# The truth of Hell from scriptures



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

There are some new religious groups that would lead people to believe that "a loving God could never send someone to hell" and that hell is only symbolic in the bible. To be saved means to be saved from something. Some lead you to believe that being annihilated is what hell really means, but since God is a God not of confusion, he requires us to use logic.

If someone lived an evil life and then at the end of their life they were "annihilated", then what do they have to fear? Not existing anymore? Not existing and not being held for ones sins by being "annihilated" isn't a punishment. Why would someone who is leading a parting sinful life worry about being saved when they know that when they die, they would just be "annihilated" and not exist anymore.

No, the truth the bible teaches is that the saved are saved from hell, which was prepared for the devil and the demonds. But, when man sinned, God had to provide a way for the sinners to be saved from this hell, which is why Jesus Christ came, died and rose in body to defeat death hell and the grave for all believers.

Let the scriptures speak for themselves as they are clear and direct.

Matt 23:33 Jesus says, "Snakes! Sons of vipers! (Pharisees) How will you escape the Judgment of HELL?"

Matt 25:41 Jesus says, â€œThen the King will turn to those on the left and say, â€˜Away with you, you cursed ones, into the Eternal Fire (*HELL*) prepared for the Devil and His Demons."

Matt 25:46 Jesus says, â€œAnd they will go away into Eternal Punishment (*HELL*), but the Righteous will go into Eternal Life.â€

Luke 12:5 Jesus says, "Iâ€™ll tell you whom to Fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then *THROWN INTO HELL.* Yes, heâ€™s the one to Fear."

Matt 10:28 Jesus say*s, *â€œDonâ€™t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both SOUL AND BODY IN HELL."

Matt 13:41-43 Jesus says about Himself: "The Son of Man (Jesus) will send His Angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes Sin and all who do Evil. And the Angels will throw them into the Fiery Furnace, where there will be WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH. Then the Righteous will shine like the sun in their Fatherâ€™s Kingdom."

Matt 13:49-50 Jesus says, "That is the way it will be at the End of the World. The Angels will come and separate the Wicked people from the Righteous, throwing the Wicked into the FIERY FURNACE, where there will be WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH."

And lastly, this is a clear fact about hell:
*The Rich Man and Lazarus *
Luke16:19-31

19 â€œThere was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich manâ€™s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 â€œThe time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abrahamâ€™s side.* The rich man also died and was buried.* *23 In Hades, where he was in torment,* he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, â€˜Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,* because I am in agony in this fire.â€™*
25 â€œBut Abraham replied, â€˜Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, *but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.* 26 And besides all this, *between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.â€™*
27 â€œHe answered, â€˜Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. *Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.â€™*
29 â€œAbraham replied, â€˜They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.â€™
30 â€œâ€˜No, father Abraham,â€™ he said, â€˜but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.â€™
31 â€œHe said to him, â€˜If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.â€™â€

Some may wish to think these scriptures are only "Symbolic" because a loving God could not send someone to hell. But the fact is the scriptures clearly show that there is a hell and Jesus Chris came to save us from hell. He didn't come so we could just avoide being "annihilated" into nothing.

Jesus also warned us about in the end days there will be false teachers of the gosple and we see it clearly now days.


----------



## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*It gonna be a warm place*

Biblical hell is your Choice, just like becoming Christian is an act of faith, by your will.

Hell was not created for man, HOWEVER if you are Anti-Christ, it will contain your Spirit till your final disposition.

A few more to adds Hell a real place? If Hell is real, how can a loving God send people there? Is there escape from Hell even for people who have committed unconscionable crimes? These are all questions that can be answered by Scripture made clear by the Holy Spirits help.

Hell is not only described as a literal place, but the concept of Hell â€" eternal separation from God â€" is also explained as the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). The Old Testament alludes to Hell but it is really Jesusâ€™ teaching in the New Testament that gives a clearer picture of its reality. Actually, when Jesus taught on earth He taught more about Hell than Heaven. Hell is a place that many, even some Christians, refuse to believe.

Bible Verses About Hell
... because the Bible teaches about Hell we must believe it to be real and true.
The word Hell is translated from several different words in the Old and New Testament.

Hebrew: sheol

Translated â€œpitâ€ (3 times)
Numbers 16:33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

Job 17:16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?â€

Translated â€œgraveâ€ (31 times)
Genesis 37:34-35 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, â€œNo, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.â€ Thus his father wept for him.

1 Samuel 2:6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

Translated â€œHellâ€ (31 times)
2 Samuel 22:5-6 â€œFor the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.14 If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.

