What do you believe 'hell' actually is?

[LaylieCalmMind]

Really don't want to start an argument about it, what I want is to see the community opinion on this issue. Since there are so many different ways to interpret, and so many people who do differently interpret the Bible, there will always be variations, I'd just like to get a handle on it. I personally know different people who believe in every option up there, I just don't know which interpretations are most prominent.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Avinu]

I don't think I could give you an answer that is will make you say, hey that's it. God's word is quite clear of what hell is and is going to be like when it's over. I believe it means exactly what it says. You are definitely asking for a can of worms to be opened here. lol. There are alot of different denominations who all have different answers. Just a word to the wise, if scripture doesn't back up what anyone says, than it's wrong. Just remember this, if there's no punishment for our sin, then why did Yeshua(Jesus) die a horrible death on the cross for us? Shalom

 

[Laodicea]

Hell can be translated as the grave the Bible says that the dead do not know anything
Ecclesiastes 9:5
(5) For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Psalms 146:4
(4) His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Sodom and Gomorrah are an example of what will happen to all those who will be punished with eternal death
Jude 1:7
(7) Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
If the fire is eternal then why is not Sodom and Gomorrah still burning? Because the punishing is not eternal but the punishment is.
People will burn at the end of the thousand years but it will only last a short time
Revelation 20:7-15
(7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
(8) And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
(9) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
(10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
(11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
(14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
(15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
If hell is a place of eternally burning then why is it cast into the lake of fire?

Nahum 1:9-10
(9) What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
(10) For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

When stubble fully dry is devoured it is done so instantly
2 Peter 3:10-11
(10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

If people get a concordance you can find the meaning for yourself

 

[phil36]

To be honest I sway between points one and three, because it is both.

 

[Fidelis]

Even though I tried, I just cannot believe in a hell. Maybe it's just a lack of wisdom or faith, but I just can't believe a loving God can send people to hell just because they didn't believe in something that happened 2000 years ago.

 

[phil36]

Even though I tried, I just cannot believe in a hell. Maybe it's just a lack of wisdom or faith, but I just can't believe a loving God can send people to hell just because they didn't believe in something that happened 2000 years ago.

Hi fidelis,

Rob bell makes that very same point. He, himself cannot believe that a loving God could do that. There is a big difference between what we believe and what Scripture actually says.

And of course the big problem is that people refuse to believe that the God of the OT is the same God in the NT, or somehow he has change. God does not change scripture is very clear about that.

The difference between the OT and the NT is the timeing. Judgement and God's wrath on the wicked is held for a slight time, but it is coming, when Christ comes back.

People will be trampled like in a wine press until their blood runs for miles and as high as a horse... althoug it not literaly people being put into a wie press, it gives us a detailed picture of the wrath to come.

We cannot seperate God's attributes, and stick with the one we like, for then we rob God of who he is.

We see both on the cross, Love ratched up, but we also see His wrath ratched up, from that of the OT.

 

[jonathanbchristian]

The Bible never says Hell is " torture". It says it is torment. There is a difference in the word torture and torment. Torment is something you go through. Torture is something that is done to someone. I believe it's important to make a distinction between torment and torture.

 

[Dude653]

Even though I tried, I just cannot believe in a hell. Maybe it's just a lack of wisdom or faith, but I just can't believe a loving God can send people to hell just because they didn't believe in something that happened 2000 years ago.

God does not send anyone to hell.... People send themselves to hell by unbelief and disobedience..That would be like if you went to jail and said "I cant believe that judge sent me to jail!'' No you sent yourself to jail by breaking the law

 

[Fidelis]

God does not send anyone to hell.... People send themselves to hell by unbelief and disobedience..That would be like if you went to jail and said "I cant believe that judge sent me to jail!'' No you sent yourself to jail by breaking the law

The difference is that God made His own rules, and the judge is only working according the rules of the state.

 

[See_KING_Truth]

Not to diss on this thread, but we should focus on the Kingdom of Heaven and how to get there. What hell actually is should not concern us as much as knowing what will lead us into that lake of fire and brimstone, and avoiding these things at all cost. Hell is what it is.

 

[Dude653]

Not to diss on this thread, but we should focus on the Kingdom of Heaven and how to get there. What hell actually is should not concern us as much as knowing what will lead us into that lake of fire and brimstone, and avoiding these things at all cost. Hell is what it is.

Good point........

 

[Pie]

The difference is that God made His own rules, and the judge is only working according the rules of the state.

