chapter, we have an account of the woman God made for Adam being lied to by satan. (As a former science teacher, I find this more credible than the myth of amoeba to man.) He tells her that, contrary to what God has said, she will not suffer destruction for disobeying God. Convinced, she disregards what God has said, but to her horror, she suffers the fate God had warned her of. Likewise the masses today, like this first woman, have been deceived too. They no longer believe God will punish sin and disobedience; they no longer believe they themselves will suffer the fate God has warned of: an eternal night in a place called hell.
Satan has a second ploy that’s just as dangerous and effective as the first. This second strategy is simple: change man’s perception of hell. How? Have so-called heroes – rock stars, movie stars and the like, make light of hell, make fun of hell. Make hell the butt of all kinds of jokes, of plays, movies and books. Begin the brain washing at an early age – create cartoon characters of a cute red devil with a pitch-fork in his hand and cause the little ones to laugh and laugh real hard. Continue the process by putting such imagery on products and labels. Let the bigger-than-life tough guy, magnify his machoism by saying, “hell this and hell that” so that hell itself becomes in the public’s mind, no more than a ‘cuss word’ rather than reference to an actual place. The sheep will surely follow.
His plan has worked rather well, don’t you think? The next time you hear a joke about hell or you see an audience mesmerized by some movie star demeaning the reality of hell in word and deed, remember that someday the laughter will stop.
Justice
“I want justice” is a cry from the lips of mankind, regardless of their station in life. Whether it’s the victim of a crime or the perpetrator of that crime mistreated in prison, both want justice.
Some would define justice as the impartial assignment of merited rewards or punishment. The desire to right the wrong is universal. No wonder we have a Justice Department!
From the dawn of history, the world has known injustice on a global scale. This universal desire for justice will be perfectly meted out at the end of time described as the Day of Judgment. Daniel, the Jewish writer, described it as some arising to everlasting life, others to everlasting shame and contempt.
What kind of God would God be if He himself did not right the wrong by doing justice. Is God, Who is called the Righteous Judge, going to allow Adolph Hitler in heaven with the little children he murdered? Not if God is a God of justice – and He is. “For truly God’s justice must render back trouble to those who are troubling you, and give to you, who now are troubled, rest, along with me at the unveiling of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire. Then shall he take vengeance on those who know not God, even on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (II Thes. 1:6-9)
Burn Victims
As part of a Legal Medicine course in law school, I, along with my classmates, watched an autopsy at Ben Taub Hospital in the basement morgue. What was particularly grievous to me was seeing the burned bodies of little children who had died in a fire. Such a tragedy and horrendous end cannot be adequately expressed in mere words. Yet there is something out of this tragedy, and so many others like it, that speaks a clear message to all of mankind.
That message is this: Since the God of heaven allows such a terrible end for the most innocent of victims (though He did not will it or cause it) and these little victims sometimes linger for many days in pain before they die, how can any reasonable person believe that this same God would not punish the unrighteous and disobedient in the day of Judgment? Yet so many people have been deceived (by you know who) into believing God would not permit people to descend into hell.
Conclusion
To the question, whatever happened to hell, the answer is “nothing.” Hell remains. It holds forever within its grip the lost – some of whom, God forbid, you might even know. Though a person may deny hell exists, nevertheless, it awaits ready to receive the wicked and unrighteous who are yet to die. The Apostle Peter wrote, “But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men...” But the good news (gospel) is, “The Lord is ... longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:7-9).
Yes, God is a loving God and has provided a way of escape. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (Jn. 3:16-17).
If you haven’t done so already, I would encourage the reader to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Call upon his name for salvation (Acts 2:21); descend into the waters of baptism (Mk. 16:16, Acts 2:38); receive his Holy Spirit and thereafter live a life worthy of the glorious salvation which was purchased for you with the blood of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ (II Pet. 3:11.14). And remember in your journey thru life, trust in His Grace; not in your works. Lastly, join me in That Great Day when He welcomes His own into that glorious kingdom called heaven while sadly, the masses of humanity who rejected God’s Only Son, go weeping and wailing into that place called hell.
