Questions tagged [hell]

a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife

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What is the Biblical basis for the concept that Jesus spent time in Hell?

The Apostles Creed makes reference to Jesus descending into Hell. I have heard it claimed that His time spent in Hell was part of His redemptive work--in other words, that was necessary for Him to ...
Flimzy's user avatar
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35 votes
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Why should a sinner suffer forever in hell fire? [closed]

In my little knowledge I believe any form of punishment is a way of curbing crimes or wrong doings and for others to learn not to do wrong. When this life ends some would be in heaven and the rest in ...
tunmise fashipe's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
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Does my monk go to heaven? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: What happens to people who have never heard about Jesus? I have found this very basic question perplexing to different pastors, rectors, and members of churches: If there is a ...
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17 votes
3 answers
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What is the biblical basis for the eternal existence of the lost in hell?

I've heard particular denominations claim that although hell is definitely a real place and hell itself will burn forever, people who are condemned to hell don't actually exist forever in hell but ...
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Heaven/Paradise/Sheol, Hell/Hades/The Lake of Fire [closed]

What is the difference between Heaven/Paradise/Sheol How about Hell/Hades/The Lake of Fire? Are they synonyms, are they different places?
raphink's user avatar
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20 votes
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What is the Bible basis for the idea of a temporary holding place?

A friend once told me about the idea that there are two temporary "holding places", so to speak. If a person died and would go to Heaven, but that time had not yet come, they would go to a ...
El'endia Starman's user avatar
9 votes
9 answers
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How can the wicked live for eternity in hell when they are completely separated from the only source of eternal life?

There are some who believe that the "Second Death" in Revelation is not literal, but figurative of eternal separation from God in hell. Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown ...
Rajesh's user avatar
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What is the biblical basis for the belief that people do not go to heaven or hell immediately when they die?

Touch poignantly stated in a now closed question, But if people are already in heaven this means that there really isn't much reason for Jesus Christ to return, because all those that believe in Him ...
Andrew's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
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What do Latter Day Saints believe happens to persons who have rejected Christ Jesus?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints says this in their third article of faith: We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ...
Lesley's user avatar
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24 votes
11 answers
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What is the Biblical Basis for a Good person going to hell simply for not believing?

The scenario is as follows: Believer, average life, many mistakes/sins. Asks forgiveness and tries everyday to be better. Goes to heaven. Non-believer, better life than the believer, fewer mistakes ...
Fofole's user avatar
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Do Jehovah's Witnesses believe in annihilation?

What is the official position of the Jehovah's Witnesses in regards to hell, specifically the doctrine of annihilation which says that people will not go on existing, that eventually God will just ...
Caleb's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
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Does the Catholic Church teach that some who died before Christ are still in Limbo? Why?

In Dante's Inferno, the Poets (Homer, Ovid, Horace, Lucan, etc) and other figures are portrayed as residing in Limbo. Ostensibly, during the crucifixion of Jesus, he entered Limbo and took with him to ...
Pip's user avatar
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7 answers
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Are there any conditions which make oneself completely unredeemable in the eyes of God? [closed]

I am curious if there are any actions or conditions which "seal your fate" so to speak, such that should you do them—no matter how much you repent or accept Jesus or pray—that you are doomed forever ...
stoicfury's user avatar
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23 votes
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Is Hell eternal, or do some/all escape it? [closed]

In his recent book, Love Wins, author and pastor Rob Bell caused quite a bit of controversy (and anger) by making the argument that Heaven is the state that we are in when we follow God's will and ...
aceinthehole's user avatar
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22 votes
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What exactly IS Hell? [closed]

I'm not disputing that Hell exists, what I want to know is WHAT IS HELL? In my opinion there are only two possible answers, but you might inform me of something else. Many people have argued that ...
capitalaudience.com's user avatar
18 votes
4 answers
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According to believers in the inexorable damnation of the unreached, how is God not unfair for letting someone be born in unreachable conditions?

It is a fact of history that many unfortunate people have been born in conditions where it has been pretty much impossible for them to even dream of having a chance to hear the message of salvation -- ...
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18 votes
7 answers
159k views

Did Jesus actually ever say "if you don't believe in me you will go to hell"? [closed]

I just finished a five-part series on the History Channel: "The Bible". They did a fantastic job with it. However, I noticed that Jesus did not appear to condemn those who did not believe in Him, and ...
Greg McNulty's user avatar
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10 answers
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How can Heaven exist if we know that people in Hell will suffer? [closed]

Suppose for the following scenario that both the Christian Heaven and Hell exist. My mother is a good Christian and loves me dearly. I am an atheist, and will therefore go to hell upon death. [If ...
Anon's user avatar
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1 answer
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When did "he descended into hell" become part of the Apostles' Creed?

There seems to be much more debate over one clause of the Apostles' Creed than the entire rest of it put together, and that is the "descent into hell" (or "hades") clause, also known as the "harrowing ...
Nathaniel is protesting's user avatar
12 votes
4 answers
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What is the Biblical basis for annihilationism or the conditionalist doctrine of hell?

By conditionalist doctrine, I mean the belief that hell is the destruction of those souls that go there, rather than the everlasting torment or eventual purification of said souls.
Resting in Shade's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
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Do Calvinists rejoice in the destruction of sinners?

I recently re-read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and I was struck by the pleasure Jonathan Edwards seemed to have taken in describing the imminent destruction of sinners: The God that ...
Jon Ericson's user avatar
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7 votes
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Who goes to hell in LDS theology?

According to LDS teaching, who goes to hell, and why? I've heard that only really bad people and ex-Mormons will go to hell. Is this true?
thursdaysgeek's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
293 views

Does Hell exist according to Catholicism?

Does the Roman Catholic Church believe in the existence of Hell? If YES - Who will go to Hell and why? How long will they stay in Hell? Is there any second chance after they go to Hell? What should ...
Mawia's user avatar
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Harrowing of Hell [closed]

From the Apostle's Creed we know that Jesus descended to Hell. Dante's Inferno also mentioned how Hell might look like. What kind of Hell was it that Jesus went to? Was it, Mark 9:48 where ‘the ...
Mawia's user avatar
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What is the biblical basis against the idea that Jesus descended into hell?

Related question: What is the Biblical basis for the concept that Jesus spent time in Hell? The question linked above provides a number of biblical arguments in support of the "descent into hell" (or ...
Nathaniel is protesting's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
289 views

According to believers in an eternal conscious torment/separation, what is the biblical basis for distinguishing between life and consciousness?

According to believers in an eternal conscious torment (ECT) or separation (ECS) of the wicked, this is the punishment that Revelation 20 refers to as the "second death". But, if the damned ...
user avatar
16 votes
6 answers
6k views

Do I get a second chance to believe in Jesus after I die? [closed]

As if some people couldn't get far enough away from them on earth, several verses in the Bible seem to indicate that there will be preachers even in Hell. 1 Peter 4:6 (ESV) For this is why the ...
Caleb's user avatar
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13 votes
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Does God's omnipresence extend to hell?

One of those attributes of God is his ability to be everywhere at all times. I'm not debating that it is an attribute of his, I'm just wondering how we know that. I ask, because I've been going ...
Affable Geek's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
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What is the Biblical support for Hell as a singular concept?

One of the common tenets of Christian Universalism (as well as Annihilationism) is the non-existence of Hell as an eternal punishment for non-Christians, that everyone has been granted salvation ...
user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
6k views

Why are the wicked resurrected only to be destroyed and sent to the Lake of Fire?

In Revelation 20 the resurrection of the wicked is detailed. They are then judged and thrown in the lake of fire. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. ...
user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

What are the requirements for each of the three levels of Glory?

In LDS theology, there are three levels of Glory for the Saints. What are the requirements for reaching each level? (In other words, what determines who goes to which?) Also, who goes to Hell (The ...
David Stratton's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Was there a non-Augustinian response to universalism in the early Church?

Most are aware of Augustine's abandonment of his universalism and his later adoption of eternal conscious torment in literal fire. His rejection of universalism is ultimately founded upon a ...
Joseph Hinkle's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is an overview of Reformed beliefs about hell?

Could somebody please provide an overview of the various beliefs that the Reformed churches hold regarding hell? If possible, but not required for an accepted answer, it would be great if they could ...
Cannabijoy's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
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Is it possible to repent after death in Catholicism?

In the following quote from the Catechism, it seems to imply that you can repent of a mortal sin after death. How does that fit with the standard "Once damned always damned after death" view that the ...
TheIronKnuckle's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
583 views

How do Annihilationists interpret Matthew 10:28?

Matthew 10:28 `And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna. (YLT) And do not be afraid of ...
user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
470 views

How do believers in an eternal conscious torment/separation interpret Matthew 10:28?

Matthew 10:28 `And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna. (YLT) And do not be afraid of ...
user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
550 views

According Catholic theology, what does the suffering of hell consist of?

According to Catholic theology, what does the suffering of hell consist of? If there a principal suffering, what is it?
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
7k views

Will Agnostics and Atheists go to Hell? (Catholic)

Does it state anywhere in the Catholic Doctrine that non-believers and doubters will go to hell?
Shan Coralde's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
559 views

According to Catholicism, it it possible for Satan and/or his satellites to roam the earth, while still being in hell?

According to Catholicism can Satan and his satellites, roam the earth for the destruction of souls, while still being in hell? Do demons on earth 🌎 take their own form of hell with them or does God ...
Ken Graham's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
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What is the biblical basis for saying that unsaved souls are completely destroyed? (Annihilationism) [duplicate]

What is the biblical basis for saying that unsaved souls are completely destroyed? Related Questions: The following link covers the basis for saying that the unsaved are eternally punished, but not ...
Al Brown's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
307 views

Is it to say: "We can have reasonable hope that all will be saved" heretical? [duplicate]

Unfortunately, we can hear some lay Catholics (sometimes even a bishop) say that: "We can have reasonable hope that all will be saved". It seems obvious that the statement is untrue, however, is it a ...
Thom's user avatar
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-1 votes
5 answers
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What's the justification of eternal torture in hell? [duplicate]

Most of the world ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture. Can the belief in hell be justified against the Convention in those countries? The punishment is to encourage and enforce ...
humanist's user avatar
25 votes
7 answers
47k views

Are some people created to go to Hell? [closed]

This answer presents the following statement: God is in control and I believe that His will has always been done. So to say that He's never failed. So, are some people are destined to go to hell?...
Sufendy's user avatar
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17 votes
5 answers
8k views

Did Dante's Divine Comedy describe or define Christian views on the afterlife?

Dante's Divine Comedy, the 14th century epic poem describing a journey through the various levels of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven and the persons or types of persons who inhabit each level (including ...
Bruce James's user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
429 views

Is there any scripture or literature exploring why God chose not to annihilate Satan? [closed]

For that matter, why aren't we annihilated if we reject Jesus? Particularly if there is no posthumous "second chance?" For the record, I resonate with C.S. Lewis' notion that, perhaps, the "doors of ...
Brandon Linton's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

According to Reformed Theology do non-trinitarians go to hell?

According to Reformed theology, if one believes that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah and the son of God (but they deny that he is God and the second person of a triune god), is this person sent to an ...
Cannabijoy's user avatar
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13 votes
3 answers
8k views

What is the origin of the belief that Satan tortures the unsaved in Hell?

There's a thought that Satan (the devil) tortures the unsaved in Hell. For example, a brief search revealed a website wherein a member posted the following: I think of Satan more of a psycopath ...
user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
18k views

What is the Biblical basis for the belief that a living person may visit heaven or hell?

As you may know there are many books where people have said they had been in hell and in heaven, and that even Jesus guided them. And that sounds a lot like Divine Comedy. I'm pretty sure that's not ...
Xoltic's user avatar
  • 389
11 votes
3 answers
971 views

Does the Protestant Bible mention Satan punishing non-believers after death?

I have always heard people say that when you die and haven't accepted Christ and go to hell, that you're going to be punished by Satan, and we have this great plethora of contemporary culture showing ...
jcolebrand's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
7k views

If God is omnipresent, is he also in hell? [duplicate]

Using the 'separation from God' concept of hell - how can God be in all places yet still place a soul into a chasm of separation.
keithwarren7's user avatar