Purgatory Biblical or Error

[FutureAndAHope]

What justification from scripture do Orthodox groups give for the idea of Purgatory. I can not find any justification for such an idea, if it is unbiblical it should be considered a heresy, not a truth.


My reading of scripture shows that hell can never be left, you can’t leave the punishment of hell once you get there. As Jesus Himself said “no one from either side [of heaven and hell] can cross over”.


Luke 16:25-26 Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over."


The bible also states that we are not to pray for people who have died in their sins. We can’t pray, or pay, for relatives, or other people’s sins.


1Jn_5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

 

[GreekOrthodox]

Orthodox dont believe in purgatory, never have, never will.

1 Jn 5:16 has absolutely nothing about prayer for the deceased.

 

[HTacianas]

What justification from scripture do Orthodox groups give for the idea of Purgatory. I can not find any justification for such an idea, if it is unbiblical it should be considered a heresy, not a truth.


My reading of scripture shows that hell can never be left, you can’t leave the punishment of hell once you get there. As Jesus Himself said “no one from either side [of heaven and hell] can cross over”.


Luke 16:25-26 Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over."


The bible also states that we are not to pray for people who have died in their sins. We can’t pray, or pay, for relatives, or other people’s sins.


1Jn_5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

First, you begin your question with a fallacy. You ask, "What justification from scripture", etc. But then nowhere in scripture does it say everything must be in scripture. So the idea of "scripture alone" is unscriptural.

Second, your view of 1 John 5:16 is wrong. The writer isn't speaking about someone who has died, but someone who has committed a "sin unto death", meaning a "mortal sin".

 

[fhansen]

While it’s a little vague depending on commentator most if not all Eastern Churches have historically taught prayers for the dead and also a state of final purification of the dead, the two concepts being interrelated. And as the above post maintains, there’s absolutely no reason that beliefs, practices, and teachings need be overtly stated in Scripture.

 

[chevyontheriver]

What justification from scripture do Orthodox groups give for the idea of Purgatory. I can not find any justification for such an idea, if it is unbiblical it should be considered a heresy, not a truth.


My reading of scripture shows that hell can never be left, you can’t leave the punishment of hell once you get there. As Jesus Himself said “no one from either side [of heaven and hell] can cross over”.


Luke 16:25-26 Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over."


The bible also states that we are not to pray for people who have died in their sins. We can’t pray, or pay, for relatives, or other people’s sins.


1Jn_5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

What is YOUR opinion of what purgatory is? It seems you think it is a backdoor out of hell. Waiting on your response.

 

[Albion]

While it’s a little vague depending on commentator most if not all Eastern Churches have historically taught prayers for the dead and also a state of final purification of the dead, the two concepts being interrelated. And as the above post maintains, there’s absolutely no reason that beliefs, practices, and teachings need be overtly stated in Scripture.

The "prayers for the dead" issue is tricky because some of the time, when people speak of doing that, they are referring to the churches' practice of praying in a general way for God's mercy; but at other times the reference is to prayers for a particular person with the belief that these can alter the condition of the person who has died, such for instance with the belief that there is a Purgatory and that someone's time there can be shortened if those living in this life dedicate certain religious exercises to that cause, prayers included.

 

[fhansen]

The "prayers for the dead" issue is tricky because some of the time, when people speak of doing that, they are referring to the churches' practice of praying in a general way for God's mercy; but at other times the reference is to prayers for a particular person with the belief that these can alter the condition of the person who has died, such for instance with the belief that there is a Purgatory and that someone's time there can be shortened if those living in this life dedicate certain religious exercises to that cause, prayers included.

That sounds reasonable-and there's truth to that. In the case of the ancient church in both east and west, however, I believe prayers for the dead were considered to be meaningful for obtaining the grace of final purification in consideration of, for example, the Scriptural notion that only the pure of heart or those free from sin can see God/enter heaven. Maybe the Orthodox here would like to chime in. Anyway, in this understanding the state is more one of mercy and formation, not strictly punishment. The idea of "place" and "time" are probably more anthropomorphisms that not, just as heaven and hell are often thought of and referred to as places.

 

[Albion]

The idea of "place" and "time" are probably more anthropomorphisms that not, just as heaven and hell are often thought of and referred to as places.

Of course, but that's the way these things get described (sometimes with a disclaimer), and it's about the only way to word the matter if an ordinary person is to understand what is being talked about.

 

[fhansen]

Of course, but that's the way these things get described (sometimes with a disclaimer), and it's about the only way to word the matter if an ordinary person is to understand what is being talked about.