Poem about Hell
Ten thousand demons
from a raging, burning hell,
shrieked and screamed when into the
flames they fell.
Oh, from that place of eternal night,
they beg for water, they beg for light,
But there they are and
there they will ever be,
forever cast into that fiery sea.
About the author:
• Doctorate in Jurisprudence summa cum laude 1983 South Texas College of Law. Practices law in Beaumont, Texas.
• Former science teacher (biology and physical science). Also, a former instructor in law, math and English.
• Author of the books, YOUR CALCULATOR KNOWS And WHEN GOD CAME DOWN (A story of about God miraculously intervening in a child custody case).
If this writing has helped you in anyway, the author welcomes your comments and may be contacted at P.O. Box 7625, Beaumont, Texas 77706 or at e-mail address: Youmaywriteme@aol.com.
In 1978, this rugged cowboy was working in his pasture when suddenly he began to experience chest pains. He rested under an old tree, but was no better. A few hours later he was in the emergency room having suffered a massive heart attack. The emergency staff worked tirelessly to save him. Soon, however, he lost consciousness ... only to awaken to a greater and deeper consciousness.
As his life slipped away, he descended, according to his own testimony, to a place that was unmistakable: into the regions of the damned! This rough, tough icon of masculinity experienced such terror that it melted away the persona of fearlessness. After he descended into this bottomless pit, absolute horror gripped him as the doors to this black hole of hell began to open for him. He knew once he entered, there would be no exiting of this place of eternal night.
The staff was able to save his life before he made an entrance into this hellish abyss. Upon regaining consciousness, he told the story of what happened to him. He asked for a Bible and read it. In it, he found a description of the place he had been to and never wanted to return again - a place called ‘hell.’ So shaken by the experience, he not only became deeply religious, but later became a pastor, warning others of that dreadful place.
After my Uncle’s experience and the life-changing effect it had on him, the question of hell’s existence was settled for him. Many people, however, if not most, while believing in a heaven, doubt that there is such a hell.
Purpose of This Pamphlet
The purpose of this pamphlet is to address such questions as: Is there a rational basis for a belief in hell in this day of enlightenment? Is hell really real?
Nature
Nature has proven to be a wonderful teacher. Take the lowly ants for example. Merely watching them for a while, one learns the value of organization, hard work and cooperative effort for the common good.
Birds too, have not only aided our understanding of the dynamics of flight, but flamed our passion for freedom. Is there anyone who has watched these creatures soar effortlessly thru the sky and not admired the beauty and value of their freedom? As long as birds fly, they will remain a testimony to mankind that freedom is better than bondage, better than tyranny.
Even the changing seasons of the year are nature’s witness and reminder of the transitory nature of our own lives. And speaking of our lives, nature has a clarion message – for those who will listen – about the nature of the afterlife.
Nature, indeed, strongly suggests the nature of reality beyond the grave. Consider the ‘imprint of dualism’ upon our very existence: birth/death, entrance/exit, day/night, good/evil, healthy/sick, odor/odorless, taste/tasteless, balanced/unbalanced, silence/noise, happy/sad, up/down, right/wrong, yes/no, victory/defeat, sight/blindness, straight/crooked, pure/impure, sweet/bitter and positive/negative (electricity) to cite a few examples. Yes, this dualism, this two-ness, this either/or – is plainly the nature of our reality. Amazing isn’t it?
Now think about it; for peace of mind, a person may choose to believe that there is birth, but no death; that there is day, but no night; that there is good, but no evil; that there is sweet, but no bitter; that there is a positive charge, but no negative. Would disbelief in these opposites – that is, in death, night, evil, bitter and a negative charge cause these to not exist? Of course not! The whole world could believe these five realities do not exist, but it would have no effect ... they would just continue to be real. Yet, this seems to be precisely the state of mankind. Let me explain. The majority of people believe in a heaven or some vague notion of a pleasant state in the life to come. They not only believe this, but also believe their loved ones will be there with them. But if you were to ask these same people, “Do you believe there is a place called hell in the life to come and is it possible you or your loved ones could be there for eternity?” many, if not most, would say, “No” to both questions. No offense is intended, but such thinking is irrational. It seems that mankind – to overcome the fear of the unknown – imagines one place, but denies the other. Nature, by way of the ostrich, tells us that sticking-the-head-in-the-sand approach to dangerous or unpleasant realities, doesn’t make the danger disappear. Now I ask the reader to consider this: “In light of the dual nature of our existence, as illustrated in the examples above (birth/death, etc), is it then rational to believe there is no dualism in the life to come, only a heaven but not a hell?
