What’s your views on hell?

Via dolarossa

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Senior Moderator
Secretary
I’ve been thinking about this today, and I don’t even know what to believe... there seems to be a few different words in the bible that sum up hell. Hades, Gehenna and hell.
Apparently Gehenna was a everlasting rubbish dump for the Jews and hades is a kind of underworld were the dead go.
So hell is different from the other two?
and God is there too, because he’s everywhere
 
I’ve been thinking about this today, and I don’t even know what to believe... there seems to be a few different words in the bible that sum up hell. Hades, Gehenna and hell.
Apparently Gehenna was a everlasting rubbish dump for the Jews and hades is a kind of underworld were the dead go.
So hell is different from the other two?
and God is there too, because he’s everywhere

I will be glad to respond to your question.

Hell is a real place where the lost are and will be tormented forever in real flames of fire.......IF you choose to believe what the Bible says.

Of course that is problematic due to the fact that liberal believers over the years have sought to change that. Some even say that Luke 16 is NOT a Parable so it should not be accepted. The fact is that Parables by Jesus DO NOT have "Proper names" as is seen in Lazarus----Abraham and Moses in Luke 16. Second thing to consider is.....whether or not Luke 16 is or is not a Parable, it is in the Word of God.

So what does the Bible say in Luke 16:22-30.........

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. (1) In Hades, where he was in torment, (2)he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. (3) So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because (4). I am in agony (5) in this fire.' "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,(6) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. (7)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.' "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, (8) send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' (9)"'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'"

So what do we know from God's Word.

1. Hades is a place of TORMENT.
2. In Hades there are physical abilities....................................................................................."He LOOKED and he SAW".
3. In Hades the lost have the ability to speak........................................................................"He CALLED to Abraham".
4. In Hades there is physical pain................................................................................................"I am in AGONY".
5. Hades is a place of unquenchable fire.................................................................................."In this FIRE".
6. Hades has TWO compartments one is Torments and the other is Paradise........."He is COMFORTED.
7. Hades is separated by a fixed "Gulf/Barrier........................................................................."A GREAT CHASM has been set in place.
8. Hades is a place of "Memory".................................."I have FIVE BROTHERS.
9. People in Hades know what it means to be saved and accept Christ...................."They will REPENT"

Now then. The spirits of the lost people of all the ages are found in the "TORMENTS" side of Hades where the rich mans was.

They will stay there until the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11....................
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death."

This event is AFTER the 1000 year rule of Christ which comes right after Armageddon.

The "PARADISE" side of Hades where Lazarus was found is where all the spirits of the SAVED people of all the ages were. That is where Jesus went after His Crusifixtion when He said to the thief of the cross in Luke 23:43..........
"Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in PARADISE".

Now then, when Jesus assended to heaven He took those spirits of the SAVED with Him and He took them to heaven with Him as seen in Ephesians 4:9-10
"Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things."

Now/Today, no saved spirits are in the Paradise side of Hades as the Bible tells us in Acts 7:55 about Stephens death.....
"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God".

The saved man's spirit goes immediately to heaven today at death.

Note: There is NO SUCH THING in the Bible as "Soul Sleep or Pergatory".
 
I don't really have a view on hell! I prefer to look up to heaven.

God isn't in Hell as far as I know. Hell is the absence of God. The lost are in Hell because they don't have God. If for whatever reason we fall, we can cry out to God, but the lost don't know how to cry out to God.

Major you missed the essential last verse of the parable in Luke.
I get somewhat annoyed when preachers omit the last verses of parables!

Luke 16:31
And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
 
I don't really have a view on hell! I prefer to look up to heaven.

God isn't in Hell as far as I know. Hell is the absence of God. The lost are in Hell because they don't have God. If for whatever reason we fall, we can cry out to God, but the lost don't know how to cry out to God.

Major you missed the essential last verse of the parable in Luke.
I get somewhat annoyed when preachers omit the last verses of parables!

Luke 16:31
And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

What's your views on hell?

