Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture - Christianity Etc

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Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by LordTosinJ(op): 8:07am On Jun 02

There is a growing trend to dismiss the reality of hell, Many people today say that hell is not real. They claim that the Bible does not even speak about it. But hell is a real place. The exact words in the Bible show this clearly. Let us look at what the Bible says.
The Testimony of Jesus in the Gospels

Some try to dismiss the book of Revelation as purely symbolic, but Jesus Himself spoke repeatedly and warningly about a literal fire.

• Matthew 5:22 (ESV):
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."

• Matthew 10:28 (ESV):
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

• Luke 12:5 (ESV):
"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"

Why would Christ command us to fear the One who can send us to hell if it isn't a real place? What is there to fear if it is just a metaphor? Jesus wasn't playing semantic games; He was issuing a severe warning.

Furthermore, He explicitly describes the nature of this punishment as eternal and physical:

• Matthew 25:41 (ESV):
"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’"

• Mark 9:43, 47-48 (ESV):
"And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire... It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’"

"Unquenchable fire" and a "worm that does not die" point directly to an unending, forever punishment.

The Final Judgment in Revelation

When we couple the words of Jesus with the vision given to John in Revelation, the picture becomes undeniable. The final destination for the wicked is explicitly named the "Lake of Fire."

• Revelation 20:10 (ESV):
"...and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

• Revelation 20:14 (ESV):
"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire."

• Revelation 20:15 (ESV):
"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Conclusion: Let's Stop the Shenanigans

The Bible uses words like "hell of fire" and "eternal fire." It also says "unquenchable fire" and "the lake of fire." So, how can anyone say that hell is not real?

If a person says there is no hell, they do not believe Jesus Christ. They also do not believe the words of the New Testament prophets.

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Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by plesion: 2:03pm On Jun 02

Perhaps, to some it may of interest is that hellish fire literal, like continuous burning of the sinners in some fire, as on a stake, or something more spiritual is meant, and yet absolutely real?

Here is a quotation for calm consideration:

" 566. WHAT HELL FIRE IS AND WHAT THE GNASHING OF TEETH IS.
What eternal fire is, and what the gnashing of teeth is, which are mentioned in the Word in reference to those who are in hell, scarcely any one as yet has known, because the contents of the Word have been thought about only in a material way, and nothing has been known about its spiritual sense. So fire has been understood by some to mean material fire, by others to mean torment in general, by others remorse of conscience, and others have held that it is mentioned merely to excite terror in the wicked. Likewise some have supposed the gnashing of teeth to mean actual gnashing, and some only a horror, such as is excited when such a collision of teeth is heard. But any one who is acquainted with the spiritual meaning of the Word may know what eternal fire is, and what the gnashing of teeth is; for every expression and every meaning of the expressions in the Word contains a spiritual meaning, since the Word in its bosom is spiritual; and what is spiritual can be set before man only in natural forms of expression, because man is in the natural world and thinks from the things of that world. Therefore it shall now be told what is meant by "eternal fire" and "the gnashing of teeth" into which the spirits of evil men enter after death, or which their spirits, then in the spiritual world, endure.

