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| Metaphor | 46% | 1010 votes | Total: 2202 votes | |
| Real | 54% | 1192 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThe comment that springs to mind is that Hell is not a real place in the sense that Paris is a real place, (despite similarities), but that it is a very real experience. If, as has been said, perception is truth, then for those undergoing the experience, it is as real as a coronary and far less fun! The individual soul may believe that they are separated from their creator, and suffer accordingly for as long as it takes them to understand that that is not possible. This realization would of necessity enable them to see what they had blinded themselves to.
As a child I was impressed with the statement that those who transgressed the many rules of the Anglican church would burn in the eternal flames of hell, along with all the other sinners and servants of the Antichrist, (which in the early 50's included the entire Roman Catholic church.)
But there was more! Along with the eternal torture, there was the separation from God, who apparently used the infernal region as a kind of garbage can, as well as a sort of diversion for the souls of the blessed, not unlike a celestial bullfight
As to why Satan chose to live in Hell when he was Lord of this World, well that wasn't really explained too well. If Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world, then they must have been his to offer, else the refusal is pointless.
Yet, if the world is Satan's, it must be with the blessing of the creator: for the alternatives cannot fit in with Christian Philosophy:
Either
(1) Satan is as strong as the Creator, (which would be the Manichean Heresy). OR
(2) Satan is acting with the express consent of the Creator, which means there was no fall.
Even to a young boy there seemed to be some inconsistencies here. Given that the Almighty was Omniscient, he would already know who was going to be naughty or nice before their birth, and was thus condemning them in advance.
Did this not mean then, that mankind was predestined to be saved (or not,) that the golden book was in fact already written, and no individual action could change that result? This is a dangerous path, leading to absolute licence.
Further, If God was omnipresent, how could he fail to be in some place or other; would it not cease to exist in the face of such a withdrawal? How can something exist where He is not? Is he really the creator?
If Hell is in fact a concept to deter "Evildoers" it has been hugely unsuccessful, serving only to build the egos of the self-righteous and the guilt complexes of many worthy individuals, not to mention swell the coffers of those who exploit the segment of a population which takes the concept seriously.
Learn more about this author, Richard Sprigg.
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Real
Some say God is love, so they maintain there cannot be a hell for this reason. Some say hell is here on earth and that people are the ones who create it. Yet others say hell is simply separation from God and that this in itself will be torment enough for those who end up there. Whatever the rationalization, people over the centuries have continued to do this because the sting of death is very real and deep inside everyone intuitively knows a day of reckoning awaits.
The Bible describes hell as a Lake of fire and brimstone. In Revelation 20 it says that the devil who deceived the nations will be thrown into this lake and will be tormented day and night forever and ever. It also says that anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire.
There are three words within the Bible commonly associated with hell. These are Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna. Sheol's definition is rooted in a deep hollow, suggestive in cosmology of a "black hole". Gehenna describes a seething smelly garbage dump. Meanwhile, Hades, from the classical perception of death, is mentioned in Revelation as a place that will eventually be cast into the lake of fire along with death.
All references in the Bible point to a hell that is real and eternal. It is a place most people want to banish to the farthest corner of their mind and euphemize with humor or rationalize as nonexistent. But we all know that it is real and needs to be. If it were not, mankind would lose their fear of God and that would be tragic, not for His sake but for ours.
Think about it. We all know that evil is very real and ultimately needs to be dealt with. We also know that God is just and that justice will ultimately prevail. But how can there be justice if there is no punishment for evil? There is no way of getting around it. God is love and provides a means of escape from death and judgment through His Son Christ, but justice will prevail and hell will follow.
The Bible says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The fact that much of the world has lost its fear of God is indeed tragic because people are setting themselves up for the worst imaginable fate: Judgment and Hell. We need to fear God and we need to fear hell. We cannot avoid either one forever.
Let's be real. People do not fear death because of the unknown. They fear it because they know they are rejecting God's one lifeline that enables them to pass from death into life. Despite the rationalizing, posturing and protestations no one will outwit God on Judgment Day.
Thank God for Jesus who paid the price and died on a cross in our place so that we do not have to. He did this to restore our original relationship with Him, which is what we can have when we believe and put our trust in Him. This is what Christianity is all about. For those who have taken up the call to follow Jesus, they have discovered that there is a wonderful joy that comes in being released from sin and its accompanying fear of hell. The peace it brings is also beyond comprehension.
Learn more about this author, Bohdan Rewko (Bo of T.O.).
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