Need Help. Struggling with Hell

[OpenEyes7]

I am 32 years old and have just recently accepted Jesus as my savior. However, I still have an awful struggle. I thought I would feel so happy and uplifted. I mean I do, but I also feel absolutely sick to my stomach... about Hell.

Based on Christian beliefs, and the fact that we must consciously make the decision for Jesus to save us, I cannot bear the fact that so many people have not done this. If this is the only way to Heaven, and everyone else will be eternally tormented, then most of my friends and family are on their way there... along with way too many other good people in this world.

Here are my questions. Does accepting Jesus really have to be a "conscious" decision? Can you accept him on a subconscious level too? What about all the truly good people in this world who live their lives helping others who are not religious? They are going to Hell anyway even though they have lived good lives? What about the people who are not shown the way? This does not seem right to me. Even after I personally have made the conscious decision, I still feel like if I hadn't maybe I still would have gone to heaven anyway. Does this make sense?

How do Christians deal with believing that so many people, are going to be tortured for all of eternity? It seems extremely unfair and unjust. It seems self centered of us to just accept that without feeling pain. It's like a heavy burden. If God is so loving why doesn't he do a better job at convincing everyone? For me personally, I feel too much of a burden to be really happy right now. I have so much compassion for others that the thought of them going to Hell hurts me deeply. Not just compassion for "good" people either, I even feel this for "bad" people. I don't feel like anyone deserves Hell if it is as bad as it is made out to be.

What can I do to find peace within myself? Please help me find peace.

 

[Aino]

Well, first of all you should remember that you should deserve a place in heaven despite of all those who may be going to hell - don't throw away your faith because not everyone has it. It's obviously natural to be sad for those who don't get to heaven, but you should remember that sometimes just minding your own business more then others' is not selfishness, but surviving the life on earth. Depression, angsting and grieving over other peoples souls is not what God wants us to do and it's not going to help you or anyone else forwards either - in fact your mood and fears effect you negatively and through your appearance also your closest ones.

It's not your responsibility to force others to accept Jesus if they don't want to - the Holy Spirit will work in every one of us who hear the gospel, but if the person just doesn't want to accept a way to salvation, then it's a way they chose and it's not up to you to worry about their future or feel guilty. It's sort of the point of free will, that you can still choose another way... On one hand it's obviously terrible for good non-religious, but relatively good people that they cannot work their way to heaven, but the other hand, it's also really comforting, that you don't have to be good to be saved: the other one of the robbers who died next to Jesus was one of the first saved. I'm also wondering where you're supposed to draw a line between a good and a bad person: according to the law of karma, zero tolerance or something else?

You can do God's work, help save people and your responsibility by spreading the gospel, trying to be good and supporting other christians - being the light of the world. That's what Jesus is talking about in the beginning of the sermon on the mount:

1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

I think God also has a special plan for those who never hear about Jesus - even the Bible says the following:

12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
16In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

There's a topick about this actually in this same section, you could also (take a look at it) for more points about this.

[I'm wondering what you mean by "subconcious desicion". If someone hears about the gospel, how can he/she not decide, wheter to believe or not? I doubt that someone would make a positive desicion and nott even bother think about it later.]

I hope I could provide you with at least some profitable information. God bless you!

 

[Webers_Home]

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RE: Based on Christian beliefs, and the fact that we must consciously make the decision for Jesus to save us, I cannot bear the fact that so many people have not done this.

If you, a sinful mortal, are upset about this, just imagine how upset the Bible's God is about it. He is certainly capable of far more compassion for His creatures than you even on His worst day.

The Bible's God is also capable of experiencing more hurt feelings than you. He donated His one and only firstborn son towards rescuing sinful mortals from Hell and eternal suffering, and just look how many mock the whole idea. You don't think that insults and injures the Bible's God? Wouldn't you be insulted and injured? Yes, I think you would.

RE: If this is the only way to Heaven, and everyone else will be eternally tormented, then most of my friends and family are on their way there... along with way too many other good people in this world.

You, a sinful mortal, have a distorted perception of your fellow men. Even those you and I might consider "good" are really not all that good in God's estimation but to the contrary, are quite worthy of some serious retribution. You and I grade our fellow sinful mortals on a curve; but the Bible's God grades everybody according to absolutes rather than a curve.

RE: Does accepting Jesus really have to be a "conscious" decision?

Yes.

RE: Can you accept him on a subconscious level too?