"Don't go there!"
Thats my view. I believe hell exists, but choose to take God serious and boldly proclaim my desire to get closer and closer to Him in my daily relationship with Jesus.

In my personal prayer time each day, I confess to God that I'm imperfect, flawed and a forgiven sinner. But in my daily repentance I ask Jesus to know me when He goes to the Father.

I shudder at this thought;

Matthew 7:21-23, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Instead, my hope and faith is Jesus will know me;

Matthew 25:34-40, 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
 
I don't really have a view on hell! I prefer to look up to heaven.

God isn't in Hell as far as I know. Hell is the absence of God. The lost are in Hell because they don't have God. If for whatever reason we fall, we can cry out to God, but the lost don't know how to cry out to God.

Major you missed the essential last verse of the parable in Luke.
I get somewhat annoyed when preachers omit the last verses of parables!

Luke 16:31
And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Not caring what the Bible says about ALL subjects opens the door for error to come in. We all need to have the correct Biblical view of hell if we are to correctly talk to and witness to the lost.

What would you say if a lost person asked you what hell was....."I don't know and I don't care".

1 Peter 3:15..........
""Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you for a reason regarding the hope that is in you, yet answer with gentleness and reverence".

Why don't YOU take the time to address verse #31 for us.
 
Last edited:
With things warming up let me also throw some fuel on the fire:)
God is omniscient which means He knows ALL things but He is not present in hell or anything else that is contrary...
When a person dies they either left to flounder in the regions of the lost - or - 'comfortably' awaite the manifestation of the redeemed.
Once the judgment is past then the sentence will be carried out - hell.
 
Not caring what the Bible says about ALL subjects opens the door for error to come in. We all need to have the correct Biblical view of hell if we are to correctly talk to and witness to the lost.

What would you say if a lost person asked you what hell was....."I don't know and I don't care".

1 Peter 3:15..........
""Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you for a reason regarding the hope that is in you, yet answer with gentleness and reverence".

Why don't YOU take the time to address verse #31 for us.
The last verse means what it says Major. Jesus was saying that people who wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets, they are not likely going to listen to Him (even when he's resurrected).

I took the time to write it out for everyone to read! People who don't care to know God would not even want to know what hell was, so thats a nonsensical question.

I tell my children, when they ask 'what is hell' it's a place without God, and the opposite of Heaven. Most children know what heaven is. I even have a few children named Heavenly, or Neveah, which is heaven spelt backwards.
I also say hell is very hot, because they get a bit concerned that their free pizzas come from Hell. I say its because the pizzas get put into a big oven to get cooked.

Most people don't want to go into an oven and get cooked or tormented. Right?
 
I don't know if preachers just cut their sermons short because of time constraints or just they repeated their main points too much and had no time to cover the rest of whats in the Bible.

But I do notice quite a few sermons would start of really great, interesting, but then not ever get to the end. For example, the prodigal son. I would hear the prodigal son story, but always, preachers never mention what happened to the elder son who stayed behind, how he was jealous and what the Father said to him. That he was just as loved too but he is his brother and they ought to celebrate.

Preachers always seemed to stop at verse 24 and I'm like wait there is more to the story!
 
What's your views on hell?

"Don't go there!"
Thats my view. I believe hell exists, but choose to take God serious and boldly proclaim my desire to get closer and closer to Him in my daily relationship with Jesus.

In my personal prayer time each day, I confess to God that I'm imperfect, flawed and a forgiven sinner. But in my daily repentance I ask Jesus to know me when He goes to the Father.

I shudder at this thought;

Matthew 7:21-23, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Instead, my hope and faith is Jesus will know me;

Matthew 25:34-40, 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

AMEN brother!
With things warming up let me also throw some fuel on the fire:)
God is omniscient which means He knows ALL things but He is not present in hell or anything else that is contrary...
When a person dies they either left to flounder in the regions of the lost - or - 'comfortably' awaite the manifestation of the redeemed.
Once the judgment is past then the sentence will be carried out - hell.

Correct!
 
I don't know if preachers just cut their sermons short because of time constraints or just they repeated their main points too much and had no time to cover the rest of whats in the Bible.

