The way of the Hell-bound souls: "Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations. So I will choose their punishment and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight."

The result of living a sinful life is that "He turns them to dust with his sword,
    to windblown chaff with his bow."

There are many in this world who are given glimpses of their future in Hell. They do not change. God sends good souls to visit them. They will not change. A great number know their destiny but no intervention will divert them from the course they have chosen. The road to perdition is well trodden because many have chosen it. How hard it is to change, for those who have chosen the way of the Evil One.

Hades.

God takes no delight in the ruin of anything that lives. God created everything so that it might exist. The creative forces at work in the cosmos are life-giving. Although Satan has asked for permission to sift us, this does not mean we have to choose his way.

1. No one wants to believe in Hell but be assured that the underworld, Satan, demons and ruined souls are all very real indeed.
2. Hell is the absence of God.
3. The people who go to Hell are there because they chose not to repent. Their lives were a free will choice. They were given the opportunity of redemption but at every one of life's turns, they chose not to serve. They chose the absence of God in life and eternity outside of hs presence. The angels who fell and became demons chose the same.

It's tragic that even just one soul inhabits Hell but those there are not consigned to this realm for no reason. The loss of a soul is often gradual but you can guarantee that the commandments are always the first to go. 

Be clear though: God does not send people to Hell. He's not a punishing God. People choose to go there by the way they live their lives. They are the ones who don't want God and they sentence themselves. They lived deplorable lives "They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever" (Jude 1:13).

But one thing is for sure, in this life they never have any peace; they're deeply unhappy people who're always looking for a saviour. "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked" (Isiah 57:21).

God will do everything he can for the soul on earth. One of the reasons for this is that the soul will accuse him when judged.

"You never helped me!!! You never did anything for me!!!"

Oh but He did. He did everything he could and it was all thrown back in His face. Just about every opportunity to do good is wasted and spoiled by the Hell-bound souls. This realisation comes as a terrible shock as Satan reveals the truth.

They're then faced with their ingratitude and the pain they caused to others and to God.

When a soul chooses to go to Hell it's the biggest f*+K off it can give its creator.

But what a choice. No one can imagine the horror which lies in store for the souls who choose that place. The Holy Spirit withdraws and they take their place with the damned in the bowls of the earth. It stinks and it is indeed hot.

"The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves."

It must be a terrible sight to see the ruined souls.

So many are on the road to perdition. And only God's grace and our prayers can help save them.

But how hard it is to change for those who've chosen the path of the Evil One. Many of them plan to change as soon as they get through difficult times. They never do. If only they could see that those times are when they most needed to turn to God and be saved.

In truth I can tell you this: there is no fire. There's no ice either. And there're certainly no horned devils with pitch forks. What there is is burning anger and hatred. The disgusting entities which live in the bowels of the earth should never be mentioned as they are too appalling to bring to mind.

"And its stench will rise;

its foul odour will ascend".

Our enemy.

Satan was once an archangel who sinned and was evicted from the heavenly realm. Although many people think there was some kind of violent battle between the good angels and rebellious ones - there wasn't. There was never any need. The myth which finds the Archangel Michael rising up resplendent in armour with glinting sword to defeat the old serpent is compelling but in actual fact Lucifer's banishment was more of a formality.

"Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, 'I will not serve you!  (Jeremiah 2:20).

"So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life."

All of the angels came under Lucifer's temptation.  If you want to put a figure on how many stepped out of their estate then look to scripture. Here you find that one third of a countless multitude fell. "Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth" (Rev 12:4).

And we know that " God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into Hell, delivering them in chains to be held in the gloomy darkness until their judgement" (Peter 2:4). And the judgement they receive will be through us because it is written that we are to judge angels. This is one of the primary issues Satan has with us. He cannot stand to think that creatures whom he regards as lower than earth worms will sit in places he considers way beyond their station. The angels who stepped out of their allotted spheres echo his sentiments. This is why they want to drag every single one of us to Hell. Imagine being a  soul who gets duped like the fallen angels only to discover that the Evil One will torment you for all eternity because you - like him - fell from grace.

