What to expect in hell

[KingJ]

The title of his thread.... it talks about Hell. It makes a few incorrect assumptions.

But first hell/hades is not Sheol, hell and hades is just one side of Sheol. Abraham's bosom/Paradise is on the other side of Sheol, obviously Paradise is not Hell.
Second, hell/hades is not the lake of fire. Hell is a temporary place, the Lake of Fire is a permanent place. Eventually hell will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Third, the Lake of fire is not "separation from God". The Bible says God is even in hell. It says people will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.. in the presence of God.
So God is even in hell.

Rev 20:14; Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Rev 14:10; he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Psa 139:8; If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (KJV)

For people who believe in the Trinity (including myself) Jesus is God. Jesus himself went to sheol temporarily.

Eph 4:9; (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10; He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Col 2:15; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

I wrote hell / lake of fire.

The lake of fire is what most today infer when stating 'hell'.

But, thanks for your scriptures and further insight. There is no disagreement on this.

 

[complete]

This gets into soul sleep. But that's another discussion for another day. For sake of argument, let us say you are right. They are simply "dead". No more physical activity, no more mind activity at all.
I suppose I would be willing to concede that much. But a day will come... when both the righteous and the wicked will be resurrected.

John 5:28; "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
John 5:29; and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Acts 24:15; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

The word resurrection isn't in the old testament anywhere.
It was an unknown concept it seems. However in the New Testament, it's mentioned quite a bit. ( Over 40 times )

1Cor 15:13; But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;
1Cor 15:14; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

When does this happen? On the "last day". (There are different interpretations of what that means).

John 6:39; "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
John 6:40; "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
John 6:44; "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:54; "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

So it may be.. that you are correct, they are simply "dead". But they won't stay that way.
A lot of thing were revealed in the New Testament, that the prophets of the old testament never knew.

Hello @B-A-C,

With respect the question is not, whether I am right or wrong, but whether God's word should be believed or not?

* What is it about the words I quoted, (kindly provided by @Butch5 in his entry), that is not to be believed:-

Ecclesiastes 9:5
Psalm 146:1-4
Genesis 2:7
Job 32:7-8
1 Corinthians 15:16-20

No, praise God, B-A-C, I agree, they will not remain dead, they will be raised, some to life, some to condemnation.

* The Jews believed in the judgment of the just and the unjust at the last day, as Martha confessed (John 11:24), and which Paul declared before His accusers (Acts 24:15). This would require a resurrection. Job believed in the resurrection too, for he declared that in his flesh he would see God. He knew that his Redeemer lived. Praise God! All the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and so on would require a resurrection from the dead for their fulfillment, for they died, 'in faith,' not having received the promises. Abraham declared his belief in the resurrection by being prepared to sacrifice his son, his only son, for He believed in Him who could raise the dead, and Who had given Him promises in relation to his son, Isaac, and his offspring.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Beetow]

According to Matt 10:28, the body and the soul are perishable. However; though
the body is perishable by any means, the soul is perishable only by divine means;
i.e. the deaths of body and soul aren't necessarily simultaneous, viz: the soul lives
on until such a time as God decides to give it either a thumb up or a thumb down.

If there is such a thing as soul sleep, I won't know it, here's why:

I've been under anesthesia once for appendicitis, twice for hernias, twice for total
knee replacements, once for a colonoscopy, and once for an endoscopy. In none of
those procedures was I aware of the passage of time. The very moment I went
under was simultaneous with awakening. So if soul sleep is like that, I'll be in
Heaven as if I went from here to there in less than a second of time on the clock,
i.e. instantaneously. The same can be said for folks on track for the great white
throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15.
_

 

[KingJ]

Please do not mock anyone's belief. This thread is meant to be a 'safe space' for our opinions on a vastly unknown future event.

 

[Brother Paul]

It's difficult to create a poll that encompasses everyone theology!

I'm not to sure about the pets portion. Also, I believe Hell/Hades is a temporary place.
But that the Lake of Fire is a permanent place, that Hades and those in it will be cast into.

