Which is confusing, is it or is it not defined in the Bible? Reading posts, I've seen it defined as being in "the grave" and having no consciousness or fire and brimstone with eternal torment. Also read that there is no "hell" - one might get stuck in purgatory, but can't go to hell from there. A specific definition would be helpful.
2006-12-08 17:07:53 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
If I add all the answers on this silly Y!A forum, then hell is a place where the really cool people like Gandhi, I Have Ideas, Jim Morrison, mark_intotdeauna, John Lennon, etc, etc will go. Repented Christians like Hitler will be safely stuffed away in Heaven.
It will have the best music, and it will be filled with people with at least a sense of humor and common sense. People from the debriefing room will look upon hell in total jealousy.
But this is just according to all the answerers on Y!A. Don't take my word for it.
Oh, and since God is everywhere, he's probably also in Hell.
2006-12-08 17:30:16 · answer #1 · answered by Thinx 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The original definition of Hell is the separation of the soul from the light and presence of the Creator.Which could mean life on Earth . As after the creation of the physical universe . the creator let all the souls that it had made enter the physical universe and see what it had made. Many entered the Physical bodies(Animals,Plants ,trees and all else.) and enjoyed the physical sensations so much that they forgot that they could leave and then forgot where they came from.
The definition that says it means "the grave" comes from the idea that at one time people believed that the soul would stay in the Dead Physical body until the DAY OF JUDGMENT before it would be released.
The Catholic Church has just declared that there is no such thing as Purgatory.
2006-12-08 17:31:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible hell is the grave and there is no consciousness there or anywhere else after death unless you are resurrected. Unfortunately many churches take illustrations which were used to show other things and define hell from them instead and therefore, they mistakenly teach fire and torment. God is love and burning children alive in fire is not something that would ever come up into his heart. (Jeremiah 7:31). How sad that some who claim to be Christian are so full of hate that they think it is a good idea.
2006-12-08 18:56:05 · answer #3 · answered by Sparkle1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hell, according to our teachings, is not literal. It is brought on by temptation and is a state of mind. Hell is not the same as purgatory or sleeping in a spiritual state. Only a few people go there literally and the Final Judgment has to be made after souls are resurrected at the time of the Coming.
2006-12-08 17:13:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The word Hell is used 31 times in the OT and 22 times in the NT of the KJV. In the OT, hell is translated from the word Sheol. In the NT, hell it comes from three words: hades, tartaroo, and Gehenna.
Sheol and hades meaning the place of the dead or the grave, are used in the same context in the OT and NT. In this sense, hell simply represents death.
Tartaroo appears only once. 2ND Peter, it is a sort of holding place for sinful Angels awaiting their judgment.
The last word translated hell in the bible, is Gehenna. Gehenna means the valley of Hinnom. Gehenna was the city dump of Jerusalem in bible times. It burned perpetually in those days. Trash and EXECUTED criminals were thrown into Gehenna.
Revelations talks about Death and Hell being thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the SECOND DEATH. If hell is thrown into the lake of fire, then it can not be the lake of fire. So hell is just the grave, but the lake of fire is still not the place where one will burn forever in torment, it is the second death, never to know God again, never to exist in his eyes again.
2006-12-08 17:32:38 · answer #5 · answered by GraycieLee 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When it comes down to it, there is *no* clear-cut definition of "Hell." However, there has been some interesting literature written on the subject. I would recommend "The History of Hell" by Alice Turner. There are some unintended errors in her research, but it is nonetheless a good book on "Hell."
Personally, I consider Hell to be nothing more than a separation from the Divine. What could be a more frightening hell?
2006-12-08 17:14:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hell is the symbolic place of the lake of fire where unregenerate souls are cast. They do not live there. They die there. It is the 2nd death spoken of in Revelation.
Ezekiel18:20--The soul that sinneth, it will die.
Matthew 10:28--Do not fear him who can kill the body only, but he who can kill both body and soul in hell.
John 3:16--He who believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23--The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.
In the John 3:16 verse, the word here for "perish" in the greek means to utterly destroy.
The punishment of hell is death and it is forever. The death is eternal, but it's not eternal torment.
Some say we all have eternal life, its just a matter of where you spend it. But looking at the Romans verse, it seems to say you will either have death or eternal life. It's one or the other.
2006-12-08 17:31:04 · answer #7 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hell is a world where you can feel pain, it gets no simpler than this, so Earth is Hell. When some people have out of body experiences, angels take them in the dark and rough them up, just to knock some sense into them, they're so dumb, they think they're in Hell, but they're not. Purgatory is nothing more than empty black space, this is Gods timeout corner, understand?
2006-12-08 17:23:45 · answer #8 · answered by spir_i_tual 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not really the "eternal punishment" that everybody thinks it is. It's complete separation from God, and because we have free will, God gives us what we want. If we choose not to have a relationship with Him, then he will let us be separated from Him for all of eternity. People wonder how a loving God could punish His children. Well, He's not really... I mean, hell isn't a nice place by any means. It is eternal punishment, but God is respecting our wishes and keeping His promise about free will and all that. He's giving us what we want, pretty much. If people choose to ignore God, then they can deal with that for eternity in complete darkness and a loveless void, since that is what they feel in their hearts without knowing God. Make sense? Sorry, it's late and it makes sense in my head... I just don't know how to get it in the right words.
2006-12-08 17:20:04 · answer #9 · answered by shelbimostheduck 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You already answered your own question.
Some sects don't believe in a specific hell
Some believe it is an actually place of burning fire, like the inside of a volcano.
Hell can be what is left of the Earth after the war in End of Times
Hell can also be a state of mind.
Heaven can even be hell if it's not what you imagined it to be.
2006-12-08 17:31:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