juantoo3
....whys guy.... ʎʇıɹoɥʇnɐ uoıʇsǝnb
Yes. Your soul belongs to G-d, it isn't yours to sell.
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I would like to expound on these quotes and shed some light here if I may.
I think reading the written word of God should cause people to consider hell... If the bible says there is a hell... there must be a hell. THe thing though is that hell was created for satan and his comrades..not humans and God desires that ALL be saved from that but if one chooses to deny Christ.. they are spitting in the face of the Father and He will not allow those in His kingdom.
Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
According to the bible the whole thing is answered simply with "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Or.. "I AM the way the truth and the life noone comes to the Father but by Me." We cannot apply scripture.. Him interceding for you.. if you dont accept Him as your Lord and Savior.. You dont get your cake and get to eat it also!
The bible says Noone can keep the ten commandments.
"James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." Anyone outside of Christ Jesus is held to the law of Moses.. Being IN Christ you are in the state of Grace with only the law He gave us which is to love the Lord thy God with all of our being and to love each other as He has loved us.
I would say that Christianity is not a meal additive to make your life taste better.
In fact, Jesus told us that we will suffer trials and tribulations and we will be hated for His names sake. Its not a sudden cure all for all lifes troubles.. Being a Christian is bittersweet because even though you have Jesus at your side you also have a target on your back that says CHRISTIAN.. with the enemy shooting arrows at you day and night. satan wants us to fail and will try without ceasing to tempt us into sin and away from the fellowship of God. Even though once saved always saved you can leave that fellowship by being in sin.
The bible tell us that church is not a place its the body of believers. This is a common misconception and one of satans biggest lies.
You are so right though. Jesus will forgive anyone if they repent and He will come into your heart if you ask Him. But the two are the same you have to receive Christ in order to be forgiven. You are also so very right about faith. Its faith that Jesus was born and He died for the sins of this world and He rose from the dead and lives now. The object of our Faith is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I think reading the written word of God should cause people to consider hell... If the bible says there is a hell... there must be a hell. THe thing though is that hell was created for satan and his comrades..not humans and God desires that ALL be saved from that but if one chooses to deny Christ.. they are spitting in the face of the Father and He will not allow those in His kingdom.
Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
According to the bible the whole thing is answered simply with "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Or.. "I AM the way the truth and the life noone comes to the Father but by Me." We cannot apply scripture.. Him interceding for you.. if you dont accept Him as your Lord and Savior.. You dont get your cake and get to eat it also!
The bible says Noone can keep the ten commandments.
"James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." Anyone outside of Christ Jesus is held to the law of Moses.. Being IN Christ you are in the state of Grace with only the law He gave us which is to love the Lord thy God with all of our being and to love each other as He has loved us. I would say that Christianity is not a meal additive to make your life taste better.
In fact, Jesus told us that we will suffer trials and tribulations and we will be hated for His names sake. Its not a sudden cure all for all lifes troubles.. Being a Christian is bittersweet because even though you have Jesus at your side you also have a target on your back that says CHRISTIAN.. with the enemy shooting arrows at you day and night. satan wants us to fail and will try without ceasing to tempt us into sin and away from the fellowship of God. Even though once saved always saved you can leave that fellowship by being in sin. The bible tell us that church is not a place its the body of believers. This is a common misconception and one of satans biggest lies.
You are so right though. Jesus will forgive anyone if they repent and He will come into your heart if you ask Him. But the two are the same you have to receive Christ in order to be forgiven. You are also so very right about faith. Its faith that Jesus was born and He died for the sins of this world and He rose from the dead and lives now. The object of our Faith is the Lord Jesus Christ.
S
shadowman
Guest
Topic: Jehovah`s Witness
Expert: Brenda Martin
Date: 5/12/2006
Subject: Verses on Hell
Question
Verses on Hell...
Matthew 5: 29&30
Matthew 10: 28
Matthew 16: 18
Matthew 23: 33
Mark 9: 43, 45&47
Luke 12: 5
Revelation 1: 18
Even in the New World Translation, Jesus seems to be convinced of the existence of Hell. He mentions it, Himself, in all the verses above, not in parables or as metaphors, but as an actual place that waits for those that do not believe in Him. Why do the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that there is no Hell when their Bible (The New World Translation) clearly teaches otherwise?
