Hi Jane,
Just stopping by to say Happy Holidays to all and remembering the Reason for the season, the advent of Jesus Christ.
Now I can't leave well enough alone, I checked out that hell site.
Eerie indeed. Now I just did a quick catch up of all the posts I have missed and the gentleman that mentions the problems of drilling associated with the story has a point in the "secular" realm.
Now I will point out some difficulties with the story on the basis of the Bible. There are a number of words in the original languages that are translated hell. One means the grave, one means (gehenna I believe) a place of fire, named after the refuse dump for Jerusalem where the fire was always burning to get rid of pestilence and garbage
(this is most appropriate to our contemporary view of hell), another refers to a place of captivity. Anyway, without getting too deep (heh, heh <g>) and having to dust off my books, here is my best understanding.
Hell as "grave",
simply the final depository for the remains of our natural bodies, once we are done with them that is it. The mortal shall not inherit the immortal. When we are resurrected I think it is like when you boot up a program, God just recreates us. After all He gave us our original life force, no big deal to recreate it. But Christ's human body was transformed into the new spiritual body and there was no body left behind, so perhaps God uses whatever from what is left as a basis, much like the current world will be destroyed, the elements melted in a fervent heat, all the impurities gone it is reconstructed into the new earth with no imperfections. This goes well beyond my understanding but it is plain to me that the resurrection of Christ and the transformation of the earth to the new earth are relevant to understanding our own future resurrection or transformation. Nevertheless, Hell = grave, when the original word hades is used.
Hell as a place of captivity in the earth "Tarturus":
This is the hell Christ went to from the grave. 1st stop on the Resurrection itinerary. Tarturus is a special place for those angels who sinned and are reserved in chains awaiting judgement (II Peter 2:4). These are the ones ("there were giants in those days") who carried out genetic warfare on the human race in the days leading up to Noah and the reason only Noah and his family were saved (Noah was "perfect" in the sense that he and his family were genetically unpolluted). The word preached where it says Jesus "preached unto the spirits in prison" was not the normal word evangelizo but the emphatic word "kerusso" which means to proclaim as a herald. We are not told of course what Jesus heralded to these spirits (former angels) imprisoned in Tarturus (hell) (important note: please notice that these angels are not in hell (gehenna) yet, but Tarturus, a place of chains where they are reserved unto judgement). But assembling all the scripture context we can know the gist of the message. What Jesus heralded to these imprisoned spirits, who once by their Most immoral deceit, having left their first estate and assumed human form, contamminating the human race with spiritual depravity by altering our gene pool was,
"YOU LOSE!"
BTW, this is one of the most interesting examples of scriptural research that I know of. It is found in E.W. Bullingers Companion Bible, appendices 131.III and 194 and is also explained in his book "How to Enjoy the Bible".
Hell as "gehenna":
This is the hell made for satan and his angels.
It is significant that it is named after a place where refuse was burned. In the new heaven and earth to come there will be no place for imperfection and satan cannot be left to ruin the new creation.
However the devil is not human, he is a spiritual entity once very powerful, second to God. His eternal spiritual life cannot be snuffed out as easily as our frail physical bodies can be killed. To contain and eliminate such a being requires a special place of intense power and eternal time. Such a place is or will be prepared for him and his minnions and in such a place satan will just wear away for a very long time, perhaps forever. I suspect, but do not know of course, that human souls cast into such a place will be like tinder thrown into a blast furnace. POOF. I do not believe God will subject frail humnans to eternal torment, like satan and his minions, who with greater knowledge (they had direct knowledge of God, they absolutely KNEW He was real) and consequent direct and premeditated rebellion against God Almighty (AND HIGH CRIMES against the almost defenseless human race!) deserve (and require, by their eternal essence as spiritual beings) a more horrible fate.
As for humans, it is the will of God that all be saved, but it is our choice! Free will! But to be saved from the fate of hell (in its various manifestations <G>) one must have the citizenship papers to enter that Unknown Country. Why did Christ (one of the first things He did) go to Tarturus to herald His Victory to those imprisoned angels? Because He had just won the great victory, he had received the New Body, the Eternal Spiritual/Physical new body after which OUR future bodies will be modeled. It was the FIRST time, A NEW CREATION which likely exceeded the power required for the first Old Creation (the UNIVERSE, for pete's sake!!!) Something NEW which will INHERIT the NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH. Just look at the things Christ did when He walked the earth in His Resurrection Body and you are getting a PREVIEW of what your body will be like when YOU inherit the New Heaven and Earth with HIM. Lets see, what is on the list for today, go to Tarturus, show those idiots what they missed out on and how their evil plan for dominion of the human race resulted in a New Creation so much better than anything they ever had, then walk with some old friends on the road to Emmaeus not let them know who I am until I disappear after breaking bread, walk through some locked doors and appear in their midst, then EAT, let Thomas TOUCH me. Catch a bunch of fish and have a big fish fry for Peter and the gang.....
But to have a place in Paradise one must have the Resurrection body,
imperfection is not allowed, we are starting over!! This is the simple reason why not all people go to heaven (they refused the Passport). Mortality cannot inherit Immortality, imperfection cannot inherit Perfection. It would gum up the works and we already did that ONCE! Torture is not required for those poor souls who would not do that one thing required for their passport to Paradise.
BELIEVE, ONLY BELIEVE!
Romans 10:9,10. (And what do we find there.....the resurrection body!)
"That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved..."
Well, I believe I got worked up a bit this Sunday morning!
To prove all this out scriputurally would tax my rusty brain, but if you look for it in the Word I believe you will find it if you look without preconceptions.
In any case, that is all the hell I know <VBG>!
Roebear |
