Thoughts on Hell?

[testify777]

I just want to "test the waters" so to speak concerning your beliefs about hell. Do you think it exists? Do you think its literal?





SWAHMSTRUFVUN

 

[Jase]

I just want to "test the waters" so to speak concerning your beliefs about hell. Do you think it exists? Do you think its literal?

I'm rather undecided on what Hell ultimately is. I really don't believe it is an eternal place of fiery torment. There is no Biblical support for this view. Almost all of the modern day preaching and belief on what Hell is like was created by Dante Alighieri. I could perhaps see hell as a metaphor for annihilation. But Hell has always been used by the Church as a fear tactic to scare people into converting.

 

[Emmy]

Dear testify777. Hell is a place without God`s Love or Light, to be in hell is to be without God. God is LOVE, and hell is a place for the loveless, for those who do not want God, or anything to do with God`s Love. I can think of hell as Satan`s abode, devoid of love or compassion. To me, love makes all the difference between belonging to God, or belonging to God`s adversary, Satan. God wants us to learn to love selflessly, with NO Strings attached. God`s Kingdom is Love, and hell is without love, for God, or Man. I say this humbly and with love. Greetings from Emmy, sister in Christ.

 

[chingchang]

I just want to "test the waters" so to speak concerning your beliefs about hell. Do you think it exists? Do you think its literal?





SWAHMSTRUFVUN

I believe it is real and both bodies and souls will be destroyed there...not tortured.

Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

The chaff is thrown into the fire...

Hugs,
CC

 

[ebia]

I just want to "test the waters" so to speak concerning your beliefs about hell.

We have a choice not to be part of the incoming Kingdom of God. What that alternative might look like is something scripture speaks of only in metaphor and story (as is appropriate).

Do you think it exists?

I think people have a real choice.

Do you think its literal?

That what, exactly, is literal?

 

[david_x]

Hell, is a destination for those whom are evil and detest God/what is good. Those who will not submit to Him will suffer forever because they are apart from him. They will suffer in death, not life. I believe that it is beyond our understanding, much like the rest of God's plan.

 

[LightSeaker]

Hell. There is no such place.

.

 

[замученный]

I believe Hell is a literal place and that it's Hell because of the absence of God. I have no other thoughts on what goes on there though.

 

[chingchang]

I believe Hell is a literal place and that it's Hell because of the absence of God. I have no other thoughts on what goes on there though.

What goes on there is the destruction of the wicked...according to the Bible. The book of Jude tells us that Sodom and Gomorah serve as an example of what will happen to the wicked. What happened to Sodom and Gomorah? They were destroyed...nothing left.

CC

 

[chingchang]

Hell. There is no such place.

.

How do you know?

CC

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

Hell. There is no such place.

.

How do you know?

CC

Good question - I'd like some basis for this denial of the existence of Hell.

 

[HopingForJesus]

I believe there is a Heaven and a hell. I know I sure don't want to end up in hell. The other thing I would like to say is I would rather do what I am supposed to do as a Christian and not end up in hell. Better to be safe than sorry. I just wish I could be a better Christian not because of the fear of going to hell, but because of a need to be closer to Jesus. I want to be closer to Jesus, but the fear seems worse. Hell is a scary place.

 

[noroses4u2c]

Hell is a lake of fire where people, demons, and satan will go. The Bible says it burns forever and ever and that the worm does not die. There is no rest from the agony.

 

[dante'sComedy]

- most certainly not a popular subject to bring up in our "feel's good culture".

Yet, Jesus spoke in specific's concerning this afterlife reality.
Luke ch.16 v19-31 / Jesus taught on the rich man who lived luxuriously and Lazarus who was a begger.
~ Jesus illustrates clearly that the spirit lives on after our mortal bodies pass away. The lives of these two particular men were dramatized by Jesus to give us an insightful look at how "wealth deceived the rich man into a care-less lifestyle. Where he was in proximity to Lazarus and never was felt for the need of compassion over Lazarus's pitiful state.
The end results of each life are sumed up by Jesus.
The rich man is "tormented" in a flame. Where Lazarus's in contrast is resting in the bosom of Abraham.
Apparently , the senses of the rich man are in working order in Hades.

"he see's Abraham from a far off"
"the rich man request's of Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his tongue." So here we have speech and taste.
We also see the rich man is in a very sober state of "torment".
He is able to reason with his own mind and thus "he cried" . The rich man is most certainly not seperated from his emotions on the matter at hand.

After his failed appeal for relief of water on his tongue. Then the rich man goes on to an even deeper and stronger meaning of this place.
He begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his 5 brothers about this place of torment.
Though, this is our first instance of unselfishness on the part of the rich man. Its to late! Even Lazarus beyond the grave would not be able to warn his brothers , because Abraham says "if they would not hear Moses and the prophets" they would not hear if one rise from the dead"
Personally, I view this statement of Abraham very telling about the 5 brothers and their spiritual condition. And also the rich man knows his brothers are caught up in the same manner of life that he himself found condemnation for.
Its also a matter of hearing the Word and putting faith into the exercise of daily life. Abraham "believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness". Abraham was able to speak to the rich man in regards to hearing the prophets and Moses. For he himself put his trust in God and His promises.

Jesus truely is the bread of life.

 

[brightmorningstar]

Most of the posts are obviously correct allowing for interpretations of what the scriptures say. Hell/ghenna/sheol/Hades of some sort obviously exists according to Jesus Christ and the NT.
The topic of hell seems to occupy more forum discussion time than heaven which is starnge because anyone who believes in the opposite of eternal life must beleive in eternal life which is what Jesus demonstrated with the resurection and promised. Whether it is torture or destruction is therefore not really of much interest, both sound grim, to those who are seeking eternal life.

