Is There Really a Hell?

[Richard Aberdeen]

According to astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, there is a certain type of black hole located within dark voids in the universe, where there is no light for many light years in every direction. This type of black hole, according to Tyson, contains an inner "sea of fire", left over from the stars it long ago consumed. According to NASA, the Encyclopedia Britannica and the late Stephen Hawking, among many other scientists, a black hole is a "bottomless pit" that theoretically digs forever.

The Bible says that hell is located in "outer darkness" Matthew 8:12 and is a "bottomless pit" Revelation 9:11, containing a "lake of fire" Revelation 20:14. Many people long questioned how something containing a lake of fire could be located in outer darkness and even more difficult to believe, be a bottomless pit, from which no one can escape. Now we know. Jesus says in Luke 16:26, that no human can pass from heaven to hades or from hades to heaven. Those who mock the Bible invariably, eventually end up eating crow. . .or worse.

Many question whether a loving God would cast someone forever into hell. Such folks rarely pause to consider what our sins cost God, in the sacrifice of his only begotten son. We hear reports of parents weeping at the bedside of their child who has cancer or has been in a horrific accident, crying "if only I could take my child's place!" We have no idea how God must have felt when his only son was nailed to a Roman cross and, we likely never will even begin to grasp what our sins cost God Almighty.

There is great reward for accepting forgiveness for our sins from Jesus. And there is a great penalty for refusing to do so.

[Mr E]

[Replying to Richard Aberdeen in post #1]

This is hell.

Those were the words in dream I awakened to.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

[placebofactor]

[Replying to Mr E in post #2]

Manasseh was the fifteenth king of Judah; he became king at the age of 12, ruling in Jerusalem. It is said of him, that he did evil in the eyes of the LORD, worshipping the idols of the land of Canaan. 2 Chronicles 33:6, said of him, "And he caused his children (Jewish children) to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hin'-nom:" This place was also called To'-phet. (the word toph signifying a drum) This is clarified in 2 Kings 23:10, we read "To'-pheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hin'-nom," The name To'-phet alludes to the noise of drums, that drowned out the cries of helpless infants.

In this corrupt period of Jewish history, an idol of Moloch was erected in the valley south of Jerusalem. Ancient rabbis assure us that the image was of brass, sitting on a throne of the same metal, adorned with a royal crown. It had the head of a calf, and its arms extended out as if to embrace anyone offered to him in sacrifice. They heated the statue from within, by a fire; and when it burned red hot, they would place the child on its arms, where it was consumed by the violence of the heat. The drums would beat loudly, so that the cries of the young victim could not be heard.

As time passed, this place came to be considered an emblem or symbol of Hell, the place of torment reserved for the punishment of the wicked in a future state.

On the nature, or the type of punishment expected in this place called hell, we can form some idea from the expressions made use of in the Scriptures.

Matthew 8:12, Jesus calls it a place of "outer darkness," where there shall be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." The idea of both loss and pain still exists for those who are in hell. (weeping and gnashing of teeth) Gnashing of teeth means, pain, envy, rage. If a person was sent to hell, and both his physical and spiritual body were killed, they would not be weeping and gnashing their teeth.

Matthew 13:42 and 50, Jesus is speaking, "And (God's angels) shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Mark 9:44-48, Sinners are spoken of figuratively as worms. Jesus said, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." This verse supports the teaching that the sinner will never die = (worm dieth not), and the fire of hell will never be extinguished = (is not quenched).

The teaching of hell is an important tool in the arsenal of a Christian, and if any person who claims to be a Christian teaches there is no hell, I put them under the category of a false teacher. Why? Because you're calling the Lord a liar.

[Mr E]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #3]

He referenced a real place. Here on earth.

The concept being consumed, the world of consumers.

[Mr E]

From a site contributor..... love this.

[placebofactor]

[Replying to Mr E in post #2]

Manasseh was the fifteenth king of Judah; he became king at the age of 12, ruling in Jerusalem. It is said of him, that he did evil in the eyes of the LORD, worshipping the idols of the land of Canaan. 2 Chronicles 33:6, said of him, "And he caused his children (Jewish children) to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hin'-nom:" This place was also called To'-phet. (the word toph signifying a drum) This is clarified in 2 Kings 23:10, we read "To'-pheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hin'-nom," The name To'-phet alludes to the noise of drums, that drowned out the cries of helpless infants.

In this corrupt period of Jewish history, an idol of Moloch was erected in the valley south of Jerusalem. Ancient rabbis assure us that the image was of brass, sitting on a throne of the same metal, adorned with a royal crown. It had the head of a calf, and its arms extended out as if to embrace anyone offered to him in sacrifice. They heated the statue from within, by a fire; and when it burned red hot, they would place the child on its arms, where it was consumed by the violence of the heat. The drums would beat loudly, so that the cries of the young victim could not be heard.

As time passed, this place came to be considered an emblem or symbol of Hell, the place of torment reserved for the punishment of the wicked in a future state.

On the nature, or the type of punishment expected in this place called hell, we can form some idea from the expressions made use of in the Scriptures.

Matthew 8:12, Jesus calls it a place of "outer darkness," where there shall be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." The idea of both loss and pain still exists for those who are in hell. (weeping and gnashing of teeth) Gnashing of teeth means, pain, envy, rage. If a person was sent to hell, and both his physical and spiritual body were killed, they would not be weeping and gnashing their teeth.

Matthew 13:42 and 50, Jesus is speaking, "And (God's angels) shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Mark 9:44-48, Sinners are spoken of figuratively as worms. Jesus said, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." This verse supports the teaching that the sinner will never die = (worm dieth not), and the fire of hell will never be extinguished = (is not quenched).

