Preacher Gary yells, "You're all going to hell!" in an oh-so-unforgiving way. Most students scoff and make jokes about it. A student came into the computer lab one day joking to his friend about what Bowman was saying that day.
"Yep, I'm going to hell," he said with a laugh. As soon as I heard that, I couldn't help but imagine what could possibly be so funny about going to hell.
I realize that while Bowman means well in his sermons, he often comes across in a very harsh, unforgiving manner.
This manner is often subject to scorn, possibly because people don't like to be told that they're on their way to a place of eternal damnation. However, the tone which he uses still doesn't negate the fact that hell is real.
Recent surveys have shown that while 90 percent of Americans believe in heaven, only 25 percent believe in hell. Why is that?
My best guess can only be because hell is such a terrible place to be. The Bible describes hell as a place of unending torment where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Needless to say, it is easy for us to believe in a place of bliss such as heaven, but it is difficult for us to swallow the idea that a place of indescribable suffering exists.
Unfortunately, nothing I can say or write will convince anyone that hell exists, since it lies beyond the gate of death. And that is a one-way gate.
Who has returned from the dead to tell us what lies beyond? Believe it or not, a few people have returned from the dead. As sure as I am sitting here, the story I am about to tell is true.
A man was rushed to the hospital several years ago. Despite their best efforts, the doctors could not save him, and he was pronounced clinically dead.
Fifteen minutes later, he returned to life in utter fear.
He told the doctors that he had been to hell. He described it as a dark room where there were all kinds of hideous, smelly creatures tormenting and laughing at him.
Then, he told of a huge door that opened up and beyond that door was an ocean of fire. He was all but doomed. Yet, God in his mercy allowed this man a second chance. I daresay that we will not get a second chance.
Another lady wrote an entire book about a vision which God gave her about hell. The book is called "A Divine Revelation of Hell." In it, she describes hell as a large cavern in the shape of a human body. The souls of men are tormented there in such a ghastly fashion.
Many of the spirits of men take the form of worm-ridden skeletons whose flesh are forever regenerating only to be repeatedly burned off.
I do not have the space to describe it all, but I can tell you that after reading through the book, I did not want to go to hell.
Even though the book paints a pretty clear picture, no one can really know what hell is really like until they get there. I can say, however, that hell is a place of suffering beyond all human imagination.
Just as heaven is far better than my feeble human mind can comprehend, so is hell far worse than my mind can imagine. We can imagine the worst possible idea of hell, and hell is still worse than that.
There is absolutely no joking about it. The only one who is mildly laughing is Satan because he is leading millions astray and into hell with him.
This column is not meant to scare or condemn. It is merely meant to make us aware of the reality of hell.
Preacher Gary may shout, "You are going to hell," but it's more than just a statement.
The absolute truth is that unless we've accepted Jesus Christ as our personal lord and savior, we are on a road to hell. The good news is that hell wasn't made for us.
Hell was created as a place of punishment for Satan and his angels. However, despite popular belief, there are not multiple roads to heaven. Jesus said that he was the only way to the father.
Faith in Mohammed won't get you into heaven.
Faith in Buddha won't get you into heaven.
Faith in Mother Earth and the "spirits of nature" won't save your soul. Only Jesus can.
As we approach another Halloween season, we look at spirits of evil in jest. We like to have fun, go trick-or-treating and do our little thing.
But, there's more to it than meets the eye. Likewise, there's more to hell than meets the eye. Hell is as real as this paper that you are reading.
The only thing certain in life is death. Are you making preparations? We aren't guaranteed tomorrow.
Maybe we think that because we are young we have a long time to make that decision.
Tell that to a high school friend of mine who was shot point blank in the head because he happened to be wearing the wrong color of pants in the wrong neighborhood.
You think he saw that coming? What may befall you tomorrow? Only God knows. The wise reader will make preparations starting today. It only makes sense.