Biblical Terms Describing Where The Dead Are
- Sheol – a Hebrew term simply describing the grave or death Does not refer to hell specifically
- Hades – A Greek term that usually refers to hell a place of torment
- Gehenna – A Greek term that always refers to hell a place of torment
- Lake of fire- the final abode of unbelievers after they are resurrected
- Abrahams bosom – a place of eternal comfort
- Paradise – a place of eternal comfort
- With the Lord – a key phrase describes where church age believers are after death
- New heavens and earth where believers will be after they are resurrected
What Happens To Unbelievers Between Death And Being Cast Into Hell
What we often mean by the common use of the term hell is a place of torment for unbelievers. The final place of eternal torment for unbelievers is the lake of fire , but they will not be sent there by God until his final act of judgment known as the Great White Throne judgment . That will be a time of bodily, spiritual torment.
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31, is often cited to describe the current state of unbelievers who have died, although there is debate as to whether or not the details given in the parable were meant to be taken as literal depictions of the afterlife. Many commentators argue that the main point is that Lazarus is in the place of the righteous and the rich man is in the place of torment, and nothing can bridge that great divide they do not take it to mean that Jesus is describing the actual state of souls now. In support of this parable, though, are Jesus words to the thief on the cross which indicate he will be with Jesus that day in paradise and Pauls words in 2 Cor 5:8 which imply that when believers die they go immediately into the Lords presence.
Most of the time when eternal punishment or heaven are discussed in the scriptures the final judgment is in view, but these passages do not seem to indicate that. Even now, when people die they either go to be with the Lord or they go to a place of conscious torment.
What Is Hell A Biblical Guide Of Its Existence
Hell is a place of total, conscious, eternal separation from the blessings of God. If a person rejects God all throughout life, never submitting to him in repentance, then the person will enter eternity after death without God.
- Christianity.com Editorial Staff
- 201915 Apr
Hell is a place of total, conscious, eternal separation from the blessings of God, Bryan Chapell, president of Covenant Theological Seminary, said in the video below. And theres a sense in which hell is people getting exactly what they want. In that, if a person rejects God all throughout life, never submitting to him in repentance, then the person will enter eternity after death without God.
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Heaven And Hell On Earth
Karen A. Foster, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada
This question presupposes a belief in the existence of heaven and hell and a belief in an afterlife. There is no one on earth who can say definitively whether there is any credence to these concepts, and there are widely divergent beliefs on this topic within Unitarian Universalism, and beyond.
In the apocryphal gospel of Thomas, Jesus is recorded as saying, the kingdom of heaven is within you. I think what Jesus may have meant by this statement is that we have the opportunity to create our own heaven and hell right where we are in this life. We have the potential by our actions, attitudes, the way we move through the world and how we treat each other, to create ourselves and the world as we believe they should be. Further, Jesus seems to imply that the choice is ours to make of this opportunity what we will.
Will I Go To Heaven If I Am Good
As humans, we tend to see things as either good or bad. Many of us believe that we must simply do more good deeds than bad ones to earn an eternity in heaven. The Bible is very clear about the fact that our deeds, no matter how well-intentioned, will never be enough to earn our place in heaven.
God is perfect. Unfortunately, even the best of humans fall short of His perfection. At the core of our nature, we are all deceitfully wicked and sinful. This is exactly why we need a Saviour. God sent His son, Jesus, to take the punishment that we deserve. You see, even the best of us deserve an eternity in Hell, separated from God.
However, by accepting Gods gift of salvation, we will be granted the gift of eternal life. No matter how good or bad you have been in the past, Gods gift of salvation is available to you.
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Whos Going To Hell According To The Bible
The cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death .
Maybe youre looking at that list and thinking, Oh no! Ive lied! or Ive had sex outside of marriage. The good news is that Jesus paid for all our sins through His death on the cross. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness .
The primary item on that list above that will send you to hell is unbelief. If you fail to receive Gods wonderful gift of salvation through believing in Jesus, you will burn in eternal torment in the lake of fire.
