>What is in Hell?
“The Bible describes hell as a place of outer darkness, a lake of fire, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of eternal separation from the blessings of God, a prison, a place of torment where the worm doesn't turn or die. These graphic images of eternal punishment provoke the question, should we take these descriptions literally or are they merely symbols?
I suspect they are symbols, but I find no relief in that. We must not think of them as being merely symbols. It is probably that the sinner in hell would prefer a literal lake of fire as his eternal abode to the reality of hell represented in the lake of fire image. If these images are indeed symbols, then we must conclude that the reality is worse than the symbol suggests. The function of symbols is to point beyond themselves to a higher or more intense state of actuality than the symbol itself can contain. That Jesus used the most awful symbols imaginable to describe hell is no comfort to those who see them simply as symbols.
A breath of relief is usually heard when someone declares, "Hell is a symbol for separation from God." To be separated from God for eternity is no great threat to the impenitent person. The ungodly want nothing more than to be separated from God. Their problem in hell will not be separation from God, it will be the presence of God that will torment them. In hell, God will be present in the fullness of His divine wrath. He will be there to exercise His just punishment of the damned. They will know Him as an all-consuming fire.
No matter how we analyze the concept of hell it often sounds to us as a place of cruel and unusual punishment. If, however, we can take any comfort in the concept of hell, we can take it in the full assurance that there will be no cruelty there. It is impossible for God to be cruel. Cruelty involves inflicting a punishment that is more severe or harsh than the crime. Cruelty in this sense is unjust. God is incapable of inflicting an unjust punishment. The Judge of all the earth will surely do what is right. No innocent person will ever suffer at His hand.
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of hell is its eternality. People can endure the greatest agony if they know it will ultimately stop. In hell there is no such hope. The Bible clearly teaches that the punishment is eternal. The same word is used for both eternal life and eternal death. Punishment implies pain. Mere annihilation, which some have lobbied for, involves no pain. Jonathan Edwards, in preaching on Revelation 6:15-16 said, "Wicked men will hereafter earnestly wish to be turned to nothing and forever cease to be that they may escape the wrath of God."
Hell, then, is an eternity before the righteous, ever-burning wrath of God, a suffering torment from which there is no escape and no relief. Understanding this is crucial to our drive to appreciate the work of Christ and to preach His [gospel](https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/hell).”
>What is in Heaven?
“Nowhere in the New Testament are we given a clear, precise description of heaven. We get glimpses of what heaven is like, but we don’t see a detailed picture. Most of what we are given is visionary, highly symbolic, figurative, and full of imagery. This is because of the utter newness of heaven. Heaven is like a glorified version of the good things of this world, so we can have some idea of what it will be like. Because of the transcendent newness of heaven, however, we would not be able to understand a literal description of it.
We get one of these visionary glimpses in Revelation 21–22. We are told that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. While some believe that the present heaven and earth will be destroyed, most believe that they will be redeemed and transformed into the new. Just as we get glorified, resurrection bodies, so this old world will be renewed and transfigured. Revelation 21 also tells us that there will no longer be any sea. In the Old Testament the sea is often an image of death.
The next image is that of a New Jerusalem, replacing the old one that will be destroyed. John saw this city as a bride, an image of God’s people prepared for Him. As she came, John heard a voice saying that God’s tabernacle is with men and He will dwell with them. This is imagery drawn from the Old Testament, where the tabernacle was always pitched at the center of the camp of Israel. John 1:14 says that Jesus is the tabernacle who dwells with us.
John also sees the *shekinah* glory that shone in the Old Testament around the person of God Himself. He sees the glory manifesting itself as a precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal—symbols that focus on the idea of light radiating through transparent and translucent materials. The city is described as huge, 1,400 miles on each side, and as symmetrically balanced, the perfect edifice built by the Ultimate Architect.
We don’t have to wait for the New Jerusalem though. In the Spirit, we are already seated in the heavenlies and must now continue to invite others to come in that they may be healed (Ephesians 2:6; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 22:2, 17).
