...THE HELL DEBATE A Paper Presented to Professor Beauchamp of Liberty University Lynchburg, VA BIBL 350 By Gordon C. Wilson December 13, 2012 INTRODUCTION In this paper, I will give a brief overview of the nature of hell, the classical view and the annihilationist view. For the last decade, there has been a significant debate surrounding this very topic within evangelical circle. It is hard to understand how God can let his children be punished in hell, being he is an all-loving God and creator. However, John 3:36 makes it clear for all of us. (He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him)(Dake, Finis).” The Bible teaches that God loves you so much that the Creator of this universe (Jesus Christ) came to "taste death" for every man. Jesus wasn't just some baby for a manger scene. He is God come in the flesh to destroy the power of death and hell--He holds the keys, people! If you say yes to Jesus, hell won't be your final destination. If you say no to Jesus, the lake of fire will be your eternal home. There is no getting out and no comfort--it's everlasting. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, hell exists and the Bible says that it is never full. I've heard folks say that hell is not mentioned in the Bible or that hell is just the grave. Well, let's take a look at what the Authorized King James Bible says. Here are a few scriptures that deal with hell...
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...HELL ! what the Bible says about it… Dr. John R. Rice “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32) ©1997 by Trumpet Publications P. O. Box 1969, 0700 PIETERSBURG, South Africa. All rights reserved. Published with the permission of Sword of the Lord Publishers, Tennessee, USA. This version was edited by Prof. Johan Malan. This booklet may, however, be duplicated and distributed among interested persons without gain. Charges are only to cover the cost of duplication and distribution. No changes may be introduced to the text. For translation, or commercial publishing, please write to the above address. Scripture quotations are from the Authorised King James Version. The titles in this series on Internet are: Who is Jesus? From darkness to the light The judgement seat of Christ The Antichrist Israel The rapture Revival Hell - what the Bible says about it Spiritual warfare 2 1. How can we know about Hell? “There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus...
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...Virgin Mary and the Saints. They do not believe in reincarnation, but they do believe in the afterlife, Heaven or Hell. Their sacred text they read is the Holy Bible. A few rituals they perform and celebrate are confirmation, baptizing, and celebration of Easter. Some assumptions made about Catholicism are that they worship statues, which has been claimed many times as untrue. I uncovered that Catholic actually means “throughout the whole, universal.” My religion, Christianity, does have a few things in common with Catholicism; we worship the same God and Jesus Christ, we use the Bible as our sacred text, and we believe in the afterlife of Heaven or Hell. Protestant The Protestant religion believes mainly in the glorification and worship of Jesus Christ, but also worships God as well. They believe in the afterlife; when you die you either go to Heaven or Hell. Their sacred text is the Bible. Protestant rituals include communion and baptism. Something I found interesting about Protestants is that they believe that the Bible, God’s word, is the supreme source of authority over the Church. My religion is close to this one; we both believe in Heaven and Hell, as well as angels and demons and also following God’s word. Methodist Methodists’ believe in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. They believe in the afterlife of both Heaven and Hell. Their sacred text is the Bible. They practice rituals daily with Holy Communion and baptism. Something I found interesting is that Methodists...
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...Hell Debate __________________ A Paper Presented to Liberty University __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Theology 350 __________________ by Tirsa Woodson July 3, 2015 The Hell Debate The debate over the nature of hell is one that can bring out the best and the worst in biblical exegesis. Everyone nowadays is concerned about the enemy (Satan) and delete hell existence. The beginning signs that Jesus is coming soon, frightens the human race. We were taught when God returns, it will be judgment day. John reveals this judgement will take pace during the last days, when God will conquer all who have and would defy him and to rescue the righteous. Judgment meant the outcome of an individual, will they go to heaven with God or to hell with the devil. There are many misconceptions about Hell, rather the lost will burn forever or annihilated. Hell is real. Universalism believes everyone will eventually be saved, while Christian believe we all will be judged for the deeds we have done. First, the Annihilationist believe that the unrighteous will not suffer eternal torment, but that they will, after being justly punished according to their deeds, be annihilated and cease to exist. Also they believe that hell is eternal in consequence, not duration the wicked shall be no more (Boyd & Eddy). Secondly the classical view states that the wicked will be cast into hell that supports the traditional...