I agree. Much of our faith concerns things we don't have complete understanding of because we haven't yet experienced them and cannot relate to then as finite beings. But sometimes much has been made of the Catholic way of describing purgatory as a place in the past whereas I don't think that's particularly relevant.​

 

[Der Alte]

FWIW.

John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Isaiah 38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Isaiah 26:14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
Psalms 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
Psalms 88:10-11
10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
JPS Pro 24:20
(20) For there will be no future to the evil man, the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Ephesians 2:12
(12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
1Thessalonians 4:13
(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Psalms 115:17
17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.​

 

[eleos1954]

What justification from scripture do Orthodox groups give for the idea of Purgatory. I can not find any justification for such an idea, if it is unbiblical it should be considered a heresy, not a truth.


My reading of scripture shows that hell can never be left, you can’t leave the punishment of hell once you get there. As Jesus Himself said “no one from either side [of heaven and hell] can cross over”.


Luke 16:25-26 Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over."


The bible also states that we are not to pray for people who have died in their sins. We can’t pray, or pay, for relatives, or other people’s sins.


1Jn_5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

My reading of scripture shows that hell can never be left, you can’t leave the punishment of hell once you get there. As Jesus Himself said “no one from either side [of heaven and hell] can cross over”.

Not true .... Jesus left it. He was resurreted.

Hell is the grave ... all are in a dormant sleep until Jesus comes and the 1st resurrection happens.

The dead know nothing .... they have no consciousness. So no reason the pray for them.

Heresy you say ???? What about the teaching of burning in "hell" for eternity? Show me one time that Jesus (who is God) did bodily harm to a person? Much less set someone on fire? Holding this belief says in this "supposedly burning place" they will be tormented for eternity .... that makes them immortal as well ... so that belief says that everyone receives immortality .... just that some are treated differently and for eternity.

We are not immortal in any way .... we receive the gift of immortality when Jesus returns .... not before. This "immortal spirit" teaching has it's roots in paganism.

Jesus has the power of resurrection so describes the first death (earthly death) as a sleep. All will be resurrected from their dormant sleep one day ... those in the 1st receive eternal life .... those in the 2nd do not receive eternal life and will be destroyed (never to exist again)

John 25

28Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice 29and come out— those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Who is this god of torture that some put forth? Not biblical teaching my friend.

Paul sums it up nicely here ...

1 Thessalonians 4

The Return of the Lord

13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

15By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord (not before) will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

I could not love and worship a god that would torture people ... it's a terrible teaching ... some might even call it heretical.

Time for people to come out of Babylon and rid themselves of the teachings from same.

Revelation 18

1After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. 2And he cried out in a mighty voice:

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a lair for demons
and a haunt for every unclean spirit,
every unclean bird,
and every detestable beast.3All the nations have drunk the wine
of the passion of her immorality.

The kings of the earth were immoral with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy
from the extravagance of her luxury.”4Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of her, My people,

so that you will not share in her sins
or contract any of her plagues.5For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.6Give back to her as she has done to others;
pay her back double for what she has done;
mix her a double portion in her own cup.7As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury,
give her the same measure of torment and grief.

In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’8Therefore her plagues will come in one day—
death and grief and famine—
and she will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

Even so .... come Lord Jesus ... AMEN!

 

[FutureAndAHope]

First, you begin your question with a fallacy. You ask, "What justification from scripture", etc. But then nowhere in scripture does it say everything must be in scripture. So the idea of "scripture alone" is unscriptural.

This statement is troubling, where is a revelation coming from if not from scripture? The Bible itself says that all scripture is inspired by God. It also states, in 1 Corinthians 4:6 "learn from us not to go beyond what is written."

Second, your view of 1 John 5:16 is wrong. The writer isn't speaking about someone who has died, but someone who has committed a "sin unto death", meaning a "mortal sin".

There is no such thing as a "mortal sin", the cross covers all sin for our lifetime. The only mortal sin is a rejection of Christ, at the point of death, i.e. to die in one's sins.

Heb 9:27-28 We die only once, and then we are judged. So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

While it’s a little vague depending on commentator most if not all Eastern Churches have historically taught prayers for the dead and also a state of final purification of the dead, the two concepts being interrelated. And as the above post maintains, there’s absolutely no reason that beliefs, practices, and teachings need be overtly stated in Scripture.

So you are saying if Jesus and the Apostles did not teach it, it is still true because someone came up with the idea?