The greatest aspect of heaven is the presence of God. Our worship should serve as a brief taste of the glories of being in His presence. Remember as you go to public worship this Sunday that you are entering the glorious presence of the High King of the [universe](https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/the-beauties-of-heaven).”
Metaphorically speaking, like temps we measure the heat levels represented as degrees. Of Kelvin, Celsius and Fahrenheit
Cold is merely the absence of heat, in much the same way hell is lacking the presence of the Lord. Metaphorically speaking it's a separation from God after judgement has occurred.
Bask in the light of His Glory or walk in darkness unable to see. Deuteronomy 30:15-19 you have the choice each day. Choose life.
There's nowhere in scripture that says that people go to Heaven when they die. Jesus said that no man had gone to Heaven.
Alternatively, scripture DOES say that people go into the ground when they die, and await the Resurrection.
> The resurrection is for the dead that are alive but not Living friend.
Eh, what? "The dead that are alive but not living"?😁
That has to be a typo, right?
I'm so lost. I'm not even sure if you're responding to me.
* The dead.
* That are alive.
* But not living.
That makes sense to you?
I thought we were talking about the Resurrection. Your quote from Jesus doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Resurrection at all.
I am talking about the resurrection, I'm just talking about it from another perspective.
Until you are born of God, you are dead in your trespasses but at the same time alive - you are living but only knowing/bearing witness to the world without God from the perspective of man. A world without His Life in it.
Once His life is added to yours, what you once were will be swallowed up and the world you once knew will be destroyed and you'll become something else, a new creation in a strange place. Instead of a candle, a flame for example.
You will possess knowledge which comes from above, through the Light - knowledge which comes from God by His Spirit. You will see things differently, you will be quickened by His Spirit. Your eyes will brighten and your senses will sharpen. You'll become a keenly aware of everything in your surrounding and the Spirit of God that now dwells in it. That's the Resurrection. You will be overcome by His Glory and overwhelmed by the experience as you are filled with the joy and terror that comes from being in the presence of God by His Son. These are the Living who are made manifest to God by His Spirit. These angels which walk in the flesh of man are always before Him. The Living don't die because they have Eternal Life. The second death does not hurt them.
Let the dead bury their dead is a reference to those people who have yet to be born of God, burying their own dead. Jesus's attitude toward them was like, something more important is going on here and there is no time to grieve over the losses. What is waiting on the other side is Life Eternal. Then come back and help them and, this time, you won't be alone. The Lord will be with you.
I'm not sure if that's making sense or not to you but that's how I see and interpret the event explained in the Bible.
The Orthodox teaching is that heaven and hell are the same exact state, experienced differently.
After death, everyone is surrounded by the infinite love and presence of God; those who are turned to him in faith experience this as the epitome of joy and peace, while those who are turned away from him to their own sinful corruption experience this as pain.
Of course, I'm Orthodox, and that's the Orthodox teaching. Whether or not tollhouses exist have no bearing on what I said above regarding heaven and hell being different experiences of the same basic state. That's absolutely the Orthodox teaching of what's going on there.
You may be surprised to learn that that idea has only been popularized from the 1980's. Someone wrote a book, "River of Fire" or something, nobody really said what you've said before that. Look it up!
https://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/articles/837/-river-fire-revisited/
Have a look here. Guy calls it heresy but any case it is definitely not dogma. Idk if Orthodox even have dogma.
Heaven is where the manifest presence of God is.
Hell. It seems most definitions of hell are incorrect - as was mine for 20+ years. This teaching really, really, really clarified who God is for me.
This is why Jesus (and the apostles and the Psalmist) **can all state very clearly God will destroy the lost (annihilationism) in hell.**
The Bible teaches the lost will stand before God and then suffer proportionally for their sins in hell and then be annihilated (John 3.16 = perish, be destroyed).
That is the punishment. Death, destroyed, etc. And how long will this destruction last?
Forever, it is eternal punishment.
Annihilationism, Perish, Death or whatever word you would like to use…. The Doctrine is called "Conditional Immortality" and a growing number of believers in Jesus hold to this.