Signs from Above
To many, because they have neither seen nor experienced the reality of hell, they, therefore, do not believe it exists. Unfortunately, such reasoning is flawed.
For example, while reading this pamphlet, you may be sitting perfectly still ... or so it seems. All of your senses, at this precise moment, would suggest to you this calmness, this stillness is in fact your state of reality. The truth is, however, – right now – you, the author and the rest of humanity are spinning thru space on the earth’s axis at a speed of up to 1,000 m.p.h. (depending on your exact location). Buckle your seat belt. You are also traveling even faster – approx. 67,000 m.p.h. in a circular motion around a huge, flaming ball we call our sun. Are you dizzy yet? Hold on to your hat. You are also traveling approx. 490,000 m.p.h. as our solar system travels around our galaxy!
This journey by you thru space doesn’t seem real does it ... but it is ... you space traveler you!
Does the fact it doesn’t seem real negate such reality? No, it doesn’t and the point is, neither would a disbelief in a place called hell negate its reality.
Black Holes
Yes, nature speaks to those who will listen. The sun is wonderful, bathing the earth with light and heat. But there is a dark side to the universe: black holes. The nature of black holes is such that descriptions of them are found – not just in science books – but in horror stories and films as well.
Black holes are invisible holes in space. You can’t see them with human eyes, nevertheless, they’re there. If warning signs could be posted in space before these gigantic suck holes, the words, ‘ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER IN’ would be appropriate. Black hole is an apt name because even light itself cannot escape from the clutches of a black hole! If it be true that the phenomenon of black holes is a sign in the heavens, what warnings do they declare? Are not black holes analogous to that which is described in the afterlife? Strange is it not, that Jesus Christ described hell as an ‘outer darkness’ from which there is no escape – an eternal black hole one might say. (Matt. 8:12, 15:46, 22:13; Luke 16:26)
Fire Beneath Our Feet
Earlier, reference was made to the reader’s perception of sitting still while reading this pamphlet. It was pointed out, however, contrary to such perception, we are all ‘men in motion’ (ladies, pardon the use of masculine gender for both sexes). At times, we rely too much on our five senses to grasp the nature of reality around us. Consider the earth, our temporary abode.
Whenever in flight, the author looks forward to getting his feet planted on the ground again. The ground, envisioned as security, is of course the upper crust of the earth. This crust varies in thickness, but on average, it is only about twenty miles deep. That, my fellow earth dweller, means that this safety net we call the crust, is only an extremely small percentage of the earth’s mass – approximately .0005%. Relatively speaking, this very thin layer is the only thing protecting us from being pulled down by gravity to the next layer, the mantle. The mantle is approximately 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Extremely hot considering water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This mantle is approximately 1800 hundred miles thick. Beneath it is the earth’s core, approximately 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit – hotter than the sun! While not continuously cognizant of this reality, we are reminded of it, nevertheless, when we see on the national news pictures of an explosive volcano. The ascending smoke, the ground shaking force, the spewing of hot, molten fire high into a black sky are the voice of nature speaking once again. Such explosive events in nature sound an alarm. They say in the natural (with overtones of the spiritual) what an ancient prophet, John the Baptist warned. He spoke of fleeing from the ‘wrath to come,’ warning those who don’t, they would suffer destruction by ‘unquenchable fire.’ (Matt. 3:8,12)
So too, volcanoes remind us that we live on a fiery ball, protected only by a few miles of ground. Were this thin layer suddenly removed, our fate would be sealed by fire. Based on an ancient text of Scripture (I Peter 3:20), the ground might properly be analogized to the longsuf-fering and mercy of God, only temporarily protecting us from the wrath to come.
