|
Dear Akhil,
First of all, it's important not to get hung up on Hell as a location. The Scriptures and Catechism use location as paradigm for us to understand the condition of the soul after death.
The Bible uses the word Hell in few different ways. In the Hebrew or Old Testament the original language is Sheol. In the Greek or in the New Testament the word used is Hades.
Both words mean the underworld or place of dead. In the Old Testament, all souls went there awaiting the Messiah. Note in the Creed, we say Hell. Well, Hell (Hades or Sheol) was divided into:
- a section for the damned and
- a section for those who died in faith . . . called the Bosom of Abraham.
It is really akin to Purgatory.
The Souls of those who died in faith experienced the Love of God but that love, just as is the case of Purgatory today, was both a cause of both joy and pain.
- Joy because the souls knew/know that their ultimate destination is Heaven.
- Pain because the love of God burnt/burns away any imperfections from their souls.
(Revelation 21:27)
The section of the damned was a place where the same love of God is experienced. However, it is only a source of torment, because the soul perpetually is rejecting it. The conscience has been seared, the heart has been hardened, the soul has made it's decision not to accept Mercy and love and thus it is an eternal torment. However, these souls have only undergone their particular judgment. The second judgment is still to come and it will be public.
So now let's move to Revelation where it says that Hell itself will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Well, that happens after the final judgment, at which point the Hades of Damned (which can be compared to the local jail where one is held after the trial but before final sentencing) will be done away with as will the section for those who died in faith (where temporal punishment or healing pain is experienced) aka Purgatory.
But as I said before, don't get hung up on actual physical locations. These aren't meant to be taken literally. John Paul II described Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell as the same place, where the love of God is constantly poured out to everyone. But as I said:
- For the damned, satan, and the fallen angels, the love is nothing but torment.
- For those facing purification, the Love is both joyful and painful, and of course, for those who have been completely purified, the Love is pure joy, with no pain.
When the Church says Hell is eternal, She means that it is an eternal condition of a damned soul.
Again the confusion comes in, because Scripture uses the term differently in different passages.
As for satan, He is in Hell because his condition is eternally damned but he is allowed to roam the Earth as are some of his demons. They are often time the source of temptation, oppression, and even possession. We really don't fully understand the Mysteries of the spiritual realm. We talk of Heaven as being up there and Hell being down there but really it's all around us. We can't see behind the veil. We use location and time frames to explain Mysteries in terms that we can understand. We are every bit as much in the Presence of God, as the Saints in Heaven. We just can't perceive with our limited human, mortal senses yet by the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit, we can catch glimpses.
Of course we are sacramentally present to Heaven in the Great Liturgy at the Mass. Likewise, we a present at Calvary and the Resurrection. You see, in the spiritual realm, there is no time as we understand it. To God everything is in the Eternal now! At the Mass, He makes it present to us in special way.
I hope this helps,
Warmly,
John DiMascio
|
