Dealing with the idea of Hell

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Budman

Senior Member
Mar 9, 2014
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For how does one have perfect love to cast out fear? By keeping His commandments. For Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments.

"Then they asked Him, ' What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent. ' " (John 6:28,29)

That's it, and that's all.
 
Jul 22, 2014
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Ill use the words of someone i once evangelized to. "Who cares if i've (sinned) we all end up as dirt in the end anyways"
Well, Hell is still very real. It is still not a nice place to go to. We also do not know how long one will be punished in the Lake of Fire for their crimes against God, too. But it will not be for eternity.

For example: let's say a certain family went to a country whereby they lied about something to that country and now they are all tortured but yet kept alive as long as possible? Does the dictator of that country sound fair and just?
 
Jul 22, 2014
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"Then they asked Him, ' What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent. ' " (John 6:28,29)

That's it, and that's all.
Believe requires not just the person and then slicing out his teachings. Jesus said abide in me and my words. The words of Jesus are a part of who He is. Believing is the first step. But then faith also is described as an action in Hebrews 11. For faith without works is a dead faith (or a counterfeit faith). For if you have any sense of morality to you of what is good and right, you know that doing good is better than doing evil. John 12:48 says if you reject his words, then those very words will judge you on the last day.

For how does God even abide in a person?

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23).
 

Jruiz

Senior Member
Dec 13, 2013
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If you read this thread, I refute those few small select verses used by those who believe in Eternal Conscious Torment. That is why you are having such a problem right now with this view because it is not true. What others here do not want you to see is that there are a ton of verses that supports the view that they will be destroyed in the Lake of Fire. For why call it the Second Death if it is not related to the first death? (See Revelation 21:8).

Anyways, please just read thru this thread here on what I wrote (And pray over the verses):

http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/104767-what-your-view-hell-lake-fire-loving.html

As for Hell: Yes, Hell is a real place, but it is not a torture chamber; It is a prison. The richman was not tormented in the flame. The richman was tormented by the heat of the flame that was in front of him (In the gulft fixed between him and Abraham).
Ok...how do you explain "their worm dieth not". What was Jesus talking about?
 
Jul 22, 2014
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Read about half, made your position clear. Im guessing you dont want to address the 2 verses i just mentioned.
Be a good Berean by keeping an open mind and searching the Scriptures to whether those things be so or not. Reading about half shows you are not really open to what the Scriptures are truly saying. Go back and read again prayerfully in what each verse I brought up says.
 
Jul 22, 2014
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Ok...how do you explain "their worm dieth not". What was Jesus talking about?
Their worm does not die until it completely consumes it's host. We see this with corpses. It suggests decay and death. Worms today can feed on dead corpses. The verse says nothing about how they are still kept alive forever and ever as the worms continue to feed on them. The verse does not say that.

In other words, the "worm dies not" while it is consuming them. The Scriptures say the last enemy to be destroyed is death. This suggests that there are other enemies of God that will be destroyed before that point.
 
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Tankman131

Guest
Be a good Berean by keeping an open mind and searching the Scriptures to whether those things be so or not. Reading about half shows you are not really open to what the Scriptures are truly saying. Go back and read again prayerfully in what each verse I brought up says.
1st, i did go back and read what you wrote and it doesnt support what you are saying. Second, you still havent addressed the one verse i put before you
 
Jul 22, 2014
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1st, i did go back and read what you wrote and it doesnt support what you are saying. Second, you still havent addressed the one verse i put before you
Yes, I have not forgot about it. Trust me, I was getting to it. I have answered this verse before. Give me a me a moment here.

As for not being willing to look at the list: That shows you are close minded, which is against what a good Berean is supposed to be like (Acts 17:11).
 
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Tankman131

Guest
As for not being willing to look at the list: That shows you are close minded, which is against what a good Berean is supposed to be like (Acts 17:11).
1st, i did go back and read what you wrote and it doesnt support what you are saying. Second, you still havent addressed the one verse i put before you
Seriously? Instead of addressing One verse you are going to throw out complete crap?
 
Mar 10, 2015
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You don't have to know hell, but you do have to acknowledge your sin and a need for a savior

Totally agree with you here, but that is not what the young man stated at all. He said you must know the consequence of SIN before understanding the need for a savior. This is not found anywhere in scripture.

I also do not agree with telling people what their SIN is, the Holy Spirit reveals that to people better than we ever will. In JOhn 8 Jesus never told the woman her sin, he stated he did not condemn her and go and sin no more.

I still preach SIN and a hell to shun, but I do not make it mainstay. Believers know this already, why continue to drum beat the saved who already have it?
 
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Tankman131

Guest
Lol ill say just one of them. Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life
so is hell forever or is heaven temporary? Or are you going to twist this scripture to fit your own needs?
I am genuinely curious how you will twist scripture to work your way around this one.
 
Jul 22, 2014
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"forever doesn't always mean forever."
gosh that hurt dont make me laugh like that.