Hey there. I completely understand how you feel. I think a lot (not all) of christians struggle with the idea of hell to some extent. I know I did. Lee Strobel wrote a book called "The Case for Faith." In it he addresses that question and it helped me quite a bit to understand a lot of things. He's not the only christian who has written books on this topic. There are plenty of others to. It basically presents the other side of the argument that we don't hear very often. People think hell and automatically jump to the conclusion that a loving God would never do such a thing because that's what the world says. Trust me.. there are other ways of looking at that situation that are rarely presented. I would research it a bit and then come to your own conclusion.

 

[LaylieCalmMind]

Not to diss on this thread, but we should focus on the Kingdom of Heaven and how to get there. What hell actually is should not concern us as much as knowing what will lead us into that lake of fire and brimstone, and avoiding these things at all cost. Hell is what it is.

Surely you can understand why this topic is so popular? I found it impossible to not to focus on billions of people suffering in agony for eternity when I believed, and many others are similar in that regard. We naturally place value on human life, so billions of us suffering the worst possible fate endlessly kind of weighs heavy on the heart/mind. Just trying to explain why this is being discussed at all.

Hey there. I completely understand how you feel. I think a lot (not all) of christians struggle with the idea of hell to some extent. I know I did. Lee Strobel wrote a book called "The Case for Faith." In it he addresses that question and it helped me quite a bit to understand a lot of things. He's not the only christian who has written books on this topic. There are plenty of others to. It basically presents the other side of the argument that we don't hear very often. People think hell and automatically jump to the conclusion that a loving God would never do such a thing because that's what the world says. Trust me.. there are other ways of looking at that situation that are rarely presented. I would research it a bit and then come to your own conclusion.

I read every rationalization and explanation of hell there was, tirelessly, before abandoning the belief in hell entirely. I've heard all of these arguments and I found them horridly flawed, and that was me coming to my own conclusion through research.

 

[See_KING_Truth]

As a Christian, people should be focusing on how they can lead those souls to Christ, out of the grasp of hell. Not focusing on all the people who will go there, but how we, alongside Christ can lead these people to salvation, breaking the chains of bondage and releasing souls from the second death.

If it weighed so heavy on your heart/mind when you believed, you should have been out evangelising/witnessing and trying to loosen the grasp that satan has on so many people in this world!

 

[LaylieCalmMind]

As a Christian, people should be focusing on how they can lead those souls to Christ, out of the grasp of hell. Not focusing on all the people who will go there, but how we, alongside Christ can lead these people to salvation, breaking the chains of bondage and releasing souls from the second death.

If it weighed so heavy on your heart/mind when you believed, you should have been out evangelising/witnessing and trying to loosen the grasp that satan has on so many people in this world!

That didn't solve the logical/ethical/theological issues with the entire concept of hell for me. Those issues still very much existed and in the end I had to conclude there was no hell at all. I have my reasons, let's leave it at that.

 

[Crazy4GODword]

And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.-Matthew 13:50

Hell is the eternal separation with God, and damnation. It is also known as a place of torment, pain and fire. Eternal separation is also known as the second death. In this second death unbelievers or sinful men who did not come to the Lord will be punished for the sin they have committed, because of their decision. It a judgment and justified answer to the sinner. This is known to some maybe as the bad news. *

Preachers, teachers, ect, should be teaching this more often. Because you cannot sugar coat anything and it won't last forever. We need to let people know what this second death so they can understand and try to prevent it.

Here is another verse, Mark 9:48,*Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

God bless

 

[See_KING_Truth]

If all Christians tried to use their own logic to explain God and His ways, there wouldn't be many believers left I'd imagine. God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are above our thoughts. Do you refuse to believe because you can't line up your finite logic with God's infinite wisdom?

 

[Fidelis]

If all Christians tried to use their own logic to explain God and His ways, there wouldn't be many believers left I'd imagine. God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are above our thoughts. Do you refuse to believe because you can't line up your finite logic with God's infinite wisdom?

Well yeah, probably His wisdom and ways are not understandable for humans. But that doesn't make it any easier to believe and it certainly doesn't make it look any more loving.

 

[Crazy4GODword]

Well yeah, probably His wisdom and ways are not understandable for humans. But that doesn't make it any easier to believe and it certainly doesn't make it look any more loving.

Actually being chastise and punished is just and right. If you being a little child (example) and your mother doesn't punish you for what you did, I can't say she loves you because she is not doing the loving part to keep you out of trouble. She needs to chastise you in love instead of getting away with murder (example).

 

[loveschild]

Burning forever and being tormented by demons. Always knowing you had an opportunity for this not of happened.