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Deu 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
2 Sam 22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
Job 11:8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Job 26:6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
Psa 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psa 18:5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
Psa 55:15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in ther dwellings, and among them.
Psa 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Psa 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Prov 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Prov 7:27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Prov 9:18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
Prov 15:11 Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the chldren of men?
Prov 15:24 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
Prov 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Prov 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isa 14:9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isa 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Isa 28:18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Isa 57:9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.
Ezek 31:16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
Ezek 31:17 They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
Ezek 32:21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
Ezek 32:27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to their hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
Amos 9:2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
Jonah 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Hab 2:5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 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.
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, 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.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Luke 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
2 Pet 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
PLEASE CHECK THE FOOTNOTES IN THE KJV BIBLE. Jonah 2:2. Revelation 20:13. Why does our little footnote say "grave" for the word "hell" ????
You really need to understand the translations of these words better. The words mean different things. That is why future translators of the King James Version used grave in these footnotes to show that they changed.
And, if you don't mind, please check this Christian website (not Universalist) All about Sheol and hell on why those words were translated "Hell."
(And the lake of fire has nothing to do with either of these things)
So you will allow me to show you the words used here and translated as Hell to show that the writers had no concept of the hell you speak of?
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Deu 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is... also do mountains burn with fire from their foundations? A literal hell described amongst figurative language?
Quote:
2 Sam 22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is...
Quote:
Job 11:8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is... and obviously they perceived hell as below ground and heaven as above ground...
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Job 26:6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is... Also notice that the him is God and that Sheol is naked to him... meaning that Sheol is accessible by God.
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Psa 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psa 18:5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about : the snares of death prevented me.
Psa 55:15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in ther dwellings, and among them.
Psa 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Psa 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Prov 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Prov 7:27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Prov 9:18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
Prov 15:11 Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the chldren of men?
Prov 15:24 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
Prov 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Prov 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isa 14:9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isa 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Isa 28:18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Isa 57:9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.
Ezek 31:16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
Ezek 31:17 They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
Ezek 32:21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
Ezek 32:27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to their hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
Amos 9:2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
Jonah 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Hab 2:5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
These are all Sheol if I am not mistaken... see above.
Quote:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
The "hell" here is Gehenna: Gehenna, a valley W. and S. of Jer., an idiom for destruction as befell the criminals who were burned there and even earlier when children were burned in sacrifice to a false god.
Quote:
Mat 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.
The "hell" here is Gehenna: Gehenna, a valley W. and S. of Jer., an idiom for destruction as befell the criminals who were burned there and even earlier when children were burned in sacrifice to a false god.
Quote:
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, 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.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Luke 10:15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
I believe these are all Gehenna as well which is a proper noun and was looked down upon by the people then as we look down on the Nazi concentration camps as true and pure wickedness. Gehenna is a nice peaceful garden now....so that can't be the location of your fiery torture pit either.
Quote:
Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
"hell" here is Hades which is the grave or unseen (just like Sheol) and all people were thought to "sleep" there. Still no fiery pit of torture here either.
Quote:
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
this one is Gehenna...see above.
Quote:
2 Pet 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
"hell" here is from Tartaros (a Gr. name for the abode of the damned) and is another proper name for after death made popular by the Greek culture and pagan religions... again not a fiery place of torture but by far the closest to it.
Quote:
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Notice that Jesus has the keys to Hades and so is in control of it... which is then cast into the lake of fire.. so Hades cannot be the fiery torture pit you envision!
Quote:
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
So that leaves you will one thing that resembles your version of Sheol, Hades, Tartaroo, and Gehenna.... the lake of fire which is only used in a book written in a symbolic shroud to begin with... further more there are only 3 uses of it in Revelation.. how can something by definition be unseen (Sheol, Hades) be thrown into the lake of fire if the lake of fire is a literal burning pit located somewhere tangible?
So you will allow me to show you the words used here and translated as Hell to show that the writers had no concept of the hell you speak of?
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is... also do mountains burn with fire from their foundations? A literal hell described amongst figurative language?
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is...
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is... and obviously they perceived hell as below ground and heaven as above ground...
"hell" here is SHEOL-underworld (place to which people descend at death) and both good and bad were thought to be there so it can't be the same hell you think it is... Also notice that the him is God and that Sheol is naked to him... meaning that Sheol is accessible by God.
These are all Sheol if I am not mistaken... see above.