My view is that I simply dont know, I dont know what Hell/ghenna/sheol/Hades is going to be like anymore than a room in God's mansion prepared for me... I think it is somewhat beyond our understanding. Descriptions of God, angels and heavenly being in the Bible are 'like' this or that, and thats how God has spoken to me and how any encounter I have had has been, ie like hearing a voice in my spirit.

 

[brightmorningstar]

Yes it is often unpopular in the west's feelgood and relatively comfortable society, but it is at the heart of they gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the resurection from death to eternal life and the miracles and His claim to divinity, Jesus Christ is often compared with social reformers like Ghandi.

 

[ShermanN]

Good question - I'd like some basis for this denial of the existence of Hell.

To start of with, have you noticed how the word "Hell" itself seems to be disappearing from English translations of scripture. The 1610 Catholic Douay Rheims translated from the Latin Vulgate has "Hell" in it 110 times. The 1611 KJV only 64 times, NKJV 32 times, and most modern translations only have "Hell" in them 12-14 times. Why is there such a trend?

To be blunt, it's because "Hell" is not a correct translation for any of the 4 words that were translated "Hell" these versions. The Hebrew Sheol and Greek Hades mean "grave", "realm of the dead", or the unseen realm. Tartaroo, though a torturous realm within Hades is only used once in scripture and says that the sinning angles are reserved their in or until judgment. So people are not spoken of as held there, and it is implied that such comes to an end at judgment.

Gehenna is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Ga Hinnom, which means valley of Hinnom, which was a vallen just outside Jerusalem's Dung Gate where the city refuse was dumped and burnt, where there was a continuous fire and no shortage of maggots (worm dies not). Literally translated Gehenna should be "city trash dump".

However, Gehenna was also a well known Jewish theological metaphor of punishment in the afterlife. Jewish Rabbis during the time of Christ taught that when some people died, they went straight to Ga Eden (Paradise, heaven); everyone else went to Gehenna for Remedial Punishment, purification and healing of the soul for an indeterminant length of time (an age) of usually less than 11 months, and then were taken to Ga Eden once their souls had recieved the needed Remedial Punishment. It was believed that the average person, Jew and Gentile, fell into this group. The Rabbis argued about the fate of a small third group, the especially wicked. Some taught that these were annihilated in Gehenna; and others taught that they, the especially wicked, were possibly tormented even more than a year, possibly indefinitely long.

The closest English theological word that conveys the Jewish concept of Gehenna is the Catholic word "Purgatory" not "Hell", because it conveys the primary Rabbinical meaning of Gehenna which is Remedial Punishment.

When one considers the actual meaning and uses of the words Sheol, Hades, Tartaroo, and Gehenna, the word "Hell" should NOT be in the Bible.


P.S. It was actually my study of scripture concerning Hell that has led me to believe in Univeral Reconciliation, for punishment in the afterlife as spoken of in scripture is primarily, if not consistantly, spoken of as Remedial in nature - having the purpose of positive change in the one being punished.

 

[edmunster]

Well from watching testimonies and reading a few testimonies of people who have actually died (clinically) I have come to the conclusion that there is a hell and heaven. People have reported with very intense detail about both places. People either describe immense joy moving towards light, meeting jesus, speaking to angels, seeing desceased relatives, incredible environments, everything is emmeting light. OR people have described total isolation in pure darkness but still being aware consciously your there. Millions of people have reported them. A very high percentage have reported amazing qualities of their experience and a small percentage have reported negative qualities of their experience.

 

[ShermanN]

Please don't misunderstand me; when I speak of Remedial Punishment, such punishment is terrible, producing terrible repentance (weeping) and remorse (gnashing of teeth). Jesus spoke repeatedly of how terrible is one's punishment in Gehenna.

Concerning those who have experienced some form of torment in the afterlife, note that such was not endless for them, but they were actually delivered from such and even brought back to life. One testimony I heard was especially inspiring. The man was mean to his family and when he died, what appeared to be people led him out of the hospital into blackness but they soon turned into demons who were torturing him. He understood that these demons were actually the embodiment of various evil practices in his life like rage, hatred, slander, lust, etc. They afflicted him until he cried out for God, who then delivered him from them and even put him back in his body. The man had been dead 4 hours (if I remember correctly) and came back to life. When he fully regained consciousness, he was a changed man and actually soon became a minister of the Gospel.

Punishment in the afterlife has a positive purpose, to effect the repentance and remorse of a person. I believe this is effected through one's encounter with the fire of truth, absolute truth about how evil one is and and how good God is. Once we are repentant and remorseful, we're ready to embrace the Grace of God. Of course, thankfully, we have the opportunity to do so even now and embrace repentance and a changed life before our lives are wasted on selfish pursuits, and even worse, bringing destruction in the lives of others.

Of course, scripture even speaks of Jesus going and preaching to the spirits in prison in 1 Pet.3:18-4:6 "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." - apparently this even transpired for those who lived and rejected God during the most evil time of human history - in the days of Noah.

It is through the Grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ that all of humanity is saved in the eternal, and many are saved in the temporal (present).

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

the word "Hell" should NOT be in the Bible.

I fundamentally disagree with this statement. I've also studied the scripture and I don't reach the same conclusion. There is much more to consider than the tranalation of one word in Scripture.