Eternal Conscious Hell Fire is completely Justified

do you believe in a literal eternal hell fire?


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Verv

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What do you base that on? That is an awful large claim you are making; can you prove it? Or is this something you just made up.

I have to admit that I have never been omnipotent/omniscient, so I do not know if this imbues moral perfection. I imagine that it does. Do you dispute that?

I have also found that, as I have become more intelligent (not to say that I am intelligent), some of my more gaping flaws have gone away, and I have learned more about what it means to be wise and to be good... Of course, I do not always do it that way, but I find that I have improved as a person through learning.

So, I connect my flaws either to ignorance, or to lack of will to do good, which is perhaps its own form of ignorance because it involves underestimating the worth of doing good...

What do you think of that reasoning?

Will this be the case in Heaven? Will everybody be completely programmed and have massive aspects of their will completely removed in order to keep them morally perfect? Or will people in Heaven still have the option to sin.

People in heaven will still be capable of committing sin, and will still have the option, as I understand it to be. Fr. Josiah Trenham recently preached on this and he has stated that he believes moral growth continues in heaven.

However, because we will be enlightened and think in a different way (so I believe), and beause we will also have dissolved the frail bodies that we have which imbue upon us many sources of anger and sin, it is likely that the inclinations to sin and the nature of our behavior itelf will have probably shifted.

We are in the heavy speculation zone, heed you, but I am confident this can be defended.


It would be far better to be made a robot, programed to do good, and have absolutely no free will for 80 years while on earth, and spend eternity in Heaven, than to be given free will for 80 years which leads to eternity in Hell.

But does a robot have a consciousness and a dialog to even enjoy these things?

We imagine that they do have something like this... but without "bad," how is "good" even processed?
 
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Ken-1122

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I have to admit that I have never been omnipotent/omniscient, so I do not know if this imbues moral perfection. I imagine that it does. Do you dispute that?
Yes

I have also found that, as I have become more intelligent (not to say that I am intelligent), some of my more gaping flaws have gone away, and I have learned more about what it means to be wise and to be good... Of course, I do not always do it that way, but I find that I have improved as a person through learning.
So, I connect my flaws either to ignorance, or to lack of will to do good, which is perhaps its own form of ignorance because it involves underestimating the worth of doing good...

What do you think of that reasoning?
I suspect your lack of flaws are the result of maturity. If learning equalled less flaws, smart people would be less flawed than those who learn slower, and that has not been shown to be the case.

People in heaven will still be capable of committing sin, and will still have the option, as I understand it to be. Fr. Josiah Trenham recently preached on this and he has stated that he believes moral growth continues in heaven.

However, because we will be enlightened and think in a different way (so I believe), and beause we will also have dissolved the frail bodies that we have which imbue upon us many sources of anger and sin, it is likely that the inclinations to sin and the nature of our behavior itelf will have probably shifted.

We are in the heavy speculation zone, heed you, but I am confident this can be defended.
For God to expect a sinner who constantly sins, ask for forgiveness only to sin again, to all of a sudden decide to quit sinning once he gets to Heaven is as naive as it would be for me to expect my cheating girlfriend to all of a sudden quit sleeping around once I marry her.

But does a robot have a consciousness and a dialog to even enjoy these things?
Who cares! As long as we don't gotta go to Hell!

We imagine that they do have something like this... but without "bad," how is "good" even processed?
the same way it’s processed in Heaven
 
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holo

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I am an alcoholic -- I just finished a year sober, and I have gone back to drinking moderately (Yes, I know, that is probably a recipe for disaster).
Great to hear that!

I'm not going to bash the AA approach as I know it helps a lot of people, but I'm very skeptical about the "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic" idea. In my view and experience (I used to have a drug problem) it can be just as harmful as it is helpful. If you keep telling yourself you're an alcoholic, don't be surprised if you act like one. Same thing in church, really: if you keep repeating you're a sinner, you're going to act as one. If on the other hand you focus on the fact you're righteous, chances are you'll act like a saint. That's my experience anyway, and I think it's what the bible says in several ways: as a man thinks, so he is. Peter walked on water like Christ when he looked on him rather than himself. Paul says we are transformed into Christ's image when we look on him. The prodigal son was never not his father's son, he just acted as if he wasn't because he didn't know better. Etc etc.

