Fiery Hell

[Grega]

For all you Bible literalists out there:

I experience pain as a physical human because my human body has pain receptors. If when I die and go to hell (and if your belief is correct then that is indeed where I am going), will your loving God be outfitting my soul with spiritual pain receptors (and teeth to gnash) such that I never miss even the briefest agonising sensation of his righteously created fires of eternal torment?

 

[Emmy]

Dear Grega. You are right, our God is All Love, but He does not send you, or any one else to a fiery pit/destruction. Satan and his followers are destined to eternal damnation and a deserved end, but you and all men and women are free to follow our Saviour back to our original home with God, our Heavenly Father in whose image we were made. What WE must do: Repent, exchange our selfish and wilful character, for a selflessly loving and caring new one. On our own we will never be able to do so, but with the Help and Guidance of Jesus, we will be able to. We have been given many years to become better, and better in loving God, as He deserves to be loved, and wewill love and treat each other, as we would like to be loved and treated by others. Jesus Himself promised us: I am the Life, he, or she, who believes in me, will live forever. It is up to you, Grega, be destroyed with Satan and his followers, or live Life eternal with God and all who want to. I say this humbly and with loving assurance. Greetings from Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[ebia]

A true biblical literalist (if such is possible) wouldn't believe in an eternal existance being non-physical.

 

[Grega]

A true biblical literalist (if such is possible) wouldn't believe in an eternal existance being non-physical.

Then if this is the case, will their (or perhaps your) God lovingly be outfitting me with an eternally non-degradable physical body capable of staying in one piece such that I may suffer with it continuously & forever, or will he actively keep replacing those 'shells' that get burnt out ad-infinitum?

 

[LJSGM]

Acts 24:14-16
15and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

 

[LJSGM]

Then if this is the case, will their (or perhaps your) God lovingly be outfitting me with an eternally non-degradable physical body capable of staying in one piece such that I may suffer with it continuously & forever, or will he actively keep replacing those 'shells' that get burnt out ad-infinitum?

Probably not.

A fire destroys.

That's probably the purpose of it.

Like a big garbage dump.

In fact, that is what Jesus used as an example, the gehenna fire, which was a continuously burning garbage dump.

 

[Grega]

Probably not.

A fire destroys.

That's probably the purpose of it.

Like a big garbage dump.

In fact, that is what Jesus used as an example, the gehenna fire, which was a continuously burning garbage dump.

Hmm...this seems to suggest otherwise:
Mark 9:

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’


It looks like I'm going to be toasted forever like a flame retardant marshmallow. I'm merely curious as to how

 

[LJSGM]

Hmm...this seems to suggest otherwise:
Mark 9:

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’

maggots point to the grave.

there will be no resurrection from it. It will be for eternity.

The fire never goes out, who knows what that means. The gehenna fire was continuously burning as well, but not what was thrown into it.

 

[Grega]

maggots point to the grave.

there will be no resurrection from it. It will be for eternity.

The fire never goes out, who knows what that means. The gehenna fire was continuously burning as well, but not what was thrown into it.

It'd be a bit pointless telling us the fire never goes out and we should gouge our eyes out etc... if we were only to experience it for a few moments! Seems more reasonable to infer that the sensation of that fire and merciless torture will be experienced forever

 

[ebia]

Then if this is the case, will their (or perhaps your) God lovingly be outfitting me with an eternally non-degradable physical body capable of staying in one piece such that I may suffer with it continuously & forever, or will he actively keep replacing those 'shells' that get burnt out ad-infinitum?

Beats me because I'm not sure how one takes a collection of metaphors literally.

48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’

The fire in gehenna "never" goes out - but the individual bits of rubbish thrown on it are burned up in short space of time. Chaff on a winnowing fire (another metaphore used) is gone in quick whosh of flame.

The N.T. is reasonably clear that there is an alternative to being part of God's kingdom, but it only talks about that alternative in metaphore - there is no "literal" way of understanding it (unless one is capable of thinking that people simulaneously become bits of wood, bits of chaff, bits of garbage,...).

 

[LJSGM]

It'd be a bit pointless telling us the fire never goes out and we should gouge our eyes out etc... if we were only to experience it for a few moments! Seems more reasonable to infer that the sensation of that fire will be experienced forever

No, it more likely means that one once thrown in will not escape it, is my thinking.

 

[Grega]

Beats me because I'm not sure how one takes a collection of metaphors literally.

But surely you agree there are some Christians out there who at the very least don't even see such things as 'metaphors'?