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...Matt Slick notes that accepting the concept of that there is a hell where scores of people will suffer eternally is not an easy task. People always hear the kinder side of God, about his love and how He would that all men are saved, though this does not show the complete version of God. This article states that while God is merciful and loving and gracious, he also is a just god who hates sin and punishes those who do sin. Jesus cautioned man about the eternal place of fire; he actually talked about hell a lot while he was on earth, after all, that is what he was here to save man from. Those who are not covered by Jesus’s sacrifice will be thrown into hell during the Judgement, and it will be a place of eternal punishment. Slick uses Matthew 25:46 to show that Hell is eternal in the same way that heaven is eternal....
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...Hell is Real Heaven and Hell are Literal Places The idea of there being an actual “heaven” and “hell” encourages believers and non-believers because they are places that supposedly represent our eternity. It is amazing to vision a place of eternal life with no sickness or aging, in the presence of God and other loved ones. Heaven does exist according to the Bible, and is the destination of the believer in Jesus Christ at the completion of life here on this earth. What is not amazing is the fact that there is a place for those whom God chooses will not inherit everlasting life, which is known by all of us as hell. It is not metaphorical nor is it mythological. In fact, it is real in every sense of the word. A true literal hell does exist; this is the final state of those who are not in the book of life” (Guthrie p. 887). What is Hell? This will be the focus of this discussion, the eternal state of those individuals whose name will not be found in the book of life. To understand the implications of the declaration of a place of eternal torment, one must first understand what that place is. The common use of the word “Hell” is considered unrealistic to many people. In the bible, the idea of the term “hell” is expressed in more ways than one. The terms Gehenna (Matthew 5:22), Hades (Matthew 11:23), and Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15) are terms that have been interpreted to believe as hell. The term ‘Gehenna’ occurs twelve times in the King James Version of the bible. It occurs...
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...Eternal Punishment As a child growing up all I heard was you either do good and go to heaven or you do wrong and go to hell. That’s the Christian way of thinking and that’s the way it is. While I grew stronger in the religion and began to be able to see the bigger picture, I then was in turn able to make a decision for myself what was the right thing. Through reading the Bible, going to church, and listening to elders, deacons, and pastors I determined that this was indeed the Christian view of eternal state that I believed in. There were however a few blanks that had to be filled in, like; 1) Where do we go when we die? 2) What is Heaven? 3) What is Hell? and 4) What is the rapture? These are all questions that many have asked and many have to have the answer to in order to make an educated decision about what religion to follow and what end of time theory to believe in. The Bible states in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” In the end, there will be an eternal punishment and only you can determine what your fate will be. In order to stand behind the Christian view of the end of times you must first prove there is a heaven and hell. Let’s start by talking about heaven. Webster’s dictionary defines heaven as, “1.a place regarded in various religions as the abode of God (or the gods) and the angels, and of...
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...in the bible we still believe in it. When we reach it we are considered to be saved because the next step is heaven. Purgatory is a final purification of the soul after death and before heaven for those who believed in God, but were only imperfectly purified; a final cleansing of the human before one can enter into the joys of heaven Protestants believe that when a Christian dies god purifys them right away and are perfect in heaven (Fr. Ray Ryland). Most people believe that there isn’t a place called limbo or purgatory. Most people we know are there. Some say it’s not real because it’s not in the bible, but yes it is mentioned but not directly. Although we do know that it’s there and it’s our goal to get there. Purgatory is a place where we can spend our time for the sins we committed on earth. We do this to get us ready for heaven because we need a clean soul to get to heaven. The bible tells us everything about our faith. The bible has laws for us and guides us to do what is right. Although the bible never mentions purgatory we still believe that it’s a real place. It’s still a real place to Catholics. Some people say that purgatory has flames so it’s considered Hell. In the bible hell isn’t represented with flames, people believe it and say that purgatory is too. But it’s not. Without perfect holiness, we cannot see God in heaven (Heb 12:14). We must gain perfect holiness on earth to see God in heaven. If we don’t we could be sent to purgatory or hell. If a...
