Can you think of anyone whose soul is in hell?

I have spoken with people who are absolutely certain that they can name more than one who is in the depth of hell, burning for their atrocious manner towards other people. My response, of course, is counter to that type of absolute determination that God would not allow that person an opportunity to repent. “What about Hitler, Assad of Syria, and multitudes of past and present dictators who are totally against God and the rights of vulnerable citizens?” “Do you mean they all have a chance of avoiding hell and eternal punishment?”

We need to understand what God had in mind regarding his creation of man. Begin with the first announcement of the Holy Trinity when the three persons of the Trinity agreed; “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. (Gn 1: 26 a, 27). Even after this creation man was tempted by sin from an evil entity and caused a rampart that would make it impossible for man to climb towards God’s kingdom without a severe struggle, if ever.

When the Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved. So the Lord said, “I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created, and not only the men, but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them.” (Gn 6: 5 - 7). For many reading this proclamation from God their reaction might cheer God’s response and parallel the modern situation of the 20th and 21st centuries with all of the evil intentions of recent men of evil. “What about the rest of us who are innocent? Will the ultimate result in our demise as well?”

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he offered holocausts on the altar. When the Lord smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start, nor will I ever strike down all living beings, as I have done.” (Gn 8: 20 - 21).

There is a very prominent realization here that the sacrifice of Noah is a precursor to the Church of our day reliving the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, sending incense to heaven for the forgiveness of sin through his Sacrifice on the Cross. For those who believe and offer praise and supplication to Christ for his Father’s Mercy, God will not condemn us.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.” (Jn 15: 5 - 6). The one requirement to stay out of hell can be found through these words. A warning that God has handed to all of us so we can remove the scourge against our rejection of Christ.

Why then, does God not condemn those who are the scourge of humanity for their insolence against him? He gives each one the opportunity to repent and turn back to him. We cannot say we know those who did not repent and found the attraction to eternal punishment is purchased by their own desire to turn away from God, forgiveness, and an ultimate personal choice to accept eternal death which has no end. These are the ones who are in hell. Not for sins, but for rejecting the eternal mercy of forgiveness, regardless of their sins. Turn from God and the choice to not find the Risen Christ will become your one-way ticket on a train with no brakes into the fires of hell. We are not blessed with an infinite mind to know who has or has not made that choice!

Ralph B. Hathaway