The "hell" here is Gehenna: Gehenna, a valley W. and S. of Jer., an idiom for destruction as befell the criminals who were burned there and even earlier when children were burned in sacrifice to a false god.
The "hell" here is Gehenna: Gehenna, a valley W. and S. of Jer., an idiom for destruction as befell the criminals who were burned there and even earlier when children were burned in sacrifice to a false god.
I believe these are all Gehenna as well which is a proper noun and was looked down upon by the people then as we look down on the Nazi concentration camps as true and pure wickedness. Gehenna is a nice peaceful garden now....so that can't be the location of your fiery torture pit either.
"hell" here is Hades which is the grave or unseen (just like Sheol) and all people were thought to "sleep" there. Still no fiery pit of torture here either.
this one is Gehenna...see above.
"hell" here is from Tartaros (a Gr. name for the abode of the damned) and is another proper name for after death made popular by the Greek culture and pagan religions... again not a fiery place of torture but by far the closest to it.
Notice that Jesus has the keys to Hades and so is in control of it... which is then cast into the lake of fire.. so Hades cannot be the fiery torture pit you envision!
So that leaves you will one thing that resembles your version of Sheol, Hades, Tartaroo, and Gehenna.... the lake of fire which is only used in a book written in a symbolic shroud to begin with... further more there are only 3 uses of it in Revelation.. how can something by definition be unseen (Sheol, Hades) be thrown into the lake of fire if the lake of fire is a literal burning pit located somewhere tangible?
WOW!! Why don't you go straight to the source and "dare" Him to show Himself to you? Since you appear to be so fearless..... Why take our word for it?
Betsey,
If you listen to what kat says that is exactly what she did -- she was brought up in the religion of christianity to believe in a God who wanted people to worship him by acknowledging his Son as Lord otherwise he would torment them forever for their unbelief.
She has since sought God on this issue, as have I and we know that God will have mercy on all eventually after they have been humbled.
I would say that most people say that hell and evil is UNIMAGINABLY WORSE than heaven and God. Not equal. So you are telling me that unimaginable (and it really is, think about it for just a sec) PAIN and SCREAMING will exist FOR ETERNITY when God fixes everything.
Can you imagine the disciples burning people at the stake? Why didn't they????
There was already heresy from THE VERY BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITY. PAUL WAS PLEADING WITH PEOPLE FOR 3 YEARS! THAT WAS 2000 YEARS AGO!!!!! HOW BAD DO YOU THINK IT IS NOW AFTER HAVING HEAPED TEACHERS UNTO OURSELVES FOR 2000 YEARS?????
Please explain......
Again, I did not say equal. I said opposite, which does NOT mean the same thing as equal, not even close.
The opposite of good is evil.
The opposite of Heaven is Hell.
The opposite of God is Devil.
There's nothing in the above analogy that would lead one to conclude nor assume that evil is equal to good, nor that Hell is equal to Heaven, nor that Devil is equal to God.
Hell exists, it states so in the Bible. I believe the Bible to be the written word of God. I also believe that God is a God of love, and loves all of His children equally. However, that doesn't dismiss the existence of Hell based on God's love for His children.
God, is our Father. As a parent, you learn that tough love is necessary sometimes. I view Hell as tough love with respect to God's children that have been sent there based on their acts/deeds as human beings.
When the Final Rapture comes, God will assemble His church. It may mean that His children that had been sent to Hell will get a second chance for redemption. Who's to say?
I lead my life following the word of God. I conduct myself in a manner that God would approve of. I love my brothers and sisters (fellow man) as God has instructed me to do. I don't believe that being a Christian involves discrimination or disdain for those that are ignorant to the word of God.
If one sets the example that others might wish to follow, and then they do, it's the highest compliment anyone can be given.
I have a very good friend of 30+ years now that used to tease me about my deeply Christian beliefs. One day he called me on the phone to tell me he'd been baptized (in my religion) and that it was due to this friend he had whom he considered to be one of the best persons he'd ever known. Then he disclosed to me, that I was indeed the friend of which he spoke.
If I shine the light of Jesus through my spirit, through my deed, through my word, I am the best testament to the Love of Jesus that He would expect of me. That is what I strive in my life to do.
Again, I did not say equal. I said opposite, which does NOT mean the same thing as equal, not even close.
The opposite of good is evil.
The opposite of Heaven is Hell.
The opposite of God is Devil.
There's nothing in the above analogy that would lead one to conclude nor assume that evil is equal to good, nor that Hell is equal to Heaven, nor that Devil is equal to God.
