Someone could come to the conclusion that my lack of emphasis on hell means that I do not see the evil in our world. A kumbaya view of life, this isn't the case. The Church can choose to live as if God will ultimately have the final say and this is a good thing; this is how I endeavor to view life. Look at our mortality; this is the great equalizer. The rich and poor, haves and have-nots, The benevolent and the truly wicked all of our breath is borrowed. This isn't anything to fear! It will be a beautiful thing for the humble to be judged by love. What will it look like and feel for the love-less or those who make a habit of choosing evil? I do not know but this scripture may give us a window:
1 Cor 3:12-15
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.
All that is false will be burned away. I truly believe this. It will sting and could have a purgatorial feel. To those who strive to live the difficult life with eyes open and ears that hear, take heart evil will not get away with anything. As the statement "there are no atheists in foxholes" may be true, most who know they are facing death seek mercy. I believe we judge ourselves by the standards we judge others in those moments. The evildoers could very well see their pride and arrogance and this will give way to fear because of their misunderstanding of love.
Some face it arrogantly as Timothy McVeigh did with the poem by William Ernest Henley Invictus, to be his final statement.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
This projection of his ego surely gave way to doubts and fears as it should. God is love and will burn away that which is false, there is a necessary fear that resides within the evildoer because they believe God to be a mirror of their judgements.. They sought to impose this fear on others as they believe themselves to be godlike. As they face death, they are surely aware that they are not gods.
Hell is none of my business and my hope is all will have the hardness of their hearts melt away. God remembers the evildoers as babies and children. God knows the pain and anguish they experienced when they became twisted with wickedness and iniquity.
Evil exists and Lord dealt with it with arms nailed down to a cross submitting to its terror. Nevertheless, this was not the final word. Christ was raised from the dead, the Vindicated Victim. In his vindication he calls us to fight evil in a different way. We are not nailed down until we give back our breath. We oppose injustice and lift up the brokenhearted. We see the face of Christ in all we meet so no one is without value or disposable. We do not fight with weapons to exercise ultimate judgement. We oppose the evil with our voices and trust in the conviction of the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the evildoers. There is a healthy shame (not the toxic shame that wars against us all) in loving those who believe themselves to be unlovable that can convict. When we forgive the unforgivable and pray that the perpetrators sin is not held against them, the world can change. It takes work and cooperation with the Spirit to get to that kind of forgiveness. It is supernatural to forgive the unforgivable. It doesn't always happen in a way we can see or measure, yet we believe it is possible.
We do not need to fret or worry when the darkness looms. We trust in the Light of the world.
Psalm 37:1-18
1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; * do not be jealous of those who do wrong. 2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, * and like the green grass fade away. 3 Put your trust in the Lord and do good; * dwell in the land and feed on its riches. 4 Take delight in the Lord, * and he shall give you your heart's desire. 5 Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, * and he will bring it to pass. 6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light * and your just dealing as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord * and wait patiently for him. 8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, * the one who succeeds in evil schemes. 9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; * do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil. 10 For evildoers shall be cut off, * but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land. 11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; * you shall search out their place, but they will not be there. 12 But the lowly shall possess the land; * they will delight in abundance of peace. 13 The wicked plot against the righteous * and gnash at them with their teeth. 14 The Lord laughs at the wicked, * because he sees that their day will come. 15 The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow to strike down the poor and needy, * to slaughter those who are upright in their ways. 16 Their sword shall go through their own heart, * and their bow shall be broken. 17 The little that the righteous has * is better than great riches of the wicked. 18 For the power of the wicked shall be broken, * but the Lord upholds the righteous.