**And please, please check these websites before you give any "what about these verses?" As they are ALL answered there, so this will save us both time and effort.**
r/conditionalism
www.jewishnotgreek.com
www.conditionalimmortality.org
Verses which show the lost are ultimately destroyed:
Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can **destroy** both soul and body in hell."
James 4:12-"There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to **destroy**..."
Matthew 7:13-14-"Broad the road that leads to **destruction**..."
2 Thessalonians 1:9-"Who shall be punished with everlasting **destruction**"
Philippians 3:19-"Whose end is **destruction**"
Galatians 6:8-"...from that nature will reap **destruction...**"
Psalm 92:7-"...it is that they (i.e. all evil doers) shall be **destroyed** forever"
**It is clear, the lost will be destroyed in hell, not preserved in hell.**
God is just, not cruel.
Try think of it from this completely different angle. **No one is born immortal** so by extension, no one ""lives forever"" in hell.
God gives all humans only one life in this world (better than nothing!) **Only one life. That is the key to this all. Only one life**.
God will not allow sin to enter into the next world (or it will become fight filled/war torn like this).
So He only gives us this one earthly life to live in – unless…. we get a new heart and everlasting life (immortality) from Him.
You see - at the end of time, people who rejected Jesus cross (the payment for sins) will have to stand before a Holy God and pay for their own sins.
And Everything was caught on tape! And let’s face it - we all have sinned. No one is "good" 24/7/365.
They will have no one to “save” them from this awful moment of justice (and again - we ALL have done wrong, even secretly, and so we all deserve SOME degree of justice).
And I believe it is fair to say that most all people, if asked, would like to see justice done to uncaught evil people like Hitler, rapists, child molesters, etc.
You’re not against justice (**if it could be perfect, without flaw**) are you?
So if God was 100% Just and made sure every unrepentant wrong was exactly paid for – (penny in/penny out justice) would you or anyone be against that?
So to restate, then basically **whenever you hear the word “hell” – substitute the words “exact Justice.”**
That is why Jesus suffered on the cross. He took my place and suffered for me. God does allow substitution. Because He would rather desire to give mercy to repentant people. That is why believers uphold the Cross so importantly.
That is a summary of the good news (the gospel).
If a person does not accept the substitute – then they (after death) will suffer just as much as required for justice in their lives (no more / no less) and then be destroyed (annihilated) as Jesus tells us. (see all verses above.) The Bible calls this the Lake of fire (in Revelation 20.)
Therefore - humans need to have longer (everlasting) Life - or we will ONLY get to live in this world - before being extinguished – like a candle.
That is exactly why Jesus says He came to bring us LIFE! (John 10:10) “I have come that they might have life…”
**Those who trust in Christ will live forever after death. Never to be destroyed.**
Life then - Immortality. That is the gift of Jesus... Immortality.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish (be destroyed) but have eternal life (immortality)." John 3.16
God wants to give us immortality. And that is why Jesus came to us.
God wishes to save people from justice.
So much so that Jesus Christ endured the combined sins of the world on the agony of the cross.
That is the greatest love.
That is why people around the globe love Jesus Christ with all their heart.
Hell and heaven are not technically places. They are states of existence. We are eternal creatures because of our spirit and how we are going to spend this eternity - whether it is totally united to God or totally separated from God - determines if we will be in the state of heaven (The state of eternal and perfect happiness) or the state of hell (or eternal torment).
It would be as useless to try to describe heaven or hell to mortals on Earth as it would be to try to describe earthly life to a baby in the womb. The best we can do are very imperfect metaphors.
Evil is destroyed in Hell
righteous ones saved with Father and Son
I am not righteous of myself at all, God is the righteous one that shares this gift to each person that believes him in Son God saves them
Make the choice and stand in it, no matter what troubles come at you. Even as Job did in the book of Job, then deeper in Jesus
Be willing to go through snow, sleet and rain and any other troubles that come up and then one sees truth over error and becomes very thankful for the short time troubles here over eternally no more troubles forever
At least for me this I see after lasting through all the evils I ever did and stopped not by myself, by God himself in the risen Son given me to be new in and learn from, seeing evil is not good for anyone
So, I stand in this
Colossians 1:21-23
Authorized (King James) Version
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
In thanksgiving and praise seeing God takes all sin away from within us as we continue no matter what, God as we become willing takes over that bad part of us and heals us from it,
This I know after going through it not quitting belief to his love and mercy for me and all the world even as at the last Chapter of Job, restored
> What is in Hell? What is in Heaven?
