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Folks, proof is in the history of the responses. Mocking, deceptive, lying, rude, mocking, hateful. Do you think they represent God? They behave like the Evil one. Do not let them dragged you down the pit with easy, made up theology and false hermaneutical answers.
Eternal life is the most important hope you possess. Don’t throw it away for the easy path. They will lead you to destruction. Research for yourself and see what the experts claim. The people here are nothing more than a cut and paste posers.
Folks, proof is in the history of the responses. Mocking, deceptive, lying, rude, mocking, hateful. Do you think they represent God? They behave like the Evil one. Do not let them dragged you down the pit with easy, made up theology and false hermaneutical answers.
Eternal life is the most important hope you possess. Don’t throw it away for the easy path. They will lead you to destruction. Research for yourself and see what the experts claim. The people here are nothing more than a cut and paste posers.
Don’t be deceived!
It's too late for you. You have swallowed paganism hook, line, and sinker, and will soon find yourself roasting over the open pit you believe waits for everyone else.
Folks, proof is in the history of the responses. Mocking, deceptive, lying, rude, mocking, hateful. Do you think they represent God? They behave like the Evil one. Do not let them dragged you down the pit with easy, made up theology and false hermaneutical answers.
Eternal life is the most important hope you possess. Don’t throw it away for the easy path. They will lead you to destruction. Research for yourself and see what the experts claim. The people here are nothing more than a cut and paste posers.
Don’t be deceived!
Speculate much? Because you surely do not study the languages.
You merely believe what you have been taught to believe.
The spirit of Ama says that the Holy Bible mentions only Heaven and Hell. So that's it, Heaven and Hell only.
I find Jesus is mentioned in the Holy Bible and mentions the meek will inherit the 'Earth'- as per Psalm 37:9-11.
So, to me that means the Bible mentions three places Heaven, Hell and Earth.
Heaven is forever, Earth is forever (Ecclesiastes 1:4 B) but biblical hell is temporary.
Temporary because biblical hell is just mankind's temporary stone-cold grave for the sleeping dead.
The dead know No pain because the 'dead know nothing' - Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalms 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; John 11:11-14.
Biblical hell (grave) comes to a final end according to Rev. 20:13-14 because after everyone in the Bible's hell is ' delivered up '(that means resurrected out of hell, the grave) then emptied-out hell is cast vacant into that symbolic ' second death ' for vacated hell.
If biblical hell was a permanent place then Jesus would still be in hell - Acts 2:27.
If we are in danger, it is because the God you worship is nothing more than a petty, vengeful, and childlike God.
I would rather spend eternity in hell, than with a monster like that.
Sorry, but you can't spend an eternity in biblical hell because the Bible's hell is mankind's temporary stone-cold grave.
Temporary grave for the sleeping ( know nothing ) dead - Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalms 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; John 11:11-14.
Biblical hell (grave) comes to a final end after everyone in biblical hell are resurrected out of hell -> Rev. 20:13-14.
Then, emptied-out hell is cast vacant into a symbolic ' second death ' for vacated biblical hell.
I find Nothing monster like about seeing the return of the Genesis ' Tree of Life ' again on Earth as per Revelation 22:2
There will be ' healing ' for earth's nations. This is why we are all invited to pray the invitation of Rev. 22:20 for Jesus to come !
Come and fulfill God's promise to father Abraham as found at Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18 that ALL families of Earth will be blessed, and ALL nation of Earth will be blessed.
Blessed with the benefit of healing as mentioned in the 35th chapter of Isaiah.
As for the wicked they will be ' destroyed forever ' ( extinct forever ) - Psalm 92:7
We can choose to ' repent ' if we do Not wish to ' perish ' ( be destroyed forever ) - 2nd Peter 3:9.
I do not currently believe in a literal hell that tortures people forever. For one thing, it makes God come off incredibly sadistic and petty to create such a severe eternal punishment for a small infinite number of years here. Even more so if it meant that God creates some kind of psuedo physical body that can't get burned up, but has all the nerve endings including teeth to nash and eyes to weep and produce tears. It completely makes no sense and so out of character of a loving God.
The strongest evidence against eternal hell lies in this verse
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28
This is Christ speaking and He clearly indicates that the unsaved will be killed and destroyed forever. That makes sense to me. God gave you the gift of life. If you reject His gift of salvation then He will have to uncreate you as sin can not be allowed to exist anymore.
Even if hell is literal or not, just the thought of knowing some people will get to go on living forever in a beautiful existence while the unsaved will not would be torture enough. Knowing if I had just made better choices in my life, I could listen to the birds sing and enjoy a great pain free reality instead of being destroyed is horrifying.
I do not currently believe in a literal hell that tortures people forever. For one thing, it makes God come off incredibly sadistic and petty to create such a severe eternal punishment for a small infinite number of years here. Even more so if it meant that God creates some kind of psuedo physical body that can't get burned up, but has all the nerve endings including teeth to nash and eyes to weep and produce tears. It completely makes no sense and so out of character of a loving God.
The strongest evidence against eternal hell lies in this verse
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28
This is Christ speaking and He clearly indicates that the unsaved will be killed and destroyed forever. That makes sense to me. God gave you the gift of life. If you reject His gift of salvation then He will have to uncreate you as sin can not be allowed to exist anymore.
Even if hell is literal or not, just the thought of knowing some people will get to go on living forever in a beautiful existence while the unsaved will not would be torture enough. Knowing if I had just made better choices in my life, I could listen to the birds sing and enjoy a great pain free reality instead of being destroyed is horrifying.