Witness substantiation
This booklet began with my uncle’s testimony of having descending into the regions of the damned. His witness bore great weight with many who knew him because of the immediate, radical change that he made in his life. His witness is not alone, however; there are many others.
My wife’s physician, Dr. Donald R. Whitaker of Jefferson, Texas is an outstanding doctor. In fact, he was honored as Doctor of the Day six years in a row in Oklahoma. Dr. Whitaker was an avowed atheist. Something happened to him that changed all that. In 1975 he was diagnosed with acute hemorrhagic necrotic pancreatitis. After surgery was performed on him, he was expected to live only six hours, no more than seventy-two. While he lay dying, suddenly, according to his own testimony, he slid down into a “black void like you can’t believe, it is so black...” He had a feeling of ‘impending doom.’ He was so frightened, he couldn’t stop shaking. After this terrifying descent, he saw what appeared to be flickering fire. Three times during this, the longest night of his life, he descended into the horrid blackness. According to his own testimony, he was prayed over by a Christian friend for approximately three days after coming off the respirator and laying in a coma. After receiving prayer, he then accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and received a miraculous healing. Since that time (some twenty-five years ago), he has radically changed his life, still proclaiming Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
In 1933, Kenneth Hagin’s heart stopped beating; he had an incurable heart condition. He descended down, down, down into a pit. “Darkness encompassed me ‘round about – darkness that is blacker than any night man has ever seen,” is how he described that awful experience. The farther down he went, the darker and hotter it became. At last as he descended, he could see fingers of light on the darkness wall.
Like Dr. Whitaker, he also traveled downward three times. Likewise, this experience caused him to cry out to God resulting in salvation; later Kenneth Hagin was healed of his heart condition that five doctors said he had to die from.
In the summer of 1849 in New York City, there was a Cholera rage. As a result, Davis W. Clark witnessed many a person’s dying words. He made a compilation of these testimonies in a 569 page book entitled, Death Bed Scenes. Below are just a few examples from his book of the some of the last words of people who were dying:
“I see a sad, horrible night approaching, bringing with it the blackness of darkness forever ... this is but the beginning of sorrows!”
“until this moment, I believed that there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and I feel that there are both and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”
“Last night I believe I was in hell and felt the horrors and torments of the damned! But God has brought me back again and given me a little longer respite.”
Sacred Writings
Various ancient texts from Christendom’s sacred book, the Bible, warn of such a place as described by those whose testimony is cited above:
“And as he was tormented in Hades ... he cried out and said ... send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in torment in this flame.” (Luke 16:23-24)
“Their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone.” (Rev. 21:8)
“ ... there no longer remains any other sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fiery indignation...” (Heb. 10:27)
“... but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; there will be the wailing and the gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 8:12)
Deception
Suppose with me for a moment that there really is a satan, that he and an army of fallen angels were thrown out of heaven ages ago. Suppose with me further that he hates God and that this satan knows his destiny is eternal damnation. What would you expect him to do? Would he not try and turn mankind away from God? Would he not try to bring as many people as he could to hell with him?
Assuming this is true, how then would he implement such a master plan? First, would he not contradict what God has said to mankind about a coming judgment? In fact, this is precisely what we find satan doing in the opening pages of the Bible written thousands of years ago. In Genesis the 3rd chapter, we have an account of the woman God made for Adam being lied to by satan. (As a former science teacher, I find this more credible than the myth of amoeba to man.) He tells her that, contrary to what God has said, she will not suffer destruction for disobeying God. Convinced, she disregards what God has said, but to her horror, she suffers the fate God had warned her of. Likewise the masses today, like this first woman, have been deceived too. They no longer believe God will punish sin and disobedience; they no longer believe they themselves will suffer the fate God has warned of: an eternal night in a place called hell.