567. There are two origins of heat, one the sun of heaven which is the Lord, and the other the sun of the world. The heat that is from the sun of heaven, that is, the Lord, is spiritual heat; and this in its essence is love (see above, n. 126-140); but the heat from the sun of the world is natural heat, and this in its essence is not love, but serves spiritual heat or love as a receptacle. Evidently love in its essence is heat, since it is love, in accord with its degree and quality, that gives heat to the mind, and thence to the body; and this man experiences as well in the winter as in the summer. The heating of the blood is from the same source. That the natural heat that springs from the sun of the world serves spiritual heat as a receptacle is evident from the heat of the body, which is excited by the heat of its spirit, and is a kind of substitute for that heat in the body. It is especially evident from the spring and summer heat in animals of every kind which then annually renew their loves. [2] It is not the natural heat that produces this effect, but it disposes their bodies to receive the heat that flows into them from the spiritual world; for the spiritual world flows into the natural as cause into effect. Whoever believes that natural heat produces these loves is much deceived, for influx is from the spiritual world into the natural world, and not from the natural world into the spiritual; and as all love belongs to the life itself it is spiritual. [3] Again, he who believes that any thing comes forth in the natural world without influx from the spiritual world is deceived, for what is natural comes forth and continues to exist only from what is spiritual. Furthermore, the subjects of the vegetable kingdom derive their germinations from influx out of the spiritual world. The natural heat of spring time and summer merely disposes the seeds into their natural forms by expanding and opening them so that influx from the spiritual world can there act as a cause. These things are mentioned to make clear that there are two kinds of heat, spiritual heat and natural heat; and that spiritual heat is from the sun of heaven and natural heat from the sun of the world, and that influx and consequent cooperation produce the effects that appear before the eyes in the world.#
# There is an influx from the spiritual world into the natural world (n. 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626).
There is also an influx into the lives of animals (n. 5850).
And into the subjects of the vegetable kingdom (n. 3648).
This influx is a continual endeavor to act in accordance with the Divine order (n. 6211 at the end)."
(from the book on Heaven and its wonders and on hell, by E.S.)

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by XanderOreva: 10:45am On Jun 03

Hell is NOT what most churches and religions say it is. While the word hell appears in the bible, the true meaning what hell is has been obscured and twisted by Greek philosophy and early so called “church leaders”.

The word “hell” is an archaic English rendition of the Hebrew word (sheol) and the Greek word (Hades) that appear in the earliest bible writings we have today. These words rendered into modern language would read, “the grave or under the ground” (sheol), “the place or location of the dead” (Hades). Nothing about a place of eternal punishment.

The English word “hell” itself was derived from the Old English "hel / helle" and Proto-Germanic haljō” which is defined as: “of or relating to a nether world or place of the dead.

Hell is not an English word. Hel/Hell comes from Germanic and Norse languages and beliefs.

Jesus and the apostles taught the death is like sleep followed by a resurrection (See John 11:11-15). The early church leaders – Clement, Ignatius, Hermas, Polycarp, and others who believed that death is a sleep followed by a resurrection, taught that the resurrected deliberate and unrepentant wicked are destroyed forever as if being totally consumed in a fire – their punishment was to be annihilation. These leaders did not teach of an immortal soul to be tortured by fire for eternity.

By the middle of the 2nd Century some church “leaders” such as Athenagorus and Tertullian began to incorporate Greek philosophies into bible teachings. This diluted and in some cases contradicted what Jesus and the apostles taught.

It was Athenagorus (133 -190 AD), a professed Christian and a church leader but whose teachings, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, were heavily influenced by Plato's philosophies, who introduced Plato's teaching of an immortal soul into Christianity. In doing so he opened the way for the adoption of Plato’s argument of eternal punishment for immortal sinful souls. This was a hundred years after the apostle's and came straight from Greek philosophy.

Hell is the grave, nothing else.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 NKJB

5 For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 New King James Bible

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

John 5:28–29 NKJB

8 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth...

Revelation 20:14-15 King James Version

14 Then death and hell were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

These verses are very problematic for hellfire believers and teachers. Death and Hell are inanimate things which cannot be tortured by fire or anything else.

Now if one has an immortal soul they are alive. Their name should then be in the book of life. But the lake of fire is only for those who's names are not in the book of life. That is a paradox.

Now there are those who still may insist hell is a place of eternal torture by fire. This SLANDERS God as being an evil and vindictive being who would torture people for eternity for doing something that they cannot prevent doing (See Romans 5:12). The bible states the “wages of sin is death”, not eternal punishment in fire (See Romans 6:23).

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by MightySparrow: 11:03am On Jun 03

There are people that claim they have visited either or both heaven and hell. As a researcher who loves to know, it would be better to have a first hand experience by joining this people and come back with your findings.

Good luck in your expedition. Or simply take the scriptures raw as you read. Better still live a life worthy of the 'kingdom com '. Believe in the the grace of Jesus to be qualified.
I think that is more important.