Repentance is a key element in the plan of salvation. The Greek word for repent means to reconsider; viz: to change one's mind; which eo ipso implies conscious reasoning.

If one's acceptance of the Gospel were on a subconscious level; then how on earth would they ever know whether or not they were a believer? It's very important to be fully aware of one's convictions in order to have any assurance of one's salvation. Here's some examples where conscious belief is essential to knowing yourself to be in possession of eternal life.

†. John 3:36 . .He who believes in the Son has eternal life

†. John 5:24 . .I assure you, those who heed my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life.

†. John 6:47 . .Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

†. 1John 5:13 . .I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Subconscious belief would be useless because though it's a part of your mind, it is not a part of your will; and one's will is a factor in their salvation. The exercise of one's will requires decision-making which is why you'll often hear an evangelist like Billy Graham talk about making a decision for Christ.

One of my favorite examples of decision-making is Laban's daughter Ms. Rebecca. God hand-picked that girl for Isaac, but Abraham would not permit a prospective bride for his son being taken from her home and transported to the wilds of Canaan without her own personal consent in the matter.

The similarities between the procurement of Isaac's bride, and that of the bride of Christ are remarkable. Neither the fathers nor the grooms go themselves to woo the brides; but rely upon a nameless servant who can be trusted to faithfully look out for the grooms' best interests. Guided by providence, the servants locate candidates, give them some tokens, explain their missions, tell of the wealth of the fathers, tell of the inheritances of the grooms, tell the candidates something of the grooms' genealogies; and are especially careful to explain the circumstances of the grooms' miraculous births.

The candidates never see any photos or pictures of their potential husbands, are given no information disclosing the grooms' personalities, and are permitted to know only certain general details about the grooms and nothing more. At this point, the servants then press for a response, and proceed no further until the candidates make their decision. However, no one can force the candidates to accept the grooms. The candidates must consent to join them of their own volition.

After the candidates consent to go and be with the grooms, the servants then cull the candidates from their native people, and from their native lands, and safely escort them to the lands and peoples of the grooms. The grooms, upon receipt of the candidates, accept them just as they are, give them a nice home, and love and care for them right to the end.

More >>

 

[Webers_Home]

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RE: What about all the truly good people in this world who live their lives helping others who are not religious? They are going to Hell anyway even though they have lived good lives? What about the people who are not shown the way? This does not seem right to me.

It's not supposed to seem right to you. You're a fallen mortal being whose intuitive sense of right and wrong is produced by a 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue housed within your bony little skull. Man's sense of right and wrong is humanistic rather than divine. Because of the forbidden fruit, the human race became its own God in matters of right and wrong.

†. Gen 3:22 . . And Yhvh God said: Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.

Isn't that a rip!? Man's God consists of his own brain cells.

RE: How do Christians deal with believing that so many people, are going to be tortured for all of eternity?

You get used to it.

RE: It seems extremely unfair and unjust.

Of course it does. Man's sense of fair play is subjective and morally flexible; while God's is absolute.

RE: It seems self centered of us to just accept that without feeling pain.

It's okay to feel pain.

RE: If God is so loving why doesn't he do a better job at convincing everyone?

Are you insinuating that the Bible's God did a poor job of convincing you?

The Bible's God is doing a much better job of convincing people than you realize. What you've failed to take into consideration is just how stubborn that mortals can be when they put their minds to it. Mr. Noah preached to the antediluvians for 120 years while he was constructing the Ark; but they never gave in.

There is a sin called blaspheme against the Holy Spirit (Mtt 12:24-32, Mrk 3:22-30)

Matthew's version says that Jesus "knew their thoughts". So then, he was fully aware of which among the Pharisees were convinced in their own mind that Jesus was a Divine agent; given miraculous powers from God, and commissioned by God for a special purpose. According to Nicodemus (John 3:1-2) there were a number of Pharisees who knew very well that Jesus was on the up-and-up. Most of them never admitted to it of course because they were obtuse— the natural result of being seriously infected with a spirit of rivalry, envy, and religious elitism.

People in that state would rather burn in Hell than admit they're wrong. For those kinds of people to remark that Jesus was working with the Devil, was all the same as slandering God's Spirit, because they themselves knew better. Theirs wasn't an innocent mistake; no, they deliberately suppressed the voice of their own conscience, and fiercely contradicted their own better judgment; which only serves to illustrate just how sadly lacking in integrity that many of Jesus' opponents really are. They not only can't be true with God, but they can't even be true to themselves.