Hebrew: Valley of Hinnom

A picture of Hell; misery and punishment
2 Chronicles 28:1-3 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

Jeremiah 7:31 And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.

Greek: hades (translated from the Hebrew sheol)

Translated â€œHellâ€ ten times and â€œgraveâ€ one time
1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Greek: tartaros

Translated â€œhellâ€ meaning eternal tormentâ€
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

Greek: gehenna (from the Hebrew Valley of Hinnom)

Translated â€œhellâ€ meaning place of everlasting torment
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Hell is the place of torment for the lost (unsaved). Because everyone has sinned no one deserves to live with the Holy and righteous Heavenly Father (Romans 3:10; 3:23). But God is a loving Father and He offers salvation from death to all, and for those that reject the offer, Godâ€™s justice will be executed and the wage of sin will be paid in Hell.

Torment will be physical

Luke 16:24 And he called out, â€˜Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.â€™

Jude 12-13 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.â€

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

Revelation 20:10 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Torment will be mental

Luke 16:25 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.â€™

Torment will be spiritual

2 Thessalonians 1:5-9 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also sufferingâ€" since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Torment will be just â€" at different degrees

Godâ€™s judgment will be less for some

Matthew 11:20-24 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. â€œWoe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.â€

God will have greater judgment for some

Luke 11:32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Godâ€™s judgment will be double for others

Revelation 18:5-6 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.6 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.

Escape from Hell is offered to everyone

God is also full of grace and that is why it is so important for us as Christians to be telling others about the opportunity we have for salvation. With greater opportunity comes greater judgment.


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

Amen Texican. However all must know that salvation is only offered before death. Some believe that thy can ask for salvation after they die and that is not scriptural. Anyway, the bible is crystal clear about hell. 


In Christ Alone I Place My Trust


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

I think it is neat that Paul never talks about hell in the book of Romans. But Jesus who has the authority to talk about it did indeed talk about it all throughout his ministry. 

Some people get it..

Pilot looked straight into Jesus's eyes.... And missed it.. He never "got it"..

Judas, hand picked by Christ himself to teach, mentor... Looked straight into Christ's eyes.. And missed it... Totally missed it.. Judas.. Never "got it"... As we have people today who know all about Christ who will never.. "Get it".. 









Don't be afraid of man who can just cut your head off.. Be afraid of an Eternal God who will send your very soul to hell.







Have you ever researched in your Bible how many times the statement "AS IT WAS WRITTEN" appears?



I wonder what that's all about?


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

You are citing symbolic scriptures as literal.Use discernment. "God is love." We cannot even begin to understand His love. He could not torture someone. "The dead are conscience of nothing at all." If you were burning in a fire you would be conscience of it. You line of reasoning would mean the the scriptures contradict each other. That is not possible. 

The truth of God's word frees you from the false teachings of many religions. Satan wants nothing more than for people to think that God might torture them, that they need to have a morbid fear of him. How hard it must be to give God the kind of worship that He deserves, if we have that morbid fear of Him. Could you truly love and respect your physical father if he constantly tortured you when you made a mistake. That every time you erred he was going to build a fire and stick you hand in it. You would not love him. You might do your best to obey him because you did not want to be burned, but you would not be obeying him out of love. How much more loving is God than the most loving father. There is no comparison. Yet you think God could do that. That kind of reasoning is foolish.

We need to have a healthy fear of Jehovah, a fear of displeasing Him, because of our love for Him, because of the sacrifice He and His son, Jesus Christ, gave for us to have the hope of salvation and everlasting live.


----------



## jdipper1 (Jul 18, 2007)

Sorry shaggy, there is a hell and GOD sent His Son to save us from it. We can either follow Jesus or face the consequences when we die. We will not receive our reward in this life, but the next. Either love of GOD or hell.

GOD Bless,
John


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

Without a "hell" there is no reason to turn to Jesus for anything. There is no consequence for sin or sinning. That tells me I can live a life for self and I just do not see that happening. I'd be afraid... I'd be very afraid. That is my discernment and the reason I turn to God.. Through Jesus Christ.. Once again I respect people for their views.. But that view of no "hell".. That is scary. Jesus says all vengeance is his. I will leave it where it lies. There is a hell until proven otherwise..


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Seeker said:


> Without a "hell" there is no reason to turn to Jesus for anything. There is no consequence for sin or sinning. That tells me I can live a life for self and I just do not see that happening. I'd be afraid... I'd be very afraid. That is my discernment and the reason I turn to God.. Through Jesus Christ.. Once again I respect people for their views.. But that view of no "hell".. That is scary. Jesus says all vengeance is his. I will leave it where it lies. There is a hell until proven otherwise..


