What is hell according to your tradition?

[URAVIP2ME]

The English Standard Version of the Bible only has four verses in their concordance in the back of the Bible. So from what I read, basically:
Hell is a place of fire and torment. (Matthew 5:22)
Soul and body are destroyed in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
Hell has some influence over people. (James 3:6)
And, there are angels in hell. (2 Peter 2:4)
From what I gather, people may be sent there forever but if both soul and body are destroyed that may mean that you are annihilated out of existence instead of tormented forever. I like this better than the most common Christian view, the eternal conscious torment view. I don't think a lot of Christians think about what that means if the eternal conscious torment view is true.

To me, since the Bible was Not originally written in English, then the ancient manuscripts need to be considered:

Matthew 5:22 is in relation to a fiery 'Gehenna'. ( Not the English word hell or hellfire )
What was Gehenna but simply a garbage pit outside of Jerusalem where things were destroyed forever.
Nothing was kept burning forever in Gehenna but destroyed forever as fire destroys forever.
Soul and body destroyed in Gehenna - Matthew 10:28. The wicked are destroyed forever - Psalms 92:7
The word Gehenna is also the word that also appears at James 3:6
As far as those fallen angels - 2 Peter2:4-5 - the word Gehenna is Not used, but the word Tartarus is used.
Not the Tartarus of mythology, but biblically speaking those ' spirits in prison ' - 1 Peter 3:19 - are those fallen angels of Noah's day - Jude 1:6. Not biblical hell ( the grave ) but held in symbolic ' chains of darkness '.....

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Not sure, but I see where you're coming from. Those who did not get the message have their exception. It is a general rule that with any requirements missing, the case is different. This is at least with Islam.

Thank you for your reply. As with Scripture, Jesus said the good news (gospel) about God's kingdom government would be proclaimed to all ' nations ' - Matthew 24:14; Acts of the Apostles 1:8
So, by saying ' nations ' to me that would mean: Not each-and-every individual on Earth at our time frame.
( after all, new people are being born each day )

However, Scripture does hold parents responsible for minor children according to 1 Corinthians 7:14
Apparently, that was also the standard, or was true, in Noah's Day before the Flood.
Noah did talk with the people of his day about the coming Flood before it started according to 2 Peter 2:5

We do Not have to do judging according to Matthew 25:31-33 because Jesus, as Shepherd, will be the one who will separate people as to who are the figurative humble 'sheep'-like people, or haughty 'goat'-type people.

 

[Neo Deist]

To me, since the Bible was Not originally written in English, then the ancient manuscripts need to be considered:

Just out of curiosity, which ancient manuscripts do you speak of? The Autographs (originals) went up in flames when Neb II destroyed Jerusalem.

 

[ronandcarol]

What is hell according to your tradition?
First I would rephrase that and say according to the Bible. Jesus called it the lake of fire. Let your mind imagine what that might be. (sounds hot) But what ever it might actually be, it means total and eternal separation from God. God and all of those that have repented and become children of God will be experiencing life eternal in total bliss and happiness, while those that are separated from God for eternity will be ___________________. You can fill in the blank with whatever form of hell you believe. But it won't be bliss and happiness. It could be hotter than ____.
ronandcarol

 

[Smart_Guy]

Thank you for your reply. As with Scripture, Jesus said the good news (gospel) about God's kingdom government would be proclaimed to all ' nations ' - Matthew 24:14; Acts of the Apostles 1:8
So, by saying ' nations ' to me that would mean: Not each-and-every individual on Earth at our time frame.
( after all, new people are being born each day )

However, Scripture does hold parents responsible for minor children according to 1 Corinthians 7:14
Apparently, that was also the standard, or was true, in Noah's Day before the Flood.
Noah did talk with the people of his day about the coming Flood before it started according to 2 Peter 2:5

We do Not have to do judging according to Matthew 25:31-33 because Jesus, as Shepherd, will be the one who will separate people as to who are the figurative humble 'sheep'-like people, or haughty 'goat'-type people.

