Why do so many Christians believe in a place called "Hell"?

[-Cp]

Just started dabbling with this, but would love to know why so many Christians believe in a place called "hell" - i.e. a place of eternal torment for the "unsaved"....

I tend to think most of us have been raised to think that way because we misinterpet the Bible - Hell in the OT always meant "the grave" and in the NT, the word (Gehenna) was a place outside the city of Jeruselem.

[5stringJeff]

Come on now, you've been "dabbling" with this for at least a year.

I think you'll find that Christ mentions eternal punishment a few times in the Gospel of Matthew, and that Revelation mentions that all whose name was not found in the Book of Life were thrown into the lake of fire. Eternal torment is part of Biblical teaching, and is consistent with God's holiness and justice.

[-Cp]

Come on now, you've been "dabbling" with this for at least a year.

I think you'll find that Christ mentions eternal punishment a few times in the Gospel of Matthew, and that Revelation mentions that all whose name was not found in the Book of Life were thrown into the lake of fire. Eternal torment is part of Biblical teaching, and is consistent with God's holiness and justice.

The english word "eternal" appears in Matthew, however, that word does not mean "endless" - it means "age-lasting"...

The lake of fire is to destroy death and hell...is it not?
The fire that the Hebrew children were cast into did two things, burned only the wicked (those who cast them in) and the "son of man" appeared. The Children of God were infected in no way. Thus this fire was both a consuming (of evil) and a non-consuming (of good).

The fire (light) in the Holy of Holies was both a consuming and a non-consuming fire. It would kill a man carrying guilt if he entered, but would not harm a man cleansed. A

The fire that is used to purify gold is also a consuming and non-consuming fire, it burns the dross but doesn't harm the gold.

The fire that Paul mentions in:1 Corinthians 3:15
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
the evil deeds that even Paul mentions in Rom.7 are burned up, and the man himself is saved from the evil that once controlled his flesh.

And the sudden transformation mentioned in 1 Cor.15) Shows the mortal body being consumed/clothed with the inner immortal. And what happens "death is swallowed up", but the man himself remains unharmed.

Your faith is tried by fire:1 Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Reason for that may be: Jesus was "THE" son of God, he was the "Flame" (Isaiah 10:17
And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. Notice Israel (the people of God) are the fire, Jesus Christ the Holy one is but a flame. In Revelation we are dealing with one "like unto" the Son of man(Rev.1:13And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.) This, in my view is the many membered body of Christ. The one with many voices.

The same fire that is used to purify gold also burns the dross. Look at how the sons of Levi are to be purified:

Mal.3:2But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

3And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

He shall sit and He shall purify. Purify them from what? Sounds like their little devils are going to burned in, and by, the same fire that saves them.

As for god not being made a "thing", The fire is the very "presence" of God. And what would you do with the verse "God is a consuming fire"?

The fire of God only tortures his enemies, it's a blessing to all else.

Let me leave you with one last verse showing the army of God (manifested sons) in the last day:

Joel 2:2A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

3A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

[-Cp]

If the Lake of Fire is actually a place of everlasting burnings, why isn't it defined as such? The Bible calls it the "second death," that is, the death of the first death. One would think that the death of death would be LIFE, which is a good thing! (Rev. 20:14) Even in mathematics two negatives make a positive.

If Hell is real and a person is considered foolish trying to build a tower without first seeing if he has enough resources with which to complete it, wouldn't Jesus also be foolish if He purposed to save the world but only came away with a part of it? And wouldn't Jesus appear foolish if He came to destroy the works of the devil but left most of the devil's work continuing endlessly in the Lake of Fire ? Wouldn't He be found guilty of not counting the costs before He began?(Luke 14:28-32)

[Hagbard Celine]

Just started dabbling with this, but would love to know why so many Christians believe in a place called "hell" - i.e. a place of eternal torment for the "unsaved"....

I tend to think most of us have been raised to think that way because we misinterpet the Bible - Hell in the OT always meant "the grave" and in the NT, the word (Gehenna) was a place outside the city of Jeruselem.

They believe in it because they've been taught that it exists--what they haven't been taught is to question what they've been taught.

[Noir]

why so many Christians believe in a place called "hell" - i.e. a place of eternal torment for the "unsaved"....

Cus its mentioned in the bible? For example the story of the sheep and the goats (also known as "The Judgment of the Nations")

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and He will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at His right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world

‘Then He will say to those at His left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels"

And you discribed hell as:

"hell" - i.e. a place of eternal torment for the "unsaved"....

unsaved...Accursed, eternal fire...eternal torment...close enough?..

[-Cp]

Cus its mentioned in the bible? For example the story of the sheep and the goats (also known as "The Judgment of the Nations")

EDIT: LINK: http://predici.resursecrestine.ro/pr...itatea-344.htm

The word eternal there does not mean everlasting..

