Why do Christians believe in a place of torment called Hell?

[1ofthem]

No, men's spirits belong to God.

Hebrews 12:9 "..shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits, and live?"

Ecclesiastes 12:6,7 "Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well, before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

This transaction, from God to dust to make man a "living being", is first recorded in Genesis 2:7
Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

Is this not to be judged?
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Here is the judgement:
Matthew 25:31-34
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25: 41

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

 

[Aaron56]

This sounds odd.

What heaven did he reference? Didn't sound like the earthly heavens to me?

But now you say heaven is not eternal. What of New Jerusalem, then? It's going to end too. Is there any scripture that states this?

What is eternal life then?

In my Fathers' house are many mansions. If it were not so I would've told you. I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am you may be also.

Do you think that is going to end?

If you perish and are going "to heaven" when the Lord returns... turn around. He is no longer in that heaven.

That was a bit of fun, but let me be more serious:

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

The New Heaven appears in Revelation 21:1 after the old heaven passes away "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."

The New Jerusalem will never pass away, she is joined to her Husband, the Lord, as one. He is eternal and therefore she must be also.."a husband cannot be unequally yoked."

Eternal Life is defined by the Lord in John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

One of the qualities of "eternal life" is that, when your body dies you will be with the Lord forever, wherever He is.

 

[1ofthem]

If you perish and are going "to heaven" when the Lord returns... turn around. He is no longer in that heaven.

That was a bit of fun, but let me be more serious:

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

The New Heaven appears in Revelation 21:1 after the old heaven passes away "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."

The New Jerusalem will never pass away, she is joined to her Husband, the Lord, as one. He is eternal and therefore she must be also.."a husband cannot be unequally yoked."

Eternal Life is defined by the Lord in John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

One of the qualities of "eternal life" is that, when your body dies you will be with the Lord forever, wherever He is.

Well, we can agree on that, anyhow.

 

[Aaron56]

Is this not to be judged?
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Here is the judgement:
Matthew 25:31-34
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25: 41

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

This happens in Revelation 20
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

 

[1ofthem]

The lake of fire wasn't prepared for people, but that is exactly where they are heading if they are not born again.

They are going to be thrown right in with the devil and his angels into everlasting fire where they are tormented day and night forever.

So I mean.... where does it say they cease to exist. It doesn't as far as I can tell. If the devil and his angels will be tormented day and night forever and that is where the spiritually dead is headed also looks like they are in for it, as well.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

No, men's spirits belong to God.

Hebrews 12:9 "..shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits, and live?"

Ecclesiastes 12:6,7 "Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well, before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

This transaction, from God to dust to make man a "living being", is first recorded in Genesis 2:7
Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

So it must be the evil spirit in unbelievers that will stay in the lake of fire forever.

 

[Aaron56]

The lake of fire wasn't prepared for people, but that is exactly where they are heading if they are not born again.

They are going to be thrown right in with the devil and his angels into everlasting fire where they are tormented day and night forever.

So I mean.... where does it say they cease to exist. It doesn't as far as I can tell. If the devil and his angels will be tormented day and night forever and that is where the spiritually dead is headed also looks like they are in for it, as well.

You are conflating two different events. The first natural realm and the spiritual realm pass away (Revelation 21:1). The lake of fire was contained within the first spiritual realm, as was the first heaven of God (and the other two heavens). The new heaven and earth remain with the Lord and His people forever.

 

[Aaron56]

So it must be the evil spirit in unbelievers that will stay in the lake of fire forever.

The lake will cease to exist when the first creation (heaven and earth) pass away.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

The spirit of God does not need to be born again. It was never created in the first place. His spirit is eternal, without end or beginning. Our souls are not eternal, neither are our bodies.

The spirit of man that died from sin was regenerated/reborn after his soul got saved. That is what he meant by being born again spirit.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

The lake will cease to exist when the first creation (heaven and earth) pass away.

Where in forever will it cease to exist?

 

[Runningman]

Wow. Not a single verse in the entire Bible that says all unsaved people go to hell for eternal conscious torment.

 

[Aaron56]

The spirit of man that died from sin was regenerated/reborn after his soul got saved. That is what he meant by being born again spirit.