Interesting information there!

Thank you for sharing.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Does anyone righteous throughout one's existence experience hell ?______
Someone counted as righteous, to me, would also be the result of one's thoughts or actions.
According to the Bible, righteous Jesus on the day he died went to hell.
Went to hell because the ' Bible's hell ' is really the temporary grave for the un-conscious dead until Resurrection Day.

You're moving from the axiom of Hell to a different definition (whether or not it's the "Bible's hell" is still up for debate).

But while we're on the subject...

"In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” The New Testament Greek equivalent of sheol is hades, which also refers to “the place of the dead.” Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicate that sheol/hades is a temporary place, where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection and judgment. Revelation 20:11–15 gives a clear distinction between hades and the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the permanent and final place of judgment for the lost. Hades, then, is a temporary place. Many people refer to both hades and the lake of fire as “hell,” and this causes confusion. Jesus did not go to a place of torment after His death, but He did go to hades"

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Just out of curiosity, which ancient manuscripts do you speak of? The Autographs (originals) went up in flames when Neb II destroyed Jerusalem.

The temple lineage records were also destroyed in the year 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.

After the exile of the Jews to Babylon, a class of copyists, or scribes (Sopherim), developed - Ezra 7:6
Early on, and over time, the scribes made numerous copies of the old Hebrew Scriptures.
Such as during the Middle Ages the Masoretes carried on that same tradition with the oldest Masoretic manuscript being the Leningrad Codex. Biblical manuscripts or fragments were also discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls being older than the Leningrad Codex.

The British Museum houses the Codes Alexandrinus, and the Codex Sinaiticus.
The Septuagint is from the third and second centuries.
The Papyrus Chester Beatty, and the Papyrus Bodmer, to mention a few which all support Bible canon.
A Greek Interlinear translation gives both the Greek and the English side by side. The Tanach gives the Hebrew.

The apocryphal books simply exclude themselves from the '66' books of Bible canon because they are out of harmony with the '66'. The '66' contain internal harmony among its many Bible writers by having corresponding or parallel cross-reference verses and passages being in harmony with Scripture.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

You're moving from the axiom of Hell to a different definition (whether or not it's the "Bible's hell" is still up for debate).
But while we're on the subject...
"In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” The New Testament Greek equivalent of sheol is hades, which also refers to “the place of the dead.” Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicate that sheol/hades is a temporary place, where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection and judgment. Revelation 20:11–15 gives a clear distinction between hades and the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the permanent and final place of judgment for the lost. Hades, then, is a temporary place. Many people refer to both hades and the lake of fire as “hell,” and this causes confusion. Jesus did not go to a place of torment after His death, but He did go to hades"
Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

Yes, according to Acts of the Apostles 2:27; Acts of the Apostles 2:31-32; Psalms 16:10 the dead Jesus went to biblical hell (sheol / grave)' between his death and when God resurrected the dead Jesus ' out of biblical hell/sheol
So, agree sheol, or biblical hell, is a temporary place otherwise Jesus would still be in the Bible's hell / grave.

Please notice Revelation 20:13-14 because it gives the definition of the lake of fire defined as ' second death '.

Also, please notice that No one remains in biblical hell because after everyone in hell is ' delivered up ' (KJV) meaning resurrected out of hell, then ' emptied-out hell ' is cast vacant into that symbolic ' second death ' for vacated hell.
So, the lake of fire is symbolic of permanent or final destruction.
The wicked are ' destroyed forever ' according to Psalms 92:7
Jesus destroys wicked sinner Satan according to Hebrews 2:14 B
Satan ends up in ' second death '- Revelation 21:8
So, to me, ' second death ' is a fitting term for: destruction as in annihilation forever. - Jeremiah 51:57; Jude 1:12 B

Before the final judgement day for the dead, which takes place during Jesus' millennium-long day of governing over Earth, we are near a final judgement day, or time period, for the living according to Matthew 25:31-33,37 when Jesus, as Shepherd, will separate the figurative humble ' sheep'-like people from the haughty 'goat'-type ones.
The ones on Jesus' right hand of favor, so to speak, can remain alive on Earth, and continue to live on Earth, right into the start of Jesus' coming 1,000-year reign over Earth.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Interesting information there!
Thank you for sharing.

