Mandate of Heaven

the balance between heaven and hell. Representing the indecisiveness they expressed in life represented in the afterlife. This irony is not lost on J. A. Scartazzini and Thekla Bernays, who write in their article On the Congruence of Sins and Punishments in Dante 's Inferno: the inner indecision is visibly represented by the suspense between heaven and hell, by the exclusion from both places. But they are placed in the entrance to hell; that is, infinitely nearer hell than heaven. Their state…

“Kingdom of God”, “the day of the LORD”, “the end of the world”, “the last judgment” and “a new heaven and a new earth.” These words are the image of eschatology, and eschatology is an important subject in the Bible. Even Donald K. McKim says that the theme of the Bible is the kingdom of God (McKim, 167). In the Gospel, Jesus taught about the kingdom of God in his whole life and ministry, and the kingdom of God is represented as “already, but not yet” (McKim, 170). John Calvin, a 16th century…

repeatedly for their evil deeds. When I was reading Elie Wiesel’s Holocaust book named Night many fire symbols were described. The first representation of fire I found was religion. The image I chose was a picture of Heaven and Hell. Every religion has the concept of Heaven and Hell. Heaven being paradise and where you have done good deeds in your life. Hell being the place for sinners. In Night Wiesel writes about how he is living Hell or how Hell is on Earth. “When Sodom lost Your favor, You…

sent into Heaven or Hell. The Quran, “God causes you to live, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt,” (Quran, 45:24-26). Muslims, like Christians believe that once a person dies, his soul tends to live on and is resurrected on the Day of Judgment. Muslims believe that Heaven will be magical, something no one can even imagine and thus they follow God’s commandments to be rewarded for their good deeds by being put into heaven.…

Many of us view loss in a very limited way. We see it as the end of something, period. Seeing things in such a black and white way, i.e., a beginning and end, right and wrong, shadow and light, is at times helpful. But it can also be limiting and may bring unnecessary pain. The limiting perspective that may come about from seeing life in this way also brings about a certain amount of expectation. We assume that because it happened a specific way last time it will happen that way again. And when…

.the stairs are nigh; henceforth An easier climb is yours and every man’s.”2 (160) Dante’s climb became easier once he was rid of pride or sin. Here in just a few Cantos we learn the weight of sin and our inability to have the light from the heavens buoy us up. However, as we go through the required process for repentance, the heavenly lights lightens our load and we experience…

looking up. They looked to the sky to tell time, to determine what the weather will be like, and to seek the face of their God. Scripture is filled with examples in which God speaks to humanity through the wonders displayed in the heavens. Psalm 19:1 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God, that the skies proclaim the work of God’s hands. Job learned this lesson directly from God in the midst of the most tragic season of his life. Job lost his family, and lost his faith in God’s…

Catholic doctrine, purgatory is a place or a state of mental anguish and suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins and so they undergo purification before going to heaven. These souls are waiting as they experience judgement if they can immediately enter the state of heaven or if they are to be destined for hell. Purgatory has been thought of as a physical location by others but some popes believe the opposite. In Greek mythology, Euripides’ Medea is centered on…

Demons; Wretched beasts from the pits of Hell ordered to serve Satan. We all have demons residing inside us and they can be awakened at any moment either through traumatic events or by the demon in the bottle, alcohol. Throughout his life, poet Edgar Allan Poe struggled with alcoholism and this is apparent throughout his short stories and poem. Most noteably his short story, The Black Cat, where the narrators actions are influenced by the demon in the bottle or perhaps influenced by the animal…

In the Bible, the Apostle John proclaims “Sin is a master to whom we become enslaved” (John 8:34). The disciple John clarifies sin can consume one’s spirit completely: tearing a person apart from the guilt of their sins. In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne implies a similar concept on how sin is capable of altering one’s character, along with the shame from their guilt. Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne utilizes key elements such as diction and rhetorical devices, to convey a…