I also believe this is what Scripture teaches. Whether you know it or not, this idea of Sheol (Hades) is also what pre-Christian Rabbis (like Hillel and Shammai) also taught.

 

[Beetow]

• Mark 9:47-48 . . If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It is better to enter
the kingdom of God half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell; where
the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.

The "hell" in that passage is a different Greek word than the "hell" of Luke 16:19
31. That one is haides (hah'-dace) which is an afterlife sphere where all the dead
go; both the good dead and the bad dead regardless of age, race, color, gender or
religious preference. This word here in Mark is geena (gheh'-en-nah) which is
where only the bad dead will end up some day: likely the lake of brimstone
depicted at Rev 20:11-15

Anyway; Christ's instructions didn't reveal anything new. He simply reiterated
information that had already been released by an Old Testament prophet roughly
700 years before.

• Isa 66:22-24 . . From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to
another, all mankind will come and bow down before me-- speaks the Lord. And
they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against Me:
their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome
to all mankind.

That rather ghastly scene depicts a sort of tourist attraction similar to the La Brea
Tar Pits museum in Los Angeles where the remains of prehistoric creatures,
excavated from ancient asphalt deposits, are on display.

A worm that thrives in brimstone is pretty amazing, but not unreasonable. The 4
inch Pompeii worm lives in sea water temperatures of 176° Fahrenheit; hot enough
to kill salmonella and sanitize an egg. So I guess if God could create a worm like
the Pompeii, it shouldn't be too difficult for Him to create worms that like it even
warmer

FAQ: The human body is organic. So then, how can it survive the heat as perpetual
nourishment for those worms?

REPLY: The laws of nature are not absolute. They were created in the first chapter
of Genesis to control the behavior of created matter, and as such are easily
manipulated by the one who designed them.

For example: fire totally incinerated the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah but left
unscathed a desert shrub that Moses encountered in the Sinai outback while
tending his father-in-law's sheep. (Ex 3:1-3)

Compare Dan 3:8-27 where a blistering hot fire didn't even so much as singe the
clothing of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego while slaying the guards that threw
them in the furnace.

FAQ: Won't the worms eventually exhaust their food supply?

REPLY: There are incidents in the Bible where small amounts of food stuffs were
miraculously multiplied. One example is 1Kgs 17:8-16 where a tiny bit of flour and
oil nourished Elijah and a widow woman, and her son, for a good many days during
a time of prolonged drought.

Another incident is at 2Kgs 4:1-7 where a certain widow's husband died and left her
deeply in debt. God multiplied her last pot of oil sufficiently to sell enough to pay off
her debts, thereby saving her two sons from slavery.

No; I'm pretty sure those worms won't need to worry about running out of human
remains with which to sustain themselves.
_

 

[Victor VanHeerden]

Hi all

I am very interested in your interpretation of scripture on hell / eternal lake of fire.

I think a poll will show this. Feel free to explain why you believe as you do.

I mention pets as they speak to a more humane living condition. Many unrepentant sinners love pets and treat them well. It would be extra torturous if pets were not in hell.

There will be no judging or debating here, each entitled to their own belief on an unknown future event.

I will ask mods to remove any post mocking a belief.

__________________________

I select ''Eternal torment - limited suffering, not such a bad place''.

For this reason:

Scripture says God is good Psalm 136:1, the definition of 'love' 1 John 4:7, righteous in all His ways Psalm 145:17, light with no darkness in Him at all 1 John 1:5, Impartial Acts 10:34, a just judge who does not pervert justice Job 34:12, rewards each according to their deeds Rom 2:6.

Scripture also teaches us that many righteous are barely saved 1 Pet 4:18, meaning there are many unrighteous barely not saved. I am no implying God is a fool that would send someone to hell if they would one-day desire true repentance of sin. I just feel it is important for us to grasp that there are levels of sinners. Just as there will be levels and rewards among the saints.

