Is Hell really a place of torture?

I was thinking one day about Hell and I came to a conclusion that got me thinking. If Satan's ultimate goal is to tempt people into sin so they will go to Hell why does he punish the sinners? Wouldn't it be more intelligent to reward the sinners? He should know that the knowledge of Hell being a bad place might deter some would-be sinners. Why doesn't Lucifer make Hell a paradise?

I was always of the impression from what I read that it was the separation from God that was the "punishment". To live like that for eternity would be the cause of all the "weeping and gnashing of teeth" mentioned. Not so much anything Satan did to souls.
I'm agnostic, though, and can't really say I know anything for sure one way or another. So....

I don't think the place even exists so...........

I don't think the place even exists so...........



S&F anyway

I've wondered that myself. I don't believe in it, but it would make more sense. I could never figure out the torture part of it either, because you don't have a physical body, so how could you feel pain?

IMO we are living in hell here. The best is to come.... later....... I wish.....

reply to post by Chamberf=6


You would still think that Satan would try to make Hell as comfortable and cozy as possible if he really wanted people to show up.

reply to post by Nosred


It seems that through the various translations of the Bible the term that we know as hell is actually a blanket term referencing five other places including:

Hebrew(Old Testament)

Gehenna

Sheol

Greek(New Testament)

Tartarus

The Abyss

Hades

I am not sure if I covered them all, but I will look for some links to bring back.

[edit on 7/3/2010 by dalan.]

reply to post by Nosred


It's that he is in opposition to God. Not that he is trying to drag people down a hole to suffering. Hell would be a "punishment" for Satan too, technically. I think you may be going by what Milton and Dante wrote more than what the Bible says.

[edit on 3/7/2010 by Chamberf=6]

I often times also think like that, OP. If we are sent to this "hell" to be punished for not worshiping/following/believing in/etc. (an apparently, "all forgiving" being) God, wouldn't that mean that the devil and God are on the same team? As if God's the "good" one and the devil's the rowdier relative or something?

reply to post by dalan.


I think "sheol" was a term used too. I'm not sure but I think that means "grave".

Also IMO, I think that hell as we "know" would be a better place to spend the rest of eternity. Lot's more of cool people, free alcohol and drugs......

[edit on 3-7-2010 by St-Patrick]

reply to post by Chamberf=6


So are you saying it's really God doing the punishing? I do prefer Dante and Milton by the way.

reply to post by Nosred


Dude you have no idea how terrible hell is....

In hell your soul is placed into a human baby, and it is indoctrinated to believe that it is living, despite having been shoved into a decaying meat sack of pain.

Then is it taught by other hell minions to hate, kill, and despise other hell minions of different color.

Worst of all it is tricked into thinking that this thing called God is the good guy even tho it's actually the main prison guard of hell.

Half the inmates are starved and live in the worst possible conditions where all they know is disease, pain, rape, hunger, and cruelty and it is shown on TV to the other half of the inmates who stuff their faces with nothing but poisonous food like chicken Mcnuggets and are actually the cause of the starving people due to their gluttony but are so horrified by the images on TV of the starving people that they stuff their face with even more chicken Mcnuggets.....

But the worst most cruel thing about hell is when you get old, you instinctively begin to dread the end of your misery and you beg for more time in Hell so you can poop your pants and see the little hell minions you gave birth to shove you in a home full of others begging to spend more time in Hell.

Scary hu?

YOUR IN HELLL!

reply to post by Nosred


What I was saying is that the separation from God for all eternity, not being in His presence is supposed to be the "punishment". To be distanced from the creator forever would be hell.
Not what I believe but what the Bible talks about a bit

BTW you do know Dante and Milton wrote fictitious poetry, right?
Just saying....

[edit on 3/7/2010 by Chamberf=6]

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
reply to post by dalan.

 

I think "sheol" was a term used too. I'm not sure but I think that means "grave".

Correct, that's the one that I was forgetting, thanks for the reminder.

I'll add it to the list.

Revelations says only 144,000 will go to heaven, that leaves all the rest of humanity since the dawn of time to go to hell.

www.minuteswithmessiah.com...
www.christiancourier.com...

So the odds of getting in are quite remote.

So if for ease of understanding using only current world population of
six billion divided bu one hundred & forty four thousand.

6,000,000,000 divided by 144,000 = 41666.666666666666666666666666667

So thats 1 in 41666.666666666666666666666666667 chance of getting into heaven, & that's not counting every person that has died before this current time. Pretty slim pickings, so go wild & sin until your hearts content, because your up against the likes of Jesus, Moses, St Francis, St Patrick, Mother Teresa etc. So you'll have to be exceptionally good to beat that lot for a place in heaven.


I like Blackadder's description of hell best.
Just hope it's true because when I'm dead, I'll have the time of my life.




In truth I think Roxy Music sums it up best when it comes to reality.



[edit on 3-7-2010 by acrux]

reply to post by Nosred

From my experience, Hell is a self-created 'place' caused by the Belief Limitations of the dead who experience exactly what they believe they deserve to.

In the lower astral layers there is an area we call "The Belief System Territories" which is where many people find themselves after death because of their beliefs. They create their own reality there and stay there until they begin to wake-up and see clearly what they have done to themselves.

This is the only Hell, and it is self-created due to limiting Beliefs.

For an insight into what I'm talking about watch a movie called "What Dreams May Come" as it portrays these concepts perfectly, although a bit Hollywood in approach but the essence is good.

reply to post by Nosred


For one thing if you are asking questions about saten and hell, i think you should go study the bible. I will say if you read the bible you would find hell is the grave. nothing. There is no eternal hell mentined in the bible for mortals. The hell thet fallen angels are going to is just because they are already immortal, so must be bound, kept somewhere. That hell is not tourture either.
Saten is not trying to get us to sin [we are born with sin] Saten wants our worship, to bow to him and not god almighty, upon learning this is not going to happen his main objective is to destroy the earth through men. this destroys gods creation. God only sends jesus in the second comming when we are about to destroy the whole earth.
Go read and study, its your soul to save, or keep denying and go to hell, back to the grave, non-existant as you were before your birth. knowing nothing, turned off.
One thing everyone should study the bible. lifes required reading, before you make a dessision. Or even coment on it. Think of all the other books and mag's you read!!!! and you cant read the bible????

Revelations says only 144,000 will go to heaven, that leaves all the rest of humanity since the dawn of time will go to hell.

Ummm no,.... unless you are a Jehovah's witness and believe that. The 144,000 are special servants of God in the end times given the task of spreading God's word until the last minute that God removes himself completely from his creation for a time giving Satan full control. They are virgin, male, and of Israeli heritage. The multitude in Revelations represents all others who have accepted the truth,... women and non-virgins included. Funny that there are women and non-virginal Jehovah's witnesses,.. guess they skip over that part in their interpretation.


More on topic though, hell is eternal and complete separation from God as others have stated. Some think this would be a good thing,.... really think for a moment though. All that is good comes from God,.... even the stability of this reality, take God out of the picture and ALL goes to hell,... literally. It will probably be a chaotic soup that cannot be comprehended eventually deteriorating into nothing,...your consciousness existing in a vacuum alone with no sensory perception. That sounds like fun,.... NOT!