Side note: Nowhere does the Bible state that these verses are to be taken as anything but fact.
Get the answer below
Answer
Okay let's look at these scriptures one by one --
MATTHEW 5: 29&30
The name (GEHENNA) appears 12 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and whereas many translators take the liberty to render it by the word “hell,” a number of modern translations transliterate the word from the Greek ge´en•na.—Mt 5:22, Ro, Mo, ED, NW, BC (Spanish), NC (Spanish), also the footnotes of Da and RS.
***“Much confusion and misunderstanding has been caused through the early translators of the Bible persistently rendering the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades and Gehenna by the word hell…”—The Encyclopedia Americana (1942), Vol. XIV, p. 81.
Symbolic of Complete Destruction--. It is evident that Jesus used Gehenna as representative of utter destruction resulting from adverse judgment by God, hence with no resurrection to life as a soul being possible. (Mt 10:28; Lu 12:4, 5) The scribes and Pharisees as a wicked class were denounced as ‘subjects for Gehenna.' (Mt 23:13-15, 33) To avoid such destruction, Jesus' followers were to get rid of anything causing spiritual stumbling, the ‘cutting off of a hand or foot' and the ‘tearing out of an eye' figuratively representing their deadening of these body members with reference to sin.—Mt 18:9; Mr 9:43-47; Col 3:5; compare Mt 5:27-30.
No Symbol of Everlasting Torment.-- Jesus Christ associated fire with Gehenna (Mt 5:22; 18:9; Mr 9:47, 48), as did the disciple James, the only Biblical writer besides Matthew, Mark, and Luke to use the word. (Jas 3:6) Some commentators endeavor to link such fiery characteristic of Gehenna with the burning of human sacrifices that was carried on prior to Josiah's reign and, on this basis, hold that Gehenna was used by Jesus as a symbol of everlasting torment.
However, since Jehovah God expressed repugnance for such practice, saying that it was “a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart” (Jer 7:31; 32:35), it seems most unlikely that God's Son, in discussing divine judgment, would make such idolatrous practice the basis for the symbolic meaning of Gehenna.
MATTHEW 10: 28
Jesus warned his hearers to “be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” What does it mean? Notice that there is no mention here of torment in the fires of Gehenna; rather, he says to ‘fear him that can destroy in Gehenna.' By referring to the “soul” separately, Jesus here emphasizes that God can destroy all of a person's life prospects; thus there is no hope of resurrection for him. So, the references to the ‘fiery Gehenna' have the same meaning as ‘the lake of fire' of Revelation 21:8, namely, destruction, “second death.”
MATTHEW 16: 18
Now the word used here is HADES--When a person died he was referred to as having entered “the gates of death.” (Ps 9:13; 107:18) He went into the common grave for mankind and so entered the gates of Sheol-Hades. (Isa 38:10; Mt 16:18) Since Jesus Christ has the keys of death and of Hades (Re 1:18), his congregation has had the assurance that death and Hades would not hold them forever in bondage. The apostle Paul showed that all of these die, going into death and Hades, as did Christ whom God loosed from the pangs of death and did not leave in Hades. (Ac 2:24, 31) Because of the resurrection, death and Hades do not have final victory over Christ's congregation.—1Co 15:29, 36-38, 54-57.
HADES is not the same word as GEHENNA ,two entirely different words and meanings.
Sheol (Hebrew) & Hades (Greek) are translated into English by the word; Hell, sheol and hades mean the “common grave” in every bible. Gehenna on the other hand is NOT translated from Sheol or hades, it is translated from the Greek word (Geenna)
MATTHEW 23: 33
To his opposers, the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus said: “How are you to flee from the judgment of Gehenna [a symbol of everlasting destruction]?” (Mt 23:33.) His words indicate that these persons, if they did not take action to turn to God before their death, would have a final adverse judgment entered against them. If so, a resurrection would accomplish nothing for them.
