Some say there is no hell and we will cease to exist. Is Hell a literal place? Or do we just cease to exist?

Question

This is what I found in the bible.

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where* the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Great White Throne Judgment

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before *God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second *death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15

Is it real?

Answer 1

There's many answers about that, I'm sure. I believe that hell is more of a "condition" than a place. I believe that it is not a "ceasing to exist", but an "eternal existence without the presence of God." I believe that no human being has experienced the despair of existence outside of God's presence, even if they are currently choosing not to believe in God or God's presence. However, once final judgment occurs, they will experience the rest of eternity outside the presence of God, and I believe that will be an awful experience.

Answer 2

There is no heaven and hell, it is a scare tactic from churches. You people put so much faith in this book called the bible. The bible is simply that; a book, a best seller but just a book. It's not logical or even proven to be real. The closest thing to hell as you're going to get is living here on earth with rapist, murderers, hurricanes, tornados, typhoons, starving children, abused and molested children - nice god!

Answer 3

yes, well do a little more research than the king James version. Biblicaly speaking The "gift" of Christ is ever lasting Life. Gift being the key word. This seems to mean that eternal is not something you have naturally it has to be given. "the wages of sin is death" Again something you earn. so it can be confusing to say the least except in translation from the Greek the Hades we are going to for sin directly translates to.... that's right sports fans, the grave, not a lake of fire, just death. Imagine that

Answer 4

No, only those who believe in a religion who prescribes this believe in it. Those of us who aren't so nieve see through it.

Let me explain something to you from a non-christian viewpoint.

Christians believe that God knew us all before we were born and that he knew which path we would choose before we were born. So, he did know that certain people would choose "death", otherwise known as hell, instead of Jesus, the ticket to heaven. Since God is infinite he knew well before any of use were born what we would choose, yet he created people and he knew fully well that some would choose hell, yet he supposedly loves them infinitely. How could he have created a being that he loved knowing fully well that he would someday have to send them to hell? THAT is not responsible, feasible, or fair, and that is exactly why I don't believe in the hell that xtians believe in.

I submit to you that a truly loving God would not have created certain people if he knew that they would eventually choose hell over him, because ultimately it is he who is responsible for creating the souls who will end up hell. I don't believe that it is possible that a loving God could make a soul that he supposedly loves knowing that that person will choose hell. He has the ability to create only those that he knows will choose him, AK.A. christianity, yet that is not what he has apparently done, so why did he create so many that will not choose xtianity? The answer is he did not because hell and xtianity ARE NOT REAL and we have no idea if there truly is a god and what his motives are for creating us. For all we really know there is no God or afterlife.

I don't beleive in xtianity. This is a prime example of why hell does not make sense. God full y had the ability to create a race of beings that have free will yet all choose to go to heaven with him, yet he chose to make certain individuals knowing that they would choose hell. Does that make any sense? If he does exist I submit to you that there is no hell. There is nothing one could do in this finite life that deserves an eternity of suffering. Just think about what eternity is and you will understand.

Answer 5

Sounds like someone had a pretty wild imagination. I wish I knew the exact reasons for conjuring such fantastic visions of meted justice. That is a very good example of modern mythology. One thing is for sure. Hell is an ideal devised by man, or as the believers would have you believe, interpreted by man via the word of God. I am a non-believer. I configure these ideals to reside solely in the mind of man, and do not take such mythological wonder to be any cogent fact. Summarily, Hell is only for the living.

Answer 6

The only certain thing about it is that no one knows for sure! It's all just a matter of what you believe. Those who take the Bible literally most likely believe that hell is a real place. But if hell isn't a place, then is heaven a place? Most people would like to think that they are going to heaven rather than just ceasing to exist when they die. Everyone must ponder it for themselves.

Answer 7

Hell is the idea of eternal suffering, that, once accepted by a person here on earth(in reality), enables a person to then progress into heaven an idea representing the state where there is perpetual progress and prosperity (not just money or power)
and happiness. When we accept the possiblity of eternal struggle, the idea of daily toiling to feed perpetual bliss seems easier.

Answer 8

If you are into the Eastern perspective, consider that most people think of life as either physical life or the continuity of their "thoughts and feelings". Our bodies change when we are alive, and they change when we die, mostly by losing continuity of form. However, most of us are more concerned about the second "loss". If you have made a real difference is the lives of others -- something that most religions emphasize anyway -- then you need not worry that your "life" will not continue on earth -- it will in the hearts and minds of the people who you matter to. When you can, though, examine the psychology of fear that is endemic to the worry about eternal life. You must be able to live your life without fear of dying, or you have not lived.

Answer 9

man think logically.... how is second death possible???

we know it.. keep posting ur doubts..

every religions book like bible, vedas, quran r all written in a language that will seem ordinary language to ppl if they see it ordinarily.. we ppl here can understand the code and thus we break every such book to get the real way outta this temporary worl to the permanent one.. u seem to know lots 4m bible..
but are u interpreting the right thing 4m it???
only u know.. if u can see within u the path leading to heaven, u r doing it right..
if not u have to come here to where we are living//

Answer 10

hell was made up to scare people into converting to christianity. if god is "compassionate" and jesus is "forgiving" they would not send someone to burn in hell for eternity just because that person was not christian or committed a sin. everyone commits sins. according to jesus, looking lustfully at someone is committing adultery. everyone has looked lustfully at someone. everyone has liked someone as more than a friend, and therefore, according to jesus, has committed adultery. the only organisms on earth that do not feel lust are asexual. such as worms. which means that heaven must be filled with worms and other asexual organisms.