I believe Hell will be a place a good person would create. I say this because in Gen 3:22 we read God explaining that humans now know what is good and evil. Exactly as He and the angels know. Very important fact to consider. God has not got a code of ethics separate to us / something we cannot make sense of. When David says God is good in Psalm 136:1, I believe he meant it. When Jesus says 'only' God is truly good in Mark 10:18, I believe He meant it.

As such, I believe hell will be a place a good person approves of and one better then the Geneva convention (what the 'good' unsaved people of the world approve of). The Geneva convention started when the WW2 allies needed to separate and punish those Germans that were guilty of the greatest crimes against humanity. So, I would propose a good person will agree with the Geneva convention stipulations for those in hell, a Christian should do better and God...well since He is on the absolute side of perfection and love as only He is truly good Mark 10:18, even better. Many will propose that if God does something evil, we can't call Him out on it as He is ''God'', but this is not true. Abraham calls God out on the destruction of Sodom in Gen 18. God explains Himself to Abraham and he approves. We see this with Moses and the Hebrews worshipping the golden calf too in Exo 32.

God mentions four things about hell that I feel deserve explaining for much needed context. Before I start with them, I want you to consider how God mentioned only a few things to Adam and Eve on what awaited them after their sin. Gen 3 mentions, 1. Pain in childbirth, 2. Husband will rule over wife, 3. Cursed ground, 4. Dust to dust / no eternal life on earth. But what God did not mention was: 1. Nice fruit, 2. Beautiful beaches, 3. Having the ability to create tools to plough the field, 4. Create medicines and painkillers to help with childbirth, etc etc. Earth would and could be a very nice place if ''only'' the people on it were not evil. So why does God not mention all the good things about Earth and the life that awaits them in Gen 3? I am going to propose that He did not need to as Adam and Eve 'knew' it was a 'given' as they 'knew' God is good. We need to consider the same when using only a few verses as the A-Z explanation of eternal hell.

The four most impactful scriptural statements on hell to consider 1. Weeping and gnashing of teeth, 2. Darkness, 3. Eternal torment, 4. Fire.

1. Luke 13:28 says people in hell weep and gnash their teeth because they look up and see the saints and Jesus. They weep because they are cast out of heaven. This is a suffering linked to separation, not fire. I believe this is a very important fact to grasp.

2. In John 3:19 we see that Jesus says people love the darkness because their deeds are evil. Proposing that hell is not a place where the lights are permanently off. Darkness is a metaphor for a place where evil takes place. This makes sense as those in hell will be unrepentant sinners.

3. Eternal Torment. It makes sense to me that a good God gives true free will. ''Accept me, come be with me. Reject me, go be somewhere else''. God keeps the evil alive for all eternity as not doing so would be evil. 'No free will' is evil. Just ask any unlucky lady forced into an arranged marriage. As you are surrounded by unrepentant sinners and have fire, it will be a place of torment when compared to heaven.

4. Fire in hell I believe is badly mistaught.

We know from the story of the rich man speaking to Abraham, that he was able to have a conversation and asked for a drop of water on his tongue Luke 16. If you are on fire, will you ask for a drop of water or have a rational conversation with someone?

Scripture teaches us that there ''has'' to be a punishment for sin. God has set this in place as an absolute rule. Christians have the blood of Jesus covering them from all their sins, current and future. Those in hell, don't. As such, I firmly believe that fire is God's chosen method of punishment. Example: On year fifty in hell, you decide to stab your neighbor in the leg. A fire of sort for X amount of time will be on you. As evil continues forever among those that are in hell, so too does 'fire'.

4. Fire in hell I believe is badly mistaught.

Gehenna hell means everlasting fire. Lord Jesus also referred to the very same fire as a “fiery furnace” Matthew 13:42,50 where there will be terrible remorse shown by weeping and gnashing of teeth. But remorse is not repentance. Repentant Christians are not sent to hell. Unbelievers are.

