“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Heb. 9:27)
Legendary theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author, Stephen Hawking is dead. He stepped from time into eternity at his home in Cambridge, England, Wednesday, March 14, at the age of 76, “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” his children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim, said in a statement to the press. “He was a great scientist, and an extraordinary man, whose work and legacy will live on for many years.”
As Hawking was a great scientist, so he was a great skeptic. Though he met with religious leaders during his lifetime, including Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, Hawking affirmed his belief during interviews that there was no need for a creator, for science has replaced God. During an interview with El Mundo in 2014, Hawking said, ““Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by ‘we would know the mind of God’ is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isn’t. I’m an atheist.”
Because of his avowed atheism, it is intriguing to postulate what Stephen Hawking believes today about God, having now met Him. Using a little sanctified imagination, the initial confrontation between the creature and his Creator might have gone something like this.
The Place: Heaven
The Time: Wednesday, 1:00 PM, March 14, 2018
The Defendant: Stephen William Hawking, born January 8, 1942
The Presiding Judge: Jesus Christ the Righteous One
The Charge: Atheism
In the audience: William “Billy” Franklin Graham, Jr. who arrived in heaven February 21, 2018
Opening Scene: The Judge has opened the Book of Life, and is staring intently at it.
Courtroom Bailiff: “The defendant will arise and approach the bench.”
Jesus Christ: “I see that your name is not recorded in the Book of Life. Why not?”
Stephen Hawking: “Because I did not believe you existed. I am astonished that I am here now.”
Jesus Christ: “You are here because time is short, death is real, and judgment is certain. You are here to be sentenced for what you have said, and done in your body.”
Stephen Hawking: “My body was wracked with pain for most of my life.”
Jesus Christ: “I know. I am the One who has made man’s mouth, and the One makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind. I made you Stephen.”
Stephen Hawking: “I never complained about how I was made, or the infirmities I suffered. My affliction gave me more time to think.”
Jesus Christ: “You have done a lot of thinking in your life. I have read with interest your book, A Brief History of Time. You came close to acknowledging My existence when you asked rhetorically, ‘Is the unified theory so compelling that it brings about its own existence?’ But then, in the same book, you suggested that My existence was not necessary to explain the origin of the universe. My question to you is this. ‘Would you like to elaborate on how you came to believe all life evolved by chance?’”
Stephen Hawking: “To be honest, I began with the presuppositional belief that you are simply the figment of the imagination of needy people. I then proceeded to another presuppositional concept, that all that is can be explained by natural causes. Like so many other scientists of like persuasion, I followed the principle of methodological naturalism. All natural objects and phenomena can be understood and explained by natural mechanisms and natural causes.”
Jesus Christ: “Did you find any limitations to these presuppositional beliefs?”
Stephen Hawking: “No, I did not. To my final moment on earth I sincerely believed in the theory of everything being understood by natural phenomena.”
Jesus Christ: “In just a few minutes you will have eternity to continue to contemplate your sincere beliefs, however misguided. I will not argue with you Mr. Hawking, but I will point out that your presuppositions limit your thinking and thus your celebrated imagination, for this simple reason. Methodological naturalism may be sufficient for observable science, or science which can be tested and repeated, but it is not sufficient to explain the unobservable and unrepeatable of living things. Your scientific philosophy can explain the structure of your human eye, but it cannot explain how you came to have an eye. I will tell you this, the eye was my idea. So was the universe, which you cannot explain, though I know you have spent a lifetime in search of an explanation. You should have read your Bible, Mr. Hawking. The answers to all of your questions are found in Genesis. Specifically, consider Genesis 1:1, ‘in the beginning God’, now that you know I do exist. Our time is up, Mr. Hawking. I have weighted your life, and your thoughts, in the balances of divine justice and pronounce judgement on you. Bailiff, please read the verdict.”
The Verdict is Read: “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Stephen Hawking has spent a lifetime declaring there is no God, and leading countless other souls away from the Creator. For this treason against reason, and God, he is sentenced to eternal separation. He is sentenced to a place where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, but no repentance. He is sentenced to a place the Lord God Almighty made for the Devil and his angels. The sentenced is now passed. The court is adjourned. Holy Angels can now take the defendant away to his own place.”
The Court Reporter: “Mr. Billy Graham, before you leave, the Judge noticed your presence, and would like a word with you at the sidebar. This way, if you please.”
Billy Graham: “My Lord and My God, Jesus Christ. I have longed to be in your presence.”
Jesus Christ: “Hello Billy. I know you waited a long time to be here, almost one hundred years. I just wanted to say again, welcome to heaven. Well done thou good and faithful servant. Well done. Had Stephen Hawking believed the message you preached of my love and forgiveness, he would not be dismissed from my presence. But, he would not believe and be saved. Such a waste, such a waste.”
The Judge Exists
While Courtroom is Emptying: An unknown heavenly spectator is overheard saying to a friend: “I went to a lecture by Stephen Hawking. I will never forget him saying, ‘I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.’ Today, Stephen Hawking knows he was wrong. Eternally wrong. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Scheduled to Appear on the Judgment Day Calendar: Date to be Determined
Joy Behar