That tells me you "serve" God out of fear, not out of love. There is a consequence for sinning...death. There is also a hope for those who die, but are remembered in God's Book of Life....the resurrection, and the opportunity for everlasting life. We all make our own choices. I choose to obey God, because of my love for Him, and the opportunity He holds out for me, not because of some morbid fear. I am a large sinner, but I do my best to follow the example that Jesus set for us while he was on the earth. I can only hope and pray that I will be remembered by Jehovah.


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

Shaggy,

What give you the right to say what scriptures are "symbolic" and which ones are not? They are there for a purpose. You are trying to use human understanding when it is flawed. God is love, but God is also a just God. He put all through out the scriptures warrings about hell, yet you want to say they are only symbolic. That is a dangerous view to take. I will lean on God's bible and not human logic.


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

atcfisherman said:


> Shaggy,
> 
> What give you the right to say what scriptures are "symbolic" and which ones are not? They are there for a purpose. You are trying to use human understanding when it is flawed. God is love, but God is also a just God. He put all through out the scriptures warrings about hell, yet you want to say they are only symbolic. That is a dangerous view to take. I will lean on God's bible and not human logic.


I am very comfortable with my vies.


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

jdipper1 said:


> Sorry shaggy, there is a hell and GOD sent His Son to save us from it. We can either follow Jesus or face the consequences when we die. We will not receive our reward in this life, but the next. Either love of GOD or hell.
> 
> GOD Bless,
> John


No doubt there is a hell, the common grave of mankind, not a burning pit of torture..


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

shaggydog said:


> No doubt there is a hell, the common grave of mankind, not a burning pit of torture..


The scriptures, which I posted many, say there is a hell, not just a common grave. The JW take one scripture from the old testiment and bank on it when all throughout the bible the doctrine of a literal hell is given.


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

Matt 13:41-43 Jesus says about Himself: "The Son of Man (Jesus) will send His Angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes Sin and all who do Evil. And the Angels will throw them into the Fiery Furnace, where there will be WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH. Then the Righteous will shine like the sun in their Fatherâ€™s Kingdom."

This is not "symbolic" I guess you like to not take Jesus at his direct word.


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

The fiery furnace is symbolic, it symbolizes eternal destruction. Fire is used throughout the scriptures to denote total destruction. I know the scriptures and will not argue with you anymore. Serve God out of love not fear.


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

Shaggy.. I must say.. You love arguing don't you? There is nothing we Christians can say to change your mind is there? 


I have been told arguing with the Jehovah Witness religion will never lead anywhere.. I do believe I have to agree. I now understand fully why my family, while growing up would refuse to answer the door when the white shirts, black ties and black slacks were walking up the sidewalk. This is insane.. Oh my goodness..


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Seeker said:


> Shaggy.. I must say.. You love arguing don't you? There is nothing we Christians can say to change your mind is there?
> 
> I have been told arguing with the Jehovah Witness religion will never lead anywhere.. I do believe I have to agree. I now understand fully why my family, while growing up would refuse to answer the door when the white shirts, black ties and black slacks were walking up the sidewalk. This is insane.. Oh my goodness..


I am sorry you feel that I am argumentative. I feel like I am passionate for the truths of God's word. I am not surprised that you would call me out, without including others. There is always more than one side in an "argument".


----------



## jdipper1 (Jul 18, 2007)

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction

Not plain enough?

GOD Bless,
John


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

shaggydog said:


> The fiery furnace is symbolic, it symbolizes eternal destruction. Fire is used throughout the scriptures to denote total destruction. I know the scriptures and will not argue with you anymore. Serve God out of love not fear.


I serve God out of love and fear as the bible says. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Furthermore, I will follow what the bible clearly says about there being a real hell. Nowhere does it say it's "symbolic." However, it says all throughout that is is real.


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

*Matthew 25:41 * Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

God's word is very clear here. These are words that Jesus is speaking. I doubt he was just being "symbolic."


----------



## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*Serving God*

Through reverent awe, inspired by the Holy Spirit and Saved by the Grace of Jesus sacrifice

Shaggy most on here disagree with your view and the Witness view of Hell.

God has and does indeed actively allow pain and suffering or destruction in this LIFE and in places reserved for those who align themselves with Lucifer either actively or passively.

You don't think that old testament tribes or the peoples they fought suffered? How about when fire and brimstone RAINED down on Sodom and Gomorrah? How about the seven plagues of the Egyptian kingdom?

