What about a Hell as a burning place of eternal torment?

Question

Food for thought:

The belief is that hell is a place where the wicked go to burn in fiery torment forever.

How do two points in this scripture mesh with that belief. I'm going to use, not the NWT, but the KJ Version here so there's no quarrelling over that issue:

Revelation 20:13, 14 - And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

So a) hell is not permanent because it is said to give up it's dead and b) if hell is a place of fiery torment itself, how is it that it is being tossed into a burning lake?

Thoughts?

Thanks, April. No meds required but I'll have some decaf :)

So Hossteacher, the burning place of eternal torment is being tossed into ANOTHER place of eternal torment?

HI - The myth is not the Bible. The problem is with some of the things it is said to teach, but doesn't.

Steve Amato: Yes, excellent point about Rev. 21:8. BUT, if those that have been resurrected are thrown into the lake of fire and that's permanent destruction for them, it would follow that the throwing of hell into that same lake of fire would mean permanent destruction for IT as well, and that it is not a place of ETERNAL anything.

Nina, with respect: I used the King James Version for a reason. The NWT says Hades. It is the KJV that says HELL.

Answer 1

Thank you.

That is another fine example of a scripture from the Bible that leads me to wonder: Why would I want to believe in a myth about Hell that would lead me to have a low esteem of self and world when I could believe in a myth about an infinity, divinity, eternally one that would lead me to have the highest esteem of self and world that I can possibly imagine?

It is a lie to claim that myth is truth. The affirmation of an ability to know about the existence of a good one in Heaven at war with an evil one cast down to and ruling over Earth is a fraud that follows from the lie that myth is truth. Conservative ideological authorities perpetrate this fraud inorder to be able; to make threats against the life and or afterlife of anybody who does not submit to their authority; and to extort from communities of faithful believers tithes and offerings in exchange for a lifelong indoctrination in a standard of conduct that these same ideological authorities proclaim to be the discovery of the truth about the will of a good one in Heaven at war with and evil one cast down to and ruling over Earth. Extortion based on threats made against the life and or afterlife of others and or a fraudulent affirmation of an ability to know about the existence of a good one in Heaven at war with an evil one cast down to and ruling over Earth should be considered a crime against humanity because in committing acts of extortion based on fraud that follows from the lie that myth is truth these ideological authorities lead communities of faithful believers to have a low esteem of self and world that is not conducive to happiness and good health.

Answer 2

Howdy. What is being referred to here is the Last Judgment. The General Judgement will include everyone who ever lived. This is the great gathering at the end of time. In the Nicene-Constantinopian Creed we say, "He (jesus) will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead."
But notice what the judge says, " The sea gave up all the dead who were in it; Death and hades were emptied of the dead that were in them; and everyone was judged as his deed deserved. Then Death and Hades were hurled in the burning lake. (Death losses its power) This burning lake is the second death; and anybody whose name could not be found written in the Book of Life was hurled into the burning lake (eternal hell).
Hell is eternal, at the Last Judgement, all will be confirmed in their place (heaven or hell) and everyone will know why.

Answer 3

Burning fire can not affect us in the other world since we don't have a physical body.
Therefore the image of a burning place of eternal torment has obviously a symbolic meaning. It is a poetic way to convey a deep spiritual truth.
To live in ignorance for example, is to be in hell.
As you point out it is not necessarily then a permanent place. An ignorant person can wake up and realize his error and recognize the truth. He is consequently delivered from his ignorance, which is compared poetically to hell.
.

Answer 4

Actually, there is very little, if any, Scriptural support for the belief in an eternal fiery torture pit.
And you happened to hit on one of my favorite Scripture references about this.
Another one is the one about the wages, or payment, for sin, which is death, which goes on to tell us that the gift of God is eternal life.
Christ, we are told, paid for our sins...but if the penalty for sin is eternal torture, then He got off pretty cheaply...
Also, if we already have eternity to spend, and the question is where we're going to spend it, then why is God bothering to give us eternal life?
Obviously, someone, somewhere, has made an error.
The word translated hell actually means "grave". Now, if you insert that word into your scripture, it makes more sense...

Revelation 20:13, 14 - And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and the grave delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and the grave were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The second death...
Now think of Satan, in his famous guise as the talking snake in the Garden of Eden.
Hear him hissing in Eve's innocent ear "Thou shalt not surely die..."
Think of the folks who believe that hell is "separation from God"...
As it happens, they are quite right. What they don't get is that, separated from God, nothing can exist.
Ergo--the second death.

Answer 5

In Revelation, hell has been described as a fiery, burning sea or lake of fire where many float in torment. What is interesting to me is that , that is exactly what the children of Fatima described they saw in 1917 which was revealed to them. So that is food for thought for the believers in eternal life of which I am one.

Answer 6

The “keys of hell and of death” are a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, or the way that we treat and love each other as he taught us. The opposite of being happy is being in hell. The key to happiness and the way out of hell, is in the way we treat each other. As we treat each other equally and as we would want to be treated, we eliminate hell, and prepare to live forever (the opposite of death) without causing any unhappiness to ourselves or to others—this is the “key” to overcoming “hell and death.”

...The burning that will take place when a prophet refers to the fires of hell and damnation, is the consternation and embarrassment that one will feel when the truth is revealed, and destroys all the knowledge once embraced as truth. Those who have exalted themselves above others will suffer the most (weeping, wailing, and gnashing their teeth). This is because not only will they be embarrassed by their own foolishness, but those who they had once convinced that they were “knowledgeable,” will see them for the fools they really are.

“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (See Matthew 23:12.)

...Our human natures create hell on earth by digging this great pit. Our desires of worldly riches, glory, power, superiority, and seclusion in our human groups of race, family, communities, cities, and nations, cause a never-ending situation of conflict, inequality, argument, war, and competition.

...When the human race finally realizes there is no hell, except for the one which it creates for itself, and that there is no force that can take away an individual’s free agency, and that we are solely responsible for how we use the bodies we have been given, we will finally have the ability to do what is necessary to create the peace and happiness associated with the term, “the kingdom of our God.”

In chapter 18, the true “suffering” and “burning” that will take place when Christ returns to the earth to reign is described in detail as it really is. No longer will the “hell, fire, and damnation” preaching of the “false prophets” make sense.

Answer 7

To be honest with you the concept of hell has changed from early Jewish beliefs until now, it is extermely likely that you and a early Christian would have very little in common on most views.

Answer 8

NWT is Jehovah's Witnesses' Bible. Their doctrines are peculiar. They say that Jehovah is the only true God and Jesus, the Savior, is a god.

Think twice. Do not believe what the false doctrine tells. because the truth is the truth no matter how you feel about it.

Stay away from hell. Choose heaven.

Answer 9

That's prior to the lake of fire. If you read on in Revelation you find people who were resurrected get thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 21:8). That's permanent.

Answer 10

Hell keep,s sinner,s till God judge,s the world,then Hell give,s them, up to judgement to be tossed with satan and his angel,s
into a lake of fire to be tormented for eternity.

Answer 11

Hell no longer exists. Jesus retrieved the keys to hell and took all those whose names were found in the book of life, after his death on the cross. Lucifer and Satan are locked up now.

Revelation 1:18

I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.