Why does hell exist?

[GodLovesCats]

Why is understanding what death is so difficult? When one dies on earth all cease to exist on earth and rest (dormant) in their graves, until the Lord returns. 1st resurrection are changed become immortal and are with the Lord.

Death itself is not hard to understand. I know my grandparents, uncle, and (cremated) dad are all buried. Eventually I also will be in a grave. What cannot be understood easily is the writings about all people who rest in graves being resurrected, but only the saved living eternally while most people rot.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Didn't say they were in paradise. This was referring to the very end (GWTJ). When something is destroyed by fire .... everything is consumed and turns to ashes ... it's common knowledge ... and at the GWTJ everything is destroyed by fire.

Did you know the GWT is the Bible Jehovah's Witnesses use that is published by Watchtower? Never read that one unless you are a JW.

 

[RaymondG]

Second, God is good, therefore he has to punish evil because he so too good not to.

When Jesus chose not to condemn the woman caught in the act.....would you say this made Him a bad guy? Should He have punished her instead because He is Good and He caught one in sin?

 

[Der Alte]

Death is an eternal punishment whether we are conscious in it or not.
What advantage is to be reaped from being conscious of eternal punishment? God is not seeking revenge, nor is He seeking to educate.
Rather He seeks to rid the world of sin and all who choose identify with it, and that for the benefit of His perfect creation and His children who will live with in it.

I appreciate this rosy opinion but you have failed to address anything in my post.
Concerning “punishment” one early church father wrote,

“‘Then these reap no advantage from their punishment, as it seems: moreover, I would say that they are not punished unless they are conscious of the punishment.” Justin Martyr [A.D. 110-165.] Dialogue with Trypho Chapter 4​

 

[GodLovesCats]

When Jesus chose not to condemn the woman caught in the act.....would you say this made Him a bad guy? Should He have punished her instead because He is Good and He caught one in sin?

There were other times when Jesus passively watched people sin. He explained his reason was the acts of sin were prosophied.

 

[Blade]

I think its something we wont know until after all this. I was made for Satan and his angels.

 

[Halbhh]

God is the Creator of all things. He loves everything He created, according to Genesis 1. But God hates Satan and demons and does not want anyone to live in the lake of fire that He created. I don't get it. My mom said a loving God would not create hell because He does not want people to suffer eternally, so she does not believe it exists. Why isn't this true?

It's worth remembering that no one that isn't immortal could live long in the lake of fire. Fallen angels are immortal, it seems, around for so many millennia, and no mention of them growing old. They would not perish in the lake of fire, it seems.

But humans don't have eternal life unless it is given to us:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

And so, Christ warned:

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

Because:

Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death--the lake of fire.

When you see the words "second death", that's for human souls it seems. It definitely doesn't have the sound of being a metaphorical wording.

 

[GodLovesCats]

The second death is obviously the physical death: when all of your body systems stop working. That's not metaphorical or spiritual death, just death.

 

[Halbhh]

The second death is obviously the physical death: when all of your body systems stop working. That's not metaphorical or spiritual death, just death.

That's a slightly different wording, but seems to be a similar sense of 'death' -- the "second death" happens in the Lake of fire, and is a real death. One that is an eternal punishment, because it's for eternity.

Those that live forever on the other hand, will not be in bodies like we know, for instance:
Matthew 22:30 In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.

 

[Halbhh]

The second death is obviously the physical death: when all of your body systems stop working. That's not metaphorical or spiritual death, just death.

1 Corinthians 15 NIV -- here's a place we learn more, about the new 'body' of those given eternal life:

" If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” f ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we g bear the image of the heavenly man.

50I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

 

[zoidar]

There were other times when Jesus passively watched people sin. He explained his reason was the acts of sin were prosophied.

I don't think that is the right understanding. Jesus even opened the door for Pilate to be saved, but Pilate shut the door pretty quick. Remember he also prayed for those that crucified him.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Hell exists for a few reasons.

1. The Devil and his Angel's need to be placed somewhere so that they can never harm,tempt, or cause sin to occur in one of Gods creations ever again.

2. Because God is a God of justice and he needs to satisfy his sense of justice. So the Devil and his Angel's and the humans who have rejected Christ need to be punished by God.

3. To set an eternal warning and example to ANYONE who may want to try to overthrow him ever again. This is why Isiah says that when we are on the New Earth we will be able to see those burning in the lake of fire and be discouraged from ever sinning/rebelling against Goc ever again.

We only see hell as an unfair punishment because of sin. One day we will see Gods punishment as just. Even the unbelievers.

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

in the long run your statement is correct. But when our Lord was creating we are told this:

Matthew 25:41
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,' you who are cursed, into the eternal fire' prepared for the devil and his angels."

Our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit did not have men in mind for the citizens of hell. Hell was meant for Satan and his fallen angels. Satan is not the lord of hell or anyone in hell. Satan is going to be the one in the hottest part of that fire and all his angels with him. Men place themselves in hell but it does not alter the fact the Lord created for the chief fallen angel and all his followers who are the angels who left their appointed place, heaven, for the world.

Yet off we go anyway...

 

[Vicky gould]

Yet off we go anyway...

I am sorry I am unsure of your posts meaning

 

[eleos1954]

Death itself is not hard to understand. I know my grandparents, uncle, and (cremated) dad are all buried. Eventually I also will be in a grave. What cannot be understood easily is the writings about all people who rest in graves being resurrected, but only the saved living eternally while most people rot.

Mankind was created in the image of God ... to be in harmony with God we need to be transformed into His image and that is to be totally without sin.

Some people are happy in their sins ... some people are just plain wicked and evil ... and neither will not change ... ok then .... those who will not change can't live in Gods kingdom ... else we have the same thing we have now .... or worse.

So while on earth all have the opportunity to change .... or not ... and those who are willing He will help them change over the course of their "earthly life" if they receive Him. Everyone has the choice to do so .... or not.

God has laws and without people who willingly obey those laws then there is lawlessness.

1 John 3:4
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

 

[Eloy Craft]

If God has revealed Himself in the fulness we can receive and is still rejected, what more can God do?

 

[eleos1954]

Did you know the GWT is the Bible Jehovah's Witnesses use that is published by Watchtower? Never read that one unless you are a JW.

GWTJ - stands for the Great White Throne Judgement (used by many) to describe what takes place at the very end of time when God destroys everything.

I don't know about JW teachings ... never looked into them.

I study Gods Word on my own.

 

[GodLovesCats]

GWTJ - stands for the Great White Throne Judgement (used by many) to describe what takes place at the very end of time when God destroys everything.

I don't know about JW teachings ... never looked into them.

I study God's Word on my own.

You can learn about them in the forums about other religions. It is not Christian.

 

[martymonster]

Without sin and eternal suffering there is no such thing as mercy. Or without hate, there is no such thing as grace. No sin, = no concept of righteousness, or justice..... God created all for his glory. But since we want to sin, we incur the guilt and punishment.

Do you have some scripture to back that up?

 

[Der Alte]

Did you know the GWT is the Bible Jehovah's Witnesses use that is published by Watchtower? Never read that one unless you are a JW.

The JW bible is the New World Translation. [NWT]. This version was compiled by some JW leaders none of whom knew any Hebrew or Greek.