I FEAR God out of reverence of creation and his AWESOME power held over that same Creation -

FEAR of God is healthy and once held many bad actors in the world in check. Absent that FEAR, and man is a MONSTER capable of anything.

Physical suffering is part of wearing this earthsuit and spiritual suffering will follow its demise for some - the WORM will Burn -

Torture /suffering are just words, we only see dimly what absence and separation from God will be and is purely dependent on a yes or no choice -

Deuteronomy 6:15 says - for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.

God wiped out man in the flood, he made the Israelites wander the wilderness till a generation of men passed, Some might view that as torture.

God gave visions in dreams to Kings, he made them lose their minds and eat grass,

We give words to Gods just PUNISHMENTS - makes no difference HOW you come to God, but sometimes folks need a little HEALTHY fear in their lives

Some of the ways God has manifested himself PHYSICALLY in this world would scare the bejabbers outta me -

Man could not STAND before God without Jesus interceeding on our behalf

At the end f our days God will reveal TRUTH for us all - until that time Study and show yourself approved


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

Excellent post Texican!!!!


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

Indeed..


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

TrueblueTexican said:


> Through reverent awe, inspired by the Holy Spirit and Saved by the Grace of Jesus sacrifice
> 
> Shaggy most on here disagree with your view and the Witness view of Hell.
> 
> ...


There is a difference in destruction and eternal torment. Many have been destroyed at God's hand, but nothing like the destruction that will be seen at Armageddon. Just don't confuse the two. You are speaking of two different things. Warnings were given in Noah's day, as well as in Sodom and Gomorrah. That same warning is being sounded today. I just think that God is not capable of eternal torture. I will continue to serve God out of love and not fear.

There were examples of punishments handed out all through the bible. You mentioned the Israelites, absolutely. King David was punished for his sin, but he was still considered "God's friend." There are numerous accounts. But most of the suffering is self inflicted. It comes from our inherited sin.

God does indeed allow this suffering and pain. He will continue to do so until the question has been answered, in His mind, that man cannot rule himself. It is obvious to many that man cannot rule himself. Man dominates man to his own benefit.

Jesus taught us how to pray when he gave us the Lord's prayer. What is the first thing that is addressed in that prayer. "Our Father who art in heaven, HALLOWED BE THY NAME." What was Jesus telling us? He was telling us that the most important thing we can pray for is the sanctification of God's name, to set it apart, to make it sacred. The disciple making work along with the vindication and sanctification of God's name is the most important work that can be done today. Keep seeking first the kingdom, and all these other things will be added to you.

Will there be suffering and pain in this system, absolutely, but it comes from our inherited sin and Satan. It is part of life. "Time and unforseen occurance befall us all." What happens once the wage we pay for our sin, which is death, is that we return to the dust. Many hold out hope of the resurrection.


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

Wow..


----------



## tngbmt (May 30, 2004)

i don't know enough to 'be certain' the eternal fire as a symbol or literal. for me, it doesn't even matter. anything short of heaven would be 'hell'. i know that calling on the Lord's name isn't enough to enter the Kingdom. if by 'not entering the Kingdom' is hell .. then it is hell with or without the fire. even in the book of genesis, man was thrown out of eden for disobedience. free will is a wonderful thing, but it also mean there is a wrong choice.
so call it what you will, but there will be a judgement day for it is written.

ps.

please read rev 22:18


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

tngbmt said:


> i don't know enough to 'be certain' the eternal fire as a symbol or literal. for me, it doesn't even matter. anything short of heaven would be 'hell'. i know that calling on the Lord's name isn't enough to enter the Kingdom. if by 'not entering the Kingdom' is hell .. then it is hell with or without the fire. even in the book of genesis, man was thrown out of eden for disobedience. free will is a wonderful thing, but it also mean there is a wrong choice.
> so call it what you will, but there will be a judgement day for it is written.
> 
> ps.
> ...


Would you like to live in a paradise on earth? That is a real possibility. It was God's original purpose, and God does not change, neither does His purposes.


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

I kid you not.. A lady in the office just mumbled under her breath "tell him there is room at the cross.." I turned to her and said: "what did you just say? She looked NMR square in the eyes and said: "Tell him there is room at the cross for him.." My jaw dropped.. So.. I will pass it on.. 


"There is room at the cross for you" .. 



Don't shoot the messenger. I just do what I am asked to do.. Take it for what it's worth. She never says anything like this.. I'm puzzled.. But it's not the first time in my life, this has happened. I can't make this stuff up. I kid you not..


