Why an eternal hell?

[Nihilist420]

What purpose does it truly serve? Is there anything one person can do that is so horrible that they deserve an eternity of indefinite torture? No bible quotes please just opinions. The bible can be interpreted every which way and there are verses supporting both sides of either arguments. What purpose does an eternal hell serve? Or an afterlife for that matter. What do we accomplish by being alive after death, or more importantly what does god? Supposedly only humans are allowed this divine privilege. Perhaps other creations are considered inferior? Just curious what anyone thinks on the matter.

 

[sniperelite7]

Speaking as someone who leans towards universalist thought. Hell serves as a place of temporary remedial purification of the soul for the benefit of said soul. It is not eternal. God's love and wisdom won't allow for it and all things will eventually be returned to Him. I don't know what eternal life looks like. Your guess is as good as mine. Guess of the Night: I think we'll all return to God and cease to exist at an individual level.

Speaking as someone who doesn't want to presume to be arrogant enough to know God's will. I don't know if it(hell) is eternal, thats up to God.

Speaking as a sarcastic jerk; Hell is eternal because the all knowing God, knowing His creation would rebel; created them anyway. Because a divine ego needed to be satisfied through worship by disposable peons. Who will be thrown into eternal torture if they mess up on their only go through life for finite actions that are about as significant to God; as a fly farting on the Rocky Mountains.

 

[IisJustMe]

As I'm sure you're aware, the Bible is unequivocal about hell being both destruction and eternal. It is both.

 

[dies-l]

As I'm sure you're aware, the Bible is unequivocal about hell being both destruction and eternal. It is both.

Eternal: perpetual, endless, ceaseless.
Destruction: the act of putting an end to something.

Thus, if something is "eternally destroyed" it is in a perpetual or ceaseless state of non-existence. I would agree that the Bible teaches that hell is both destruction and eternal, but I would disagree with what most Christians today seem to think that means. Those who are eternally destroyed will die and will never be resurrected. Those who are redeemed will be resurrected unto eternal life.

 

[IisJustMe]

Eternal: perpetual, endless, ceaseless.
Destruction: the act of putting an end to something.

Thus, if something is "eternally destroyed" it is in a perpetual or ceaseless state of non-existence. I would agree that the Bible teaches that hell is both destruction and eternal, but I would disagree with what most Christians today seem to think that means. Those who are eternally destroyed will die and will never be resurrected. Those who are redeemed will be resurrected unto eternal life.

And have you not heard that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways greater than ours? Ask Him to explain it, I cannot. But there is no doubt that He refers to hell as both eternal and destruction. You can't argue out of that fact.

I'm not going to explain this to you. I don't have the time. However, I suggest you study the separation of the soul and the body, and discover what happens to them after physical death.

 

[dies-l]

And have you not heard that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways greater than ours? Ask Him to explain it, I cannot. But there is no doubt that He refers to hell as both eternal and destruction. You can't argue out of that fact.

I'm not going to explain this to you. I don't have the time. However, I suggest you study the separation of the soul and the body, and discover what happens to them after physical death.

The problem with that analysis is that we are not talking about God's thoughts vs. my thoughts. We are talking about your interpretation of what God said (your thoughts) vs. my interpretation of what God said (my thoughts). And, after having thoroughly studied the matter in Scripture, I am convinced that mine is more consistent with the entirety of biblical teaching on the matter. The hell of eternal conscious torment for unsaved man appears nowhere in Scripture; however, the idea of permanent death for the unsaved and physical resurrection only for the redeemed appears throughout the New Testament. I will not try to argue out of any opinion that you might present on the matter; I will let Scripture speak for itself. And, when you show me where in Scripture the concept of eternal conscious torment or anything of the like is described in Scripture, I will discuss.

 

[Timothew]

It serves no purpose. Hell as a place of eternal torment is not a biblical idea and was only added on to "christianity" many years after the apostles. Now believers of eternal torment twist themselves around backwards trying to defend the doctrine, but unless the words perish, death, destroy and destruction are radically redefined they can't defend the doctrine. According to the bible, the wages of sin is death, not eternal torment is hell. The penalty is eteranl destruction, not eternal torment in hell.

You will see the redefining of death, destruction, perish and destroy a few posts down from this one.

 

[GeorgiaGuyinAtlanta]

It serves no purpose. Hell as a place of eternal torment is not a biblical idea and was only added on to "christianity" many years after the apostles. Now believers of eternal torment twist themselves around backwards trying to defend the doctrine, but unless the words perish, death, destroy and destruction are radically redefined they can't defend the doctrine. According to the bible, the wagtesof sin is death, not eternal torment is hell. Teh penalty is eteranl destruction, not eternal torment in hell.

You will see the redefining of death, destruction, perish and destroy a few posts down from this one.

What about verses dealing with fire and "weeping and gnashing of teeth"?

 

[dies-l]

What about verses dealing with fire and "weeping and gnashing of teeth"?

What about them? They say nothing that contradicts or undermines what he said.