MARK 9: 43, 45&47
In Bible times the most thorough means of destruction in use was fire. (Jos 6:24; De 13:16) Hence Jesus at times used the term “fire” in an illustrative way to denote the complete destruction of the wicked. (Mt 13:40-42, 49, 50; compare Isa 66:24; Mt 25:41.) On one occasion Jesus warned his disciples against letting their hand, foot, or eye stumble them so that they would be pitched into Gehenna. Then he went on to say: “Everyone must be salted with fire.” He must have meant that “everyone” who did what he had just warned against would be salted with the “fire” of Gehenna, or eternal destruction.—Mr 9:43-49;
LUKE 12: 5
The Biblical use of Gehenna as a SYMBOL corresponds to that of “the lake of fire” in the book of Revelation.—Re 20:14, 15;
REVELATION 1: 18
All who are to be associated with Christ in his heavenly Kingdom must eventually die. But they well know the assurance that he gave when he said: “I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” (Revelation 1:18) What did he mean? He was calling attention to his own experience. He too had died. But God did not leave him in Hades (THE GRAVE). On the third day, Jehovah personally raised him to spirit life and conferred immortality upon him. (Acts 2:32, 33; 10:40) In addition, God gave him “the keys of death and of Hades” to use in releasing others from mankind's common GRAVE and from the effects of Adamic sin.
Because he possesses those keys, Jesus is able to raise his faithful followers from the dead. He resurrects the spirit-anointed members of his congregation first, giving them the precious gift of immortal life in heaven, just as his Father gave him.—Romans 6:5; Philippians 3:20, 21.
JESUS CONVINCED OF THE EXISTENCE OF HELL, AS AN ACTUAL PLACE THAT WAITS FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT BELIEVE IN HIM.
Jesus used the word GEHENNA to symbolize complete destruction, or death with no hope of a resurrection, burning people forever and ever is not something a loving God would dream of and niether would his son.
The word HELL (SHEOL HADES) on the other hand is nothing more than the common grave.
WHY DO THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO HELL
We believe in Hell according to what the bible says hell is;” the common grave”. We do not believe the wicked are tortured endlessly in a hellfire because it is not scriptural, nor in accordance with God's personality.
NOWHERE DOES THE BIBLE STATE THAT THESE VERSES ARE TO BE TAKEN AS ANYTHING BUT FACT.
Do you seriously believe a loving God (1 JOHN 4;8) would torture people forever and ever?? The bible teaches this regarding HELL—
1. The dead cannot experience pain (Ecc 9;5,10)
2. The soul does not survive the death of the body.(Ezk 18;4)
3. Upright people also go to Hell. (Job 14;13)
4. People get out of Hell.(rev 20;13,14)
5. The word “torment” means “Jailer”(matthew 18;34)
6. The word Gehenna is not the same word as Hell and is used symbolically.
7. We are not subject to punishment AFTER death. (Romans 6;7)
8. Eternal torment is not compatible with God's personality. (Jer.7;31)
What is the origin of the teaching of hellfire?
In ancient Babylonian and Assyrian beliefs the “nether world . . . is pictured as a place full of horrors, and is presided over by gods and demons of great strength and fierceness.” (The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, Boston, 1898, Morris Jastrow, Jr., p. 581) Early evidence of the fiery aspect of Christendom's hell is found in the religion of ancient Egypt. (The Book of the Dead, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1960, with introduction by E. A. Wallis Budge, pp. 144, 149, 151, 153, 161) Buddhism, which dates back to the 6th century B.C.E., in time came to feature both hot and cold hells. (The Encyclopedia Americana, 1977, Vol. 14, p. 68) Depictions of hell portrayed in Catholic churches in Italy have been traced to Etruscan roots.—La civiltà etrusca (Milan, 1979), Werner Keller, p. 389.
But the real roots of this God-dishonoring doctrine go much deeper. The fiendish concepts associated with a hell of torment slander God and originate with the chief slanderer of God (the Devil, which name means “Slanderer”), the one whom Jesus Christ called “the father of the lie.”—John 8:44.
Expert: Brenda Martin
Date: 5/12/2006
Subject: Verses on Hell
Question
Verses on Hell...
Matthew 5: 29&30
Matthew 10: 28
Matthew 16: 18
Matthew 23: 33
Mark 9: 43, 45&47
Luke 12: 5
Revelation 1: 18
Even in the New World Translation, Jesus seems to be convinced of the existence of Hell. He mentions it, Himself, in all the verses above, not in parables or as metaphors, but as an actual place that waits for those that do not believe in Him. Why do the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that there is no Hell when their Bible (The New World Translation) clearly teaches otherwise?