Yet the idea is directly fought against by Jesus himself. As Jesus Himself said, “no one from either side [of heaven and hell] can cross over”.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

What is YOUR opinion of what purgatory is? It seems you think it is a backdoor out of hell. Waiting on your response.

Well, I have heard that it is a place where you are punished partially for your sins, purged of evil, and from there you can be given entrance to heaven. This is aided by prayers, and gifts to the church.

But I have never actually studied it in detail.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Not true .... Jesus left it. He was resurreted.

Hell is the grave ... all are in a dormant sleep until Jesus comes and the 1st resurrection happens.

The dead know nothing .... they have no consciousness. So no reason the pray for them.

Heresy you say ???? What about the teaching of burning in "hell" for eternity? Show me one time that Jesus (who is God) did bodily harm to a person? Much less set someone on fire? Holding this belief says in this "supposedly burning place" they will be tormented for eternity .... that makes them immortal as well ... so that belief says that everyone receives immortality .... just that some are treated differently and for eternity.

We are not immortal in any way .... we receive the gift of immortality when Jesus returns .... not before. This "immortal spirit" teaching has it's roots in paganism.

Jesus has the power of resurrection so describes the first death (earthly death) as a sleep. All will be resurrected from their dormant sleep one day ... those in the 1st receive eternal life .... those in the 2nd do not receive eternal life and will be destroyed (never to exist again)

John 25

28Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice 29and come out— those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Who is this god of torture that some put forth? Not biblical teaching my friend.

Paul sums it up nicely here ...

1 Thessalonians 4

The Return of the Lord

13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

15By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord (not before) will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

I could not love and worship a god that would torture people ... it's a terrible teaching ... some might even call it heretical.

Time for people to come out of Babylon and rid themselves of the teachings from same.

Revelation 18

1After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. 2And he cried out in a mighty voice:

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a lair for demons
and a haunt for every unclean spirit,
every unclean bird,
and every detestable beast.3All the nations have drunk the wine
of the passion of her immorality.

The kings of the earth were immoral with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy
from the extravagance of her luxury.”4Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of her, My people,

so that you will not share in her sins
or contract any of her plagues.5For her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.6Give back to her as she has done to others;
pay her back double for what she has done;
mix her a double portion in her own cup.7As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury,
give her the same measure of torment and grief.

In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
I am not a widow and will never see grief.’8Therefore her plagues will come in one day—
death and grief and famine—
and she will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

Even so .... come Lord Jesus ... AMEN!

Your flesh may not like the idea of hell but Jesus taught it.

Mark 9:43-44 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Luke 16:19-31 There was once a rich man who wore expensive clothes and every day ate the best food. But a poor beggar named Lazarus was brought to the gate of the rich man's house. He was happy just to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. His body was covered with sores, and dogs kept coming up to lick them. The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. He went to hell and was suffering terribly. When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side, he said to Abraham, "Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch my tongue. I'm suffering terribly in this fire." Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over." But the rich man said, "Abraham, then please send Lazarus to my father's home. Let him warn my five brothers, so they won't come to this horrible place." Abraham answered, "Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets wrote. They should pay attention to that." Then the rich man said, "No, that's not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God." So Abraham said, "If they won't pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even to someone who comes back from the dead."

 

[Landon Caeli]

Well, I have heard that it is a place where you are punished partially for your sins, purged of evil, and from there you can be given entrance to heaven. This is aided by prayers, and gifts to the church.

But I have never actually studied it in detail.

Where did the Jews of old go, before Christ came? And what reason do we have to believe that place no longer exists?

Sheol - Wikipedia

"all of the dead in Sheol know nothing and none of their personality, consciousness, or connection to the world continue after their death until their bodily resurrection.[2]

Doctrines of immediately departing to heaven or Hell at death are foreign to both the Old and New Testaments of the Biblical text and appear to have come from Hellenistic thought.[2] In the text, Sheol is the destination of all at death, with final rewards and punishments to be given out at the final resurrection[4] as described in passages such as Daniel 12.[5]"

 

[fhansen]

So you are saying if Jesus and the Apostles did not teach it, it is still true because someone came up with the idea?

No, I'm saying there are teachings that the bible doesn't necessarily include, a truth the bible itself attests to.

Yet the idea is directly fought against by Jesus himself. As Jesus Himself said, “no one from either side [of heaven and hell] can cross over”.

