Hell 101

By: Joe Swain

Don't Hurt Me Daddy!

AP Wire:

"Father Tortures Disobedient Children By
Locking Them In a Dark Closet and
Burning Them With Cigarettes. Found
To Be Attempting To Adopt More."
Obedient children defend their father. "If they would
love him, and obey him, he would treat them Really
Good. It's not like he didn't warn them. They made
him do it! If he's guilty of anything", one obedient child
is quoted as saying", "it's that he was too nice to them at
first, and they didn't believe he would do what he said."
Another obedient child is quoted as saying, "I think they
had it coming. Some of the kids around here just didn't
believe him, but others always said bad things about him,
and he was really nice to them, and others had stayed
out late, and some even treated others badly and had
sex! I love it when they get locked up and burned! I say
FINALLY, they got what they had coming!"

Beloved American comedian George Carlin famously stated, "I chose not to believe in the "big invisible man in the sky, because I chose not to kiss up to an eternal torturer".

Many books have been written on why "bad things happen to good people", and "the problem of pain". However, if this life is but a "vapor", and what's eternal is what's important, why scant mention of the destiny of the "vast majority" of mankind? Those
who aren't among "the few who find the narrow hard road".

Few read books anymore anyway, and attention to such topics make "believers" very nervous, so I'll try to sum it up as quickly as I can. I do not have all the answers but here are a few points of interest on this topic.

Back to the Basics: GOD 101

1. All mistakes in doctrine, all cults, all fear is based in the misunderstanding of the basic Nature of God, through the revelation of the Person of Christ.

2. All things unknown or unclear must be understood or at least accepted by using what is clear and undeniable in the Word of God. I assume I am speaking to believers and that the Word of God is accepted as the final authority of what God has chose to reveal.

1a. God is, at His most Basic and understandable, as demonstrated through the Person of Jesus Christ, Love, Just, and Eternally Perfect.

"of the three greatest virtues , faith and hope shall pass away, but love (charity) shall endure forever".

Nuff Said, Now let's venture into the shadows,

2a. Hell. The very few who have sought to describe and explain this topic seem to specialize in "helping God" to look good by means of scripture twisting and invention.
The two most recent and popular attempts to "make God look good" are "Annihilationism" and "Everyone is Saved". These have recently overtaken the time honored "tortured forever by being burned" and "I don't want to talk about it, let's turn our attention to the really cool see-through golden streets of Heaven".

Annihilationism. I personally like this one. Sadly, Hitler, Stalin and Manson are going to be bummed out to hear, you just can't make the scripture twist quite enough to make it viable. Without doing a bunch of scripture quoting, our souls at least are clearly eternal.
For those of us who had to endure even the basics of "Logic" in college (a method of making the esoteric pragmatic), existence trumps non existence. To put in the 6th grade terms I am more comfortable with, "Something is always greater than nothing".

Everyone is Saved. Any child will tell you, "All good dogs go to heaven", and there are no bad dogs. What about people? Serial killers were abused children. Our gay friends are only that way because that's how God made them, drunkards suffer from a disease,
several thousand Sagotta Tribe members in whats now New York died of spotted fever in the 16th century, prior to any of them hearing the Good News of Jesus, and Bobby Jensen was beaten without mercy by his legalistic "born-again" father, and now just can't bear to hear anything about religion.
God in His infinite Mercies certainly must see what I see. Come on, all of these poor unfortunates have a great reason for not accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the only
way to receive entree' through the pearly gates. Is it possible that we have more mercy than God. We are said to have been Created with His Divine Attributes, made "for a time" a little lower than the angels. Maybe we just don't have His Love of Justice, maybe because of our "fallen nature", we don't see what must be done to satisfy the sins done here on Earth. But how can a lack of "acceptance" during this vapor of existence result in eternal burning.
New Answer: It doesn't. Everybody goes to heaven. Some of our most popular teachers such as Robert Schuller and Joel Osteen never mention hell.
Again sadly, you can't twist the scripture to support this view either. This doctrine requires "scripture ignoring" rather than twisting.
To be expedient, verses like 2nd Corinthians 4:18 leave no room for doubt of eternal existence.

Hell: Sure it's Hot, But it's a Dry Heat.

For the sake of brevity the following will not include a lot of verse references and credit citations, rather you'll have to do some homework and fact checking. I personally have added the mass of a pebble to the wall previously built through the thoughts and work of C.S. Lewis (Great Divorce and many other notations) Steve Schell (The Revelations Study) and the most exciting book I have ever read, cleverly titled "Lectures on Systematic Theology", to keep the kids away.

As a guy who spent his whole life in the church, some of it awake, here is what I always thought about eternity. We (the believers) went up to heaven, they (the unrepentant sinners) go down to hell. God lives in heaven, Satan resides in hell. We get new Bodies that never get old, they get theirs burnt in the lake of fire, but they just burn forever without the relief of death. I remember during the 70's Jesus Freak days, "Turn or Burn" was a common phrase said in levity to unbelievers, but we weren't actually kidding.

