Throughout history, philosophers have wrestled with the idea that the world we live in is not what it seems. From Plato’s Allegory of the Cave to Hindu Maya, thinkers have proposed that reality is a veil concealing deeper truths.
What if this illusion is more sinister than mere ignorance? Could it be that this world is not only deceptive but also a prelude to something worse – is it just a waiting room for hell?
Perhaps we have been trapped in a version of Dante’s inferno all along, progressing through layers of torment while holding onto flickers of hope, only to realize that redemption is either elusive or fleeting.
The story of Adam and Eve offers a point of entry into this grim perspective. Once they were expelled from the garden, a state of paradise gave way to pain, labor, and struggle. Their punishment was not merely physical exile but spiritual displacement – an initiation into a world where suffering is the price of existence. Humanity, in this light, has been stumbling ever since through an endless labyrinth of trials, as if caught between the echoes of a lost paradise and the shadow of a looming, inescapable damnation.
Every moment feels precarious, oscillating between moments of hope and sudden descents into chaos, like a spiral dragging us deeper into the abyss.
There is something profoundly disorienting about life in this “waiting room” for hell. Evil is not only pervasive but insidious – it presents itself as normal, as the baseline condition of the human experience. Some people succumb to this evil, choosing to participate in it either out of malice or ignorance. These individuals become part of the system that perpetuates suffering, joining the ranks of the oppressors and becoming blind to the moral gravity of their actions. Their descent mirrors the souls in Dante’s Inferno, who gradually sink deeper into depravity, accepting each new level of torment as their deserved fate.
Others, however, resist. They fight against the inertia of evil, clawing their way through life in a desperate attempt to rise above the filth. These souls may find themselves likened to Sisyphus, perpetually pushing a boulder uphill, only to watch it roll back down again. Every small victory is followed by setbacks, every triumph undercut by yet another reminder that we live in a world that often rewards the wicked and punishes the just. The effort to remain good in such a world can feel like a futile climb out of a toilet bowl swirling ever closer to the drain – a drain that leads directly to eternal ruin.
The world is, in many ways, a reflection of Dante’s nine circles of hell, each person descending through their own private torment, whether it be the suffering inflicted by others or the gnawing guilt of personal sins or unfulfilled potential. At times, life offers glimpses of beauty, kindness, or fleeting joy, but these moments are fragile and seem always on the verge of being snatched away. One is left to wonder: Are these moments of grace genuine opportunities for salvation, or are they merely cruel distractions designed to make the fall into damnation all the more excruciating?
There is also a question of scale. If this life is the waiting room for hell, then every personal failure, injustice, or tragedy feels like a confirmation of this larger, cosmic fate. But if it is only a prelude, what does that say about what lies ahead? The relentless accumulation of suffering, violence, and moral decay suggests that the worst is yet to come, that the illusion we live in is merely a foretaste of the inferno.
And yet, some cling to hope, believing that through struggle, repentance, or divine grace, it is possible to escape the spiral and find a path to something better. In this view, the fight against evil is not just a pointless struggle but a meaningful act of defiance -one that carries the possibility, however slim, of redemption. Perhaps it is in these acts of resistance that we come closest to transcending the illusion, even if only for a moment.
But the question remains: Is this struggle enough to lift us out of the hellish orbit we seem locked into, or are we doomed to circle deeper and deeper into despair? If this world is indeed a waiting room for hell, then perhaps the greatest torment lies not in the suffering itself, but in the knowledge that we are powerless to escape it. Yet, despite this possibility, the choice between succumbing and resisting is one we must face every day. Whether we find redemption or merely postpone the inevitable, the struggle itself becomes the only thing that makes life bearable in a world teetering on the edge of eternal night.
But perhaps there is still hope.
God provided a possible way out of this seemingly hopeless situation – a way that is not complicated but still not easy. It requires honesty with one’s self and honesty with God; broken hearted repentance and supplication before God; surrender of one’s will to God; acknowledgement that one is a hopeless sinner and helpless to purify oneself or change one’s own heart; acceptance of God’s sacrificial emanation in the form of His Messiah/Son/Jesus as atonement for our sins; invitation of His instructional emanation in the form of the Holy Spirit into one’s heart and life; continued understanding that we are weak and hopelessly sinful and require constant vigilance in order to continue on the path of righteousness; continuous humility and supplication; profession of one’s acceptance of God’s Messiah/Son/Jesus; and finally, living a life consistent with repentance and one’s commitment to righteousness.
The Bible lays out the plan of salvation – often called the Roman’s Road:
Everyone needs salvation because we have all sinned.
Romans 3:10-12, 23 “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” … For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (NLT)
The price (or consequence) of sin is death.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)
Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the price for our death.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (NLT)
We receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:9-10, 13 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved … For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NLT)
Salvation through Jesus Christ brings us into a relationship of peace with God.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. (NLT)
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Romans 8:38-39 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)
Responding to the Roman’s Road
If you believe what you have read in these verses, you can respond by receiving God’s saving grave today. Here’s how to take a personal journey down The Roman Road: Admit that you are a sinner. Understand that, as a sinner, you deserve death. Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from sin and death. Repent by turning from your old life of sin to a new life in Christ. Receive, through faith in Jesus Christ, his free gift of salvation.
This life may seem bleak but there is still hope. God bless you my friends.