Remember the parable of the dinner (Luke 14:16-24) where the people who were invited contrived excuses for not attending? Jesus said that many are invited but few are chosen (Mtt 22:14). The reason few are chosen is because the majority of those invited decline.

RE: I don't feel like anyone deserves Hell if it is as bad as it is made out to be.

I don't think we've been told even the half of it. The reservoir of liquid flame depicted in Rev 20:11-15 is not just your worst nightmare; it is a scene beyond words. I think it's something you simply have to see for yourself in order to understand just how bad it is.

I could describe the Mojave Desert in California with a thousand-word essay, but until you actually get out there and walk in it, feeling the sun on your arms, smelling the air, tasting the dust, and observing the land and its specialized kinds of flora and fauna, you'll never be able to fully appreciate what the Mojave is really like.

BTW: People are often so focused on the flames of Hell that they overlook The Judgment. That too is a horror beyond words. People will be disfigured beyond belief at the Great White Throne in retribution for each individual count of sin against them. The judgment of God is very thorough: eye for eye, tooth for tooth, burning for burning, stripe for stripe, etc. The scales of justice have to balance.

In other words, if someone lied, say, 200 times in their life, then they will receive 200 sentences for lying. Say the punishment is 10 lashes for each count. Then the total lashes will be 2,000. But supposing the sentence for promiscuity is 15 lashes and they slept around a total of 20 times. Then they would be given 300 lashes for promiscuity. And say the sentence for blaspheme is 20 lashes and they used God's name in vain a total of 300 times in their life. Then they would be given 6,000 lashes for a grand total of 8,300 lashes, and that's just for three kinds of sins. Additional sins would of course add to their sentences.

But flogging isn't enough for some sins. I suspect that many will suffer a number of broken bones in addition to being rendered blind, paralyzed, deaf, and mute— and the mysterious parasites Jesus spoke of in Mrk 9:43-48 will be right there waiting on them in the reservoir to infest their flesh.

C.L.I.F.F.
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[SharonL]

The Angels are rejoicing over your salvation.

Your light will now shine for others - this is how we can reach others - your walk will show the Joy of the Lord - and we should have Joy - we are sitting at the right hand of Jesus.

If Jesus just made everyone worship Him, what Joy would there be in that - He made us with free Will. Jesus rejoices at the heart that is for God.

You pray for your family, keep their name before the Alter for the covering of the Blood of Jesus.

The Bible tells us that God has placed His laws within our hearts and that we do not even need a teacher to know about God.

Just put your hand in the hand of Jesus and let the Holy Spirit guide you and your walk will be a joyful one - we cannot earn our way to Heaven, those people that are good people but not saved, their works will all be burned in the fire because they do not have a heart for God.

Believing is a choice - God gives us many, many chances - but all is not lost - just remember no one can come to Jesus unless he be drawn - when Jesus puts a call within the heart that person has a chance to either accept or reject - it is not like they are just hung out to dry - Jesus taps them on the shoulder more than once to draw them into his loving arms. It is then their choice.

So just walk in the Joy of the Lord - life up those lost in prayer - God will do the rest - He will drawn them in and if they accept, there will be rejoicing in Heaven - if they reject, it is not your fault - God gives us all a chance.

 

[Spike511]

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BTW: People are often so focused on the flames of Hell that they overlook The Judgment. That too is a horror beyond words. People will be disfigured beyond belief at the Great White Throne in retribution for each individual count of sin against them. The judgment of God is very thorough: eye for eye, tooth for tooth, burning for burning, stripe for stripe, etc. The scales of justice have to balance.

In other words, if someone lied, say, 200 times in their life, then they will receive 200 sentences for lying. Say the punishment is 10 lashes for each count. Then the total lashes will be 2,000. But supposing the sentence for promiscuity is 15 lashes and they slept around a total of 20 times. Then they would be given 300 lashes for promiscuity. And say the sentence for blaspheme is 20 lashes and they used God's name in vain a total of 300 times in their life. Then they would be given 6,000 lashes for a grand total of 8,300 lashes, and that's just for three kinds of sins. Additional sins would of course add to their sentences.

But flogging isn't enough for some sins. I suspect that many will suffer a number of broken bones in addition to being rendered blind, paralyzed, deaf, and mute— and the mysterious parasites Jesus spoke of in Mrk 9:43-48 will be right there waiting on them in the reservoir to infest their flesh.