Side note: Nowhere does the Bible state that these verses are to be taken as anything but fact.
Get the answer below
Answer
Okay let's look at these scriptures one by one --
MATTHEW 5: 29&30
The name (GEHENNA) appears 12 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and whereas many translators take the liberty to render it by the word “hell,” a number of modern translations transliterate the word from the Greek ge´en•na.—Mt 5:22, Ro, Mo, ED, NW, BC (Spanish), NC (Spanish), also the footnotes of Da and RS.
***“Much confusion and misunderstanding has been caused through the early translators of the Bible persistently rendering the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades and Gehenna by the word hell…”—The Encyclopedia Americana (1942), Vol. XIV, p. 81.
Symbolic of Complete Destruction--. It is evident that Jesus used Gehenna as representative of utter destruction resulting from adverse judgment by God, hence with no resurrection to life as a soul being possible. (Mt 10:28; Lu 12:4, 5) The scribes and Pharisees as a wicked class were denounced as ‘subjects for Gehenna.' (Mt 23:13-15, 33) To avoid such destruction, Jesus' followers were to get rid of anything causing spiritual stumbling, the ‘cutting off of a hand or foot' and the ‘tearing out of an eye' figuratively representing their deadening of these body members with reference to sin.—Mt 18:9; Mr 9:43-47; Col 3:5; compare Mt 5:27-30.
No Symbol of Everlasting Torment.-- Jesus Christ associated fire with Gehenna (Mt 5:22; 18:9; Mr 9:47, 48), as did the disciple James, the only Biblical writer besides Matthew, Mark, and Luke to use the word. (Jas 3:6) Some commentators endeavor to link such fiery characteristic of Gehenna with the burning of human sacrifices that was carried on prior to Josiah's reign and, on this basis, hold that Gehenna was used by Jesus as a symbol of everlasting torment.
However, since Jehovah God expressed repugnance for such practice, saying that it was “a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart” (Jer 7:31; 32:35), it seems most unlikely that God's Son, in discussing divine judgment, would make such idolatrous practice the basis for the symbolic meaning of Gehenna.
MATTHEW 10: 28
Jesus warned his hearers to “be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” What does it mean? Notice that there is no mention here of torment in the fires of Gehenna; rather, he says to ‘fear him that can destroy in Gehenna.' By referring to the “soul” separately, Jesus here emphasizes that God can destroy all of a person's life prospects; thus there is no hope of resurrection for him. So, the references to the ‘fiery Gehenna' have the same meaning as ‘the lake of fire' of Revelation 21:8, namely, destruction, “second death.”
MATTHEW 16: 18
Now the word used here is HADES--When a person died he was referred to as having entered “the gates of death.” (Ps 9:13; 107:18) He went into the common grave for mankind and so entered the gates of Sheol-Hades. (Isa 38:10; Mt 16:18) Since Jesus Christ has the keys of death and of Hades (Re 1:18), his congregation has had the assurance that death and Hades would not hold them forever in bondage. The apostle Paul showed that all of these die, going into death and Hades, as did Christ whom God loosed from the pangs of death and did not leave in Hades. (Ac 2:24, 31) Because of the resurrection, death and Hades do not have final victory over Christ's congregation.—1Co 15:29, 36-38, 54-57.
HADES is not the same word as GEHENNA ,two entirely different words and meanings.
Sheol (Hebrew) & Hades (Greek) are translated into English by the word; Hell, sheol and hades mean the “common grave” in every bible. Gehenna on the other hand is NOT translated from Sheol or hades, it is translated from the Greek word (Geenna)
MATTHEW 23: 33
To his opposers, the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus said: “How are you to flee from the judgment of Gehenna [a symbol of everlasting destruction]?” (Mt 23:33.) His words indicate that these persons, if they did not take action to turn to God before their death, would have a final adverse judgment entered against them. If so, a resurrection would accomplish nothing for them.
