What Exactly is Hell?

Question

Hell is being under God’s anger for our sin, and eternally, will be more horrible than one can imagine. Hell will be:
1. A place of eternal torment:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night… (Revelation 14:11)
2. A place of darkness:
A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness. (Job 10:22)
Then said the King to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness… (Matthew 22:13)
3. A place of fire:
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest Hell… (Deuteronomy 32:22)
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

Answer 1

Yep, they made it a really scary place so that all the good little sheep will fall into line and march without looking around and questioning the status quo.

Answer 2

Ezekiel 18:4 says: "The soul that is sinning - it itself will die." This is reiterated in verse 20. If the soul is not immortal, it would seem that a place of fiery torment would be ineffectual.

It is important to remember that Revelation was given to John in signs and much of it is symbolic. At Revelation 14:9-11 worshipers of the symbolic “beast and his image” are said to be “tormented with fire and brimstone.” This cannot refer to conscious torment after death because “the dead know not any thing.” (Ecclesiastes. 9:5 KJV)

At Revelation 20:10, it says that when the Devil is thrown into the lake of fire, there is already a wild beast and a false prophet there. Are the wild beast and false prophet literal or symbolic? Does fire and suplhur exist in the spirit realm? Is it possible to burn a spirit creature such as Satan?

Revelation 21:8 (KJV) says clearly that “the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” means “the second death.” So the Devil’s being “tormented” there forever means that there will be no relief for him; he will be held under restraint forever, in eternal death and with no hope of a resurrection.

This use of the word “torment” (from the Greek basanos) reminds us its use at Matthew 18:34, where the same basic Greek word is applied to a ‘jailer.’

The words often translated Hell and Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek). These words simply mean the grave. At Job 14:13, he says to God: "O that in Sheol you would conceal me,That you would keep me secret until your anger turns back, That you would set a time limit for me and remember me!" Job was in great pain and misery at that time. Is it reasonable to think that he wanted God to put him in a place where he would suffer even more pain? Forever?

Deuteronomy 32:22 is clearly figurative. The verse ends by saying that God's burning anger will consume the earth and it's produce. And it will set ablaze the foundations of the mountains. God said this as a warning, that over the coming years, conditions in Judah would deteriorate to the point where the entire nation has to suffer the fire of God’s anger. It was not speaking about the condition of wicked mankind as a whole.

Verse 4 of the same chapter says of God: "The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; Righteous and upright is he." Can it be said that for God to have people punished eternally in Hellfire because they sinned for a maximum of 70 or 80 years, is a demonstration of God's perfect justice?

Jesus said at Matthew 7:13 "Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it." If Hellfire is real then it would seem to conradict what Jesus said in this verse if the wicked are in fact not destroyed but continue living forever in the spirit realm.

Answer 3

Hell will NOT burn forever. The word "for ever" means "for as long as time lasts in that specific case." For example, Hannah pledged that Samuel would serve in the temple "for ever." (1 Samuel 1:22) This does not mean he will be their as long as time lasts. Verse 28 clarifies that Samuel would serve in the temple for "as long as he liveth." In Jonah 2:6 the word "for ever" means "three days and three nights." (Jonah 2:17) Furthermore, the Bible teaches that "the wages of sin is" not eternal life in hellfire, but "death" (Romans 6:23). So eternal hell fire is a false teaching that has no support in the Bible.

How is heaven supposed to be without tears (Rev. 21:4) if we'll be able to see sinners burning all eternity? Just doesn't make sense.

Answer 4

Your research is not complete. What happened to those cast into the lake of fire? What is forecast to happen to the "soul that sins"? Whose torment shall be eternal? The smoke rises eternally. What has that to do with humans? No one with an elementary education would buy your hypothesis. It has more holes than Grammaw's flour sifter.

Answer 5

Jonah 2:2 the belly of hell
this doesn't look like hell fire to me.

Seem like Hell has allot of different meaning.
grave
destruction
false religion
torment
Place

It must be a certain condition at certain times and places.

But just not one meaning and one place.

I don't think its a hole in the earth burning with fire.
A soul dies by having no life power to keep it alive.

Hell is here among us now while you are alive.

The bible says the dead know nothing.

Answer 6

It's actually a place in Norway, in Norwegian hell means "luck". I believe the food there is a bit dodgy. So there you have it. A unique holiday destination to brag about. So if you have neighbours from hell they are most likely norwegians.

Answer 7

There is another dimension to Hell that makes it truly terrifying, the total absence of love and the unbelievable sense of hatred and anger.

Answer 8

Alton Towers, August bank holiday weekend.

Answer 9

Amen! couldn't have said it better myself.. for Hammy: the "good little sheep", if their names are in the book of life.. will go to Heaven and spend eternity with God, while the "bad little sheep", who weren't found in the book of life, because they didn't believe, will spend an eternity on the perverbial BBQ spit.. wishing they'd believed....gee.. I wonder where you will be!

Answer 10

I think we will each have our own hell...our own eternal damnation mine would be: surrounded by wasps and bees and spiders for eternity never dieing just feeling the pain, its depending on our fears...