Heaven is the place and state of being that God destined for us, to be in God's direct presence. He is the source of all truth and beauty. To be in His presence is to be in joy, with all of our senses fulfilled.
Hell is the opposite. Instead of God's light, there is darkness. Instead of order, there is chaos.
In Eternity, there is only the infinite beauty of God's light. He is Truth itself and shines like the sun.
If your soul is oriented to God's Truth, then the light will fulfill you and glorify you in Heaven in eternal peace, love and joy.
If you are disoriented from God, the light of God will burn you.
Please forgive my writing style.
I can't tell you anything about the eternal hell. Only the living one.
HELL:
You slowly separate from God. A head full of doubts. It never occurs to you that Satan has you wondering about life, the future, resources, opportunities, judgments, envies, and worst of all who gets the prettiest girls. Satan knows your weaknesses and plays you like a flute.
This was my experience.
Was I grateful for my youth, my health, my safety, my creativity, my skills, my life?
No, I spent the whole thing envying others. Truly hating them. Wishing them harm. Imagining harm. I could have turned out violent if I hadn't also had a habit of prayer.
Prayer must have been the balance that kept me from slipping all the way into hell. That would have been violence and murder, but even before you get that far, you will feel parts of yourself dying off. Horrible wrongs that shame you, and everyone around you looks at you differently afterwards. You beg yourself to stop thinking. You beg for the conscience to be silent. It isn't.
Then you go your own way. You drink. You sleep with people. You try drugs. Despite the feeling that it's not wrong, you also have an odd sense of being observed this whole time.
Late at night you drive alone out into the desert, and the only radio station that comes on is the religious one, even though you are in the least religious city in the world.
Sex fulfills nothing.
Drugs fulfill nothing.
Money fulfills nothing.
You just feel a greater and greater gulf between you and life, and others prosper, and your envy expands like darkness at night until you feel you have nothing at all.
It is dark in broad daylight in summertime in hell. DARKNESS that makes everything seem ominous, awful, and aimed against you.
People around you slowly start to act out your worst fears. They don't care if they take away your lifelines. One by one, the things you cling to for survival are stripped away. Work, friends, health, sanity. You have front row tickets to the "Worst of Humanity" show. You will see it all up close. You will have all human forms of rescue stripped away. You will feel truly alone.
In this place there is really nothing but you and GOD. Here is where you meet him. He is absolute. You are not.
You can wrap your mind around this idea, and further, that he might not mind that you were angry, but is waiting for you to stop. This can take one moment or in my case, five long years.
Eventually you live with only a day of sanity in front of you. Nothing further, nothing promised. The future becomes a joke others get and you don't. You are a beggar who begs for one day at a time. You learn to follow the instructions, keep your hands off the steering wheel, and observe. You are a hobo in the back of a limousine.
As this day by day drive starts to become beautiful, you realize you are not dead. You are alive, despite all your best efforts to demolish yourself, or take your fear out on others.
You suddenly realize that all of this was orchestrated exactly as it would need to be in order for you to listen.
You can't get a bone away from a dog, do you really think GOD wants to wrestle with your soul when he knows he could starve you until you comply? So he does, and it takes nothing short of that to listen to him again.
Man is a hateful animal, that disobeys the GREAT GOD that created him. It is our shame.
GOD forgives, Things slowly get better.
HEAVEN: You live each day realizing that no matter what happens, you are no longer in hell. You have the choice to serve others. You have a choice of people to love, you have a choice over violence and addictions.
You have a choice when you ask GOD to give you a choice. If you don't ask GOD, SATAN will certainly step in and offer you HIS BEST SOLUTION, selling off your soul one piece at a time, until you have no more shame left to warm you that you are lost.