C.L.I.F.F.

Please, good sir, explain to me this. Seeing as the Lord loves us all 100%, how COULD He allow this to happen? What about forgiveness???? It dosen't sound very forgiving to whip someone for a slip-up. How can such a loving Figure watch anyone go through this? While He made an ultimate sacrifice for us, His children, is he just having us pay Him back?

Please explain to me your reasoning. How can such a loving Father put anyone through this?

--
Eric

 

[Catherineanne]

Not just compassion for "good" people either, I even feel this for "bad" people. I don't feel like anyone deserves Hell if it is as bad as it is made out to be.

What can I do to find peace within myself? Please help me find peace.

The answer is simple.

Do you choose to have a God who is less compassionate than you are, or do you recognise that if this concept is unthinkable for you, it must be ten times more unthinkable to a loving God?

Not every Christian denomination accepts hell as a literal place. My own (Anglican/Episcopalian) is very clear that there is no such place, and that references to hell in Scripture are allegorical, and not literal. And Anglicanism is not a fringe part of our faith, but a very central, very mainstream part.

Therefore, it is a matter of searching further, and finding what is true for you, without losing that compassion that you feel. It is one of God's greatest gifts to any of us.

I wish you well.

 

[Catherineanne]

RE: It seems extremely unfair and unjust.

Of course it does. Man's sense of fair play is subjective and morally flexible; while God's is absolute.

Correct. If it seems unfair and unjust to us, then it is absolutely unfair and unjust to God.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

I am 32 years old and have just recently accepted Jesus as my savior. However, I still have an awful struggle. I thought I would feel so happy and uplifted. I mean I do, but I also feel absolutely sick to my stomach... about Hell.

Based on Christian beliefs, and the fact that we must consciously make the decision for Jesus to save us, I cannot bear the fact that so many people have not done this. If this is the only way to Heaven, and everyone else will be eternally tormented, then most of my friends and family are on their way there... along with way too many other good people in this world.

Here are my questions. Does accepting Jesus really have to be a "conscious" decision? Can you accept him on a subconscious level too? What about all the truly good people in this world who live their lives helping others who are not religious? They are going to Hell anyway even though they have lived good lives? What about the people who are not shown the way? This does not seem right to me. Even after I personally have made the conscious decision, I still feel like if I hadn't maybe I still would have gone to heaven anyway. Does this make sense?

How do Christians deal with believing that so many people, are going to be tortured for all of eternity? It seems extremely unfair and unjust. It seems self centered of us to just accept that without feeling pain. It's like a heavy burden. If God is so loving why doesn't he do a better job at convincing everyone? For me personally, I feel too much of a burden to be really happy right now. I have so much compassion for others that the thought of them going to Hell hurts me deeply. Not just compassion for "good" people either, I even feel this for "bad" people. I don't feel like anyone deserves Hell if it is as bad as it is made out to be.

What can I do to find peace within myself? Please help me find peace.

I'm praying for you. If I answered your post honestly, I'd get an infraction from the moderators,so I won't. But I'm praying for you that God would open your eyes on this.

 

[Webers_Home]

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RE: When face to face with the woman caught in adultery, he declined to condemn her

John 8:1-11 is my favorite passage for demonstrating that the Bible's Jesus was a stickler for due process.

As you may already know, the Bible's Jesus was a biological Jew whose genetics, and his ritual circumcision, obligated him to comply with every last jot and tittle of Yhvh's law.

†. Gal 4:4 . . But when the time had fully come, God sent His son . . born under the law

†. Gal 5:2-3 . . Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

Scofflaws incur a grave curse upon themselves.

†. Deut 27:26 . . Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this Law by carrying them out.

Yhvh's law mandates the death penalty for adultery.

†. Lev 20:10 . . And the man that commits adultery with another man's wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

However, Yhvh's law mandates the testimony of at least two witnesses in capital cases.

†. Deut 17:6-7 . . At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

When the woman's accusers walked out; guess what? Voilà. Instant acquittal.

No, Jesus could not testify against her. He was not a valid witness to her alleged crime; and even if he had been, he was only one, whereas Yhvh's law requires a minimum of two.

BTW: the woman's accusers brought her to Jesus not for judging and sentencing; but only to see where he stood with Yhvh's law.

