In our recent daily meditations, we've examined the idea of eternity and what happens after death. Today, we discuss a subject often avoided by pastors and teachers—Hell—which many of us would prefer to avoid if given the choice. There's a story about C. S. Lewis listening to a young preacher's sermon on God's judgment of sin. At the end, the young preacher said, "If you do not receive Christ as Savior, you will suffer grave eschatological ramifications!" After the service, Lewis asked him, "Do you mean that a person who doesn't believe in Christ will go to Hell?" "Precisely," was his reply. "Then say so," Lewis responded. Although this topic may make us uncomfortable, it’s essential that we think about it carefully.
Some would say, "Can't we just bypass the topic of Hell?" Charles Spurgeon, the great English preacher, once said, "Think lightly of Hell, and you will think lightly of the cross of Christ. Think little of the sufferings of lost souls, and you will soon think little of the Savior who delivers you from them." Some individuals may shun the concept of Hell because they prefer to see death as an ending, when it is only the beginning. Once we genuinely grasp what is at stake—our fate without Christ—we will appreciate much more what Christ accomplished for us on the cross.
Interest in life after death and near-death experiences is high today, making books on the subject widely available. Dr. Maurice S. Rawlings, in his book To Hell and Back, studied near-death experiences and found that some individuals reported experiencing Hell, but those memories were often repressed after a few days. He observed that people tend to remember positive experiences better and forget negative ones. As a result, if interviews are conducted after a delay of days, weeks, or months, only the positive experiences are likely to be remembered.
Dr. Rawlings shares the story of a young man who described his experience after having a pacemaker implanted. He said he entered a state he perceived as Hell, passing through a tunnel towards a light that suddenly ignited like fire. He felt himself rapidly approaching a fiery lake, like an oil spill aflame. He saw elongated shadows of people walking back and forth, akin to animals in a zoo. Overcome with distress, he shouted, "Jesus is Lord," and suddenly found himself back in his body.
Dr. Rawlings recounts performing CPR on a patient who had just received a pacemaker and was on the brink of death. The patient repeatedly regained consciousness, pleading with Dr. Rawlings to pray for him while crying out that he was in Hell. Initially reluctant to pray for the man, since he wasn't a believer at the time, Dr. Rawlings ultimately offered a prayer in response to his distress, asking Jesus Christ to keep him out of Hell. The man immediately calmed, no longer screaming in panic. Dr. Rawlings notes that this incident profoundly affected him, leading him to give his life to Christ. While Dr. Rawlings is not a theologian or minister, he is an impartial doctor who has documented the experiences of the patients he has resuscitated.
Many people claim to have had near-death experiences, but there's no way to know which are valid. It's reasonable to assume that if God allowed Paul to be caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2) and Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father before he died (Acts 7:55), then there may be individuals today who are granted a glimpse of what lies beyond this life. Our faith, however, must depend on God's Word rather than personal experiences. Some claim that all people, regardless of their beliefs or actions, will be embraced by a radiant light and granted eternal peace. However, this idea contradicts Scripture. Jesus represented both love and truth, and He didn't hide anything from His disciples. It's important for us to explore this topic carefully because none of us wants to end up there. Over the coming days, we will look at what the Holy Scriptures teach about Hell. Keith Thomas
Taken from the series Insights into Eternity. Click on study 4 or this link: Is Hell a Real Place?
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