Christians: Is hell a eternal lake of fire where you burn and suffer or a separation from G-d?

Question

If it is just a separation from G-d what role does the devil play in it?

Answer 1

Incredible! They all know so much about the afterlife. I wonder why there aren't more scientists among them?
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Answer 2

It's both. God can have no part of sin. And, mankind, being born with a nature of sin (lust, greed, lying, stealing (regardless of value), being jealous of what someone else has, etc . . .), cannot know God or be with God unless we are forgiven of those sins. Which, is why Jesus Christ offers the gift of salvation-so we CAN be forgiven of these sins without having to shed the blood of an "unblemished" animal. It's a free gift offered to EVERYONE, but like any other gift, we can either receive it or reject it. Sadly, most choose to reject it.
Back to the original point, because God can have no part of sin and we're all sinners by nature, it's possible for someone to CHOOSE a life without God, which means that when they die, they won't spend eternity in Heaven. There's only one other place to go, and that place ain't pretty. Hell isn't so much punishment as it is a place where God isn't. Don't dwell on the, "but isn't God omnipresent?" Of course He is, but He can't have any part of sin. Satan does the whole sin thing. When we ask God forgiveness of our sins, He wipes the slate clean and no longer even remembers the sins we've committed in the past. We're pardoned through Jesus Christ. Granted, that's not a license to sin. It just means that we're forgiven and need to turn completely from our old sinful way of life. We'll still sin from time to time. Everybody slips up once in a while and does something they shouldn't, but the forgiveness is always there.
As for which part Satan plays in the whole thing, his job is to keep people away from God. If you're a Christian, you'll find that you're more vulnerable to sin than just about anyone else. This is because the closer we get to God, the harder the enemy pulls at us to keep us away from Him. People who aren't yet Christian and don't know God are already living in sin and aren't attempting to live without it. Satan is content with that.

Answer 3

Whether hell is eternal or not is a hotly debated issue in Christianity -- no pun intended. I lean toward the notion that it's not eternal, but that at some point God will simply cause the unredeemed to cease existing. (Now I'll be called a heretic, but so be it...) I also believe that God's presence is in Hell, but it cannot be felt by those being tormented. He's omnipresent, so logic tells me He must have a presence even in Hell.

The devil plays no role in Hell; he isn't a tormenter, he's simply one who is tormented.

Answer 4

Hell is a separation form God's love. That in itself is a horrible punishment, so to describe it, people started describing it as a lake of fire. I doubt that there's an actual lake of fire; Hell is just a horrible state of being, away from any type of love.

Answer 5

In response to "Cupid", quantrill is obviously Jewish and reveres God's name too much to use it. In response to the question, it should be noted that when hell is described in the New Testament, rich imagery is used. The language suggests that these descriptions (given by Christ among others) are not literal, but metaphors. The possibility that they are literal descriptions (and that there is an actual burning lake of fire) cannot be ruled out, though. God is mysterious-- I think that heaven and hell are beyond human understanding.

Answer 6

I think they say that it is eternal seperation from God. The devil and all of his minions will be cast there with all of us non-christians as a punishment. The devil will spend his eternal torment tormenting us.

It doesn't make much sense but there is a verse that says that hell and the devil will be cast into the lake of fire and it will be the 2nd death. I guess God is going to destroy Hell as well and we will all cease to exist.


Or some such rubbish.

Answer 7

well the christian bible states and makes reference to three different levels or places of hell...the Lake of Fire or Tartarus, is for the Devil and His demons ONLY, it is the worst of the three, the first level I cant think of the name right now but its a holding for unbelievers until Christ comes for Judgement and then they unbelievers will be in the second Hell without the presence of God.. no this is not Mormon teachings...or any other false religious this is the HolyBible.....study and you shall find yourself approved....

Answer 8

Perhaps the fire is picture of the burning that takes place within you because you are separated from God forever and you know it.
Cast out into the outer darkness.
Away from God's presence and His light.

