What purpose does hell serve?

Not everyone in Christianity believe in permanent Hell but a temporary one or even none at all. Hell as a place of torture is never really mentioned in the bible, that idea came from the book Dantes Inferno where it spoke of 7 layers of torture in Hell. What the bible describes as Hell is nothing more than a place distant and out of reach of God. I have also heard Hell is actually a mistranslated word that supposed to mean "grave," which would mean if you go to Hell you just either roam Earth or your soul vanishes and your body rots in the ground. The whole purpose of that fearsome fiery Hell was to both scare people into the religion and also keep them entertained in the days before TV and mass produced literature.

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@Frankinsense. it sounds like you are talking about nukes O_o

Jesus Christ said that Hell was created for the Devil and his angels, those spirit beings who rebelled against God. Notice that Hell wasn't created for man, and man wasn't created for Hell, but things changed forever when Adam and Eve sinned, rebelling against God. You can read about this in Genesis 3. Hell isn't mentioned there, but the idea of death and other things is. Let us be careful to not make the mistake of thinking that because a doctrine isn't mentioned in one passage, it doesn't exist.

Some have pointed out that "Hell" means "Sheol" or the grave. Admittedly, the people who lived in Old Testament times may not have known as much about the afterlife as we do, but that again doesn't imply that they didn't know where they were going when they died. How much they knew is perhaps debatable, but it's clear that those who were believers knew they would go to be with God when their earthly life was over. David knew he would be reunited with his child, the son of Bathsheba, even though David knew the baby would not come back to life in David's time.

Jesus Christ gave a very clear and graphic picture of Hell when He pulled back the curtain, you might say, and gave a "snapshot" of a rich man who went to Hell and Lazarus, a beggar, who went to Paradise or Abraham's bosom, as Jesus called it. The rich man's actions, or lack of same, showed he could not possibly have been a believer. The fact that he went to a place of torment, alive and feeling every moment of it, should make us all think about our eternal destiny.

You made a good point about a Christian, who sinned and, if I understand you, perhaps risked losing his or her salvation. I need to make a couple of points. First, anyone who genuinely repents of his or her sins and asks Jesus Christ to be his or her Lord and Savior will always be saved, and will never again be lost. The Bible guarantees this. Second, even if a Christian sins (and we do, trust me on this one!) we have an Advocate or defense attorney, Jesus Christ Himself. The first letter of John tells about how that we have such an advocate, so I refer you to that book.

I don't feel as though I've answered your question completely. Please feel free to email me if you would like to continue this conversation.

For the angels that sinned earlier the flood, Gen.6:2,4, as angels do no longer die, Luke 20:34-36; they're alive and properly, yet human beings secure against them, as they're of their hell of confinement or prison, the place Jesus after he replaced into resurrected went to evangelise to them, 1Pet.3:18-20; he knew they have been there, so did Peter, 2Pet.2:4; so did Jude at 6. That which replaced into in the time of Jeremiah, 7:30,31, 19:2-5, replaced into terrible, it replaced into became into the city sell off of Jerusalem, Mark 9:40 two-40 8, and that's a smart element to any city, even though it would not sound as though adult men used it then as to the perfect use of all, yet called hell hearth, because it is dying and burial or burial via hearth. that's the hearth it somewhat is lasting, all else is cremated, wolfed or ate up. i do no longer think of human beings could be cremated in the event that they concept God would desire to no longer resurrect them from those ashes. the wealthy religious Pharisees believed in the residing ineffective in hell, Jesus placed Lazarus in Abraham's want, the place those rich think of they're and those rich of their concept equipment, as no such is in the regulation and the prophets or previous testomony, yet while they have not got faith Moses and the prophets, the will no have faith one raised from the ineffective to tell them as Gen.3:19, ineffective is ineffective. Luke sixteen:14-31, the previous testomony replaced into all that replaced into there. Hell the pit, cave, sepulchre as Jesus and David replaced into in, Acts 2:27-35; is many times called tomb or grave, the place Jesus replaced into resurrected from, so all are resurrected from dying, Rev.20:12,13, the place ever they're buried, despite if in the sea, the resurrection scriptures are very sparkling simply by fact the scriptures are rightly divided to incorporate them, activity 19:23-26, he's conscious he has a redeemer, Isa.26:19; Psm.104:29,30; Dan.12:2; Mat.19:28[ Eze.37:12-14]; John 5:26-29; Acts 24:15; Rom.14:9-12; Rev.11:15,18; 1Cor.15:22-28,fifty one-fifty 3, so the ineffective come forth from being silent, Psm. a hundred and fifteen:15-17; or having no strategies, 146:3,4; yet simply by fact the scriptures say, dying is sleep. Sleep till the resurrection, the heavenly are first, Rev. 20:a million-6, and the earthly are next, for Judgement, Heb.9:27, Rev.20:12, 13, till all evil is lengthy previous[Rev.20:7-10[19:20], Rev.21:8]. everlasting existence is in the hot heavens and new earth, Rev.21:a million-5.

Hellfire is a lie ...