No one is crossing over. The teaching regarding purgatory/the state of final purification maintains that the destiny of anyone in that state has already been decided-he's not in hell, and he's strictly heaven-bound. He's just still in sin, though not "sin that leads to death", but still distracted by lesser, created things, IOW, and away from total love of God above all else. At that point, when our love for God is complete, we're capable of "seeing" Him. At that point we truly want to see Him; we'll anticipate seeing Him, rather than looking anywhere else for our fulfillment, happiness, whatever Adam and the rest of us look for in places other than in God.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Where did the Jews of old go, before Christ came? And what reason do we have to believe that place no longer exists?

Sheol - Wikipedia

"all of the dead in Sheol know nothing and none of their personality, consciousness, or connection to the world continue after their death until their bodily resurrection.[2]

Doctrines of immediately departing to heaven or Hell at death are foreign to both the Old and New Testaments of the Biblical text and appear to have come from Hellenistic thought.[2] In the text, Sheol is the destination of all at death, with final rewards and punishments to be given out at the final resurrection[4] as described in passages such as Daniel 12.[5]"

I just did a word study to see if there were any blatant references to what happens to the Jews, i.e. before Christ. But there was no real clear indication as to what happens after death. But here are two references that show it is similar to today:

Jealousy is depicted as the grave, which is shown to be a fire. Which matches Jesus' words in the New Testament.

Son 8:6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

David said he would be redeemed from the grave, that "he [GOd] shall receive me".

Psa 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

The only difference between the old and the new to my knowledge is the following:

1Pe 3:19-30 Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison. They had disobeyed God while Noah was building the boat, but God had been patient with them. Eight people went into that boat and were brought safely through the flood...
1Pe 4:5-6 But they will have to answer to God, who judges the living and the dead. The good news has even been preached to the dead, so that after they have been judged for what they have done in this life, their spirits will live with God.

The bible says Christ preached to the spirits kept in prision, those who died at the time of Noah. So a) we see there is consciousness in the pre-cross grave, and that b) God gave them the same chance of salvation that we have, having Christ preached to them. At what point in their journey this occurred we don't know, but it appears to be when they were in the grave, "Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison".

 

[Der Alte]

Where did the Jews of old go, before Christ came? And what reason do we have to believe that place no longer exists?
Sheol - Wikipedia
"all of the dead in Sheol know nothing and none of their personality, consciousness, or connection to the world continue after their death until their bodily resurrection.[2]
Doctrines of immediately departing to heaven or Hell at death are foreign to both the Old and New Testaments of the Biblical text and appear to have come from Hellenistic thought.[2] In the text, Sheol is the destination of all at death, with final rewards and punishments to be given out at the final resurrection[4] as described in passages such as Daniel 12.[5]"

Wiki is not the most reliable source you could have consulted.
…..Concerning only the existence of a Jewish belief in hell not the validity of the historical faith, beliefs and practices of the ancient Jews,
Below are quotes from three credible Jewish sources; the Jewish Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Judaica and the Talmud. Which to date have not been refuted.
…..According to these three sources, among the יהודים/Yehudim/ιουδαιων/Youdaion/Jews in Israel, before and during the time of Jesus, there was a significant belief in a place of everlasting torment of the wicked and they called it both sheol and gehinnom, which are translated Hades and Gehenna, respectively, in both the 225 BC LXX and the NT.
…..There were different factions within Judaism; Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes etc. and different beliefs about resurrection, hell etc. These differing beliefs do not refute anything in the following post.

[1]1917 Jewish Encyclopedia, Gehenna
The place where children were sacrificed to the god Moloch … in the "valley of the son of Hinnom," to the south of Jerusalem (Josh. xv. 8, passim; II Kings xxiii. 10; Jer. ii. 23; vii. 31-32; xix. 6, 13-14). … the valley was deemed to be accursed, and "Gehenna" therefore soon became a figurative equivalent for "hell." Hell, like paradise, was created by God (Sotah 22a);[“Soon” in this verse would be about 700 BC +/-, DA]​

[Note: this is according to the ancient Jews, long before the Christian era, NOT any assumed/alleged bias of “modern” Christian translators. DA]

