Writer’s block- I‘ve heard of the term but truthfully, I
haven’t experienced it yet. Maybe because I’m not an author or a professional
writer and I don’t have to rely on writing in order to live. See, I’ve always
had a “madaldal” mind. Give me a pen,
a paper and a topic and I’m ready to go. This is one of the reasons why I have
an atrocious penmanship because my hand struggles to keep up with my brain. I
have a comparatively better penmanship if all I have to do is write and not think,
or perhaps just copy a set of words. I also tend to ramble, like what I’m doing
right now, that’s why I normally have a title first before my article. The
title is there to keep me on point. Most writers think of the title last; I
have to have it first or there’ll be no point at all.
That’s why writing about this topic and staring at my yellow
pad, not knowing where to start is a novel experience.
Oh, well!
“Hell is a manifestation of God’s love.” These two concepts-
Hell and God’s love- are not usually found in the same sentence. Being raised
in a nominally Christian country, the idea of the God of love letting people
burn in an eternal lake of fire does not sit well with most of us. But think of
it this way, will you worship a God who does not get angry with pedophiles,
human traffickers, Adolf Hitler (not me!), and satan himself? “Vengeance is
mine, sayeth the Lord.”(Romans 12:19) It is because of God’s love that He reserved
a special place for the devil and everything else evil. This truth should never
be downplayed. Most churches nowadays either do not discuss hell because they
want to present God as a cuddly and fuzzy old man, ready to accept anyone in
His kingdom; while some present God as a meticulous accountant, jotting down
every sin we make and throwing us in a fiery pit if we commit mistakes. These
two extremes tend to polarize us, either into individuals of complacency
thinking that God will always love us so we might as well enjoy everything that
life has to offer or else into pedantic, nitpicking individuals who are afraid of
doing anything lest we sin.
Churches tend to forget that the Lion is also the Lamb.
God’s wrath is as real as God’s love. Jesus, the Lamb, came to save us from
something, God’s wrath. He would not have allowed Himself to be crucified if
that something is not real. Hell is real and he does not want anybody to go
there.
Unfortunately, many people want to.
C.S. Lewis said, “The door of hell is locked from the
inside.” An analytical reading of Luke 16: 19-31 would reveal that the rich man
didn’t want to get out of hell. What did he pray for? He asked that Lazarus,
the protagonist of the story, be sent to help him in hell. Talk about stupidity
man! If he was already talking to the Lord, couldn’t he have asked for
deliverance? I won’t even mention selfishness. “Since I’m in hell, I want
Lazarus here too!” See? Hell is a choice and the choice is now. Anybody can get
out of it, NOW!
Now about heaven. Honestly, what used to be my idea of
heaven was affected by popular culture- angels, harps, white tunics, golden
streets, and the ubiquitous pearly gates. I am first to admit that THAT sounds
boring! None of it gets me excited, at least not in the level of excitement I
got when I first dove underwater. A new world, untouched by human will; where
everything felt peaceful, serene, pristine. Or the first time I reached the
peak of Mt. Apo; the exhilaration, the sense of accomplishment, the feeling of
fulfillment of an otherwise arduous and pointless task.
I have to admit that those “feelings” eventually wore off. I
got bored after 15 minutes of diving and I’m still contemplating if I still
want to climb Mt. Apo yet again now that the novelty is gone. What I thought
was heaven was only for a fleeting moment.
But imagine if those feelings never went away? What if the
novelty of the experience, the excitement, the exhilaration, and the peace went
on forever? Now THAT would be heaven, well, for me at least.
I honestly don’t know what we’ll do in heaven but I also honestly
don’t care. Because if we’re waxing existentialism here, what are we doing in
this world anyways as well? We strive for contentment, for fulfillment, for
satisfaction, for retirement- for short, we strive for heaven.
I don’t think that Adam, not knowing any other option to
existence, got bored in Eden. Remember that he had work there - to subdue all
things. His work was God’s plan, it was His purpose, it was His will all along.
Most people think that Eden is a piece of heaven and I can’t argue with them.
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” With that proposition, heaven
is where God’s will is done. Heaven is an existence where nothing is touched by
the fallen nature of man. Heaven is where the desire to have something is
absent because everything else is present. No need for clothes because there is
no shame; no need for gadgets for communication because you can interface with
anybody anytime; no need for a plane because you can just call an eagle to fly
you anytime, anywhere; no need for scuba gear because there are no seas to
explore; no need for TV because there’s so much more exciting things to do; no
need to strive for fame or posterity because we’re already forever.
In Revelation 21:1, the bible talks about a new heaven and a
new earth. Imagine that! A new everything forever! Nothing gets old because
everything is brand-new, ALWAYS! And everybody else delights that God’s will
goes whatever happens because everybody who wanted to have their own wills
followed are somewhere else.
But while I’m waiting for that new heaven and earth, mag-praktis sa ko diri. If heaven is
where God’s will is done, then I can practice it here, can’t I? I will practice
so that God will know my name on a first name basis. Notice that of all the stories
told by Jesus, the story of Lazarus and the rich man was the only one where
Jesus named a character. It’s no coincidence my brethren. In heaven, Jesus
knows everyone because He has already talked to them on earth and He knows that
they will follow Him tungod kay naka-atend na man gud ug praktis diri pa
lang daan maong kaila ni Lord! For Jesus to know my name- it gives me
shivers just thinking about it.
Nowadays, people don’t seem to be scared enough of hell where
there is gnashing of teeth, eternal power struggles, bitching, complaints,
unquenchable desire for something, and a perpetual search for self-deification-
a bit of reality TV, really. Oh, let’s not forget fire, lots of it. Its either
this apathy or people are just not excited enough for heaven. Why? Because
churches either chose to stay mum about it or tries to scare everybody to love
God under the threat of eternal damnation. How will others know if we won’t
tell them? How will they love God if they’re threatened by Him? Fear the Father
and Love the Son. Only perfect love, Jesus’ love, casts out all fear- the fear
of hell. Heaven can only be presented that way.
Ryan, heaven is where nobody’s will is done except God’s.
It’s His way or the highway…to hell.
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