Hell question? Doesnt the idea of a burning lake of fire just refer to the old place of Gehenna?

you gotta remember that satan is not yet In Hell...Read in Job when the sons of God presented themselves before Him and Satan also was there and God asked him where have you been pretty much...so Satan is not yet in Hell...And also remember the Dead in Christ shall rise First...etc etc

Christ preached to the demons in Hell but in some translations it might be called another word...who cares but it does exist and read in revelations...Yea Ghenna was a place outside Jerusalem but in other references, it becomes symbolic to what will happen to those that the bible speaks of in revelations...those who, I think, it says about the second death, for all eternity...

dont let that stuff get your mind stuck

The whole problem in relation to Hell is that many Bible translators for some reason or other chose the English word hell (which variously means a covered place or a place of the departed) as a description for a number of words in the Bible which all mean different things. To properly understand the Bible teaching on the subject you need to go to the original Hebrew or Greek words for the correct meaning. The Lord Jesus Christ used the name of the rubbish tip outside of Jerusalem, Ge-Hinnom or Gehenna as a fitting description of The Lake of Fire. That rubbish tip burned continually and the bodies of criminals were regularly thrown on it. For a full description of what all the other words mean and where they are found in scripture , I recommend you go to the free non-denominational Bible study site at http://www.leonardmcm.webs.com/ and look up Study # 9.

The doctrine of eternal torment is rooted in pagan mythology.

The Jews never even believed in an afterlife, let alone 'hellfire'!

They did believe in a resurrection, but, not a transfiguration of human life into spirit life.

The same goes for the earliest Christians.

The word 'hell' wasn't even coined until long after the Bible canon had been closed in the 1st century of our Common Era:

"The modern English word Hell is derived from Old English hel, helle (about 725 AD) and ultimately from Proto-Germanic halja, meaning 'one who covers up or hides something' ". (Wikipedia)

It was used in the KJV Bible, instead of 'grave', for the Hebrew 'Sheol', & the Greek 'Hades':

"What Are Sheol and Hades?"

http://watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_08.htm

The 'lake of fire' in Revelation is explained in Scripture to be 'the second death', not a life of torment in as a spirit being, or any other life form for that matter:

"Death and Ha′des were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire." --Revelation 20:14

And death is described thusly:

". . . There is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She′ol . . ." --Ecclesiastes 9:10

". . . The dead, they are conscious of nothing at all . . ." --Ecclesiastes 9:5

". . . He goes back to his ground; In that day his thoughts do perish." --Psalm 146:4

"Where ARE the Dead?"

http://watchtower.org/e/bh/article_06.htm

So, the 'lake of fire' / 'second death' has been twisted to mean something totally contrary both to what Scripture teaches & to our Creator's very Nature!:

"... With evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone." --James 1:13

(See also Job 34:10)

Fire in Bible times was THE best method availaable for purification purposes, so it rightly symbolizes purifying the earth of both situations & willful rebels against God's Sovereignty!:

"A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves . . . And he sent forth his angel and PRESENTED it IN SIGNS through him to his slave John." --Revelation 1:1

God will NOT waste ANY of his boundless energy on keeping evil persons --whether spirit or human-- in existence, nor would he EVER wish to torture them!

Yes, the Valley of Hinnom / Gehenna was Jerusalem's city dump. It was kept burning to keep the area purified / the germs constantly being destroyed. The bodies of both dead animals & *criminals who were deemed unworthy of a resurrection* were burned there, along with all the other refuse. Thus, 'the lake of fire' is a fitting symbol of 'the second' / everlasting death.

"What Really Is Hell?"

- Life After Death?

- Unending Torment or Common Grave?

- Hellfire--All-Consuming?

- Hell [the grave] Will Be Emptied!

http://watchtower.org/e/20020715/article_02.htm

This is an interesting question which has clearly stumped the Christians, apart from one who's answer doesn't really make sense at all!?

I am going with it is a Myth originated from the burning of the dead at Gehenna.

If you're searching the scriptures you can find at least 50 verses pointing to hell in the first half of matthew alone ...most from the mouth of jesus ..I wrote them all out for my aunt who casually said that the catholic church believed that hell was a possibility .. to which I said a damn strong possibility for the majority of the population ..

My quick answer is ...hell no .. you have to bend scripture like hell to dismiss the fact that there is indeed a place of torment created for the angels that men who reject god will end up in tormented forever ..

I have no axe to grind and will not defend or deny gods wrath poured out on evil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell#Abrahamic

go here

...Or New Jersey