Quote:
Originally Posted by manna-man
UntoHim, what is it that you hope to get out of this exercise?
My hope in this thread is to see if those here have really considered what religion teaches about Hell and what it really is and isn't.
It's not a crime to question orthodoxy especially if it paints a picture opposite of a loving God and Savior.
It seems to me that many never question this and if they do usually it is suppressed and extinguished.
What do you think about eternal torment my dear friend UntoHim?
|
I wonder that too . . .
Likewise, I didn't used to put much thought into the subject of hell either. I just basically thought it was the Lake of Fire, and all that didn't accept Christ personally in this life would spend eternity there in conscious torment. It wasn't until I heard a radio brother, Steve Gregg, speak about it numerous times over the past few years, that I began to realize that there were other views from scripture besides the traditional one I held. And these other views (two mainly - annihilationism & universalism) had a good amount in scripture to back them up. So after reading Steve's in-depth book on the topic recently, which compared these three views side-by-side, I got much clearer that dogmatically adhering to one view probably isn't advisable. By that I mean, it's another one of those things in scripture where it's hard to say specifically and precisely what will happen to unbelievers, because they don't all fit into one human "box" of thought. I've come to the conclusion that it very well may be that there are different judgments in store for unbelievers, depending on various factors.
In a conversation over lunch with a brother yesterday on this same topic, we both agreed that some people will indeed experience eternal, conscious torment, since various verses including Matthew 25:41 clearly state, "Get away from me, you who are accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!" But we also agreed a righteous, loving and merciful God may have other provisions along the way before resorting to that awful, eternal torment (which could be complete annihilation of the soul, or possibly another chance to accept God's Gift).
But even if all unbelievers in this life don't go to the Lake of Fire for eternity, the other possibilities are still not a very pleasant thing either!