I guess in matthew 18:8 and matthew 25:46 it depends on "what the meaning of the word is is."

oh and i guess heaven isnt forever either
Okay, I missed seeing the two verses you brought up. Sorry about that.

Matthew 18:8 is dealing with the Greek word "aiōnios" is based on the Greek word "aion" which has a meaning of "age to age."

Strong's Greek: 165. αἰών (aión) -- a space of time, an age

Besides, even if you wanted the word to mean "forever", it is speaking of the fire in being everlasting and not the person. We learn today that fires consume. Jesus used parables or real world examples to point to spiritual things. We know fires burn things up. That is what they do.

As for Matthew 25:46: The consequences are everlasting or eternal. The punishment is the consequence. So it is what the Bible says. It is everlasting punishment (consequences) and not ..... "everlasting punishing." The punishment has eternal consequences because they will forever be destroyed or gone.
 

Reborn

Senior Member
Nov 16, 2014
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While I believe there is a literal actual Hell, I do not think it is a torture chamber but merely a prison (that is temporary). This is obvious by the fact that the richman was not screaming while talking to Abraham. For if some bad guys had held somebody down into a campfire and they tried to talk to him, I seriously doubt that guy will be able to talk back because he is screaming so much. For if you were burning on fire, you would not ask for a little water to cool your tongue, you would be asking for buckets of water.

Anyways, if you want to check out all the verses for Conditional Immortality, this site was really helpful for me.
For they teach that the Lake of Fire is a place where the wicked will be destroyed.

Believe What the Jewish Apostles Taught -- Why Conditional Immortality Is True and Biblical
(Granted they believe in "soul sleep" which I find to be unbiblical, but the verses they present on the Lake of Fire destroying the wicked is sound).
So Jesus went to a tourture camp in the 3 days He was dead?
Wasn't He in Paradise?

Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake concerning of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption.

If He was in Paradise, ......when was there time to be in Hell?

Something that you are teaching isn't jiving?
 

Blain

The Word Weaver
Aug 28, 2012
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My best friend absolutely despises Christians, in fact he hates the fact I am Christian but honestly from he has seen I can't say I blame him. To many so called Christians use hell as a weapon of fear and hell is unfortunately a very real place because I have been there before, the horrors I saw there and the fear and misery I wouldn't want even the most cruel and evil person to see.

But I have also been concerned about what you have jruiz but I also trust God and his judgment immensely and I came to realize that worrying about things I don't understand will only confuse me and make me unstable in my faith and make me very worried and sad. We don't understand why and how God could send a person to hell and yes I have heard that if you are not saved you will go to hell so a sixteen year old who doesn't believe in God and dies well... many would say he goes to hell.

But I know God is a God of love and mercy, that sixteen year old who has only known pain sadness cruelty and such may very well be in his arms the second of death. Knowing God I bet that is what happens. I think God sends ppl to hell who deserve it not ppl who have had it so hard in life and so couldn't get themselves to believe in God yet still have a good heart. Perhaps I'm wrong but this just seems to coincide with God's loving and nurturing and merciful character.
 
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Tankman131

Guest
Totally agree with you here, but that is not what the young man stated at all. He said you must know the consequence of SIN before understanding the need for a savior. This is not found anywhere in scripture.

I also do not agree with telling people what their SIN is, the Holy Spirit reveals that to people better than we ever will. In JOhn 8 Jesus never told the woman her sin, he stated he did not condemn her and go and sin no more.

I still preach SIN and a hell to shun, but I do not make it mainstay. Believers know this already, why continue to drum beat the saved who already have it?
So tell me, why would someone care to be forgiven on something they dont understand or know the consequences of?

Why is Romans 6:23 so commonly used by evangelists and people sharing the gospel? Because it succinctly shares the consequences of sin as well as the solution to the problem to a group of people who may not have a conception of what sin is. Why would jesus preach the consequences of sins to jews who have been brought up their whole lives knowing these consequences? Why would Paul bring up sin and damnation when speaking to gentiles? Because they werent brought up with a concept of the consequences of sin.

i get it, you find hell distateful, but it is part of the truth and it has been part of bringing many to christ, my parents included.
 
Jul 22, 2014
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So Jesus went to a tourture camp in the 3 days He was dead?
Wasn't He in Paradise?

Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake concerning of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption.

If He was in Paradise, ......when was there time to be in Hell?

Something that you are teaching isn't jiving?
Not sure what you are saying.

The English word "hell" can be used in reference to the Lake of Fire, Torments (what we call Hell), and a general reference to the abode of the dead (Where both Abraham's Bosom and Torments reside). I believe Jesus' physical body died and that the Spirit portion of Him which is the second person of the Godhead, went down into Abraham's bosom for three days. I also believe he preached to the spirits in prison, too. Jesus then had conquered death and rose from the dead. Jesus paid the price for sin, which was.... death (physically) and not eternal torture in Hell.

