Hell . . . The Bad News.

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Webers_Home

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FAQ: If the consequence for rejecting Christ is eternal punishment in hell,
then why does scripture say: And do not fear those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in
hell. (Matt 10:28)

If the soul is also destroyed, then shouldn't that mean complete annihilation
of all conscious existence? If so; then how can the lost's suffering in hell be
eternal?


A: Adam was warned that he would die the very day he tasted the forbidden
fruit. However, Adam continued to live for several centuries afterwards;
which tells me that the death of souls spoken of in Matt 10:28 may not be all
that quick, rather, they may have to endure a lingering death. In other
words: the lost should probably expect to soak in brimstone an unspecified
number of years before they finally, and completely, pass away: if ever.
_
 

Webers_Home

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FAQ: What does Eph 2:3 mean where it says: We were by nature children of
wrath, even as the rest.


A: Well; in a nutshell; it means that the sum of all fears is the only option
for human nature.


FAQ: But human nature is intrinsic in human beings, viz: human nature is
what makes us human. You mean people are missing out on heaven just for
being human?


A: Yes. (John 3:3-7, Rom 8:5-8, and 1Cor 15:50)
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Webers_Home

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Webster's defines an expert witness as: A witness, who by virtue of
education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have knowledge in a
particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others
may officially (and legally) rely upon the witness's specialized (scientific,
technical or other) opinion about an evidence or fact issue within the scope
of their expertise, referred to as the expert opinion, as an assistance to the
fact-finder.

Well; I expect it goes without saying that in matters related to the afterlife,
there is no more qualified expert witness than the Logos-- the voice of God
mentioned in John 1:1-3 and John 1:14 --because Jesus Christ has actually
seen the afterlife for himself and knows what he's talking about compared to
book-learned seminary experts who don't.

Matt 7:28-29 . .When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds
were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority,
and not as their teachers of the law.

One who has authority is an expert witness who knows what they're talking
about; and certainly Jesus Christ easily qualifies.

John 3:31-32 . . He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the
earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven
is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that he bears witness.

I've gone to the trouble of certifying Jesus Christ as an expert witness
because when he tells a parable, or any other story for that matter, I
seriously believe that people need to recognize that the details of his stories
are just as valid as the spiritual application of his stories, e.g. Luke 16:19-31.
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Webers_Home

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I've read Luke 16:19-31 all the way thru several times and yet to find where
the rich man was curious about how long he could expect to be incarcerated
in the fiery sector of Hades.

Well; that's not hard to sleuth. He no doubt encountered lots of people
who've been down there since the days of Cain, the Flood, Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the Pyramids. Plus, the scuttlebutt would assure him that
nobody up to the time of his arrival had ever been released so he shouldn't
get his hopes up that he'd be the first.

Something else. The rich man in the story doesn't protest his fate in the
fiery sector of Hades. Apparently the man fully understood that he deserved
it; and that's not hard to sleuth either.

People down there at the time of the rich man's arrival had access to solid
error-free Bible teaching. Abraham wasn't the only prophet across the
chasm, all the big guns were over there too; including the man himself: Mr.
Moses ben Levi. I know that's true because the Lord said that nobody up to
his time had ever been taken to heaven. (John 3:13)

» It's ironic that condemned souls in the fiery sector of Hades might know
the Bible better than a good many Christians warming pews, teaching
Sunday school, and pounding pulpits.
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Webers_Home

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Christ's teachings trump Solomon's

Matt 12:42 . .The queen of the south will be raised up in the judgment
with this generation and will condemn it; because she came from the ends of
the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but, look! something more than
Solomon is here.

Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes from the perspective of a
philosophical man who's understanding of life and the hereafter is
moderated by empirical evidence and the normal round of human
experience. Ecclesiastes is handy for showing that not all spiritual people are
kooks with their heads in the clouds and unable to see things as they are
through the eyes of normal people.

To my knowledge, Solomon had never seen the afterlife for himself, viz: he
wasn't an expert witness; whereas Christ had seen the afterlife for himself
and knew what he was talking about.