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by plesion: 3:01pm On Jun 03

MightySparrow:
There are people that claim they have visited either or both heaven and hell. As a researcher who loves to know, it would be better to have a first hand experience by joining this people and come back with your findings.

This does not work that way. For when the Lord opens the heaven and hell to some one, which is exteremely rare when it is truly genuine, then a man is under the Lord's protection. At times it happens, but exteremely superficially in NDE, but that cannot be properly presented as the conscious introduction into the spiritual world. Also, some aspire to penetrate into the spiritual world on their own, but because they are not regenerated, or otherwise, were not authorized by the Lord and thus under his protection, they are usually just come into association with the various spirits of the lower kind, and thus plunged into their fantasies or illusions. Thus, there are many such things in the Christian world, but almost 99% is just some kind of emotional phantasies, or things contrary contradicting the essentials of the Word genuinely understood.

However, it is possible for a man to read any valid text, claiming to be the Revelation, and to see for himself how well it explains the Word, and how reasonably describe the afterlife.

Good luck in your expedition. Or simply take the scriptures raw as you read. Better still live a life worthy of the 'kingdom com '. Believe in the the grace of Jesus to be qualified.
I think that is more important.

Indeed, the purpose is to look to the Lord God and shun evils as sins, while also believing in the afterlife. But when something is revealed by the Lord, that is, if it is true, it also serves a great number of uses, for it explains many things that cannot otherwise be known. It is true that there myriads of various irrational, fantastic, false claims, but it is also valid the various misuses/illusions/falses do not take away the actual possibility of what is true.

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by MaxInDHouse(m): 3:10pm On Jun 03

Tradition has covered facts but then a true student of God's word will not stop searching for the truth!🙂

XanderOreva:
Hell is NOT what most churches and religions say it is. While the word hell appears in the bible, the true meaning what hell is has been obscured and twisted by Greek philosophy and early so called “church leaders”.

The word “hell” is an archaic English rendition of the Hebrew word (sheol) and the Greek word (Hades) that appear in the earliest bible writings we have today. These words rendered into modern language would read, “the grave or under the ground” (sheol), “the place or location of the dead” (Hades). Nothing about a place of eternal punishment.

The English word “hell” itself was derived from the Old English "hel / helle" and Proto-Germanic haljō” which is defined as: “of or relating to a nether world or place of the dead.

Hell is not an English word. Hel/Hell comes from Germanic and Norse languages and beliefs.

Jesus and the apostles taught the death is like sleep followed by a resurrection (See John 11:11-15). The early church leaders – Clement, Ignatius, Hermas, Polycarp, and others who believed that death is a sleep followed by a resurrection, taught that the resurrected deliberate and unrepentant wicked are destroyed forever as if being totally consumed in a fire – their punishment was to be annihilation. These leaders did not teach of an immortal soul to be tortured by fire for eternity.

By the middle of the 2nd Century some church “leaders” such as Athenagorus and Tertullian began to incorporate Greek philosophies into bible teachings. This diluted and in some cases contradicted what Jesus and the apostles taught.

It was Athenagorus (133 -190 AD), a professed Christian and a church leader but whose teachings, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, were heavily influenced by Plato's philosophies, who introduced Plato's teaching of an immortal soul into Christianity. In doing so he opened the way for the adoption of Plato’s argument of eternal punishment for immortal sinful souls. This was a hundred years after the apostle's and came straight from Greek philosophy.

Hell is the grave, nothing else.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 NKJB

5 For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 New King James Bible

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

John 5:28–29 NKJB

8 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth...

Revelation 20:14-15 King James Version

14 Then death and hell were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

These verses are very problematic for hellfire believers and teachers. Death and Hell are inanimate things which cannot be tortured by fire or anything else.

Now if one has an immortal soul they are alive. Their name should then be in the book of life. But the lake of fire is only for those who's names are not in the book of life. That is a paradox.

