Hell is real!

Hell is not metaphorical, nor does Christ use hyperbole when He speaks of it. It is a real place or condition in which the damned find themselves. Or is Christ not to be believed?

New Testament references to it are mainly Dominical: although few words are spoken on the subject from pulpits today. Whether one considers hell to be a burning lake of sulphur or an eternal separation from God, either ending for a human life is a horrifying concept. Many blame mistranslation of early manuscripts but if only 10% of the following are accurately recorded representations then Hell is indeed a fearful place.

Our God of love does not send us to hell, we go there by choice. If in our lives and wearing the armour of free will given to us by God, we show Him that we do not want Him in our lives and that our desire is for Him to leave us alone, then, sadly, that is exactly what He does.

The references to hell that I have found in the N.T. And there may be more, are laid out as follows and I find them to be disturbing in the extreme:

Matthew 5:29-30 If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

Matthew 18:9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

Matthew 5:29 If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Matthew 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, You good-for-nothing, shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, You fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

Matthew 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.

Matthew 25:46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Mark 9:47-48 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

Revelation 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Matthew 25:31-33 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

Luke 13:24-28 Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, Lord, open up to us! Then He will answer and say to you, I do not know where you are from.

Matthew 13:42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:41 Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

Matthew 23:33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

Revelation 20:13-15 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Matthew 13:47-50 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous.

Hell as a word is taken from Holle *the o has a the double dot accent. . Holle was the goddess of the dead. It has come to be in use in place of sheol the Hebrew and correct name for the place were people sleep until the resurrection.
As for the fiery version most folks have taken to be factual to our Father, it will be th lake of fire specified in the Word.
So to say hell is real, well, it is but the name is sued erroneously.

Just off hand (and I may be wrong) but I don't recall the preaching of 'hell' used in Acts as a means to stir the crowds to a decision for Christ. Correct me if you know.

I regularly read your postings as they are thoughtful and coherent. The word "hell" never appears in the Bible. It is a Roman catholic concept and is used generically for three Greek words:

1. Gehenna. This word stems form the name of the Valley on the south side of Jerusalem where the city's trach was thrown and burned. It also the place where the Canaanites, and later Israel, caused their children to be thrown alive into firs to appease the fire-demon Molech (Leviticus 18:21, 1 Kings 11:7, Jeremiah 32:35, etc.) The Valley is called Hinnom, from which come Gehenna. It has the connotation of non-stop fires that consume that which is of no use to the great City. It is used interchangeably with "perdition", "destruction", "the Lake of Fire" and "the Second Death". Vine tells us that "perdition" does not mean annihilation, but "exquisite lack of well-being" - a CONDITION of a man who is alive. (See Matthew 10:28)
2. Hades. The PLACE of the souls of dead men waiting for resurrection. At death our Lord's BODY was laid on the surface of the earth, his SPIRIT returned to God, and his SOUL went to Hades for three days - in the heart of the earth (Matt.12:40, Eph.4:8-9). Acts 2:26-34 says that Our Lord's SOUL did not stay there but Davi's did. "Hades" means "Unseen". A dead man is naked and unclean. He must remain "unseen" by God till he gets his resurrection body (2nd Cor.5:1-3).
3. Tartaroo. This is a subterranean prison - a PLACE for fallen angels who mixed with human woman. It is mentioned once in scripture 2nd Peter 2:4 and explained in Jude 1:6. It is most probably in the same Abyss as Hades, but it is a prison for "SPIRITS" - not "SOULS".

That both Hades (a Place) and physical death (a condition) are thrown into the Lake of Fire (a condition) creates a problem if taken literally. But if taken metaphorically, as "the Lake of Fire" is a metaphor, the difficulty disappears. When the last man is raised from physical death at the White Throne, it is not the place Hades, nor the condition of physical death that needs to be chastised in the Lake of Fire - but what they stand for - discomfort. In Luke 16 Lazarus was "comforted" in Abraham's bosom. It cannot mean that his physical condition was comforted for he was separated from his body in Hades. And the rich man was not yet judged. His "torment" must have been being torn asunder in death. The word torment means "brought low".

Gehenna is a CONDITION, Hades is a PLACE, Tartaroo is a PLACE and "HELL" is a Roman concept.

..The word "hell" never appears in the Bible. It is a Roman catholic concept...

That both Hades (a Place) and physical death (a condition) are thrown into the Lake of Fire (a condition) creates a problem if taken literally. But if taken metaphorically, as "the Lake of Fire" is a metaphor, the difficulty disappears. When the last man is raised from physical death at the White Throne, it is not the place Hades, nor the condition of physical death that needs to be chastised in the Lake of Fire - but what they stand for - discomfort.... Gehenna is a CONDITION, Hades is a PLACE, Tartaroo is a PLACE and "HELL" is a Roman concept.