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...Liberty University The Hell Debate A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO Dr. Marshall Wicks IN COMPLETION OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR Fundamental Theological Issues BY Ritchie Moore SCHOOL’S LOCATION: Lynchburg, Virginia August 9, 2011 This paper definitely has an interesting topic, the nature of Hell. In the next couple of pages I’m hoping to explain why I believe there is a hell and what that entails, with a little help from some other documentation and beliefs. Growing up I think everyone has their own perspective of that place. Christians unquestionably think about hell a lot differently than unbelievers. One of the biggest point is that there are some people that use hell as a swear word. I imagine Christians would consider hell to be something more than just a bad word, it could be the worst place that a person could ever go after they die. As everyone knows our beliefs are part of the good news of God. God wants us to love him freely, He loves us and wants to be loved in return. Love cannot be forced, it has to be given freely and hell represents the possibility of saying no to God finally. Hell is not God’s choice as much as it is ours. Hell is more about refusing life than suffering punishment, because God loves us even in his judging of us.[1] It has been said that hell is a spiritual and material furnace of fire where its victims are delicately tortured in their minds and in their...
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...humans cease to exist. There is therefore no eternal punishment for the unsaved. They will simply die and be burnt up and no longer exist. Another belief that offers an escape from eternal punishment is known as universalism. Universalism holds the belief that all men will be reconciled to God. Atonement is not just for those that accept the salvation of God but to everyone. We as Christians hold to the doctrine of eternal punishment for the lost. A person who never accepts the Lord will go to a place of torments after they die. The bible plainly tells us that sin will be punished. This punishment will be given in a place called Hell. The bible refers to hell as a place of fire, Matt. (8:12), a place where the fires never go out, Mark( 9:43). It is a place where there is eternal darkness Matt. (8:12), and where the worm will not die Mark (9:48).1 The worst thing about hell will be the eternal separation from God. The word hell has been defined in different ways. The old testament uses the word Sheol. Sheol is a place where no one can save themselves. Ps. (89:48), it is the place where people go when they die Genesis. (37:35) (44: 29, 31) A place where the wicked go upon death Job (21:13), also a place the righteous are saved from. Ps. (49:15, 86:13; Prov. 15:24) Sheol is a place that God has absolute sovereignty over. No one can escape from God in Sheol (Amos 9:2), God Himself brings people down to it (1 Sam. 2:6).2 The New Testament uses two words, the first...
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...One well known philosophical dilemma, that causes much of humanity significant grief and frustration towards religious beliefs, is the problem of evil. John Hick explains in his essay, “The Problem of Evil”, that this ‘crisis’ so to speak is based on three characteristics that Christians claim God has. Christians believe that God has infinite knowledge, power and love. The question that is then raised is: Why is life on earth filled with vast amounts of suffering, pain and evil if God has never-ending abilities to embrace those three characteristics? John Hick provides two answers to this question. He believes that evil is essential to soul making. Hick explains that evil provides humanity with important qualities such as appreciation, compassion and unselfishness. His essay suggests that pain and suffering is beneficial for humanity because through evil, individuals become worthy of being God’s children and worthy of an eternal life after death. Hick concludes his argument by stating human creation is incomplete and that it is each human’s responsibility to work for perfection by learning morals and values through suffering. Hick’s second answer is based on the concept of free will. God creates humans in such a way that they are free. Hick claims that for this to be true, humans must have the freedom to choose between right and wrong, good and evil, and whether or not to embrace God in life. Humanity must be completely free from God’s control, in order to truly...