Now there are those who still may insist hell is a place of eternal torture by fire. This SLANDERS God as being an evil and vindictive being who would torture people for eternity for doing something that they cannot prevent doing (See Romans 5:12). The bible states the “wages of sin is death”, not eternal punishment in fire (See Romans 6:23).

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Janosky: 8:06am On Jun 05

Jesus Christ did not use the word "Hell" at anytime in your Bible.
In the gospels, Jesus said "Gehenna", a garbage incinerator outside the walls of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus earthly life.
Gehenna is the place where Jerusalem inhabitants dump & burn their refuse.
Nobody was tormented in Gehenna .
Gehenna is not a place of torment.

Jesus also said hades (Greek word for grave, resting place of the dead).
Hades is not a place of torment.
Nobody is alive in hades.

This is correct rendition of Psalms 9:17 :
"The wicked shall return to Sheol (Hebrew word for Grave, recall that God said Adam shall return to dust). All the nations that forget God"
Therefore,the dust is the Grave of Adam/the wicked.
Do not go beyond the written word of God.
Adam's punishment is the precedent God has set for sinners.
Did Yahweh send Adam somewhere for torment?
No,not at all.
If you don't research you won't know the bible truth.

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Emusan(m): 1:32pm On Jun 05

Janosky:
Jesus Christ did not use the word "Hell" at anytime in your Bible.
In the gospels, Jesus said "Gehenna", a garbage incinerator outside the walls of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus earthly life.
Gehenna is the place where Jerusalem inhabitants dump & burn their refuse.
Nobody was tormented in Gehenna .
Gehenna is not a place of torment.

Jesus also said hades (Greek word for grave, resting place of the dead).
Hades is not a place of torment.
Nobody is alive in hades.

This is correct rendition of Psalms 9:17 :
"The wicked shall return to Sheol (Hebrew word for Grave, recall that God said Adam shall return to dust). All the nations that forget God"
Therefore,the dust is the Grave of Adam/the wicked.
Do not go beyond the written word of God.
Adam's punishment is the precedent God has set for sinners.
Did Yahweh send Adam somewhere for torment?
No,not at all.
If you don't research you won't know the bible truth.

When you people want to do your abracadabra you'll begin to mix English Language with Hebrew or Greek cheesy

How can Jesus use the Word HELL when Hell is an English Language?

Did Jesus speak English Language during His time on Earth?

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by sonmvayina(m): 3:35pm On Jun 05

Why would God send his spirit (breath )to eternal torture ?
Makes no sense to me...

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by paxonel(m): 5:30pm On Jun 05*

LordTosinJ:
• Matthew 5:22 (ESV):
".... hell of fire."

I want to ask a question o cheesy

Why is it that when you people see the word hell fire in bible you will not bother to find the literal meaning,
But when you come across the word in the same chapter of the bible that says"if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it off " you are quick to find the literal meaning of right eye and pluck it off?

Or is that you people don't want to pluck your eye off?
And you want fire to burn other people's flesh? grin

Hell fire does not sound symbolic
But plucking your eye off sound symbolic.

Imagine the double standard

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Janosky: 11:09pm On Jun 05

Emusan:
When you people want to do your abracadabra you'll begin to mix English Language with Hebrew or Greek

How can Jesus use the Word HELL when Hell is an English Language?

Did Jesus speak English Language during His time on Earth?

Is Hell the name of the garbage incinerator outside the walls of Jerusalem from Josiah's time to Jesus earthly life?

Call that place in Jerusalem according to how Jesus called it & stick to how Jesus view it while preaching to his listeners.

Did Jesus teach you he saw torment of people in Gehenna ?

Oga,go and rest jare.

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Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Emusan(m): 8:45am On Jun 06

Janosky:
Is Hell the name of the garbage incinerator outside the walls of Jerusalem from Josiah's time to Jesus earthly life?

Yes! It's hell

Call that place in Jerusalem according to how Jesus called it & stick to how Jesus view it while preaching to his listeners.

How did Jesus call it?

Did Jesus teach you he saw torment of people in Gehenna?

Yes! Jesus said there will be GARNISHING OF TEETH AND WEEPING.

