Apologetic Tract Hell
Have you ever heard someone say "I can't
believe in a God who would send people to Hell"? This person may believe
in God who is all-merciful but does not accept God who is all-just. Strange! We
try to make God in our own image rather than accept Him as He is!
First of all, Hell exists just as much as the
sun exists! It is not a figment of one’s imagination. It is not a bogyman created to scare little
children.
This is what the Catechism of the Catholic
Church says.
"To die in mortal sin without repenting
and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from Him forever by
our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion
with God and the blessed is called "hell." ( #1033)
"Jesus often speaks of 'Gehenna,' of 'the
unquenchable fire' reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to
believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. (Mt 5:22) Jesus
solemnly proclaims that He 'will send His angels, and they will gather all evil
doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,' (Mt 13:4142) and that He will
pronounce the condemnation: 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal
fire!' (Mt 25:41)" (#1034)
"The teaching of the Church affirms the
existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately
after death, the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into
hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire.' The chief
punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can
possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he
longs." (#1035)
Second, God does not send anyone to hell as
much as confirms the decision of the person to be alienated from Him. Being in
Hell is the clear, deliberate choice of the person.
God chose to create the person in His own
image and likeness. God chose to die on the cross to forgive his sins and give
him the grace of salvation. God chose to extend this forgiveness no matter the
sin. But at the same time God chose to give each of us the freedom of choice:
To choose Him or not to choose Him. To make the latter the final and eternal
choice of one's life is to embrace the reality of Hell, which is eternal
separation from God.
Third, during life the mercy of God extends to
those who freely cry out to Him as well as to those who do not. At the same
time, at the moment of death, the justice of God extends to those who choose to
respond to His grace-eternal
salvation-and to those who deliberately reject His grace-eternal separation.
Fourth, Hell is eternal. Just as Heaven is
eternal, so is Hell. It is hard for us to imagine something eternal. Yet, that
is how God in His revealed word consistently described both Heaven and Hell.
One among many examples is the Last Judgment parable in the 25th chapter of St.
Matthew’s Gospel. In verse 46, Jesus says: “And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to
eternal life."
Fifth, the greatest pain of hell, I believe,
is the eternal hatred of God and self. The fires of hell are not the worse
reality experienced by those who are self-damned. Rather, the greatest pain is
the realization that God had called them to eternal life with Him, gave them
the graces necessary to respond, but they freely chose to act contrary to God’s
gift of divine life. In Hell they
clearly know that what was missing in their lives — that good they were
desiring, which would totally fulfill them — was God. But foolishly they made
choices to grab what appeared to be good, yet in reality was more fleeting
wind.
But foolishly they made choices to grab what
appeared to be good, yet in reality was more fleeting wind. They hate God for creating them and they hate
themselves for being so foolish as to gain temporary satisfaction over lasting
fulfillment.
Someone has described hell as a place where
there is an exquisite banquet but all are starving. They have six foot spoons
but they can’t get the food from the table to their mouths. They are
frustrated. Heaven, on the other hand, was a place where there is also an
exquisite banquet and all are satisfied beyond measure. They too have six foot
spoons but they feed each other in love. Hell is self-focused; heaven is
other-focused.
Sixth, hell begins after death and the
particular judgment which seals the final state of a person separated from God.
After the second coming of Jesus in glory there will be a resurrection of
bodies to be united with their spirits that will face the final judgment. Then
God will make public the final state of each person either in heaven or in
hell. Those alienated from God by choice
will continue to experience the reality of that separation with their restored
body. Those united with God by choice will continue to experience the reality
of that union with their glorified body.
In conclusion, the words of the Fathers of the
Church are very clear. Let me share with you the teaching of Cyrian of
Carthage: "An ever-burning Gehenna and the punishment of being devoured by
living flames will consume the condemned; nor will there be any way in which
the tormented can ever have respite or be at an end.
Let me also share with you the teaching of
Cyrian of Carthage: “An ever-burning Gehenna and the punishment of being
devoured by living flames will consume the condemned; nor will there be any way
in which the tormented can ever have respite or be at an end. Souls along with their bodies will be preserved
for suffering in unlimited agonies… The grief at punishment will then be
without the fruit of repentance; weeping will be useless, and prayer
ineffectual. Too late will they believe
in eternal punishment, who would not believe in eternal life” (To Demetrian 24
[A.D. 252]).
Heaven and hell exist by God’s divine
plan. The inhabitants are there because
they accepted and cooperated with the grace of salvation, or they rejected.
