[quote]blacksheep wrote:
Stated,
“…What we can note, though, is that it appears the righteous and the unrighteous CAN go there…”
I alluded to the above statement on page 6 of the original post. I also gave the differences of the righteous and unrighteous, in their entrance to hades. For those not familiar with it and as a review to those who are, I repost it and will give my final discussion on hell following.
"…Hades, though the original word is uncertain. It may have developed from the greek verb idein (to see) with an alpha prefix which has a negating effect (i.e., unseen or invisible). Perhaps it was originally associated with aianes (dreary, horrid) and described a condition full of fear, hopelessness, and evil influences. In the Septuagint hades almost always stands as the translation of the Hebrew sheol, which probably comes either from shaal, a word meaning to ask, examine, investigate, or from shoal, meaning hollow, or hollow hand.
It was particularly associated with the place of the dead. However, this should not give the impression that sheol is identical with grave in the meaning of tomb. If grave is taken as an expression for the state after death, such a translation is quite adequate and close to what the O.T. means with sheol. But that is certainly not so if grave is understood literly as the tomb. In fact, of the more than 50 occurrences of sheol in the O.T. which are translated in the Septuagint by hades, there is not one which needs to be translated tomb or grave, and hardly one which should be. A glance at a concordance will show how utterly different sheol is from grave or tomb.
Sheol is the place where man has to go when dying (Gen. 42:38; 44:29,31). The hope of redemption from sheol is closely connected with the resurrection belief which can be traced through the O.T. Daniel even spoke of a resurrection to life and a ressurection to judgment (Dan. 12:2). From this background later Judaism began to work out a theology which thought of sheol as an interim time and place. Here the unrighteous dead remained under punishment until the resurrection, while the righteous were in another section expecting the resurrection to life (Luke 16:19-31).
As we can see, in the O.T. sheol is the realm of the dead, the afterlife. This O.T. usage of sheol gives the main background for the N.T. meaning of hades. Hades is a place which is down in contrast to heaven which is up (Luke 10:15). It is the place where the soul goes (Acts 2:27), while the body is destroyed (Acts 2:31).
In the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:15-31), Jesus made a close distinction between the two conditions in hades. Lazarus was in ‘the bosom of Abraham’ (Luke 16:22-23), where he was being comforted, while the rich man was at the ‘place of agony’ (Luke 16:23-24), where he was suffering.
It is remarkable that nowhere in the N.T. is it said that the believer who dies goes to hades; but it is said that he goes to be with the Lord (II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). Christ is not in hades today, neither are those who have gone to be with christ.
Hades is the interim prison where the wicked dead are held until judgment day. It should be understood as distinct from Gehenna, which is the lake of fire. In the end both death and hades are cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14)…"
I am not here to convince any one to the truth of the Scriptures for that is the works of the Holy Spirit. With a little common sense and a whole lot of hearing of what the Holy Spirit is speaking to our hearts, the truth will be revealed
Hell refers to a place of eternal torment reserved for the unrighteous (Matt. 25:31-46). The Bible teaches that one’s existence does not end at death but continues on forever, either in the presence of God or in a place of punishment. Concerning the state of the lost, we should note the following:
(1) Jesus teaches that there is a place of eternal punishment for those condemned before God (Luke 12:5). It is the terrifying reality of continious punishment, the place of a “fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:43), of “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41), of “wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:42,50), of binding and outer darkness (Matt. 22:13), and of torment and anguish and separation from heaven (Luke 16:23).
(2) The teaching of the epistles is essentially the same. the apostles speak of a coming judgment of God to inflict vengeance on those who disobey the gospel (II Thes. 1:5-9), of a separation from the presence and glory of the Lord (II Thes. 1:9), and of the destruction of God’s enemies (Phil. 3:18-19).
(3) The Bible teaches that judgment on evildoers is certain. The main idea is condemnation, suffering, and separation from God with no time limit (Dan. 12:2). Christians may find this doctrine unpleasent or hard to understand. Yet, we must submit to the authority of God’s Word and trust God’s decision and justice.
(4) We must keep foremost in our thinking that God sent His Son to die in order that no one need perish (John 3:16). It is not God’s intention or desire to send anyone to hell (II Pet. 3:9). Those who enter hell do so by resisting the salvation provided by God (Rom. 1:16-2:10). The fact and reality of hell should cause all of God’s people to hate sin fervently, to seek continually the salvation of the lost, and to warn everyone of the future righteous judgment of God.
Revelation 20:11-15 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”[/quote]
I know that most people have firm belief in the hell-fire doctrine. However, may I point out one thing to you blacksheep?
Jer 32:35 - American Standand
“They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”
The idea of passing their children through the fire had never come up into God’s mind. It was a detestable thing to him.
Why would he do this on a GRAND scale, if it disgusted him even amongst one group of people?
Just something to think about.