What is Hell?

[SaintMarco]

Well the Bible disagrees with you on that

What if those who are brought up to believe a different faith don't realise that they are doing "wrong" by not being Christians?

To say that all non-Christians will go to Hell merely for that reason, is extreme to say the least.

God is loving, not corrupted.

 

[Zurich]

God is loving, not corrupted.

God is loving, but he is also holy -- he will shun all sinners unless they appear before him clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

God is loving, but he is also just -- he will render infinite punishments upon law-breakers unless they appear before him clothed with the imputed innocence of Christ.

Without Christ, God is as a raging fire of judgment for the non-believing sinner. "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries." Hebrews 10:27 God is eager to destroy the non-believing sinner, and it is only his longsuffering forebearance that keeps them from being immediately judged.

God's personality is not one-faceted, but includes all attributes, including holiness, justice, sovereignty, and righteousness. Love is just one part of his personality.

 

[SaintMarco]

I do not believe that God is so cruel as to send people to an eternal torment. Think about it, the people that go to Hell have sinned for a certain amount of earthly time. How can ETERNAL punishment be justified when the sinner has not been alive since the beginning of time and therefore hasn't sinned for eternity?

Eternal punishment is by no means justified, nor is it a fair punishment, to someone who has only sinned for a certain amount of years (could be their whole lifetime).
Compare that person's years on earth with an eternity, there is no comparison.

If there is a Hell, which I believe there is, it is temporary. The sinners who go to Hell will suffer for the same amount of time that they sinned on earth.

Infinite torment as punishment for a finite amount of sins during a lifetime on earth cannot possibly be a fair or justified punishment.

A lifetime is nothing compared to an eternity.

God is loving, not a corrupted, heartless beast.

To send people to an eternal Hell is just plain cruel.

Temporary Hell maybe, but everlasting Hell? I find it incomprehensable that God, who is all loving and holy, could possibly be so cruel.

The whole point in punishment is correction. Therefore eternal punishment with no second chance is futile.

Another theory I have about punishment for sin, is that instead of Hell, you will simply cease to exist. Good people will go to Heaven, and sinners souls will be destroyed, thus they will no longer exist.

After all, isn't it a terrible thing not to be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and have everlasting life? Isn't true punishment for sins supposed to be death? If one ceases to exist, then surely that punishment has been fulfilled...

 

[SaintMarco]

God is eager to destroy the non-believing sinner

So God is actually quite keen on the idea of sending people to Hell? I didn't think God actually enjoyed sending people to Hell...

 

[Zurich]

So God is actually quite keen on the idea of sending people to Hell? I didn't think God actually enjoyed sending people to Hell...

Well, he does it, and is not compelled by any outside force apart from his own sovereign judgments and designs. Whatever he does he chooses to do for his reasons -- he is not a person with compulsions who does things contrary to his desires.

God does it. God wills to do it. God glorifies himself by punishing the sinners. Whether or not, after considering this, you prefer to use the word "eager" or not use the word "eager" is purely symantics.

 

[SaintMarco]

Well, he does it, and is not compelled by any outside force apart from his own sovereign judgments and designs. Whatever he does he chooses to do for his reasons -- he is not a person with compulsions who does things contrary to his desires.

God does it. God wills to do it. God glorifies himself by punishing the sinners. Whether or not, after considering this, you prefer to use the word "eager" or not use the word "eager" is purely symantics.

He GLORIFIES himself for punishing sinners? The God you are portraying sounds like an egotistic, cruel, cold-hearted monstrous beast.

If God does sentence people to an eternal punishment, I'm pretty sure he doesn't enjoy doing it.

God is loving.

 

[BushwigBill]

Hell is an existence without the presence of God. This in and of itself is pure torture on every level of existence we can imagine, but is only compounded with the presence of Satan, who hates us extremely. I've always though that imagery of fire and heat describing hell has always been an analogy for the dryness and thirst that those who go there will experience, thristing for God's presence and life, but unable to quench it. Of course, I could be wrong, and it could very well be a literal fire that burns.

That's how I've always thought about it. There's also the whole argument of how a good God could send people to a place like hell. I think that God lets us choose between a relationship with Him, and separation from Him, and whichever you choose in life, you get for eternity. He only gives you what you ask for.

 

[SaintMarco]

That's how I've always thought about it. There's also the whole argument of how a good God could send people to a place like hell. I think that God lets us choose between a relationship with Him, and separation from Him, and whichever you choose in life, you get for eternity. He only gives you what you ask for.

Nobody should have to choose God merely because they are afraid of Him.

God gave us free will, what's the point in having it if we will go to Hell for using it? The fear of Hell means we don't really have a choice at all, do we?

Is God really so cruel that he says "follow me or you will face eternal torment"?

It's God we're talking about, not Saddam Hussein.

 

[Zurich]

He GLORIFIES himself for punishing sinners?

Yes. GLORIFIES. Listen to God speaking:

9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
​

The God you are portraying sounds like an egotistic, cruel, cold-hearted monstrous beast.

God has revealed himself in the Scriptures. It is not my portrayal of him, but his own protrayal of himself.

Romans 9:14-16: "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy in whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."

Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.) 3:6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world?
​

Let God be God. And sinners must worship him or discover themselves the object of an infinite punishment for their violation of his law.

 

[SaintMarco]

Yes. GLORIFIES. Listen to God speaking:

9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?


​

God has revealed himself in the Scriptures. It is not my portrayal of him, but his own protrayal of himself.

Romans 9:14-16: "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy in whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."

Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.) 3:6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world?


​

Let God be God. And sinners must worship him or discover themselves the object of an infinite punishment for their violation of his law.

Tell me this: If Jesus saved us from our sins, then why do people still go to Hell? Was the spilling of the Lord's blood futile?

I do not believe God is an angry force, waiting to dish out cruel, heartless punishment on sinners. Nor do I believe good people will go to Hell just because they happen to be non-Christian, whilst not so good people go to Heaven for the opposite reason. It makes one want to question the doctrines in the Scriptures...

 

[craig_on_fire]

I also say that those posting on here who appear to 'want' people to be punished are 'plucking a fruit that may appear sweet for a moment but bitter for an hour, and which will poison you if you're not careful'. It is right to want Justice, but punishment I don't agree with.

 

[SaintMarco]

Yes I must say that this is currently the view that I hold also... Can I also say that those posting on here who appear to 'want' people to be punished are 'plucking a fruit that may appear sweet for a moment but bitter for an hour, and which will poison you if you're not careful'. It is right to want Justice, but punishment I don't agree with.

People who say that only Christians can get into Heaven, and that all non-Christians go to Hell, present Christianity in an egotistic and downright arrogant way. These people do appear to "want" all non-Christians to go to Hell, which isn't Christian-like at all.

 

[jasperbound]

Tell me this: If Jesus saved us from our sins, then why do people still go to Hell? Was the spilling of the Lord's blood futile?

I do not believe God is an angry force, waiting to dish out cruel, heartless punishment on sinners. Nor do I believe good people will go to Hell just because they happen to be non-Christian, whilst not so good people go to Heaven for the opposite reason. It makes one want to question the doctrines in the Scriptures...

Why would it be futile if only believers went to Heaven, and yet it would be all right if only good people went to Heaven? If only good people go to Hell, then that means that the Lord's blood was futile according to the logic you use in the first paragraph. I should be able to rape and murder as I please and still go up to Heaven, right?

 

[Harlan Norris]

I often think about Hell and wonder what it is. The bible claims that in Hell you are burned permanentely over a scalding fire. I can't image that, as the pain would just be too unbearable to take.

I wonder if this is true...

Perhaps Hell is a terrible state of mind and not a place where you endure physical pain?

Of course I don't know,but the Bible states that hell is a lake of fire.Those that are in it are burned forever but not consumed.

 

[SaintMarco]

Why would it be futile if only believers went to Heaven, and yet it would be all right if only good people went to Heaven? If only good people go to Hell, then that means that the Lord's blood was futile according to the logic you use in the first paragraph. I should be able to rape and murder as I please and still go up to Heaven, right?

What I'm saying is, why should someone go to Hell just for rejecting Christianity if they have lived a good life? I didn't say only good people go to Hell, you are twisting my words.

 

[SaintMarco]

Of course I don't know,but the Bible states that hell is a lake of fire.Those that are in it are burned forever but not consumed.

The idea of it being a "lake of fire" is quite absurd in my opinion, I don't really take Revelations too seriously. It's full of metaphors and some of the stuff in it sounds like it's out of a fairytale.

 

[Zurich]

There is a punishment for the violation of God's law, and everybody, even the best person has broken God's law and is not as virtuous as God is.

If a sinner does not avail himself of God's provision for pardon -- the blood of Jesus Christ -- the the sinner will be the object of this punishment. The punishment is no less infinite than God himself. And God punishes with an intention to do so and not with merely an unwelcomed compulsion on his part.

The Bible says that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to heaven. The Bible says it and the Bible is God's word. You either believe it or you don't, but God said it.

 

[ethereous]

I interpret Hell as being cut off from God and his Kingdom.

 

[Zurich]

In our mind's eye, we see the infinite glory that God generates for himself by expressing his justice in this manner, vindicating the worth of his Glory! God will enforce his law by rendering punishments, and, praise be to him, God has given us the ability to literally SEE this as a sweet, and savory thing.

This is perhaps the central distinction between a born again Christian and the natural man who rebelliously suppresses his knowledge of divine justice.

We are perfectly honest when we say that we have been given a regenerated heart that can literally SEE that God is beautifully displayed by BOTH rewarding the vessels of mercy and punishing the vessels of wrath.

This is honest talk -- hell is just as glorifying for our sovereign law-enforcer as heaven is. The regenerate Christian takes great comfort in knowing that God will be glorified, God will be vindicated, God will protect his honor, and hell is a large part of that -- at least as important as heaven.




It is not dishonest to say things this way when God has given his children a new heart to see things this way:

What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory?​

 

[jasperbound]

What I'm saying is, why should someone go to Hell just for rejecting Christianity if they have lived a good life? I didn't say only good people go to Hell, you are twisting my words.

Because nobody is good except God. Your definition of good is not necessarily God's, and you are not God.

I never said you said only good people go to Hell. And why should anybody go to Hell, even serial rapists and genocidal murderers?