Make your choice before it is too late!
Have you ever heard someone say "I can't
believe in a God who would send people to Hell"? This person may believe
in God who is all-merciful but does not accept God who is all-just. Strange! We
try to make God in our own image rather than accept Him as He is!
First of all, Hell exists just as much as the
sun exists! It is not a figment of one’s imagination. It is not a bogyman created to scare little
children.
This is what the Catechism of the Catholic
Church says.
"To die in mortal sin without repenting
and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from Him forever by
our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion
with God and the blessed is called "hell." ( #1033)
"Jesus often speaks of 'Gehenna,' of 'the
unquenchable fire' reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to
believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. (Mt 5:22) Jesus
solemnly proclaims that He 'will send His angels, and they will gather all evil
doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,' (Mt 13:4142) and that He will
pronounce the condemnation: 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal
fire!' (Mt 25:41)" (#1034)
"The teaching of the Church affirms the
existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately
after death, the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into
hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire.' The chief
punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can
possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he
longs." (#1035)
Second, God does not send anyone to hell as
much as confirms the decision of the person to be alienated from Him. Being in
Hell is the clear, deliberate choice of the person.
God chose to create the person in His own
image and likeness. God chose to die on the cross to forgive his sins and give
him the grace of salvation. God chose to extend this forgiveness no matter the
sin. But at the same time God chose to give each of us the freedom of choice:
To choose Him or not to choose Him. To make the latter the final and eternal
choice of one's life is to embrace the reality of Hell, which is eternal
separation from God.
Third, during life the mercy of God extends to
those who freely cry out to Him as well as to those who do not. At the same
time, at the moment of death, the justice of God extends to those who choose to
respond to His grace-eternal
salvation-and to those who deliberately reject His grace-eternal separation.
Fourth, Hell is eternal. Just as Heaven is
eternal, so is Hell. It is hard for us to imagine something eternal. Yet, that
is how God in His revealed word consistently described both Heaven and Hell.
One among many examples is the Last Judgment parable in the 25th chapter of St.
Matthew’s Gospel. In verse 46, Jesus says: “And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to
eternal life."
Fifth, the greatest pain of hell, I believe,
is the eternal hatred of God and self. The fires of hell are not the worse
reality experienced by those who are self-damned. Rather, the greatest pain is
the realization that God had called them to eternal life with Him, gave them
the graces necessary to respond, but they freely chose to act contrary to God’s
gift of divine life. In Hell they
clearly know that what was missing in their lives — that good they were
desiring, which would totally fulfill them — was God. But foolishly they made
choices to grab what appeared to be good, yet in reality was more fleeting
wind.
But foolishly they made choices to grab what
appeared to be good, yet in reality was more fleeting wind. They hate God for creating them and they hate
themselves for being so foolish as to gain temporary satisfaction over lasting
fulfillment.
Someone has described hell as a place where
there is an exquisite banquet but all are starving. They have six foot spoons
but they can’t get the food from the table to their mouths. They are
frustrated. Heaven, on the other hand, was a place where there is also an
exquisite banquet and all are satisfied beyond measure. They too have six foot
spoons but they feed each other in love. Hell is self-focused; heaven is
other-focused.
Sixth, hell begins after death and the
particular judgment which seals the final state of a person separated from God.
After the second coming of Jesus in glory there will be a resurrection of
bodies to be united with their spirits that will face the final judgment. Then
God will make public the final state of each person either in heaven or in
hell. Those alienated from God by choice
will continue to experience the reality of that separation with their restored
body. Those united with God by choice will continue to experience the reality
of that union with their glorified body.
In conclusion, the words of the Fathers of the
Church are very clear. Let me share with you the teaching of Cyrian of
Carthage: "An ever-burning Gehenna and the punishment of being devoured by
living flames will consume the condemned; nor will there be any way in which
the tormented can ever have respite or be at an end.
Let me also share with you the teaching of
Cyrian of Carthage: “An ever-burning Gehenna and the punishment of being
devoured by living flames will consume the condemned; nor will there be any way
in which the tormented can ever have respite or be at an end. Souls along with their bodies will be preserved
for suffering in unlimited agonies… The grief at punishment will then be
without the fruit of repentance; weeping will be useless, and prayer
ineffectual. Too late will they believe
in eternal punishment, who would not believe in eternal life” (To Demetrian 24
[A.D. 252]).
Heaven and hell exist by God’s divine
plan. The inhabitants are there because
they accepted and cooperated with the grace of salvation, or they rejected.
Make your choice before it is too late!
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