I remember this incident when I was asking my dear friend and cabmate, a total believer( no questions asked kind of believer) in Christ, about the concept of heaven. She told me that it’s place where you will be very happy and you will be God. So I had two questions for her
- When you are dead, and when your pain receptors along with the central nervous system, simply cease to function, how do you ‘feel’ pain ?
- How can you truly enjoy heaven, knowing that there are millions ( crores) of souls who did not quite make it, are going to suffer for all eternity is the living fires of hell ?When I asked her this question, I also thought in my mind, the screams, the agony and the smell of flesh burning. Moreover the Jesus I knew and the goodness I saw in me, could not make me believe in a God, a merciful, loving heavenly father, who would overlook a person’s good deeds and punishes for not believing in HIM
She did not have answer to both the questions and we ended our conversation. When I reached home, I found that I had lost the key to the main door of my home ! After that incident, I thought I should slow down my spiritual quest, because may be, God does not want me to know the answer. But fortunately, I did not do so and continued to look for answers
A note to the seeker,
If you are addict ( to anything) you will understand this clearly. Imagine you are an addict to alcohol/ drugs/ pornography/ lying. The next time, you have the urge to do that thing, try to stop yourself. The more you resist, the more you feel the kind of burning sensation from within and you want the thing you are resisting more and more. You start to feel out of control, no peace, no happiness, always on the look out for the pleasure that you are seeking. If you succumb to the desire, it will consume you more and more until you are left with nothing ( chronic alcoholics. Also reminds me of the stories I read in recovery groups, esp Alcoholics Anonymous) The best analogy anyone can come up with is, fire. All consuming fire that eats you little by little.
Imagine taking births again and again ( for all eternity ) where your desires eat you up slowly like the fire ? Does it remind you of eternal fire of hell ?
Let me know your thoughts, in the comment section below
