there is no such thing as hell
2006-12-23 02:18:29 · 14 answers · asked by cchinc_est_1984 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
God is very loving, why would God who is loving and forgiving send us to burn in hell? That goes against everything God stands for, doesn't it? But when we sin he wants to forgive us, in fact 2 Peter 3:8, 9 says, "However, let this one fact not be escaping YOUR notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with YOU because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance." (I welcome you all to look this up in your own personal copy of the Bible)
So you see, not only does He want us to repent, He is also patent with us. How loving! Don't you think? It goes with His personality in fact we have the scripture at 1 John 4:16 that say "God is Love" which is very straight forward. So again, this would go against God’s personality. But back to your original question on Hell, do you know that after you die you are conscious of NOTHING of at all. Ecclesiastes 9:5 tells us that "For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." So if all bad people were going to be burning in hell, this would go against what the Bible says, and we know God can not lie. Titus 1:2 says "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." Then we have the scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16 that says all scriptures is inspired by God.
Psalms 146:4 "His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thought do perish." So again, here we see that our thoughts are gone. If we were going to burn in hell, don't you think it would make sense that we would be aware of it.
Ezekiel 18:4 "The soul that is sinning it itself will die." Notice that it doesn't say that it will burn in hell, just that it will die. And as we learned above in Ecclesiastes 9:5 the dead are aware of NOTHING.
Hell is nothing more than the common grave of mankind. Webster’s Dictionary says that the English word "hell" is equal to the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades. In German Bibles Hoelle is the word used instead of "hell"; in Portuguese the word used is inferno, in Spanish infierno, and in French Enfer. The English translators of the Authorized Version, or King James Version, translated Sheol 31 times as "hell," 31 times as "grave," and 3 times as "pit." The Catholic Douay Version translated Sheol 64 times as "hell." In the Christian Greek Scriptures (commonly called the "New Testament"), the King James Version translated Hades as "hell" each of the 10 times it occurs.—Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14.
The question is: What kind of place is Sheol, or Hades? The fact that the King James Version translates the one Hebrew word Sheol three different ways shows that hell, grave and pit mean one and the same thing. And if hell means the common grave of mankind, it could not at the same time mean a place of fiery torture. Well, then, do Sheol and Hades mean the grave, or do they mean a place of torture?
Before answering this question, let us make clear that the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades mean the same thing. This is shown by looking at Psalm 16:10 in the Hebrew Scriptures and Acts 2:31 in the Christian Greek Scriptures. Notice that in quoting from Psalm 16:10 where Sheol occurs, Acts 2:31 uses Hades. Notice, too, that Jesus Christ was in Hades, or hell. Are we to believe that God tormented Christ in a fiery hell? Of course not! Jesus was simply in his grave.
When Jacob was mourning for his beloved son Joseph, who he thought had been killed, he said: "I shall go down mourning to my son into Sheol!" (Genesis 37:35) However, the King James Version here translates Sheol "grave," and the Douay Version translates it "hell." Now, stop for a moment and think. Did Jacob believe that his son Joseph went to a place of torment to spend eternity there, and did he want to go there and meet him? Or, rather, was it that Jacob merely thought that his beloved son was dead and in the grave and that Jacob himself wanted to die? Yes, good people go to the Bible hell. For example, the good man Job, who was suffering a great deal, prayed to God: "O that in Sheol [grave, King James Version; hell, Douay Version] you would conceal me, . . . that you would set a time limit for me and remember me!" (Job 14:13) Now think: If Sheol means a place of fire and torment, would Job wish to go and spend his time there until God remembered him? Clearly, Job wanted to die and go to the grave that his sufferings might end. In all the places where Sheol occurs in the Bible it is never associated with life, activity or torment. Rather, it is often linked with death and inactivity. For example, think about Ecclesiastes 9:10, which reads: "All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [grave, King James Version; hell, Douay Version], the place to which you are going." So the answer becomes very clear. Sheol and Hades refer not to a place of torment but to the common grave of mankind. (Psalm 139:8) Good people as well as bad people go to the Bible hell.
GETTING OUT OF HELL
Can people get out of hell? Consider the case of Jonah. When God had a big fish swallow Jonah to save him from drowning, Jonah prayed from the fish’s belly: "Out of my distress I called out to Jehovah, and he proceeded to answer me. Out of the belly of Sheol [hell, King James Version and Douay Version (2:3)] I cried for help. You heard my voice."—Jonah 2:2.
What did Jonah mean by "out of the belly of hell"? Well, that fish’s belly was surely not a place of fiery torment. But it could have become Jonah’s grave. In fact, Jesus Christ said regarding himself: "Just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights."—Matthew 12:40.