Fire is often used by God for purification but in this instance in hell it is used for eternal punishment..

There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in “the fiery lake of burning sulfur: This is the second death” Revelation 21:8; Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43–48; Revelation 19:20; 20:11–15.

The punishment is with the devil and his angels, that it is everlasting, and that it is in the lake of fire which is called the second death. There is no difference in hell between all its inhabitants. All will suffer Gods punitive measures.

“the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night” Revelation 14:11.

They will be forever denied the rest promised to the saints. Once the final judgment is pronounced. Its over. No coming back.
No sanctifying work in the lake of fire (Gehenna). The fire is parallel to the “worm” of

Mark 9:44,46,48 .where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into 4hell, 5into the fire that shall never be quenched—46 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into 6hell fire—48 where ‘Their worm does not die

This exactly why Apostle Paul preached the Gospel so passionately.

Now is the day of salvation - 2 Corinthians 6:2.

2Cor 5 :11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

​

 

[Beetow]

There was a time when everyone went to the netherworld when they passed
away: Jesus too because when he passed away on the cross; Jesus didn't go
up, rather, he went down. (Matt 12:40, John 20:17, Acts 7:25-31).

When we take into consideration everybody who ever lived and died on this
planet beginning with Adam; then we're talking about a very large number
of people. How do they all fit in the netherworld without overcrowding?

Well; it's evident that people exist in the afterlife as disembodied spirits.
(Heb 12:22-23, 1Pet 3:18-20)

The feral man of Mark 5:1-13 and Luke 8:26-33 was possessed by a
community of evil spirits who labeled themselves Legion. Webster's defines a
legion as the principal unit of the Roman army comprising 3,000 to 6,000
foot soldiers with cavalry.

The legion of spirits that Christ exorcised from the man went out and
possessed a herd of about 2,000 swine. That's a pretty good example of how
spirits take up no room in the physical world; nor do they crowd each other.
All 3,000-6,000 of those spirits managed to fit inside the bodily cargo area of
just that one man.

That being the case, then the netherworld need not be a void. People can
exist down there in solid rock because spirits don't need space, they just
need a place.

NOTE: Any attempt to drill down to the heart of the Earth in search of the
netherworld would likely be futile because it isn't a natural world, rather, it's
a supernatural world. Drilling could, and would, pass right through the very
center of the netherworld and still not find it.
_

 

[Victor VanHeerden]

4. Fire in hell I believe is badly mistaught.

Gehenna hell means everlasting fire. Lord Jesus also referred to the very same fire as a “fiery furnace” Matthew 13:42,50 where there will be terrible remorse shown by weeping and gnashing of teeth. But remorse is not repentance. Repentant Christians are not sent to hell. Unbelievers are.

Fire is often used by God for purification but in this instance in hell it is used for eternal punishment..

There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in “the fiery lake of burning sulfur: This is the second death” Revelation 21:8; Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43–48; Revelation 19:20; 20:11–15.

The punishment is with the devil and his angels, that it is everlasting, and that it is in the lake of fire which is called the second death. There is no difference in hell between all its inhabitants. All will suffer Gods punitive measures.

“the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night” Revelation 14:11.

They will be forever denied the rest promised to the saints. Once the final judgment is pronounced. Its over. No coming back.
No sanctifying work in the lake of fire (Gehenna). The fire is parallel to the “worm” of

Mark 9:44,46,48 .where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into 4hell, 5into the fire that shall never be quenched—46 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into 6hell fire—48 where ‘Their worm does not die

This exactly why Apostle Paul preached the Gospel so passionately.

Now is the day of salvation - 2 Corinthians 6:2.

2Cor 5 :11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

​

Torture. n. the infliction of severe mental, physical, and/or emotional torment as a form of punishment. Even if some say that there is no physical torture in hell it is still torture as per definition

1. Torture is torture
2. Eternal conscious torment is torture
3. Therefore, eternal conscious torment is also torture.

 

[Beetow]

OBJECTION: Hell doesn't make sense that a loving God would torment people in a
fiery prison forever and ever.