†. John 8:4-6 . . Rabbi, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

(chuckle) As it turned out, Jesus was in perfect compliance with his Father's law; and they weren't because Yhvh's law mandates that not only the adulteress be stoned, but also her lover; whom they neglected to bring along.

RE: John 8:11 . . go your way; and from now on, sin no more.

As Yhvh's spokesman, the Bible's Christ would say that to everybody, not just to that particular woman.

To Cain:

†. Gen 4:7 . . If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

And to his own:

†. Rom 6:1-2 . . Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!

†. 1John 2:1 . . My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

This incident in John 8 is very handy for demonstrating that the Bible's Christ is fair; with both men and women.

†. Ps 45:6 . .Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of equity will be the scepter of your kingdom.

Webster's defines equity as: free from bias or favoritism

†. Isa 9:7 . . Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.

A pretty good off-the-cuff definition of justice is: the enforcement of law without passion or prejudice.

RE: she was clearly guilty

Was she? I don't know; it never went to trial. Her accusers said she was (and now you're accusing her) but since nobody stepped forward to testify, then Yhvh's law mandates that I give that lady the benefit of the doubt. Even a secular grand jury would dismiss that case for lack of evidence.

Adulterers, by the way, are toast.

†. Rev 21:8 . . the sexually immoral— their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

C.L.I.F.F.
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[Sketcher]

If you're concerned about people's eternal fate, the thing to do is evangelize to them. Complaining about the supposed unfairness of the arrangement isn't going to solve the problem.

One thing that is very basic to Christianity is that nobody is good enough to get into Heaven, even if they are "good people." This is why Jesus had to come and die, paying for our sins. It would not make sense for him to do that if there was another way into Heaven, and the reality of Hell made his mission that much more urgent.

As for why there's a Hell that is eternal and painful, or why there are people who have never heard of Jesus who are going there, it's more God's problem than mine. I didn't make these people. I've never met most of them, let alone truly love them. Much of my day, I don't think about them. And I would go so far as to say that this is normal for most people. But God has numbered every hair on each of their heads. And he loved the world so much that he sent his one and only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but receive everlasting life. That's just amazing beyond words. If God set up this system, and he loves those people that much, then I'm sure he knows what to do with the ones who never had a chance to believe in Jesus. But our duty is clear. We need to give everybody we can that chance.

 

[OpenEyes7]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I guess what I'll do is let the people I love, know my story. They can choose to believe it or not. I guess that's all you can do.

God Bless

 

[hounddf2]

I found with this issue I will do my best with my non-believing friends and family, without being too heavy on them so that I push them away. Note that when you tell your friends of your path with Jesus that is another knock on their door and again they will have a choice as to whether or not they will open it.

Here's a quote from our good book for you, Hope this helps.

Isaiah 65:17

17 "Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.

 

[BurchardtA]

This is a great question that I think many people, Christian and non-Christian alike ask. This is what helped me through this. For the longest of times, I saw it as: If you accept Jesus, God rewards you with Heaven. If you deny Jesus, God punishes you with hell.

But soon it made more sense to me when God tells us that He wants to be our Groom and for us to be his bride. He created us so that we could love Him and be loved. When He created us, we had a relationship with God. But we decided that we wanted out of that relationship (Fall of Man). We turned towards sin decided that we could do better for ourselves than God could.

God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us and save us from our sins. Take a moment to comprehend this level of love. God is up in heaven... a place so amazing that's it's beyond our comprehension... and He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to a place of sin and death. He gave us a second chance.

By not accepting Christ, we are telling God that we don't want to be with Him... That we don't accept him... and that we don't love him. So God sends us to the only place free from God... the only place away from His love... He lets us go.

God has such an intense love for us and wants everyone to go to heaven. But as a man would not force a woman into marriage, God doesn't force us to be with him.

Hope this helps you as much as it's helped me.




Credit goes to Donald Miller who put it in perspective for me.

 

[heymikey80]

It occurs to me that we really have no clue how damaging our sinfulness is, ultimately. God's really the only One Who would know how to assess and gauge our sin.

Therefore, "Cheer up! You're worse than you ever imagined!"

God really doesn't owe it to us to help us out, either. God is not the "salvation vending machine". It isn't "His job to forgive." God could justly fry us all.

Therefore, "Cheer up! You're more loved than you every dreamed possible!"

You're worse than you imagined, and more loved than you dreamed possible.

That's really the implication of eternal punishment. It hangs like a Sword of Damocles above the heads of anyone who recognizes his own evil tendencies. And to think an evil method of escape would be possible with a just God, is really just lying to ourselves.