At that place in outside Jerusalem, was there GARNISHING OF TEETH AND WEEPING by the death body inside?

Oga,go and rest jare.

I'm doing that, do you?

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by LordTosinJ(op): 3:32pm On Jun 06

paxonel:
I want to ask a question o

Why is it that when you people see the word hell fire in bible you will not bother to find the literal meaning,
But when you come across the word in the same chapter of the bible that says"if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it off " you are quick to find the literal meaning of right eye and pluck it off?

Or is that you people don't want to pluck your eye off?
And you want fire to burn other people's flesh?

Hell fire does not sound symbolic
But plucking your eye off sound symbolic.

Imagine the double standard

There's no double standard here. I don't know how you can read all the scriptures I quoted above and still come to the conclusion that Hell is symbolic. it's mind blowing.

Ironically, even if i'm to agree with Janosky guy above that the word used for hell in that passage is Gehenna. Is Gehenna not still a symbol of the literal hell were sinners and evil doers will burn like garbage?

One thing is clear. Jesus used physical hyperbole 'pluck out your eye' to warn against a permanent spiritual reality HELL. take it or leave it.

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Tboy222: 7:32pm On Jun 06

plesion:
Perhaps, to some it may of interest is that hellish fire literal, like continuous burning of the sinners in some fire, as on a stake, or something more spiritual is meant, and yet absolutely real?

Here is a quotation for calm consideration:

" 566. WHAT HELL FIRE IS AND WHAT THE GNASHING OF TEETH IS.
What eternal fire is, and what the gnashing of teeth is, which are mentioned in the Word in reference to those who are in hell, scarcely any one as yet has known, because the contents of the Word have been thought about only in a material way, and nothing has been known about its spiritual sense. So fire has been understood by some to mean material fire, by others to mean torment in general, by others remorse of conscience, and others have held that it is mentioned merely to excite terror in the wicked. Likewise some have supposed the gnashing of teeth to mean actual gnashing, and some only a horror, such as is excited when such a collision of teeth is heard. But any one who is acquainted with the spiritual meaning of the Word may know what eternal fire is, and what the gnashing of teeth is; for every expression and every meaning of the expressions in the Word contains a spiritual meaning, since the Word in its bosom is spiritual; and what is spiritual can be set before man only in natural forms of expression, because man is in the natural world and thinks from the things of that world. Therefore it shall now be told what is meant by "eternal fire" and "the gnashing of teeth" into which the spirits of evil men enter after death, or which their spirits, then in the spiritual world, endure.

567. There are two origins of heat, one the sun of heaven which is the Lord, and the other the sun of the world. The heat that is from the sun of heaven, that is, the Lord, is spiritual heat; and this in its essence is love (see above, n. 126-140); but the heat from the sun of the world is natural heat, and this in its essence is not love, but serves spiritual heat or love as a receptacle. Evidently love in its essence is heat, since it is love, in accord with its degree and quality, that gives heat to the mind, and thence to the body; and this man experiences as well in the winter as in the summer. The heating of the blood is from the same source. That the natural heat that springs from the sun of the world serves spiritual heat as a receptacle is evident from the heat of the body, which is excited by the heat of its spirit, and is a kind of substitute for that heat in the body. It is especially evident from the spring and summer heat in animals of every kind which then annually renew their loves. [2] It is not the natural heat that produces this effect, but it disposes their bodies to receive the heat that flows into them from the spiritual world; for the spiritual world flows into the natural as cause into effect. Whoever believes that natural heat produces these loves is much deceived, for influx is from the spiritual world into the natural world, and not from the natural world into the spiritual; and as all love belongs to the life itself it is spiritual. [3] Again, he who believes that any thing comes forth in the natural world without influx from the spiritual world is deceived, for what is natural comes forth and continues to exist only from what is spiritual. Furthermore, the subjects of the vegetable kingdom derive their germinations from influx out of the spiritual world. The natural heat of spring time and summer merely disposes the seeds into their natural forms by expanding and opening them so that influx from the spiritual world can there act as a cause. These things are mentioned to make clear that there are two kinds of heat, spiritual heat and natural heat; and that spiritual heat is from the sun of heaven and natural heat from the sun of the world, and that influx and consequent cooperation produce the effects that appear before the eyes in the world.#
# There is an influx from the spiritual world into the natural world (n. 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626).
There is also an influx into the lives of animals (n. 5850).
And into the subjects of the vegetable kingdom (n. 3648).
This influx is a continual endeavor to act in accordance with the Divine order (n. 6211 at the end)."
(from the book on Heaven and its wonders and on hell, by E.S.)