RESPONSE: I fully agree that it makes no sense at all. But then human intelligence
is produced by a 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue; and not even all three of
those pounds are devoted to cognitive processes. On top of that, those three
pounds are 60% fat. That fatty, flabby, organic tissue can alter one's personality
with little more than an aneurysm or a blow to the head.

Just how bright can a fatty, flabby, organic intelligence really be compared to the
IQ of a supernatural being with enough intelligence to invent, design, and construct
a fully functioning cosmos with all of its forms of life, matter, and energy? A fatty,
flabby, organic intelligence isn't even a dunce in comparison: it's the IQ of a
termite; if even that.

• 1Cor 3:20 . .The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are empty.

Well; that's certainly not a very flattering evaluation. It's as much as saying that, in
God's opinion, the smartest among humanity basically consists of air heads; and if
that's His evaluation of the best and brightest, then where might God be ranking
John Que and Jane Doe pew warmer?
_

 

[KingJ]

OBJECTION: Hell doesn't make sense that a loving God would torment people in a
fiery prison forever and ever.

RESPONSE: I fully agree that it makes no sense at all. But then human intelligence
is produced by a 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue; and not even all three of
those pounds are devoted to cognitive processes. On top of that, those three
pounds are 60% fat. That fatty, flabby, organic tissue can alter one's personality
with little more than an aneurysm or a blow to the head.

Just how bright can a fatty, flabby, organic intelligence really be compared to the
IQ of a supernatural being with enough intelligence to invent, design, and construct
a fully functioning cosmos with all of its forms of life, matter, and energy? A fatty,
flabby, organic intelligence isn't even a dunce in comparison: it's the IQ of a
termite; if even that.

• 1Cor 3:20 . .The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are empty.

Well; that's certainly not a very flattering evaluation. It's as much as saying that, in
God's opinion, the smartest among humanity basically consists of air heads; and if
that's His evaluation of the best and brightest, then where might God be ranking
John Que and Jane Doe pew warmer?
_

I don't like any teaching that insinuates God has a code of ethics separate to us. Gen 3:22 says we know what is good and evil just as God does.

It seems God lowers Himself to our level. Works with us on our level. We see this throughout scripture and the world around us.

But, sure your post does provide something to consider.

 

[KingJ]

Torture. n. the infliction of severe mental, physical, and/or emotional torment as a form of punishment. Even if some say that there is no physical torture in hell it is still torture as per definition

1. Torture is torture
2. Eternal conscious torment is torture
3. Therefore, eternal conscious torment is also torture.

1. Agreed
2 & 3. It would depend on the torment. What kind of torment from scripture are you referring to?

It seems most here agree with your view. I am just interested in it and would like to discuss if you wish.

 

[Beetow]

Gen 3:22 says we know what is good and evil just as God does.

• Gen 3:22a . . And the Lord God said: Now that Man has become as one of us
discerning good and evil,

The meaning of that verse is very subtle and requires an explanation.

Humanity was created in the image and likeness of God; which means Adam came into
existence with a God-given conscience that was able to tell the difference between
good and evil from his maker's perspective.

Then along comes the Serpent and assures Eve she would be able to tell the difference
between good and evil with a conscience of her own making; viz: he convinced Eve that
the forbidden fruit would give her the power to reinvent herself.

That's exactly what Gen 3:22 means where it says "the man has become as one of us"
in other words: the Adams made themselves tin gods whose moral compass oftentimes
points in different directions than the compass of the God that made them; thanks to the
forbidden fruit incident with the Serpent.
_

 

[Victor VanHeerden]

1. Agreed
2 & 3. It would depend on the torment. What kind of torment from scripture are you referring to?

It seems most here agree with your view. I am just interested in it and would like to discuss if you wish.

The torture in hell is obvious according to scripture. Same torture meted out to Satan and his fellow angels. Scripture does not define it exactly.