So I'm not any more skeptical of the justness of punishment for my continuing evil than I am of the vacuum in the universe. They're both deadly. They're both real. The only question is why a skeptic would miss the obvious point of it.

 

[Diatogen]

Here's how I was reconciled to the "overkill" of hell:

You are on a sidewalk. You see a spider crawling towards you and stomp on it. Probobly, nobody will care.

Same sidwalk. A woman passes by walking an ugly dog and you kick it. You may get assaulted, fined and sued.

Same sidewalk. A woman passes by and for whatever reason, you beat her with a baseball bat. You go to prison, perhaps for life or.

Do you see the hierarchy here? Same violent attack with extremely different consequenses. How much more serious are our sins against God than the characters in the three examples? INFINITELY. Hell is a perfect fit for our sins. It is that serious. When we fully feel the weight of sin, we can fully appreciate the love God has for us; that He saves us from what we deserve!

 

[Elijah2]

I am 32 years old and have just recently accepted Jesus as my savior.
Welcome to HIS family.

However, I still have an awful struggle. I thought I would feel so happy and uplifted. I mean I do, but I also feel absolutely sick to my stomach... about Hell.
When we first come to our Lord Jesus Christ we still carry a lot of garbage in our lives and guilt and shame of some of our things of the past, still makes us feel captive.

Based on Christian beliefs, and the fact that we must consciously make the decision for Jesus to save us, I cannot bear the fact that so many people have not done this.
Salvation has four steps, such as:

Have you admitted to our Lord Jesus Christ that you are sinner and have a need for a relationship with HIM: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23)?

Have you confessed and repented your sins and turned away from them, and start living a new life that depends upon our Lord Jesus Christ: “That if confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9)?

Have you declared your belief that our Lord Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and after three days rose from the grave: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8)?

Have you by a simple act of faith, through prayer, invite our Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life, and to control your life through the Holy Spirit: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20)?

Have you prayed the following prayer of Salvation?

Heavenly Father, I come to You through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I admit that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness.

I believe that Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins and I want to turn away from my sins and start following Him.

I now invite You, our Lord Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life.

I want to trust You as my King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Saviour and the Master of my life and there is no other master in my life but YOU, our Lord Jesus Christ.

I acknowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Almighty God; was born of a virgin; came to earth in the flesh; died on the cross; arose from the grave three days later; and now sits at the right hand of His Father, our Heavenly Father.

I now confirm that You, our Lord Jesus Christ that You are my King, Lord, Saviour, Master and my Almighty God.

I pray this in Jesus’ Name. (AMEN)


If this is the only way to Heaven, and everyone else will be eternally tormented, then most of my friends and family are on their way there... along with way too many other good people in this world.
Now don’t cast them off, because they are good, kind, and gentle people and express love to others, and help the needy, they have a good chance of when they meet our Lord Jesus Christ at the Judgement Seat.

Here are my questions. Does accepting Jesus really have to be a "conscious" decision? Can you accept him on a subconscious level too?
Nope, you make a VERBAL declaration of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What about all the truly good people in this world who live their lives helping others who are not religious?
You mean, who don’t believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even religious people might be condemned.

They are going to Hell anyway even though they have lived good lives?
Our Lord Jesus Christ makes that decision not us, or anyone else.

What about the people who are not shown the way? This does not seem right to me.
Whatever your think is right or wrong, you need to make your decisions by what is written in HIS WORD.

Even after I personally have made the conscious decision, I still feel like if I hadn't maybe I still would have gone to heaven anyway. Does this make sense?
Yes, because you are still carrying stuff around deep down in your soul, and possibly you are still conformed to the world, and haven’t transformed and renewed your brain and heart.

And you haven’t cleansed your hands or purified your heart, and still struggling with Satan and his forces.

How do Christians deal with believing that so many people, are going to be tortured for all of eternity?
You don’t, it’s between them and our Lord Jesus Christ.

It seems extremely unfair and unjust. It seems self centered of us to just accept that without feeling pain. It's like a heavy burden. If God is so loving why doesn't he do a better job at convincing everyone?
You are required to do the convincing, not our Lord Jesus Christ. Read HIS WORD before you start making decisions.

For me personally, I feel too much of a burden to be really happy right now. I have so much compassion for others that the thought of them going to Hell hurts me deeply.
Well, our Lord Jesus Christ came to heal the broken-hearted, deliver them from evil, sets them free from captivity. Is your heart healed, and are you set free from captivity?