John 3:31-32 . . He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the
earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven
is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that he bears witness.

Christ is also highly recommended, whereas to my knowledge, Solomon
isn't.

Matt 17:5 . . This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved; listen to
him.

So then, when encountering remarks in the book of Ecclesiastes that are out
of step with the Christ's teachings in the New Testament; my unsolicited
spiritual counseling is to ignore Solomon and go with the wisdom of "my
Son".

John 8:12 . . I am the light of the world. He that follows me will by no
means walk in darkness, but will possess the light of life.


FAQ: Doesn't the apostle Paul say that all Scripture is God breathed?

A: Every now and then I encounter people on internet forums who've yet to
be taught the difference between inspiration and dictation.

Solomon was no doubt inspired to record his personal world view in the book
of Ecclesiastes, but we shouldn't assume his world view quotes God word
for-word the way Christ does.

John 3:34 . . For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's
Spirit is upon him without measure or limit

John 8:26 . .He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things
which I have heard of Him.

John 8:28 . . I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as
the Father taught me.

John 12:49 . . I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me,
he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

John 14:24 . .The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who
sent me.

Jesus is superior to the prophets that came before him.

John 1:1-14 . . In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth.
_
 

Webers_Home

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Solomon's man under the sun feels there is no conscious existence for
people beyond the death of their body; whereas Christ taught that one's soul
doesn't necessarily perish with the body.

Matt 10:28 . . Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill
the soul.

According to Gen 2:7, the soul is what makes people sentient beings. Christ
assures us that part of human existence is able to survive the death of the
body; but it's still vulnerable to termination.

Matt 10:28 . . Be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in
hell.


FAQ: If the soul and the body are destroyed in hell; what's left?

A: The spirit.

According to Gen 2:7, the spirit is the life force that makes otherwise
inanimate materials sentient.

Christ's spirit survived the death of his body.

Luke 23:46 . . Jesus called out with a loud voice: Father, into your hands I
entrust my spirit.

People's spirit is just as much a component of their human existence as the
soul and the body; for example people currently survive in heaven without a
body by means of their spirit.

Heb 12:23 . . the spirits of righteous men made perfect


FAQ: Since the soul doesn't necessarily perish with the body, then what
became of Christ's soul when he passed away on the cross?


A: It was taken to Hades. (Acts 2:22-32)

FAQ: Isn't that where the rich man ended up; per Luke 16:19-31?

A: Back in Jesus' day, Hades was the afterlife destination of all the dead: the
young and the old, and the bad and the good. Abraham and Lazarus were in
Hades too, but of course the accommodations in their sector were much
better than the rich man's-- they at least had access to water; he doesn't.
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Bobby Jo

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HELL, -- The Good News

I don't understand why so many people disparage HELL.

I had a co-worker, "Schmidt", whose back RX-7 Mazda vanity plate read: WARLOCK. And although as a KNOWN Christian I was considerate of him, he returned my generosity and civility with vengeance, along with a "minion" buddy. And after some two years of putting up with his nonsense, on a Wednesday drive home I told GOD in no uncertain terms that HE had better take care of this situation because it's HIS job!

And although I knew that Schmidt had given his 2-week his retirement notice that Monday, it turns out that Schmidt dropped DEAD on that Friday, some two days after my DEMAND.

And still acknowledging myself as a Christian, I told my co-workers what had transpired with my conversation with GOD and how Schmidt was the LUCKIEST GUY I KNEW, -- because MOST people believe they're going to Heaven and won't get there; but Schmidt wanted to go to HELL and he got there. So Schmidt was SUCCESSFUL.

The lesson, -- if a person REALLY wants to go to Heaven, they'd better find out what it takes so that they won't be UNSUCCESSFUL.


Bobby Jo
 

marksman

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According to Luke 13:22-24, Matt 7:13-14, and Matt 22:14 the majority has
not been making it to safety when they pass on.

/
The title is Hell, the Bad News. Well, I have got some good news about hell. I am not going there so they are going to miss out on all my jokes. Do you think they are using that as an excuse for not going to heaven?
 

marksman

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HELL, -- The Good News

I don't understand why so many people disparage HELL.

