1/9/26 Many people are buzzing in Christendom right now, about the idea of the aspect of the reality of a hell of torment, fire, punishment and pain being, well “put under fire”. I think that there are many teachers to listen to, and many who are incorrect in their frivolity of the subject in lack of severity, or are sometimes found preaching harshly when their own spiritual fruit says otherwise. In my years of being born again, since 2005, I have seen very many degrees of carnality in the church; and I feel I have honestly observed, that those who act that way are detached from the holy “fear of the Lord” that you read about over and over again the book of Proverbs. In the Old testament and new testament, I do not seen a “doing away with” the fear of the Lord that some tout is in the new testament, but I do see a sincere applicable way to walk out the “spirit-man” life demonstrated in many books: in Romans, Acts, and the books of Peter and John – that demands the need for having spiritual eyes. At the end of the day, I would think we would do well to consider the words of Christ and His person from a biblical point of view; about the subject of “hell”, “eternity”, and what all Scripture as a whole teaches about it. Here are all the bible verses about hell in the Bible from openbible.com https://www.openbible.info/topics/hell

I was in a Christian college, when I was born-again, and it was a very profitable place for me – spirit, and soul, and body. I wasn’t in a “ministry” path, but was a math major. I did, however, start to learn about mathematicians and scientists that paved the way for much good thought and profitable use of brain-power for their short-lived episodes on earth. Some of my favorite ones so far are Copernicus and Pascal. In the last few years, I did research on Copernicus – see this article: https://rebekahsreflections.com/2022/08/14/celestial-copernicus-a-man-among-the-stars/

I have been learning about Pascal because my husband learned about him in college, and I was researching some of what he taught, as I had heard of “Pascal’s wager”. Blaise Pascal was a French physicist, philosopher, and (Catholic) writer. He was an independent thinker from what I gather, and was a part of a movement that was trying to implement ideas of ‘free will” and “divine grace”. In only 39 short years of life, he accomplished so much of what many would hope to achieve in multple lifetimes. He was a child prodigy that did not ever marry, but rather devoted his soul to learning and more, well, learning.

He is credited for many mathematical feats – theorems, rules, invention of a calculator (Yes, we can thank Pascal for some of that!), nature’s ‘pressure and vacuum’ concepts in Physics, algebraic/geometric discoveries about sequences, combinatorics formulas in Probability and Statistics, and “Pascal’s triangle”, which I’ve actually used in my own math tutoring hundreds of years past his time. He also had a religious experience in 1654, and was moved to create “Pascal’s Wager” in a work treatisse entitled “Discourse on the Machine”, where he argues that faith overrides reason in terms of accepting salvation ‘issues’ from Scripture; and he was sure that we cannot simply reply on our reason. This is the eternal and “otherworldly” way that we must perceive God acting on our beliefs. Here is a write up of his wager, and I’m sorry I haven’t studied about him in books, but rather this is from Wikipedia. We can access God in thought, though, logically in a way that we can “wager” what it is that we absolutely must consider in terms of faith. There is no indifference when you lay your head down at night, and deal with your own conscience. What are we wagering about? but the reality of God’s existence and the belief of hell along with that.

Here is what a quick google search will relay for Pascal’s wager. I don’t like the wikipedia’s rendition, but the above was little more elaborate. Here is google’s quick fix:

I cannot help but be inspired reading about Pascal, because like other mathematicians that have been “plugged into God’s spirit”, I see his good fruit that makes me think I’ve seen a picture of what heaven will be like. We will be ever-learning of our Lord up there, and ever learning of all the good instruction in the universe. Pascal has a very accomplished resume, and yet, Christ was His Lord. How could I not look at a pure life like that, and desire to know a God would be found in a creature full of so much good inspired creation. And I know that I’ll see him in heaven, its my hope to make it there! Its fascinating to see what God can do with a surrendered life of service to his will – in whatever the sciences, studies, authored works, trades, inventions, and pass-times. Jesus is the author of it all.

Many people are really torn up right now in various large denominations, small groups, households, and always have been in Christianity, holding hell in frivolity -and even using coarse talk to relay their lack of concern about their eternal destination. If they cannot hold an argument in “wholesome talk useful for building others up according to their needs” (Ephesians 4:29), I don’t understand how they could be considered as having Gods love in their hearts. If they would discuss the topic of hell with their “brethren” saying “What the h*ll”?, and not considering Christ’s words and actions on hell, parables, and sacrifice – what hope is left for them to reach a dying world. What care is left?

Matthew, Mark (Peter’s gospel), Luke, and John (in Revelation), wrote on what seems to be consistent teaching about hell. I need that consistency, and I plan to stay with what they said. I also want to be praying for Kirk Cameron, the Southern Baptists, John Crowder, Allie B Stuckey, etc, and the body of Christ.