Hell & Heaven

[Kris_J]

Is Hell itself Evil, & Heaven itself is Good?

Who created these places & why?

 

[Johnnz]

Heaven is an expression of who God is. Using the term 'place' is simply a metaphor to give to us humans some concept that we are familiar with.

Hell is where people chose to live without any influence of God at all. It is the absence of anything that is good, pleasurable, satisfying or satisfying.

John
NZ

 

[Ave Maria]

Is Hell itself Evil, & Heaven itself is Good?

Who created these places & why?

I have no idea. I do have a very hard time believing in a literal hell where everyone who hasn't accepted Christ will burn for eternity though.

 

[12volt_man]

Is Hell itself Evil, & Heaven itself is Good?

Heaven and Hell are places. They are no more good or evil in and of themselves than Des Moines or Key Largo.

Who created these places & why?

God. One for to be a home for the righteous, that they might enjoy fellowship with Him, the other as punishment for the devil and his angels and those who choose to follow him.

 

[12volt_man]

I do have a very hard time believing in a literal hell where everyone who hasn't accepted Christ will burn for eternity though.

Do you believe in a literal Heaven? Do you believe that those who died seperated from God will be there?

 

[MooTipping]

Hm...many say that God created Heaven, and Devil Hell...but on the contrary, I don't believe in neither places for me...personal beliefs will lead you accordingly, basically, Heaven is peace within, and Hell..well..it's Hell...

 

[Ave Maria]

Do you believe in a literal Heaven? Do you believe that those who died seperated from God will be there?

Yes, I believe in Heaven.

 

[He put me back together]

"Heaven" is an English word referring to the sky, used to translate the Hebrew/Greek words that referred to the sky. "Hell" is an English word referring to a dungeon or hole in the ground (probably with origins involving Norseman myths), that is used to translate two distinct concepts in Hebrew theology: Sheoul (Hades in Greek, sometimes "the grave" in English, depending on what you're reading), and Gehenna. Heaven is an actual physical place. It begins at sea level. As for Sheoul and Gehenna, yes, you could call these "places," but in the truth of the matter, you could just as well refer to "reprobate" or "born again" as places. It's more of a state of being. Sheoul is the first death, and Gehenna is the second death, often referred to as "the lake of fire." In this view, one might argue that these "places" are not something that is "created" per se, but rather are states of being that a person can become. However, one cannot just ignore the scriptures that refer to the lake of fire as being "prepared for the devil and his angels."

 

[12volt_man]

Yes, I believe in Heaven.

Why do you believe in one and not the other when Christ taught both?

 

[Buzz Dixon]

Heaven is union with God, Hell is separation from God. They are not necessarily physical places in the 4-dimensional Universe as we understand it, but they are real and they exist and those souls who enter them will be there forever.


To the people in Hell there will seem to be vast gulfs separating them from all other beings; they will be truly alone for all eternity. To the people in Heaven, there will be eternal union with the Father and all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

[Ave Maria]

Why do you believe in one and not the other when Christ taught both?

Let me try to explain what I believe. Basically I have a very hard time believing in a literal Hell where all the unsaved will burn for eternity. I do believe that Hell exists and I do believe that it is a place of punishment. I do not believe that the unsaved will be there for eternity. I believe that they will eventually be completely destroyed. How long this will take will probably vary depending on the person and how bad their sins were. The Bible says that Christians will be rewarded for their good deeds in Heaven. Works is not what gets us to Heaven but we will be rewarded for them. In my opinion, it is only logical that God will be totally and completely just when judging us. Those who are saved and have done many good works will get many rewards in Heaven. Those who are saved and have done only a few good works will only get a few rewards in Heaven. Those who were unsaved but did plenty of good works will probably get a lighter punishment or a shorter stay in Hell. Those who were very evil and were unsaved will stay there longer. I had a Bible verse for the whole rewards thing but I can't remember exactly where it is. Anyway, that's the best way I know how to explain what I believe concerning judgement and Hell.

 

[12volt_man]

Let me try to explain what I believe. Basically I have a very hard time believing in a literal Hell where all the unsaved will burn for eternity. I do believe that Hell exists and I do believe that it is a place of punishment. I do not believe that the unsaved will be there for eternity.

