How can he live with himself knowing that there are people burning in hell?... how can he deal with the fact that his children are burning for all of eternity?!!.... Can those who burn in hell repent in the hell fire... or will it be too late?
2007-04-10 14:30:09 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
As for the doctrine of hell consider the following:
1. Wouldn't everyone repent when faced with hell?
2. Would God let out people who repented?
3. Why was Hell created?
One argument against hell is this: No person in his right mind would choose eternal punishment in hell over heaven. Therefore everyone would repent when sent to hell. If God lets the repentant leave, hell will be empty (and therefore can be disregarded). If God doesn't let the repentant leave, God is unjust for continuing to punish them after they've repented.
The trouble with this line of reasoning is that repentance is not simply a matter of one saying, "Okay, I'll say whatever you want me to, just get me out of here!" Repentance involves acknowledging one's guilt, feeling remorse and the desire to change one's behavior, accepting Christ's sacrifice as substitutionary punishment for one's wrongs and agreeing to love and obey God (including Christ as God the Son). This includes by definition acceptance of eternal punishment in hell as just punishment for one's sins; while the skeptic may still object that continued punishment of the repentant is unjust, the repentant will respond that their continued punishment is deserved and could only end through God's mercy.
However, in reality people in hell won't repent, in particular not any skeptic who makes the above argument. If one thinks God is unjust for punishing people in hell, actually going there isn't going to make one suddenly decide that God is just and deserves one's love and worship after all. People are given their entire lives on Earth as an opportunity to repent and accept God; if they refuse each day of their lives to repent and believe they're justified in doing so, it's hardly conceivable that punishment in hell would change their minds. In other words, the gates of hell are actually locked from the inside.
Since hell is comprised of those who would never repent, the second question, “Would God let out people who repented?” is only a hypothetical one; it could be argued either way. In practice, someone who would repent in hell would be given the opportunity to repent on Earth and would presumably repent before they died, not after.
As for eternal punishment for finite life of sin, the answer is that our sin bears an eternal consequence because it is ultimately against an eternal God. When King David committed the sins of adultery and murder he stated, Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:4). David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, how could David claim to have only sinned against God? David understood that all sin is ultimately against God. God is an eternal and infinite Being. As a result, all sin is worthy of an eternal punishment.
An earthly example of this would be comparing attacking your neighbor and attacking the President of the United States. Yes, both are crimes, but attacking the President would result in far greater consequences. How much more does sin against a holy and infinite God warrant a terrible consequence?
In short, hell and heaven were created out of God's love for mankind as a consequence of free will. God could not have created a morally free creature who could not possess the potentiality to choose to sin. God, being perfectly righteous will righteously respect the choices a person makes and grant them the eternal life they sought through the exercise of their own free will. In short, we choose the behavior, and thus we have chosen the consequences.
2007-04-10 15:01:52 · answer #1 · answered by Ask Mr. Religion 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think everyone makes a conscious choice as to whether to be with God or not. Maybe in their last moment of life.Someone we believe never made peace with God may have in their last moment. I don't think anyone goes to Hell as a surprise. And I don't think they are physically burning like in an old 1950's movie. I think the "burning" is a horrible pain from being isolated from God.And,I think it is a choice...not out of ignorance but a decision. I can't explain how all this happends but the God I worship wouldn'd let someone I love burn in hell cause they were stupid.
2007-04-10 15:24:44 · answer #2 · answered by nil_queen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was their choice. Those who are not for him are against him. The only way you can redeem yourself for your sin is to pick up your cross and die to yourself daily. He died so that we could have a chance to be with him and if some choose not to believe the word of God then they will suffer the consequences. In order for Him to save you you have to let Him into your heart. There are some that think that those who burn in hell will be given a second chance like i believe that in those three days after Jesus died but before his ressurection he went to hell and preached the gospel to those who would listen but that is just my belief. Trust me God doesn't want them to go to hell but there are rules to the universe he created and the penalty for sin is death so those who do not repent are not granted eternal life.