Jesus was dead and in his grave for three days. But the Bible reports: "His soul was not left in hell . . . This Jesus hath God raised up." (Acts 2:31, 32, King James Version) Similarly, by God’s direction Jonah was raised from hell, that is, from what would have been his grave. This happened when the fish vomited him out onto dry land. Yes, people can get out of hell! In fact, the heartwarming promise is that hell (Hades) is to be emptied of all its dead. This can be seen by reading Revelation 20:13, which says: "The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [Hades] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."—King James Version.
I really hope that this helps you out some.
Source
New World Transclation of the Holy Scriptures
Kings James Version
www.watchtower.org
2006-12-23 02:20:35 · answer #1 · answered by Learn about the one true God 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
If you believe in God then you will go to Heaven and never go to Hell! And YES there is a such thing as Hell!!!
2006-12-23 10:20:08 · answer #2 · answered by Lindsey 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HELLO!
Who told you that. There is no such place as hell and the devil can't torture people. That's a miff. Make believe. Don't fall in that trap and believe that junk.
2006-12-23 10:24:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He didn't create Hell. Satan is a fallen angel that God (for lack of a better word) kicked out of heaven. That's why he hates God so much and also fears God. Satan created it(if it even exsts)..dunno In response to some above quotes from the Bible about God hates some people: NOT TRUE. We anger God by not doing things right or the way he wants us to, but he forgives EVERYBODY if they (in their heart) are truly sorry.. You can say anything, but HE knows what is really in your heart.
2006-12-23 10:27:10 · answer #4 · answered by Deb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In ancient Jewish tradition Satan is simply an angel doing the work that God assigned to Satan to do.
The word Satan means challenger. With the idea of Satan challenging us, or tempting if you will. This description sees Satan as the angel who is the embodiment of man's challenges. This idea of Satan works closely with God as an integral part of Gods plan for us. His job is to make choosing good over evil enough of a challenge so that it becomes clear to us that there can be only one meaningful or logical choice.
Contrast this to Christianity, which sees Satan as God's opponent. In Jewish thought, the idea that there exists anything capable of setting itself up as God's opponent would be considered polytheistic or setting up the devil to be an equally powerful polarity to god or a demigod.
Oddly, proof for The Christian satan/devil mythology is supposedly found in the ancient Jewish texts that were borrowed to create the bible. One can’t help but wonder how Christians came up with such a fantastically different interpretation of Gods assistant Satan in their theology.
Other hints about Satan’s role in human relations can be seen if you look at the name Lucifer. It’s meaning in the original tongue translates as Light bearer or light bringer. Essentially the bringer of enlightenment. The temptations of the Satan idea bring all of us eventually into Gods light. Hardly the Evil entity of Christian mythology.
Love and blessings
don
2006-12-23 10:20:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because all men after Adam are born with a sinful nature and DESERVE Hell.
God hates sin. But God wishes that none should perish but have everlasting life in Heaven. He made a way for sinners (that's all of us) to have His gift of salvation through the death of the Son of God, Jesus, on the cross at Calgary. Jesus paid our sin debt in full. The offer now is open to all men.....those who believe will be saved and those who don't....won't.
Thank God that Jesus was born the Savior of the world.
Merry Christmas!
2006-12-23 10:23:58 · answer #6 · answered by Chef Bob 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You premis is wrong, God does not love everyone.
Psalm 5:4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. 5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. 6 You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
2006-12-23 10:27:07 · answer #7 · answered by oldguy63 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The world was created for God's glory not ours. how would we know God as good if it were not for evil? read romans 9. Paul said not everyone is going to be saved. those who will be justly condemned to hell, will cause the ones who are saved, who deserve the same fate to rejoice that God has chosen to spare them. how is that fair? thats the usually next question. is it unfair if bill gates gives a billion dollars to on charity and neglects the others? it his gift, he can do with it as he pleases.
2006-12-23 10:27:31 · answer #8 · answered by free_indeed2000 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you follow this logically, if there is a God and heaven, then the opposite exists also.
if there was no hell, then Jesus didn't have to come to earth to pay for our sins, and die on the cross.
Heaven is a perfect place, only those who are perfect can enter in...
that's why Jesus came to earth, to provide another way
2006-12-23 10:23:20 · answer #9 · answered by just me 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
hell was made for the devil...it wasn't intended for man.
Hell is a place of choice...God doesn't send people there. People choose to go there on thier own
2006-12-23 10:20:45 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
there is no such thing as "god".
I am revolted by people who think hell is acceptable.
2006-12-23 10:24:37 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