How do You Envision Heaven and Hell?

[Milton Platt]

That is, on a "day-to-day" basis, what do you think your "life" will be like?

If you go to hell will you be roasting in an everlasting fire, scrubbing dirty pots and pans for all eternity, just stare at a blank wall for the rest of your unearthly existence? OR . . . .

If you go to heaven will you be going around with an eternal smile on your face because you're so gosh darn happy, listen to the heavenly choir go on about the glory of god, have interminable encounters with old friends? OR . . . .

.

Heaven: The absence of religion

Hell: A theocracy.

 

[osgart]

Yes, I think that is what heaven will be like. Heaven is knowledge God, loving God and others, good intent and actions, and caring about others more than oneself. Hell is the opposite of that, lack of knowledge of God, loving self, evil intent and actions, and caring about self more than others. We make our own heaven and hell both in this life and in the next by our own thoughts, intent and actions, God does not send us there.

Those who go to hell would not be comfortable in heaven because they would not want to be where God and Angels reside. All they ever knew in this life was selfishness, passion, and attachment to the material world, so that is what they will gravitate towards. Hell will just be more of the same except there will be nothing physical there so they won't be able to quench their desires. All they will have are their memories of what they had in this life, forever. God does not torture people; they will just get what they wanted and chose. They will settle in hell with others who are like them. Sadly, they will never know the difference, what they could have had in heaven. They bartered away eternal happiness for a few years of physical happiness in this world.

I wonder though, if hell is forever, and people can ever come to repentance eventually.

Of course if they deserve hell, i cant feel too sorry for them.

But too deserve forever hell is just pure evil.

Also i would say hell is the absence of goodness. That is torture.

 

[Trailblazer]

I wonder though, if hell is forever, and people can ever come to repentance eventually.

Of course if they deserve hell, i cant feel too sorry for them.

But to deserve forever hell is just pure evil.

Also i would say hell is the absence of goodness. That is torture.

That is the primary torture of hell, absence of goodness.

I think there is a chance of getting out of hell eventually, if one repents and begs for God's mercy. The problem is that the people in hell do not believe in God and they are in hell because they want to be bad since that feels good to them... It is possible that prayers others say for them could get them out, but only at the behest of God. However, if they want to be in hell they want to be there and God is not going to force them into heaven. People create their own heaven and hell. It is a willful choice.

I am reading this book called Heaven and Hell and it is eerily similar to what Baha'u'llah revealed about the mind states of heaven and hell, only with a lot more details about the afterlife. I am not sure how much of it I am willing to believe but it is very interesting. I will fill you in on more details later, after I have had more time to read and absorb it.

 

[arthra]

"How do You Envision Heaven and Hell?"

For Baha'is "Heaven" and "Hell" are conditions of the soul rather than locations or places to go to...

The Bahá’í teachings state that there is no such physical place as heaven or hell, and emphasise the eternal journey of the soul towards perfection. They explain that references to “heaven” and “hell” in the Holy Scriptures of other religions are to be understood symbolically, describing states of nearness to and distance from God in this world and in the realms beyond. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said that when human beings “become illuminated with the radiance of the sun of reality, and ennobled with all the virtues, they esteem this the greatest reward, and they know it to be the true paradise. In the same way they consider that the spiritual punishment…is to be subjected to the world of nature; to be veiled from God; to be brutal and ignorant; to fall into carnal lusts; to be absorbed in animal frailties; to be characterized with dark qualities…these are the greatest punishments and tortures…”1

Heaven and Hell | What Bahá’ís Believe

 

[Deeje]

That is the primary torture of hell, absence of goodness.

Actually, there is no Biblical "hell of torture". Rendering "hades" and "gehenna" as if they mean the same thing is just a translational travesty. These are two different words that mean two completely different things.

"Hades" is the Greek equivalent of "sheol" in Hebrew. The dead are said to be unconscious in this place. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10)

"Gehenna" is the Greek name for the Valley of Hinnom, southwest of ancient Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 7:31) It was prophetically spoken of as a place where dead bodies would be strewn. (Jeremiah 7:32; Jeremiah 19:6) It became the city's garbage dump where fires were kept burning day and night to get rid of the refuse and anything else that was considered garbage. There is no evidence that animals or humans were thrown into Gehenna to be burned alive or tormented. So the place could not symbolize an invisible region where human souls are tormented eternally in literal fire. A "soul" is a living breathing creature, not some ethereal, invisible part of man that survives death.

