Does hell always last forever?

[JohnClay]

I had another experience of synchronicity like I've had with Maundy Thursday songs:

Hearing songs with seemingly supernatural significance

It involved a guest Baptist pastor and apologist that had preached about the problem of suffering.

After the service I asked him what involves the biggest problem I have with Christianity - whether hell lasts forever for the unsaved - or whether there is "conditional immortality".

It turned out that not only did he believe in conditional immortality, he studied it for his master's thesis!

A related video from him:
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I talked about my involvement with a historical vs mythical Jesus Facebook group and he was very familiar with Richard Carrier and Robert Price (who both believe that Jesus never existed)

I was wondering what Christians here believe - do you think conditional immortality is true (that not everyone is immortal) or if hell lasts forever. If hell lasts forever do you see a problem reconciling that to God being infinitely loving?

 

[hedrick]

Please try this again in Controversial Christian Theology, or report the posting and ask them to most your posting there. This topic can't be discussed here.

 

[devin553344]

I had another experience of synchronicity like I've had with Maundy Thursday songs:

Hearing songs with seemingly supernatural significance

It involved a guest Baptist pastor and apologist that had preached about the problem of suffering.

After the service I asked him what involves the biggest problem I have with Christianity - whether hell lasts forever for the unsaved - or whether there is "conditional immortality".

It turned out that not only did he believe in conditional immortality, he studied it for his master's thesis!

A related video from him:
{{ $root.seo.headTitle }}

I talked about my involvement with a historical vs mythical Jesus Facebook group and he was very familiar with Richard Carrier and Robert Price (who both believe that Jesus never existed)

I was wondering what Christians here believe - do you think conditional immortality is true (that not everyone is immortal) or if hell lasts forever. If hell lasts forever do you see a problem reconciling that to God being infinitely loving?

I beleive the lake of fire is forever unless you're saved by God from it. But there is a spirit prison that Jesus preached to, and why preach unless to save them:

1 Peter 3:19

"by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison"

 

[Basil the Great]

Please try this again in Controversial Christian Theology, or report the posting and ask them to most your posting there. This topic can't be discussed here.

It is interesting that the topic cannot be discussed under the Exploring Christianity section. After all, the Nicene Creed is what this website is supposed to be based upon and the Nicene Creed did not address the topic.

 

[SkyWriting]

whether hell lasts forever for the unsaved

Hell for the unsaved ends. There is no "time" in the spiritual realm.

 

[DennisTate]

I heard years ago that the word translated "forever" from Hebrew really means.....until the end of conditions last.

For example... being in a condition of being unwilling to forgive others..... would need to change.

I had another experience of synchronicity like I've had with Maundy Thursday songs:

Hearing songs with seemingly supernatural significance

It involved a guest Baptist pastor and apologist that had preached about the problem of suffering.

After the service I asked him what involves the biggest problem I have with Christianity - whether hell lasts forever for the unsaved - or whether there is "conditional immortality".

It turned out that not only did he believe in conditional immortality, he studied it for his master's thesis!

A related video from him:
{{ $root.seo.headTitle }}

I talked about my involvement with a historical vs mythical Jesus Facebook group and he was very familiar with Richard Carrier and Robert Price (who both believe that Jesus never existed)

I was wondering what Christians here believe - do you think conditional immortality is true (that not everyone is immortal) or if hell lasts forever. If hell lasts forever do you see a problem reconciling that to God being infinitely loving?

 

[Jeshu]

I had another experience of synchronicity like I've had with Maundy Thursday songs:

Hearing songs with seemingly supernatural significance

It involved a guest Baptist pastor and apologist that had preached about the problem of suffering.

After the service I asked him what involves the biggest problem I have with Christianity - whether hell lasts forever for the unsaved - or whether there is "conditional immortality".

It turned out that not only did he believe in conditional immortality, he studied it for his master's thesis!

A related video from him:
{{ $root.seo.headTitle }}

I talked about my involvement with a historical vs mythical Jesus Facebook group and he was very familiar with Richard Carrier and Robert Price (who both believe that Jesus never existed)

I was wondering what Christians here believe - do you think conditional immortality is true (that not everyone is immortal) or if hell lasts forever. If hell lasts forever do you see a problem reconciling that to God being infinitely loving?

Hell is best understood as the place where people's own actions take them. God didn't create hell to punish people, the people themselves created hell by the untruthful and loveless lives they have lived. The idea that God throws people in hell body and soul is therefore a fallacy - rather people get themselves into a hellish existential reality by the ungodly/untrue and godless/loveless decisions they have made down here. In no way is God to blame for that, for such people have died in all their God given good life (Acts 18:28) and turned what was good and righteously made by God into bad and made what was lovely ugly. (Isaiah 57:1-3)

The truth is that God can get them out of there through Jesus Christ, who suffered their evil deeds to the extreme, but people refuse to love and adhere to Him, loving wrong more than right, and so perish to damnation for that is their true self image.

So ultimately i believe in our God given good life Christ saved all people, (1 Timothy 4:9-10,) while in their bad life all people will perish. (Daniel 12:1-3, Hebrews 4:12-13, Revelation 20:11-15) That is a good thing and not a bad thing surely? So yes i believe in an eternal hell and a perfectly loving God for no one of us is going back to pick our bad life up again after we have received our good life back again we will gladly leave such crappy selves burning forever.

Peace.

Peace.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[joshua 1 9]

whether hell lasts forever for the unsaved

At the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ death and hell are cast into the lake of fire. This is called the second death. We are really not told what the second death is. The theme of fire is all the way through the Bible from beginning to end. Fire either purify s and refines, or fire can destroy. There seems to be two kinds of fire. In the world today fire as a destructive force seems to be on a whole new level. Esp in the fires we have seen in California: this is fire fueled by almost tornado level winds.

