Oh H*ll!

I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to Hell in his own way. –Robert Frost


How often do you allow your mind to wander to the afterlife? Have you spent any serious time dwelling on the possibilities of Heaven and Hell—in an eternal sense? Or, for that matter, have you wondered if we are living out Heaven or Hell, here and now, without even realizing or understanding? This week, for something different, I invite you to ponder others’ thoughts on Hell, and during the week, to lift your eyes and heart to ponder a wee bit of what the Bible says about Heaven.

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. –Martin Luther King, Jr.

The safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. –C. S. Lewis

The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. –John Milton

Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care; but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair. –William Blake

Hell is an outrage on humanity. When you tell me that your deity made you in his image, I reply that he must have been very ugly. –Victor Hugo

(Special thank you to my friend Rowland Croucher for these and many more quotes to guide us as we reflect upon our faith and our culture. All Scripture from the ESV Translation.)

Monday But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)

Tuesday He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

Wednesday For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

Thursday Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:33-34)

Friday As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17)

Saturday Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1)

Sunday I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28)

Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company. –Mark Twain


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