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Us Progressive Christians are fully aware that what some people refer to as a "hell" is only the complete, dark, relentless and eternal removal from God's Grace after death.
It's a mental state; not a physical one.
Peace Out, hombres.
Its a pity that the evidence contradicts this. It appears to be both, but the mental state is apparently the more disturbing. Having said that, if you read
Gone West: Three Narratives of After Death Experiences by J.S.M.Ward the hells are not nice. Even if you can get out. That book is the tale of a fellow who experienced most of the various "categories" in hell, and even had a go at creating a sort of "map"
But how is mortal man supposed to know which one of he speaks the truth, and which does not?
That's why the Spirit of Truth exists. If Christians stopped their reliance on inerrancy, and started to consider why there is a Spirit of Truth, they would start to notice how it works.
The Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in brimstone and fire eternal torture Hell, though I did find out yesterday they do believe unrepentant sinners go to a place called Gehenna which is a symbol for a hell-like place...which kind of sounds like a roundabout way of believing in Hell to me.
The Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in brimstone and fire eternal torture Hell, though I did find out yesterday they do believe unrepentant sinners go to a place called Gehenna which is a symbol for a hell-like place...which kind of sounds like a roundabout way of believing in Hell to me.
They believe in Sheol- which was the Hebrew Bible's concept of an afterlife - a common grave.
The 'gehenna' thing is in reference to Jesus' words on where sinners end up- the town garbage dump. They feel that his references were not to a place of eternal fiery torment, but to this supposed fiery trash dump outside of Jerusalem where trash, the poor and criminals were burned. Not sure how accurate that is - but that's how they explain the greek-influenced christian views on Hades, or Hell.
They believe everyone goes to Sheol, is later resurrected for a judgement, then the righteous go to various places (elect to heaven, the rest to paradise earth) and the unrighteous are thrown into the lake of fire - which is the 2nd death, but not a place of eternal torment. This (2nd death) does seem to match with SOME of the things Jesus said, in some of the gospels.
It's one of the few things they actually get sorta, kinda right - in my opinion - from the actual plain sense of the text. It's the evolution of the prophetic visions of a resurrection that is a late phenomenon in the Bible, that I don't really care for.
Only the very righteous go directly to Gan Eden. The average person descends to a place of punishment and/or purification, generally referred to as Gehinnom (guh-hee-NOHM) (in Yiddish, Gehenna), but sometimes as She'ol or by other names. According to one mystical view, every sin we commit creates an angel of destruction (a demon), and after we die we are punished by the very demons that we created. Some views see Gehinnom as one of severe punishment, a bit like the Christian Hell of fire and brimstone. Other sources merely see it as a time when we can see the actions of our lives objectively, see the harm that we have done and the opportunities we missed, and experience remorse for our actions. The period of time in Gehinnom does not exceed 12 months, and then ascends to take his place on Olam Ha-Ba.
Only the utterly wicked do not ascend at the end of this period; their souls are punished for the entire 12 months. Sources differ on what happens at the end of those 12 months: some say that the wicked soul is utterly destroyed and ceases to exist while others say that the soul continues to exist in a state of consciousness of remorse.
The person who didn't want anything to do with God will be granted their wish which is hell or being apart from God when they perish from this Earth.
How can you speak for God? Though you may think that this will happen only The real God has the final say all you can do is do your own judging, God may forgive anyone if he so wishes no matter what you may read.
Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:26 And after my skin has been destroyed,yet in my flesh I will see God;Job 19:27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.How my heart yearns within me!
Yompers. Maybe you should consider this text, from the book of Job, likely one of the oldest books in the Bible.
You all have to remember that God is not just love, but also part of that love is justice. For those who do evil, murder, rape, rob, adulterers, etc, there must be justice and punishment for all the evil they have done. I have a hard time that anyone could buy the idea that the Hitlers, Sadam Husseins, those who spent their lives in evil would escape punishment. I don't know how you sell the idea that the outcome in the end is the same for Hitler as for the innocent and the righteous.
many believe "Jesus" is coming back to get them. because they don't understand what he meant when talking to his Apostles. his coming back only meant once he's back into Heaven. he will turn his attention on helping those who wants to serve his Father, and follow the teachings he gave us. Jesus came to earth one time and one time ONLY.
NO ONE is special!...and the same people who believe that, are the same ones,(if live to see the end), will be in for a rude awakening. i'm NOT trying to aviod any "hellfire" because i understand what Jesus meant, and i know from scriptures "hell is only a grave. many can do research on the origins of hell. but refuse to, instead believing what their ministers are teaching concerning it.
which will bring on false worshipping due to fear of a "hellfire" though many don't want to totally serve this unseen God. this is why many straddles the fence. going to their place of worship, acting Godly, yet living in a way not pleasing to him...or Jesus!
i know, i DON'T know my faith, because i KNOW i'm a sinner. this is why I pray daily for forgiveness. but i do know this, i KNOW there IS an invisible high being because of the things i've seen. REGARDLESS of what any refuse to believe, to each his own. i don't name call the unbelievers as many christians do. because i understand why many don't or refuse to believe.
of course seeing how "christians act towards each other. when it should be love amongst each other. and seeing the things many do, though pointing the finger at non believers who does the same thing. will turn anyone from believe in God. there were things Jehovah did, i first didn't like, because i didn't understand. i still wish some of those things didn't happen. but now i do understand why it did. peace
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