“Chad, every day can be a literal hell on earth, and it will never even begin to compare to the joys of heaven.” A good friend of mine shared this little bit of wisdom with me many years ago, and I have not once forgotten it. It’s been a refrain of perseverance during hardships and desperation. I call it to mind whenever I think things are bad, and it reminds me of two things…
- Things CAN get much worse than they currently are, and
- Things WILL get infinitely better – if not soon, when I have joined my father in Heaven.
Jonathan Edwards Resolution 55
Edwards’ Resolution #55 (in my modernized language)
Resolved: To live as though I have already known what it is to experience all the joys of heaven, as well as all the torments of hell.
Hell on Earth, Found in a Spider’s Web
While running through woods as a child, the lanky Jonathan Edwards fell, narrowly missing his head on a big rock. He knew it to be a close call. Then he spied a spider and it’s web. So fascinated was he, that Edwards grabbed his notepad to sketch it in detail (yes, Edwards was a frequent note taker and sketched many scenes of nature throughout childhood and his entire life).
Think about the torment a spider web has on the insects that are caught in its clutches. First, there is entrapment, which is followed by confusion and fear. One wrong move – a missed turn or poorly calculated maneuver, and BAM! Talk about hell on earth.
Next, the spider stalks itself down to its prey, bites it, and then envelopes the hapless creature in a webbed cocoon. Once it’s died, it gnaws on the being, sucking the very life from it.
Again, I say, Hell on earth. How often have we found ourselves in impossible situations without a clue as to how we might escape it? Did the stress of the event figuratively suck the life out of you? I know it’s happened to me many times, and it’s emotionally draining!
Hell on Earth, from the Spider’s Point of View
After he finished sketching the spider in its web, Edwards picked up a single pebble and thrust it at the web.
You see, the spider probably has a sense of security where it has spun its web. Thinking it had found a good local to trap its prey and live out a bountiful existence. A big home. Safety from sun and other elements. Plentiful food. Maybe find a mate, have lots of little spider babies.
Instead, like Goliath, the spider’s false sense of a secure reality was destroyed by one single shot. It all fell apart.
Lacking in humility and contented with pride, how often have we believed our existence to be like that of the spider’s? It’s why we must be grateful for all that we have. Likewise, it’s a good reminder that our lives must be built on the strength of our Lord. That is very much unlike that of a spider’s web, which sticks solely to things of this earth.
It can seem like we are living a hell on earth. However, in just about every scenario, things can get worse. Yet, we have the blessed assurance that things WILL get infinitely better when we thread ourselves God and God’s word.
How Closely We Descend Toward Hell on Earth
Edwards once heard his father preach a sermon that asked the question, “if you cannot live 30 minutes in a fire, what makes you think you can stand eternity in hell?”
Also a man of science, while considering the existence of gravity that is outside of him, Edwards was questioning the gravity to sin that exists inside him. Seated under a tree as he did this, he watched a spider come down on its web. Then he foresaw how cutting the web led to gravity taking its toll.
His attention turned to Romans 3:
Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. – Romans 3:19-20 (NLT)
The spider, when its web is cut, plunges to the earth below.
Edwards envisioned himself a spider, suspended by a web, over the lake of fire.
We’d all do well to keep that humble reminder… and be darn sure the thread to which we cling is of our God, and not our own self-made instruments.
Note: Much of the events conveyed in this message are adapted from Jonathan Edwards: America’s Genius (Trailblazers) by Christian George, and I felt it appropriate to give credit where it is due.