“Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”- AC/DC Song
Many others have written their thoughts about darkness and light, heaven and hell, evil vs. good, so why not me? What made me think of this topic was a song I recently heard on the radio by AC/DC titled “Highway to Hell.” I’ve referenced this song in some of my past writings, but what I wasn’t aware of until I did some research, is that AC/DC has other songs about hell in their song list, such as the one mentioned above, as well as “Hells Bells.” AC/DC isn’t unique in their wishful thinking about hell being a fun place to be. After all, in their warped view, hell is “party time, my friends are gonna be there too.” But did the writers of the songs, Bon Scott, and Angus and Malcolm Young, have it right? Is hell a good place to be? And how is heaven different from hell? I think it might be wise to know for sure before making your eternal choice. But before I get to my views of heaven and hell, I thought it would be interesting to see what the Bible says about darkness and light and how those two relate to heaven and hell.
It seems that throughout scripture, Satan is associated with darkness. Although never mentioning Satan by name, this passage from Ephesians 6:12 gives a good description of the evil one: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” How do we know that Satan is referenced in this passage? In the preceding verse, Paul warns us to “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil,” who some have called the Prince of Darkness. Satan. And the schemer operates by deception. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul writes of false apostles disguising themselves as apostles of Christ, and to complete his thought writes this, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” And why would Satan need to disguise himself as light? Because he is darkness. In Ephesians chapter 5, Paul gives a stark contrast between what the followers of Jesus used to be, “for you were formerly darkness,” with what they have become in Christ, “but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” Later in the chapter, Paul encourages us to “not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness.”
As Satan is aligned with darkness, scripture describes God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as light. In John 8:12, Jesus said of himself, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” In 1 John 1:5, John writes this, “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” I find this verse from John 1:18 fascinating, “No man has seen God at any time…” Why can’t we see God? Didn’t Moses see God? Not quite. Exodus 33:20, God tells Moses, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live.” Moses only saw God’s reflection, his glory, and yet it caused his face to shine, to the point of him needing to place a veil over his face when around other people. Imagine staring at the sun, and what it would do to your eyes. In the same way we cannot look upon God, lest we die. I imagine God’s light is a thousand times brighter than the sun.
So, now that I’ve presented the biblical view of darkness and light, what about hell and heaven? What will they be like? First, my view of hell. Although scripture isn’t as descriptive of hell as it is of heaven, there is enough written there to spur my imagination. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the rich man says he is “in agony in this flame,” and desires cool water for his tongue. So, first off, the man is hot and thirsty. Furthermore, Revelation describes those whose names are not written in the book of life as being thrown into the “lake of fire.” Again, more heat. But if hell is the absence of God, then I believe it is also the absence of light. So, how can you have fire without light? Imagine being placed inside of a charcoal grill with the lid shut, with no light other than that emanating from the burning coals. It hurts to think about it. But won’t you see your friends there too? After all, misery loves company. Think of it this way, what is the worst thing you can do to a man in prison? Place him in solitary confinement. I believe hell will be like solitary confinement, a place filled with lonely souls. Souls who cannot see anything but darkness and glowing embers, surrounded by the sounds of despair. In Matthew 25:30, Jesus describes this place, “And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Those in hell will be all alone. Unable to see. Unable to leave their cell. Surrounded by excruciating heat and oppressive darkness. Not dying of thirst, but living with constant thirst, and yet, finding no relief. All while hearing a constant refrain of weeping and wailing, that you cannot turn off, some of it coming from you, and having no one to commiserate with. Having no communication with another living soul. Alone and forsaken, forever more. “For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.” -Isaiah 66:24. I don’t believe the boys from AC/DC have an accurate view of hell.
If hell is darkness, then heaven is light, and how could it not be with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit present? God’s light will illuminate heaven perpetually and forever. No more darkness. But since we, “will run and not get tired and walk and not grow weary,” we will no longer need to sleep. God’s light, never to be extinguished. Without light, color doesn’t exist. In the deepest, darkest cave, there isn’t any color, only black (the absence of color). Have you noticed how the colors pop on a sunny day, the leaves of fall, the greens of summer, the flowers of spring. All the colors around us vibrant in the sunlight. As light reflects through a diamond, creating its luster and brilliance, so God’s light will bring out the beauty in everything. With God’s light, I imagine a color spectrum like we’ve never dreamed. The brightness and clarity of the colors will be beyond our imagination. Like a child looking into a kaleidoscope for the first time. And without Satan’s influence, heaven will be without fear, pain, sorrow, anger, hatred, grief, loss, despair, worry, and all of the other things that make life on earth difficult. Rather, heaven will be love, and joy, and singing, and fellowship, and contentment, and worship, and peace. A place of rest. And because we are children of light, we will see God and live. Forever. The truth is, unlike hell, heaven is a wonderful place to be.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my book, Pondering God.
Pondering God 