I mean, think about it. The Lake of Fire is called the Second Death. This is important to understand because it is related to the first death, i.e. physical death. In other words, you cannot call something the Second Death and not have it related to the first one.
 
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Tankman131

Guest
Okay, I missed seeing the two verses you brought up. Sorry about that.

Matthew 18:8 is dealing with the Greek word "aiōnios" is based on the Greek word "aion" which has a meaning of "age to age."

Strong's Greek: 165. αἰών (aión) -- a space of time, an age

Besides, even if you wanted the word to mean "forever", it is speaking of the fire in being everlasting and not the person. We learn today that fires consume. Jesus used parables or real world examples to point to spiritual things. We know fires burn things up. That is what they do.

As for Matthew 25:46: The consequences are everlasting or eternal. The punishment is the consequence. So it is what the Bible says. It is everlasting punishment (consequences) and not ..... "everlasting punishing." The punishment has eternal consequences because they will forever be destroyed or gone.
Ahh, so you didnt even care to twist scripture, just use your own conception of the word. So i guess heaven isnt eternal either, just the consequences.

My best friend absolutely despises Christians, in fact he hates the fact I am Christian but honestly from he has seen I can't say I blame him. To many so called Christians use hell as a weapon of fear and hell is unfortunately a very real place because I have been there before, the horrors I saw there and the fear and misery I wouldn't want even the most cruel and evil person to see.

But I have also been concerned about what you have jruiz but I also trust God and his judgment immensely and I came to realize that worrying about things I don't understand will only confuse me and make me unstable in my faith and make me very worried and sad. We don't understand why and how God could send a person to hell and yes I have heard that if you are not saved you will go to hell so a sixteen year old who doesn't believe in God and dies well... many would say he goes to hell.

But I know God is a God of love and mercy, that sixteen year old who has only known pain sadness cruelty and such may very well be in his arms the second of death. Knowing God I bet that is what happens. I think God sends ppl to hell who deserve it not ppl who have had it so hard in life and so couldn't get themselves to believe in God yet still have a good heart. Perhaps I'm wrong but this just seems to coincide with God's loving and nurturing and merciful character.
God can find ways yo bring people to him, but the bible is clear, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Dont let your emotions cloud the truth of scripture because that is the first step in supplanting the God of the universe with the god of blain.
 
Jul 22, 2014
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My best friend absolutely despises Christians, in fact he hates the fact I am Christian but honestly from he has seen I can't say I blame him. To many so called Christians use hell as a weapon of fear and hell is unfortunately a very real place because I have been there before, the horrors I saw there and the fear and misery I wouldn't want even the most cruel and evil person to see.

But I have also been concerned about what you have jruiz but I also trust God and his judgment immensely and I came to realize that worrying about things I don't understand will only confuse me and make me unstable in my faith and make me very worried and sad. We don't understand why and how God could send a person to hell and yes I have heard that if you are not saved you will go to hell so a sixteen year old who doesn't believe in God and dies well... many would say he goes to hell.

But I know God is a God of love and mercy, that sixteen year old who has only known pain sadness cruelty and such may very well be in his arms the second of death. Knowing God I bet that is what happens. I think God sends ppl to hell who deserve it not ppl who have had it so hard in life and so couldn't get themselves to believe in God yet still have a good heart. Perhaps I'm wrong but this just seems to coincide with God's loving and nurturing and merciful character.
It's strange that everyone who has a vision of Hell has a different story to tell. Why doesn't all the facts line up in everyone's stories? See, that is why God wants us to trust in the Bible and not in some vision.

This is why I am turned off against visions like.... Heaven is for real, etc. Most of them are all false because they contradict Scripture.
 
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Tankman131

Guest
It's strange that everyone who has a vision of Hell has a different story to tell. Why doesn't all the facts line up in everyone's stories? See, that is why God wants us to trust in the Bible and not in some vision.

This is why I am turned off against visions like.... Heaven is for real, etc. Most of them are all false because they contradict Scripture.
The interesting NDEs are the ones where people dont talk about them afterwards, but their lives change drastically. They oddly enough usually have very similar experiences to share when interviewed years later but are reluctant to share them. An interesting book to read on it is aptly titled "near death experiences"
 
Jul 22, 2014
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Ahh, so you didnt even care to twist scripture, just use your own conception of the word. So i guess heaven isnt eternal either, just the consequences.
It is not saying Heaven and Hell in Matthew 25:46. You are saying that. It is contrasting ..... Life with Punishment. For Jesus said,

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

It does not make any sense if one has life eternal and the wicked also have life eternal.

God can find ways yo bring people to him, but the bible is clear, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Dont let your emotions cloud the truth of scripture because that is the first step in supplanting the God of the universe with the god of blain.
I can say the same to you. You believe the way you do because you hold to what the majority of churches teach and they cannot possibly be wrong. You have not kept your mind open like a good Berean and checked out those many, many, many verses on Conditional Immortality. You just want to see what you want to see. The question is, why do you want Hell to be eternal? Do you want to see people suffer forever? Do you want evil to exist forever?