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...the second coming of Christ. In the painting you can tell that Michelangelo was inspired by the Bible, but he also uses his own visual ideas and imagination in this painting. This painting is huge, and its measurements are 48X44 feet. This painting was created between the years of 1536 and1541. This painting was made out of fresco, so Michelangelo had to work fast on this painting so he would be done before it dried. It’s obvious that Michelangelo not only got ideas from the Bible, but he also added some theories from mythology in his painting. For instance, the boatman at the bottom of the painting is the boatman from Roman and Greek mythology that ferried the unsaved to hell, and that’s exactly what he’s doing in this painting. The emotion and frightening looks on the people faces helps show that they’re going to hell. This painting has some other unique features about it. For example, the men and women have very voluptuous body figures. This is how most of the people are painted in Michelangelo’s paintings. I believe this is how people were perceived in his era. This is totally different then how things are in our times. Now women have to be skinny or even anorexic to be perceived as beautiful. Painters don’t usually draw voluptuous people in their paintings anymore. Since I’m a Christian and I know quite a bit about the Bible and some pieces of this painting is out of the Bible. For instance, under Christ the Archangel can be seen reading from “The Book of Life”. He’s telling...
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...What is Hell? The finite will never be able to comprehend the infinite. Human thought cannot grasp the perfect nature of God because we are not perfect, and we are born into sin. We try to rationalize ideas that do not make sense in our minds, but really make perfect sense if we apply them to scripture. God allowing any human into heaven ultimately shows his love. Humanity on a day-to-day basis goes against what God commands, and what God expects from us. No one deserves to go to heaven. If we choose to live in sin all of our lives why would God allow us in heaven? People who love the Lord and say no to earthly temptations will experience riches in Heaven, and those who choose to live for pleasure now will feel the wrath of God in Hell. God is sovereign and people forget this, and we must not confuse love with justice. There are three popular views on what happens to the soul when you die. Eternal punishment is the opposite of eternal life. It’s that idea for that eternity one will suffer in the absence of Christ instead of living eternally in his presence. In this view sin will ultimately be punished for those who do not repent. Annihilationism claims that when a person dies they will pass, or ultimately perish out of existence. This theory can be broken down further classifying the soul as naturally mortal, God gives immortality, or all are immortal unless destroyed by God. The third view is universalism, which claims that atonement is not limited and extends to all. Universalists...
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...was asked in the beginning of class was “Is there a God”? I smiled with relief; because that is the question I have been wondering almost my whole life. Coming from a religious background I was expected to believe that there is a God and we never question if he exists or not because the bible is all the proof we need. Since I was 16 years old I always wondered if there was really a God and if so, where is he when you need Him the most and what is the big deal with this Evolution thing? I always had more reason to believe that Evolution makes more sense and has more concrete evidence than believing in a God you cannot see or do not have much or any other evidence that he really existed other than the Bible. Argument: Is there a God? Personally I think there isn’t, and the Bible makes it sounds like if you do not believe in him you automatically go to hell! However, a good person who does the right thing most of their lives but does not believe that God exists makes them what Christians call: “Devil Worshippers”, and is sentenced to hell forever? That doesn’t sound like a God who cares much about his people on earth, but more about himself, to have a lot of people sent to the burning pits of hell because they do not believe in him although they may do the same thing as what a Christian may do, but the only difference is the belief system. A lot of horrible people go to church every Sunday, but they may go to heaven if they repent their sins. How can God forgive a murder or a rapist...
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...The doctrine of hell has been a widely debated yet completely miss understood doctrine of the Christian faith. Many hold the view that if God is a God of love then why would He send people to hell to be tormented forever. Some even think that if God would send people to hell then He is cruel and vindictive and thus is no better than Satan. But the question we have to ask ourselves is this. If God is love and sin opposes God then why would He not punish us for our wrong doing? We can view God’s relationship to humanity like a parent child relationship. When I child does wrong and goes unpunished what will that child turn out to be like in society? Will they be a respected person or a person that is devoted to crime and riotous living? If God left sin unchecked it would not be just or right. Because God is righteous and just He has to deal with sin and because he is holy sin cannot stand in His presence. God does not send people to hell because he wants to in fact it is just the opposite the Bible tells us that “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV) So obviously God does not desire that any man spend eternity in hell but the person who refuses to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and the work that he accomplished on the cross then that will be their eternal resting place. Why was hell created? “God created...
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