2007-04-10 14:39:28 · answer #3 · answered by Brad 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It will definitely be to late when they see the hell fire. In Luke 16 verses 19-31 there is a story about the rich man and Lazarus. In this story it talks about how the rich man lives in splendor and how Lazarus was poor and how he lay at the gate covered in sores.When Lazarus died he was carried up to heaven by the angels to Abraham's side. When the rich man died he was in Hell in torment. The rich man saw Lazarus by Abraham's side while he was in hell and asked Abraham to have pity on him and send Lazarus to to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue while he was in the Hell fire. Abraham told the rich man that in his lifetime he received good things while Lazarus received bad things,but now he is comforted here while you are in agony. Then in verse 26 And besides all this,between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. The rich man also wanted to warn his five brothers but Abraham told him that if they didn't listen to Moses and the prophets, they wouldn't be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. In other words once they reach Hell it will be to late. It does sorrow God that his children are burning in Hell for eternity but God did give us a way out of it by the cross. If we give our hearts to Him we will be saved for all eternity. All you have to do is ask and you will be saved. This is called free will.Adam and Eve made a choice in the Garden of Eden by eating from the tree of life. Once they did that we all had sin nature in our hearts. I just pray that you decide to give your heart to Christ because He loves you and wants you to give your heart to Him!
2007-04-10 15:14:08 · answer #4 · answered by G.W. loves winter! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Once you are in Hell, you are completely separated from God. Separated from God, there is no chance you can repent.
It's a very very hard reality to deal with, but God ultimately triumphs in the end. Don't worry about Hell too much, try to keep your eyes focused on Heaven. It's a lot easier to embrace God than it is to avoid Satan.
2007-04-10 14:48:41 · answer #5 · answered by JK Nation 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Girl, I know you have a big heart and that's why you care about what happens to other people. I do, too. I want everyone to be in Heaven and God does, too. Don't ever forget!
He IS merciful and everyone can have His mercy.
For those who throw it away....well I guess it could be said that they send themselves to Hell. It's not like God is happy they are there. They just got justice.
2007-04-10 14:37:59 · answer #6 · answered by Veritas 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Who says hell fire is real?
I don't necessarily think that all of the book of Revelation came from the "light side". Besides that, literature has clues in it to see the true meaning. If you're a criminal, you believe in sequenced distribution. If you're in the know, you'll know the sequence. If you're not, you'll be an unwitting carrier and a good person to run unethical experiments on, according to them. See Nazi concentration camp doctors. Unfortunately, to the extent that Christianity trusts in its numbers and organisation and superstitious "luck" (particularly those who are guilty who think that they're getting away with it for a while), it can tend to sequence its messages to particular ministries etc. The line becomes rather blurred, to put it mildly.
Otherwise, there's metaphor. Metaphor survives corruption. Metaphor defines corruption as deliberate edits just to perform experiments on the audience's psychology (in cult terminology, this is called "complex games"; in Christian terminology, this is called "lies"; in a practical joker's terminology, this is called "fun" or "cruel"). It's really only cruel to people who were expecting something reliable. The Bible says: "Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs. His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish."—Psalm 146:3, 4.
2007-04-10 14:40:47 · answer #7 · answered by Christian person 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Many people also believe that hell is just a symbol for suffering as a result of ignorance or negative actions. This would be a hell on Earth that he or she would have brought upon him or herself. Therefore, God would then forgive each of their negative actions, and bring them to heaven. Hell would instead be temporary, in a sense.
2007-04-10 14:36:34 · answer #8 · answered by James Wimberly 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God gave them and you a choice. He didn't want puppets. That's what it's all about choices. If you choose to believe and by faith accept Jesus Christ as your savior you will not burn. And alas, once you have died it is to late! So repent before it's to late!!!!
2007-04-10 14:38:45 · answer #9 · answered by flatpicker23 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It must be devastating to Him to know that no matter what He did, no matter how many times He showed His children His love, they walked away from Him and never came back.
What parent wouldn't be devastated?
But would you blame the parent, knowing that they did not err in their attempts? Or would you say the child is the one responsible for their own actions?
2007-04-10 14:36:59 · answer #10 · answered by arewethereyet 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