So then, how do you explain that the Bible teaches that it is eternal? Was Jesus wrong to teach this?

I believe that they will eventually be completely destroyed. How long this will take will probably vary depending on the person and how bad their sins were...Those who were unsaved but did plenty of good works will probably get a lighter punishment or a shorter stay in Hell. Those who were very evil and were unsaved will stay there longer. I had a Bible verse for the whole rewards thing but I can't remember exactly where it is. Anyway, that's the best way I know how to explain what I believe concerning judgement and Hell.

If you can find it, please show us where you believe this is taught in scripture. I'd be curious to see how you came to this conclusion.

 

[Ave Maria]

So then, how do you explain that the Bible teaches that it is eternal? Was Jesus wrong to teach this?

I think the idea that Jesus taught that Hell is eternal is debatable. I believe the Bible has been changed a lot since it was originally written. Things could have easily gotten added or changed since it was written. Regardless, there are some verses somewhere I think that suggest that punishment in Hell is not eternal. I do believe that Hell itself is eternal but I don't believe that the punishment in Hell is eternal. Now, if Satan as a literal physical being exists, then I do believe that punishment would be eternal for him.

If you can find it, please show us where you believe this is taught in scripture. I'd be curious to see how you came to this conclusion.

Ok. The verse I am talking about is about rewards in Heaven. If I find it, I'll post it.

 

[12volt_man]

I think the idea that Jesus taught that Hell is eternal is debatable.

Jesus says twice in Mark 9 that Hell is eternal and, certainly, His implication in the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man is that it's eternal.

I believe the Bible has been changed a lot since it was originally written. Things could have easily gotten added or changed since it was written.

Could you give us an example of this?

Regardless, there are some verses somewhere I think that suggest that punishment in Hell is not eternal.

Like what?

Now, if Satan as a literal physical being exists, then I do believe that punishment would be eternal for him.

Why do you believe it's eternal for Satan but not for human beings the Bible says will be punished there?

Ok. The verse I am talking about is about rewards in Heaven. If I find it, I'll post it.

There are a couple of passages that talk about rewards in Heaven, but that's another discussion for another thread. I'm interested in why you think that Hell isn't eternal when the Bible teaches us that it is.

 

[Ave Maria]

Jesus says twice in Mark 9 that Hell is eternal and, certainly, His implication in the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man is that it's eternal.

Mark 9 does not imply that the punishment is eternal. At least it doesn't seem to in my opinion.

Could you give us an example of this?

How about the mistranslation of the word the word witch in the Old Testament? It is supposed to be translated as poisoner, not witch.

Like what?

I can't think of them at the moment. I'll try to look them up later. Sorry.

Why do you believe it's eternal for Satan but not for human beings the Bible says will be punished there?

Because Satan is totally evil. Therefore, he deserves to be punished forever. Humans are not totally evil. Some humans can be very evil but I don't think any human is totally evil.

There are a couple of passages that talk about rewards in Heaven, but that's another discussion for another thread. I'm interested in why you think that Hell isn't eternal when the Bible teaches us that it is.

As I said before, Hell is eternal. The punishment in Hell for humans probably is not.

 

[elman]

As I said before, Hell is eternal. The punishment in Hell for humans probably is not."
Rev 20:13-15
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(from New International Version)

I think hell is the lack of life for Humans, the lack of spiritual life. When there are no humans but those who are alive in Christ, there will be no hell.

 

[Ave Maria]

As I said before, Hell is eternal. The punishment in Hell for humans probably is not."
Rev 20:13-15
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(from New International Version)

I think hell is the lack of life for Humans, the lack of spiritual life. When there are no humans but those who are alive in Christ, there will be no hell.

Nice view. Maybe hell is just a state of spiritual non-existance?

 

[Phred]

Is Hell itself Evil, & Heaven itself is Good?

Who created these places & why?

I see no reason to believe that either of these places actually exists. So there's no reason to ponder who created them.

 

[elman]

Nice view. Maybe hell is just a state of spiritual non-existance?

That is what I belileve and there is a lot of scriptural support for that idea. (Ez 18)

 

[Buzz Dixon]

I see no reason to believe that either of these places actually exists. So there's no reason to ponder who created them.

You (rhetorical) may not believe you're supposed to stop when the light turns red, either, but that doesn't alter reality.