Does the christian god love the billions of souls currently being tortured in hell?

Question

(You know, the thing that causes the gnashing of teeth).

Does he let them change their mind if they decide they don't like hell? If not, isn't he less loving then a god who would?

Why no second chance? Is god that petty?

Answer 1

Better question is, why did those billions in hell hate Jesus Christ and refuse so easy a salvation?

There is no second chance. Once they're there, they're there.

Answer 2

some interesting responses! the reincarnation guy (if he's right) should probably feel jilted since the Wheel of Samsara is still going on..

to your question about God being both loving and sending people to hell, I don't think thing those things are incompatible. If you were a judge and if your child, parent, or sibling killed someone, would you not love them less if you sent them to jail for the rest of their lives because of their crime? If you let them go, people would say that justice was not done and there would be great indignation in the streets...you would likely get the likes of Bill O'Reilly on your front door...

In a similar way, the Bible seems to say that God (with all do respect to the non-monotheists in the room) is both loving and just. There is language in there that says that he will judge people based on their deeds, even though it bothers me too, but its in there. There is also language in there that says that our best acts are like 'filthy rags' to him because he is so much bigger, important, and powerful than us. So, any acts of sin is enough to warrant a death penalty according to God's economy according to the Bible.

Your ability to understand this concept seems to be directly related to your understanding of God, particularly, how God relates to people. The closer the gap, this would sound foolish, the bigger the gap this makes perfect sense.

So, i suppose you can simply say that can't be God...which many people on this thread already did (at least for the ones that assume God is not a myth), but you certainly can't say that the Bible doesn't teach this....

But, I do have one question though...why all this talk of hell and such if you don't believe in it? Are you trying to convince the 90+% of the world that believes in God and hell that it doesn't exist? If so why? would liberation from this fact make any of us happier? Will this truth really set us free? Has it made you happier?

Just curious...

Answer 3

If the Christian god was real (thankfully he isn't) he would be omnipotent and the only reason he would send someone to hell is because he want to. This alone makes him the cruelest and most evil being in history. There is nothing stopping god from either forgiving people and letting them into heaven anyway despite not accepting Christ as their savior, willing these people into nonexistence- not the best thing but far better than hell-, or even putting them in a place away from god that was not unpleasant and certainly not a place of torture. Since no one could possibly love someone he sent to such a place by choice, and he did have a choice, you have your answer.

Answer 4

You'll find that Christians are not of one mind concerning hell, and who does or does not go there, so I'll give you one, and some other folks will undoubtably disagree.

Hell is described as the place where people who reject God are sent. Not, you'll notice, simply folks that do not believe in God, but people who deliberately reject Him. To reject God, one must first believe in him.

Rejecting the concept of God is different from rejecting God.

So, we're not talking about atheists, because they haven't rejected anything, they just don't believe. It only becomes rejection once they DO believe, and refuse anyway.

Someone of a different faith hasn't rejected Jesus, they just don't know Him. They will be given the opportunity, and that doesn't just mean some stranger reading John 3:16 to them. Once they KNOW, they have the choice to reject.

While as Christians, we want to bring folks into the church, much of this is because we know that we're getting a lot of help that non-Christians don't get. We also get into the habit of following God.

It seems strange that someone with full and complete knowledge of God would still choose to rebel against Him, but we see examples every day of people making choices that are actively bad.

And while I do not claim to have full understanding of eternity, what understanding I do have is that time and duration are different, and may not exist at all.

This would mean that some choices are permanent, not because God won't let you change your mind, but simply because all of the being that is "you", throughout all of eternity makes the choice.

So to some extent, your question assumes some things that are not proven. For example, when you say "currently", you are still assuming a past, present and future. Eternity doesn't work that way.

And you are also assuming that there are billions of souls that, with full knowledge and understanding, still chose to oppose God. I'm not so sure.

However, for those that actively choose to reject God, making the choice to leave His presence, the answer would still be "yes" God still loves them.