MARK 9: 43, 45&47
In Bible times the most thorough means of destruction in use was fire. (Jos 6:24; De 13:16) Hence Jesus at times used the term “fire” in an illustrative way to denote the complete destruction of the wicked. (Mt 13:40-42, 49, 50; compare Isa 66:24; Mt 25:41.) On one occasion Jesus warned his disciples against letting their hand, foot, or eye stumble them so that they would be pitched into Gehenna. Then he went on to say: “Everyone must be salted with fire.” He must have meant that “everyone” who did what he had just warned against would be salted with the “fire” of Gehenna, or eternal destruction.—Mr 9:43-49;
LUKE 12: 5
The Biblical use of Gehenna as a SYMBOL corresponds to that of “the lake of fire” in the book of Revelation.—Re 20:14, 15;
REVELATION 1: 18
All who are to be associated with Christ in his heavenly Kingdom must eventually die. But they well know the assurance that he gave when he said: “I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” (Revelation 1:18) What did he mean? He was calling attention to his own experience. He too had died. But God did not leave him in Hades (THE GRAVE). On the third day, Jehovah personally raised him to spirit life and conferred immortality upon him. (Acts 2:32, 33; 10:40) In addition, God gave him “the keys of death and of Hades” to use in releasing others from mankind's common GRAVE and from the effects of Adamic sin.
Because he possesses those keys, Jesus is able to raise his faithful followers from the dead. He resurrects the spirit-anointed members of his congregation first, giving them the precious gift of immortal life in heaven, just as his Father gave him.—Romans 6:5; Philippians 3:20, 21.
JESUS CONVINCED OF THE EXISTENCE OF HELL, AS AN ACTUAL PLACE THAT WAITS FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT BELIEVE IN HIM.
Jesus used the word GEHENNA to symbolize complete destruction, or death with no hope of a resurrection, burning people forever and ever is not something a loving God would dream of and niether would his son.
The word HELL (SHEOL HADES) on the other hand is nothing more than the common grave.
WHY DO THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO HELL
We believe in Hell according to what the bible says hell is;” the common grave”. We do not believe the wicked are tortured endlessly in a hellfire because it is not scriptural, nor in accordance with God's personality.
NOWHERE DOES THE BIBLE STATE THAT THESE VERSES ARE TO BE TAKEN AS ANYTHING BUT FACT.
Do you seriously believe a loving God (1 JOHN 4;8) would torture people forever and ever?? The bible teaches this regarding HELL—
1. The dead cannot experience pain (Ecc 9;5,10)
2. The soul does not survive the death of the body.(Ezk 18;4)
3. Upright people also go to Hell. (Job 14;13)
4. People get out of Hell.(rev 20;13,14)
5. The word “torment” means “Jailer”(matthew 18;34)
6. The word Gehenna is not the same word as Hell and is used symbolically.
7. We are not subject to punishment AFTER death. (Romans 6;7)
8. Eternal torment is not compatible with God's personality. (Jer.7;31)
What is the origin of the teaching of hellfire?
In ancient Babylonian and Assyrian beliefs the “nether world . . . is pictured as a place full of horrors, and is presided over by gods and demons of great strength and fierceness.” (The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, Boston, 1898, Morris Jastrow, Jr., p. 581) Early evidence of the fiery aspect of Christendom's hell is found in the religion of ancient Egypt. (The Book of the Dead, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1960, with introduction by E. A. Wallis Budge, pp. 144, 149, 151, 153, 161) Buddhism, which dates back to the 6th century B.C.E., in time came to feature both hot and cold hells. (The Encyclopedia Americana, 1977, Vol. 14, p. 68) Depictions of hell portrayed in Catholic churches in Italy have been traced to Etruscan roots.—La civiltà etrusca (Milan, 1979), Werner Keller, p. 389.
But the real roots of this God-dishonoring doctrine go much deeper. The fiendish concepts associated with a hell of torment slander God and originate with the chief slanderer of God (the Devil, which name means “Slanderer”), the one whom Jesus Christ called “the father of the lie.”—John 8:44.
Last edited by a moderator:
S
shadowman
Guest
HELL!
'To him was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit ...
and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;
and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke ..
The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever;
and they have no rest day nor night."
Revelation 9:1, 2; 14:11
and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;
and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke ..
The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever;
and they have no rest day nor night."
Revelation 9:1, 2; 14:11
by Diane S. Dew ©1990
Since the beginning of time, man has been fascinated with thoughts of the afterlife. This curiosity is reflected in the literature of virtually every culture.