Not just compassion for "good" people either, I even feel this for "bad" people. I don't feel like anyone deserves Hell if it is as bad as it is made out to be.
You need to worry about yourself first, and get yourself right with HIM, and submit and draw near to HIM. And when you begin to mature you will answer all of your own questions.

What can I do to find peace within myself? Please help me find peace.
By reading: “Victory Over Darkness”, and the “Bondage Breakers” and when you have finished those two books then read “Set Free” written by Neil Anderson.

Blessings.

 

[charita]

I'm sure you agree that we have to go to the word of GOD to find answer to this question. The BIBLE is the only place to find the true about HELL....
So let's see what it really teach about hell: (and you don't have to worry anymore -after reading this...

What exactly is "HELL"?

The Scriptures clearly state: "The wages sin pays is death." (Romans 6:23) Since the punishment for sin is death, the fundamental question in determining the true nature of hell is: What happens to us when we die?
Does life of some kind, in some form, continue after death? What is hell, and what kind of people go there? Is there any hope for those in hell? The Bible gives truthful and satisfying answers to these questions. If you're really interesting in knowledge regarding this topic, please take time to read through the information below.

Life After Death?

Does something inside us, like a soul or a spirit, survive the death of the body? Consider how the first man, Adam, came to have life. The Bible states: "Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life." (Genesis 2:7) Though breathing sustained his life, putting "the breath of life" into his nostrils involved much more than simply blowing air into his lungs. It meant that God put into Adam's lifeless body the spark of life—"the force of life," which is active in all earthly creatures. (Genesis 6:17; 7:22) The Bible refers to this animating force as "spirit." (James 2:26) That spirit can be compared to the electric current that activates a machine or an appliance and enables it to perform its function. Just as the current never takes on the features of the equipment it activates, the life-force does not take on any of the characteristics of the creatures it animates. It has no personality and no thinking ability.

What happens to the spirit when a person dies? Psalm 146:4 says: "His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish." When a person dies, his impersonal spirit does not go on existing in another realm as a spirit creature. It "returns to the true God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7) This means that any hope of future life for that person now rests entirely with God.

What, then, is the condition of the dead? When pronouncing sentence upon Adam, God stated: "Dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19) Where was Adam before God formed him from the dust of the ground and gave him life? Why, he simply did not exist! When he died, Adam returned to that state of complete absence of life. The condition of the dead is made clear at Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, where we read: "The dead know nothing . . . In the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (New International Version) Scripturally, death is a state of nonexistence. The dead have no awareness, no feelings, no thoughts. They aren't able do any good OR bad to anyone living!

Unending Torment or Common Grave?

Since the dead have no conscious existence, hell cannot be a fiery place of torment where the wicked suffer after death. What, then, is hell? Examining what happened to Jesus after he died helps to answer that question. The Bible writer Luke recounts: "Neither was [Jesus] forsaken in Hades [hell,) King James Version] nor did his flesh see corruption." (Acts 2:31) Where was the hell to which even Jesus went? The apostle Paul wrote: "I handed on to you . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, yes, that he has been raised up the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4) So Jesus was in hell, wich means the grave, but he was not abandoned there, for he was raised up, or resurrected.

Consider also the case of the righteous man Job, who suffered much. Wishing to escape his plight, he pleaded: "Who will grant me this, that thou mayest protect me in hell [Sheol], and hide me till thy wrath pass?" (Job 14:13, Douay Version) How unreasonable to think that Job desired to go to a fiery-hot place for protection! To Job, "hell" was simply the grave, where his suffering would end. The Bible hell, then, is the common grave of mankind where good people as well as bad ones go.

The word "Gehenna" (Hell) occurs 12 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and it refers to the valley of Hinnom, outside the walls of Jerusalem. When Jesus was on earth, this valley was used as a garbage dump, "where the dead bodies of criminals, and the carcasses of animals, and every other kind of filth was cast." (Smith's Dictionary of the Bible) The fires were kept burning by adding sulfur to burn up the refuse. Jesus used that valley as a proper symbol of everlasting destruction. Not some kind of life in everlasting tourtur!

This Biblical facts shows that God isn't someone who has satisfaction in everlasting purnishment. Not even for those who don't want to obey him. He gave everyone only two choises; Everlasting life OR everlasting DEAD. Nothing in between.