But I do notice quite a few sermons would start of really great, interesting, but then not ever get to the end. For example, the prodigal son. I would hear the prodigal son story, but always, preachers never mention what happened to the elder son who stayed behind, how he was jealous and what the Father said to him. That he was just as loved too but he is his brother and they ought to celebrate.

Preachers always seemed to stop at verse 24 and I'm like wait there is more to the story!

My dear sister, YES, every preacher is under "Time constraints". The fact is that it is a proven fact that the attention span of the normal every Sunday church member is 20 minutes. After that the snoring begins. In addition to that a great number of church people have medical problems and simply can not sit in a church pew for hours. MANT have medication they have to take with food and when 12 oclock comes around, they become very agitated.

Now whether you like that or not.....that is the reality of life. Every Pastor has to work around those parameters to keep peace in his church.

Now my recommendation is what I have done for years and that would be for you to come the next Sunday for sermon #2 for the "Rest of the story".
(Source: Paul Harvey)!
 
Last edited:
The last verse means what it says Major. Jesus was saying that people who wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets, they are not likely going to listen to Him (even when he's resurrected).

I took the time to write it out for everyone to read! People who don't care to know God would not even want to know what hell was, so thats a nonsensical question.

I tell my children, when they ask 'what is hell' it's a place without God, and the opposite of Heaven. Most children know what heaven is. I even have a few children named Heavenly, or Neveah, which is heaven spelt backwards.
I also say hell is very hot, because they get a bit concerned that their free pizzas come from Hell. I say its because the pizzas get put into a big oven to get cooked.

Most people don't want to go into an oven and get cooked or tormented. Right?

Your original response Lanolin was........"I get annoyed when people do not post ALL of the parables".

Actually I agree with your opinion.

Now if you would take the time to read the original post carefully you would see why I did not do that because I stated that..............
"Some even say that Luke 16 is NOT a Parable so it should not be accepted. The fact is that Parables by Jesus DO NOT have "Proper names" as is seen in Lazarus----Abraham and Moses in Luke 16. Second thing to consider is.....whether or not Luke 16 is or is not a Parable, it is in the Word of God."

So I said that Luke 16 IS NOT a parable at all hence your opinion does not apply.
 
I will be glad to respond to your question.

Hell is a real place where the lost are and will be tormented forever in real flames of fire.......IF you choose to believe what the Bible says.

Of course that is problematic due to the fact that liberal believers over the years have sought to change that. Some even say that Luke 16 is NOT a Parable so it should not be accepted. The fact is that Parables by Jesus DO NOT have "Proper names" as is seen in Lazarus----Abraham and Moses in Luke 16. Second thing to consider is.....whether or not Luke 16 is or is not a Parable, it is in the Word of God.

So what does the Bible say in Luke 16:22-30.........

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. (1) In Hades, where he was in torment, (2)he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. (3) So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because (4). I am in agony (5) in this fire.' "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,(6) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. (7)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.' "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, (8) send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' (9)"'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'"

So what do we know from God's Word.

1. Hades is a place of TORMENT.
2. In Hades there are physical abilities....................................................................................."He LOOKED and he SAW".
3. In Hades the lost have the ability to speak........................................................................"He CALLED to Abraham".
4. In Hades there is physical pain................................................................................................"I am in AGONY".
5. Hades is a place of unquenchable fire.................................................................................."In this FIRE".
6. Hades has TWO compartments one is Torments and the other is Paradise........."He is COMFORTED.
7. Hades is separated by a fixed "Gulf/Barrier........................................................................."A GREAT CHASM has been set in place.
8. Hades is a place of "Memory".................................."I have FIVE BROTHERS.
9. People in Hades know what it means to be saved and accept Christ...................."They will REPENT"

Now then. The spirits of the lost people of all the ages are found in the "TORMENTS" side of Hades where the rich mans was.

They will stay there until the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11....................
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death."

This event is AFTER the 1000 year rule of Christ which comes right after Armageddon.

