Touching Eternity: Hell: Faith-filled Fanfic, Pt. 5
If the title of this post sounds intense to you, that’s because it’s supposed to. There is nothing light-hearted about eternal separation from God, regardless of whether that separation happens to a fictional or non-fictional person.
But how does this topic fit into Faith-filled fanfic? Why even bring it up?
Eternity is an essential part of Christianity. Without it, there is no point in placing our faith in Christ’s sacrifice for us. Paul talks about this in his first letter to the church at Corinth. In chapter 15, verse 19, he says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
If Christians can’t look to Eternity with certainty, the entire Gospel is of no use, and Christ died in vain. But nothing Messiah ever did or said is vain, and in that, every Christian can rejoice. In Christ, death is rendered powerless, and sin is defeated.
So, back to the question. Why bring up Hell in fanficion?
Because it very much exists and is the true end of all who reject Christ.
God never delights in sending anyone to Hell, but when a person refuses to accept Christ’s payment for their sin, there is no other choice. Sin must be paid for, and if we do not allow Christ to make the payment for us, we have to pay it ourselves. And because we are not infinite beings with the ability to fulfill an infinite price, paying for our sin means spending eternity in fire, darkness, and torment.
I have actually had a fanfic character wind up in Hell. He was there briefly before God brought him back to life, and that experience thoroughly shook him.
Should you have a fanfic character who winds up in Hell, the experience is not something to be shared lightly, nor would I advise depicting it often.
Here are a few tips for writing your fanfic character’s experiences in Hell.
Pay attention to Biblical details.
Through Scripture, we learn many things about Hell. It’s a place of eternal fire and darkness. Those there are tormented. (Rev. 14:11) It’s said to be a place where “their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Matt. 9:44) There is no water in Hell. (Lk. 16:24) It was made “for the devil and his angels.” (Matt. 25:41) It will one day be cast into the Lake of Fire, “which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8)
But God makes very clear in Scripture that Christians will never experience literal Hell, so sending a Christian character there is inconsistent with truth and ought not be attempted.
Don’t lose sight of why this experience is necessary.
Sending someone to Hell is no insignificant matter. There must be a reason for it. Depicting your characters in literal Hell frequently (without very very good reason) makes light of something that ought never be joked about.
Explore how Hell affects the person who goes there.
No one touches Eternity and walks away the same. History holds many examples of people who had brushes with either Heaven or Hell, and those experiences changed the ones who had them.
If someone spends even the briefest time in Hell and is brought back to life by the Hand of God, they will not forget that experience. Even if they block out the worst of it, there will always be something in their mind and heart that reminds them of what happened. They will also never look at life exactly the same way afterward. Will they immediately turn to Christianity? Some might, but others definitely won’t. Going to Hell and coming back is not a one-way ticket to conversion, and it ought not be treated as such.
I hope you find these tips helpful as your characters touch Eternity.
Next time, we’ll be looking upward and exploring how to depict character experiences with Heaven.
Head to the intro post to find the index of topics for the Faith-filled Fanfic series.