I have always had a vivid imagination, and when I was in my early 20s, I envisioned what Hell might look like for the Old Testament Saints. I was taught that this place, that we as Christians called Abraham’s Bosom, was a waiting place where people went when they died.
I had read the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus told by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31. In this story, both the rich man and the beggar die. Jesus said that when the beggar died, he “was carried by the angels into Abraham’s Bosom,” and the rich man who also died was buried. According to the story, Jesus described hell as a place for both the saints like the beggar, and a place for the non-saints or the wicked like the rich man. Between the saints and the sinners, a great divide separated them. Jesus said the dead saints in Abraham’s Bosom were in a place of comfort. Both saints and sinners were aware of their surroundings, could talk to each other, and see and hear those on the other side.
I thought of this place called Abraham’s Bosom as a great underground cavern. It had an opening high on the wall where people entered when they died. I thought of this opening as the entry point, with a slide beginning at the entrance on the cavern wall and continuing down to the floor. This is where their spirits would “descend” down into this great cavern when their spirits would leave their body. Here, the spirit person without a physical body would live. The person was conscious and aware, and their somewhat translucent spirit body was clothed, and it looked exactly like the person’s physical body did in life. The cavern was dark, but there was some light, much like the light of a campfire at night where you could see people dimly.
As they would arrive, the first few people, like Adam, Eve, and their descendants, didn’t know what was happening; they just slid down and ended up there. But as they talked to each other and more people died and arrived, they figured out pretty quickly that they were dead and were now with their ancestors. Each time a new person “slid” into the room, there would be great excitement that a new person had arrived. There would, of course, be a barrage of questions about who they were, where they were from, and “What is going on up there?”
These dead people would spend their time telling their stories, hearing what was happening in the world and with their family. Can you imagine when Noah arrives and tells every one of the great flood and how God spared Noah and his family? When Abraham arrives, he shares how God called him out of his home and led him to a land that God would give him and his descendants. Then Isaac, Jacob, and his 12 sons arrive. When Joseph arrives, he is reunited with his family and meets Abraham, his great-grandfather. On and on, each one comes through the opening and tells the others who they are and what has happened during their life.
As new arrivals came in, someone would eventually turn to Eve. They would say Eve, tell us your story again. Tell us about the promised one. Tell us about your seed who will crush the serpent’s head, defeat the evil, and bring us out of captivity. Adam would join her, and together, they would tell the story of the Garden. They would speak of the God of Creation and how they walked with Him. They would talk about how they were deceived into giving control of humanity to the Serpent, but one day, a son of Adam and Eve would defeat that serpent and set them free. None were meant to live in this barren cavern, but they were destined to once again live in the Garden with God.
They all would be captivated by the ongoing story of their people and how their descendants were getting along up above. There would be times when a whole bunch of people would arrive all at once, and Joshua would turn to Abraham and say that war must have broken out. David would sing his songs, and they would hear how he defeated Goliath and became King. With each person, the continuing saga of Israel and their history would be told, and they were comforted by the stories and each other’s hope that one day, when the messiah came, they would see a resurrection.
Time passed, and the Kings of Israel and Judah and the Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel arrived and told their stories. Of course, some wicked kings may have ended up on the “other” side of the cavern.
With every person who arrived, the one question on everyone’s mind was, “Has Messiah come yet?” Have you seen the promised one who will crush the serpent? They waited and waited, but no one could tell them that the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel, had come.
Then one day a man named Simeon arrived and soon after a prophetess named Anna. Simeon declared it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He shouted for all to hear, “I have seen him!” and told of how his parents brought him to the temple and his name is Jesus. He is just a baby, but I am telling you my eyes have seen the salvation of Israel. Then Anna arrived and confirmed that at the very moment she saw him, she began giving thanks to God and continued to speak of Him to all those looking for Jerusalem’s redemption. A great excitement began to stir, and everyone talked about this man they called Jesus. Is he the one promised? Is he the deliverer? Others arrived who also said they had known Jesus.
Everyone was waiting with anticipation.
A short time later, a man named Lazarus arrived and said that he and his sisters were friends with this man called Jesus. He testified that this Jesus was indeed the savior, the one anointed to bring redemption to Israel. Lazarus spoke of how Jesus would teach the people, but most of all, he spoke of his miracles and how he healed the sick, opened the blind eyes, and made the lame walk.
The place erupted with shouts and praise. David was singing, and the women were dancing when suddenly, a sound they had never heard before loudly boomed out and echoed through the place. It caught everyone’s attention, and there was complete silence as they attempted to discern what that sound was. Then they heard it as clear as can be. A strong male voice said, “Lazarus, come forth.” Immediately, everyone turned and looked at Lazarus in shock. Lazarus was also in disbelief but recognized the voice and shouted, “That’s him!” That is Jesus the Messiah I have been telling you about. Lazurus began to shake as everyone stared at him. Then he started to levitate, and his feet left the floor as he slowly moved toward the slide opening. With his gaze fixed straight ahead on the opening he shouted almost apologetically “I must go now; the master is calling me” and with that he was sucked up the slide and disappeared through the entrance.
Immediately, the place erupted again. They shouted and danced and proclaimed, “It is beginning,” the salvation of Israel is happening. Their joy and exuberance were short-lived, as nothing else happened. No one else was taken, and they were left there. They began to ask, what just happened? Some encouraged others to have faith, and some began to despair. Why did he not take us? Why are we still here?
As they waited for what might happen next, a few more people arrived, spoke of this Jesus, and confirmed the story. They talked about how he fed the 5000 and spoke like no one they had ever heard. Some said he was the messiah; others were not so sure.