Closing Thoughts About Hell In The Bible
I think Tim Kellersums hell in the Bible concisely Hell, then, is the trajectory of a soul, living a self-absorbed, self-centered life, going on and on forever In short, hell is simply ones freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity.
The Bible gives us a picture of hell thats much different than what is commonly held in churches across the country. We should let the Word direct our view of hell and not what culture tells us.
Lets hear from you! What do you think about this teaching of hell in the Bible?
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Common Misconceptions About Heaven
1. Heaven is where good people will spend eternity. The scriptures make clear that there is no one who is good enough for heaven . Any righteousness that we think we have is like a filthy rag when held up to the standard of Gods incomparable holiness.
Those who think they are good enough for heaven are self-deceived and their pride separates them from God who opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble . In fact, Jesus said the way to heaven is small and narrow, and only a few find it .
One of the scariest warnings Jesus ever gave was about people who will be self-deceived. They will think they are following Christ and many of them will even be doing miracles in his name, but they will not be allowed entrance to heaven. At the end of their earthly lives, Jesus will reveal to them that he never knew them.
Rather than living for God and his will, they had actually been living for themselves and their own selfish desires . Jesus said, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me .
2. Heaven is where Christians will spend eternity. This might not be as clear in scripture as people think. Some scholars on the topic of heaven argue the opposite. For example, in his book, 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Alan Gomes believes that the Bible indicates we will spend eternity on the new earth that God will create. He points to passages such as 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1-2.
The Universalist Rejection Of Everlasting Separation
A theist of any religion who accepts the traditional idea ofeverlasting punishment, or even the idea of an everlasting separationfrom God, must either reject the idea that that all human sinners areequal objects of Gods redemptive love insection 1 above) or reject the idea that Gods redemptive lovewill triumph in the end and bring reconciliation to each and everyobject of such divine love ). But a theist whoaccepts proposition , as the Arminians do, and also acceptsproposition , as the Augustinians do, can then reason deductivelythat almighty God will indeed triumph in the end and successfully winover each and every human sinner. From the perspective of aninterpretation of the Christian Bible, moreover, Christianuniversalists need only accept the exegetical arguments of theArminian theologians in support of and the exegetical arguments ofthe Augustinian theologians in support of that alone would enablethem to build an exegetical case for a universalist interpretation ofthe Bible as a whole.
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The Devil In Modern Times
Religious translations are often controversial. Theres usually some degree of dissent on how to interpret early texts, and texts about the Devil are no exception.
Even so, throughout history, the Devils reputation as an evildoer hasnt changed much. Most Christians still believe hes literally transformed the world and is responsible for much of the worlds corruption and chaos.
Not all religions shun the Devil, though. People of the Church of Satan, known as Satanists, dont worship the Devil, but embrace him as a symbol of atheism, pride and liberty, among other things. Another type of Satanists, theistic Satanists, worship the Devil as a deity. They may practice Satanic rituals or even make Satanic pacts.
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Theres no shortage of Hollywood films featuring the Devil. Hes been played by some of Hollywoods elite such as Jack Nicholson, Vincent Price and Al Pacino. And after Mia Farrows character gave birth to Satans offspring in the horror-flick Rosemarys Baby, expectant mothers who saw the film wished they hadnt.
Given the draw of the battle between good and evil, its likely the Devils influence is here to stay, and he will continue to influence religion and pop culture.
What Is Gods Will In Heaven
Praying for the will of God to be done in and through our lives on earth, as it is in heaven, means that we are willing to go through whatever might prevent that purpose from being accomplished. Our prayer is that we want to be so aligned with the will and purpose of God that we ask God to empower us to accomplish it.
