by June McGee

Created on: May 10, 2008

Hell, like Heaven, is not so much a metaphor or a real place, as it is a state of existence. Yes, the Bible does describe Heaven as being an actual place of residence as well as hell. The way I have always understood it is that we are all going to "live forever". What it comes down to is a question of where we are going to spend that forever (eternity). It has a lot to do with what "condition" you end up in. And that is either a condition of eternal torment or a condition of being eternally glorified.

When we speak of Hell, what are we really speaking of? We have to understand that the lake of fire in the Bible and Hell are two different places. Hell is the residence of the devil and his followers (the 1/3 of the angles that turned against God when the devil, or Satan, was still known as Lucifer). Just as Heaven is the residence of God, Hell is the residence of Satan. The lake of fire is the place where Satan and his followers will burn forever when we reach the end. If we are talking about Hell as the eternal punishment for evil-doers this is incorrect. The lake of fire is where these will be cast. It was never intended for any man to ever have to suffer this, but unfortunately, there will also be men who will suffer this end. To even tell someone that if they keep sinning they will end up in hell is incorrect. The fate of all who willfully continue in sin is the lake of fire. Therefore, how can Hell be a deterrent to evil-doers? Hell is the place where Satan takes residence and not a place of punishment for men who do evil.

We can then speak of the lake of fire as the eternal punishment for Satan and all of his followers, including those from the family of man who follow him. And this is most definitely not a metaphor. What would be the point in God literally faking it as far as the punishment for evil-doers goes? This, in my opinion, would be no more or less than a lie. If the lake of fire does not exist as portrayed in the Bible, as an actual place of eternal torment, then for God to use this as a threat to keep evil-doers in line is a lie. And even the most limited of intelligence can take a look at today's world and pretty much decide for themselves that if it is just a metaphor to deter evil, it's not working. And the reason that it's not working as an actual place is that men believe it's a metaphor.

On the other hand, the lake of fire seen as an actual place of eternal torment for all evil-doers might just be what the world needs to straighten up. The

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