Just recently, the cover story of a national newsmagazine examined Americans' belief in the netherworld.1 According to a survey published in the Mar. 25, 1991 issue of U.S. News & World Report, 3 out of 5 Americans now believe in Hades (up 4 percent from 1965). Of those surveyed, however, only 4 percent feel they themselves have a good chance of going there. [A January 31, 2000 story in the same publication indicates these figures have not changed much.]
While 60 percent of Americans believe in the existence of hell, their ideas of the place vary considerably. Nevertheless, and probably as a deterrent, God has revealed more to us in Scripture on the topic of hell, than is even said of heaven.
The Bible is very descriptive of the intense pain (Rev. 16;10) and torment2 (Luke 16:23-28; Rev. 14;10, 11) experienced by the ungodly after death. Hell is not a mere psychological or emotional distress, a some would suggest, but actual physical agony.3
Some would suppose that these descriptions are merely symbolic in meaning. Such rationalization might be reasonable in the Book of Revelation, which is clearly metaphorical. However, in the gospel accounts, and elsewhere in Scripture, this is not so. When Jesus spoke figuratively i.e., in parables, he said so. All of his parabolic stories were prefaced with phrases such as, "Hear then the parable..."
In Luke's account of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus did not preface his story with such a statement; hence, it would be mere supposition to state that he spoke metaphorically. When Jesus taught, his purpose was to instruct and clarify, not confuse.
It should be pointed out that the original languages in which the Scriptures were written utilized several words in reference to the abode of the dead. The Hebrew sheol4 referred to the place of the dead. Its New Testament counterpart is Hades5, sometimes translated "Hell" (speaking of punishment) or "grave" (when referring to the souls of the righteous). It is also used to define the place where the soul resides between death and resurrection. (Luke 16:19-31)
Gehenna is the place of torment6 usually spoken of as "hell" in common usage today. The Greek tartarus (2 Pet. 2:4) is thought by many to refer to the nether world.
At times, sheol is translated "grave,"7 or "pit."8 Translations can vary on the rendering of the word, but marginal helps can clarify any confusion that might arise.
The doctrine of eternal punishment has been challenged and perverted by many. It is one of the primary doctrines distorted (or denied) by the cults. Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and Christadelphians, for example, teach a complete annihilation of the wicked and deny and consciousness after death.9 (This is sometimes referred to as "soul sleep.") Christian Science and Unitarianism reject entirely the doctrine of final judgment. In every modification of the doctrine, hell is never depicted as more severe than Scripture portray it. Attempts to soothe (unrepentant) sinners' fears, and increase membership, offer only a false sense of security.
False prophets tell people what they want to hear. (Jer. 23:13-17, 21, 22) Without a sincere love for the Truth, they deceive others as well as themselves (2 Tim. 3:13). They pervert the Scripture, and "twist" the scriptures "to their own destruction" (2 Pet. 3:16). Popularity, however, has never been a test for truth. In fact, Jesus said that we should beware "when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."10 If they hated and persecuted him, he said, they will do the same to us.11 Daniel was thrown to the lions.12 Jeremiah was cast into a pit.13 Amos was told to leave town.14 John was beheaded.15 Paul was imprisoned.16 Stephen was stoned.17 Jesus was crucified.
"They will put you out of the synagogues," Jesus said, adding that "the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God." (Jn. 16:2) They love darkness (willful ignorance), rather than light (truth, which exposes sin and error). (Jn. 3:19)
As humans, the tendency always exists to want to bring down to the level of our own understanding, spiritual things. Since the beginning of history, it has been so. However, spiritual things cannot be perceived by the natural mind; they must be spiritually understood. (1 Cor. 2:13, 14) That is why Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit -- to "teach you all things." (Jn. 14;26)
What will hell really be like?
First of all, it will be total separation from God (Mat. 25:41; 2 Thes. 1:9) It will be a place of misery and pain,18 where only the wicked will reside.19 And it will be eternal.20 There will be no escape, "No Exit."
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, hell was described as a place of fire and burning.21 This "bottomless pit"22 is a "great furnace"23 in "outer darkness" (Mat. 8:12; 22:13), covered with a "mist of blackness (or, darkness)" (2 Pet. 2:17; Jude 13). "There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Mat. 18:41, 42; Luke 13:28)
The question often arises, How could a loving God commit his creation to such a horrible place of punishment? This question has given way to all kinds of perverted interpretations of Scripture. First of all, it must be pointed out that God is not only loving; he is just. And he is holy. The fact is, "all have sinned" and, therefore, deserve punishment -- apart form Jesus Christ. It was by our own choice that we failed to keep his commandments. The Father has gone out of his way to show us the Truth -- through creation (Rom. 1), in His Word, and by His Son.