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What Does It Mean To Be Cast Into The Lake Of Fire
Weve seen that the word hell in the Bible refers to three different places or conditions. The Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades in your Bible simply refer to the grave. But when the Greek word Gehenna is used, it refers to a fiery judgment as in Matthew 10:28. When and where is that fiery judgment? Long time viewers of Tomorrows World are familiar with Gods plan for all nations. First, we look forward to the Kingdom of God in the near future with the return of Jesus Christ to rule all nations for a thousand years. At the end of the Millennium or the thousand years, God will resurrect billions of people to physical life in the general judgment referred to as the White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20. At the completion of the judgment period, a full lifetime, every human being will have been given his or her full complete opportunity to be saved from eternal death. Read about this judgment in Revelation 20. Revelation 20:11, Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books .
But what about the scriptures that talk about an eternal fire?
Is Hell Eternal Torment
Hell is most certainly a place of eternal torment.
They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb .
Jesus gave a compelling description of the torment of Hades in Luke 16:19-31. Some think it only a parable, but the graphic description of Lazarus, named by Jesus, indicates a real-life story. A man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was laid at the gate of a wealthy mans home. Lazarus was starving, longing to eat the crumbs falling from the rich mans table.
Lazarus died and was carried away by the angels to the arms of Abraham. The rich man also died and went to Hades, where he was in torment. He saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms. And he cried out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame. Abraham told him there was a great chasm between them that could not be crossed. Then the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his fathers house to warn his five brothers of the torments of Hades.
Jesus account makes it clear that the torment of hell is conscious suffering. In the same way that Lazarus longed for a crumb to eat, the rich man longed for a drop of water to relieve his agony. The Rich man was screaming, help! Have mercy! Its hot! He was burning in agony. We cant deny the words of Jesus. Jesus was teaching everlasting pain and torment.
6. Hebrews 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire.
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We All Do From Time To Time
Matthew T. Fisher, resident priest, Reno Buddhist Center
In one sutra Buddha says, When the average ignorant person asserts that there is a Hell down there, what he is saying is false and baseless. The word Hell is a term for painful mind states .
Rebirth is a funny thing. We experience many different births in the course of our Karmic Consciousness path through existence in time and space. Through myriad rebirths, we all will deserve and endure birth in hell. It is most unpleasant. We could be reborn in any of the six realms: the realm of gods, of demi-gods, of humans, of animals, of hungry ghosts, or in hell. The nature of our next birth is determined by our karma our actions of body, speech and mind. Through different births we experience pleasant/painful reality, but only with Right Understanding can we spiritually grow from every birth.
Surprising Truths About Hell In The Bible
I know talking and thinking about hell is unpleasant to say the least. Most of us would rather just avoid it and often we do just ignore it. C.S. Lewis said in the Problem Of Pain, There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this , if it lay in my power. Hell in the Bible is tough to talk about. Its caused some to question God and others to leave Christianity all together. So, what does the Bible say about hell?
Yes, hell is a difficult topic to talk about. But its something the Bible teaches and we cannot ignore it. We need to lean into the description of hell in the Bible, grapple with it, and learn from it.
One of the biggest challenges when addressing the topic of hell is that many of the common beliefs about hell are not found in the Bible. Hell has been so influenced by culture, opinions, and misinformation that many of the common beliefs about hell look nothing like hell in the Bible. Thats a problem.
I want to take a fresh look at what hell is and while look through the lens of, what does the Bible say about hell?
We will get to the 6 truths about hell in just a minute. But first we need to take a look at the description of hell in the Bible and see what it teaches us.
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Does Everyone Go To Heaven In Christianity
Many people speak as if everyone will make it to heaven. There is a prevailing though that all you have to do is be born, and then die, and you will be admitted to into paradise. A popular Christian pastor and author declared a few years back that love wins in the end, and that no one actually goes to hell.
What Did Jesus Say About Hell
The gospels record what Jesus has to say about Hell.
Heres what Jesus says about Hell:
- Matthew 10:28 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 .
- Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life .
- Matthew 13:47-50 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth .
- 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 .
- Matthew 13:40-42 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth .
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