I had a co-worker, "Schmidt", whose back RX-7 Mazda vanity plate read: WARLOCK. And although as a KNOWN Christian I was considerate of him, he returned my generosity and civility with vengeance, along with a "minion" buddy. And after some two years of putting up with his nonsense, on a Wednesday drive home I told GOD in no uncertain terms that HE had better take care of this situation because it's HIS job!

And although I knew that Schmidt had given his 2-week his retirement notice that Monday, it turns out that Schmidt dropped DEAD on that Friday, some two days after my DEMAND.

And still acknowledging myself as a Christian, I told my co-workers what had transpired with my conversation with GOD and how Schmidt was the LUCKIEST GUY I KNEW, -- because MOST people believe they're going to Heaven and won't get there; but Schmidt wanted to go to HELL and he got there. So Schmidt was SUCCESSFUL.

The lesson, -- if a person REALLY wants to go to Heaven, they'd better find out what it takes so that they won't be UNSUCCESSFUL.


Bobby Jo

So glad you were dead right in this case.
 

Webers_Home

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The rich man of Luke 16:19-31 is spoken of as deceased, buried, and relocated
in a place called-- in the Greek --Haides; and within earshot right across
from him are Abraham and Lazarus. (Luke 16:22-23)

Christ is spoken of as deceased, buried, and relocated in the very same place as
the rich man. (Acts 2:25-31)

Now the interesting thing is: when Jesus passed away on the cross, he
entrusted his spirit to God (Luke 23:46) but it wasn't his spirit that went to
Haides, rather, it was his soul. (Acts 2:27 and Acts 2:31)

( The Greek word for "spirit" is pneuma, and the Greek word for soul is
psuche )

So Christ's afterlife experience was different for the various aspects of his
being; viz: his spirit went in one direction while his soul went another, and
his body yet another.

I think we can safely conclude from the above that the rich man is in
Haides by means of his soul, and buried means of his body; while the
question remains where went the man's spirit? To whom was that entrusted
if not to God?
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Webers_Home

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I obtain quite a bit of useful information from YouTube; for example how to
replace a microwave oven's motor, resolve a computer issue, and/or adjust
an electric guitar's intonation.

I also tour the world with YouTube, visiting amazing man-made wonders and
natural wonders too. I will likely never travel and get to see those wonders
for myself as they really are before I'm dead; but out ahead is coming a
one-thousand year era on Earth wherein I've no doubt there will be plenty of
opportunity to see everything in the next life that I missed in this one.

Rev 20:6 . . Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first
resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be
priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

I suspect that God is keeping a massive, fully comprehensive library that can
satisfy all my curiosity-- a wealth of knowledge far exceeding the contents of
the great library of Alexandria. For example: how did the ancient Egyptians
build the pyramids? How did the people of Easter Island move those massive
stone heads into position? Things like that; but also nature's secrets too.
How did nature fashion those remarkable rock formations in Utah? Or carve
out the Grand Canyon?

There are many mysteries like those that I sincerely hope to find answers to
some day. But people in hell won't be allowed access to God's library. They
will never get answers to their deepest questions about the cosmos; nor be
allowed to travel to all the exotic places on Earth that they missed in this life
before passing on to the next.

Another benefit to the coming era is safety. I will have nothing to fear from
the animal kingdom like I do now, and plus; those of us who make the cut
will be immortal; so we won't fear heights, nor speed, nor any other risk. I
love to explore, but don't like to explore places that might cost me my life,
lose an eye, or put me in a wheel chair. Well; in the future, I'll be able to
explore every corner of the globe to my heart's content in perfect safety and
thoroughly enjoy myself without worrying about hazards associated with my
journey.

One thing that prevents many of us from touring the world is old age. Well,
diminished capacity never again be a factor dictating what I can eat and
drink, were I can go, nor whether I can make it.

People in hell are not only in terrible discomfort, but they're also missing out
on the pleasures of discovery and exploration; which are two activities that,
just about everybody I've ever met would agree, make life worth the living.
_
 

Webers_Home

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The apostle Paul, writing to Christians in the ancient city of Colossi, said:

Col 3:9-10 . . Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old
self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed
in knowledge in the image of its Creator.


NOTE: It's interesting that the Colossian believers were lying to each other,
and no doubt would have continued had not Paul commanded them to stop
it.

Humanity's original self began its created existence in the image of God
(Gen 1:26-27). In other words; Adam started off as an honest man. Clearly
then; dishonesty does not reflect the image of God, rather, it projects
humanity's own image.

Humanity's original self wasn't created bullet-proof, so to speak. It was
corruptible (Eph 4:22). Were that not true, we'd all be honest men rather
than a pack of liars, deceivers, beguilers, and dissemblers.

The Greek word for "renewed" is anakainoo (an-ak-ahee-no'-o) which
means: to renovate; defined by Webster's as: (1) to restore to a former
better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding), and (2) to restore to
life, vigor, or activity, i.e. revive. In other words: regenerate.

That word anakainoo appears in only one other place in the entire New
Testament at 2Cor 4:16, which says:

"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed
day by day."

Quite a few elderly Christians, with years of life and personal experience
under their belts, can attest to the truth of Col 3:10 and 2Cor 4:16

This relates to one of the tragedies of Hell. People down there never gave
God an opportunity to overhaul their spiritual condition; so now they're no
better as persons in the afterlife than they were in this life. After all is said
and done-- the big judgment of Rev 20:11-15 is completed, and the new
cosmos of Rev 21:1 is up and running --Christ caps everything by
announcing:

Rev 22:10 . . Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who
is vile continue to be vile.

In other words: bad people who end up in the ultimate Hell will remain just
as bad there as they were here.
_
 

Joseph77

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According to Luke 13:22-24, Matt 7:13-14, and Matt 22:14 the majority has
not been making it to safety when they pass on.

/
According to all Scripture, completely, and all of God's Plan, and God's Purpose, yes, this is true.

Since Christianity world wide is mostly not true believers, they are afraid or fearful many times, like moth*r t. was as she confessed she never had any peace nor any presence of God nor any thought nor feeling that she was saved.

Christianity is sometimes criticized as a religion of fear. Well; that criticism is
not entirely without merit.
Those in Christ Jesus are told though: whoever stays his mind upon Christ, is kept in perfect peace. This is confirmed throughout the New Testament Passages, Words, Descriptions and Observations of the true Ekklesia - full continually of PEACE< JOY> and RIGHTEOUSNESS
quite different from the false churches with the false teachings and false gospel ....
 

Joseph77

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NOTE: It's interesting that the Colossian believers were lying to each other,
and no doubt would have continued had not Paul commanded them to stop
it.
Perhaps,
but others learned from Jesus, from God the Father, or from little children, from God's Word, to stop lying to each other,
and God could have planned another way for them to learn, as others did and do today learn to stop lying to each other if they are seeking the truth, willing to obey Jesus, and keep seeking the truth.
Those who are not abiding in Jesus see no need to stop lying, and likely are told to get lost on judgment day....
 

Webers_Home

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Matt 22:36-40 . . Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

» Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment.

» And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

» On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt
22:36-40)

The Greek verb for "love" in that passage is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which
doesn't necessarily imply either affection and/or fondness. It's just as much
about the way we treat our fellow men as our personal feelings about them.
This is the kind of love that we ought to be extending to everyone-- friend,
foe, and stranger alike. It's the very same love that Jesus taught in Matt
5:44 which reads:

"You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate
your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies,"

In other words; you don't especially have to like your neighbors and your
enemies, but you do have to be courteous, kind, charitable, tolerant,
patient, diplomatic, tactful, gentle, reasonable, fair, deferent, cordial, genial,
affable, sociable, helpful, thoughtful, sympathetic, considerate, and
cooperative, etc. And of course those all apply to the way that people
associate with God too because the same Greek verb is used of loving God
as loving one's neighbors and enemies.

The above tells me that quite a few people are on the road to Hell simply
because their manners are uncivil, and insufferable, with both God and Man,
viz: they not only aren't nice to their fellow men, but they aren't even nice
to God-- they don't care about marginalizing Him, tuning Him out, insulting
Him, chafing Him, and/or hurting His feelings. In other words: the most
important of all the commandments bounces off their thick skulls like a
banana thrown at a Russian tank.
_
 
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Joseph77

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It is not written (I have not seen) in Torah, Tanakh, Psalms, Prophets, nor in the New Testament,
to be cordial, to be tolerant, to be courteous, to defer to, to be sympathetic to, to be considerate nor cooperative of, to be "sociable", to be diplomatic, to be reasonable, to be genial or affable,
to everyone. Especially do not greet anyone who brings a false gospel, and do not eat with them. Others, when the instructions are followed that God gives clearly in Scripture, are to be dis-fellowshipped (so that they might come to repentance and then brought back into fellowship AS WRITTEN) ...

There are clear instructions in the New Testament, Torah, Psalms, Proverbs, for all who are seeking God's Kingdom.
 

Webers_Home

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Matt 19:17 . . And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is
none good but one, that is God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments

Seeing as none but God are good, then it's obvious that none but God can
enter into life by means of goodness. However, if someone would like to give
it a try anyway in spite of the fact that failure is a foregone conclusion; then
Jesus suggests they begin their quest with the commandments.
_
 

Webers_Home

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It's not unlikely that all new arrivals in heaven are immediately shuttled off
to quarantine in a sort of boot camp where they're indoctrinated with the
100% correct interpretation of the Bible so there'll be no debating with the
general population when they get out.

Also, in boot camp, they're schooled in etiquette because people just in from
the world can't expect they'll fit right into heaven's peaceful society upon
arrival. I'd imagine that those of us who make it to heaven will need some
pretty large adjustments made to our manners; most of all, how to keep a
genuinely civil tongue in our heads.

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt." (Col 4:6)

Grace can be defined as kind, courteous, gentle, patient, lenient, inclined to
good will, generous, charitable, altruistic, compassionate, sympathetic,
thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive,
hospitable, considerate, and tactful.

I gather from the language and grammar of Matt 5:13, Mark 9:50, and Luke
14:34 that the primary purpose of salt is to enhance flavor and make
otherwise naturally insipid and/or bad-tasting things palatable, viz: salt can
be thought of as diplomacy; roughly defined as conversation that makes an
effort to maintain peace rather than provoke conflict and/or annoy people
and make them uncomfortable.

I doubt there's need of a boot camp for new arrivals in Hell as I suspect
everyone destined for that place will fit right in down there just as naturally
as a bug in a rug.
_
 

Webers_Home

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Rev 20:5 . . But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

The Greek word translated "dead" is somewhat ambiguous. It can refer to
physically dead and it can also refer to spiritually dead; for example:

"Jesus said unto him: Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." (Matt
8:22)

Both uses of the Greek word nekros are in that one verse.

So, Rev 20:5 can be translated like this:

"The rest of the dead bodies lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection"


BTW: In a similar manner, Matt 8:22 could be paraphrased like this:

"Jesus said unto him: Follow me; and let the walking dead bury their rotting
dead."
_
 

Webers_Home

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Rev 14:11 . . And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever;
and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his
image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

The twenty-four hour non-stop regimen depicted in that future event is
described as "the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength"

My question is: Will everyone in the lake of brimstone be given God's wrath
in full strength, or will lesser offenders be given some time off now and then.

Breaks would be something to look forward to in contrast to non-stop
torment wherein there is only perpetual monotony and despair. How will the
super-damned not eventually break down and become raving lunatics?

There are no doubt some pretty tough customers out there who can bite the
bullet and take anything thrown at them, but not everyone is a US Navy
SEAL or a mixed martial arts cage fighter. Genteel folk, like for instance the
former pop singer Michael Jackson, aren't cut out for endless pain and
misery. For some, even just the sight of a hypodermic needle is enough to
make them become weak and queasy.
_