Hell fire is a concotion cooked up by Constantine and his crooks

Jesus Christ never spoke or taught of hell.

Instead He taught on receiving esoteric knowledge to escape the Matrix and reincarnation loop.

Sophia of Jesus
Aprocryphon of John
Apocalypse of Adam

1 Like

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by paxonel(m): 7:56pm On Jun 06

LordTosinJ:
There's no double standard here. I don't know how you can read all the scriptures I quoted above and still come to the conclusion that Hell is symbolic. it's mind blowing.

if possible, read the whole chapter, you will have a clear picture of what Jesus was trying to explain.
For instance,
Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

Obviously, Jesus was quoting the law.

So by the time you read Jesus saying .... but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.,
You should understand that he was also quoting the law which also states that the wages of sin is death

Think about it!

One thing is clear. Jesus used physical hyperbole 'pluck out your eye' to warn against a permanent spiritual reality HELL. take it or leave it.

No!
Read it again, there is nothing spiritual about what Jesus was saying, he was strictly talking about the law.
The law is not spiritual!

Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

It's like there was a law in Israel against adultery and the punishment for it was stoning the person to death.
Then the person dies and goes to his grave.
Another name for grave is hell.

Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Pluck it out means it is better not to commit adultery by looking lustfully at a woman, a crime that may lead to death, then the person will go to his grave which was what people call hell in those days.
So, you see there is nothing spiritual about what Jesus was saying.

Hell fire is not spiritual fire burning people.
It simply means grave.

If so be it, one may ask, how come the word fire is attached to it?

I think the word fire comes from burning of sacrifices or offerings to God, which were mostly animal meat whose remains got spoilt and were eaten by worms.

Another scripture says

Mark 9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Meaning, they keep using salt to kill the worms and to preserve the sacrifices for another burning all for the atonement of their sins

Mark 9:49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

So burning of sacrifices was actually the hell fire Jesus was talking about.
It is nothing spiritual

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Gabrielshow26: 12:59pm On Jun 07

Tboy222:
Hell fire is a concotion cooked up by Constantine and his crooks

Jesus Christ never spoke or taught of hell.

Instead He taught on receiving esoteric knowledge to escape the Matrix and reincarnation loop.

Sophia of Jesus
Aprocryphon of John
Apocalypse of Adam

Care to elicit why you came to such a conclusion? Or you just want to assert your gnostic gospels as true? undecided

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by plesion: 1:46pm On Jun 07

Tboy222:
Jesus Christ never spoke or taught of hell.

He taught of the hells, as the whole Word speaks about it, and He is Himself the Word.

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by jaephoenix(m): 6:54pm On Jun 07

MightySparrow:
There are people that claim they have visited either or both heaven and hell. As a researcher who loves to know, it would be better to have a first hand experience by joining this people and come back with your findings.

Good luck in your expedition. Or simply take the scriptures raw as you read. Better still live a life worthy of the 'kingdom com '. Believe in the the grace of Jesus to be qualified.
I think that is more important.

What if Allah,Zeus or Brahma was the real god,dont you think you'll be doomed

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by jaephoenix(m): 6:57pm On Jun 07

LordTosinJ:
There is a growing trend to dismiss the reality of hell, Many people today say that hell is not real. They claim that the Bible does not even speak about it. But hell is a real place. The exact words in the Bible show this clearly. Let us look at what the Bible says.
The Testimony of Jesus in the Gospels

Some try to dismiss the book of Revelation as purely symbolic, but Jesus Himself spoke repeatedly and warningly about a literal fire.