Then a man arrived, and people rushed to him to find out who he was. He said his name was Judas. They said Do you know the man they call Jesus? Do you know who he is? Is he the one promised, as others have been telling us? Judas bowed his head and wouldn’t look them in the eye. He shuffled through the crowd, saying he didn’t want to discuss it. He moved to the back of the cavern and sat visibly weeping with his head in his hands, muttering “what have I done.”
Just then, their attention turned to another arrival. They asked him the same questions. He said he was a thief and had died a criminal’s death on a cross, crucified at the hands of the Romans. He told them that next to him there was another man who was not a criminal, but he was crucified in the same way. He said I don’t know if this is the man you are asking about, but they put a sign on his cross that said, ‘King of the Jews’ and I do think I heard them say he was the man they call Jesus. I knew he was important and thought I would ask for mercy. I told him, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” He said, “Truly I say today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The thief then asked, is this paradise? They didn’t even answer him as they stared at him in disbelief. What did he say? Was Jesus crucified like a common criminal? Someone said, did you say he was dead?
It was a gut punch. Every hope for this Jesus to be their savior was suddenly crushed. Everyone looked at each other with a sunken countenance and could not believe what they had just heard. Then a voice from the back of the room muttered softly, It’s true. The crowd parted and turned toward the voice. It was Judas still huddled in the back, sitting on the floor up against a wall, and he repeated it. It’s true. They took him to be crucified. They said to Judas, how do you know about this?
He said I was one of his disciples. One of his closest friends. I believed Jesus was the Messiah, but I became disillusioned with Jesus’s lack of interest in rebelling against the Romans. I thought that if I forced Jesus into a situation where he was cornered, he would be forced to demonstrate his power. I was blinded by my pride and zealous desire to see Jewish freedom. After a long pause, Judas, choking back the tears, quietly said, I am the one who sold him out. I betrayed him.
There was a gasp from the crowd, and Judas began to justify his actions. I thought if the Sanhedrin arrested him, he would fight. Instead, they condemned him to death and took him to the Romans. They beat him and sent him to be crucified, and Jesus went with them and did nothing to stop it. I tried to make it right. I took the money I had been paid back to the chief priests and elders and said I had sinned by betraying innocent blood, but they did not care. I threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary, and in complete despair, I hung myself. I don’t even know why I am here.
Some of the women began to cry. Some of the men fell to the floor in a prostrate position and moaned in emotional pain. Most people just scowled at Judas with anger and loathing. Judas began to sob uncontrollably.
Right at that moment, they once again heard a loud booming sound. It was like the sound they had heard before when Lazarus had been taken, but louder and more impactful. The sound shook the ground under their feet, and some said it was an earthquake. Everyone stopped, and silence fell over the chamber. All eyes looked up to the entrance at the top of the chamber as they saw rays of light slowly begin to appear out of the opening and fill the cavernous room with light.
They then saw a man come down the slide like many others had, but this man was different. He had a translucent form like they did, but he was brighter, and instead of having a bewildered look on his face like every other person who enters that cavern, he was smiling. When they arrive, most people are confused and disoriented about where they are or how they came to be in this place. This man wasn’t confused at all. His face was beaming, and his eyes were the most beautiful they had ever seen. He looked at them with such kindness and compassion. He stood before them and looked around the room, making eye contact with everyone, and they looked back at him with utter and complete amazement. He said Shalom, Peace be with you. I am Jesus.
Then, as if he knew what had just happened, he turned to the women and said Don’t be afraid, wipe your tears. To the men who had fallen to the ground, he said It’s going to be all right; you don’t have to mourn. His voice was kind, and his tone was comforting. He immediately brought a sense of hope and comfort to the room. As he looked at each person, he nodded affectionately, and with his huge smile, he said their name. Everyone was frozen and couldn’t believe what was happening. Their minds raced, but they were completely overwhelmed in the moment, and no one moved an inch. This went on for several minutes, but it seemed like an hour had passed when Jesus finally asked in a quiet and gentle voice, Is Judas here?
At this point, the crowd had turned towards Jesus and closed the gap, so Judas was now behind them. Jesus asked again, “Is Judas here?” They looked at each other, and someone asked, ” Does he mean the traitor? They all turned and looked behind them, but Judas was not there. Judas had seen Jesus enter the room, and he recognized him. He had slinked further to the back of the chamber and found a small place in the shadows where he was now hiding. In his guilt and shame, he was hiding and covering his face as though he wanted no one to see him or know that it was him. The crowd began to murmur, where did he go? He was just here.
Jesus began to walk through the crowd towards the place the people were looking at. Not seeing Judas, he raised his voice and called out.
Judas Iscariot, are you here?
Judas flinched in fear when he heard Jesus call his name, thinking surely Jesus was there to condemn and convict him. He slowly withdrew his hands from his face and looked out. Jesus was walking towards him, and he locked eyes with Jesus and froze in fear. He thought Jesus would be angry with him.
But as Jesus came and stood over him, he saw something in Jesus’ eyes he never thought he would see again after his kiss of betrayal. Jesus’ eyes sparkled and glowed with love’s gladness to see him.
Jesus reached out for his hand. He lifted him to stand before him, and then Jesus looked at his face smiled and exclaimed, “Judas!” Immediately, Judas could see only forgiveness and love on Jesus’s face. His shame melted, and he felt a great sense of relief. They embraced, and Jesus patted his back and said, “It’s okay, my friend. You are going to be all right.” Everything is going to be all right.