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You Don't Burn In Hell Forever

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posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 10:22 PM
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In his efforts to misrepresent the character of God to the human race, Satan has succeeded to a startling extent. Introduced into the minds of men and women by the "father of lies", many of the misconceptions about God have become encased in human philosophy and passed on from generation to generation.

They have penetrated all levels of human life, and have often been fostered even by the "Christian Church". Two of these false theories have had an especially strong hold on the human imagination. One is the idea that God is a god of anger and wrath, a cruel tyrant who has no reservations about subjecting His creatures to an eternally burning hell for failure to give perfect obedience to His arbitrary commands. But this is not the character of God.


As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from you evil ways; for why will ye die? Ezekiel 33:11


Phrases such as "destroyed forever", "perish", and "consume away", are often used to describe the final state of the lost. These terms are more significant when we are clear as to what they mean. Notice the following definitions from "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language":

destroy - 1. To ruin completely; spoil so that restoration is impossible; consume 2. To tear down or break up; raze; demolish. 3. To do away with; get rid of; put an end to. 4. To kill . . .

perish - 1. To die, especially in a violent or untimely manner. 2. To pass from existence; disappear gradually.

consume - 1. To destroy, as by fire. 2. To use up or waste (time, energy, money, etc.). 3. To drink or eat up; devour. v.i. to waste away; perish.

Notice that all of these have the concept of something put out of existence.

The end result of this punishment will be "death", i.e. nonexistence.

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:4.

"For the wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23.

"They shall be as though they had not been." Obadiah 16.


The permanent effect of this punishment will be eternal nonexistence.

"they shall be destroyed forever." Psalm 92:7.

"When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established for ever." Proverbs 10:25.

Going to different churches, I have been taught that you burn in hell forever. Even talking to different people, many people say they are only going to do good because they are scared to burn in hell forever.

The biggest question is: Why has the church taught us this over the years?



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 10:55 PM
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Revelation20:13-15 The sea gave up the dead that were in it and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them and each person was judged according to what he ahd done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyones name is not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire.

You have to remember, back then the prophets did not have dictionaries, and could only put in their own words what they saw or was told by God to write down. Back then words had one meaning. God refers to hell with the many things you have mentioned.

[edit on 17-11-2009 by capgirl]

[edit on 17-11-2009 by capgirl]



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 10:57 PM
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reply to post by capgirl
 





The lake of fire is the seconddeath. If anyones name is not found written in the book of like he was thrown into the lake of fire.


Haven't heard of this "Book of Like".

So, hmm god loves everyone, but if he doesn't like you....tsk tsk tsk...



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:00 PM
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i'm a christian and have long believed that hell is either:

1. non existent
2. temporary
3. a metaphor for some kind of final soul death that leads to simple non existence

fire is only involved in #3. after all, isn't non existence the most frightening thing to any living being?



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:00 PM
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Sorry I got a little excited and entered it before checking for typos.

Starred and flagged because it is some good points you make!



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:05 PM
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Originally posted by Republican08
reply to post by capgirl
 





The lake of fire is the seconddeath. If anyones name is not found written in the book of like he was thrown into the lake of fire.


Haven't heard of this "Book of Like".

So, hmm god loves everyone, but if he doesn't like you....tsk tsk tsk...


I heard the only thing that does not burn in the lake of fire are your vocal chords.. this way God can hear you shrieking better.



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:06 PM
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I can say I've read and heard that many times, my personal opinion is that hell is a state of mind, always has been and always will be, but to be more specific, a state of mind that is painful, regret, bitterness, shame, etc, etc, those are just a few painful thoughts that come to mind, and why would someone be having those thoughts? perhaps they made a mistake, didn't repent, and ended up on the wrong side of the eternal fence. I also personally believe it's not going to be easy to 'not repent', I think everyone will get (at least) a 2nd chance, because the all knowing Creator doesn't want to filter out the intellectually smart from the dumb, the goal is for every single person to progress, bad isn't seen as bad eternally, it's seen as spiritually retarded, and from what I've seen intellectual intelligence has nothing to do with how spiritual you are.

[edit on 17-11-2009 by Razimus]

[edit on 17-11-2009 by Razimus]



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:38 PM
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I agree with the OP. There have been many threads lately on the issue of Hell. Nobody has been able to justify how a loving God would allow the creation of a place where one of his children will suffer eternally. There is no decent explanation.

