I don't think Hell is eternal

[spiderman1917]

7 minutes ago, shiloh357 said:

If you are talking about God, your beliefs about God must come from the only place where He has revealed Himself.  The Bible is the only objective, infallible information we have about God and about who He is and what He will or will not do.  

You cannot just make up stuff about God in your mind and expect God to conform to what you want to believe about Him.  You have align your beliefs about with the Bible and what He has said about Himself in the Bible.

 

Where does Scripture say you must align every belief with the Bible?  Your teaching doesn't align with the Bible.  Follow your own advice.

The early Church didn't even have a Bible?

[Willa]

At one time I discovered that I had created a god in my own image--limited to my understanding and my ideas about what God should be like.  Then I had to surrender to the god of the Bible.  It was not till I did that, that I was truly able to perceive God as He reveals Himself in Scripture.  

What God do you worship?  Is it the god of your own creation or the God of the Bible?

[Zoltan777]

16 hours ago, spiderman1917 said:

I could never love a God who would have people tortured for all eternity just for not believing in him. That is just wicked, depressing, epitome of unjust, cruel, ugly, and sickening! It is the worst, most horrifying and depressing thing I've ever heard! 

I don't believe Hell is eternal. I know a lot of unbelievers and wicked people and wouldn't want any of them to suffer for eternity, not even if they killed my whole family. 

Scripture does mention a lake of fire for those whose names weren't written in the book of life. Fire is often used in Scripture symbolically to symbolize purification. God said he would purify his people as gold is purified in fire. So, I think that the lake of fire is symbolic to mean a painful place of being punished, purified, and perfected.

I wouldn't burn anyone in hell forever. I told that to God, and God said I'm not more merciful than him. if he is more merciful than me, then there is no eternal hell. 

1 Corinthians 3:15 "will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." 

Zechariah 13:9 ►
This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

These are fires of purification.

I know God is more merciful than me and I wouldn't let anyone suffer forever.

The hell is not a permanent place. I thought it's obvious for every Christian. 

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 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. Rev. 20:12-13.

Hell is not the place of Judgement. Everybody will be resurrected and judged in flesh.

[Guest shiloh357]

27 minutes ago, spiderman1917 said:

Where does Scripture say you must align every belief with the Bible?  

What good is believing something that isn't in the Bible?

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Your teaching doesn't align with the Bible.  Follow your own advice.

Which teaching did I give that doesn't align with the Bible and can you show me why it doesn't align with the Bible?

 

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The early Church didn't even have a Bible?

Sure they did.  It was called the Septuagint.   They didn't have a New Testament canon, but the letters of Paul and other apostles were being copied and circulated through out the churches.

[spiderman1917]

2 hours ago, Willa said:

At one time I discovered that I had created a god in my own image--limited to my understanding and my ideas about what God should be like.  Then I had to surrender to the god of the Bible.  It was not till I did that, that I was truly able to perceive God as He reveals Himself in Scripture.  

What God do you worship?  Is it the god of your own creation or the God of the Bible?

I follow the golden rule and the Holy Spirit as he speaks to my heart and conscience.

I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide my conscience.

If something goes against my conscience I don't follow it and pray to God that if my will isn't alligned with his that he will align it.

I listen to my heart and follow that.  

The ancient text is difficult to interpret and has divided Christians and turned them against each other.

Jesus says things like "do not suppose I have come to bring peace.  I come to bring a sword.". He also says if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.

If I listened to Jesus I would pluck out my eyes.  

Much of the Bible is poetry, parable, and hyperboles , exaggerations to make a point.  They aren't meant to be taken literally.

So, I see too many contradictions in Scripture and too much that goes against my conscience.

God will not damn me for following the golden rule and promoting love.

If I see the Bible causing division, hatred, bigotry, violence, and condemnation, that goes against my conscience!

I accept Jesus as my Lord and savior, pray to the holy Spirit for guidance, and follow my heart and conscience!

[spiderman1917]

2 hours ago, shiloh357 said:

What good is believing something that isn't in the Bible?

Which teaching did I give that doesn't align with the Bible and can you show me why it doesn't align with the Bible?

