A man died and went to heaven.  As he arrived at the Pearly Gates he was met by St. Peter.

St. Peter asked him several questions about his life to determine if he was, in fact, worthy to enter through the Gates and spend the rest of eternity in this most sacred place.  After several minutes St. Peter was convinced that yes, this man was more than worthy, and then he had one final question.

"Is there anything you'd like to know or do before you enter through the Pearly Gates?" St. Peter asked.

The man replied cautiously, "Well, now that you mention it ... I am kinda curious about what hell looks like."

"No problem!", replied St. Peter.  "I can take you there myself for a quick look and then we'll head on back.  Fair enough?"

"Sure!", replied the man.  "That would be great!"

So off the two of them went, taking the Heavenly Elevator down, down, down, down to the very depths of hell.

When they arrived the doors of the Heavenly Elevator opened and the man was bewildered by what he saw!  Sunshine!  Beautiful skies!  A flowing river that sounded so peaceful!  Was this some mistake?  Was this really hell?

The man and St. Peter ventured on a bit further and came upon a sight that was just unbelievable!!!  There, stretched out in front them, were rows and rows of tables that went on forever and beyond.  There were bowls of the largest and most wonderful and luscious fruits the man had ever seen!  There were baskets filled with the freshest rolls and breads, plates overflowing with the choicest meats, fish, vegetables, and yes, DESSERTS!  There were even countless choices of things to drink!  Oh, so MUCH!  And it all looked and smelled so GOOD!!!  The man just couldn't believe it and he asked St. Peter, "Is this really hell?!"

St. Peter gently replied, "Look closer."

The man looked closer and that's when he noticed that, inspite of all of this incredible bounty, all of these billions and billions of people who sat at these tables were sad.  Why?!  The man was so confused!  How could they be so sad with all of this food and drink in front of them?  And that's when he discovered the reason ... because they couldn't eat the food or enjoy the drinks!  They all had arms that wouldn't bend at the elbow!  And so they all sat there unable to enjoy the bounteous treasures laid out before them.  They were so terribly sad and heartbroken.  "Yes", the man thought, "this really IS hell."

Sad and heartbroken himself, the man asked St. Peter if they could now leave and return to Heaven.  No sooner had St. Peter heard this than he granted the man's wish.  They stepped back into the Heavenly Elevator and up, up, up, up they went and back to the beauty of Heaven.

When they arrived the doors once again opened up and what a sight to behold!  Sunshine!  Beautiful skies!  A flowing river that sounded so peaceful!  Was this some mistake?  Wasn't this what they had just seen in hell?

The man and St. Peter ventured on a bit further and once again they came upon a sight that was just unbelievable!!!  There, stretched out in front them, were rows and rows of tables that went on forever and beyond.  There were bowls of the largest and most wonderful and luscious fruits the man had ever seen!  There were baskets filled with the freshest rolls and breads, plates overflowing with the choicest meats, fish, vegetables, and yes, DESSERTS!  There were even countless choices of things to drink!  Oh, so MUCH!  And it all looked and smelled so GOOD!!!  The man asked St. Peter, "Is this really Heaven?  It looks exactly like what we just saw in hell?"

St. Peter gently replied, "Look closer."

The man looked closer and that's when he noticed that all of these billions and billions of people who sat at these tables were happy!  But WAIT!  The man saw something that startled him!  How could they be so happy with all of this food and drink in front of them when they were afflicted with the same thing that the people in hell were afflicted with ... arms that wouldn't bend at the elbow?!  And that's when he discovered the miracle reason for all of the joy and happiness ... because they were all feeding each other!

Copyright © 2006, Jace Carlton.  All International Rights Reserved.