Hell exists, it states so in the Bible. I believe the Bible to be the written word of God. I also believe that God is a God of love, and loves all of His children equally. However, that doesn't dismiss the existence of Hell based on God's love for His children.
God, is our Father. As a parent, you learn that tough love is necessary sometimes. I view Hell as tough love with respect to God's children that have been sent there based on their acts/deeds as human beings.
When the Final Rapture comes, God will assemble His church. It may mean that His children that had been sent to Hell will get a second chance for redemption. Who's to say?
I lead my life following the word of God. I conduct myself in a manner that God would approve of. I love my brothers and sisters (fellow man) as God has instructed me to do. I don't believe that being a Christian involves discrimination or disdain for those that are ignorant to the word of God.
If one sets the example that others might wish to follow, and then they do, it's the highest compliment anyone can be given.
I have a very good friend of 30+ years now that used to tease me about my deeply Christian beliefs. One day he called me on the phone to tell me he'd been baptized (in my religion) and that it was due to this friend he had whom he considered to be one of the best persons he'd ever known. Then he disclosed to me, that I was indeed the friend of which he spoke.
If I shine the light of Jesus through my spirit, through my deed, through my word, I am the best testament to the Love of Jesus that He would expect of me. That is what I strive in my life to do.
Do you torture your children for eternity according to "tough love?" Tough love has a purpose.. how are those in hell better off for the "tough love" if it never ends?
No, I do not torture my child. He's 14 and has only ever been spanked twice in his life. Once for grabbing a sharp knife and running with it, and the other for unlocking the front door and letting himself outside when I was using the restroom. Both of which, were prior to the age of 2.
You are taking it to the extreme, when it's not necessary to do so.
Again, I did not say equal. I said opposite, which does NOT mean the same thing as equal, not even close.
The opposite of good is evil.
The opposite of Heaven is Hell.
The opposite of God is Devil.
I lead my life following the word of God. I conduct myself in a manner that God would approve of. I love my brothers and sisters (fellow man) as God has instructed me to do. I don't believe that being a Christian involves discrimination or disdain for those that are ignorant to the word of God.
If one sets the example that others might wish to follow, and then they do, it's the highest compliment anyone can be given.
I have a very good friend of 30+ years now that used to tease me about my deeply Christian beliefs. One day he called me on the phone to tell me he'd been baptized (in my religion) and that it was due to this friend he had whom he considered to be one of the best persons he'd ever known. Then he disclosed to me, that I was indeed the friend of which he spoke.
If I shine the light of Jesus through my spirit, through my deed, through my word, I am the best testament to the Love of Jesus that He would expect of me. That is what I strive in my life to do.
This is all very commendable.
I myself have been put through THE WRINGER for 35 years for my beliefs. I believed with all my heart that God was going to set people on fire for eternity! My dad, who was a deacon at our Baptist church, also a VERY intelligent man, computer programmer, started studying for himself (that is what the Bible said the noble Bereans did). He was finding too many oddities in what the church was saying and the languages (Greek, Hebrew, etc) he was studying. He became a very angry man.
I know what it is like to start seeing contradictions between what the mainstream is telling you and what the facts are. This has been a nightmare in my family. It split us up.
Anyhow, I had a lot of conflict between what I was being told in the church about why God would burn people forever. My dad finally told me one day to check the translation of the word "hell." He told me to check many things. And I have. I was very stubborn. It took me many years from the time he told me to do that to the time when I actually decided to start studying.
My mom and our church were KJV-only independent Baptist. I was church-schooled from Kindergarten up to the 8th grade.
This has not been an easy road. It has been a bit confusing. I don't like being lied to and it made me very angry.
I have yet to receive an answer for why nobody, IN ALL THE YEARS I ATTENDED CHURCH," told me that "grave" is translated "hell" in the KJV. And I never bothered to look. I took what the authorities said very seriously.
Do you wonder why so few people know this???? Do you think it has something to do with ???????? You tell me.....
Proof? If there were proof, it would be science, not faith.
A waste of faith to believe in an unseen, possibly real place designed to torture humanity for eternity...
IMO
However, you must have some proof of it or you wouldn't believe it...
Types of proof -
Stated by God in scripture (which is what I am asking in this thread).
Witness (which obviously hasn't been possible so far).
Personal Experience...
Which of those three do you base your faith on regarding Hell? if the first one applies simple show verses that state hell is a real, literal, tangible place where humans are burned and writhe in pain for eternity.
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