Which “Hell” is Worse?

When you follow ancient teachings – like those of the Judaic lineage, or like the teachings of Jesus – you find out just how much discussion has gone on…  and for just how long.  You find out your questions are never anything unique from those that your forefathers have already asked.  It’s an honor, really.  It also sets a much safer stage for deep study and…  well, questioning.

The question that’s been on my mind most lately is about Hell.

I have some legitimate questions about its nature, and about what kind of “hell” the bible is talking about in the scriptures.  Interestingly enough, the first time any other word than “Sheol” is used to describe hell (Sheol being an actual geographic location – a cave with an evil reputation, to be exact) is in the New Testament.

So until the gospels, hell – or what we currently think of when we hear the word – was something people could point out.  They could walk to it.  You didn’t want to go there, because pagan rituals were performed on the cave’s surface in honor of gods other than the one True God, Yahweh…  and those rituals were disgusting.  Evil.  Folks even believed that evil spirits came in and out of the cave.

So we have Old Testament authors talking about being delivered from Sheol and its “power”.

What does that mean?  Are the authors legitimizing the cave as a “Netherworld” of sorts, or are they speaking more of – brace yourselves – human evils?

There’s a reason I ask that question.  I think it’s safe to say there is a hell across the pond called “Darfur”.  There’s another called “The Redlight District”, and another called “Uganda”.  Another in the ganglands of the cities surrounding us.

Another here.

And another there.

Could it be that the church has focused so much on the eternal destiny of mankind that it has overlooked humanity’s earthly plight?

But here’s the good part…  Heaven is also here.  And there.  This little blog could have easily been called “Which Heaven is Better?”, but it just didn’t quite have the same jarring ring to it that probably grabbed your attention, and brought you here to share your thoughts.  Headlines are everything, right?

Heaven.  Is.  Here.  Under the lordship of Christ, we are seated in the heavenlies.  Right now.  The kingdom of God is at hand.

So now we have a legitimate reason for our emphatic activism:  to give ‘em heaven.  Go to the hells of the world, and take them by storm with all of heaven’s glory and mercy behind you.  We can’t be overwhelmed by the present suffering of the world.  We need to be overwhelmed by Christ’s love, which drives us to bring others into it.  This story ends in victory.  God will see to it.  So what are you afraid of?

Give ‘em heaven.    -jc