I've heard that Hell is not a physical place, but just a place where God is not present. If this is so, how did God/Jesus' soul go to Hell for 3 days about 2,000 years ago? Did Hell stop being Hell?
2007-04-02 05:51:22 · 28 answers · asked by Eleventy 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
If hell is "a place where god is not" and jesus is god, then how is it possible for him to have gone to hell?
2007-04-02 05:56:07 · answer #1 · answered by Samurai Jack 6 · 2⤊ 3⤋
The original meaning of the word Hell was the Grave!
Jesus was in the grave for three days! The grave is Hell!
In that sense we all GO TO HELL!
Originally Hell wasn't a bad place at all just a place of the dead. It wasn't until after the Christians came about and started to refer to a place of eternal punishment did these images of Hell come about. These ideas of hell do not come from the bible but from poets like Dante and Milton.
The stories Inferno & Paradise lost!
THE PROBLEM WITH HELL:
As a Physical place:
1. If Hell is physical and the body you are in is physical how then will fire not cause instant death? Those engulfed in lava do not feel anything they die to fast for the brain to register any pain at all! The human body can not survive the intense heat of Lava!
2. Even if this God would make it that a person wouldn't die the level of pain that this would generate would cause a person to go INSANE! The human brain would snap under such extreme torture! Which crazy as it sounds means a person could actually to grow to enjoy the pain! Evidence of this is people that get off on inflicting pain on themself. If someone can enjoy pain in this life Hell is just taking that masocistic nature to an extreme!
3. If Hell is physical and you are spirit (Energy) then fire wouldn't matter to you. Fire burn the flesh but does nothing to energy! I can't even imagine how an energy body could feel pain or pleasure. Pain and pleasure are registered by nerves under the skin that send a signal to the brain that this hurt or feels good. Without these nerves to send a signal to a brain there would be no way to feel anything!
As a Spiritual place
1. If Hell is spritual then it couldn't be a place of fire. Fire is a physical reaction of physical elements! Besides as mentioned above fire couldn't hurt spirit. Nothing could because how would pain be registered?
2. Hell can't even be a place of death since energy can not die it can only change form. If we do have a spiritual existence then that existence is immortal in one form or another.
2007-04-02 13:11:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is something of a debate in Christian circles. There seems to be some difference between hades/sheol (the grave) and gehenna (hell). the scripture records that Christ that Christ "descended into sheol and preached to the captives..." Some take this to mean that He was tormented in hell; however, the scripture also clearly teaches that people are not cast into hell until the judgment at the end of the world It is easy to get muddled over the whole thing, so I would encourage you to get a good concordance and look into this for yourself. Also, a great free resource is e-sword, a free Bible study software tool with as much power as just about in commercial brand I have ever seen. Here's a link:
http://www.e-sword.net
It's great that you are thinking! Continue to do so, it's really OK! Honestly seeking an answer will NEVER be condemned by God. The problem arises when one has decided beforehand that the Bible is bunk, or God is a liar or does not exist. Questions along those lines do not seek information, rather they seek only to undermine others or lash out in mockery. This is NOT truth seeking.
Tom
2007-04-02 13:02:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes! When Jesus went into the "place of hell" He detroyed it (the place that is). However, hell survived as a construct of the human thought or concept of heaven's opposite. Hell is no longer a place but a soul in the afterlife that lives eternally deprived of God and never knowing Him.
You people don't get it. Jesus went to hell not "as" punishment but "TO" punish the devil. All of the people who died before Jesus came to earth, ended up in hell because the world did not know salvation. Part of Jesus' purpose was to teach the world who the one-true God is and give all people (should they want it) salvation. The other part of Jesus' purpose was to die, go to hell and free all of the dead from hell. They don't call Him "Christ the Redeemer" for nothing.
2007-04-02 13:05:14 · answer #4 · answered by Lifted by God's grace 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am not sure if it is a literal place. For the biblical writers to understand hell, they had to think of it as a place.
Scriptures states it is place of outer darkness, where there will be gnashing of teeth and weeping, a lake of fire is associated with hell. Since we are a spirit, what pain or discomfort can a lake of fire inflict on you?
I think it may be a blazing fire of remorse that will fill the mind, hearts and conscious of those condemned for eternity.
You will think of all the spiritual opportunities you had in your life that you ignored or refused. This will be done over and over and over and over etc. etc. etc.
Think of Jean Paul Sarte's play No Exit where a group of people were in hell and they couldn't stand each other, but had no way out, and were trapped for eternity with each others' pettiness, bickering, and caustic comments. Hell is worst than this.
It does not have to be a literal location, it could be a state of being. But according to Jesus, where ever and whatever it is, it will be utter damnation and darkness.
2007-04-02 13:10:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It doesn't say that Jesus went to hell, it says He went and vistited the souls in prison that had died long ago. He went to give the dead a chance to accept Him as savior. It may only have existed pre-Jesus since those before Jesus wouldn't have heard of Him, and Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Justice is that those people wouldn't just be SOL for being born too early.
Hell is the absense of God, but in the final battle, Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire along with all those who didn't choose God. That is the physical place that we think of as Hell I would think. But as of right now, I don't think that it is being occupied.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago...
2007-04-02 12:59:30 · answer #6 · answered by BaseballGrrl 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The people who say Hell isn't a physical place, but just a place where GOd is not present are only half right. God is not present in Hell, but it is a real place of burning, pain and anguish that lasts for eternity.
2007-04-02 12:56:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
The "Bible" you say?
Well, don't be worrying to much as this book is nothing more than a Instruction Manual for the Jews as to :-
A) How to maintain their "Act" of superiority over other racial types
B) How to keep the masses "Suppressed and Sub-Servant" by turning there own Fear, Ignorance and as a result of "A" above inferiority complex back on to them thereby instilling "GUILT" as a control tool.
The Katlicks have pick up on this method pretty well too.
Heaven and /or Hell is where YOU make them.
New Testament got some good stories in it though.
2007-04-02 13:11:01 · answer #8 · answered by howard g 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hell IS indeed a physical place! The OT describes in when it says, "Hell hath enlarged her MOUTH (entrance, etc.) beyond measure." Hell is definitely real and as eternal as Heaven, so don't let yourself be deceived into thinking otherwise.
2007-04-02 13:22:04 · answer #9 · answered by bigvol662004 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hell, in the God/Jesus realm is a physical place that is for those who do not believe on Jesus Christ as their personal Savior; that is believing that God sent His son to die for our sins. God gave us freewill to believe or not believe that Jesus is the one true Savior!
Jesus taught about hell, how it is a place of eternal torment, unquenchable fire, and weeping and gnashing of teeth that goes on day and night. (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28; Mark 9:43-48.)
Jesus went to hell in your place that is why it states in the scriptures that he "over came hell on our behalf" so that if we believe on Him, we do not fall to hell but ascend with Him unto Heaven.
Hell has been around just as long as the creation of our universe, but only when Satan fell after trying to rebel against God with a 1/3 of the angels. He was "cast down" to the fiery pits for eternity......thus the "physical hell" you were referring to.
2007-04-02 13:07:32 · answer #10 · answered by Serpico 13 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hell is real. There are testimonies of people that have died and visited there only to be brought back to life.
Bill Weise wrote a book called "23 minutes in Hell" where he documents his feelings and sensations when he was there (he did not die and go there). Even if you do not believe what he says, he does give 400 scripture references to Hell.
You can see his testimony on www.SpiritLessons.com as well as the testimony of a doctor that has written about the people he has seen come back to life that did not see "the white light".
2007-04-02 12:58:11 · answer #11 · answered by Christmas Light Guy 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