Hell will not be a place, hell is a condition of being under God's wrath
Hell is (or will be) a real place, the condition will be the punishment thereof.
Hell is the contrast of Heaven.
In Heaven: , Life, Light, Peace, Joy, all Conscience reward
In Hell, Death, Darkness, Pain, Sorrow All conscience punishment.
There is no reason to assume Hell and the punishment is figurative, unless you also assume Heaven is figurative, and eternal conscience reward figurative as well.
I believe this kind of reasoning comes from the fact, no matter how clear hell is taught in scriptures, people do not want to believe it. Yet, when it comes to the rewards that are promised, people have no problem excepting a literal interpretation of heaven and the life promised to us.
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At the end of the world, people will either be saved and have eternal life, or they will be lost and perish.
“Perish” does not mean the cease to exist, but it means that one who is alive in their punishment has perished. they are no longer a person who is eligible for heaven, but a soul in conscience punishment. I will get more into detail below.
Jesus said to fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell (Gehenna). Gehenna was the place outside of Israel where they burned up their trash and refuse. It was continually burning. It was a fit description of the destruction of the unsaved at the end of the world. God will not eternally torment people in a literal place called hell.
The Fact that Christ used “Gehenna” to describe the future punishment should tell you it is eternal.
Your right, Gehenna always burned, it never went out.
The usage of such a place would have struck fear into the hearts of those who knew Gehenna and what it was used for.
The unsaved are treated as the trash that will burn forever. this is why Gehenna was used to describe hell.
God is just and will meet out to each lost one what they deserve. Jesus said that the one who knew the masters will and didn't do it will be beaten with many stripes; but the one who didn't know will be beaten with few. If God intended to eternally torment people this verse would not make sense[/quote]Even if “beaten with many and few stripes showed a degree in punishment, it would not erase what God has revealed about hell.
You need to look at the entire context of Luke 12:
First, the parable that leads to this is showing a servant That knew his lords will and disobeyed it.
He that knew was beaten with many stripes -
Luke 12:48: But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
He that knew not, those who have not heard the word of God, Yet did things that violated the laws of nature and of their conscience bearing witness against them.
This would not apply to you and me, as we have the word of God and do know his will.
I too used to believe in eternal conscious torment, but if we let the verses of the Bible say what they say, we will see it clearly. It's curious that there is no teaching of hell in the old testament.
Well, that can defiently be debated depending on certain passages of the OT. But I will not go there because it really does not matter. Because if it’s not revealed in the OT, it changes nothing. The NT has revealed the mysteries hid since the beginning of creation as we are told:
I Corinthians 2:7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
It has been said the OT is the NT concealed, and the NT is the OT revealed. Because the NT teaches us the things that were not explicitly manifested in the OT, yet through types and shadows the NT reveals the true meaning of things.
And in the new testament there are only two verses in Revelation (a highly symbolic book) that seem to teach eternal torment. The vast majority of the new testament verses teach the destruction and death of the wicked, but eternal life for the saved.
Again, why would you assume Eternal life is not figurative, just as it’s contrast of punishment?
Two verses in revelation is enough. Yet it is symbolic in many areas. That does not mean all things are symbolic. When something is read as figurative, it must be because the context demands it. The context of Hell in Revelation demands no figurative interpretation, because it fits with the teachings of the rest of scripture.
Matthew 25:41: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
This is the same place revered for Satan and his angles. The fire is everlasting, if the punishment was not, then the fire has no fear because it is everlasting.
We know this because
“the smoke of their torment will rise forever”. - Rev 14:11
“The smoke of torment” could be figurative, maybe not.
“will rise forever” - could be figurative, but for what is would it be symbolizing?
The eternal punishment of the wicked, is what it would be symbolizing if not literal, which i have no reason not to take this literal, as I would assume real smoke may be present.
II Thessalonians 1:9: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
this is not saying the death, or inhalation is everlasting, but the destruction is .i.e. the punishment.
The contrast is always between life and death. Jesus says I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes on Him shall not PERISH, but have eternal life. If everyone will have eternal life (the saved and unsaved) this verse too would make no sense.
Agreed. One must accept Christ in order to have eternal life, this is the reward and it is literal.
One the contrary, if one rejects Christ, he will have eternal death this is the punishment, no reason to assume it is not literal as it counter part.
[/quote] problem came in in the early centuries of the church with the teaching of the immortality of the soul.[/quote]The early church, would be the church we find, starting in the book of Acts, and through the letters written to the churches found in the NT.
They did teach the immortality of the soul.
No where does it say our souls will cease to exist. they will always exist, in a state of punishment and reward.
Ecclesiastes 12:7: Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Clearly their is a distinction between soul and spirit, for they are not the same. Yet something they are used interchangeably, yet other times as in Heb 4, they are clearly distinct.
Many passages speak of the soul, in as the punishment recipient.
Matt 10:28 - “ ...fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell”.
Everlasting punishment, is everlasting destruction. It is not a poof, and your gone.
It was carried over from greek philosophy. The greeks taught that the soul is immortal, but the Bible does not. [/quote]Of the soul goes on after the death of the body, and the soul enters into punishment or reward, that is everlasting, that implies immortality as Paul says “this mortal must put on immortality” when speaking of the resurrection. He says “we all shall be changed”, meaning saved and unsaved. All will be clothed in different bodies (who knows what they will be).
Some will rise to the resurrection of damnation, others to life eternal.
The Bible says that only God is immortal, and that he grants immortality to those in Christ. I could go on, but I really encourage people to get get the book, "The fire that consumes" by Edward Fudge. It is quite exhaustive on the subject.
I will see if I can find it a Library or something, let you know what i think.