• Matthew 5:22 (ESV):
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."

• Matthew 10:28 (ESV):
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

• Luke 12:5 (ESV):
"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"

Why would Christ command us to fear the One who can send us to hell if it isn't a real place? What is there to fear if it is just a metaphor? Jesus wasn't playing semantic games; He was issuing a severe warning.

Furthermore, He explicitly describes the nature of this punishment as eternal and physical:

• Matthew 25:41 (ESV):
"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’"

• Mark 9:43, 47-48 (ESV):
"And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire... It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’"

"Unquenchable fire" and a "worm that does not die" point directly to an unending, forever punishment.

The Final Judgment in Revelation

When we couple the words of Jesus with the vision given to John in Revelation, the picture becomes undeniable. The final destination for the wicked is explicitly named the "Lake of Fire."

• Revelation 20:10 (ESV):
"...and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

• Revelation 20:14 (ESV):
"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire."

• Revelation 20:15 (ESV):
"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Conclusion: Let's Stop the Shenanigans

The Bible uses words like "hell of fire" and "eternal fire." It also says "unquenchable fire" and "the lake of fire." So, how can anyone say that hell is not real?

If a person says there is no hell, they do not believe Jesus Christ. They also do not believe the words of the New Testament prophets.

Backing up a bible concept with....the bible? Awesome lol 😆
Imagine a Muslim telling you a Christian that Mohammed actually split the moon cos it was stated by the Koran. I guess you'll believe him lol 😆 😂 🤣

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Truthseeker10: 8:47am On Jun 08

LordTosinJ:
There is a growing trend to dismiss the reality of hell, Many people today say that hell is not real. They claim that the Bible does not even speak about it. But hell is a real place. The exact words in the Bible show this clearly. Let us look at what the Bible says.
The Testimony of Jesus in the Gospels

Some try to dismiss the book of Revelation as purely symbolic, but Jesus Himself spoke repeatedly and warningly about a literal fire.

• Matthew 5:22 (ESV):
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."

• Matthew 10:28 (ESV):
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

• Luke 12:5 (ESV):
"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"

Why would Christ command us to fear the One who can send us to hell if it isn't a real place? What is there to fear if it is just a metaphor? Jesus wasn't playing semantic games; He was issuing a severe warning.

Furthermore, He explicitly describes the nature of this punishment as eternal and physical:

• Matthew 25:41 (ESV):
"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’"

• Mark 9:43, 47-48 (ESV):
"And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire... It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’"

"Unquenchable fire" and a "worm that does not die" point directly to an unending, forever punishment.

The Final Judgment in Revelation

When we couple the words of Jesus with the vision given to John in Revelation, the picture becomes undeniable. The final destination for the wicked is explicitly named the "Lake of Fire."

• Revelation 20:10 (ESV):
"...and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

• Revelation 20:14 (ESV):
"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire."

• Revelation 20:15 (ESV):
"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Conclusion: Let's Stop the Shenanigans

The Bible uses words like "hell of fire" and "eternal fire." It also says "unquenchable fire" and "the lake of fire." So, how can anyone say that hell is not real?

If a person says there is no hell, they do not believe Jesus Christ. They also do not believe the words of the New Testament prophets.

So body and soul goes to hell fire according to Matthew 10:28?

Re: Does Hellfire Really Exist? Answering The Skeptics With Scripture by Truthseeker10: 8:50am On Jun 08

LordTosinJ:
There's no double standard here. I don't know how you can read all the scriptures I quoted above and still come to the conclusion that Hell is symbolic. it's mind blowing.

Ironically, even if i'm to agree with Janosky guy above that the word used for hell in that passage is Gehenna. Is Gehenna not still a symbol of the literal hell were sinners and evil doers will burn like garbage?

One thing is clear. Jesus used physical hyperbole 'pluck out your eye' to warn against a permanent spiritual reality HELL. take it or leave it.

So you Mean that Death and Hades will also be burned like garbage according to Revelation 20:14?

1 Reply

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