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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | belief in hell? | Bible general | Maus | 240091 | ||
The long answer is this: The OT word for our "Hell" is "Gehenna", which is a composit word that evolved from two Hebrew words. In Nehemiah 11:30 "Gehenna" refers to the "valley of Hinnom". The Hebrew word gey ("valley") was joined with hinnom and became geenna in Greek, then Gehenna in English. As we track the term Gehenna through the New Testament we discover that it has taken on pagen influence and interpretation. Second Peter 2:4 - For if Elohim did not spare the Messengers that sinned but cast them down into fiery regions in chains of darkness ..."This verse speaks of judgement on fallen angels. The Greek inserts "tartaroo," derived from Tartarus. In 400 BC Plato wrote that souls were judged after death and those who recieved punishment were sent to Tattarus, a mythical, deep, dark, underworld pit or abyss, a gloomy place and dungeon of torment, where god-sized suffering awaits "sinners." This helped morph mythological ideas about Hell into Christian culture. Regarding Gey'Hinnom (Gehenna), Isaiah 66:24 - "And on their way out they will see the corpses of those who rebelled against me; for their worm will never die nor their fire be put out, and they will be held in horror by all humanity." Gey'Hinnom is a physical place just outside of Jerusalem that reminds Israel of not returning to her worship of Moloch. Christo-pagen theologians use Gey'Hinnom (Gehenna) to teach that the mythological hell of Tartarus and Hades is equivalent to the Biblical concept of separation from God. That there is eternal punishment (or separation from God) for sin is not in question. Exactly what it may be is arguable. I'm of a mind that when the rich man asked for only a drop of water, that he was using a figure of speech for a drop of the presence of the spirit of God. All people living have that drop of the presence of God, for it is that presence which enables God to call us unto His salvation; but how many realize that it would be torment to their souls, "Hell," to be separated from that drop of the presence of God? |
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2 | belief in hell? | Bible general | Beja | 240094 | ||
Maus, I personally debated for sometime on whether the ideas concerning hell in scripture were metaphorical or literal. I do not think we are being disrespectful to scripture by asking how to rightly understand what it is asserting. However, we must remember the goal is not to consider what we think about hell, but specifically is scripture "intending" these things to be metaphorical or literal. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that scripture intends it to be literal. All this is to say I am not offended with the question, that being said I have two statements with regards to your reasoning. 1. Tracing the origen of the word is not the samething as wrestling with what Christ and other New Testament writers say about the subject. We must consider what it is they are saying about "hell" regardless what word they have chosen to label it. What do they say and how do they mean it to be understood? And because we affirm the inspiration of the new testament, it does not matter how they mature or develop the Old Testament doctrine, we believe them to have done so rightly. 2. Too often when somebody decides that Hell is a metaphor for some other penalty, they decide it is some other penalty far more bearable than the metaphor of eternal fire. What must be accepted, is that if the New Testament authors truely intended to describe eternal judgment by a eternal burning of which there will be no relief. Then whatever hell is in reality, it must be something horrible beyond our comprehension. Because the inspired writers chose the most terrible metaphor they could possibly conceived of, it must mean hell is worse than we can conceive of. So I always tell people, if you wish to sincerely wrestle with this question, by no means use it to lighten the concept of hell. The question is valid, but to then assume hell is less terrible is intellectually flawed, and is only motivated by our desire to ignore this terrible reality. As stated, I believe hell is literal, but these are some guidelines if we want to restle with the question. In Christ, Beja |
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3 | belief in hell? | Bible general | Maus | 240095 | ||
Beja: You appear to have an enlightened understanding of the concept of Hell. I too believe that whatever punishment there is to come, is much more horrible than anything we can evision. My having never experienced the total absence of God's spirit in my life, I can only imagine how it would feel. The Bible says that God is a burning fire, and I suppose that is how people would meet Him on judgement day, if they are not covered (protected) by the blood of Christ's sacrifice. |
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