Where in the 'Hell’ are you?

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, they were not merely expelled from a place of abundance—they were severed from the immediate presence of the Lord. There, they walked with God, their lives always in His light and love. But with their transgression came exile, a step beyond the divine veil, and in that separation, the seeds of hell were sown. Scripture and theological thought suggest a profound truth: to be out of the Lord’s presence is itself a form of hell, and the further one drifts—or is driven—away, the deeper the torment grows.

 

Since the presence of the Lord is the source of peace, joy, and wholeness, Eden was not just a physical paradise but a spiritual communion, where humanity stood unashamed before its Creator. Cast out, Adam and his posterity entered a world of toil and estrangement, a state of existence diminished by the absence of that divine nearness. This initial separation marks the baseline of hell—not fiery pits or gnashing teeth, but the aching void where God once was. It is a condition of being unmoored, a soul adrift without its anchor.

 

Yet, this is only the beginning. Sin, like a relentless wind, pushes us further from that lost shore. Each act of rebellion, each choice to defy the Lord’s will, widens the gulf. The further we stray, the greater the hell we inhabit—not merely as a future punishment, but as a present reality. To live in sin is to pile distance upon distance, layering darkness over the faint memory of light. A lie might nudge us a step away; malice or pride might hurl us miles. The degree of hell corresponds to the degree of removal—nearness to God brings life, while remoteness breeds despair.

 

This is not just a matter of geography, but of the soul’s orientation. Hell deepens not because God withdraws, but because we do. Out of His presence, we are already in a state of loss; sin amplifies that loss, turning exile into agony. The scriptures warn of this trajectory: to be “to be shut out from God's presence” (2 Nephi 6:3 CE) is torment enough, but to persist in wickedness is to dig deeper into the abyss. The further we flee, the more we feel the weight of our own making—a hell measured not by flames, but by the fading echo of divine love we once knew.

 

Thus, the story of Adam’s fall is a mirror for us all. Out of the Lord’s presence, we taste the bitterness of hell; through sin, we carve its depths. Redemption lies not in erasing the distance overnight, but in turning back, step by repentant step, toward the One whose presence alone can heal the hell we’ve wrought.

So, where in the 'Hell' are you? Think about it--just for the Hell of it.

Signed

John The-Not-So-Beloved