I'm struggeling to accept hell

[enoob57]

10 hours ago, Alive said:

Many Christians don't believe the Bible teaches that hell is a place of eternal torture.

I am one of these. There is no way that the God I have come to know would torture for eternity a being who did not ask to be born into a sinful race.

There is eternal Life 'In Christ' and there is a final 'death'. A perishing. Hell or Gehenna was  very well understood as a trash heap outside the gates of Jerusalem where the smoke of dead carcasses and refuse rises continually.

I suggest that you set your heart to study this and in the meantime, be at peace. Our God--your God--is a being of justice not injustice.

Would any man that is not insane consign another to eternal torture? Of course not. How then could a loving and just God do that?

The popular doctrine of hell and eternal torture is a doctrine of devils designed to drive men from God.

Let's see we were born in sin as sin and now we have the ability to know what is right... God's Word is clear about His intentions -very clear-

Eph 2:1-10

2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

It is a cup … represented by all that must drink 
{snip}

 

 

The cup of God's wrath

The cup drunk by the nations

Jer 25:15-17

See also

Ps 75:8; Jer 51:7; Zech 12:2-3; Rev 14:10

God's wrath against Edom:

Jer 49:12; Lam 4:21

God's wrath against Babylon:

Hab 2:16; Rev 16:19; 18:6

The cup drunk by God's people

Ezek 23:32-34; Isa 51:17

Following judgment, God promises to restore his people.

See also

Isa 51:22

The cup drunk by Jesus Christ

John 18:11

See also

Matt 20:22-23

pp Mark 10:38-39

Matt 26:42

The cup of God's wrath may pass from guilty humanity only if Jesus Christ drinks it.

See also

Matt 26:39

pp Mark 14:36

pp Luke 22:42

 

 

 of Bible Themes, Scripture index copyright Martin H. Manser, 2009. As Editor, Martin Manser wishes to thank all those who compiled or edited the ‘NIV Thematic Study Bible,’ on which this work is based._

[Alive]

I suggest to anyone to simply ask God, if He is going to torture people endlessly.

Does the Spirit in you think that would be justice?

[Blood Bought 1953]

Personally, I believe it’s pretty clear that Satan , the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will  be tormented forever.....Satan for sure. As for the rest of the Unbelievers......reasonable, intelligent Bible students can disagree.  Each side can make a credible case. John 3:16 does not say the Unbelievers will be cast into an Eternal Concentration Camp.It contrasts Eternal Life with Eternal Death  or Perishing. I take “ perishing” to mean to “ cease to exist” as in “ Fear God Who can destroy the SOUL”. To Torture the Lost Forever in flames of fire is not justice to me.Ultimately , it will be God who determines what “justice”is. “ Will not the God of this Universe do what is right” the Bible asks.I think so.Our opinions count for nothing in the end . The Bible also asks.. “ where were “ we”  when God hung the stars?”

I look at it this way.If Hell is a place of Torment in fire for Eternity for unbelievers, it is only permitted to exist because the alternative would have been worse.Only God would know why or how that seemingly impossible scenario would play out in that awful manner. There will come a time when all questions are answered and everything that God Ever did will be shown to have been done for a good and right reason.In the meantime, ignorant humanity would probably be wise to shut up and trust that God knows EXACTLY what  He is doing- whether we like it or not.....His track record is pretty good......

 

 

 

[BeauJangles]

19 hours ago, Ineedhugs said:

Yeah I know but if hells not real and Jesus talked about it a lot then how can you believe the bible?

Hopefully, you've gotten straightened out by now on this. 

[JustPassingThru]

1 hour ago, Alive said:

I suggest to anyone to simply ask God, if He is going to torture people endlessly.

Does the Spirit in you think that would be justice?

Dear brother, ...it's not God that is doing the torturing, ...it's the person themselves that have refused the gift of Salvation that God has provided and offered to them.

In Rev 1, when John, who as a teenager reposed on the breast of Jesus, ...the God-Man, ...saw him in his Glorified state, ...he fell down as dead.

Jesus tells us there will be those of such a prideful heart that they will actually accuse  Jesus of making a mistake and not taking them with Him in the Rapture of the Church. Matt 7:22  When these people and all of those who's names are not written in the Lamb's book of Life stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgement, ...they will be like John, ...and fall down as if dead before God Almighty.