You are more than welcome.
In this country even back in the late 1700's missionaries here were already telling others about Jesus.
Today there are many remote Bible translation offices throughout the world, including islands, where Bible translation is done locally for the local population's languages there.
Thus, that also lowers the need for using translators to translate for others.
Modern technology has even make rapid Bible translation possible so those remote peoples can have Scripture in their own mother tongue or native languages, including sign languages.
The Bible is also printed in the Native American Navajo language with many American 'Indians' being Christians.

When Jesus said how extensive the work would be at Acts of the Apostles 1:8 from the starting point at Jerusalem to be carried to remote, or uttermost, far parts of the Earth, then, or back then this country would have even qualified as being far from Jerusalem's starting point.

 

[Neo Deist]

The temple lineage records were also destroyed in the year 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.

After the exile of the Jews to Babylon, a class of copyists, or scribes (Sopherim), developed - Ezra 7:6
Early on, and over time, the scribes made numerous copies of the old Hebrew Scriptures.
Such as during the Middle Ages the Masoretes carried on that same tradition with the oldest Masoretic manuscript being the Leningrad Codex. Biblical manuscripts or fragments were also discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls being older than the Leningrad Codex.

The British Museum houses the Codes Alexandrinus, and the Codex Sinaiticus.
The Septuagint is from the third and second centuries.
The Papyrus Chester Beatty, and the Papyrus Bodmer, to mention a few which all support Bible canon.
A Greek Interlinear translation gives both the Greek and the English side by side. The Tanach gives the Hebrew.

The apocryphal books simply exclude themselves from the '66' books of Bible canon because they are out of harmony with the '66'. The '66' contain internal harmony among its many Bible writers by having corresponding or parallel cross-reference verses and passages being in harmony with Scripture.

Translation: we don't have the originals, like Neo Deist said.

 

[Super Universe]

Describe Hell if you believe in it. It is one of the teachings I was raised with that I struggle with more than all others.

According to my tradition it is a state of purification through painful trials that a soul must undergo to reach perfection and it begins in this lifetime. Some souls believe that their condition will never change, but this is a consequence of their sins that they believe this, and it is part of their hell.

I believe that eventually every soul will be purified (Even if it takes hundreds of thousands of years).

We have all experienced Hell to a certain extent.

There is no place where souls are tortured for eternity.

Hell is the idea of disconnection from God. Since everything that exists is a part of God the reality is that it is a symbolic idea of being disconnected from your mind. You will cease to exist. Your life remains a memory to God but your mind no longer connects with your spirit body, the soul, so your mind cannot function. It's like having a computer hard drive with a lot of information on it but never turning it on again. You cease to exist and the soul moves on to a new baby and tries again.

When Jesus talked about hell He was issuing a warning to Lucifer, not humanity. Humans always think everything is about them.

This disconnection can happen to a human as well. If, at the next level, you refuse to accept the teaching you can quit. You will be referred to a trained counselor who will talk with you and explain everything and if you still wish to quit then you will be disconnected and cease to exist.

Sometimes, at the next level, humans get pissed when they realize that there really is a God and there really are angels. Humans have this sense of entitlement, you think that God and all the angels should just drop everything they are doing and give you the life you wanted.

It's not all about you.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Translation: we don't have the originals, like Neo Deist said.

