I woke up this morning, possessed by my favorite Spirit, the spirit of wonranwonran.

Still on the bed, sleeping on my back. My fingers lay across my chest, interlaced while my eyes darted from one corner of the room to another. 

Silence reigned , except for the hum of the fan, blowing carelessly and uncaring.

Then a thought crept into the gate of my heart.

Not ordinary.

It kept knocking against the wall of my heart.

Ouch! it hurt against my chest.

I tried to shake it off.

Because I knew I was going to hurt them.

Who? 

You'll find out. Just continue reading.

And again the question returned. 

knock

knock

And knock heavily this time.

 I opened the door.

slowly the thought entered.

It came in form of a question 

Is heaven and hell real?

Huh!

Heaven and hell are concepts that have survived for a donkey of years with different religions coming up with the ideas of what it looks like.

One of them is Èsìn Ìmòle that claims to know with fervent zeal a place called Janah (Paradise) where rivers flow—clear water, milk, honey, and a drink unlike anything known on earth. 

Fruits hang within reach.

Beautiful and untouchable lilies await. 

No sickness. 

No aging. 

No grief. 

No death. 

Only pleasure without end.

Then turn around.

Jahannam ( Hell)

Fire.

Scorching, fierce than earthly one 

Scalding water.

Burning skin.

Chains.

Thirst that refuses to disappear.

And regret arriving when there is no longer any route to escape.

Smile 😊 it sends fear down to your spine abi? 

Wait.

I'm not done.

There are other people with their own ideas of what happens after we die.

Àwon Omo léyìn Jésù

They also paint a picture of an afterlife divided between eternal life with God and eternal separation from Him.

Heaven.

A place where death has finally lost its job.

No funeral.

No hospital bed.

No crying mother standing over a grave.

No sickness eating away at the body.

No more tears.

The Bible describes a new heaven as a new earth, where God dwells with His people. 

Death is no more.

Mourning is no more.

Pain is no more.

Imagine waking up and discovering that nothing you love can ever be taken from you again.

Then turn around.

Here you go!

Hell.

It becomes darker.

Fire.

Darkness.

Weeping.

Grinding and gnashing of teeth.

A place of punishment and separation from God.

The Bible speaks of a lake of fire and describes a final judgment in which those whose names are not found in the Book of Life are cast into it.

No pity.

No second chance.

No negotiating.

No “I will change tomorrow.”

Just the terrifying realization that tomorrow has finally run out.

Now smile again. 

Or don't.

Because if you think these two are frightening enough, wait until you hear what other religions and cultures have imagined waiting for us on the other side.

Then the question of the authenticity of heaven and hell birthed multitude of questions in my mind

What if we have been asking the wrong question?

What if heaven and hell aren't places?

Has anyone been there and returned with concrete proof? 

Is there a proof?

Can we truly know or just believe?

What if they are something else entirely?

How could God create us and still cast his handworks into fire?

Yes, he left us with options to choose and freewill, but why did he create us feeble and vulnerable?

Is it fair to suffer eternally?

Abi Is the concept of heaven and hell a tale to control humanity?

The Spirit of wonranwonran was about to give me answers

Then a knock landed on my door.

Ola, Ola, wake up. It's time for morning devotion,” Mum in Gombe voice floated from outside 

My favourite spirit fled.

And I jerked back into reality.

@Àdùní