----------



## tngbmt (May 30, 2004)

i know this life isn't the eternal heaven i seek .. nor is it the hell i fear.
it is but a fleeting moment
neither does it satisfy or a burden
for it too shall come to pass


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

Indeed..


----------



## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

tngbmt said:


> i know this life isn't the eternal heaven i seek .. nor is it the hell i fear.
> it is but a fleeting moment
> neither does it satisfy or a burden
> for it too shall come to pass


What you are living now is not the life that was intended. Remember when Jehovah created Adam he put him in a paradise. His intention was to have the earth filled with righteous people. Disobedience changed all of that, but His purpose has not changed.

Believe me, I was totally turned off from religion for many years because of the hypocrisy involved. I had lost all faith and would have nothing to do with religion. After I was married and my wife announced she had been a witness( a whole new story) and being away had left a void in her life, I told her to do whatever she needed to do, but to never have someone come and try to preach to me. That I would embarrass her if she did. She saw that that never happened.

There would be time that she would try to encourage me to learn more about the bible but I would refuse. She would ask subtle questions though. She knew that I believed that I would go to heaven, just like most people do. One day she asked me "what do you think heaven will be like?" Easy enough question. I told her heaven was different to all and to me heaven would be a large mountain, teeming with wildlife, tapering into the foothills where there would be a beautiful golf course. Across the golf course there would be white sandy beaches and the ocean would be full of fish.

She said "what are you describing?" I told her that is what I thought heaven would be like. I did not get the meaning of her last question until she said "you are describing the earth, as God intended it", a paradise. I had never thought of it like that. It was many years later when I agreed to start to study the bible, but I have never forgotten that conversation. IT MADE ME THINK.

When I began to study, several reasons were involved, one was to prove her wrong. After looking closely at the scriptures, I could not do so. I was a slow study and it took me a couple of years and a lot of questions answered and explained by a very patient teacher. My thanks go out to him. I am sure that I helped him to develop the fruitage of the spirit, longsuffering. My only regret is that it did not happen sooner.

There is no way to truly convey the meaning of the scriptures through an internet site. I have been accused of being argumentative, and I can be. But my real motivation is to try to make someone THINK. That is why I try to back my reasoning with scripture. If someone is motivated to THINK about something that is not what he has been taught, but makes sense, and he, or she decides to look closely at the scriptures, as I finally did. It make lead him or her to the true knowledge of what the scriptures really tell us.

Armageddon is real and will happen in the not so distant future. Put your trust in God and you might be saved as is brought out at Zepaniah 2: 2,3 2â€¯Before [the] statute gives birth to [anything], [before the] day has passed by just like chaff, before there comes upon YOU people the burning anger of Jehovah, before there comes upon YOU the day of Jehovahâ€™s anger, 3â€¯seek Jehovah, all YOU meek ones of the earth, who have practiced His own judicial decision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably YOU may be concealed in the day of Jehovahâ€™s anger.


----------



## tngbmt (May 30, 2004)

shaggy .. how blessed are you with such a wonderful spouse..
my wife tolerates religion because besides fishing .. religion keeps me occupied and out of trouble.


----------



## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*God does LOVE his Creation*

He made us in his Image - which is Spirit inside Flesh.

It occurs to me that semantics and translation which have no words in Aramaic to English idioms cause a lot of friction due to "religious man" in 4th century attempting in his own power to discern what intent was in words written 2000 years ago or what was reported second hand.

God's ultimate punishment is placing an Anti- Christ's Spirit, after the flesh dies, with whom it was allied --in Lucifers container, anything which follows in that lodging is CONTROLLED by Lucifer but contained by God. The punishments justly deserved are meted out by the host of that kingdom,

God Corrects Christians when they make a *decision* to Sin - up to the point of Physically REMOVING a Christian from his flesh.

Only a LOVING father justly disciplines his children.

The WAGE of Sin is Death Eternal - We ARE held in account to what we know in our hearts and for the SIN our Spirits strive to avoid. Not only held in account but such accounting written in the book of life opened when we stand before the throne.

Revelation 20:15 ESV

And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:12 ESV

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

TrueblueTexican said:


> Revelation 20:15 ESV
> 
> And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was *thrown into the lake of fire.*
> 
> ...


Spot on! Just more definitive scriptures of a real hell. I would hate to stand before God and say, "But I thought is was only symbolic because you are love." He is love and just, judge and ruler and in control of all.


----------



## tngbmt (May 30, 2004)

did this worry anyone?

rev 22:18


> For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.


----------



## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

tngbmt said:


> did this worry anyone?
> 
> rev 22:18


It means something to some of us tng..


----------