However, I do think that addicts & alcoholics have free will (I am open to the idea that there might be an absolutely extreme case where there isn't much in the way of free will)... It's simply a matter of them having disordered priorities.
We often want two contradicting things at the same time. It's almost as if we all have multiple personalities. When I'm skeptical of the idea of free will I don't mean just that we tend to act against our better knowing, but that even what we want isn't something we choose.

My favourite colour is green. Can I choose to like yellow better? I don't see how. Maybe I could at least want to want to prefer yellow. Nope, don't see how I could choose to want something. I can't even choose to want to want to want something. But not having a truly free will doesn't mean I act every impulse and desire. But that's just because there are other, competing impulses and desires. I have one desire to eat snacks, and another desire to be healthy. I didn't choose to have any of those desires, they're just there (for all sorts of reasons, none of which have to do with free will as far as I can tell). So when I'm faced with the choice between a chocolate bar and the treadmill, the question is only which desire is strongest in that moment.

Or to put it another way: we always do what we want.

It is definitely true that we do not make choices out of thin air, and some are definitely born at a massive disadvantage, but I think it is not actually unique to have a lot of theological thoguths justifying the weaknesses of others.
I think if we could see all the reasons why people do what they do, we wouldn't condemn anybody for anything.

This makes me think, though, of Romans 5:3-5:

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Suffering can be a powerful way to become enlightened in many ways. But I think if we confuse that with having to pay for our sins (as in, Jesus took part of the punishment and we have to do the rest) we're at odds with the bible or at least the first Christians.

So your interpretation is right -- and may you one day be a very fine Saint.
In a way I think we are all innocent in that we're not ultimately in control of the things that shape us. But in practice, in everyday life, I'm pretty judgmental, especially toward myself. So I try to practice seeing every thing as interconnected and interdependent, it can be very enlightening and liberating. And I keep a small hope that there is some God out there who wants us all to be true saints and will make sure that we become it some day:pray:
 
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Verv

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I suspect your lack of flaws are the result of maturity. If learning equalled less flaws, smart people would be less flawed than those who learn slower, and that has not been shown to be the case.

I would say that intelligence includes wisdom...

Or, one could say that wisdom, at least, qualifies as a form of intelligence...

And, perhaps, omniscience would also mean omnisapient (wow the Latin root actually works out for this -- sapient does mean 'wise' or clever in discernment).

I also have to be frank here... It might not be the politically correct thing to say, but I would imagine that the average person of higher intelligence is more moral than the average person of lower intelligence, and the fact that this is seen as discriminatory towards slow learners is actually relevant as to the overall truth value.

For God to expect a sinner who constantly sins, ask for forgiveness only to sin again, to all of a sudden decide to quit sinning once he gets to Heaven is as naive as it would be for me to expect my cheating girlfriend to all of a sudden quit sleeping around once I marry her.

Right, but in Orthodox thought, God burns away a measure of our impurities in the final judgment.

Moreover, we believe that our spirit bodies will be perfect and behave in a way that is superior to the bodies that we have now. There's grounds to believe that, say, the sexual sins that we have, or the inclinations potentially toward anger that may be caused by our biochemistry or mental flaws, will be gone.

A boy I grew up with was in a car accident at 17 and cannot walk. It is a big accomplishment for him to stand up fully. He also experienced brain dramage that resulted in his speech and thought processes sometimes not being clear. We believe his body upon resurrection will be healed, right...

So our inclinations towards baser sins, if we are faithful and repentant, may perhaps be cleared up to some degree. Of course, this comes off as speculative, but it makes sense to me.

I have heard people say that their addictions have been taken away or largely cured by God. Why not in the afterlife?

Who cares! As long as we don't gotta go to Hell!
...
the same way it’s processed in Heaven

But we still have free will in heaven. It is the fact that we have correctly chosen and worked to make ourselves better during our time on Earth that ensures that we will not commit flagrant sins before God.

You know, it can be said that Satan had free will in the Kingdom of God, did He not?
 
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Verv

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Great to hear that!

I'm not going to bash the AA approach as I know it helps a lot of people, but I'm very skeptical about the "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic" idea. In my view and experience (I used to have a drug problem) it can be just as harmful as it is helpful. If you keep telling yourself you're an alcoholic, don't be surprised if you act like one. Same thing in church, really: if you keep repeating you're a sinner, you're going to act as one. If on the other hand you focus on the fact you're righteous, chances are you'll act like a saint. That's my experience anyway, and I think it's what the bible says in several ways: as a man thinks, so he is. Peter walked on water like Christ when he looked on him rather than himself. Paul says we are transformed into Christ's image when we look on him. The prodigal son was never not his father's son, he just acted as if he wasn't because he didn't know better. Etc etc.

We often want two contradicting things at the same time. It's almost as if we all have multiple personalities. When I'm skeptical of the idea of free will I don't mean just that we tend to act against our better knowing, but that even what we want isn't something we choose.

My favourite colour is green. Can I choose to like yellow better? I don't see how. Maybe I could at least want to want to prefer yellow. Nope, don't see how I could choose to want something. I can't even choose to want to want to want something. But not having a truly free will doesn't mean I act every impulse and desire. But that's just because there are other, competing impulses and desires. I have one desire to eat snacks, and another desire to be healthy. I didn't choose to have any of those desires, they're just there (for all sorts of reasons, none of which have to do with free will as far as I can tell). So when I'm faced with the choice between a chocolate bar and the treadmill, the question is only which desire is strongest in that moment.

Or to put it another way: we always do what we want.

I think if we could see all the reasons why people do what they do, we wouldn't condemn anybody for anything.

Suffering can be a powerful way to become enlightened in many ways. But I think if we confuse that with having to pay for our sins (as in, Jesus took part of the punishment and we have to do the rest) we're at odds with the bible or at least the first Christians.

In a way I think we are all innocent in that we're not ultimately in control of the things that shape us. But in practice, in everyday life, I'm pretty judgmental, especially toward myself. So I try to practice seeing every thing as interconnected and interdependent, it can be very enlightening and liberating. And I keep a small hope that there is some God out there who wants us all to be true saints and will make sure that we become it some day:pray:

I agree with and enjoy a lot of the things that you have said here -- this has really been an excellent interaction in the middle of an apologetics debate forum.

Some thoughts...

I. I get what you mean about how we are changeable re: alcoholism. I think, though, it is important to recognize the potential for a return to runaway alcoholism. I think that AA tells people they are permanently alcoholics to warn them of this potential, it's a bit of the "skillful means" thing. I also have no doubt that some believe it to be the case.

II. I began eating dog for a couple years even though I was physically ill the first three times I ate it. I found it to be repulsive that I was eating such an animal... and I wanted to overcome this repulsion if only to prove that I could do so to myself, and to see if dog is objectively good...

Long story short, I eventually was able to eat dog like any other meat, and I found it to be a very decent meat. Not as good as a nice cut of beef, but better than most cuts of pork (minus pork ribs perhaps). But then, again, when I returned to America and visited my family and told them more about this, and saw the family dogs close up... All the reasons to never do this again rushed back at me, and I haven't had a bite of dog in a decade.

Point being: I think we can actually will ourselves to do things and enjoy them...

But I will admit this: we cannot will ourselves to unlike things, but we can will ourselves to like things.

I think this is why repentance is kind of important as a concept... It is hard to imagine not wanting physical contact with a beautiful woman. It is also hard to imagine a 50-year old man saying he objectively prefers his 50-year old wife's beauty compared to the 23 year old supermodel... Yet, this sort of thing can be willed, even if it is not the case in a "state of nature" or is it the "default." And the willed & effort-sustained position is superior to the default reality.
 
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mmksparbud

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use the Bible to quote science? The Bible sir is not a scientific textbook. The Bible does not talk about the law of gravity either. It does not mean that you are not tied to the earth, and not floating in space. The Bible was written for a purpose to relay salvation terms, and attributes of God, but not science. Yes there are some science within the Bible but it is usually an interpretation of the text. For example time, space, and mass the three elements of the time space continuum were created in the first few days, but it does not state it as a scientific thing.

No Kidding. I wasn't looking for a scientific explanation of anything. Your interpretation of science is not something I even vaguely wish to delve into. The bible is not a scientific explanation of anything---they're is explanations of events that are stated clearly and these things you propose as "scientific" are not part of those events. God invented science, it did not create Him. There is nothing about people being put into eternity in any scientific journal. Science by definition, has to be replicated. You can't replicate your theory. It is your opinion. God created time for us in our time--you can believe whatever you want.
 
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holo

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I. I get what you mean about how we are changeable re: alcoholism. I think, though, it is important to recognize the potential for a return to runaway alcoholism. I think that AA tells people they are permanently alcoholics to warn them of this potential, it's a bit of the "skillful means" thing. I also have no doubt that some believe it to be the case.
Again, if the AA approach helps people I'm all for it. But it's easy to get stuck in an ultimately destructive and limiting identity and an all or nothing approach. For some it would be better to start seeing themselves as different persons, born again if you will. But yes, using alcohol or any other drug after having had problematic use, demands you are 100% honest with yourself.

Point being: I think we can actually will ourselves to do things and enjoy them...
Absolutely, to a certain degree. But if you're trying to change your desire, that itself is a desire. So yes, maybe I can desire to desire to desire to desire to desire to prefer white meat over red, but somewhere down that line of cause and effect there will be something other than my free will that determined it. Like if you rewound it, you would find that it ultimately doesn't originate in your mind. Which again means we don't really have free will, it just feels like we do.
 
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holo

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I also have to be frank here... It might not be the politically correct thing to say, but I would imagine that the average person of higher intelligence is more moral than the average person of lower intelligence, and the fact that this is seen as discriminatory towards slow learners is actually relevant as to the overall truth value.
I think it's obvious that things like compassion demands some level of intelligence - you have to be smart enough to recognize the other person as a person, and be able to imagine what they are thinking and feeling. People with severe autism often lack in the ability to do that.

But I'm not sure it's right to say a normal person has better morals, but they are more advanced, able to take more things into consideration.
 
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eleos1954

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No I wouldn't. You are never going to convince me that there is such a thing as thoughtcrime, or that it is worthy of eternal torture.



Ok, let's do some math.

A punishment is just if it fits the crime. As such, eternal torture would require an infinite amount of sin for it to be justified.

Which is completely impossible. It doesn't matter how many sins you try to 'do the math' on. Suppose it's ten thousand a day. Suppose it's a billion. Suppose it's nine hundred octillion. It's all an infinitesimal speck of nothing compared to infinity.

So, no. It's not justified. Nor can it possibly be justified. I'm sure glad that's not my problem.

Although the poster believes in eternal punishment ... this is not what the word of God teaches ... and those who believe this are in error. And yes there are many many who do promote this teaching ... again ... they are in error.

I find it interesting that you being an atheist, instinctively know this is not acceptable ... and you are 100% correct in this regard.
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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Eternal Conscious Hell Fire is completely Justified
I was asked to move this thread, so that atheists could reply so here it is:
Some people can makes sense of annihilation. But when it comes to hell fire, and reading the sheer number of verses in the Gospels (by Christ himself) about "where the worm never dies, and the smoke of their torment." It can be alot to take in initially. I sympathize with that viewpoint. But as we show here, it would be the wrong viewpoint.
I feel that conscious eternal damnation in Hell is justified myself.
see if you had the ability to read every thought of every human, every lie, every deception, every angry word, every hate filled word, and the sheer number of them you would think twice about calling God unjust for eternal hell.

It should be quite obvious that there is an eternal punishment and that universalism is nothing more than a hopeful wish. The Universalists are not justified in picking and choosing the meaning of a word based upon their interpretations of "aion" that suits them and depending on which verse is used.
I'm sorry but anyone who actually believes that eternal torture in hell fire is justified is on the same level as ISIS.
And anyone who teaches this to children should be charged with child abuse.
Lots of O T Hebrew symbolism in the N T.
Maybe some things gets lost in the translations?
============
They say a video is worth a 1000 words

One stop shopping for videos on gehenna, hades, lake of fire, worm never dies, ages, eternal punishment etc.

The Total Victory of Christ Videos

==============================
Revelation 14 shows the smoke of both a people and City:

Revelation 14:
10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of the tormenting<929> of them is ascending into Ages to-Ages. And not they are having Rest/anapausin <372> day and night.
Revelation 19:3 And a second-time they have declared "allelouia and the Smoke of Her is ascending into the Ages of the Ages".

=======================================

Matthew 23:33
"Serpents! offspring<1081> of vipers! how? ye may be fleeing from the judging<2920> of the Gehenna<1067>
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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Eternity does funny things. Any number you can name for the amount of lashes you think the worst sinner deserves, infinity dwarfs it. Infinity dwarfs its double. No matter how justified your initial time in Hell might be (which it isn’t, but that’s a separate angle) that time will eventually expire, and then any additional time you serve (which will also be an eternity) is completely unjustified.

