There is a physical darkness that is palpable. In studies of those who have spent time in solitary confinement as prisoners, the findings show that the mental and emotional health of the prisoners suffers from the aloneness and from the lack of light. Anxiety, delusions, hallucinations, sensitivity to touch and noise, difficulty with thinking, concentration, memory, headaches, insomnia, nightmares, irrational anger, deterioration of eyesight, difficulty in interacting and relating to society, difficulty knowing between reality and their own thoughts; all of which can lead to insanity.
Solitary confinement deprives the prisoner of social interaction and environmental stimulation; and causes loss of control over almost all aspects of daily life. There is no end and no beginning of time, with every moment of every day running together without any separation; and no freedom to make autonomous choices.
U.S. senator John McCain is a good example of how a military mindset bestows psychological advantages. He spent five-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, during which he refused to yield to his interrogators. Though, note what he had to say about the two years he spent in isolation:
“It’s an awful thing, solitary. It crushes your spirit and weakens your resistance more effectively than any other form of mistreatment… The onset of despair is immediate, and it is a formidable foe.”
Guantanamo Bay has stirred a lot of controversy over the treatment of prisoners who are held there without any rights whatsoever. There are a number of these maximum holding prisons around the world, which the United States can use against Terrorists and others, stripping them of their rights as U.S. citizens, or any citizenship, as well as holding them indefinitely without legal representation, while being tortured inhumanely. Stories of Rendition are becoming more of the rule rather than the exception. There are some 80,000 prisoners being held in Supermax Prisons today, just in America.
Spelunkers, who have been trapped in caves for a number of weeks, suffer some of the same symptoms as prisoners kept in isolation. The total darkness, lack of interaction with other human beings, feelings of being lost, alone, and dying without anyone knowing where to find you, all begin to cause the mind to see and hear things that normally one wouldn’t see or hear (some imaginary, some real), as the senses become over-sensitive to one’s own breathing and heartbeat, as well as to every little sound, real or imagined, in the total darkness.
Jesus and his Apostles teach us about Hell as being where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, the worm of man dying not, fire and sulfur, torment, fire that never goes out, and as an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The devil and his demons, who rule hell and spiritual darkness, blind our spiritual eyes and keep us from understanding the things of God. Only as we draw nigh to the Light of Christ and His Word, will we see the deception of Antichrist teachings that enslave us in serving self and thus the devil.
They also teach that Hell is a place of eternal punishment, everlasting destruction and being shut out of the Presence of God, where soul and body can be destroyed in outer and utter darkness.
Satan is the god of darkness. He has no light within himself at all. He was only able to reflect the Glory and Light of God, while standing in the Presence of the Almighty. When he was cast out of God’s Throne Room, he lost all ability to shed any light. He is now the god of this world and John says the whole world lies under his evil influence.
Jesus and His Apostles also teach us that Satan and his rulers of darkness are what we wrestle against as they try to keep us out of the Kingdom of God. The whole world lies under the power of the evil one; and the evil one, or Satan, has come to steal, kill and destroy all that God calls good, pure and just.
Just as physical darkness, lack of light, and interaction with others can lead to mental, emotional and physical health deterioration, so can lack of spiritual light lead to spiritual blindness, spiritual deafness, and spiritual dumbness concerning things pertaining to eternity.
John introduces Jesus Christ as ‘Light’, which the ‘darkness’ could neither understand nor do anything about stopping it from revealing the deeds of darkness. He goes on to say that people loved the darkness and hated the light; because their deeds were evil, and they wanted their evil deeds kept secret and in the dark.
When Christ returns to rid the earth of evil and the evil one, He also will create a New Earth and New Heavens. Unlike the first earth and the first heavens, the new ones will have no need of the Sun or the Moon, because Christ will be the Light for all eternity. The New Earth and the New Heavens will be filled with His Righteousness, His Truth, His Purity and His Just Teachings. All men shall know Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings and come to the New Jerusalem to worship and rejoice in His Blessings.
C.S. Lewis was a theologian who went through different seasons of light and dark on his journey from Atheism to becoming a Christian. He writes about his doubts, questions, searching for truth and meaning, and his personal dealings with loss and pain. His quotes always shed light on the darkness.
Dying a physical death and leaving this fleshly body of clay is not the end of our existence, it’s just the beginning. There awaits a judgment for the things done in this body; and all works of darkness will be comfortable dwelling forever with the ruler of darkness, while all works of light will be comfortable dwelling forever with the ruler of Light. The characteristics of Satan, or of Christ, will provide the atmosphere for your spirit and soul for eternity.
It becomes a question of who do you want to dwell with for eternity? If your natural man hates total darkness and isolation from all that is good and just, how much torment will your spiritual man suffer in total darkness and tormenting desires that cannot be fulfilled where time cannot be measured? If your spiritual man desires all that is good and just and full of light and freedom, then how much enjoyment will it obtain dwelling with the giver of all good things to those who love Him?
Make the choice today by asking Him to open the eyes of your understanding to know the Truths of His Word so that you can obey His teachings and be saved from eternal darkness and the suffering that goes with it.