I find KJV at Matthew 10:28 translated the word Gehenna into English as hell.
Gehenna was just a garbage pit outside of Jerusalem where things were destroyed forever Not burning forever.
So, Gehenna is a fitting word for destruction, or as Psalm 92:7 says the wicked will be ' destroyed forever '.
We are given the choice to ' repent ' if we do Not wish to ' perish ' ( become extinct ) - 2nd Peter 3:9
I do not currently believe in a literal hell that tortures people forever. For one thing, it makes God come off incredibly sadistic and petty to create such a severe eternal punishment for a small infinite number of years here. Even more so if it meant that God creates some kind of psuedo physical body that can't get burned up, but has all the nerve endings including teeth to nash and eyes to weep and produce tears. It completely makes no sense and so out of character of a loving God.
The strongest evidence against eternal hell lies in this verse
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28
This is Christ speaking and He clearly indicates that the unsaved will be killed and destroyed forever. That makes sense to me. God gave you the gift of life. If you reject His gift of salvation then He will have to uncreate you as sin can not be allowed to exist anymore.
Even if hell is literal or not, just the thought of knowing some people will get to go on living forever in a beautiful existence while the unsaved will not would be torture enough. Knowing if I had just made better choices in my life, I could listen to the birds sing and enjoy a great pain free reality instead of being destroyed is horrifying.
That’s right Jeff
One step in the right direction, I don’t agree with your other speculations about uncreating people etc but I commend you for the bolded
Actually, in Jewish thought Gehenna was not just a garbage pit outside of Jerusalem. Jesus was thoroughly Jewish and when he spoke of Gehenna he spoke of it in terms of which Jews thought of it. The Jewish Encyclopedia has an entry on Gehenna in which it says, among other things,
The "fiery furnace" that Abraham saw (Gen. xv. 17, Hebr.) was Gehenna (Mek. xx. 18b, 71b; comp. Enoch, xcviii. 3, ciii. 8; Matt. xiii. 42, 50; 'Er. 19a, where the "fiery furnace" is also identified with the gate of Gehenna). Opinions also vary as to the situation, extent, and nature of hell. The statement that Gehenna is situated in the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, in the "accursed valley" (Enoch, xxvii. 1 et seq.), means simply that it has a gate there. It was in Zion, and had a gate in Jerusalem (Isa. xxxi. 9). It had three gates, one in the wilderness, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem ('Er. 19a). The gate lies between two palm-trees in the valley of Hinnom, from which smoke is continually rising (ib.). The mouth is narrow, impeding the smoke, but below Gehenna extends indefinitely (Men. 99b). According to one opinion, it is above the firmament, and according to another, behind the dark mountains (Ta'an. 32b).
There is much more in the entry on Gehenna which people can read for themselves if they want to know the Jewish thoughts on Gehenna.
Try Chabad.org:
“Yes. There is fire in hell. It’s the very things we did wrong. And hell is just a huge magnifying glass. A magnifying glass takes sunlight and makes it hot enough to burn. Hell magnifies our wrongdoings until our soul burns. The sins we do so causally here are different there. It’s a more G‑dly world. A more sensitive world. A more intense world. It’s like the pain and regret of that pig fat man, only many times worse. No poet can capture that level of pain in words. But it might be a tiny bit like having a movie made out of all your most regrettable thoughts and actions. Played in all theaters around the world. G‑d will be watching that movie. He sent you to this earth for 70 or 80 years to get diamonds. Now He can’t bear the stench. It must hurt like hell.1
But it also hurts good. Overwhelming experiences bring about what’s called catharsis. That’s the release you get after a good cry. Gehinom also brings relief and revival. And a new perspective you’ll later be thankful you got. See, G‑d isn’t rubbing it in your face. He’s scrubbing out ingrained dirt that you’ve had on your face too long to notice. It’s also temporary. Twelve months max,2 and only six days a week. You spend Shabbat in heaven, and then it's back to work.3 Always remember, Gehinom is a preparation, not a destination. We’re all going to paradise. Some just need some time to get dressed for the occasion”
“In the future, in the Messianic era, death and suffering will end.4 Heaven, with all the souls in it, will become part of this world. There will be literal heaven on earth. And you directly decide when it happens. Because when you start chasing G‑dliness instead of dollar signs, you become heavenly. When we all do it, the world becomes heavenly. Then the souls can move in and feel at home. We'll be reunited for an eternal paradise right where we are. Let’s do it today.”
I don't believe in a place of eternal conscious torment that occurs in the after life. I believe in the ultimate reconciliation of all things. I think it is a mistake to interpret Jesus' words about "hell" as specifically referring to a future time after death. It's about the now. People are living in hell at this very moment, in both body and soul. That to me seems obvious, especially when you look at the great lengths people go to numb their suffering. Hell is so obviously now. The kingdom of heaven is now. Judgement is now. Jesus' return is now. It's all now. Jesus spoke in stark language sometimes, and, as another poster pointed out not too long ago, frequent hyperbole.
I'm familiar with all the arguments about Gehenna and the translations of "eternal" and I agree with them. I just think that when I read the gospels and look at things as being metaphors for our current spiritual growth, it works much better as a way of knowing God, and also as a way to explain the gospel to modern people. Trying to get people to change because of "the after life" is a pretty weak motivator, and also meaningless, when we don't live in a culture that is steeped in such a mythos.
Just think of how practical and appealing a gospel would be if it acknowledged people's current state of suffering as the "hell," kind of like the first noble truth of Buddhism that 'life is suffering.' Instead Christianity clings to an ancient world model that doesn't make any sense to modern people.
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