Does hell have to be fire?

Question

Cant it be Acid, liquid metal, ice, and just pure darkness?

Lets see you in a room of pure darkness, with unidentifiable sounds, and lets count how many days go by without you going mad.

Answer 1

HELL ??? Can you imagine...being in the Fire eternally...
Just think back...Think of all the times you were OPPRESSED by Satan, through Depression, Anxiety, Lusts of the Mind, Fear, Worldly Love ( inordinate affections ), Greed, Hate, Confusion, Lust of the Flesh, etc... ( selah ). ( * )

Thinking of how hard it was to be experiencing these things, and think of how it would be to experience them 7 times, or, 1,000 times GREATER ! These things eating you up, with no way to fulfil them. No relief from them. Constantly, for the rest of eternity, being engulfed in them, forever...( selah ).
( * ) Ephesians 5 : 1 - 7 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear CHILDREN ; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, of covetousness, let it not once be named among you, as becometh SAINTS. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient : but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know , that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. let no man deceive you with vain words : for because of these things cometh the WRATH of God upon the" children of disobedience".
Galatians 5 : 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the LUST of the flesh.

Now we see in the scriptures that all the ELEMENTS, things that are made, will burn up with a fervent heat, and material things will be no more. When , except for the new earth, spiritual things is the only existence. ( ** )

We see that those spiritual beings ( demons, Satan, and souls of ungodly men ), will be tormented forever in the lake of fire. Now, fire, as we know it, is natural. When there is no more natural, then there is no more natural fire. So, the fire of HELL, must be a spiritual fire. That same fire believers receive along with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, for purification... ( selah ). ( *** )

We, receive that Fire, to get purified, while on earth, so we won't have to experience that unquenchable Fire forever, after all the natural things are no more. So, while that Fire is working in us, we must allow it to do its perfect work. WE MUST BE PURIFIED !!! We MUST deny the lusts of the mind and flesh !!! Whatever the cost, we MUST deny them...or, be tortured with them FOREVER... ( **** )

( * ) Psalms 81: 11,12 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts LUSTS : and they walked in their own counsels. ( Take heed to this Spiritual Israel ! )
Romans 7 : 7, 8 What shall we say then ? Is the law sin ? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law : for I had not known LUST, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet ( the tree of good and evil in the garden of Eden ). But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence ( evil desire ) . For without the law, sin was dead.
1st Corinthians 10 : 1 - 12 Moreover, BRETHREN, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses, in the cloud, and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat (selah) ; And did all drink the same spiritual drink (selah) : for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them : and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased : for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not LUST after EVIL THINGS , as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us temp Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. NOW ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENED UNTO THEM FOR ENSAMPLES ; AND THEY ARE WRITTEN FOR OUR ADMONITION, UPON WHOM THE ENDS OF THE WORLD ARE COME. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall...
Galatians 5 : 13 - 24 For, BRETHREN, ye have been called unto liberty :; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this : Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the LUSTS of the flesh For the flesh LUSTETH against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh : and these are contrary the one to the other : so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. BUT, if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the FLESH are manifest, which are these : Adultery , fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness ( LUSTS ) , idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like : of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD...

( ** ) 11 Peter 3 : 10 - 13 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night : in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ELEMENTS shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a NEW HEAVEN , and a NEW EARTH, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.
Revelation 21 : 1, 2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth : for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I ,John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

( *** ) Revelations 20 : 10 - 15 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God ; and the books were opened : and another book was opened, which is the book of life : and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books , according to their works. 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 words. and DEATH and HELL were cast into the LAKE OF FIRE. This is the second death ( Total separation from God ), and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE.
Revelation 14 : 10 , 11 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb : and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up FOREVER and ever : and they have no rest , day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

( **** ) St. Matthew 3 : 11 , 12 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but He that cometh after me is mightier than I , whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and FIRE.
Acts 2 : 1 - 4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of FIRE , and it sat upon each of them,, And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Hebrews 12 : 5 - 8 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of Him : for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and SCOURGETH every son whom he receiveth If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons ; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not ? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence : shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and LIVE ? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure ; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Vs 14 Follow peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Malachi 3 : 2 - 4 But who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when He appeareth for He is like fullers soap : And He shall sit as a refiner and PURIFIER of silver : and he shall PURIFY the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver , that them may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness . Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord. as in the days of old, and as in FORMER YEARS.
Malachi 4 : 1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall BURN as an oven ; and all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble ( fuel ) : and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Luke 3 : 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the FIRE.
1st. Peter 1 : 6 , 7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, IF NEED BE , ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations : That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with FIRE , might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10 : 26 , 27 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a CERTAIN fearful looking for of judgment and FIERY indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
1st. Corinthians 3 : 11 - 15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay , stubble ; every mans work shall be made manifest : for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by FIRE, : and the FIRE shall try every mans work of what sort it is. If any mans work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. if any mans work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss : but he himself shall be saved ; yet so as by FIRE.
Revelation 15 : 2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with FIRE : and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass ( the mingled ), having the harps of God. ( be exalted above the people of the nations with praise to the Lord of hosts ) .
Romans 12 : 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink : for, in so doing thou shalt heap coals of FIRE on his head ( thou shalt cause the FIRE of the Holy Ghost to deal with him ).




So, line upon line, precept upon precept, I believe that since all the "natural elements " will no longer be in existence, the Lake of FIRE will be the spiritual Fire, no longer needed for the purification of the saints, and, will be the lake of Fire all the evil will be cast into, enduring the Fire forever and ever....
Burn now, or burn forever....where the worm dieth not, and the FIRE is not quenched...

Answer 2

PaulCyp's closest so far. The dump outside Jerusalem was perpetually burning, and that image was used by Jesus and others to suggest a crumby place to spend eternity. Is hell a place? Yes, if we assume the damned have some sort of physical body after judgement. If so, there very well may be physical torment. I'm inclined to agree with the Catholic Church that the main torture in hell is separation from LOVE (God, the angels, and transformed humans).

Answer 3

Have a read of Dante's Divine Comedy or Sartre's No Exit to see some other visions of hell.

lol, sure you can find a few Twilight Zone episodes on the subject too ;)

Answer 4

In the Hell, there is an area with below freezing temperature... named 'Zamharir' in Arabic Texts

Answer 5

No, it doesn't have to fire literally. Fire was used as a symbol for something that could produce the greatest possible agony.

Answer 6

A room with Britney Spears.

Answer 7

May you rest in pieces.

Answer 8

why dont u decide what it has to be