One of the biggest questions of mankind hovers over many people, and yet, some individuals chose to ignore the fact that the question even exists. Whether a person goes to church every Sunday, or doesn’t attend church at all, the person is still responsible for knowing whether or not they will go to heaven or hell. Many misconceptions are flowing around the minds of people across the world about what gets you into heaven. The drama Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames is based on an evangelical interpretation of the Gospel, and presents the message that one must believe in Jesus in order to be saved and go to Heaven, or face eternal punishment in Hell. The production of Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames displays the consequences of our actions, both positive and negative, revealing that one must believe in Jesus Christ to live for eternity in Heaven.
To begin with, Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames took place on Halloween weekend, the night the devil reigns. Halloween is known for a night of evil and horror which made that night very appropriate for the drama to be performed. It was a very successful turn out because of the Halloween weekend, and the fact that many people are losing faith in their lives due to stress, and problems the economic recession is causing them. People are looking for something solid, something or someone that will not desert or disappoint them; they sought the right place. Instead of going out and drinking or watching horror films all night, many Christians and non-Christians alike walked through First Assembly’s doors of Fargo, ND at 7:00 or 10:00 pm to experience a drama like nothing before. Admission was free, and free pizza followed the ten o’clock show. Keeping it a free event helped bring in a larger c...
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... simple task. At the same time, a person usually thinks of what is located behind the gate. This is typically something so pleasant it must be kept guarded and only people worthy enough can enter. Most people would find heavenly gates a much more attractive destination than the thought of flames torturing a person the rest of their eternity in Hell.
To conclude, Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames shows its audience what it takes to get into Heaven and what causes you to be thrown in Hell. I was reminded that a person cannot live on the line between Christianity and what the world has to offer. [Remember that a critical essay requires you to be objective.] Also, someone cannot make excuses just to make themselves feel better about the sins they are committing. A drama like this one opens the eyes of the viewer to what really is needed for an eternal life in Heaven.
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions, therefore by using fear as a rhetorical strategy it makes Edwards’s argument more memorable and more likely to be taken to heart due to the audience’s dreading eternity in a “lake of burning brimstone,” (2) and a “pit of glowing flames of the wrath of god” (2). Fear turns the imagined into something tangible and because the audience has no way of actually discovering heaven or hell until they die, they are more likely to accept his argument and accept god into their lives in order to avoid hell.
When one first comes across the short story Hell-Heaven you automatically believe religion comes into play. A great number of people all over the world were conveyed to believe that God is affiliated with heaven and the Devil is affiliated with hell despite what belief you practice. The author Jhumpa Lahiri is authentically comparing the two cultures, American culture to hell and the Bengali culture to heaven. She also has the reader acknowledge that one’s heritage beliefs and values are not static but are subject to change. When the two cultures are seen side by side, it is made very apparent of their differences. Regardless of their characteristic diversity that is displayed by Lahiri, America is not demonic because, as an America you have the liberation to dress, verbalize whatever language you desire to talk and accept any God you desire to worship.
In Dante’s Inferno, hell is divided into nine “circles” of hell; the higher the number, the more likely the sin and the pain you will endure. However, I do not completely agree with Dante’s version of hell, perhaps due to the difference in time periods. In this essay, I will be pointing out my concerns with Dante’s description of hell and how I would recreate hell if I were Dante. The first level of hell in the Inferno is for those unbaptized yet virtuous. Although some did not have a sinful life, if they did not accept Christ, they were sent to Limbo.
Everyone has a different idea about what Heaven is like, but who knows the true state of Heaven? No one can really know, because no one on earth has ever seen Heaven; though, many scholars have come up with different takes on what the believe Heaven to be. In Dante’s Paradise, he explains his conception of Heaven by explaining the physical appearance of it, the separate levels within Paradise, and the actual souls residing there. However, Dante’s conception of Heaven contradicts what Baptist believes it to be like.
Seated in his fire-filled chair, the devil dominates the bottom-center of the painting. With the very dark lighting the mood towards this half of the painting is dark, gloomy, lonely, and unpleasing. Frankcen illustrates the true biblical message of hell. What is very interesting about this painting is how hell is extremely large, filled with a mass of people, and takes up about half of the painting. However, some of the people are babies. This alludes to the fact that some people are could possibly be born evil and that their fate is inevitable. A majority of the people set in hell are still looking up worshiping heaven while regretting their mistakes. The painter is trying to illustrate how many people do not make the right choices and end up miserable. The way Fans paints hell in this picture is very similar to the way Dante describes hell in this book The Inferno. Even though there are not nine layers of hell in this painting the descriptions are quite similar. The people standing in line waiting for their punishments, the dark gloomy vibe, and a mixture of young and old souls, are represented in the painting and in Dante’s story (1614-1702). Francken’s goal when interpreting hell is to not only make his viewers fear it, but come to the realization that is where a majority of people end
Hell threatens a peaceful life after death, it is abnormal where it is not tangible, and has horrifying views associated when referenced by the grotesque nature of punishment that some believe Hell provides. Naturally, humans fear the unknown; due to the uncertainty of what happens after one dies, the afterlife becomes one of the most pondered human questions. While each version of Hell has a slightly different background, all share common threads throughout. Religion, mythology, and folklore, help to make sense of answers that are not concrete.
