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Hell/Lake of Fire, Hell Fire Lake, Lake of Hell Fire
I earlier covered the point that Hell/Hades is different to Lake of Fire, many have the view that they are the same place. This is wrong, the Lake of Fire is after the judgement point, Hades is before. The problem arises because, most Christians believe and teach that people in Hades and in the lake of fire get tormented by fire in both places. This is wrong, as I pointed out no one is being tormented in Hell now, but now the question arises, do people get tormented in the lake of fire/Gehenna forever.
Being tormented in the Lake of Fire/Gehenna forever Part 1
This is the most popular teaching in the Christian world, but does that make it right?, does that make it true? Just because it is popular does not make it true. Is there any objections or problems with the model.
Problems:
1: It limits the power of the cross to the brief moments of earthly life. It teaches that God can not, or will not save you after you are dead. If God really loves his enemies as the Bible teaches, then why will he not save them after they are dead? Is God so powerless that he can not save you after you are dead?
We were once enemies of God {Romans 5:8-11}, why are we Christians saved and the unbelievers are not saved? What is the difference if we were all enemies once? Surely an enemy is an enemy?
2: It teaches that the Will of man is stronger than the will of God. God’s will is to save all mankind {1 Timothy 2:3-4}, but because a human decides not to be saved, then God can do nothing about it. I am not sure why a sane sensible human being would decide to go to hell forever, knowing that they will be burned night and day continuously instead of living in heaven. The freewill argument is covered in a later part.
3: Most of humanity has not even heard of God, do they also get burned alive forever, even thou they have never heard. Yes loads have heard in this day an age, but what about before the Internet, before the telephone, before the printing press??? And even in this day age loads have not even heard……If they have heard, they take no interest what so ever. The bible is just some old book write years ago. It is of no interest to them.
4: It teaches that most of humanity will be lost forever. No matter how you do the numbers, most people though out all of time don’t believe in the God of the Bible. 2 Billion Christians maybe a big number, but there are over 6 billion alive today. That is only a third, and of the 2 billion how many actually really believe….???? And how many though out all history have truly believed in the Christian God.
5: What of the people who die before the age of reason. Does this mythical age really exist? Some people actually teach that babies will burn in the fire forever. This is an evil teaching to be sure, but it is actually what they believe, they teach a most evil God….
6: IT teaches That God is double minded. God loves his enemies before they die {Luke 6:35-36 & Matthew 5:43-48}, but if after they die they are still enemies, then he hates them. Surely torturing anyone for all eternity is not love, it is hate, is it not?
7: It teaches that all the saved people in Heaven will be blissfully happy, even thou their loved ones are rotting in Gehenna. We will be singing, dancing, praising the lord, while our friends and relatives are being burned. If that is the case, then all the saved people will be most evil indeed……How can someone anyone be blissfully happy knowing that someone anyone is being continually burned for all of eternity, unless they themselves are one of the most evil and wickedest persons. Some even teach that we will be able to see the unbelievers being burned, if that is not evil then what is. Can one even image watching someone being burned by actual continuous fire that never ends, and being blissfully happy about it. Surely you would want to scream the place down and plead with God to make it stop.
8: Judgement based on works. How can this be a judgement based on works, if all unbelievers get the same sentence? Is this fair? What is the point of this judgement if everyone ends up with the same sentence.
If someone steals a handbag and another person kills someone, should they both be sentence to the same time in prison? If the judge said, “you get ten years for stealing the handbag,” and then to the other person “you get ten years for murder,” how is that fair? Or if the judge’s verdict was home detention for the one who stole the handbag, and home detention for the one who committed murder. Surely the one that committed murder should go to jail for a long time, but what of the person who stole that handbag?
Yet it is perfectly acceptable for God to hand out the same sentence to all unbelievers? They rot in hell no matter what they have done in their lives.
So are there more problems, or not. Find out in the next part...
Copyright © M J Farquharson 2006 & 2020
Part 6 Being tormented in the Lake of Fire/Gehenna forever Part 2
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