But to be in an everlasting fire is torture enough and then to have murderers, Hitler types, Satan etc as your buddies. And to have remorse and consider your faithful loved on in heaven.

Just imagine jumping in a huge pot of boiling oil. And doing this every hour for ever.

 

[B-A-C]

The torture in hell is obvious according to scripture. Same torture meted out to Satan and his fellow angels. Scripture does not define it exactly.

We do have a number of annihilationists here. They seem to believe that at worst, you get thrown into the fire and burned up after a short period of time. They don't believe it's eternal torment.

But I have to wonder, why does anyone want to minimize the pain of hell? Even if they were right and it was only temporary, why encourage people to go there?
"Oh, it's not so bad". "It's only temporary". "God doesn't really put anyone in hell". ... what message are you sending to people here? It's almost like they are advertising for Satan.
"It'll be one big party when you get there".

It seems to be the same message that started it all. "Go ahead and eat the fruit, you won't really die".

We also have a number that believe in a "second chance". They don't believe physical death is "game over". But there is either purgatory, or something similar to it, and if you're
"good enough" ( how does that work? ) then you won't get thrown into the lake of fire. Some even believe this to be the purpose of the millennial reign, to give those destined for the Lake of Fire
a second chance.

 

[KingJ]

The torture in hell is obvious according to scripture. Same torture meted out to Satan and his fellow angels. Scripture does not define it exactly.

But to be in an everlasting fire is torture enough and then to have murderers, Hitler types, Satan etc as your buddies. And to have remorse and consider your faithful loved on in heaven.

Just imagine jumping in a huge pot of boiling oil. And doing this every hour for ever.

There is no evidence of God torturing satan and his fellow angels. That is your personal opinion off of a scripture mentioning fire.

There is only one scripture that gives a reason for 'weeping and gnashing of teeth'. That is Luke 13:28 and it is clearly due only to a separation from God.

The only scripture we find on 'the pain' of fire is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Rich man holding a conversation and asking only for a drop of water on his tongue. Not something you ask for if you are in as you say 'boiling oil'.

The boiling oil, Dantes inferno are personal insertions.

God is just Job 34:12 and rewards according to what we did Rom 2:6. Important to note that Rom 2:6 does not state 'eye for an eye' type punishment.

The devil wants us to believe God is wicked. He is behind Dantes inferno. What crime must someone have committed for them to be thrown into boiling oil for all eternity?

 

[KingJ]

But I have to wonder, why does anyone want to minimize the pain of hell? Even if they were right and it was only temporary, why encourage people to go there?

Very good question BAC.

The reason is because a cruel hell incriminates God. Suggests God sits atop a list of the most evil beings to ever live.

I believe the correct position to take is to follow scripture to the letter. No personal insertions. We do not find 'Dantes inferno' anywhere in scripture. What we do find is a reason for weeping and gnashing of teeth in Luke 13:28. A description of the pain from fire in Luke 16:19-31. An explanation of darkness being a metaphor in John 3:19. Scripture telling us to fear God as His decision is final. We fear God not because He is a cruel God, rather because He is God and as such He can and will separate repentant sinners from unrepentant for all eternity.

 

[B-A-C]

I believe the correct position to take is to follow scripture to the letter. No personal insertions. We do not find 'Dantes inferno' anywhere in scripture.

I'm glad you take that stance with scripture. As far as it being a "fiery" type place, here is what scripture says. No commentary necessary.

Matt 3:10; "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matt 3:12; "His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Matt 7:19; "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matt 13:40; "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
Matt 13:42; and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 13:50; and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 18:8; "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.
Matt 25:41; "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
Mark 9:43; "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,
Mark 9:44; [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]
Mark 9:46; [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]
Mark 9:48; where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.
Luke 3:9; "Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
Luke 3:17; "His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
John 15:6; "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
Matt 5:22; "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
Matt 18:9; "If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

2Pet 3:7; But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Jude 1:7; just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Jude 1:23; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Luke 16:24; "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'

 

[Beetow]

• 2Thess 2:11-12 . . God will send them strong delusion, that they should
believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

In other words: there's coming a time when God's patience will reach its
reasonable limits, and He will purposely, willfully, and deliberately make sure
that a certain category of people have no chance whatsoever to be spared
the wrath of God.

