Advent.....potential for individual victory over Hell

As I think about people I know who are good, and the people who have committed unrepentant evil, it is important to talk about hell during this Sunday before Christmas. This is not an incongruous topic. The joyous occasion of the birth of Jesus was needed in order to save people who heard and believed from hell. The reason people are so joyous about the birth of Jesus was not just because he was lovable and a perfect role model, but because he came so that millions of people would not march themselves right into hell, due to the festering brokenness and flaws of humankind. So the reason that Christmas is a joyous occasion is exactly because of the reality of hell, and it would serve a lot of people good to remember that.

I often point out to people that immediately upon hearing rumor of the birth of the Messiah, Herod had all the infant boys aged two years old and under put to death in Bethlehem and its vicinity. So the slaughter of babies (one of the greatest evils imaginable) occurred immediately due to the coming of the Savior who would teach the Kingdom of God and provide the antidote to hell. Obviously Herod would not be the only person to go to hell as the result of the slaughter of the Innocents (commemorated on December 28). The mouths who gave the orders down the chain of command for the slaughter of BABIES would face the judgement of hell. Those whose hands wielded the swords to slay babies, or the hands to throttle the throats of babies or dash their brains out on the stones, of course, they would face the judgement of hell. And were there people who pointed out the homes of joyous parents of newborns? Did helpful neighbors and citizens point out to armed soldiers homes where a baby lay sleeping? Where do you think they are now, those who could have at least feigned dim wittedness to evade enabling the slaughter. So it is useful to ponder that at the time when the Messiah came to bring the New Covenant, convert the pagan gentiles, and save humanity from hell there was an egregious example of a chain of evil leading to hell that can be studied since it is pertinent to people today, regretfully.

One question many people have is that how, regardless of how evil a person is, could God place a person in hell for eternal torment. We hear the smart mouths say, "How does sending a person to hell indicate a so called 'merciful and loving' God?" I mean, people of course rush to agree about Hitler and the worst of the child molesters and killers in the newspaper, but suddenly when the bulk of the facilitators of evil and sin are examined, suddenly the "how can God be merciful" argument comes up. That is one reason I helped Bible readers to think about all the people who would have had to point fingers and stand by in order for the slaughter of the Innocents to be totally successful. It's not just the people holding the swords or doing the choking who face the judgement of hell. That is when suddenly people get all high and mighty, questioning God's mercy for sending sinners into the pool of eternal fire of hell, which is by definition, unbearable forever.

What they forget is that it is not like God created a compost heap in the backyard of heaven and that is where hell is located. Hell exists because it is the place where God is not present. It springs into being by the fundamental fact of it being a place where God is not present. Think of it as spontaneous combustion that breaks out in the only location where God has withdrawn his presence. Another example is to think of God as rain. You have a swamp or a lake with many islands, but he withdraws himself as rain from one island. That island becomes tinder dry and bursts into flame because it no longer has access to water.

So God is not thrusting someone into a place called hell that he then watches over and observes the torment. Hell springs into existence because those who sin and who are evil are banished from God's presence when they die. Hell is a pool of black burning fire because God literally has a vacuum of his presence in that place. So God is not sending someone to be burned and tortured. He is exiling from his presence those who rejected him and those who did not have charity that is rooted in love of God toward others. Sinners and evil doers who have not had their repentance and moment of clarity and penance cannot abide the presence of God upon death so they are sucked into the one place in the heavenly universe where God has withdrawn himself, and that is hell.

On earth when one is banished by one's family, community or country, one can conceivably flip the finger to those who are banishing one and go to another town or country. There is still oxygen, sunlight, food, jobs, friends, and relationships to be formed. But when one is banished from God's presence when one has died, the only "place" that one can be "away" from God is hell, and this is how hell springs into being. God is the source of all grace, life and joy, both in the material world and in the ethereal world after death. Passages in the Bible explain that nothing would exist without being in the constant presence of God. So when one says "who is the God? who needs him? I am a smart physician with a lot of money and I do the occasional good deeds, so why do I need God" one can still wander around earth doing quite good for oneself. But when you've stated that you are your own God, deciding what is right to do and what is not, and that you do not need God or serve him, those words and that stance follows you into the afterlife. The words of bravado on earth now become your own magic formula (super Harry Potter!) when you die. You who have stated you do not believe, you will not serve, or you decide what is "good enough" bring that stance with you when you die and then God obliges you. You are banished from him in a universe where only God's presence preserves light, eternal life, bliss and entry into the Kingdom to come. That corner of the universe where God has withdrawn his presence at the express behest of mouthy sinners and evil doers as they lived springs into being as the lake of black fire, which is hell.