Not quite. We all begin the journey at the same place: condemned from a perishable seed. When we are born again, our soul is connected to the spirit that is within us (man's spirit). We now may live by the Spirit because the Holy Spirit and the spirit God gave us are from the same source. Living this way requires that we deny ourselves (the earthly desires of our soul) and follow Him (by the Spirit).

This is analogous to the time, in the garden, when Adam's and Eve's "eyes were opened". It was not their physical eyes, it was the eyes of the souls. They decided, for themselves, what was "good and evil" apart from God. Because of sin, they died that day, not the death of their body but the disconnection of their spirits from God's Spirit.

This is also why they did not see the need for clothing before the fall. To them, they were like their Father, a spiritual being. In their case, because they existed in the natural realm, they were spirits clothed with flesh. The central part of themselves, their spirits, was already covered so clothing was not needed. However, when the enemy convinced them to live by their flesh, they were then compelled to cover that part of themselves with clothing.

 

[Aaron56]

Where in forever will it cease to exist?

It's a limit of our language. The word used for "forever" usually means "until the end of the age", or "as long as the current standards hold true".

 

[Tinkerbell725]

The spirit of God does not need to be born again. It was never created in the first place. His spirit is eternal, without end or beginning. Our souls are not eternal, neither are our bodies.

The soul is eternal. That's why the unbelievers will be tormented in the lake of fire forever, no rest day or night. Rest means to die or to cease to exist.

 

[Magenta]

The soul is eternal.

Scripture attests to the fact that God alone is in immortal.

Immortality is put on through Christ alone.

Nobody is born immortal.

 

[1ofthem]

You are conflating two different events. The first natural realm and the spiritual realm pass away (Revelation 21:1). The lake of fire was contained within the first spiritual realm, as was the first heaven of God (and the other two heavens). The new heaven and earth remain with the Lord and His people forever.

Why would Jesus spend so much time warning about hell and it being eternal, if it was just the end for unbelievers? Why would he go on and on about eternal damnation/punishment?

Was that just a scare tactic? I'd say no. There'd be no point to talk about eternal fire if indeed it was really not eternal.

Sounds like, he was giving a fair warning.

 

[1ofthem]

Wow. Not a single verse in the entire Bible that says all unsaved people go to hell for eternal conscious torment.

First off, let me say, I believe you genuinely study the Word of God to glean the truth from it. I do respect you for that.

But I guess, this topic could be subjective.... All in the way someone looks at it.

I mean, to me when it says people are going to be thrown in the lake of fire that burns forever with the devil, beast and false prophet who will be tormented day and night forever. Sounds like they are going to have part in that, as well.

Some are saying the 2nd death is just ceasing from existence, but I see no evidence of that.

I really find it difficult to understand why Jesus would warn of eternal damnation/punishment, everlasting fire and all of that...if that is not what he meant.

Again, that may be subjective on my part. IDK...but that's where I'm at with it, right now.

Rev. 14: 9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

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.

That verse seems to make it clearly evident. The smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and they have no rest day nor night.
Pretty sure that is going to be forever.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Scripture attests to the fact that God alone is in immortal.

Immortality is put on through Christ alone.

Nobody is born immortal.

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 2:‬2 KJV

Satan and the fallen angels were created as eternal beings. That is why there is a need for an everlasting fire as a place for them in the end. The sinners will also transform like Satan at the second resurrection and will have their place at the lake of fire as mentioned in Revelation.

 

[Aaron56]

Why would Jesus spend so much time warning about hell and it being eternal, if it was just the end for unbelievers? Why would he go on and on about eternal damnation/punishment?

Was that just a scare tactic? I'd say no. There'd be no point to talk about eternal fire if indeed it was really not eternal.

Sounds like, he was giving a fair warning.

Your questions are sincere. But your perceptions Jesus' teachings are not mine.

I see The Lord born under the Law, speaking to a people who thought they were special because of their association with Abraham and their religious piety. We was making it very clear that one had to be spiritually changed in order to be numbered among God's sons. He demonstrated this reality, of being the Son of God, in the way that He lived.

 

[Magenta]

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 2:‬2 KJV

Satan and the fallen angels were created as eternal beings. That is why there is a need for an everlasting fire as a place for them in the end. The sinners will also transform like Satan at the second resurrection and will have their place at the lake of fire as mentioned in Revelation.

I do not see this in Scripture... where is it?