If you had an adult child that deliberately chose self-destruction (and many parents can understand that concept), you would still love them.

But, that child has free will, and at a certain point, a parent has to let the child decide for themselves. That includes the option to decide badly.

At this point, I should certainly note that mine is not the only view, and that I'm not so arrogant as to believe that my understanding of scripture is inerrant.

Overall, I think you'll find that the view of a deliberate torture chamber, where folks undergo an eternity of pain for choices that they may not have understood (or even made) is only held by a very small minority of rather vocal Christians.

And even those Christians do not wish that on anyone. Rather, they take it as a spur to get them to help others avoid it.

Answer 5

You're so confused. Who are you to judge God?
Of course God loves them, they choose their course, and are currently awaiting the ressurection with all those who have died. More join them every day. He has been more than merciful in providing a Savior for us.

There is much we don't understand. Instead of being skeptical, think about what makes sense. He will do what is just and merciful, being the most just and merciful as possible.

In the end, nobody will send you to hell. You might choose to go there, by your actions. You will recieve what you are asking for. You choose your life, and you choose your destiny.

It's not too late to change your life and your destiny. That's why God has sent Jesus Christ, to bridge the gap between you and eternal life if you will accept Him. Not just by saying "I believe!", but by way you live your life. If you aren't dead, be happy. Your book is still unwritten.

Answer 6

God still loves those being tortured but they are the ones who chose to be put there. There is no second chance after they are in hell. God is a loving God but He can't let corruption enter heaven. It breaks His heart into smithereens to have to send a person to hell. But, He gives people the freedom of choice. That is to live for Him or live for satan.

Answer 7

No, I don't believe God would enjoy billions of souls being tortured in hell.
*My belief is in reincarnation, where if someone didn't fulfill their purposes here on earth, then they will come back again and again until they get it right. I don't think anyone has gone to heaven or hell yet, that when the rapture comes, everyone will be either saved or not.

Answer 8

Excellent question. Any God that creates a place like hell is motivated by wrath and hate, not love. It's impossible for a loving God to use torture as punishment, no matter how many times you chant 'free will' or 'choice'. I think it would make more sense that people would be rehabilitated and educated to correct their behavior, not burned alive. A loving God would assign the worst people to a correctional institution in the afterlife, to learn better ways to manage their feelings and actions. Instead of torture, he would provide counseling, love, and guidance.

Answer 9

The only reason that people go to hell is because they had their whole lives to accept Christ and they didn't. God won't let anyone die unless they have had a chance to accept Him, it wouldn't be fair if he didn't. He is a just and fair God. He created hell because Lucifer(satan) tried to be better than God, so God cast him out and created hell. Satan roams the earth along with his demons to do only three things: To kill, steal, and destroy. It is his job to ruin your life so you turn your back on God. He wants to win by having more people in His kingdom. God can only turn someone away from heaven if their name is not in the Lamb's book of Life. If it is not, then he must say "Depart from me, i knew you not." And all of the people who did make it to heaven will never remember that that person existed, because there is no sorrow in Heaven. I suggest you read "Rescued" by John Bevere. It's a novel all about this kind of stuff and it changed my life drastically.

Answer 10

The Greek Version of the Bible does not say Eternal Hell- It says "EON" which means an elastic time. We are those spirits rising out of Hell.
God doesn't send us to hell, He's helping us out of hell and from lucifer.
Lucifer fell to the "Earth" or the "Outer Darkness" (look around when the sun is down). And he (satan) and all of us who followed satan and rebelled against God, fell to the Earth, out of "Paradise" where Christ won our freedom to return to after He won the victory and the right for our release from lucifer - as witness he told the criminal on the cross beside Him "you shall be in Paradise with me this very day".

Answer 11

Do you get extra points for repeating a question? No one is hell. Not yet anyway.
A few misguided angels but it isn't that hot there yet. You really ought to study up instead of misleading people. Others hear this tripe and think you are right.
Understand me kid. There is no one burning in hell.