The teaching of hell is an important tool in the arsenal of a Christian, and if any person who claims to be a Christian teaches there is no hell, I put them under the category of a false teacher. Why? Because you're calling the Lord a liar.

Of course it's on earth; it's called a lake of fire. It's a place of darkness, where there shall be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." The idea of both loss and pain still exists for those who are in hell. (weeping and gnashing of teeth) Gnashing of teeth means pain, envy, rage. If a person was sent to hell, and both his physical and spiritual body were killed, they would not be weeping and gnashing their teeth. On the day of judgment, the sea and death and hell will be DELIVERED UP, and then death and hell will be CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.
We see this lake of fire every time a volcano erupts and pours out it's hot, molten lava.

[Mr E]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #6]

And it is to THIS PLACE that the Christ ministered...

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
The people of Nazareth admire his gracious words, but being offended, seek to kill him. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

[placebofactor]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #6]

And it is to THIS PLACE that the Christ ministered...

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
The people of Nazareth admire his gracious words, but being offended, seek to kill him. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

I give-up, what's your point? Are you saying Nazareth is hell?

[Mr E]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #8]

To whom did the Christ preach?

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

[tam]

Peace to you,

All your posts about accurate terms and social justice... why are you not holding that microscope up to these terms as well?

According to astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, there is a certain type of black hole located within dark voids in the universe, where there is no light for many light years in every direction. This type of black hole, according to Tyson, contains an inner "sea of fire", left over from the stars it long ago consumed. According to NASA, the Encyclopedia Britannica and the late Stephen Hawking, among many other scientists, a black hole is a "bottomless pit" that theoretically digs forever.

This is interesting (the black hole and 'sea of fire' - although I can't seem to find where Tyson mentioned it), but it is not hell.

In fact, the word that is translated as "hell" comes from multiple different words, with different meanings:

Tartaroo - 2 Peter 2:4
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon ... jv/tr/0-1/

Geenna - multiple verses (but referencing a place where filth and dead animals were cast out and burned)
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon ... jv/tr/0-1/

Hades - multiple verses (Acts 2:31, Rev 1:18, 20:13, 1Corinth 15:55, etc.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon ... jv/tr/0-1/

Sheol in the OT is the corresponding word to Hades in the NT - multiple verses in OT, including Psalm 16:10
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon ... v/wlc/0-1/


Sheol and Hades are referring to the world of the dead. This is where the dead go - to sleep - to await the resurrection of the dead. See here, from Rev 20:13

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

Job longed to go to Sheol to escape his suffering. Job 14:13
Jacob/Israel said that he would go down to Sheol when he died. Not only did he believe he would go there when he died, he believed Joseph was currently there (not realizing Joseph was not dead.) Genesis 37:35

It is not a place of eternal suffering and torment as religion has erroneously described it to be.

**

As for the lake of fire - this is not hell at all. A - the lake of fire means the second death. Not 'eternal torment'. B - Hades (the world of the dead) is tossed INTO the lake of fire. Rev 20:14. Hades and the Lake of Fire are not the same thing.

(And no human is suffering for all eternity in the lake of fire; anymore than any living person or thing in Sodom and Gomorrah is still alive and burning today.)

The Bible says that hell is located in "outer darkness" Matthew 8:12

This might be a religious teaching, but where does the bible say that hell is located in the 'outer darkness'? Not in Matthew 8:12:

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The outer darkness that Christ referred to is not stated to be hell.

It is, however, outside the Kingdom, and away from Christ (who is the Light.)

Outer... darkness...

and is a "bottomless pit" Revelation 9:11, containing a "lake of fire" Revelation 20:14.

The bible does not state that the lake of fire is in the abyss (the bottomless pit.)

Many people long questioned how something containing a lake of fire could be located in outer darkness and even more difficult to believe, be a bottomless pit, from which no one can escape. Now we know. Jesus says in Luke 16:26, that no human can pass from heaven to hades or from hades to heaven. Those who mock the Bible invariably, eventually end up eating crow. . .or worse.

Many question whether a loving God would cast someone forever into hell. Such folks rarely pause to consider what our sins cost God, in the sacrifice of his only begotten son. We hear reports of parents weeping at the bedside of their child who has cancer or has been in a horrific accident, crying "if only I could take my child's place!" We have no idea how God must have felt when his only son was nailed to a Roman cross and, we likely never will even begin to grasp what our sins cost God Almighty.

There is great reward for accepting forgiveness for our sins from Jesus. And there is a great penalty for refusing to do so.

Richard, this makes all the social justice posts seem meaningless. You have argued for the poor and for sinners, and for social justice thinking and causes, etc. Claiming these are all the things that [Jesus] preached.

But here, you think that God will cast numerous people into a place of torment to suffer for all eternity. Not even destruction (which is the actual eternal punishment, since the destruction of that person is permanent). But eternal torment - a billion years and the people in this 'hell' will not be one second closer to their torment ending.

Not only that, but the people in the Kingdom, people who have been taught mercy, forgiveness, love... these people are going to continue in bliss even knowing there is this kind of suffering existing for all eternity? God is going to exist for all eternity, knowing that suffering is existing for all eternity as well?

Not to mention the fact that people existing in torment for all eternity means they also have eternal life. Not a good life, sure... but still eternal.

Yet for eternal life, do we not have to eat from the Tree of Life (Christ Himself)?

How is someone going to live forever without eating and drinking from Him? From John 6:

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
"Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you."

**

You know how to research words, Richard, so please research these ones too. Don't take the word of religion/translators. You know they mislead people. You've posted numerous topics on this very matter. Well, this too is a mistranslation and false teaching, misleading people.


I'll try and look up some more posts on the forum about this topic and post links as I find them, in case you would like to see them (or anyone else.)


Peace again to you and to you all,
your servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy