Since I am going to outer darkness, can my celestial family come down to visit me? Can they come out that far? I hope they bring flashlights and an ice cold beer would me nice.
Imagine yourself in a space suit far out in space by yourself, too far away from any sun to get any light from it. All you see in any direction are stars. Imagine that you are immortal, and that somehow, you'll never run out of air and no one will ever find you. That is how I see outer darkness. Glad it's all a hoax.
I don't take the Biblical imagery of fire and brimstone literally, nor "gates of pearl," streets of gold, and the Messianic banquet, but as symbolic. regarding Heaven, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, have entered into the heart of man The things which God hastprepared for those who love Him" I Cor. 2:9 NKJV). Whatever the Lord has in store for "those who love Him" will be wonderful, beautiful, and perfect.
But what about Hell? Setting aside the imagery as symbolic, consider the *concepts" of Hell as depicted in the NT. There is inescapable heat, absolute isolation and alone-ness,* pressure, and being so lost that God CANnot (not "does not") hear the prayers of the lost. Also, there is no possible escape from Hell.
I think a black hole demonstrates those qualities extremely vividly. The pressure exerted is so intense, the temperatures "are off the chart," as an astral physicist friend of mine said (she has a doctorate). Not even light gets out. Lastly, a person in the confines of a black hole would be aware of reality outside it, but anyBody outside would have no cognizance of, or communication with, somebody inside. Thus, God "CANnot hear the prayers of the lost."
Do I believe this is what Hell actually is? Not really. But it's powerful astral imagery!
*This is in response to wiseacres who joke, "I'll be in Hell, partying with my friends." Not according to the Bible.
The Bible also says a lot of silly things. Let's look at Leviticus 21:18-21 --
"For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken. No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God."
Oops, that leaves me out.
Of course that's from the bad Old Testament, so let's look at the New Testament --
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”
Oops, that leaves me out.
Perhaps as a Christian you can forgive the people who view the Bible as being nothing more than the collected God stories of an ancient people (who were no wiser nor much more foolish than we are today.)
I had a nightmare about it one night. I was trapped inside a room with no windows. Some others were with me, and we broke out through a wall. Outside the room was outer darkness, and people were seated in weird Ferris wheels that rolled like threshers. The horror on their faces...
I think outer darkness is like Star Trek’s transporter beam set on wide dispersion. You’re just kind of gone forever. Mormons believe in many physical impossibilities, so what’s one more?
If I were God, my first commandment would be “Don’t be stupid”.