The word translated "eternal" in the phrase "eternal purpose" is the Greek word AIONON which means "ages."


There are many precious and important truths contained in this parable, but we must restrain ourselves from pursuing them at this time in order to deal briefly with two points. First, it is important to note that this separation of the sheep from the goats was brought about, not on the basis of whether one had accepted Jesus Christ as his personal saviour, but solely on the basis of works. Everything depended entirely upon what the sheep or goats had done or had not done. There was nothing of faith or a spiritual experience connected with this separation. The sheep were set on God's right hand because of the fact that they had done something - given meat and drink to the Lord's brethren, clothed them, visited them, and comforted them. All these things the Lord said they had done to Him. But the sheep confessed that they had never seen Him, so how could they have done these things to the Lord? He answered, "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me."

All of this is a kind of ministry unto the Lord Himself and it brought all these people into a separation unto blessings of the right hand of God! This had nothing whatever to do with how the sheep treated the Jews, or the orphans in foreign lands, or the destitute masses or the poor drunk in the gutter. None of those are the Lord's brethren! Paul identifies the Lord's brethren in Rom. 8:29, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." The Lord's brethren are the sons of God, the members of His body, of His flesh, of His bone, of His spirit and nature. The sheep had responded in a positive way to these brethren in their time of testing and preparation during their sojourn in the flesh, and now there is rich reward!

And you discribed hell as:

unsaved...Accursed, eternal fire...eternal torment...close enough?..

EDIT: LINK: http://www.heavendwellers.com/hd_bible_hell_part_1.htm

The English word Hell grew into its present meaning. The words hell, heel, hill, hole, whole, hall, hull, halt and hold are all from the same root.
"Hell, any place, or some place covered over. Heel, that part of the foot which is covered by the leg. Hill, any heap of earth, or stone, etc., by which the plain or level surface of the earth is covered. Hale, i.e., healed or whole. Whole, the same as hale, i.e., covered. It was formerly written whole, without the w, as a wound or sore is healed, or whole, that is, covered over by the skin, which manner of expression will not seem extraordinary if we consider our use of the word recover. Hall, a covered building, where persons assemble, or where goods are protected from the weather. Hull, of a nut, etc. That by which a nut is covered. Hole, some place covered over. 'You shall seek for holes to hide your heads in.' Holt, holed, hol'd holt. A rising ground or knoll covered with trees. Hold, as the hold of a ship, in which things are covered, or the covered part of a ship."

The word was first applied to the grave by our German and English ancestors, and as superstition came to regard the grave as an entrance to a world of torment, Hell at length became the word used to denote an imaginary realm of fiery woe.

"The word Hell, used in the common translation, conveys now an improper meaning of the original word; because Hell is only used to signify the place of the damned. But as the word Hell comes from the Anglo-Saxon helan, to cover, or hide, henee the tiling or slating of a house is called, in some parts of England (particularly Cornwall), heling, to this day, and the corers of books (in Lancashire), by the same name, so the literal import of the original word hades was formerly well expressed by it."

Also there is not one instance in the Bible where the word hell is used that it does not refer to a place on the earth.

[5stringJeff]

I'll reply later. But please, remember the rules of the board and post links when you copy and paste text.

[-Cp]

I'll reply later. But please, remember the rules of the board and post links when you copy and paste text.

Why are there links in my post now which I never used?

[5stringJeff]

Why are there links in my post now which I never used?

Because I Googled it and found it.

[-Cp]

Because I Googled it and found it.

But I've never been to nor heard of those sites...

[5stringJeff]

But I've never been to nor heard of those sites...

Nevertheless, they are the original source of the text you provided (as far as I was able to ascertain via Google), even if you received that text from other means, such as e-mail. At the very least, if you get something via e-mail, then say so when reproducing it here. This protects Jim, as the owner of the board, from copyright infringement and fair use issues.

[Yurt]

metaphors....God has no reason to keep those who do not want to live under His Law, alive. Sometimes we need references, lakes of fire....but there is no way a God who rests on the seventh day, is going to keep sinners alive forever.

[Abbey Marie]

Nice to see you again, -Cp.

[avatar4321]

Just started dabbling with this, but would love to know why so many Christians believe in a place called "hell" - i.e. a place of eternal torment for the "unsaved"....

I tend to think most of us have been raised to think that way because we misinterpet the Bible - Hell in the OT always meant "the grave" and in the NT, the word (Gehenna) was a place outside the city of Jeruselem.

I don't believe in hell as traditionally understood by Christians, partially because of these exact reasons.

Nor do I understand Eternal or Endless Damnation like traditional Christians.

This is not to say i dont believe God punishes the wicked. He does. But not like the traditions.