Answer 9

Hell is a holding place until the judgment, then there is the lake of fire for unbelievers.

Answer 10

Myth 4: Some people are tormented after death.

Many religions teach that the wicked will go to a fiery hell and be tormented forever. Is this teaching logical and Scriptural? The human life span is limited to 70 or 80 years. Even if someone was guilty of extreme wickedness all his life, would everlasting torment be a just punishment? No. It would be grossly unjust to torment a man forever for the sins that he committed in a short lifetime.

Only God can reveal what happens after people die, and he has done so in his written Word, the Bible. This is what the Bible says: “As the [beast] dies, so the [man] dies; and they all have but one spirit . . . All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20) There is no mention here of a fiery hell. Humans return to dust—to nonexistence—when they die.

In order to be tormented, a person has to be conscious. Are the dead conscious? Once again, the Bible gives the answer: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) It is impossible for the dead, who are “conscious of nothing at all,” to experience agony anywhere.

*** it-2 pp. 189-190 Lake of Fire ***

LAKE OF FIRE

This expression occurs only in the book of Revelation and is clearly symbolic. The Bible gives its own explanation and definition of the symbol by stating: “This means the second death, the lake of fire.”—Re 20:14; 21:8.

The symbolic quality of the lake of fire is further evident from the context of references to it in the book of Revelation. Death is said to be hurled into this lake of fire. (Re 20:14, 20) Death obviously cannot be literally burned. Moreover, the Devil, an invisible spirit creature, is thrown into the lake. Being spirit, he cannot be hurt by literal fire.—Re 20:10; compare Ex 3:2 and Jg 13:20.

Since the lake of fire represents “the second death” and since Revelation 20:14 says that both “death and Hades” are to be cast into it, it is evident that the lake cannot represent the death man has inherited from Adam (Ro 5:12), nor does it refer to Hades (Sheol). It must, therefore, be symbolic of another kind of death, one that is without reversal, for the record nowhere speaks of the “lake” as giving up those in it, as do Adamic death and Hades (Sheol). (Re 20:13) Thus, those not found written in “the book of life,” unrepentant opposers of God’s sovereignty, are hurled into the lake of fire, meaning eternal destruction, or the second death.—Re 20:15.

While the foregoing texts make evident the symbolic quality of the lake of fire, it has been used by some persons to support belief in a literal place of fire and torment. Revelation 20:10 has been appealed to, because it speaks of the Devil, the wild beast, and the false prophet as being “tormented day and night forever and ever” in the lake of fire. However, this cannot refer to actual conscious torment. Those thrown into the lake of fire undergo “the second death.” (Re 20:14) In death there is no consciousness and, hence, no feeling of pain or suffering.—Ec 9:5.

In the Scriptures fiery torment is associated with destruction and death. For example, in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures the word for torment (ba´sa·nos) is several times used with reference to punishment by death. (Eze 3:20; 32:24, 30) Similarly, concerning Babylon the Great, the book of Revelation says, “the kings of the earth . . . will weep and beat themselves in grief over her, when they look at the smoke from the burning of her, while they stand at a distance because of their fear of her torment [Gr., ba·sa·ni·smou´].” (Re 18:9, 10) As to the meaning of the torment, an angel later explains: “Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon the great city be hurled down, and she will never be found again.” (Re 18:21) So, fiery torment here is parallel with destruction, and in the case of Babylon the Great, it is everlasting destruction.—Compare Re 17:16; 18:8, 15-17, 19.

Therefore, those who are ‘tormented forever’ (from Gr., ba·sa·ni´zo) in the lake of fire undergo “second death” from which there is no resurrection. The related Greek word ba·sa·ni·stes´ is translated ‘jailer’ in Matthew 18:34. (RS, NW, ED; compare vs 30.) Thus those hurled into the lake of fire will be held under restraint, or “jailed,” in death throughout eternity.—See GEHENNA; TORMENT.

Answer 11

It is eternal seperation from god and you do burn forever. The devil torments your soul.