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Why is Hell Eternal?
Posted By AJ Teaters on/at 9:36 AM
Written by AJ Teaters
I have recently been reflecting on all the accomplishments in my life (just to note, I am only 25) but nevertheless I like to reflect. I came across and interesting fact while thinking about this, I have never been fired from a job. While thinking about this fact I recalled all the previous jobs I have had up to this point in my life (this is chronological): Chirstmas Tree Lot 'Gopher', Papa John's, Bennigan's Host, Hot Topic, Stock Boy, University Copy/Mail Boy, Starbucks, Delivery Boy (not the kind you think), Starbucks (again), Teacher's assistant, Warehouse Distribution, 1st grade teacher and finally 6th grade teacher.
That's more than a job a year from the time I turned 15! I would like to submit that 14 jobs in 10 years is a lot of work. Having worked at so many jobs I have come into contact with a fair amount of people, customers and co-workers alike. I have had every range of emotion known to man, depending on the circumstance I could have been frustrated, happy, depressed or hungry. Most of the jobs I have had have been remedial, and at times (most times) I thought that Hell couldn't be much worse.
Some of the the worst memories from working at these jobs are as follows:
Having customers call in to order a pizza and tell me that they live on Williams Field Rd. Well that's just crazy, no one actually lives on a road. So I went on to ask them which side of the road they live on (North or South). You would have thought this cleared things up... sadly, no. They insisted that they lived on Williams Field Rd. To say the least, the conversation ended with me asking them if they lived on Williams Field Rd did they have cars driving through their living room, and hanging up on them.
Making coffee type beverages for 8 straight hours and the entire time being short-handed and only being able to work as fast as the automatic espresso machine...which wasn't fast enough. Having 20 pairs of eyes watching your every move, making sure that their coffee is made their outrageously specific instructions. "A quad, half-caf, 2 pump vanilla, 3 pump sugar-free hazelnut, non-fat, with whip, 180 degree latte." No joke, I've had someone order that and watch me like over the bar to make sure it was made correctly. I couldn't help but want to scream at these people, "IT'S JUST COFFEE!" After Papa John's I didn't think I could have found anything worse than going home with every imaginable pizza topping crushed under my fingernails, but Starbucks beat them out. Nothing is worse than going home sticky from being covered in every imaginable syrup flavor, and smelling like hot rancid milk.
Nothing beats having a job where all you do is pick up boxes from a conveyor belt, put them on pallets and wrap them in plastic for 10-12 hours. All the while having half your co-workers talk about you behind your back in another language and seeing people who do less than you, on a daily basis, get promoted around you.
In each one of these jobs I felt like Peter Gibbons from Office Space. The only real motivation to do my job was because I didn't want to be hassled or get fired, other than that I just didn't care.
The one thought that got me through each and every one of those hellish jobs was the knowledge that I wasn't going to be stuck in this "place" for very long. I know "very long" is a relative and rather subjective statement, but in comparison to the rest of my life I didn't really spend a lot of time doing meaningless mind-numbing work.
Why did I just go into an in depth record of my work history, outlining specific instances that made it feel like Hell on Earth, because nothing of this world is eternal, nothing here lasts forever.Things may be inevitable (taxes, death, premature ejaculation) but nothing lasts forever.
So if the closest thing in my life to Hell was working at forsaken asinine jobs then that is the closest thing that I have to relate to Hell. The problem with Hell is that no one knows what it is like to be there. You can't just randomly walk up to someone and ask them, "So Jim, you've been to Hell right? What's it like?"
Over my short tenure of being a Christian I have heard a handful of explanations and interpretations of Hell. They range anywhere from lakes of fire, never ending torture and pain, to a black void of nothingness (no feeling, no emotion).
Does it really matter what Hell is like?
Would it make a difference if it were flames and sulfur or nothingness? The one common fact about Hell is that it is eternal; it is forever, and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever times infinity plus one. I think that's what we need to concern ourselves with when thinking about Hell; Hell is never ending. But why? Why is Hell eternal?
What we have to look at is our human nature.
- Ever since Eve brought us down (yeah, I said it! It was Eve's fault) we have been ruled by sin.
- Sin is the only way to separate ourselves from The Big Guy Upstairs.
- Jesus came to take on the sins of the world. He gave His life in place of our sin.
- We need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior to not be damned to Hell.
- We continue to sin but seek repentance from God when we royally screw up.
- Those chose to reject faith/belief in God are not let into Heaven; thus are eternally placed in Hell
The thought process if Hell WASN'T eternal:
1. Should I commit this sin?
2. Is it worth going to Hell for a period of time?
3. Sure... I could spend some time in Hell if I get to commit this sin.
The thought process knowing the Hell IS eternal:
1. Should I commit this sin?
2. Is it worth going to Hell forever?
3. NO!
Hell is eternal for a reason, because if Hell was just a jail sentence (hmmm... say 30-60 years, 20 years with good behavior) then we would be prone to weigh the consequences of being sinful. Sin is separation from God and Hell is the consequence of never repenting for your sinful life. Hell is eternal separation from God.
Do you think Hell won't be eternal? Is God unjust for making Hell eternal?