Sadly, the majority of my Christian friends still believe this. Primarily because it takes a great deal of effort to study the Bible. The Book of Revelations, for instance, is thought to be so symbolic and difficult, it's best to just wait for a good teaching on Sunday.
Bonus, it is easy to remember, and it's great for easy witnessing. "If you were standing at the gates of heaven and were asked "why should I let you in, what would you say?". ....
Perfect. Now they immediately will think of burning eternally, they'll get a little scared of that, and they will be more receptive to Gods call to repentance, and accept Jesus.
Well it has worked many times, fear can be a good motivator even the Bible declares such. However, those of a more cerebral nature may well not believe the scenario as they will sense a conflict regarding a loving God and one who allows eternal torture.
The pat answer, He allows you to make that choice rings hollow to them, and surprise, I believe they are right.

What should be a book in one page or less. I'm just gonna quickly throw out some facts that I believe are clear from the bible, then we can do some math, see if they add up to a reasonable and scripturally plausible picture. I'm not "trying to make God look good", I'm trying to study the scripture to show myself approved (2nd Timothy 2:15, woops sorry about the scripture note).

Follow the fact trail and see were it leads.......................

Fire in the Bible means several different things. One of them is the Shakina Glory of God. His presence means death to even the believer until we have our glorified bodies.

Skip forward in time, past the tribulation, past the 1000 year reign, and to the White Throne Judgment. The judgment of the unbelievers. Books will be opened. First the Lambs Book of Life, their names shall be missing, then the books of their deeds, and all shall be judged according to their deeds. Some will receive much harsher judgment than others, that is clear, yet all are thrown into the Lake of Fire. This appears to be the same judgment for all deeds, and this kind of fire in unmistakably heat with sulphur and smoke. But now consider how God says He is going to create the new heavens and earth just after the final judgment, with fire. And then He will immediately create a new heavens and earth.

The new earth will be 75% land, and 25% lakes, rivers and streams (yes, all this stuff is in the bible).

The new Jerusalem will descend from the heavens and come to rest on the earth.
It will be 1400 miles wide, 1400 miles long, and 1400 miles high. That is where the Thrones of God shall be. Not in heaven, but here on the recreated earth! And His Glory (Shakina Fire) will fill the universe from that location.

We will be given new bodies of flesh and bone that allow us to be in His very presence inside the city walls. The city walls that are 74 feet thick and made of gem stone of various varieties. The walls will have gates guarded by angels, to make sure no unrighteous are allowed in. WAIT! This is the new heaven and earth.
Maybe Christians can fall from grace, and not be allowed in. No scripture clearly teaches that is not possible, yet it also says in the latter part of Revelations, that outside the gates of the New Jerusalem will be the dogs (male prostitutes), the fortune tellers, and sinners of all kinds. How is this?

It also says that the righteous will come and go from the city, and partake of the fruit of the trees of Life which shall line the main street, and it even says there will be many different fruits for different seasons, and that the leaves shall be for the healing of the nations. Oh man, this raises lots of unconsidered questions!

Who and how can these sinners be, this is after the 1000 year reign! This is eternity!

Earth is recreated in its Eden state, God is on His final Throne (actually there will be two, the Holy Spirit is not embodied), and there are angelic guards at each gate, what the heck, this was not discussed in Sunday School.

Why do the nations need the leaves for healing? Why not the fruit? If God created a city with many mansions, why are redeemed coming and going into the outer parts where evidently there are rathscallions of some sort. Remember the parable of the foolish virgins who could not come to the wedding feast, but were instead left outside the city walls in outer darkness, where there was much crying and gnashing of teeth.

And if those "leaves" are needed for the healing of the nations, what nations? Don't we have new bodies that will never be sick?

How can unregenerate people be outside of the city of the new eternal earth. Wouldn't Gods Shakina Glory kill them?

GET READY, RADICAL SUMMARY AHEAD.

I believe the non-christians will be given new eternal bodies also, but not "glorified". It seems they have physical eternal bodies, but like that of Adam and Eve, requiring sustenance for health, unlike the glorified, who take sustenance for enjoyment, not need.

I believe these people will be ruled over in many different nation states, and they chose in this life who would and how they would be ruled over (they just didn't know it).

I believe the lake of fire exist for a select group enumerated in the scripture, Satan, his followers, and a very, very unfortunate Anti-Christ and False Prophet. I also believe the beings will be non-caporal and the fire will be the fire of Gods Power, heaven to us, a everlasting torment to them.

I believe that, according to the fruits of The Tree of Life, there will be seasons outside the city, and people will work, build and live in conditions of their own making. I believe that the tribesman who lived a good life in absolute poverty and starvation in this life may have a wonderful garden like existence and the wealthy wicked may live in hard conditions.

I believe that Gods Shakina Light will filter through the 74 foot thick gem translucent walls of the city and be a constant source of torment, reminding them of what they can never have.

I believe that just as people here and now go through life without God, continually rejecting His Way, so shall they forever. Not in conditions of choas, but under the rule of the saints. I believe they will love and hate, have toils and learning, ministered to and ruled over, create and lust and never be truly satisfied. The unsaved are now alienated from God, and yet they have civilization, goals and relationships. So they will then, under the direction and judgment of the saints, and they will forever know what they are missing and can never have.

They Shall Forever Be A Little Lower Than The Angels.

There are so many other little spoken of facts in scripture, but what I have written are my thoughts in as brief a way possible to question the long held church stance on hell.

If I am wrong, and hell is a literal burning torturous physicality, I will say "I am the creature, and He is the Creator, who am I to judge Him".

Joe Swain

Article Source: http://www.articles.narrowisthepath.com

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