Hell doesn't really exist?

[Lostsoul]

From how I've understood, Hell is the absence of God and all his creations, IE: a big black void were forever you are alone. During the Dark Ages, in an effort to "stirr up more faith" the Catholic Church begain comissioning artists to make images of Hell as great flaming pits where demons torture you for ages, simply because the average pesant would see an eternity alone as a nice break, but there is no debate that emerging in flame and being skewered with spikes is bad.

[Betty]

Mat 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

[Cd4u_2]

not to mention, God is the one who hold you together. Your soul will be in a ruin. Like how your makeup is ruined when you cry. You can't put same makeup back to it original form.

Now I learn something similar to that in chemistry if you burn something, you can't ever put it back to it's original state. The ashes is still there though. The object is destroyed but it is not gone. I forgot what they call it because it was back in 1994 so I can't remember everything.

[Sing4Him]

However, there seems to be a sore lack in understanding the "when" that hell becomes that place of torment. As I read in the threads where emergent apostacy is being defended, one thing (of many) keeps popping up: The lack of Biblical education over modern day author's books.

One person made the statement "Anyone who believes in unlimited atonement would say that there are people in Hell for whom Jesus died."

Alrighty. Here is the ultra-condensed-not-too-much-background version of an actual Biblically based answer to that:

The answer varies depending on when you are talking about. Before Christ died/rose or after? Before the believers get resurrected or after?

There is a place called Sheol in Hebrew (mentioned in Psalms) and Hades in Greek. It's the abode of the dead. It's where the souls of people who died went and still go.

Jesus describes two people who died and both went to Hades (Luke 16). The rich man who didn't trust in God went to the side of Hades that was hot and nasty. The poor man who did trust in God went to the part called Abraham's Bosom, a place of comfort. Between these two parts is a chasm that can't be crossed. Once you die you go where you go and can't change sides. So, before Christ died/rose those who trusted in God (like Adam, Moses, David, and this poor dude) went to the pleasant side of Hades. Those who did not trust in God went to the unpleasant side. Think of Hades like a waiting room.

When Christ died/rose the pleasant side was emptied. All of those souls were now in the presence of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8). Since that time, all those who put their trust in God, when they die, go directly to the presence of the Lord, no need to go wait in Hades for a while. Some people refer to this as Heaven, but it isn't the Heaven with streets of gold and pearly gates. More on that later. What is this presence of the Lord, this Heaven like? No idea. It's gotta be pretty cool though, right?

At some point in the future, those who have died and had their faith in Christ will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:50+). These bodies will never get sick or old or die. At some point after this, God is going to nuke the universe and start over. he is going to reshape/recreate out universe. This is found in Revelation 21. That is when we will be in the New Heaven with the streets of gold and pearly gates.

So, if a Christian dies today, they go to Heaven, which is in the presence of the Lord. At some point they will get a new physical body which will, at some point, live in the New Heaven.

What about those souls in Hades? What is Hell? If someone who does not put their trust in God, someone who is not a Christian dies, they go to that nasty side of Hades which has been filling up this whole time. It's a hot unpleasant place, but it isn't Hell.

At some point, these souls too will be given a new resurrection body just like the Christians get. In Revelation 20 it talks about how they will be judged by their works. This judgement isn't like "You go to Hell, you go to Heaven" judgement. It's a reward judgement, like the Olympics. It says in Rev. 20 that those whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life will not enter the New Heaven.

All of these people will be cast into the Lake of Fire with Satan and his demons. Satan is not in charge in Hell. He won't be walking around with his demons like a prison warden and guards. He is right in there with the rest of the people who took the easy road in matters of life and faith.

So, to sum up. What most people think of as Heaven and Hell won't happen until the very end of things. Between now and then souls are sent to a holding place where they are conscious and aware of who, what, where, when, why, and how. Those who are in Christ are in the presence of the Lord awaiting the New Heaven and New Earth. Those who are not in Christ are awaiting their sentencing hearing before being sent to prison.

Does that help?

Jesus died for EVERYONE, but not everyone will accept His gift.

great post! :thumb:thumb thanks funmudder.

[graceforme]

Just thinking ..... (OUCH!)

The idea that there are two sides of hades (I've not studied this out) - but, is this where the Catholic church gets the concept of pergatory?

Just wondering.

God Bless.

[funmudder]

My understanding was that purgatory was simply made up on the spot to make money. Much of catholic ideas have very little to do with what is in scripture, but is now so ingrained as a 'tradition'. When pergatory was created (and John Paul admitted there was no such place a few years before his death) people were mostly illiterate and the catholic church could kind of just say whatever they wanted. No one was able to just pick up a Bible and say "Hey! That's not what it says" which is why Martin Luther was so hated when he outted the evils the catholic church was propigating.

[graceforme]

funmudder - thanks for the insight. I still want to do some study on the subject of "hades". Thanks for interesting input.

[funmudder]

:hat no problemmo ;)

[Mountain Girl]

Here is an article where he explains how he arrived at the conclusion that Hell doesn't exist.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3362554&page=1

This is really sad.:(

[Betty]

Nightline (ABC) is doing a show about hell tonight.
betty