 

 

What good is believing something that isn't in the Bible??

That belief that you just promoted isn't in the Bible

Edited September 5, 2017 by spiderman1917

[Guest shiloh357]

8 minutes ago, spiderman1917 said:

What good is believing something that isn't in the Bible??

That belief that you just promoted isn't in the Bible

Which belief that I "promoted" are you referring to?

[Guest shiloh357]

13 minutes ago, spiderman1917 said:

I follow the golden rule and the Holy Spirit as he speaks to my heart and conscience.

I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide my conscience.

You are relying on "a" spirit;  I will give you that.

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If something goes against my conscience I don't follow it and pray to God that if my will isn't alligned with his that he will align it.

How do you know what God's will is?

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I listen to my heart and follow that.  

The Bible says that the heart is deceitful above all else.

The ancient text is difficult to interpret and has divided Christians and turned them against each other.

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Jesus says things like "do not suppose I have come to bring peace.  I come to bring a sword.". He also says if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.

If I listened to Jesus I would pluck out my eyes.  

Much of the Bible is poetry, parable, and hyperboles , exaggerations to make a point.  They aren't meant to be taken literally.

 

Everything in the Bible is meant to be taken literally;  not everything is meant to be taken at face-value, like "plucking out your eyes."  You need to learn the difference between "literal" and "face value."

 

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So, I see too many contradictions in Scripture and too much that goes against my conscience.

Those contradictions are proof that you don't really know the Bible.  There are no contradictions.  You simply don't read the Bible.  No one who claims the Bible is full of contradictions has read it, or is led by the Spirit of God when they do read it.

 

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God will not damn me for following the golden rule and promoting love.

Not telling people about hell or reaching them for Christ isn't love.  It is the supreme form of hate.   How much do you have to hate someone to see what the Bible says about Hell and not warn them?

 

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If I see the Bible causing division, hatred, bigotry, violence, and condemnation, that goes against my conscience!

And you haven't seen that.

 

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I accept Jesus as my Lord and savior, pray to the holy Spirit for guidance, and follow my heart and conscience!

You can follow your heart OR you can follow the Lord, but not both.   No man can serve two masters.  

[spiderman1917]

6 minutes ago, shiloh357 said:

Which belief that I "promoted" are you referring to?

You promoted the belief that a belief isn't good if it isn't in the Bible.

That belief isn't in the Bible

[spiderman1917]

17 minutes ago, shiloh357 said:

 

 

Those contradictions are proof that you don't really know the Bible.  There are no contradictions.  You simply don't read the Bible.  No one who claims the Bible is full of contradictions has read it, or is led by the Spirit of God when they do read it.

 

GE 4:4-5 God prefers Abel's offering and has no regard for Cain's. 
2CH 19:7, AC 10:34, RO 2:11God shows no partiality. He treats all alike.

GE 2:17 Adam was to die the very day that he ate the forbidden fruit. 
GE 5:5 Adam lived 930 years.

GE 11:9 At Babel, the Lord confused the language of the whole world. 
1CO 14:33 Paul says that God is not the author of confusion.

 

Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill."

Leviticus 24:17 "And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death."

vs.

Exodus 32:27 "Thus sayeth the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, . . . and slay every man his brother, . . . companion, . . . neighbor."

I Samuel 6:19 " . . . and the people lamented because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter."

I Samuel 15:2,3,7,8 "Thus saith the Lord . . . Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. . . . And Saul smote the Amalekites . . . and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword."

Numbers 15:36 "And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses."

Hosea 13:16 "they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with children shall be ripped up."

For a discussion of the defense that the Commandments prohibit only murder, see "Murder, He Wrote", chapter 27 

I Kings 22:23 "The Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee."

II Thessalonians 2:11 "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie."

Exodus 31:15 "Whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death

John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time."

Exodus 33:20 "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live."

John 6:46 "Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God [Jesus], he hath seen the Father."

I John 4:12 "No man hath seen God at any time."

vs.

Genesis 32:30 "For I have seen God face to face."

Exodus 33:11 "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend."

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by spiderman1917