At first the world was cleansed with water, now the world is being cleansed with fire. Gold, silver, pottery, glass, food is refined - purified and made better by fire. Wood, hay and stubble is consumed by fire.

"If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames" 1cor3:12-15)

 

[timewerx]

Hell lasts for eternity

But being destroyed in hell is only fleeting. This how I understand it in the Bible.

Our world could also be hell.

 

[com7fy8]

I was wondering what Christians here believe - do you think conditional immortality is true (that not everyone is immortal) or if hell lasts forever. If hell lasts forever do you see a problem reconciling that to God being infinitely loving?

The Bible says there is hell and torment. And I am satisfied God would not have it if it could be avoided. Why, then, is there hell?

"the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (in Ephesians 2:2) >

This spirit of Satan and selfishness is the most horrible being, and God who is good did not bring this nasty vile cruel anti-love spirit into existence, in my opinion. And it will stay in existence. But it is love-dead . . . not "immortal" like how God is alive in love, but it will continue in a conscious but love-dead existence.

And God is creative and organized; so He has evil in organized activity, but the spirit of evil is on its way to a holding place for eternity. And there are humans voluntarily continuing to refuse Jesus and to stay in Satan's disobedient spirit; so they certainly can go where their selfish spirit will go, unless they deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Jesus > Luke 9:23.

So, God has this spirit of evil organized in the form of Satan and humans who are selfish, and these sewer buckets are carrying the filth of selfishness to the flaming sewer. And that stuff won't go out of existence; so hell will always be needed.

But Jesus is God's own Son, the one most perfectly wonderful and kind Being of love in human form; and Jesus is so superior yet so unconceited that He came to this earth to reach us and share with us and save us "from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). But because of how Satan's spirit can effect people's character, those people were able to hate and torture and murder Jesus who is so loving and kind and real and pure > this proves how horrible the spirit of evil is, indeed so anti-love. So, God will have it and its forms carrying it go to where it belongs.

So, it is good to read and feed on all the good which the Bible says God desires to share with us. One needs to first trust in Jesus, then seek God for however He corrects us and grows us in love so we can so share with Him as His family for all eternity.

You can see how this evil world is making a major project of calling our attention elsewhere, because this is how unreasonable and cruelly hateful Satan's kingdom is to humans. So, that stuff and people holding on to it will have their own place.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[66 Books]

@JohnClay Thank you for your interest in Christianity and especially in such a topic As far as I would know, the Bible reveals there was a hell created and there still is a hell. God declares in His Word that hell was "prepared for the devil and his angels" -Matt. 25:41. And it is described with "everlasting fire" "where the worm does not die" and "outer darkness."

Knowing hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, the question is then, why do people end up there? It is a very hard question to answer because there are real people suffering there regardless, however, I believe that because as much as a righteous judge uses jail and fines to punish criminals so hell is needed to punish us because after all, it was first to design to punish the fallen and rebellious angels.

Although God is good and beyond our wildest imagination and so is His amazing love. He still is a righteous Judge and will bring every deed into account at judgment day. For it is appointed for men once to die and after that the judgment. And as criminals are not judged base on their good deeds, so will the unrepentant sinner be judged not on their goodness but their badness. Every idle word, gossip, slander, every bit of evil thought, yea even those exceedingly perverted lustful thought that men hid in their heart will be brought out in that day "for there is nothing hidden that will not be made known" and "everything is laid bare before the eyes of Him whom we must all give account".

But praise God who gives us redemption and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Still being Holy and Righteous He must still punish sin and will hate sin, how long will this last? How long will He hate your sins and my sins? As long as He is God. As long as He is God, there will always be hell. Of course, He still loves you, hard to believe right? I know, but it's true. But He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to take your place as judgment so that you don't have to face all of that punishment, which will come and has come because He said "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God".

When you repent, turn and forsake, your sins, and turn to Jesus Christ, who is always near you and with you even now. He hears you and will save you as you cry out unto Him. Friend, I believe that all mankind is evil, no one can save but Christ. It is not a matter of being good enough to make heaven and avoid hell, but being raised up from death and into life. Christ came to reveal the love of God and the Father. I invite you even if you do not believe yet in this Christ, call upon Him to reveal Himself to you. If He is real, He will hear you and will show Himself, if He is like every other religion and is like idols, nothing will happen.

 

[JohnClay]

...your post...

Hi I didn't mean to ask how long hell itself lasts, but how long the unsaved last there. I think the Bible says the devil and his angels will suffer eternally because they are naturally immortal.

 

[66 Books]

Hi I didn't mean to ask how long hell itself lasts, but how long the unsaved last there. I think the Bible says the devil and his angels will suffer eternally because they are naturally immortal.

So are we, for "He has put eternity in their hearts". Which means, every single person that "died" is actually "alive", either in eternal bliss or eternal damnation.

 

[JohnClay]

So are we, for "He has put eternity in their hearts". Which means, every single person that "died" is actually "alive", either in eternal bliss or eternal damnation.

There's also Genesis 3:22

 

[66 Books]

There's also Genesis 3:22

yes, I see your point, it does look like it contradicts the rest of the Bible. But I believe He was talking about our flesh, our body, that's why He said "the man". In the book of Genesis, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all died in the flesh indeed. But Jesus gave us the story about Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man, and Abraham was found still alive, though not in the physical realm but what is a picture of the afterlife. You seem very interested, please have a look for yourself in Luke 16:24-31 I still enjoy your interest and questions, some can be indeed hard and hard to answer as well. Good luck John

 

[Not David]

God's love is hell for the wicked.