God, in His great love, has pledged not to destroy any intelligent being He has created. Demons, by their very existence, are a manifestation of God’s justice, a proclamation that the law of God is not violated without consequence. He who violates this law deforms himself and, if he chooses not to repent of this transgression, his deformation becomes eternal. Such is the case with the demons. They are a terrifying proof of the divine order. In a certain sense, even the demons enrich the perfect order of God’s creation. Beauty cannot be destroyed by ugliness; rather, ugliness (i.e., evil) makes us see beauty all the more by contrast. While it would have been better had sin and evil never entered creation, their presence can point the way to what is good, true, beautiful, and holy. For the demons, the centuries pass with no hope. Undoubtedly, being desperate and full of sadness, if they could commit suicide, they would do so in order to end their suffering. But, as a pure spirit, the life of a demon is indestructible. A spirit has no organs, it cannot be poisoned, and it cannot be starved. It cannot even die of sadness. No matter what is done, it will continue to exist forever. (Of course, the same holds true for human beings as well. We will exist forever – either in heaven or hell, by our free choice to obey God or reject him.) This is the terrible thing: The condemned cannot ask mercy from God because they have made a definitive choice. Infinite Love acknowledges this choice made in freedom. In The Divine Comedy, Dante places the following inscription on the entrance to hell: “Through me is the way into the woeful city; through me is the way into eternal woe; through me is the way among the lost people. Justice moved my lofty maker: the divine Power, the supreme Wisdom and the primal Love made me. Before me were no things created, unless eternal, and I eternal last. Leave every hope, ye who enter!” This inscription, though a work of literature, captures the truth that it is Love, not hate, which allows the existence of hell. Thus, one cannot plead with Love to destroy hell. God loves the demons but condemns them nevertheless. Why? Because they have chosen hell by their rebellion against Him – God is simply ratifying their choice. godlikeproductions/forum1/message2624910/pg1
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 12:32:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015