• It is good to do a comparison of the Bible texts in which these words appear original, and come to a correct understanding of its true meaning, I hope this information helps you, read it all. This is the translation of hell in different languages: Sheol (Hebrew), Hades (in Greek), the inferno (Latin) should be translated as Grave (tomb in English) or Sepulchre (in Spanish). How do I know? I leave several translations of Bibles Internet including one in Latin.

• Peter said it was written in Greek:

Acts 2:30-32 (New King James Version)

30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,[a] 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in HADES, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

(Acts 2:30-32)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2...

• Here is read in Greek.

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTp...

• What is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Psalms (written in Hebrew).

10For You (A)will not abandon my soul to SHEOL;

Nor will You (B)allow Your Holy One to [a]undergo decay.

(Psalm 16:10)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%...

• Here is direct reading in Hebrew.

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTp...

• And how is translated into Latin? Read Acts 2:31.

providens locutus est de resurrectione Christi quia neque derelictus est in INFERNO neque caro eius vidit corruptionem (Acts 2:31)

http://www.latinvulgate.com/verse.aspx?t=1&b=5&c=2

• With what we see that Jesus was in 'hell' three days, but in 'hell' of the Bible is not 'hell' of Dante's Divine Comedy ...

• How should to be fully translated in Spanish? So. Reed:

Acts 2:31 (New International Version 1984, ©1984)

31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,[a] that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.

(Acts 2:31)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2...

• Does the punishment deserved to be perfect? No. Jesus being in Sheol (Hebrew), Hades (Greek), Inferno (Latin), Inferno (Old Spanish), Tomb (modern Spanish), wait to be resurrected.

• So that everyone who can read has shown that 'hell' of the Bible is nothing more than the grave or the grave or the pit.

• And Revelation 20:14 says: the hell you pull into the lake of fire (to destroy)

Revelation 20:14 (New International Version 1984, ©1984)

14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revela...

• Everything is visible and free for those who want to research. And what Jesus said is true:

(John 8:32) and know the truth and the truth shall make you free. "

A•B•J•G

The purpose of hell is to scare off those that do not believe in Christianity in persuade them into the religion.

So that you will know G-d.

If you don't want to know HIM as Merciful, then you will know HIM as Terrible Reckoner.

You will Know HIM regardless.

HE is as HE says HE is. Most Gracious Most Merciful. Disbelieve and deny HIM, you will know the other aspect.

HE is the Beginning AND the End

The Evident AND the Hidden

The Destroyer AND The Creator

The whole truth about "Hell" as described in the Bible

The word “hell” is used 54 times in the KJ Bible. It is translated from several different words with various meanings, as indicated below:

In the Old Testament:

• 31 times from the Hebrew “Sheol,” which means “the grave”

In the New Testament:

• 10 times from the Greek “Hades,” which means “the grave”

• 12 times from the Greek “Gehenna,” which means “a place of burning”

• 1 time from the Greek “Tartarus,” which means “a place of darkness” specially prepared for angels that have sinned.

Hell-fire What is that ?

Most people misunderstand the nature of Hell-fire. God doesn't HAVE to let people go there. People think it's better for those people just to suffer in sin?

According to the Bible, Hell-fire does not yet exist, but will at the end of the Millennium. When people die (both the righteous and the wicked they go to their grave = hell), they do not go directly to Heaven or Hell-fire, nor do they "float around" as ghosts. They both remain in the grave, in a state of "sleep" where they have absolutely no consciousness of anything, nor the passage of time, until Christ returns. At that time, Christ will resurrect the Saved of all time back to permanent, physical life and take them with Him to Heaven, while the Wicked living at that time will be slain by the brightness of His coming. Both they and the Wicked dead of all time shall remain dead for another 1,000 years. During that time, all life on this Earth will be dead, and Satan will be trapped here on this dark, dismal planet littered with corpses during that Millennium. At the end of the 1,000 years, Christ will return with His Saved to judge the wicked (who will be resurrected into their old, mortal bodies), including Satan and his angels. Every person will see every sin they've ever committed. Satan will attempt to lead them in an attack on the New Jerusalem, but then Hellfire will rain down from Heaven and consume them all. They will be instantly and permanently incinerated, never to exist again. They will NOT be "tortured forever", as the pagan idea of Catholicism suggests. This is not scriptural. Even Satan and his angels will be destroyed in the fires of Hell-fire; he will NOT be tending it, poking people with a pitchfork!

The fire will completely cover planet Earth from pole to pole, burning up EVERYTHING, even the elements themselves, and all the ocean water will be evaporated. It will completely remove all trace of sin and sinners forever. Once its work is finished, it will burn out on its own. Some people use the Biblical verse that says the fire will be "unquenchable", but that only means that it cannot be PUT out, but it will burn out on its own.

Once this fire has burned out, then God will set about to re-creating the Earth the way it was in the Beginning - perfect, beautiful and unspoiled. Then the Saved of all time will be allowed to live on it, and build permanent homes and grow their own food. All the animals will be friendly, even former meat-eaters. I'm really looking forward to it.

May God bless you as you study His Word

<:SDA><

To use the scare tactic in order to win converts to a religion.

Hell keeps the ignorant in line because it gives them something invisible to fear. It is the stick part of their carrot and stick religion.

It serves the purpose of scaring gullible people into believing in invisible sky fairies