Regardless, the '66' books of Bible canon are in harmony and agree with each other.
When discoveries are made they verify Scripture. Such as the teacher who taught us there was No such person as Pontius Pilate. When the discovery was made she did admit that was an important discovery.
Unlike self-help books which are revised and updated, the Bible has remained the same throughout the centuries.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

There is no place where souls are tortured for eternity.
Hell is the idea of disconnection from God. Since everything that exists is a part of God the reality is that it is a symbolic idea of being disconnected from your mind. You will cease to exist. Your life remains a memory to God but your mind no longer connects with your spirit body, the soul, so your mind cannot function. It's like having a computer hard drive with a lot of information on it but never turning it on again. You cease to exist and the soul moves on to a new baby and tries again.
When Jesus talked about hell He was issuing a warning to Lucifer, not humanity. Humans always think everything is about them.
This disconnection can happen to a human as well. If, at the next level, you refuse to accept the teaching you can quit. You will be referred to a trained counselor who will talk with you and explain everything and if you still wish to quit then you will be disconnected and cease to exist.
Sometimes, at the next level, humans get pissed when they realize that there really is a God and there really are angels. Humans have this sense of entitlement, you think that God and all the angels should just drop everything they are doing and give you the life you wanted.
It's not all about you.

Right, it is Not all about 'you' (us humans) but about God's Sovereignty as to who can govern mankind the best.
By breaking God's Law then Adam set up People Rule as being superior to God Rule.
The passing of time was needed to see if Human Rule is better than God Rule.
Human history has now proven that man cannot bring Peace on Earth, but that man has dominated man to man's hurt or to his injury as written at Ecclesiastes 8:9.

To me, according to Scripture, there is No place where souls are tortured for eternity.
KJV bibles translated different words into English as the words hell and hellfire.
Since ' the soul dies' according to Ezekiel 18:4,20, and the soul can be destroyed - Acts of the Apostles 3:23
then the soul according to Scripture is mortal and is Not death-proof.

Jesus never places or puts Satan in biblical hell, but Satan ends up in a symbolic ' second death ' as mentioned at Revelation 21:8; According to Hebrews 2:14 B Jesus will destroy Satan.
ALL the wicked will be 'destroyed forever' according to Psalms 92:7 ( sinner Satan will be annihilated )

Jesus is the one, who at his death, went to the Bible's hell ( grave ) - Acts of the Apostles 2:27; Psalms 16:10
The Bible's hell (temporary grave) comes to a final end according to Revelation 20:13-14 because after everyone in biblical hell is ' delivered up ' ( resurrected ) out of biblical hell, then emptied-out hell is cast vacant into that symbolic ' second death' or destruction for biblical hell.

 

[Neo Deist]

Regardless, the '66' books of Bible canon are in harmony and agree with each other.
When discoveries are made they verify Scripture. Such as the teacher who taught us there was No such person as Pontius Pilate. When the discovery was made she did admit that was an important discovery.
Unlike self-help books which are revised and updated, the Bible has remained the same throughout the centuries.

Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Asian Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox and would disagree with you on the 66...

And no the Bible has not remained the same.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Asian Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox and would disagree with you on the 66...
And no the Bible has not remained the same.

Of course they would disagree. For one reason, when the apocryphal books are included, they are out of harmony with the ' 66 ' books of Bible canon. Acts of the Apostles 20:29-30 shows that an apostasy would set in.
Both the genuine ' wheat ' Christians would grow together with the fake ' weed/tares' Christians until the Harvest Time or the soon coming ' time of separation ' on earth - Matthew 25:31-33.

What passages or verses do you have in mind that have Not remained the same ?

 

[Neo Deist]

What passages or verses do you have in mind that have Not remained the same ?

Several of the ones that the NWT authors came up with and altered in order to make the NWT say what they wanted it to.

However, I am not interested in arguing about that. I know they did it, other scholars know they did it, JWs will defend the changes, and no one will win the argument.

Moving on...

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Several of the ones that the NWT authors came up with and altered in order to make the NWT say what they wanted it to.
However, I am not interested in arguing about that. I know they did it, other scholars know they did it, JWs will defend the changes, and no one will win the argument.
Moving on...

If you want to know what Jehovah's Witnesses believe their official website is www.jw.org

 

[Neo Deist]

If you want to know what Jehovah's Witnesses believe their official website is www.jw.org

I don't.