The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man. (William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, p. 7)
The "pit of fire" is repeated many times as a source of terror for the audience due to the choice of diction. As human instinct goes, a pit of flames is a horrific image to have in our minds, especially if it envisions ourselves inside of it. Edwards uses this because he understands the emotional effect it will have on the audience and that it will persuade them to become better in order to avoid such a heinous life ending. This imagery doubles as a symbol for hell, which to Puritans is where those who have been punished by the Almighty God are sent. Edwards describes hell as such a horrific, painful, hideous, gory, and gruesome place that his audience is almost forced to pursue the ideas of Edwards due to their desperate attempt to avoid this fate.
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards uses imagery and symbolism to persuade the audience to become more devout Christians by channeling fear and emphasizing religious values. Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan minister who preached during the time of the Great Awakening in America. During this period of religious revival, Edwards wanted people to return to the devout ways of the early Puritans in America. The spirit of the revival led Edwards to believe that sinners would enter hell. Edwards’ sermon was primarily addressed to sinners for the purpose of alerting them about their sins and inspiring them to take action to become more devoted to God. Mentioned throughout
In conclusion, we can see that Dante presents the reader with a potentially life-altering chance to participate in his journey through Hell. Not only are we allowed to follow Dante's own soul-searching journey, we ourselves are pressed to examine the state of our own souls in relation to the souls in Inferno. It is not just a story to entertain us; it is a display of human decision and the perpetual impact of those decisions.
Infernal comedy bestows on its witnesses a particular kind of wisdom; that is, what does a world look like when this kind of grace is refused? Infernal comedy reminds us that hell is not just found in the next life for the one who refuses Christ’s grace; it shows us who we are without a Savior, individually and communally.
The shame which they all feel, comes from the loss of Heaven or more specifically the loss to Heaven, in their rebellious conflict. Another part of the shame may be the result of their loss, which is Hell. They were accustomed to a beautiful Paradise, yet they reside in a Paradise Lost. Their shame of defeat is thus added to be their exile to this dismal, dark, burning place.
The Lake of Fire has been a theological topic of great controversy. Several cults reject the doctrine of eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire, instead they assert that the place is purely symbolic in nature, and are adamant that one should not take this teaching literally. However, any good student of the Bible knows that although there is much figurative language throughout the Scriptures, he should always interpret the Bible in the literal sense. Therefore, the believer of God’s Word should consider the Lake of Fire a literal place of torment. The Bible is clear that a place of torment does exist, and that it is a place where many real people will meet their final fate. Moreover, the Bible is clear on who will go to the Lake of Fire, and why they will go there. This research will show who is destined for such a place and why. This research will also analyze Scripture erroneously taken out of context by those who claim that a believer can lose his salvation and end up in the Lake of Fire. Scripture quotations are taken form the New American Standard Bible, NASB, unless otherwise noted.
Dante’s Inferno presents the reader with many questions and thought provoking dialogue to interpret. These crossroads provide points of contemplation and thought. Dante’s graphic depiction of hell and its eternal punishment is filled with imagery and allegorical meanings. Examining one of these cruxes of why there is a rift in the pits of hell, can lead the reader to interpret why Dante used the language he did to relate the Idea of a Just and perfect punishment by God.
The Bible describes Hell as a place of darkness, a lake of fire and brimstone. Matthew 25:41, describes Hell as a pit of fire that is prepared for Satan the devil, his demonic cohorts, and the other souls that chose to serve him during the trials of life on earth. The citizens of Hell will be populated with the souls of those who died without accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. These souls will experience the nashing of teeth, endless pain from the tortureous fire, and ultimately eternal death. The citizens of Hell will not reunite with God`s presence. The Bible states in Luke 16:19-28, that souls cannot pass from Hell to Heaven or vice versa. Fire is not the only form of eternal punishment. Eternal thirst and great pain are other forms of punishment that will be experienced by the citizens of Hell. Christians believe that the souls in Hell will be able to see the souls that are in Heaven and vice versa. The souls in Hell simply chose a life of sin, non-repentance, and rebellion against God Word. Revelations 20:12-15, states the following: "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for aeons of aeons."