Now insert into this scene that we will have our new bodies like Christ's and since the Holy Spirit is with us forever, living inside of us, ...our locomotion will be like Christ's, we just think where we want to go and we are there, ...back to the Judgement, ALL of those will have a body like ours, but, will not have any locomotion, ...here we have a clue about what will happen:

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.  Luke 5:8

Since the Lord is sitting in His rightful place on the Throne of the Universe, ...He won't depart, ...so they must, ...but can't, ...so probably it will be the Angels that "cast" them into the Lake of Fire into outer darkness.

I personally believe that Jesus, the One who "knit" them together in their mother's womb, ...who was thinking about each and every human He had "knit" together from the first to last, as He was hanging on the Cross, ...we'll probably see Him weeping.

So you are right brother in one aspect, that is not the character of our Jesus, ...but it is the Righteous Judgement of a Thrice Holy God who died for all of mankind.

Lord bless

Edited December 14, 2019 by JustPassingThru

[Blood Bought 1953]

I think it is very possible that the unsaved will experience some sort of varying degrees of punishment in proportion to the evil deeds that they did in their lives . I believe these punishments will be different for all of the Lost and they will be finite in duration.Hitler (poor guy- it seem like I am forever dragging his name through the mud......apologies Mein Adolf.......lol ) will get worse than Roy Cohn.........maybe.........

[Alive]

1 minute ago, Blood Bought 1953 said:

I think it is very possible that the unsaved will experience some sort of varying degrees of punishment in proportion to the evil deeds that they did in their lives . I believe these punishments will be different for all of the Lost and they will be finite in duration.Hitler (poor guy- it seem like I am forever dragging his name through the mud......apologies Mein Adolf.......lol ) will get worse than Roy Cohn.........maybe.........

I suspect that when the unsaved face the judgement seat and realize what they have lost, there will be a kind of suffering of being that is quite severe. The psychic blow will be worse than any can imagine.

After which, I suspect there will be grace and justice.

[BeauJangles]

3 minutes ago, Alive said:

The psychic blow will be worse than any can imagine.

And the virtual nightmare one can never wake up from. Glad that's one thing I don't have to worry about. 

[Neighbor]

19 hours ago, Ineedhugs said:

I guess I just have to pray more and ask the holy spirit for help...also I keep running back to god the next day so I'll try to keep that in mind next time I have doubts. No point losing faith when you know tomorrow you will regret it lol.

Jesus has it covered. Simple as that.

One need not compromise with Hell and what it is and who goes and so on. Jesus has it covered. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory  of God. All need what Jesus has covered in his own shed blood. No one merits by their work that covering. Yes it has been known from before the beginning who  has been given to Jesus our Good Shepherd, given to Jesus by His Father, each foreknown and also predestined to be with Him forever. And Jesus loses not a one.

It is simple, simple as deciding that  for me "I will choose the Lord".

See Joshua 24:12 and 15 especially. God has it all covered He always has.

Joshua 24 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Covenant Renewal at Shechem

24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.  Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.  And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.  And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.

 “‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.  And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.  Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you,  but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand.  And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.  I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

Choose Whom You Will Serve

 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,  for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed.  And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.  If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”  And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”  Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”  He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”  And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”  So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.  And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.”  So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

Joshua's Death and Burial

 After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.30 And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.

 As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

 

[Dennis1209]

19 hours ago, Ineedhugs said:

lol well I do know Jesus. I read the whole bible and am nearly done a second time and have been Christian for a while now. I know much about the faith. We are all different. It's just after 10 days I get strong feelings that hell can't be real and why believe anything in the bible then? So then I return to an unbelievers lifestyle for a day or two then come back cos I get strong feelings to come back. I know I shouldn't be like this. I thought the last time would be it. However last night I just got strong feelings that there's no hell and if there's no hell then I can't take the bible seriously. 

I want to be a perfect Christian but I'm struggling with this. But trust me I know ALOT about Christianity and I am sincere until I get those feelings....

I don't want to be long winded so I'll make this brief. Jesus Himself talked extensively about Hell [Hades]. As you have read the entire Bible, you'll recall the story about Lazarus and the rich man. Parables never use proper names and places. The paradise side [Abraham's bosom] was cleared out when Jesus lead captivity captive right after His death. The torment side of Hades still remains [like a jail], until the Great White Throne judgment and an eternal sentence to the Lake of Fire. 

Hell, Gehenna, Tartarus, Lake of Fire, Sheol and the pit are never used as an allegory, symbolism or metaphor in the Bible; they are literal ans real. Do we trust our understanding and 'feelings', or the trustworthy inerrant word of God?