Heaven, Hell, and the Struggles of the Human Mind: Reflections on John Milton's Paradise Lost

Week 15 of Being 31

Is this the region, this the soil, the clime, Said then the lost Archangel, this the seat That we must change for Heaven? this mournful gloom For that celestial light? Be it so, since he Who now is Sovran can dispose and bid What shall be right: farthest from him is best Whom reason hath equaled, force hath made supreme Above his equals. Farewell happy fields Where joy for ever dwells: hail horrors, hail Infernal world, and thou profoundest Hell Receive thy new possessor: one who brings A mind not to be changed by place or time. The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. What matter where, if I be still the same, And what I should be, all but less than he Whom thunder hath made greater? Here at least We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” - Book 1, Paradise Lost, by John Milton

I have long wanted to read John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and this week during my drive to Phoenix, Arizona, I was finally able to read it. It did not disappoint; the book is known as an Epic Poem, and it was first published in 1667. There are many things within its pages that do not align with the Biblical story, such as the moment of the fall and the deception of Eve, which is portrayed as Eve being found alone by Satan and then deceived. Later, she finds Adam and convinces him to join her in the eating of the forbidden fruit.

There are many such small details within the book, but if you know these errors, then you can still read this book and enjoy the epic that it is. It describes in beautiful poetic form the story of creation, the fall of Satan from his heavenly place, and his vengeful hatred of God’s new creature, mankind. It describes the desires of the demons of hell, which willfully followed their master in rebellion against their creature. There are many lines within the book that gave me reason to pause and think of the truth of the words written. The focus of my writing this morning will be to meditate on the truth of the words written.

As I read these words, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the anxiety of depression that rules much of the Western mind. According to recent data, about 20.78% of adults in the United States experience a mental illness, which equates to over 50 million people. Anxiety disorders are particularly prevalent, with specific types affecting varying percentages of the population: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (3.1%), Panic Disorder (2.7%), and Social Anxiety Disorder (7.1%)​ (ADAA)​​ (Mental Health America)​​ (Mental Health America). Depression is also significant, with reports indicating that around 8.4% of U.S. adults had at least one major depressive episode in 2020. Furthermore, over 15% of adults in the U.S. experience a substance use disorder, often concurrently with other mental health issues​ (Mental Health America)​​ (USA.edu). The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these conditions, leading to a marked increase in anxiety and depression. Screening data from Mental Health America showed a 634% rise in anxiety screens and an 873% rise in depression screens since the start of the pandemic​ (Mental Health America).

The reality is that depression and anxiety are the results of our minds being a place of personal hell rather than of heavenly peace. Milton’s words were not referring to this reality but it was something that came to mind for me. But there is a deeper truth here. As I understand it, Milton is referring here to Satan, who saw heaven as hell. However, he was in perfect paradise; he became discontent within his mind and thus rebelled against God because he was not willing to submit himself to the will of God. So, too, we, as human beings today, make a hell of living within the boundaries of God. We continuously commit the sin of Satan, believing that we can redefine the boundaries established by God, or better yet, we believe that we should be able to live without any boundaries, believing that we can find happiness when we live a life with no moral or religious restrictions.

This is the will of the modern mind: “Do what thou wilt,” an idea that was penned by Alister Crowley, a man who was obsessed with the occult and wrote a book called “The Book of the Law” which he said was dictated to him by a spirit through his wife who was in a trance. This same man would inspire many modern occult religions, including the church of satan and Wicca. And even if many moderns would not confess to being Satanists, they do live by its primary principle, the principle of living a life committed to their own law. They are unwilling to commit their life or minds to the will of God; they instead want to be free to practice whatever forms of sexuality they deem fit for their life. They have no interest in subjecting themselves to any rules, and they are unwilling to deny themselves anything. In this, they deny themselves the peace of heaven because they have managed to convince themselves instead that heaven is hell, and hell has become heaven.

Many, many years ago, I was trying to witness a young woman named Stormy. As I spoke to her, she told me that she wasn’t interested in going to heaven. I was so confused by this statement that I asked her why. She then explained to me that she wasn’t interested because heaven sounded boring. She said she didn’t want to be in heaven with all the goody-to-shoes. She preferred the idea of hell, where she could indulge in the things she had learned to define as heavenly. She had learned to see drinking, partying, smoking, and living a life of hedonistic pleasures as her heaven. As I look back on this conversation, I can understand and even empathize with her mindset. There have been and even now continue to be moments in my own life where I have seen the appeal of embracing the desires of the flesh. The reality is that there is something deeply appealing in the idea of embracing a lifestyle where I don’t have to deny myself anything and can instead simply “do as I will.” Yet, it is in this seductive lie that I make the ideas of hell look like heaven. Since that moment of the fall, we have become a creature bent not on things heavenly, but instead, we are bent toward hell. Our natural desires, if left unrestrained lead us always to our own destruction.

The way I have been best able to imagine this idea is that we are like a boulder set upon a hill. At the bottom of this hill lies hell, and at the top lies heaven. And so, from the moment of birth, we find that we are inclined toward hell. We desire the promises of freedom that lie there. And we, as the boulder, can do nothing to stop ourselves from descending toward the depths of hell. It is only by the grace and will of God that He (Jesus) comes to our rescue, and He begins to gently help us to ascend the hill. The hand of God only stops us from continuing the roll away from Him. Yet this assent is not easy. It is hard, even as the hand of God leads us, because our spirit yet hungers to continue to descend. We naturally hunger for this world; we hunger to be our own masters; we hunger to be gods unto ourselves, and we share the hunger that drove Satan from his place in heaven. This hunger was given to us with the eating of that which was forbidden. The thing forbidden not to deny us anything good, but to protect us from ourselves and our desires.

These are the words of Satan in Milton’s book, and I think it rings true for many of us today. We, too, want to reign as masters, being subject only to our own rules. We would often rather reign in hell, which we have convinced ourselves is actually heaven, than serve in heaven, which we see as hell.

Reading this book was a convicting revelation of heart and mind. I want to want those things that are good. I want to want and hunger for the things of God with the same ease that I find I hunger for the things of this world. Yet, it is not something that we will be free of in this world. We have inherited an appetite for the things of this world, and though we can, with time and grace, train that appetite to crave the things of heaven, we will never truly be free of them while we are here. It reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 7: 15-20 NIV.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

Reading these verses in Romans, I find myself encouraged that I am not the only one who wrestles with these desires, with an appetite for the things of this world. We all have a craving for a variety of things found in this world, and each of us struggles with these cravings to differing degrees. None of us is free from them entirely. One may struggle with the material of this world, another with sexual desires outside the boundaries of God’s design, and yet another with pride. For me, it is important thing to remember these weaknesses so that I can empathize with those who struggle with things different than what I do.

Do me a favor and send some prayers my way. I am headed to Utah for a mission trip. I hope you all have a blessed week whenever and wherever this post finds you.