Hell May Not Be Empty Yet, But It Will Be Soon

6/2/2020

Hell is empty, and all the devils are here. Ariel's declaration from The Tempest has become a meme all to itself; I have seen it employed countless times online over the past decade-and-a-half to describe a variety of evil circumstances and events. But in this time and place I can't help but feel that these previous applications of the quote did not do it full justice. Yes, evil circumstances certainly existed in the past ten or twenty years, but were they truly evil enough to empty hell of all its devils?

Ariel's statement is primarily one of recognition - a sudden awareness of the existence of men who are essentially evil - but the language he employs is supernatural in scope. In this respect, it mirrors what some people must be experiencing today - a cold, perhaps even reluctant realization of evil in their midst. Like Ariel, I imagine some would even use demonic imagery to describe this evil, but I suspect such language would remain firmly grounded in the metaphorical in the minds of most. In other words, evil men are merely like devils; hell, the imaginary place from which they spawn.

Though metaphoric comprehension denotes a step in the right direction, it offers only a partial understanding of the reality we are currently experiencing. It is hard to know if all the devils are here in this time and place, but one thing is certain - many are. And their numbers are increasing by the day. The pressure they are building and the chaos they are fomenting is undeniable.

If hell is not empty yet, then we must be getting close - awfully close.

5 Comments

bruce charlton

6/3/2020 11:49:18

This discussion clarifies why it does not make much sense for there to be a place called hell where the damned souls are located. The other idea, closer to the truth I think, is that each of the damned is in a hell of his own choosing and making.

The key thing is that the demons are Not in Heaven, excluded from Heaven.

What I find truly shocking is that the demonically allied far outnumber the good-allied (and any 'don't knows'). Any evil idea that is floated out from the origins of evil is instantly and aggressively embraced by vast numbers of people - who require little or no encouragement.

Much Christian discussion has tended to assume that the damned are a minority in society; or else that they are people who want to go to Heaven but are forbidden, due to 'bad behaviour'.

What there hadn't been much depiction of is the situation we are apparently in now. That a large majority of people do not want Heaven.

Even if they believed God was real, Jesus was real, Heaven is a place they could go - they would mock and hate Heaven, and probably try to get access banned, and God and Jesus tried for hate crimes.

The only question is to what extent the people who believe every evil lie they are told are culpable. Many Christians seem to believe that 'they know not what they do', and are innocent. But at some point that excuse becomes untenable; and we are compelled to recognise that they Do know what they do, and they do it because they Want it. I seem to have crossed that line recently.

Francis Berger

6/3/2020 16:40:35

@Bruce - Thanks for the comment. It connects well with a blog post I have been meaning to write, one inspired by Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor. A few weeks ago I got to wondering how D's tale would be different if it took place in our modern world - that is, if Christ returned now somewhere in the West rather than specifically in medieval Spain.

When Jesus appears in the GI, people recognize him immediately and begin to gather around him in droves, which is eventually what alerts the Grand Inquisitor to His presence. In any case, I get the distinct feeling most people, Christians included, would not be aware of Him if He returned - and if they did become aware that it was Him, they would reject Him outright. In other words, our modern world would require no Grand Inquisitor to eliminate Christ. On the contrary, humanity would take care of that all on their own.

This is terribly dark and unhopeful speculation on my part, but it rings true to me, for the same reasons you express above.

Most Christians have been brainwashed into being non-judgemental about and accepting of everything - that this non-judgement and acceptance somehow equals love - that Christ Himself was essentially just a really nice, loving guy who was essentially lenient and forgiving of everything and everyone and who wanted nothing more than for his followers to adopt the same attitude. It goes without saying that is fundamentally wrong and misguided.

Most Christians embrace making excuses for others and for evil because it allows them the convenience of making excuses for themselves and their own evil. There's more to it than that, but I think that is more or less the core of it.

Jake

6/3/2020 17:28:04

Greetings my friends.
I've had a rather difficult few days, but I'm recovering. Details don't matter, but suffice to say that demons or demonically oppressed family members, and ex-family members, have been on the attack.

Anyway - there is a look in the eyes of some of the people I know that seems to be literally demonic. The eyes have this strange largeness to them, with a glazed, deadened look. It really can creep you out. And their eyes seem to see something in you if you are at least trying to pursue a Christian, spiritual path. They seem to see something that they are drawn to and hate at the same time.
Demons do live among us.
Thank you for your blogs.

6/3/2020 22:24:52

Thanks for the comment, Jake. I'm not one for advice, but the best strategy moving forward might be to remain civil in your dealings, but otherwise disengage (especially emotionally and spiritually).

6/3/2020 22:31:18

Francis:
I appreciate advice from people whom I've learned to trust and respect.
And your advice is very good. I have attempted to put it into effect, but had not gone "all the way" in detaching emotionally. In one case, the being in question refuses that strategy. I am starting to consider actually moving and relocating, to get geographical distance.

But in general, detachment is indeed a very effective strategy. The only consideration in one case is very personal in nature, but I am not able to totally detach due to shared responsibility. But even here, being calm, detached and non-reactive and clear-headed really helps. The strategy often seems to be to keep one off-balance. I'm getting much better at maintaining my balance and calm and sense of well-being in the midst of storms. And I thank you and Bruce and others for some of this. I'll give myself some credit also, of course.

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Hell May Not Be Empty Yet, But It Will Be Soon

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