Hell, in Theory.

Revelation 12:9

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

It's the greatest tragedy ever told. A story of war, of blazing ambition, of anguish. As dreamers, we can try to imagine a tale more powerful, but nothing will ever compare. Lucifer, Satan, the Devil. Think of him how you will; there's no denying that the most infamous villain of all time, the true epitome of evil, was once a beloved angel. It has been said that before he was branded with such sinistral marks, he was called Samael, which is Sumerian in origin and translates to “The Venom of God.” His grace and beauty surpassed the angelic mass, subordinate to only the Father. Samael held his rank among the archangels with profound glory and diligence.

Sadly, just like many of the worldly greats that succeeded him, his unquenchable ambition became his reckoning. Always seeking more. Forever needing more.

Isaiah 14:12-15

How are thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

Yet though shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

The irony of ambition, I believe, is a lesson mankind may never truly grasp. If we are like Christ in our acts of kindness and generosity, then it is suitable to say that we take after the Devil himself in our ever constant pursuit for more. More money, more purpose, more knowledge, more happiness. When I survey the world around me or I catch a line on the news in passing, I think that perhaps the entirety of mankind resembles Lucifer more than we are willing to acknowledge. In a world so disastrous, surrounded by such wicked souls, it's hard to imagine how Hell could be much different. It would be comforting to say that we weren't always like this, that things are getting worse each day. We can believe that being so far from our home in heaven has had a toxic effect, poisoning us and causing us to forget who we really are. I think back on all of the wars and tragedies in history and I ask myself, has it really gotten worse? What if this is who we have always been from the very, very beginning?

One third of the hosts of heaven pledged their allegiance to Lucifer over their own God. One third of heaven was cast into the lake of fire with the Devil. If you're like me, you think of those angels often. Why did they do it? Where are they now? What are they doing? Can you possibly imagine the shame, the guilt, and the regret that those angels must have felt when they were banished from their home and their loved ones, into fire and brimstone? I cannot. I believe that sorrow would be too much to bare. The magnitude of that disparity would haunt their spirits for eternity and they may even resent their once mighty leader. Knowing the love and mercy that God is capable of, I believe they might even fight for a second chance by doing anything within their limited power to prove that they can be forgiven and they can live righteously enough to return home.

Does that sort of thinking sound familiar? Is it not possible that the weight of the sorrow was so horrific that the angels repressed the decision and over time, the memory was intentionally and entirely forgotten? Could it be that a third of the hosts of heaven tried to make a heaven out of hell, finding comfort in religion and repentance, hoping with their homesick hearts that they will be forgiven?

Religion teaches us that we were sent to earth with the veil, that our heavenly memories were locked away so that we may live by faith and humility. What if we're wrong? What if this veil is actually our own guilt? What if this veil protects us from the devastating memory of the day we followed the Great Morning Star into Hell, where we will live and die for eternity?

The end of the prehistoric world was essentially the beginning of ours. A massive comet collided with the earth just off the coast of Mexico. This comet is infamously known as the Chicxulub Asteroid or the Chicxulub Crater. The asteroid fell from the heavens and obliterated our planet, exploding into thousands of flaming entities, reaping destruction and lighting the earth like a match. Coincidentally enough, the name Chicxulub translates to “The Devil's Tail.”

 

 

Revelation 20:10

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 12:9

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

In theory, we are already in Hell. We live in a world tarnished with war, murder, torture, molestation, abortion, envy, and greed. We will spend eternity cursed with blind ambition, forever wanting more than this life that we willingly chose.

I know enough of religion to understand that this idea is easily debunked with scriptures alone, if not by the history of Christ and his time on earth, but what if we already had our chance? If we are truly doomed to spend eternity in Hell, living and dying with no memory of the lives we've lived before, it's possible that the teachings of the scriptures have already come to pass.

And we blew it.

D&C 76:35,36

Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.

These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels -

Reincarnation is an interesting belief, one that many religions do not agree with. Among the hundreds of theories, such as a big explosion out of nothing that formed everything, or an all powerful being in the sky, is it so hard to believe that we will live and die and live again for eternity? Over and over in a never ending cycle. Condemned to relive our mistakes, failing to learn, failing to understand our wrong doings. Sounds like Hell. Though I myself am not a firm advocate for the idea of reincarnation, I have found much interest in the stories of ancient religions and their similarities to my own.

When we take a look at ancient religions, we find thousands of similarities, including the story of a savior. As an example, I will use the Egyptian God, Horus. Horus was portrayed as the sun, the light, and the holy one. His enemy was Set, who exemplified darkness and evil. The story goes that Horus was born of a virgin and adored by three kings. He became a teacher at the age of twelve and began his ministry at the age of thirty. Horus walked the land with 12 disciples until he was betrayed and crucified. After three days of death, he was resurrected.

To name a few religious icons that followed with a story nearly identical were Attis of Greece, Krishna of India, Mithra of Persia, and lastly, Jesus Christ.

Born of a Virgin

Adored by three men of great power

Accompanied by twelve disciples

Crucified

Resurrected

Now, some people believe this one similar story to debunk Christianity all together, but I do not. I know what I have felt and I know what I believe. I can't give a concrete answer as to why countless religions share the same history, nor can I deliver those claims with 100% confidence that they are true. I can only use them to entertain my bleak and vague “what if?”

What if we sided with Lucifer? What if we were cast into Hell, where we are condemned to relive the same unforgivable mistake over and over again, unable to shake our curse of selfish ambition? What if the thousands of religions are a plea for forgiveness in our remorseful souls and an act of repentance by our homesick spirits? What if all of the evil that surrounds us is simply that of the tormented angels that can no longer bare the everlasting longing and shame? We'll do anything to avoid a place in Hell, but what if we're already here?

This is Hell, in theory.

Jacob 3;11

O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell-

 

illustration by Liliya Popova