Satan has a second ploy that’s just as dangerous and effective as the first. This second strategy is simple: change man’s perception of hell. How? Have so-called heroes – rock stars, movie stars and the like, make light of hell, make fun of hell. Make hell the butt of all kinds of jokes, of plays, movies and books. Begin the brain washing at an early age – create cartoon characters of a cute red devil with a pitch-fork in his hand and cause the little ones to laugh and laugh real hard. Continue the process by putting such imagery on products and labels. Let the bigger-than-life tough guy, magnify his machoism by saying, “hell this and hell that” so that hell itself becomes in the public’s mind, no more than a ‘cuss word’ rather than reference to an actual place. The sheep will surely follow.
His plan has worked rather well, don’t you think? The next time you hear a joke about hell or you see an audience mesmerized by some movie star demeaning the reality of hell in word and deed, remember that someday the laughter will stop.
Justice
“I want justice” is a cry from the lips of mankind, regardless of their station in life. Whether it’s the victim of a crime or the perpetrator of that crime mistreated in prison, both want justice.
Some would define justice as the impartial assignment of merited rewards or punishment. The desire to right the wrong is universal. No wonder we have a Justice Department!
From the dawn of history, the world has known injustice on a global scale. This universal desire for justice will be perfectly meted out at the end of time described as the Day of Judgment. Daniel, the Jewish writer, described it as some arising to everlasting life, others to everlasting shame and contempt.
What kind of God would God be if He himself did not right the wrong by doing justice. Is God, Who is called the Righteous Judge, going to allow Adolph Hitler in heaven with the little children he murdered? Not if God is a God of justice – and He is. “For truly God’s justice must render back trouble to those who are troubling you, and give to you, who now are troubled, rest, along with me at the unveiling of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire. Then shall he take vengeance on those who know not God, even on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (II Thes. 1:6-9)
Burn Victims
As part of a Legal Medicine course in law school, I, along with my classmates, watched an autopsy at Ben Taub Hospital in the basement morgue. What was particularly grievous to me was seeing the burned bodies of little children who had died in a fire. Such a tragedy and horrendous end cannot be adequately expressed in mere words. Yet there is something out of this tragedy, and so many others like it, that speaks a clear message to all of mankind.
That message is this: Since the God of heaven allows such a terrible end for the most innocent of victims (though He did not will it or cause it) and these little victims sometimes linger for many days in pain before they die, how can any reasonable person believe that this same God would not punish the unrighteous and disobedient in the day of Judgment? Yet so many people have been deceived (by you know who) into believing God would not permit people to descend into hell.
Conclusion
To the question, whatever happened to hell, the answer is “nothing.” Hell remains. It holds forever within its grip the lost – some of whom, God forbid, you might even know. Though a person may deny hell exists, nevertheless, it awaits ready to receive the wicked and unrighteous who are yet to die. The Apostle Peter wrote, “But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men...” But the good news (gospel) is, “The Lord is ... longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:7-9).
Yes, God is a loving God and has provided a way of escape. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (Jn. 3:16-17).
If you haven’t done so already, I would encourage the reader to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Call upon his name for salvation (Acts 2:21); descend into the waters of baptism (Mk. 16:16, Acts 2:38); receive his Holy Spirit and thereafter live a life worthy of the glorious salvation which was purchased for you with the blood of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ (II Pet. 3:11.14). And remember in your journey thru life, trust in His Grace; not in your works. Lastly, join me in That Great Day when He welcomes His own into that glorious kingdom called heaven while sadly, the masses of humanity who rejected God’s Only Son, go weeping and wailing into that place called hell.
Poem about Hell
Ten thousand demons
from a raging, burning hell,
shrieked and screamed when into the
flames they fell.
Oh, from that place of eternal night,
they beg for water, they beg for light,
But there they are and
there they will ever be,
forever cast into that fiery sea.
About the author:
• Doctorate in Jurisprudence summa cum laude 1983 South Texas College of Law. Practices law in Beaumont, Texas.
• Former science teacher (biology and physical science). Also, a former instructor in law, math and English.
• Author of the books, YOUR CALCULATOR KNOWS And WHEN GOD CAME DOWN (A story of about God miraculously intervening in a child custody case).
If this writing has helped you in anyway, the author welcomes your comments and may be contacted at P.O. Box 7625, Beaumont, Texas 77706 or at e-mail address: Youmaywriteme@aol.com.
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