Nahum 3:2 A sound of a whip, and sound of a quaking wheel, and horse galloping, and chariot leaping. A horseman mounting. And blazing sword, and flashing spear, and many wounded and mass of corpses and there is no end to bodies. [Isaiah 28 "scourge"]

John 2:
14 and He found in the temple those selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-changers sitting, 15 and having made a whip of small cords, He put all forth out of the Temple, also the sheep, and the oxen; and of the money-changers he poured out the coins, and the tables he overthrew,
[Nahum 3:2/Reve 18:11-13]

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4127: πληγή
πληγή, πληγῆς, ἡ (πλήσσω), from Homer down; the Sept. chiefly for מַכָּה, also for מַגֵּפָה;
1. a blow, stripe: plural, Luke 10:30; Luke 10:43; Acts 16:23, 33; 2 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 11:23; a wound: ἡ πληγή τοῦ θανάτου, deadly wound (R. V. death-stroke), Revelation 13:3, 12; τῆς μαχαίρας, wound made by a sword (sword-stroke), Revelation 13:14. (On its idiomatic omission (Luke 12:47, etc.) cf. Buttmann, 82 (72); Winer's Grammar, § 64, 4.)

Luke 12:47 `And that servant, who having known his lord's will, and not having prepared, nor having gone according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes],
48 and he who, not having known, and having done things worthy of stripes/blows/plhgwn <4127>, shall be beaten with few; and to every one to whom much was given, much shall be required from him; and to whom they did commit much, more abundantly they will ask of him.
========================
Revelation also uses the word for "stripes/blows" instead of "plagues" as was used in Egypt:

Revelation 6:6
And I hear a voice in midst of the four living-ones saying: "a measure of grain/wheat a denarius and three measures of barleys a denarius, and the oil and the wine no you should be injuring"."


Revelation 15:1 And I saw another sign in the heaven, great and marvelous. Seven Messengers, having the last seven blows/stripes/plhgaV <4127>, that in them is finished the fury of the God.
=======================
The Destruction of Jerusalem - George Peter Holford, 1805AD

The day on which Titus encompassed Jerusalem, was the feast of the Passover

On the appearance of the Roman army, the factious Jews united, and, rushing furiously out of the city repulsed the tenth legion, which was with difficulty preserved. This event caused a short suspension of hostilities, and, by opening the gates, gave an opportunity to such as were so disposed to make their escape.......................


Crux%2Broman_scourge__flagrum__by_romulan64-d9wuigd.jpg
 
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gaara4158

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Nahum 3:2 A sound of a whip, and sound of a quaking wheel, and horse galloping, and chariot leaping. A horseman mounting. And blazing sword, and flashing spear, and many wounded and mass of corpses and there is no end to bodies. [Isaiah 28 "scourge"]

John 2:
14 and He found in the temple those selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-changers sitting, 15 and having made a whip of small cords, He put all forth out of the Temple, also the sheep, and the oxen; and of the money-changers he poured out the coins, and the tables he overthrew,
[Nahum 3:2/Reve 18:11-13]

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4127: πληγή
πληγή, πληγῆς, ἡ (πλήσσω), from Homer down; the Sept. chiefly for מַכָּה, also for מַגֵּפָה;
1. a blow, stripe: plural, Luke 10:30; Luke 10:43; Acts 16:23, 33; 2 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 11:23; a wound: ἡ πληγή τοῦ θανάτου, deadly wound (R. V. death-stroke), Revelation 13:3, 12; τῆς μαχαίρας, wound made by a sword (sword-stroke), Revelation 13:14. (On its idiomatic omission (Luke 12:47, etc.) cf. Buttmann, 82 (72); Winer's Grammar, § 64, 4.)

Luke 12:47 `And that servant, who having known his lord's will, and not having prepared, nor having gone according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes],
48 and he who, not having known, and having done things worthy of stripes/blows/plhgwn <4127>, shall be beaten with few; and to every one to whom much was given, much shall be required from him; and to whom they did commit much, more abundantly they will ask of him.
========================
Revelation also uses the word for "stripes/blows" instead of "plagues" as was used in Egypt:

Revelation 6:6
And I hear a voice in midst of the four living-ones saying: "a measure of grain/wheat a denarius and three measures of barleys a denarius, and the oil and the wine no you should be injuring"."