I think this idea of a physical Hell where you will spend every hour of every day of every minute feeling excruciating and never-ending pain to be so implausible. It has always been my belief that those who are evil will simply void their opportunity to live in the afterlife. Those that have lead a moral life will be able to exist in a spiritual world of some sort.

I am not certain if this idea of Hell comes from Satan himself (if he even does exist) but rather it seems to have come from a Catholic Church mentality where people are encouraged to fear God. It is a form of control where you can get people to do things without worrying if they will listen or not. Unfortunately, religion today is marketed by some in this very manner.

[edit on 17/11/2009 by Dark Ghost]



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:39 PM
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reply to post by jhill76
 


The concept of an obliteration type of hell instead of a punishment hell is one of the doctrines of the Jehovah Witness / Kingdom Hall faith. Personally I think it has some merit.

The word for Hell that is used in the New Testament is Gehenna which was an actual place outside the city of Jerusalem. If you go to the holy lands today you can literally walk through Hell. It was a dump where the cities garbage was burned. And there was so much of it that the fire burned day and night 24/7.

It was also a place where dead bodies would often be thrown. If the person was a criminal, or didn't have any family to bury them, they would be thrown into the fire, and it was so intense that it would totally consume them bones and all.

So the idea that the hell that is spoken of is a place of inhalation is at least to me something worth considering.



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:43 PM
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Originally posted by sagestranger
reply to post by jhill76
 


The concept of an obliteration type of hell instead of a punishment hell is one of the doctrines of the Jehovah Witness / Kingdom Hall faith. Personally I think it has some merit.

The word for Hell that is used in the New Testament is Gehenna which was an actual place outside the city of Jerusalem. If you go to the holy lands today you can literally walk through Hell. It was a dump where the cities garbage was burned. And there was so much of it that the fire burned day and night 24/7.

It was also a place where dead bodies would often be thrown. If the person was a criminal, or didn't have any family to bury them, they would be thrown into the fire, and it was so intense that it would totally consume them bones and all.

So the idea that the hell that is spoken of is a place of inhalation is at least to me something worth considering.


That is an interesting perspective. This place you are referring to is in the Physical world though, is it not? I think most people are referring to a spiritual prison where their soul will burn in pain for eternity, mostly due to the fact that they did not believe in God or live a moral life.

[edit on 17/11/2009 by Dark Ghost]



posted on Nov, 17 2009 @ 11:57 PM
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You can read 1000s of ways into the bible. The simple truth is none of us know what is going to happen no matter how hard we believe it. And if you say otherwise it is a lie. Personal truth is subjective the facts are not.



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 12:02 AM
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Originally posted by Dark Ghost

That is an interesting perspective. This place you are referring to is in the Physical world though, is it not? I think most people are referring to a spiritual prison where their soul will burn in pain for eternity, mostly due to the fact that they did not believe in God or live a moral life.



Yes it is definitely a spiritual concept - but the point is that we may have it wrong if we consider it a place of eternal punishment. Rather it could be a place where a Second Death of a spiritual nature could mean that the soul is consumed as the bodies were in that physical place which was named. Jesus often used real world illustrations to teach of spiritual truths, so it could be that he was using the name of this real place to teach what happens to the unsaved soul in the spiritual realm.

It's not a very popular belief in the Christian community, and I'm not saying that I'm 100% sure that it is that way. I just think it's interesting when you think of it like that. It would seem to me to be a more loving way of dealing with those who fall outside of grace than eternal punishment. And one thing that I feel pretty sure of is that God is loving and that it is His desire for all to be saved. 1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

To be honest, the thought of total non-existence is (not quite but almost) as frightening as eternal punishment.



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 12:02 AM
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reply to post by jhill76
 


Depends on how long God can hold a grudge.

And, whether the deity is subject to Alzheimer’s.



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 12:09 AM
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Originally posted by Dark Ghost
I agree with the OP. There have been many threads lately on the issue of Hell. Nobody has been able to justify how a loving God would allow the creation of a place where one of his children will suffer eternally. There is no decent explanation.
[edit on 17/11/2009 by Dark Ghost]


I will attempt to respond to this.

The Bible tells us God punishes the wicked. God made Satan. God cast Satan into Hell. Surely as one of Gods creations he loves Satan so much he would not do this right?

