Hell........ just the GRAVE or ETERNAL FIRE?

TheRecordCollector

"Reasoning from the Scriptures" book pg 170,
article: "Does anyone ever get out of the Bible hell"
It quotes Rev: 20: 13 - 14a (KJ)
(I have included verse 12 for context)
The "reasoning" book only uses verses 13 - 14a

(12) "And I saw the dead, both small and great, stand before God;
and the books were opened: and another book was opened
which is the BOOK OF LIFE: and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books,
according to their works."

(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."

(14) "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death."

Now, THAT sounds like hell will be EMPTY when it is cast into the lake of fire.
But then the END of that verse, it says,
"and this is the second death."

Verse 15 says: "And WHOSOEVER was not found written in
the book of life (see v.12) was cast INTO the LAKE OF FIRE."

"WHOSOEVER" would indicate that they had a choice.

What about this? Who are the people (whosoever) who are cast into the lake of fire?
It can't be speaking of Satan and his demons,
because they can never be in the book of life in the first place.
Their fate is sealed.
We have to go back to Verse 12. These are "the dead both small and great"

And what about this?
Matt:13:40-42:
(40)"As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire;
so shall it be in the end of this world.
(41)The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
AND them which do inequity;
(42)And shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth."

And this too:
Matthew: 25: 41:
"Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, depart from
me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING FIRE, prepared for the devil and his angels"
(so apparantly, it is not ONLY the devil and his angels are going here. Who else could it be?)

Matthew: 25: 46:
"And these shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT:
but the RIGHTEOUS into life eternal."
This is speaking or righteous and unrighteous PEOPLE is it not?

Yes, I know about what Job said and what David said, but what about this?

Yerusalyim

Eternal reward = heaven

Eternal punishment = absence from the presence of God.

YERUSALYIM
"Vanity! It's my favorite sin!"
[Al Pacino as Satan, in "DEVIL'S ADVOCATE"]

simwitness

Eternal Reward - No longer worrying about eternal punishment.

Eternal Punishment - Always worrying about an eternal reward.

Peace in your heart, priceless.

I like the way Thomas Paine said it best:

"I consider myself in the hands of my Creator, and that he will dispose of me after this life consistently with His justice and goodness. I leave all these matters to Him, as my Creator and friend, and I hold it to be presumption in man to make an article of faith as to what the Creator will do with us hereafter."

Denz

This is a subject I have given some thought to. I have read the verses you cite, as well as others. Some seem to support the concept of eternal punishment, while others give me the impression of the grave being the end. I had a thought about this matter one day I would like to share. If a person kills someone, it only takes a second or so to acomplish this, yet he could spend the rest of his life in jail for it. He could spend the rest of his life paying for something that only took seconds of time! SO, how much more punishment should someone expect for a whole life of rejecting Christ as their savior? Its an interesting question to ponder in that light.

simplesally

I did secular research on Gehenna long before I came into the "truth" and found out that it was a garbage dump in the Valley and they did have sulphur and brimstone out there.

So, no, I don't believe in a literal place of torment, although I would like to place a few people in there.

concerned mama

I don't believe in Hell or eternal damnation or anything like that.

I have always thought that to discipline or punish an evildoer, perhaps the best thing would be to give them a conscience and an awareness of the harm they have caused. Then, forgive them and give them peace.

Hopefully if there is a God, he/she is better than us, not meaner than us.