David Cravatta, Wells Fargo
Associate VP, Investments
“…depart from me, ye cursed, into the everlasting fire…” Matt 25: 41
“…ye will be thrown into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping & gnashing of teeth…” Matt 13: 42
“…God did not spare his revolting angels and sent them to Hell binding them in chains and darkness…” 2 Pet 2:4
When I was a boy, I asked my mother what Hell was. She replied simply “it’s a place where bad people go after they die.” “Am I going there?” “As long as you say your prayers and do the right thing, no.” That was my quick lesson, which I held on to for years. At Sunday school and mass after that, Hell was never mentioned, though I did hear from time to time that it was a very hot place. Some of my friends believed that Hell is a state of mind while others did not think Hell existed at all.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, for you old school folks, Hell is described as the abode of the dead; the underworld; the place for punishment of the wicked and finally a place for the condemned. However, there is another description found that is a bit more telling: a place of evil, torment, misery, and destruction.
I find it interesting in those who believe Hell does not exist based on their statements on geography or cosmology. In other words, since Hell has not been found in space or below the earth, it’s a fallacy. And just recently, the Vatican was sent scrambling to clarify things when Pope Francis appeared to deny Hell’s existence, making Jesus, essentially, a liar.
The fact is, Hell is mentioned at least 54 times in both Old and New Testaments, though they never tell us how or when it was created. It is said on the ninth day of Lucifer’s fall, he hit the ground with so much violence and weight he sank like a stone into Earth’s molten center. His new abode was unfathomable with its stench and its darkness lit only by its molten glow. I can’t imagine, what was once God’s most beautiful creation now dwelling in an endless cesspool of liquid fire and rot. This perverted Seraphim, adorned with six magnificent wings glistening and illuminating of gold and pewter, now distorted into an oily waxen mask frothing at the mouth with rage as he gazed upon his new domain.
I have mentioned before, the Bible often underscores its descriptions and lacks significant emphasis when attempting to paint a picture. As I understand it, Hell is described as a vast and terrifying landscape of suffocating darkness lit only by the glows of its fire. Those who claimed to have visited describe hearing bloodcurdling and agonizing screams of howls and torture. As you press further into Hell, the inferno becomes hotter and the torment becomes more intense with endless catacombs of jailed souls.
Finally at Hell’s center, the Pit of Fire, with chaos and anarchy surrounding its gates guarded by Abbadon, aka the Destroyer. Despite the description of Hell’s endless torture and evil, what scared me the most is its anguish of darkness and being completely separated from God with no hope of ever leaving. I think I’ll take my mother’s advice by saying my prayers and keep the word of the Lord in my heart.
David Cravatta
Associate Vice President – Investments
Wells Fargo Advisors
11300 State Road 54 Trinity, FL 34665
Tel 727-815-3000
Fax 727-372-7964
Toll Free 800-759-3599
David.Cravatta@wfadvisors.com
www.wfadvisors.com/david.cravatta