 

[Timothew]

What about them? They say nothing that contradicts or undermines what he said.

Thanks, I agree.

 

[GeorgiaGuyinAtlanta]

What about them? They say nothing that contradicts or undermines what he said.

Obviously, if one is thrown in the lake of fire, they are tormented. Thus, they're not dead or destroyed in the sense that their spirit ceases to exist.

The wages of sin is death, in that it presents an eternal separation or death from being with God.

Thus, it goes against your premise.

 

[dies-l]

Obviously, if one is thrown in the lake of fire, they are tormented. Thus, they're not dead or destroyed.

Thus, it goes against your premise.

Last time I checked, fire was known for its power to destroy that which burns in it. Thus, the notion of a lake of fire would be consistent with a hell of total and permanent destruction.

 

[Timothew]

Obviously, if one is thrown in the lake of fire, they are tormented. Thus, they're not dead or destroyed.

Thus, it goes against your premise.

If one is thrown into a lake of fire they are tormented? Really? You don't think that a lake of fire would destroy someone who was thrown into it?
A Lake. Of Fire. I dropped a hamburger into a charcoal grill and it was consumed by the flames. It went between the wires of the grate because my wife made the patty too small. I would think a LAKE OF FIRE would burn up something faster than my Weber Grill. Anyway it is a moot point because the lake of fire is called the second death in the Apocalypse of John. The second DEATH. Not eternal living torment. Thus they are dead and destroyed, not tormented.

 

[tankerG]

If one is thrown into a lake of fire they are tormented? Really? You don't think that a lake of fire would destroy someone who was thrown into it?
A Lake. Of Fire. I dropped a hamburger into a charcoal grill and it was consumed by the flames. It went between the wires of the grate because my wife made the patty too small. I would think a LAKE OF FIRE would burn up something faster than my Weber Grill. Anyway it is a moot point because the lake of fire is called the second death in the Apocalypse of John. The second DEATH. Not eternal living torment. Thus they are dead and destroyed, not tormented.

Everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angles. As they are spiritual beings - and not physical - it follows that the "fire" was created and designed to administer spiritual punishment. With this in mind it's not hard at all to conceive of a fire that burns with intense heat but without consumption. God did it when He first appeared to Moses. Why couldn't He create something like that in the lake of fire?
Death is basically a "separation". When we die (the first death) our spirit is separated from our body. It lives on - after death. The second death is also a separation - the individual from God. And there's life after that death, too.
The torment of hell is not only from the fire that's there - it's from being separated from God! Forever, with no reprieve or parole, no second chances, no way out.
A ghastly scenario? Definitely! And that's why God sent Jesus to die for your sins - so you wouldn't have to go to such a place.

 

[theFijian]

What purpose does it truly serve? Is there anything one person can do that is so horrible that they deserve an eternity of indefinite torture? No bible quotes please just opinions. The bible can be interpreted every which way and there are verses supporting both sides of either arguments. What purpose does an eternal hell serve? Or an afterlife for that matter. What do we accomplish by being alive after death, or more importantly what does god? Supposedly only humans are allowed this divine privilege. Perhaps other creations are considered inferior? Just curious what anyone thinks on the matter.

Finite beings who sin against an infinite God suffer a finite punishment infinitely.

 

[dies-l]

Finite beings who sin against an infinite God suffer a finite punishment infinitely.

That sounds nice, but is it based on anything other than personal opinion?

 

[theFijian]

That sounds nice, but is it based on anything other than personal opinion?

Yes, scripture and the exegesis thereof. What about your personal opinions on the matter?

 

[Timothew]

You will see the redefining of death, destruction, perish and destroy a few posts down from this one.

One down - Death:

Death is basically a "separation". When we die (the first death) our spirit is separated from our body. It lives on - after death.

 

[dies-l]

Yes, scripture and the exegesis thereof. What about your personal opinions on the matter?

Scripture says, "the wages of sin is death". Nowhere in Scripture is "death" defined as suffering a "finite punishment infinitely" or anything of the sort. Nowhere in Scripture are we told of individuals suffering eternal torment or anything of the sort. We are told that the redeemed are given "eternal life", which by implication means that those who are not redeemed are not given eternal life. Eternal suffering, eternal punishment, eternal torment, and the like requires eternal life, which is only given to those who believe.

So, like I said, what you said sounds nice, but it directly contradicts Scripture on the matter. I will go with what the Bible says, rather than someone else's opinion.

 

[theFijian]

Scripture says, "the wages of sin is death". Nowhere in Scripture is "death" defined as suffering a "finite punishment infinitely" or anything of the sort. Nowhere in Scripture are we told of individuals suffering eternal torment or anything of the sort. We are told that the redeemed are given "eternal life", which by implication means that those who are not redeemed are not given eternal life. Eternal suffering, eternal punishment, eternal torment, and the like requires eternal life, which is only given to those who believe.

So, like I said, what you said sounds nice, but it directly contradicts Scripture on the matter. I will go with what the Bible says, rather than someone else's opinion.

Do you mean what the bible says in 2 Thes 1:9?