Crisis of faith

[Hooah1984]

I like to read up on the supernatural, especially those who have witnessed Jesus and Heaven. But this time I read a book about a woman who was transported to Hell and came back to witness to others.

Assuming this woman isn't faking, the people in Hell being eternally tormented by demons without any hope of ever getting out just blows my mind. I mean I always knew about Hell and it being eternal but I guess I've never really thought about it critically before.

In the book, she tells of the damned begging for mercy from Jesus and Jesus rebukes them yet weeps for their suffering.

You can be a generous philanthropist, serve the community, volunteer at a shelter, and be a troubled child's mentor but all the good you do on earth is meaningless if you don't believe in Jesus as the Son of God. I guess I just can't wrap my mind around it that no matter how much good you do for your neighbor or if you live righteously, eternally hellfire and torment await if you reject Jesus.

And I know that God wants nobody to suffer in Hell and that Hell is for Satan and his demons. So if it isn't created for humans and it isn't Gods intention than how then do people get sent to Hell? Does lack of faith really deserve being tortured in a lake of fire forever? Key word being forever.

The thought of this has left me with no peace at all. Even when I read the bible now I gather no peace and my mind is under stress. I'm at a crisis of faith and I can't seem to get any answers.

 

[David777]

Hello Hooah1984.

I have been through the trial you speak of.

God owns and sustains the Universe, He decides
what punishment is suitable for those who
reject the truth.

God decides through Love what is best in
every situation for everyone of us.

This is out of our hands we can only
petition the Lord through prayer.

I implicitly trust Jesus, the more I trust Jesus
the less I stress.

How God reckons punishment is not my concern ultimately.

They are His creation not mine, I am just a temporary
resident here on Earth.

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

1 Timothy 1-6

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Verse 1 tells us to pray for all men.
What does verse 4 tell us?

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

We are supposed to pray for God's will to be done.
Jesus said "it is finished" before he died on the cross.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

When I pray for things (like for all men and God's will to be done) I am supposed to believe that I shall have them.

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Thy kingdom come ,thy will be done.
period

 

[Brighthouse]

Brother Hooah!! Lord knows,I sure do not have all the answers,not even some,as many as there are questions we all have! As you know the very nature of our Jesus has been said by many,it has been written about by many,but yet my brother,few have lived this!

I speak on a word many use,but so few really understand its true meaning! LOVE! Love Does many things!! 1. Love fulfils the entire Law!!( romans 13:8-10) 2 LOVE covers a multitude of sins as well! ( 1 Peter 4:8) LOVE 3. Causes ALL!!! things to work together for the GOOD!! to those who do what my brother?? YES LOVE!! ( rom 8:28)

The question so many have a problem with,they look at love as a feeling one has towards another,but feeling betray.( matt 15:16-20). The very first lesson the Holy Spirit taught me.( 1 john 2:27) was to always be very slow to speak! James chapter 3 and 4!)

And this first scripture the Lord gave me about this. ( matt 12:36) I am sorry after words are spoken are to late indeed! Here in our tongue,we are held accountable. Love takes on a very nature,love can feel sure,but love is living,it is not just a word,but a life one chooses to live,because one wants the very Nature of our Living God.

WE forgive,we give grace,not just to make another feel good,but also because we ourselves need such grace and mercy in our own life. We can do many nice works for others,but they all mean nothing,if we are only doing these things because we ourselfs feel guilty.

NO, we do them,because we love in action,because Jesus first loved us in action!( 1 John 4:7-21) Most speak about having great faith,but what is anyones faith with out LOVE? Ah yes!! LOVE the more excellent way!! (1 cor 12:31) ( 1Cor 13:1-13) These are not just words my brother we read,they are a nature we undertake!

We fall short,we repent! But we are always moving towards LOVE,and in doing so, we move closer and closer to Jesus! If you are working on this daily, then have no fear! Because Love has no fear! If one is not moving towards this,then there is much to fear!

Because guilt,leads to judgement,and judgment to sin. But those working hard to stay in Love have no fear,nor any condemnation as well!( rom 8:1) If we say we LOVE GOD,but have not his nature,what good our are words then?? ( james 1:22) Am I a perfect man in Christ?? Only Jesus in me is perfect!

My flesh is far from this.Jesus himself said ,why callest me thou good?( Luke 18:19,mark 10:18, Matt 19:17) Jesus knew his flesh was not good,nor is ours! But that which is perfect lies within us!! The Greatest secret!!!( Colossians 1:26-29!!) I did not learn this by my own wisdom!! Holy Spirit taught me this.

He taught me,because like you,I wondered how man can really be saved. What right does he have? Jesus cannot die!! And Jesus is the one in us,who will meet the Father,he will use our eyes,but we are given a new flesh!! We need one to!! When we come before him,we will know the truth!!

We find out, if the truth has set us free or not!( matt 25:31-46) The only difference between the sheep and the goats,is what they did,or did not do! We do love,because Jesus first loved us brother! And Jesus, and he alone will save us,even from ourself!( our sorry flesh!)

 

[Kit Carson]

Be careful of books and those who for their own motives to sell a book will say anything. They may even believe what they say.

As for me Jesus says yes there is a hell. It will be a fire that consumes the very soul. But it is for the future, it is not for the now.

For us the believer and the non believer also it is a time to come after the resurection . We do not go instantly to hell or instantly to heaven, this will all come to be when the time is for this.

Meanwhile when we die we rest in peace. We await the final days. The bible teaches us that we will die, but we will face the final judgement later, that all will rise and be judged. I figure it will be a busy day. God knows us before we are born, so he holds the blueprint of our lives, will be no problem for him to put us all together again. He is the perfect understander of science. The very creation is of super science and natural laws.

So to me Gods word says.......that lady is on a trip. It cannot be so I have no consideration on her words.

Kit

 

[AbbysAunt]

Hello Hooah,

The struggle you are having I believe most of us have gone through...myself i've gone through it and what was revealed to me I would like to share with you my brother in Jesus. You asked how one can be sent to hell...the answer is " they reject life and choose death" In the bible in Dueteronomy God tells us to choose life and reject death and evil.


Dueteronomy33:19-20 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curseing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.

In this verse we see that God has given us the free will to choose Him and Life or to choose evil and death...if we reject the Love that was first given to us by God Himself in that He sent His only Son to this earth to die for our sins and then the Love that Jesus gave by sacrificing Himself on that cross...He didn't have to but He chose to and He loved so much that He took our punishment upon that cross. So, we being introduced To Him and told of this Love and coming to know this Love have a choice to make. We can choose this Love which is Jesus the gift of eternal life or we can turn our back on it.. if we turn our back we are condemning ourselves...See, God gave us free will to choose because He wants us to choose Him willingly He will not force us to and just like here on earth with the choices we make we face concequences, so it is with the choice of accepting the gift given to us which is Jesus Himself or choosing not to accept it..We face those concequences whether good or bad. We accept Him and we have eternal life but if we don't we have eternal suffering...Our Lord is not willing that any suffer but that
decision is up to us He does not condemn us but if we do not accept Him as Lord and Savior of our lives we then condemn ourselves. It was hard for me to see too and wrap my head around for a long time, but its the truth my brother in Jesus.

Don't let your peace betaken over this instead go to prayer and seek our Lord and He will give you the answers you seek and will give you the peace you need to sustain you for always. For God does not give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind and of love...let your mind rest in our Lord. May He bless you now and always.

 

[eddieb]

the last two verses are my favorite.
EZ 33:12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
v13: When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
v14: Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
v15: If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.