God sends no one to hell; anyone who goes there, goes by choice. God is merciful. But he is also just. "Behold therefore the goodness and the severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness..." (Rom. 11:22)
S
shadowman
Guest
juantoo3
....whys guy.... ʎʇıɹoɥʇnɐ uoıʇsǝnb
Kindest Regards, Faithfulservant!
Great post!
Especially here, in those things I highlighted.
Great post!
Especially here, in those things I highlighted.
juantoo3
....whys guy.... ʎʇıɹoɥʇnɐ uoıʇsǝnb
Kindest Regards, shadowman!
First, I've got to put on my moderator cap for just a moment, we have to be careful quoting other's writings. I see you have given due credit, and that is the right way to do it. But we don't want to be quoting lengthy pieces, it can cause legal issues. You might want to consider just quoting those points that help you say what you want to say. I took the liberty of cleaning up one of your posts a little, as it was it was hard to read. Moderator cap off.
Now, first I am not a Jehovah's Witness. Second, there are a few threads on this site that address the issue of hell, that cover most of the points you brought to light and then some. Third, I did a little looking into the linguistics some years ago, and through what I learned I contributed to the threads I mentioned.
So; yes Sheol in the Hebrew of the Old Testament and Hades in the Greek of the New Testament are the grave, a hole in the ground, earth. Yes, Gehenna was a place outside of Jerusalem still in use in Jesus' day as a place where garbage was burned and the smoke "ascended forever," and sometimes the bodies of executed criminals were thrown in. The third word translated hell in the KJV New Testament is Tartaros, a place where the fallen angels are held in chains. While Job and Solomon both mention hell, and that even the righteous go there, there are a couple of things to consider: Solomon was speaking of the fleshly man, not the soul. And while Job may have been speaking of the souls of the righteous also in hell, don't forget Jesus went into hell and brought back the souls of the righteous with Him! That is an important part of the triumph of the Resurrection! These souls were witnessed by many, as recorded in the Bible. It is by Jesus' resurrection that we have faith in heaven, and not only hell.
I could go on about how the devil as we tend to picture him now, in red long-handled underwear brandishing a pitchfork, is an invention out of Dante's Inferno around 1300 AD. The devil of the Old Testament is no more than the adversary, the accuser. There is more, but this is sufficient for now.
First, I've got to put on my moderator cap for just a moment, we have to be careful quoting other's writings. I see you have given due credit, and that is the right way to do it. But we don't want to be quoting lengthy pieces, it can cause legal issues. You might want to consider just quoting those points that help you say what you want to say. I took the liberty of cleaning up one of your posts a little, as it was it was hard to read. Moderator cap off.
Now, first I am not a Jehovah's Witness. Second, there are a few threads on this site that address the issue of hell, that cover most of the points you brought to light and then some. Third, I did a little looking into the linguistics some years ago, and through what I learned I contributed to the threads I mentioned.
So; yes Sheol in the Hebrew of the Old Testament and Hades in the Greek of the New Testament are the grave, a hole in the ground, earth. Yes, Gehenna was a place outside of Jerusalem still in use in Jesus' day as a place where garbage was burned and the smoke "ascended forever," and sometimes the bodies of executed criminals were thrown in. The third word translated hell in the KJV New Testament is Tartaros, a place where the fallen angels are held in chains. While Job and Solomon both mention hell, and that even the righteous go there, there are a couple of things to consider: Solomon was speaking of the fleshly man, not the soul. And while Job may have been speaking of the souls of the righteous also in hell, don't forget Jesus went into hell and brought back the souls of the righteous with Him! That is an important part of the triumph of the Resurrection! These souls were witnessed by many, as recorded in the Bible. It is by Jesus' resurrection that we have faith in heaven, and not only hell.
I could go on about how the devil as we tend to picture him now, in red long-handled underwear brandishing a pitchfork, is an invention out of Dante's Inferno around 1300 AD. The devil of the Old Testament is no more than the adversary, the accuser. There is more, but this is sufficient for now.