”(I)n general …sinners go to hell immediately after their death. The famous teacher Johanan b. Zakkai wept before his death because he did not know whether he would go to paradise or to hell (Ber. 28b). The pious go to paradise, and sinners to hell(B.M. 83b).
But as regards the heretics, etc., and Jeroboam, Nebat's son, hell shall pass away, but they shall not pass away" (R. H. 17a; comp. Shab. 33b). All that descend into Gehenna shall come up again, with the exception of three classes of men: those who have committed adultery, or shamed their neighbors, or vilified them (B. M. 58b).[/i]
… heretics and the Roman oppressors go to Gehenna, and the same fate awaits the Persians, the oppressors of the Babylonian Jews (Ber. 8b). When Nebuchadnezzar descended into hell, [שאול/Sheol] all its inhabitants were afraid that he was coming to rule over them (Shab. 149a; comp. Isa. xiv. 9-10). The Book of Enoch [x. 6, xci. 9, etal] also says that it is chiefly the heathen who are to be cast into the fiery pool on the Day of Judgment (x. 6, xci. 9, et al). "The Lord, the Almighty, will punish them on the Day of Judgment by putting fire and worms into their flesh, so that they cry out with pain unto all eternity" (Judith xvi. 17). The sinners in Gehenna will be filled with pain when God puts back the souls into the dead bodies on the Day of Judgment, according toIsa. xxxiii. 11 (Sanh. 108b).
Link: Jewish Encyclopedia Online
Note, scripture references are highlighted in blue.
= = = = = = = = = =
[2]1972 Encyclopedia Judaica:
Gehinnom (Heb. גֵּי בֶן־הִנֹּם, גֵּי בְנֵי הִנֹּם, גֵּיא בֶן־הִנֹּם, גֵּיא הִנֹּם; Gr. Γέεννα; "Valley of Ben-Hinnom, Valley of [the Son (s) of] Hinnom," Gehenna), a valley south of Jerusalem on one of the borders between the territories of Judah and Benjamin, between the Valley of *Rephaim and *En-Rogel (Josh. 15:8; 18:16). It is identified with Wadi er-Rababi.
…..During the time of the Monarchy, Gehinnom, at a place called Topheth, was the site of a cult which involved the burning of children (II Kings 23:10; Jer. 7:31; 32:35 et al.; ). Jeremiah repeatedly condemned this cult and predicted that on its account Topheth and the Valley of the Son of Hinnom would be called the Valley of the "Slaughter" (Jer. 19:5–6).
In Judaism the name Gehinnom is generally used as an appellation of the place of torment reserved for the wicked after death. The New Testament used the Greek form Gehenna in the same sense.
Gehinnom
http://www.jevzajcg.me/enciklopedia/Encyclopaedia Judaica, v. 07 (Fey-Gor).pdf
= = = = = = = = = =
[3]pre-Christianity Talmud -Tractate Rosh Hashanah Chapter 1.
The school of Hillel says: . . . but as for Minim, [i.e. followers of Jesus] informers and disbelievers, who deny the Torah, or Resurrection, or separate themselves from the congregation, or who inspire their fellowmen with dread of them, or who sin and cause others to sin, as did Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his followers, they all descend to Gehenna, and are judged there from generation to generation, as it is said [Isa. lxvi. 24]:
"And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched." Even when Gehenna will be destroyed, they will not be consumed, as it is written[Psalms, xlix. 15]: "And their forms wasteth away in the nether world," which the sages comment upon to mean that their forms shall endure even when the grave is no more.
Concerning them Hannah says [I Sam. ii. 10]: "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces."
Link: Tract Rosh Hashana: Chapter I.​

 

[eleos1954]

Your flesh may not like the idea of hell but Jesus taught it.

Mark 9:43-44 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Luke 16:19-31 There was once a rich man who wore expensive clothes and every day ate the best food. But a poor beggar named Lazarus was brought to the gate of the rich man's house. He was happy just to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. His body was covered with sores, and dogs kept coming up to lick them. The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. He went to hell and was suffering terribly. When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side, he said to Abraham, "Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch my tongue. I'm suffering terribly in this fire." Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over." But the rich man said, "Abraham, then please send Lazarus to my father's home. Let him warn my five brothers, so they won't come to this horrible place." Abraham answered, "Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets wrote. They should pay attention to that." Then the rich man said, "No, that's not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God." So Abraham said, "If they won't pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even to someone who comes back from the dead."

immortal soul - paganism

God does not torture people

I know of the false teachings (misunderstanding) about it.

Did Jesus (who was God in the flesh) ever torture anyone? NO !!!!!!

Jesus is our example in everything and He did no violence.

A torturing god is not His character .... at all ... that is a slanderous attack on God's true character by satan, distorting the true Word of God like he always does.

Come out of Babylon people. Don't let this false teaching keep you from coming to the Lord. Those with OCD don't allow this false teaching to bring anguish to your heart.

God is Love and that does not include torturing people for eternity. We instinctively know better and His Word does not teach torturing is "ok". Jesus did not teach torture!