 

[singpeace]

I am 32 years old and have just recently accepted Jesus as my savior. However, I still have an awful struggle. I thought I would feel so happy and uplifted. I mean I do, but I also feel absolutely sick to my stomach... about Hell.

Based on Christian beliefs, and the fact that we must consciously make the decision for Jesus to save us, I cannot bear the fact that so many people have not done this. If this is the only way to Heaven, and everyone else will be eternally tormented, then most of my friends and family are on their way there... along with way too many other good people in this world.

Here are my questions. Does accepting Jesus really have to be a "conscious" decision? Can you accept him on a subconscious level too? What about all the truly good people in this world who live their lives helping others who are not religious? They are going to Hell anyway even though they have lived good lives? What about the people who are not shown the way? This does not seem right to me. Even after I personally have made the conscious decision, I still feel like if I hadn't maybe I still would have gone to heaven anyway. Does this make sense?

How do Christians deal with believing that so many people, are going to be tortured for all of eternity? It seems extremely unfair and unjust. It seems self centered of us to just accept that without feeling pain. It's like a heavy burden. If God is so loving why doesn't he do a better job at convincing everyone? For me personally, I feel too much of a burden to be really happy right now. I have so much compassion for others that the thought of them going to Hell hurts me deeply. Not just compassion for "good" people either, I even feel this for "bad" people. I don't feel like anyone deserves Hell if it is as bad as it is made out to be.

What can I do to find peace within myself? Please help me find peace.

You have a valid question. I feel the way you do for anyone who goes to hell. I used to wonder how could such a loving God send people there. But I've come to understand that He doesn't SEND anyone there. He didn't even create hell for non-believers; it was created for the devil and his angels/demons who seek to steal, kill, and destroy God's children.

I believe that God is merciful beyond our comprehension. I think of it this way; if someone I love was GUILTY and sentenced to die in the electric chair, I would be so hurt, but NO WAY would I send my son to take his/her place and die in the chair for them while they walk away free.

If God is so merciful as to send his Son to die a horrible, gruesome death in order to set the guilty free, it stands to reason that He would give someone many many chances to receive Jesus Christ as his/her Savior.

I believe that anyone who goes to hell, goes with full knowledge of the choice they are making. I believe that God knew when they would die, and made sure that when He reached out to them that last time, He touched them like never before, sending a feeling of alarm and warning into their hearts.

Does that help in any way?

 

[singpeace]

I am 32 years old and have just recently accepted Jesus as my savior. However, I still have an awful struggle. I thought I would feel so happy and uplifted. I mean I do, but I also feel absolutely sick to my stomach... about Hell.

Based on Christian beliefs, and the fact that we must consciously make the decision for Jesus to save us, I cannot bear the fact that so many people have not done this. If this is the only way to Heaven, and everyone else will be eternally tormented, then most of my friends and family are on their way there... along with way too many other good people in this world.

Here are my questions. Does accepting Jesus really have to be a "conscious" decision? Can you accept him on a subconscious level too? What about all the truly good people in this world who live their lives helping others who are not religious? They are going to Hell anyway even though they have lived good lives? What about the people who are not shown the way? This does not seem right to me. Even after I personally have made the conscious decision, I still feel like if I hadn't maybe I still would have gone to heaven anyway. Does this make sense?

How do Christians deal with believing that so many people, are going to be tortured for all of eternity? It seems extremely unfair and unjust. It seems self centered of us to just accept that without feeling pain. It's like a heavy burden. If God is so loving why doesn't he do a better job at convincing everyone? For me personally, I feel too much of a burden to be really happy right now. I have so much compassion for others that the thought of them going to Hell hurts me deeply. Not just compassion for "good" people either, I even feel this for "bad" people. I don't feel like anyone deserves Hell if it is as bad as it is made out to be.

What can I do to find peace within myself? Please help me find peace.

You have a valid question, and I hope this is helpful to you:

I believe that God is merciful beyond our comprehension. I would never allow a mob of people to do to my son what was done to Jesus.

I believe that anyone who goes to hell, goes with full knowledge of the choice they are making. I believe that anyone in hell was first approached many, many times with the Gospel and convicted by the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus Christ. I believe that God knew when they would die, and that the last opportunity for salvation is the strongest moment of conviction ... that the person feels the alarm and warning in his/her own heart. I think that by the final day of their lives on earth, they know they are rejecting Jesus Christ but do it anyway.

Does that help in any way?