Gehenna was used by Jesus and his disciples to symbolize the eternal punishment of “second death,” that is, everlasting destruction, annihilation...a death from which there is no return. (Revelation 20:14; Matthew 5:22; Matthew 10:28) God "destroys" souls" (people) in gehenna. It isn't a prison used for torture. There is no torture. Eternal death is the opposite of eternal life. Why does it need to be mysterious and complicated?

I think there is a chance of getting out of hell eventually, if one repents and begs for God's mercy. The problem is that the people in hell do not believe in God and they are in hell because they want to be bad since that feels good to them... It is possible that prayers others say for them could get them out, but only at the behest of God.

The Bible says that "gehenna" is forever and links it with the lake of fire in Revelation. If we think about it for a moment, God never once gave his people a "heaven or hell" scenario. All he ever offered them was life or death. Adam did not go to a hell of punishment....he simply went back to where he was before God created him...he didn't exist.

However, if they want to be in hell they want to be there and God is not going to force them into heaven. People create their own heaven and hell. It is a willful choice.

Our final destination IS our choice. But there is no choice between heaven or hell. We either display conduct that God approves, leading to him giving us eternal life....or we display the traits deserving of eternal death.

Since "hades" is simply the common grave...a place to which we will all go sooner or later, there is nothing to fear. When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus said he was "sleeping". (John 11:11-14) He did not bring him back from a place of heavenly bliss because to restore him to his former life and take that from him would have been a disservice.

I am reading this book called Heaven and Hell and it is eerily similar to what Baha'u'llah revealed about the mind states of heaven and hell, only with a lot more details about the afterlife. I am not sure how much of it I am willing to believe but it is very interesting.

I believe that anyone who teaches about an "afterlife" of heaven or hell is not telling you the truth. There is no afterlife in the Bible. The spirit realm is not inhabited by dead people. It is inhabited by spirit creatures who were created to live there. Humans were created to live on earth. This is not, and never has been a training ground for heaven. "Hell" as a place of eternal suffering dishonors a God of Love....that is what I think.

 

[Muffled]

That is, on a "day-to-day" basis, what do you think your "life" will be like?

If you go to hell will you be roasting in an everlasting fire, scrubbing dirty pots and pans for all eternity, just stare at a blank wall for the rest of your unearthly existence? OR . . . .

If you go to heaven will you be going around with an eternal smile on your face because you're so gosh darn happy, listen to the heavenly choir go on about the glory of god, have interminable encounters with old friends? OR . . . .

.

I believe Hell will just be fire and ones memories.

I believe Heaven is whatever good thing a person can envision.

 

[Muffled]

Heaven is seeing you, Skwim, right there giving me a high five.

I doubt that I will return to Heaven at this time so if there is a remote chance of meeting you it would be most likely be in the Kingdom of God.

 

[Muffled]

Well Heaven is obviously a place where all those who have a different religion can come to together and praise each other for having their own individual beliefs and Hell obviously is the alternative place where they will argue eternally that their belief is still the correct one.

I believe it would be very difficult for people of other beliefs to make it to Heaven and most likely it would not be God's choice for them anyway.

 

[Thief]

That is, on a "day-to-day" basis, what do you think your "life" will be like?

If you go to hell will you be roasting in an everlasting fire, scrubbing dirty pots and pans for all eternity, just stare at a blank wall for the rest of your unearthly existence? OR . . . .

If you go to heaven will you be going around with an eternal smile on your face because you're so gosh darn happy, listen to the heavenly choir go on about the glory of god, have interminable encounters with old friends? OR . . . .

.

may heaven forbid I end up alongside a bunch of nay sayers
( oh hell)

hehehehehe

 

[Thief]

just for clarity.....we end up alongside others that think and feel as we do

how else to be happy?
how else to be fair?

 

[Mock Turtle]

I believe it would be very difficult for people of other beliefs to make it to Heaven and most likely it would not be God's choice for them anyway.

Well that is one belief that won't travel far - in my opinion - and one of the reasons why I see most religions similarly. How can someone brought up with one religion (in a remote location, for example) have any knowledge of a particular other religion - where the concept of Heaven and Hell applies. Does that imply a fair God? Even the concept of a Chosen people is just ridiculous to me. But then much of religion is the same - miracles, afterlife, saints, angels, etc. Heaven and Hell are just made-up carrots and sticks for the gullible - in my view. Both allow for all sorts of fanciful explanations as to how they might operate. I could see myself with a foot in both.

 

[danieldemol]

I view heaven as being a spiritually mature or developed state, and hell as being a spiritually undeveloped state, so in the same way a person who fails to develop physical qualities is at a loss when born into this world, a person who fails to develop spiritual qualities will be at a loss when the soul is separated from the body.
Spiritual qualities include love, patience, humility etc