So, what, exactly, is Hell?

MeridianFlight

MeridianFlight

New Member
I'm sure it's safe to assume this topic has been broached before on this board, but I didn't see any threads concerning it on page one, so I'm hoping it wasn't recently.

This is of course, at least it seems, a hotly contested issue within Christendom. I remember reading Lee Strobel's A Case for Faith, during which time he spends one chapter on this topic. Since I've loaned the book and don't have it with me, this recollection won't be as accurate as I'd like. Anyway, I believe he interviews J.P. Moreland on the subject. I believe Moreland argues for a Hell that is not literal "fire", but complete separation from God. That is hell for the lost, a total disconnection from God.

I spoke with my Pastor on this issue, and he pointed out a few passages from Scripture. He made a pretty compelling case for a literal hell, complete with the "fire." Revelation chapter 20 was part of this compelling evidence for a literal hell.

I'm not certain as to all the theories concerning hell out there, but outside of the two mentioned, there's also the idea that the lost will eventually be annihilated, and wiped from existence.

I'd interested in everyone's thoughts on this, even if you don't believe in God. Thanks in advance.
 
Yes this has definitely been addressed on these forums. It was a few months ago...5 or 6 I would guess.

Personally my belief from reading scripture is that hell is both. It is a literal fire AND it is total seperation from God. Anyone arguing that hell is not eternal is not scriptural.

Eternal damnation does not mean eternal until God changes His mind...
 
there's also the idea that the lost will eventually be annihilated, and wiped from existence.
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would you know how someone would go about supporting this, or are you just throwing it out there? I was curious on this point you made.

I was wondering myself as to what hell was exactly after reading the same book(case for faith). In the Old Testament, fire is a direct representation of judgement. You see this when fire rains on Soddom & Gamorrah. You see Jerehmiah using fire and ash to represent God's Judgement on Isreal and the old covenant used burned offerings to atone for sin. Personally there are passages in Revelation I strongly feel are figurative such as when Jesus will come back with swords of fire comming out of his mouth. I believe this means that Jesus will come back the second time to judge(fire) using scripture(sword). We see God compationate, loving, forgiving and patient. God is all of these, but there comes a time to rightly judge, and I think we are going to see that side of God in the second comming.

As far as hell goes, I really have no idea. I always thought of hell as the traditional lake of fire, but when I read what the Bible has to say about it, I can't say for sure. Rev 20 does sound like a literal take, but then I really can't fathom most of what it talks about.(how can there be a key on an eternal abyss? we talking trap door?) Theres so much chaos and things I don't understand from revelation, I think thats why it is usually avoided so often. Hell bieng figurative for separation from God sounds like the diplomatic approach, but then any argument given by J.P. Moreland or any Biblical scholor interviewed by Lee Strobel outwieghs what I have to say.
 
i believe hell to be total darkness with black/dark blue flames tormenting you at the command of demons, completely shutoff from anything holy
 
Annihilationists typically point to the passage in I Thess (IIRC) that talks about the place of "eternal destruction". It depends on your interpretation of the word "destruction"-- does that mean that they cease to exist or does that mean that they are ruined? Most theologists lean toward the latter, because the preponderance of the rest of the Bible supports that Hell is forever.

There's also the metaphorical viewpoint, that says that Hades (Sheol, the pit) is simply a place of separation from God, and that there is no "active torture" from God. The passages that refer to fire are said to be metaphorical as well, as Jesus used the word Gehenna when talking about hell, which was an actual place where the refuse of Jerusalem would burn continually. In essence, they say that Jesus was simply using that as a reference for the worst place the disciples would know of, rather than as a reference to what hell would be like.

The literalist viewpoint points to Rev 20, the story of Lazarus and the rich man who is "tormented in the flame", and other similar passages to prove that hell is a place of fiery torture.

Which do I believe? I take some aspects of the metaphorical approach, and some of the literal. I normally err on the side of literal-- I believe that unless there is compelling evidence to take a passage metaphorically, one should take it literally. But there are some passages that cannot be taken literally-- consider Matt 8:12 and Luke 16:24-- how can there be utter darkness and yet flames? Matthew Henry had this to say:

They shall be cast out from God, and all true comfort, and cast into darkness. In hell there is fire, but no light; it is utter darkness; darkness in extremity; the highest degree of darkness, without any remainder, or mixture, or hope, of light;
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So, obviously, we have to use the gray matter between our ears to figure it out. My conclusion: I believe that if the flames are real, they do not produce light or pain. Rather, the wailing and gnashing of teeth, the true pain of hell, comes from the realization that the citizens of hell will be eternally apart from the Light and from the source of Love.
 
The first step to understanding what "hell" is, is to understand that there are several words/ideals that are defined as "hell".

Define the following terms:

Sheol
Gehenna
Tartarus
Hades

I could give you the answers, but hey, you're the one that wants to learn.
 
Atown said:
i believe hell to be total darkness with black/dark blue flames tormenting you at the command of demons, completely shutoff from anything holy
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Hell will be a place of eternal torment for the demons as well as non believing humans. The demons won't enjoy it any more than the humans there.
 
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Didasko said:
No pain? What will the flames do if not cause pain?
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No idea. Maybe they would serve as a reminder of the source of Light? It would be a pretty powerful reminder if there were flames there that produced no light. Of course, the only way to sense them then would be the heat... I'll do some thinking about that and get back to you. ;)
 
Define the following terms:

Sheol
Gehenna
Tartarus
Hades

I could give you the answers, but hey, you're the one that wants to learn.
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uh, wild bill already defined sheol and gehenna in the post before yours. Tartarus and Hades are Greek words foriegn to the JudeoChristian. Hades does not even really equate to hell in any way, and I don't feel like googling Tartarus. The Greeks made thier religion up, so I don't think there is much to be learned from thier concepts....
 
Master~Plan said:
uh, wild bill already defined sheol and gehenna in the post before yours. Tartarus and Hades are Greek words foriegn to the JudeoChristian. Hades does not even really equate to hell in any way, and I don't feel like googling Tartarus. The Greeks made thier religion up, so I don't think there is much to be learned from thier concepts....
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So did the Christians, only they took a potluck approach to it.
 
I find it interesting that not only do Christians have a hard time accurately defining Hell, but they have an even harder time defining Heaven.
 
Most attempts at defining Heaven generally fall flat, I suppose. If you ask a priest you generally get a definition somewhere along the lines of "An eternity praising God!" and then when you imagine a church service that goes on forever and pull a face he leans closer and says "No. You'll ENJOY it.".

At that point most people gently shudder at the idea and wander off...
 
I actually take a neo pagan/christian approach to the concept of hell.

In modern paganism there is the rule of 3, which can be interepreted in 2 different ways, one of which has a small relation to islam
1. You are rewarded or punished in the next 3 lives (usually among the posser paganist, Islam states that you'll be rewarded thousands and thousands of times over in Heavan.)
2. That you are effected by 3 different forms of sickness or reward. Spitiually, physically, and mentally. In my pagan days, I leaned toward this belief, and actually found that most of the older wiser, and more mature pagans felt the same way.

I have an odd explanation of Hell, so it may not make since untill I post all of my final thoughts.

Matthew 25:41
"Then He will say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

Now this is just a verse in The Judgement of the Gentiles by Jesus. I'm singling this verse out for space sake, but it does not take anything away. What this verse says to me is that if you are cursed (sinners), then you are to be with the sinners, God knows that we will sin, and he has even prepared a plan and place for the sinners.

Matthew 25:46
"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life"

As ya'll have notice, these 2 verses come from the same line. Jesus is telling the Gentiles that they can go to heavn if they're Righteous. But those who do not accept christ, do not follow Gods law, and are not righteous, then they will be sent to everlasting punishment, and as we saw is an everlasting fire.

Matthew 8:12
"But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

This is talking about the Tribe of Judah, which are the Israelites, also called the Jewish people. (This is not ment to be anti-semitic.) In the Passages Matthew 8:5-13, Jesus is speaking with a Centurion (Roman Soldier). Jesus is amazed at how well the Centurious army follows his orders, then he tells the Centurion that if his (Jesus') people do not accept him, then they (the sons of the kingdom) will be cast into darkness (hell).

The are just a very few verses I pulled out. There are many more but the one common theme among them is the Acceptence of Christ. They also state different forms of hell. Darkness, also weeping (some bibles may say wailing) and gnashing of teeth is a great pain, not knowing God and his Son our Savious Jesus Christ.

In life we travel in the darkness. When we find Christ we find the road to the light, but untill we follow Gods Chosen path, we do not know salvation. Hell is a scary place both on Earth and in the Afterlife sense. On earth it is depression, it's in alcoholism, it's in Drug addiction, it is in all the things that tempt us and lead us away from God's plan. But in the Afterlife who are we as humans, as sinners? We are no one. We no longer know God, there is no escape from these things that have made are lives horrible. But now it is worse because there is no more chance for Salvation. There is only darkness. Your tormented by your past. Your alone with your demons.

As ya'll can probably tell, I could go on for a very long time. But I think I'm gonna stop there and anyone wants me to further explain my opinion, your more then welcome to PM me.

Abdi.
 
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