Wrong.

God gives us Free will and teaches us Sin separates us from Him. He gives us a set of things to do to redeem ourselves to Him so we can be with Him in eternity. If we fail to do those things we are wicked because of our Sin and will be cast away from Him. He still loves us, but we made the choice to defy Him by not doing the things he told us to do to redeem ourselves.

So all He did was set up the system and gave the choice to Us if we wanted to be on His side or not. He didn't want to create robots. This is His way of finding out who of his creations would be loyal to Him and deserve his everlasting life in Heaven.

Now, Satan knows all of this and he's really ticked off that God cast him out of heaven and stopped him from taking over. The more he gets people to believe there is not a real Hell the more people won't bother to do what God said to do to be redeemed to Him. Satan wins the souls, God loses them.

Therefore one must believe heaven and hell are both real for anything in the Bible to make since to them, because that is the core of the message. You cannot say you believe in the Bible and Not believe in hell. If you do, you are a person who has been deceived by Satan and really have no idea what the Bible is all about.

(That's how it was taught to me anyway- I don't see anything in the Bible that contradicts this)



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 12:19 AM
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But which God? OH MY GOD THERE ARE SO MANY.

2.



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 01:28 AM
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reply to post by reasonable
 





I heard the only thing that does not burn in the lake of fire are your vocal chords.. this way God can hear you shrieking better

Only the fool has said,
'There is no God. " Then comes death after that the judgement.



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 04:07 AM
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Originally posted by Republican08
reply to post by capgirl
 





The lake of fire is the seconddeath. If anyones name is not found written in the book of like he was thrown into the lake of fire.


Haven't heard of this "Book of Like".


I think this is supposed to be the "Book of Life".
To be inscribed in the Book of Life, versus the "Book of Death".



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 07:21 AM
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According to the Bible and Hebrew thought there is the Grave, Which is the extension of Sheol.

Sheol is the abode of the dead, both righteous and wicked.Its a place deep in the earth and it is entered by crossing a river.Its a city with gates, a place of gloom and darkness. However this is not Hell.

Hell is the final abode of the unrighteous dead.Eternal punishment.
And yes, you do burn in hell forever if you are unrighteous.



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 08:23 AM
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The main confusion is a result of the translators using the same word, "Hell"
for the Hebrew word, "Sheol" and the Greek words, "Hades & Gehenna".
Gehenna is the Greek form of the Hebrew word "Hinnom.

Concerning this use of “hell” to translate these original words from the Hebrew and Greek, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1981, Vol. 2, p. 187) says: “HADES . . . It corresponds to ‘Sheol’ in the O.T. [Old Testament]. In the A.V. of the O.T. [Old Testament] and N.T. [New Testament], it has been unhappily rendered ‘Hell.’”

Collier’s Encyclopedia (1986, Vol. 12, p. 28) says concerning “Hell”: “First it stands for the Hebrew Sheol of the Old Testament and the Greek Hades of the Septuagint and New Testament. Since Sheol in Old Testament times referred simply to the abode of the dead and suggested no moral distinctions, the word ‘hell,’ as understood today, is not a happy translation.”

It is, in fact, because of the way that the word “hell” is understood today that it is such an unsatisfactory translation of these original Bible words.

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, unabridged, under “Hell” says: “fr[om] . . . helan to conceal.” The word “hell” thus originally conveyed no thought of heat or torment but simply of a ‘covered over or concealed place.’ In the old English dialect the expression “helling potatoes” meant, not to roast them, but simply to place the potatoes in the ground or in a cellar.

The idea of Hell being a place of fiery torment goes way back to the pagan beliefs of the ancient Babylonians, Egyptians & Assyrians...and countless other ancient cultures.

The Encyclopedia Americana (1956, Vol. XIV, p. 81) said: “Much confusion and misunderstanding has been caused through the early translators of the Bible persistently rendering the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades and Gehenna by the word hell. The simple transliteration of these words by the translators of the revised editions of the Bible has not sufficed to appreciably clear up this confusion and misconception.”



posted on Nov, 18 2009 @ 08:41 AM
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Whatever it is... it sounds like a place I DONT WANT TO BE!!!
Interesting question is how your spirit (not physical) could possibly burn. How do you see, taste, hear, feel or smell without a body that allows you to do so???




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