One of my best friends who is Christian was focused on hell for a time being. I think she had some dreams on hell and a deep sense of demonic spirits in her presence. For instance, she doesn't like dolls with eyes in her home because she had seen some Youtube videos that said that demonic spirits live in them, and that the demonic spirits can see your activity through the eyes. She did not like a Venetian mask ornament that I had for this reason. She wanted me to watch Youtube videos on people going to hell and coming back, videos which had a lot of scary imagery (which I didn't). I did wonder if her focus on hell was self-caused (watching Youtube videos and listening to testimonies online, etc.) rather than revealed through God.

Hell’s hot and still has room...

Somewhere between here and there is truth.
So was the man in torment asking for some metaphorical water because he was suffering from metaphorical thirst?
IMO There are multiple places, lets not forget outer darkness.

Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD - sos 8:6

As i see it that's hell, right there.. Being a thing of spiritual darkness forever before the light and fire that is God. That same fire that is love and joy to one is hell to another.

I also think there is justice, for some nearness to God, for others not so much, for some a place far away in darkness, for some right up in the face of jealousy fire. It is always justice with God and all graduated based on what ones works in or against Christ deserve.
Thankfully hell is voluntary and optional.

Maybe it is empty.

Both statements are false. The word "hell" appears 54 times in the PROTESTANT King James Bible. Let's not blame Roman Catholics unnecessarily.

It is a translation for Gehenna -- the Lake of Fire -- but a mistranslation for Sheol, Hades, and Tartarus (in the KJV)

From all this stated above, you are either (1) thoroughly confused, (2) ignorant of the biblical doctrine of eternal Hell (the Lake of Fire), or (3) bound and determined to promote false teachings.

1. Hell -- Gehenna -- also called the Lake of Fire is a LITERAL Lake of Fire and brimstone created for the devil and his angels (as taught by no less than Christ).

2. When the Bible says that "death and Hades" were cast into the Lake of Fire (which is the Second Death), we need to carefully understand what is being said. Death and Hades are PERSONIFIED twice in Revelation (Rev:6:8 and Rev 20:14).

"Death" here means physical death of men on earth, and when it is metaphorically cast into the Lake of Fire, it means the end of death on earth (prior to the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth).

Sheol/Hades was the place of the departed souls and spirits of those who died. Ever since the resurrection of Christ, only the unsaved dead went to Hades. But after the Great White Throne Judgment, since there will be no more death on earth, there will be no more need for Hades. Hence Hades is ALSO metaphorically cast into the Lake of Fire.

But Gehenna is very real, very terrible, and indeed a place for all those separated from God eternally in outer darkness [including the devil and his angels, and the Beast (the Antichrist) and his False Prophet]. Where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the smoke of their torment arises continually. Where their worm dieth not, neither is the fire quenched.

And hell is not merely a Roman Catholic concept. That is Purgatory (which is not even mentioned in the Bible).

Both statements are false. The word "hell" appears 54 times in the PROTESTANT King James Bible. Let's not blame Roman Catholics unnecessarily.

It is a translation for Gehenna -- the Lake of Fire -- but a mistranslation for Sheol, Hades, and Tartarus (in the KJV)

From all this stated above, you are either (1) thoroughly confused, (2) ignorant of the biblical doctrine of eternal Hell (the Lake of Fire), or (3) bound and determined to promote false teachings.

1. Hell -- Gehenna -- also called the Lake of Fire is a LITERAL Lake of Fire and brimstone created for the devil and his angels (as taught by no less than Christ).

2. When the Bible says that "death and Hades" were cast into the Lake of Fire (which is the Second Death), we need to carefully understand what is being said. Death and Hades are PERSONIFIED twice in Revelation (Rev:6:8 and Rev 20:14).

"Death" here means physical death of men on earth, and when it is metaphorically cast into the Lake of Fire, it means the end of death on earth (prior to the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth).

Sheol/Hades was the place of the departed souls and spirits of those who died. Ever since the resurrection of Christ, only the unsaved dead went to Hades. But after the Great White Throne Judgment, since there will be no more death on earth, there will be no more need for Hades. Hence Hades is ALSO metaphorically cast into the Lake of Fire.

But Gehenna is very real, very terrible, and indeed a place for all those separated from God eternally in outer darkness [including the devil and his angels, and the Beast (the Antichrist) and his False Prophet]. Where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the smoke of their torment arises continually. Where their worm dieth not, neither is the fire quenched.

And hell is not merely a Roman Catholic concept. That is Purgatory (which is not even mentioned in the Bible).

Ever since the resurrection of Christ, only the unsaved dead went to Hades.

Going to hell was not an issue with me before I got saved . And I didn't care about heaven .

It's all rather simple. You get a good Concordance (I use Strong's) and perhaps Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Take ten minutes, and you'll probably agree with me.

To your question; Hades is the place of the SOULS of men. The "thirst" of the soul is real. I don't think David's thirst for God was metaphorical. Ever thirsted for company, or felt dry in your soul after a rejection?

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (Psalm 63:1)