Is hell for eternity?

To the original idea of the OP...I do not know, and I am completely unwilling to find out.

 

I know this verse is speaking about a specific group of people but also of their eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.

Revelation 14:11
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

 

Gehenna is the lake of fire.

Anyone who can do a little work with the Greek language knows that Gehenna and fire are used together to paint the picture of the "lake" of fire. Literally, the valley of Hinnom, where garbage was burned continually outside the city of Jerusalem. Hades and death are cast into the lake of fire where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.

Gehenna represents eternal conscious punishment - the lake of fire. Jesus called it the "Gehenna of fire."

 

Yes we know that death and hell are cast into the lake of fire. All I am saying is that it is eternal.

 

That is still just a guess. According to my bible there is fire in hell (Hades, Luke 16:23). Gehenna is never mentioned in any context as being a lake of fire. There is a leap in logic being made with very little evidence. Can you tell me where Gehenna is supposedly located?

 

What did they call Gehenna in the old testament?

 

This is actually interesting you ask this question. I was listen to radio station and gentleman was talking about purgatory. He also spoke about how people can pray for you when you are dead to go to heaven. He also stated that this is impossible becausee it does not say so in the bible. He gives a passage when the sinner is on the cross with Jesus and the sinner ask Jesus not to forget him and Jesus replies he shall not. I liked what he stated becausee gives great example of us not being able to be saved once we die and that this sinner asked before he died for Christ not to forget him. Think about that why would this sinner ask him this before he is dying . I am not good with remember the passages he refered so could someone please post them. Thank you.

 

I am letting the parallels be what they are.

 

I am not sure you do agree with my assessment.

I never said anything about hell on earth nor do I believe that is communicated by the text.

 

Matthew 5:22

Jesus is speaking about being in danger of the gehenna of fire.

Revelation 20:15

John is speaking of death and Hades being throne into the lake of fire.

Whatever Hades is, it is in some sense distinguishable from the lake of fire, eternal conscious punishment!

When we look up every reference to Gehenna, we find that it involves a place of eternal punishment. Therefore, it is hardly a reach to think of Gehenna as the lake of fire being spoken of in Revelation 20:15.

 

What did they call Gehenna in the old testament? </font>[/QUOTE]This is the reason we are to believe that God has dispensation's. If not, everything would have been the same from the beginning. God reveals as He let's as time progresses, filling us in when He is good and ready.

However, Sheol covered everything necessary for those back then to know there is a hell. Christian faith, ituttut Galatians 1:11-12

 

I am not sure you do agree with my assessment.

I never said anything about hell on earth nor do I believe that is communicated by the text. </font>[/QUOTE]I agreed with your Quote “The NT uses 3 words for "hell" in the KJV: gehenna, tartarus, and hades. The KJV translators apparently thought there was no difference between the three.”Unquote. I then gave you my take on the subject.

From there you and I evidently disagree. I believe differently, as I see hell on this earth for it is hot down there, and it is dark. Is this not the description of Hell, the lake of fire located in outer darkness?

Perhaps a little more background is needed, using the Word of God. Sheol means more than the grave as we can see in Job 11:8, ”It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than Sheol; What canst thou know?” Those graves need to be much deeper than “six foot under”. These people from the beginning knew the difference between the words “grave” (Genesis 50:5), and “pit” (Psalms 88:6). It seems to me Sheol can cover both grave and the pit, of which have different depths. The “bosom of Abraham” is no where near the depth of the hell part of hades, for it is much hotter there and continual thirst – Luke 24:16.” This sure sounds like hell to me.

Have you ever been to Carlsbad Caverns, or caves that are hundreds of feet down? No air condition needed, and humidity just right. I would say something along this line was the "bosom of Abraham.

We also should understand that the “bosom of Abraham” is Paradise Lost, as it did not become Paradise again until Jesus Christ entered. This second Son of God has brought Paradise again, for the first son of God Adam, was in the Garden of Eden, or Paradise, and fell, bringing or taking Paradise down further than the depth of a grave, but not as far as those behind bars deeper down. Christian faith, ituttut Galatians 1:11-12

 

Are you proposing hell "on earth" or "in earth"?

If the latter, I can't really comment since the Bible doesn't definitively declare where "hades" is.

I personally doubt that it is located in the physical universe but I could be wrong.

 

Hi Scott. I believe His Word teaches hell is in the earth on this planet. To me in hell on this earth is akin to a city or county jail, holding for final sentence to a State or Federal Prison where interment can be for the life of the incarcerated. I believe those interned here deep in the earth will be shipped out to the Prison in the outer darkness, and their worm will not die, ever.

Christ Jesus taught Paul personally from heaven, so I have a tendency to believe what Paul says. Ephesians 4:8-10, ”Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) Christian faith, ituttut Galatians 1:11-12

 

OK.

I don't really think that Hades is a material place but it could be. The bodies of the dead are still in the graves. It appears that the lost will be resurrected to face final judgment prior to being thrown into the Lake of Fire.

I am not really sure how a physical jail in the center of the earth makes sense to hold immaterial souls.

 

I don't believe we can take off in that direction for then it is very easy for us to believe there is no literal hell. The Bible speaks of "bars" of the pit, so these "bars" have been made to hold "spirits".

Agree as all will be resurrected.

 

Not believing in Jesus is a sin for everyone who's ever heard of Him.

On another board, I'm having a rather "heated"(LOL) discussion with some Universalists who believe that once Jesus steps from the throne of the Kingdom of God so His father can be all in all,(1 Cor. 15:28) He will restore all who are in gehenna to His kingdom. To me, this is a GROSS ABOMINATION in that it cheapens the sacrifice God made for us, let alone that it's a gross misinterpretation of Scripture.

Because my knowledge of Greek and Hebrew is rudimentary at best, I generally consult a rabbi I know about Hebrew and a Greek who knows Koine about the Greek.

Exd.15:18 says"the Lord shall reign for ever and ever." The Hebrew here is "owlam ad". Each of those words means 'forever' in Hebrew, said the rabbi, and the second one was added for emphasis. Now, does any Christian dispute that interpretation, that God and His rulership are eternal?

In the Greek, the phrase "aionios aionios" is used for "forever and ever" This the Greek term used in Rev. 4:9, 4:10 & 5:14, describing God. This is also the very same Greek used to express the duration of one's "residence" in gehenna, as found in Rev. 14:11, 19:3, & 20:10.(Both lists are incomplete.)

The Greek gent explained to me that "aion" indeed means "age" as the Universalists insist. BUT...If there's no END specified for an age, then it must be considered as having a beginning but no end. Thus, gehenna must be considered eternal as there's no end assigned to it in Scripture. And, as in the Hebrew "owlam ad", the second "aionios" in the Greek is added for emphasis.

Also, Scripture mentions that the worm does not die, nor are the flames quenched. In the earthly gehenna, old Jerusalem's garbage dump, there were flames which were quenched when there were no more combustibles left, or it rained hard; there were worms which died or otherwise vanished when there was no more food for them, or they pupated & emerged as adult insects. In other words, they were not eternal, and the Israelis knew it. Thus, God is emphasizing the eternity of hell by those examples.

Thus, hell-gehenna is FOREVER.

 

Hi robycop3. Can’t tell if your post is directed at me or to all in general.

If you are referring to my post, Quote ”Agree as all will be resurrected.” Unquote. All will be resurrected but not all will spend eternity in heaven.

 

Actually, Ituttut, it was not directed to or at anyone in particular; I was telling why I believe hell is eternal.