Back when Noah was preparing the ark, no doubt his neighbors all mocked
and poked fun at him as if he were a deranged soul going around with a
sandwich board that reads: Repent; The End Is Near! But when the rain
started, I bet those very same neighbors panicked and tried to get Noah to
open up and let them in. But even had Noah wanted to; he couldn't. The
hatch of the ark was sealed from the outside: and God was the only one on
earth who could open it-- He chose not to.

• Rev 1:18 . . I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive
forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

• Rev 3:7 . .These are the words of him who is holy and true: who holds the
key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can
open.

NOTE: People are all too easy to hoodwink. Take for example Dr. Anthony
Fauci's fake Covid science and how many folks bought into it without
question.
_

 

[B-A-C]

The reason is because a cruel hell incriminates God. Suggests God sits atop a list of the most evil beings to ever live.

On the contrary, some of us believe this is what makes God fair and just. But no matter what God does... God is God.
It may not be fair to you, it may not be right to you, you may not understand it.
One thing is... God doesn't send anyone to hell. (Unless you believe in predestination)
People choose for themselves to go to hell.

Matt 7:12; "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matt 7:13; "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Matt 7:14; "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Luke 13:23; And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them,
Luke 13:24; "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 13:25; "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.'
Luke 13:26; "Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets';
Luke 13:27; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.'
Luke 13:28; "In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.

It seems the majority of people will go to hell. Now some don't believe "that place" is hell here. Another phrase often used is...

Matt 8:12; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matt 22:13; "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Matt 25:30; "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Some also don't believe that "the outer darkness" is hell. I disagree, I think all of these places are hell. I believe the darkness is because of thick smoke.
Many of you know I used to be fireman many years ago. I most house fires I entered, you could not one foot in from of you, the smoke was so think and black.
Even in the middle of the noonday sun in Texas, it was pure blackness, darkness. ... it was plenty hot in that darkness.

But even if I'm wrong and it's another place besides hell, it doesn't matter that much, because there will be weeping, gnashing of teeth there.
It won't be a pleasant place to be either way. Either way there will be pain.

An explanation of darkness being a metaphor in John 3:19.

Every word in every verse isn't a metaphor. Sometimes darkness means "evil" that's true. But sometimes darkness simply means... "darkness".

We fear God not because He is a cruel God, rather because He is God and as such He can and will separate repentant sinners from unrepentant for all eternity.

Psa 90:11; Who understands the power of Your anger And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?
Matt 10:28; "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

There are no "repentant sinners". If we've repented, we are now saints.

because He is a cruel God,

I have watched many movies in my life. What makes a good movie? There is usually a villain, a bad guy. The best bad guys keep coming at you over and over again all through the movie.
It seems like they never die. The more evil they are, the more we hate them. They kill your friends, they kill your wife and children, they even kill your dog. The destroy your house, your car,
and sometimes even your reputation. ... and all through the movie, they are enjoying doing these things.

But at end of the movie.. good prevails, the hero wins. The bad guy is vanquished. Often dying some terrible painful death that is a just vengeance for all the pain he caused others.
Why do we watch these movies? Because something inside resonates with this. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. He is the Hero of our "movie". ( our life ).
At the end He will justly punish those who hurt His children, and denied His Son. They will get what they deserve.

If the evil was never punished, what would be the point? If there was no Hell/Lake of Fire... why even bother getting saved in the first place?
We are created in the image of God, part of the reason we like to see justice, and bad people punished, is because we are like God in this way. We have part of His character in us.
Usually after the bad guy is killed off. The hero gets the girl. In this case... we are the "the girl". The church is the bride of Christ.