Revelation 15:1 And I saw another sign in the heaven, great and marvelous. Seven Messengers, having the last seven blows/stripes/plhgaV <4127>, that in them is finished the fury of the God.
=======================
The Destruction of Jerusalem - George Peter Holford, 1805AD

The day on which Titus encompassed Jerusalem, was the feast of the Passover

On the appearance of the Roman army, the factious Jews united, and, rushing furiously out of the city repulsed the tenth legion, which was with difficulty preserved. This event caused a short suspension of hostilities, and, by opening the gates, gave an opportunity to such as were so disposed to make their escape.......................


Crux%2Broman_scourge__flagrum__by_romulan64-d9wuigd.jpg
Are you ok?
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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Eternal Conscious Hell Fire is completely Justified
gradyll said:
I was asked to move this thread, so that atheists could reply so here it is:

It should be quite obvious that there is an eternal punishment
You will actually get conflicting answers from theists on this belief. As a matter of fact, I'm speaking to @Tone at present, in the topic God is Good (post #30). He would seem to disagree with you.

Since the Bible IS truth, the answer should be quite simple. So, is hell eternal, or finite?

I would like to see you two engage, to 'square' the details. Because as far as I'm concerned, it would appear God is 'the author of confusion'.
Yes, the topic of eternal "hellfire" is a "hot" topic among Christians on the Christian Only boards. But this had to be fulfilled:
Luke 12:51 'Think ye that peace I came to give in the earth? no, I say to you, but rather division;
John 10:19 Therefore, again, there came a division among the Jews, because of these words,
Have any ex-Christians/Atheists ever studied on this parable/story in Luke 16 showing a man alive and conscious and being in anguish in a flame of fire?

It appears to be similar to the:
Gehenna
Mat 23:33 'Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of the gehenna?
and the Lake of fire?

[Caveat: As with any commentary, let the reader discern]

Lazarus and the Rich Man - Here a little, there a little - Commentary
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man has been the foundation for many of the erroneous beliefs about "hell" within traditional Christianity......................

So the Messiah first spoke a trio of related parables (the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son) to those gathered around him. They were designed to show the tax collectors and sinners (as well as the Pharisees) that God was concerned for them and that He would seek out the lost and welcome them into His family when they repented and turned back to Him.

The self-righteous Pharisees and scribes, acknowledged by Yeshua as the legitimate religious teachers of the Jews (Matt. 23:1-3), should have been the ones telling these people of God's love for them....However, because of their faith in their own righteousness and their contempt for these tax collectors and sinners who didn't measure up to their standards, the Pharisees and scribes excluded them and considered them accursed (John 7:49).......

Afterward, speaking primarily to his disciples but with the Pharisees (and probably the crowd) still listening in, Yeshua related the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13). The Pharisees, who were "lovers of money" (Luke 16:14), realized that the Messiah was alluding to them with this parable and took offense. They scoffed at Yeshua. The final part of his response to the derision of the Pharisees and scribes was the parable of Lazarus and the rich man.

LUKE 16:24 "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham! have mercy on me! and send Lazarus! that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am being anguished in this flame.' "

The rich man cries out from the symbolic darkness of Hades for comfort because of the suffering caused by the flame. The explanation of the symbolism of the flame will require a little background information.

In Deuteronomy 11 and 28, Moses delineates God's part in His covenant with Israel. Moses told them that if they obeyed God, they would be the most blessed nation on earth. Conversely, if they disobeyed, God promised to curse and eventually destroy them because of their sins.

As the history of Israel in the Tanakh shows, only rarely did they obey God. Although God was patient and forgave them many times when they repented and turned back to Him, eventually He brought about the curses on Israel as He had promised.
=====================
Act 2:31
“he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

 
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LittleLambofJesus

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Eternal Conscious Hell Fire is completely Justified

"Gehenna" is used in relation to total and utter destruction [which a lot of Christian also view as the "lake of fire" in Revelation].

Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
But rather fear Him who is able to destroy<622> both soul and body in Gehenna<1067>. [Revelation 18:13]

Matthew 23:33 "Serpents! offspring<1081> of vipers! how? ye may be fleeing from the judging<2920> of the Gehenna<1067>

G622 apollumi
to destroy; middle, present ἀπόλλυμαι; [imperfect 3 person plural ἀπώλλυντο 1 Corinthians 10:9 T Tr WH]; future ἀπολοῦμαι; 2 aorist ἀπωλόμην; (2 perfect active participle ἀπολωλώς); [from Homer down]; to perish.
1. to destroy i. e. to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to, ruin: Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; Luke 17:27, 29; Jude 1:5; τὴν σοφίαν render useless,

========================
Gehenna - Wikipedia

Gehenna is a small valley in Jerusalem. In the Hebrew Bible, Gehenna was initially where some of the kings of Judah sacrificed their children by fire.[1] Thereafter, it was deemed to be cursed (Book of Jeremiah 7:31, 19:26).[2]

In rabbinic literature Gehenna is a destination of the wicked.[3] This is different from the more neutral Sheol/Hades, the abode of the dead, although the King James Version of the Bible usually translates both with the Anglo-Saxon word "hell".

In the King James Version of the Bible, the term appears 13 times in 11 different verses as Valley of Hinnom, Valley of the son of Hinnom or Valley of the children of Hinnom.

The Valley of Hinnom is the modern name for the valley surrounding Jerusalem's Old City, including Mount Zion, from the west and south. It meets and merges with the Kidron Valley, the other principal valley around the Old City, near the southeastern corner of the city.....................
=
The same word used in Revelation for the "destroyer"........

623.
Apolluon ap-ol-loo'-ohn active participle of 622; a destroyer (i.e. Satan):--Apollyon.

Revelation 9:11
and they have over them a king -- the messenger of the abyss -- a name is to him in Hebrew, Abaddon, and in the Greek he hath a name, Apollyon/destroyer<623>.

Revelation 18:13

and cinnamon, and odours, and ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots,
and of bodies and souls of men.


=======================
Lake of fire - Wikipedia

A lake of fire appears in both ancient Egyptian and Christian religion, as well as in Plato's Gorgias as a place of after-death punishment of the wicked. The phrase is used in five verses of the Book of Revelation. In the biblical context, the concept seems analogous to the Jewish Gehenna, or the more common concept of Hell. The image of the lake of fire was taken up by the early Christian Hippolytus of Rome in about the year 230 and has continued to be used by modern Christians. Prior to Christianity, Plato identified the lake with Tartarus, where the souls of the wicked are tormented until it is time for them to be reborn, and where some souls are left.
 
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createdtoworship

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Eternal Conscious Hell Fire is completely Justified

Lots of O T Hebrew symbolism in the N T.
Maybe some things gets lost in the translations?
============
They say a video is worth a 1000 words

One stop shopping for videos on gehenna, hades, lake of fire, worm never dies, ages, eternal punishment etc.

The Total Victory of Christ Videos

==============================
Revelation 14 shows the smoke of both a people and City:

Revelation 14:
10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of the tormenting<929> of them is ascending into Ages to-Ages. And not they are having Rest/anapausin <372> day and night.
Revelation 19:3 And a second-time they have declared "allelouia and the Smoke of Her is ascending into the Ages of the Ages".

=======================================

Matthew 23:33
"Serpents! offspring<1081> of vipers! how? ye may be fleeing from the judging<2920> of the Gehenna<1067>


Isa 66:24

“And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Mar 9:44
“where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
Mar 9:46
“where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
Mar 9:48
“where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'


Rev 19:20
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev 20:10
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where[fn] the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Rev 20:14
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.[fn]
Rev 20:15
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
yes sir I made a new thread about all of this, but typically I don't debate christians over theology, I think it's divisive and a bad witness to the unbeliever. If you message me the video's you are talking about I would love to research more and debate with you in private messages. There is nothing that you have mentioned that I have not heard before, believe me. This topic brings out the best and the worst.
 
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LittleLambofJesus

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gradyll said:
I was asked to move this thread, so that atheists could reply so here it is:
Some people can makes sense of annihilation. But when it comes to hell fire, and reading the sheer number of verses in the Gospels (by Christ himself) about "where the worm never dies, and the smoke of their torment." It can be alot to take in initially. I sympathize with that viewpoint. But as we show here, it would be the wrong viewpoint.
I feel that conscious eternal damnation in Hell is justified myself.
see if you had the ability to read every thought of every human, every lie, every deception, every angry word, every hate filled word, and the sheer number of them you would think twice about calling God unjust for eternal hell.

It should be quite obvious that there is an eternal punishment and that universalism is nothing more than a hopeful wish. The Universalists are not justified in picking and choosing the meaning of a word based upon their interpretations of "aion" that suits them and depending on which verse is used.
Unquenchable fire, Gehenna, where worm does not die.......Isaiah 66 and Mark 9 are rather sobering passages concerning Israel and Jerusalem.......
Also, the Jewish audience Jesus spoke to about " gehenna" would have known where Jesus was talking about in relation to Jerusalem......

Matthew 23:33 "Serpents! offspring<1081> of vipers! how? ye may be fleeing from the judging<2920> of the Gehenna<1067>

Mat 23:37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!
Luk 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!.............
=====================
Isaiah 66 YLT
YLT)
Isa 66:24

21“And I will select some of them as priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
22“For just as the new heavens and the new earth,c which I will make, will endure before Me,”declares the LORD, “so your descendants and your name will endure. 23From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.
24“As they go forth, they will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched,d and they will be a horror to all mankind.”

Mark 9:
42and whoever may cause to stumble one of the little ones believing in me, better is it for him if a millstone is hanged about his neck, and he hath been cast into the sea.
43‘And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee maimed to enter into the life, than having the two hands, to go away to the gehenna, to the firethe unquenchable44where there worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched. 45‘And if thy foot may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into the life lame, than having the two feet to be cast to the gehenna, to the fire — the unquenchable46where there worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched. 47And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire48where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched;
==================================

=========================================
Pulpit Commentary
This is a knowledge which the redeemed must have, and which may well produce a salutary effect on them, intensifying their gratitude and maintaining in them a spirit of reverent fear.
Their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched (comp. Mark 9:44, 46, 48). It cannot be by chance that the evangelical prophet concludes his glorious prophecy with this terrible note of warning. Either he was divinely directed thus to terminate his teaching, or he felt the need that there was of his emphasizing all the many warnings dispersed throughout his "book" by a final, never-to-be-forgotten picture. The undying worm and the quenchless fire - images introduced by him - became appropriated thenceforth to the final condition of impenitent sinners (Jud. 16:17; Ecclus. 7:17), and were even adopted by our Lord himself in the same connection (Mark 9.). The incongruity of the two images shows that they are not to be understood literally; but both alike imply everlasting continuance, and are incompatible with either of the two modern heresies of universalism or annihilationism. They shall be an abhorring unto all flesh (comp. Daniel 12:2, where the word deraon is rendered "contempt"). The Jewish rabbis regarded it as anomalous that any portion of Scripture should conclude with words of ill omen. When, therefore, this chapter was read in the synagogue, or the last of Ecclesiastes, or Lamentations, or Malachi, they directed that after the reading of the last verse, the last verse but one should he repeated, to correct the sad impression that would otherwise have been left upon the mind. But Isaiah thought it salutary to leave this sad impression (comp. Isaiah 48:22; Isaiah 57:21).
=======================
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
24. And they (the worshippers) shall go forth] to some place in the vicinity of Jerusalem, no doubt the Valley of Hinnom, Nehemiah 11:30; cf. Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16; 2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:32; 2 Kings 23:10. (See below.)

the men that rebelled against me] The apostates so often referred to in the last two chapters.

for their worm shall not die, &c.] (see below) Jdt 16:17; Sir 7:17; Mark 9:44 ff.

an abhorring] The Hebrew word (dçrâ’ôn) occurs again only in Daniel 12:2.

This verse is the basis of the later Jewish conception of Gehenna as the place of everlasting punishment (see Salmond, Christian Doctrine of Immortality, pp. 355–360). Gehenna is the Hebrew Gê-Hinnôm (Valley of Hinnom), the place where of old human sacrifices were offered to Molech (Jeremiah 7:31 f., et passim), and for this reason desecrated by king Josiah (2 Kings 23:10). Afterwards it became a receptacle for filth and refuse, and Rabbinical tradition asserts that it was the custom to cast out unclean corpses there, to be burned or to undergo decomposition...................
==========================
Jer 7:32
“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room.


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Visual Timeline of the Roman-Jewish War ARTchive @ PreteristArchive.com, The Internet's Only Balanced Look at Preterist Eschatology and Preterism
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drich0150

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here's the thing you missed.

Hell is forever as the bible says, however our time in it is limited before we are consumed by it.

So then why would God make hell for ever?
For satan and his inner circle they are the one's who are ear marked to burn forever according to the bible.

Do an honest look at the bible when ever hell and man's souls come up it becomes the destroyer of souls. the second death. burning in hell is only ever describes as the fate of satan and his closest servants/ the beast the antichrist ect...
 
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