 

[LJSGM]

But surely you agree there are some Christians out there who at the very least don't even see such things as 'metaphors'?

I think most of the metaphors are in the book of Revelation.

That does not mean that everything written in Revelation is a metaphor.

 

[Grega]

No, it more likely means that one once thrown in will not escape it, is my thinking.

But that would really be a moot point because we can assume that once I have been thrown into hell there is no escape anyway. Telling me the fires never go out seems to be menacingly implying that I'm going to suffer for a 'long time'

 

[LJSGM]

But that would really be a moot point because we can assume that once I have been thrown into hell there is no escape anyway. Telling me the fires never go out seems to be menacingly implying that I'm going to suffer for a 'long time'

One can not be sure either way.

But it's not something one should make a doctrine out of.

Find me a verse that says directly there will be everlasting suffering/pain/torment. Now that is a challenge.

 

[Grega]

One can not be sure either way.

But it's not something one should make a doctrine out of.

Find me a verse that says directly there will be everlasting suffering/pain/torment. Now that is a challenge.

See, I don't believe any of it of, so I shall leave it to those who do eagerly lick their chops at the thought of us heathens grilling eternally to argue this case.

Suffice it to say that these verses imply very scary indeed and given that there are some horrifically painful ways to die other than being consumed in fire one would expect that if God was trying to scare us he'd be threatening a little bit more than a moments suffering.

I leave it to those who share this view to figure out exactly how this is accomplished by their ever righteous and virtuous God.

 

[ebia]

But surely you agree there are some Christians out there who at the very least don't even see such things as 'metaphors'?

How do you not take chaff thrown on a winnowing fire as a metaphor? Unless one things Jesus is simply making a comment on practical agriculture.

 

[Grega]

How do you not take chaff thrown on a winnowing fire as a metaphor? Unless one things Jesus is simply making a comment on practical agriculture.

maybe not that specific thing, but I expect there are people who (somehow!) believe we grill forever much the same as there are people from your rival religion, that believe they will get 72 virgins in paradise as reward for killing infidels.

I don't understand how anyone can take anything in the Bible seriously let alone take some of it literally. This thread merely assumes a literal never ending burning for such audiences who believe it.
For the rest of you? feel free to kick back knowing it isn't your God being referred to in this thread

 

[Jpark]

For all you Bible literalists out there:

I experience pain as a physical human because my human body has pain receptors. If when I die and go to hell (and if your belief is correct then that is indeed where I am going), will your loving God be outfitting my soul with spiritual pain receptors (and teeth to gnash) such that I never miss even the briefest agonising sensation of his righteously created fires of eternal torment?

This happened to catch my attention.

Luke 16:23 "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

The description leaves no doubt that the rich man was in a place of eternal punishment. (Matthew 5:29-30)

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 tormented in this flame.'

The rich man desired relief from his suffering. (Zechariah 14:12)

Hell is the place of eternal, conscious punishment for the devil and those who die without receiving Christ. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10; Revelation 21:8) Once the unrighteous have died, they cannot enter into heaven. (Luke 16:26) The dead know their fate immediately (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:13) Hades is where the unrighteous dead dwell. Gehenna is the place where the final judgment occurs (Luke 12:5; Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 11:23) We have only one life and one promise of salvation, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:28)The judgment will be based on good character, and the character is revealed by good works. (Matthew 25:33-46)

Matthew 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire (πυρ το αιωνιο&#957 prepared for the devil and his angels:

Defintion for fire

fire, pur; Strong's #4442: fiery, fire.

The Greek text indicates unique and unprecedented sorrow. (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 13:42, 50; Matthew 25:30; Luke 16:23)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment (1 John 4:17), because fear involves torment. (1 John 4:18)

 

[Stinker]

For all you Bible literalists out there:

I experience pain as a physical human because my human body has pain receptors. If when I die and go to hell (and if your belief is correct then that is indeed where I am going), will your loving God be outfitting my soul with spiritual pain receptors (and teeth to gnash) such that I never miss even the briefest agonising sensation of his righteously created fires of eternal torment?

I do not believe that God intended us in the 21st century, to understand eternal punishment as being physical fire.

Some Christians believe that it will be something that destroys the resurrected evil and unbelieving. However, this would make God resurrect these already annihilated dead, only to be punished with annihilation.


Since it is logical for God to reward true believers with eternal joy (heavenly life), it follows that it is logical for God to reward the unbelieving and wicked with eternal punishment. Whatever it is.