Fallen angels can only be described thus: emaciated creatures who have lost all desire for God. They have but one focus and that's to create chaos and take down as many souls as they can for all eternity. When they were angels Satan tempted them with their independence telling them that they could do as they pleased if they were with him. But for those "angels who did not stay within their own domain, but abandoned their proper dwelling, He keeps under darkness, in eternal chains. (Jude 1:6).

And they lie. 

They either lie outright or pepper the truth with lies. It really is spiritual warfare and we are up against the deceit of the Enemy.

Satan's objective is to rob everyone of everything they have. Like the priest said tonight at mass: "Take, take, take, take". It never stops. From the cradle to the grave he seeks to wrap his coils around every soul. His desire is to eventually trap each one of us. Another apt comparison would be that of an old fashioned rat catcher. The unsuspecting individual departs this life only to find themselves trapped like a rat in a cage. It's a horrible thought but it is a fact that many of the souls who once inhabited this earth are, at this very moment, being tormented.

Like I said earlier, there're no pitch forks and no fires. But the torment these ruined souls endure in beyond belief. The tragic reality for them is that they understand the majesty of God but are now in Satan's realm in the knowledge that it's eternal. The Holy Spirit no longer lives in these souls so they are without desire for God. The have lost their guardian angels and there is no one to protect them from the evil spirits.

This underworld domain is full of negative energy; nothing good exists there.  And when one looks down one sees the physical manifestation of evil as pitch black vile negativity. "But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck" (Isiah 57 vs 20).

The souls in Hades have endured the second death. For them there is no redemption. They are beyond salvation "where their worm never dies (Mark 9:48).

Never forget though, that Satan is on a chain. Although the enemy has been given permission to sift us, it is God who gives him any slack. You might  be tempted into thinking Hell is Satan's  kingdom. But it isn't. It's his prison. It's to where he will be consigned at the end of time. He hates sharing it and utterly despises the souls who are condemned with him. He has the most contempt for the ones who have committed the greatest sins because he knows who God is and is appalled at those who offended Him so greatly. Remember, he was once an Archangel and retains the knowledge of an Archangel. He, like them, is able to be in more than one place at one time and he watches all of us. He counts our sins licks his lips at the thought of yet another sinsful soul.

Nevertheless, he is a vanquished foe and if there's one thing he hates, it's the rosary. Why? Because it's the story of our salvation and it honours Our Blessed Lady whilst recounting the victory of Jesus over sin. If you're ever under attack from the Enemy, pray your rosary. We know prayers to the Blessed Virgin are powerful because it is written that God "will put enmity between you and the woman and between your descendants and her Descendant. He will crush your head, and you will bruise His heel.”

We know the power of the presence of Our Blessed Lady because priests involved in exorcisms bear testimony to her coercive power. Her presence alone is enough to exorcise evil spirits.   

So when in battle, sprinkle some holy water or blessed salt whilst praising God. Miraculous medals also occupy a central position in the armoury. Satan detests all of the above and just the presence of a blessed medal will send the enemy into retreat. 

But above all, the name of Jesus. Use His name and Satan has to go. (Mark 16:17) 

We know his end because of Revelation 20:10. 

Does God love the souls in Hell?

"For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world."

Yes he does, he has to. Because they were made in his image and likeness. He cannot disown his own self. He still loves the fallen angels because he created them. This is their horror.

God is love and can do nothing but love. Hell is Hell because the souls know that God still loves them and that they have turned their backs to him. They chose a path in life which resulted in them putting themselves in a position where they eventually removed themselves from God's presence for all eternity. Satan torments them for this and they hide their faces from the Most High because they know he is there too. He has to be, he is everywhere. This they cannot stand and this is their torment. Here they must wait for the final judgement before the entrance to Hell is locked for all eternity.

"I have the keys of Death and Hades."

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

"Death entered the universe only through the devil’s envy. "

"Those who belong to the devil’s party experience death."

"The wages of sin are death."

"One who pours out lies will perish."

We can't say we haven't been warned: "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. When Jesus refers to Satan he says he was a murder from the start. Therefore, he cannot have eternal life in him. Only death.

God speaks of Satan's destruction when he says: