Questions tagged [hell]
a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife
218
questions
53
votes
6
answers
25k
views
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 ...
- 22.1k
35
votes
11
answers
6k
views
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 ...
- 2,373
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?...
- 1,853
24
votes
11
answers
18k
views
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 ...
- 1,094
23
votes
6
answers
11k
views
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 ...
- 10.6k
22
votes
4
answers
2k
views
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 ...
- 13.5k
20
votes
5
answers
35k
views
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 ...
- 12.4k
18
votes
4
answers
4k
views
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 -- ...
user50422
17
votes
7
answers
152k
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 ...
- 4,016
17
votes
11
answers
18k
views
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 ...
- 187
17
votes
3
answers
915
views
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 ...
- 3,454
16
votes
6
answers
5k
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 ...
- 37.2k
16
votes
5
answers
7k
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 ...
- 495
15
votes
2
answers
40k
views
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 ...
- 37.2k
15
votes
4
answers
5k
views
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?
- 1,733
15
votes
2
answers
420
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 ...
- 385
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What is the modern origin of the phrase "hell is the absence of God"?
I'm familiar with debates about the theological implications of the statement "Hell is the absence of God" (see here for instance), but I have not been able to find a source for the phrase nor in what ...
- 348
14
votes
1
answer
379
views
Where, exactly, were Christ's body and soul during the Descendit?
In the Confessional Presbyterian, Vol. 3, p. 104ff., Daniel Hyde wrote about several different views of the Descendit - the descent of Christ into Hell - in his article "In Defense of the Descendit: A ...
- 1,778
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 ...
user900
13
votes
6
answers
5k
views
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 ...
- 63.9k
13
votes
2
answers
1k
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 ...
- 2,482
13
votes
2
answers
765
views
How do proponents of Apokatastasis deal with the "Everlasting punishment" texts in scripture?
For those who don't know, the doctrine of Apokatastasis is an ancient form of Universalism which states that everything God has ever created will be saved and glorified, including the Devil and his ...
- 2,757
13
votes
1
answer
1k
views
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 ...
- 42.3k
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
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 ...
12
votes
4
answers
3k
views
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.
- 1,286
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 ...
- 389
11
votes
3
answers
956
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 ...
- 213
11
votes
4
answers
2k
views
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 ...
user202
11
votes
1
answer
898
views
Did John Wesley reject the Athanasian Creed?
I've seen a few examples online of people claiming that John Wesley objected to the "hell" clauses of the Athanasian Creed, such as on the United Methodist Church website:
United Methodists ...
- 42.3k
10
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Why do Christians appeal to personal gain and inducing fear when attempting to "convert" people? [closed]
I have many times witnessed christians trying to convince or convert atheists or people of other religions to christianity as well as all sorts of arguments and quarrels regarding christianity. I'm ...
- 228
10
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How do non-universalists account for these passages talking about the salvation of all?
I hold to universalism, but am perfectly willing to change my mind on the subject. I just have never received good defeaters to the universalist passages that I present.
First Corinthians 15:22 "...
- 4,540
10
votes
7
answers
1k
views
Without Hell, from what does Jesus save?
This question is about the liberal versions of Christianity, the versions which don’t have a conception of Hell. Put simply, without Hell, just what exactly is Jesus saving me from?
Even the most ...
- 4,566
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.
- 251
10
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Why have Ministers and Preachers stopped preaching on Hell? [closed]
Back in my early years it seemed that every other Sermon was about staying out of Hell. Now it seems that you never hear any Sermons about how terrible it is there.
As a young child that scared me ...
- 13.2k
10
votes
3
answers
7k
views
What is the difference between 'Hell', 'Sheol', 'Hades' and 'Gehenna'?
In Western imagination, Hell is a place of everlasting torment and suffering for the wicked. Brunlesschi's painting in Florence's Duomo illustrates it well:
The word 'Hell' itself, however, doesn't ...
- 63.9k
10
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Is there any truth to the story that Martin Luther claimed he "bought" hell from a priest?
We have this in our country, I googled it but didn’t find something like this, just found that Martin Luther had something to do with Indulgences.
So is it true or is just some nice writing and good ...
- 201
9
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why is Satan commonly believed to rule in hell?
Satan (Devil, Lucifer and all these not exactly the same meaning names) is often told to rule in hell, tormenting the damned souls and so on, while in the Bible I could not find anything more than the ...
- 93
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What do 1st century extra-biblical sources say about hell?
Do we have any information about what 1st century Christians and Jews believed about hell? I know what the Bible says on the subject, and am curious about the extra-biblical context.
user971
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is the Biblical basis for the idea that creation will applaud the damnation of a sinner?
Paul Washer has often said this. For example:
From heaven’s perspective, those who break God’s Law are vile and worthy of all loathing. They are a wretched lot, justly exposed to divine vengeance, ...
user1694
9
votes
1
answer
311
views
What is the origin of the account of Lucifer found in Milton's Paradise Lost?
In Paradise Lost, Milton describes how Lucifer rebelled against God and was cast into Hell as a result. I've always wondered about the origin of this account since as far as I know, it's not mentioned ...
- 193
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Do people of different denominations think that the others are going to go to hell for holding false views? [closed]
Obviously, there are people who are on both sides of this issue, within and without the various denominations, and some denominations which might be more exclusive than others. But when it comes down ...
- 1,928
9
votes
2
answers
344
views
What scriptural arguments are there, if any, that there is hell but it is not eternal?
The Catholic Church teaches that there is hell and it is eternal [cf. The Hell There Is! | Catholic Answers].
What is the [common] scriptural basis, if any, for the Christian groups which teach that ...
user13992
8
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Which is hell: punishment, or revenge? [closed]
Let me first explain my understanding of these words (punishment & revenge):
Punishment is typically when you do something to one person to make things better for society, or for that person. It ...
- 247
8
votes
5
answers
3k
views
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 ...
- 8,055
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What is the Lake of Fire? [closed]
Revelation 20:14 is what I'm talking about. It is only confusing because nearly every translation says something like this:
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second ...
- 12.9k
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 ...
- 43.8k
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. ...
- 12.9k
8
votes
9
answers
1k
views
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 ...
- 383
8
votes
1
answer
316
views
How many hells did Swedenborg say there were?
In G.K. Chesteron's essay "The Red Angel," found in the collection Tremendous Trifles, he remarks:
One small child in the dark can invent more hells than Swedenborg.
What is Chesterton referring ...
- 33.7k
8
votes
1
answer
268
views
According to Wesleyan-Arminianism, does God fail?
According to Wesleyan-Arminianism, does God try His absolute hardest to save all of mankind- but ultimately fails and has no other choice but to send a majority of mankind to have their flesh burned ...
- 2,482