The "PARADISE" side of Hades where Lazarus was found is where all the spirits of the SAVED people of all the ages were. That is where Jesus went after His Crusifixtion when He said to the thief of the cross in Luke 23:43..........
"Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in PARADISE".

Now then, when Jesus assended to heaven He took those spirits of the SAVED with Him and He took them to heaven with Him as seen in Ephesians 4:9-10
"Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things."

Now/Today, no saved spirits are in the Paradise side of Hades as the Bible tells us in Acts 7:55 about Stephens death.....
"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God".

The saved man's spirit goes immediately to heaven today at death.

Note: There is NO SUCH THING in the Bible as "Soul Sleep or Pergatory".
So God is in hell in the form of His wrath in the physical world.that makes sense.
But hell as place after physical death? I have a hard time believing in an eternal place of anything.
 
via dolorassa

Are you having issues with God's word or just not really understanding it. Just wondering what version of the Bible you are reading. As my KJV Bible just has 'hell' when referring to the hades/gehenna, which is basically the same thing.

I would describe it as a place for the lost dead which is very hot!
Not really somewhere that God (or Jesus) wants us to go. Lake of fire, no thanks.

Thankfully believers are saved and will not go there.

The last time God destroyed the entire world except for 8 souls, He sent a flood. Everything that was land dwelling and not on the ark drowned.

We have enough warning this time about hell what with global warming etc.

I was just reading about the White Island volcanic eruption that killed a lot of travelers, some died instantly, but some survived that day and had to go into intensive care at hospital, and a few have now since died from the burns and injuries they've sustained. I imagine it was horrific and the active volcano is not really not somewhere you want to go. But these travellers DID choose to go even when the alert level was high and it was risky. They paid good money to go too.
 
So God is in hell in the form of His wrath in the physical world.that makes sense.
But hell as place after physical death? I have a hard time believing in an eternal place of anything.

My dear friend- you just said.........
" I have a hard time believing in an eternal place of anything."

You are in effect denying the Word of God. Do you believe in Heaven??? Do you believe that God is in Heaven as the Bible declares?

If heaven is real and it is a place of reward for them who believe, then the opposite must be true.

God is NOT in Hell. The lost spirits of those who have rejected God are in Hell. God is HOLY and sinless and perfect and can not even look at sin which is exactly why He turned from Jesus who was on the cross. Jesus took upon Himself YOUR SIN my dear and sin is ugly.
 
I’ve been thinking about this today, and I don’t even know what to believe... there seems to be a few different words in the bible that sum up hell. Hades, Gehenna and hell.
Apparently Gehenna was a everlasting rubbish dump for the Jews and hades is a kind of underworld were the dead go.
So hell is different from the other two?
and God is there too, because he’s everywhere
hades and hell different places, but Kjv had them as same... Hell itself is a holding place, as ultimate state will be the Eternal Lake of Fire.
 
I actually do understand.
Good! I’m glad someone does...😁

to be fair I was kinda jumping into a view that If God is omnipresent then He must be in hell, and the only way I could figure around that was the fact that it was His presence in the form of His judgement/ wrath that was there, and not His Love.
and then I jumped to another paradox....hell can’t be eternal, because I don’t yet know eternity. But again, that’s outside of my perspective, and so I’m stuck in time and space for now and that’s ok I suppose....
Heaven can wait😁
 
Good! I’m glad someone does...😁

to be fair I was kinda jumping into a view that If God is omnipresent then He must be in hell, and the only way I could figure around that was the fact that it was His presence in the form of His judgement/ wrath that was there, and not His Love.
and then I jumped to another paradox....hell can’t be eternal, because I don’t yet know eternity. But again, that’s outside of my perspective, and so I’m stuck in time and space for now and that’s ok I suppose....
Heaven can wait😁
God is there, but not in a way that those lost can experience Him....
 
You know what...
The only time I experience what feels like eternity is when I am on the brink of waking up from a good dream....
Those few moments of a cross between oblivion, and raw bliss half knowing I don’t have to get up yet.

now if heaven is like that I’ll take it😁
 
Back
Top