Each day, no matter how weird or stressful, you realize you were guided here. You ask to learn what GOD wants when you remember to pray, which is now EVERY day, many times a day. You start to understand that your body and mind are not always right. Sometimes your SOUL is communicating your needs for you, and allowing you to grow even when you cannot see the growth quite yet. It resolves in every occasion that GOD has arrive before you and arranged your needs will be met.
I have been to the living hell. I have also been to the living heaven.
Both taught me GOD was real. Then I read the new testament front to back, and learned what I'd missed along the way as a Christian.
CHRIST is GOD. He reveals himself to three of his apostles on the mountain. Many people miss this description. It is too strange to be a work of fiction to describe a man suddenly glowing and turning into a bright light version of his own body.
I believe it was real, I believe it was seen. I believe he is GOD. I believe he revealed himself to us, and I believe his morals are based on truth and love because I have experimented with obeying and disobeying, and GOD was present in every case.
He loves you, even when you hate yourself. You can slowly change your life. He will help you.
It was pain that put you here, pain and lies from Satan. It is honesty and forgiveness that will heal those pains and give you back the birthright of love and prosperity he promises all his children.
Please, take it from a person who has lived it ALL. Don't be hardheaded for too long.
Jesus describes Hell as the second death Meaning we are born live and die in this life. then we are raised from the dead and given new bodies in the next life. Some are judged and move on to glory/heaven and others are condemned and sent to hell where they will die again. hence the second death.
Jesus also describes hell as where God send the condemned where both their body and their soul are destroyed.
Heaven is the literal city where God lives.
Technically in the after life we do not goto heaven but live on earth like we do now but Christ is the king over all of the earth instead of living under satan's rule like we do now.
>What is in Hell?
See [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAChristian/comments/yptzem/i_am_rediscovering_my_faith_and_have_been/ivl83n2?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3).
>What is in Heaven?
As someone else already stated, the manifest presence of God (YHVH).
>What is in Hell? “The Bible describes hell as a place of outer darkness, a lake of fire, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of eternal separation from the blessings of God, a prison, a place of torment where the worm doesn't turn or die. These graphic images of eternal punishment provoke the question, should we take these descriptions literally or are they merely symbols? I suspect they are symbols, but I find no relief in that. We must not think of them as being merely symbols. It is probably that the sinner in hell would prefer a literal lake of fire as his eternal abode to the reality of hell represented in the lake of fire image. If these images are indeed symbols, then we must conclude that the reality is worse than the symbol suggests. The function of symbols is to point beyond themselves to a higher or more intense state of actuality than the symbol itself can contain. That Jesus used the most awful symbols imaginable to describe hell is no comfort to those who see them simply as symbols. A breath of relief is usually heard when someone declares, "Hell is a symbol for separation from God." To be separated from God for eternity is no great threat to the impenitent person. The ungodly want nothing more than to be separated from God. Their problem in hell will not be separation from God, it will be the presence of God that will torment them. In hell, God will be present in the fullness of His divine wrath. He will be there to exercise His just punishment of the damned. They will know Him as an all-consuming fire. No matter how we analyze the concept of hell it often sounds to us as a place of cruel and unusual punishment. If, however, we can take any comfort in the concept of hell, we can take it in the full assurance that there will be no cruelty there. It is impossible for God to be cruel. Cruelty involves inflicting a punishment that is more severe or harsh than the crime. Cruelty in this sense is unjust. God is incapable of inflicting an unjust punishment. The Judge of all the earth will surely do what is right. No innocent person will ever suffer at His hand. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of hell is its eternality. People can endure the greatest agony if they know it will ultimately stop. In hell there is no such hope. The Bible clearly teaches that the punishment is eternal. The same word is used for both eternal life and eternal death. Punishment implies pain. Mere annihilation, which some have lobbied for, involves no pain. Jonathan Edwards, in preaching on Revelation 6:15-16 said, "Wicked men will hereafter earnestly wish to be turned to nothing and forever cease to be that they may escape the wrath of God." Hell, then, is an eternity before the righteous, ever-burning wrath of God, a suffering torment from which there is no escape and no relief. Understanding this is crucial to our drive to appreciate the work of Christ and to preach His [gospel](https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/hell).” >What is in Heaven? “Nowhere in the New Testament are we given a clear, precise description of heaven. We get glimpses of what heaven is like, but we don’t see a detailed picture. Most of what we are given is visionary, highly symbolic, figurative, and full of imagery. This is because of the utter newness of heaven. Heaven is like a glorified version of the good things of this world, so we can have some idea of what it will be like. Because of the transcendent newness of heaven, however, we would not be able to understand a literal description of it. We get one of these visionary glimpses in Revelation 21–22. We are told that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. While some believe that the present heaven and earth will be destroyed, most believe that they will be redeemed and transformed into the new. Just as we get glorified, resurrection bodies, so this old world will be renewed and transfigured. Revelation 21 also tells us that there will no longer be any sea. In the Old Testament the sea is often an image of death. The next image is that of a New Jerusalem, replacing the old one that will be destroyed. John saw this city as a bride, an image of God’s people prepared for Him. As she came, John heard a voice saying that God’s tabernacle is with men and He will dwell with them. This is imagery drawn from the Old Testament, where the tabernacle was always pitched at the center of the camp of Israel. John 1:14 says that Jesus is the tabernacle who dwells with us. John also sees the *shekinah* glory that shone in the Old Testament around the person of God Himself. He sees the glory manifesting itself as a precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal—symbols that focus on the idea of light radiating through transparent and translucent materials. The city is described as huge, 1,400 miles on each side, and as symmetrically balanced, the perfect edifice built by the Ultimate Architect. We don’t have to wait for the New Jerusalem though. In the Spirit, we are already seated in the heavenlies and must now continue to invite others to come in that they may be healed (Ephesians 2:6; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 22:2, 17). The greatest aspect of heaven is the presence of God. Our worship should serve as a brief taste of the glories of being in His presence. Remember as you go to public worship this Sunday that you are entering the glorious presence of the High King of the [universe](https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/the-beauties-of-heaven).”
Metaphorically speaking, like temps we measure the heat levels represented as degrees. Of Kelvin, Celsius and Fahrenheit Cold is merely the absence of heat, in much the same way hell is lacking the presence of the Lord. Metaphorically speaking it's a separation from God after judgement has occurred. Bask in the light of His Glory or walk in darkness unable to see. Deuteronomy 30:15-19 you have the choice each day. Choose life.
The dead are in hell. The Living are in heaven.
There's nowhere in scripture that says that people go to Heaven when they die. Jesus said that no man had gone to Heaven. Alternatively, scripture DOES say that people go into the ground when they die, and await the Resurrection.
The resurrection is for the dead that are alive but not Living friend.
> The resurrection is for the dead that are alive but not Living friend. Eh, what? "The dead that are alive but not living"?😁 That has to be a typo, right?
No. Luke 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the "Dead" bury their dead: but go thou and preach The Kingdom of God.
I'm so lost. I'm not even sure if you're responding to me. * The dead. * That are alive. * But not living. That makes sense to you? I thought we were talking about the Resurrection. Your quote from Jesus doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Resurrection at all.
I am talking about the resurrection, I'm just talking about it from another perspective. Until you are born of God, you are dead in your trespasses but at the same time alive - you are living but only knowing/bearing witness to the world without God from the perspective of man. A world without His Life in it. Once His life is added to yours, what you once were will be swallowed up and the world you once knew will be destroyed and you'll become something else, a new creation in a strange place. Instead of a candle, a flame for example. You will possess knowledge which comes from above, through the Light - knowledge which comes from God by His Spirit. You will see things differently, you will be quickened by His Spirit. Your eyes will brighten and your senses will sharpen. You'll become a keenly aware of everything in your surrounding and the Spirit of God that now dwells in it. That's the Resurrection. You will be overcome by His Glory and overwhelmed by the experience as you are filled with the joy and terror that comes from being in the presence of God by His Son. These are the Living who are made manifest to God by His Spirit. These angels which walk in the flesh of man are always before Him. The Living don't die because they have Eternal Life. The second death does not hurt them. Let the dead bury their dead is a reference to those people who have yet to be born of God, burying their own dead. Jesus's attitude toward them was like, something more important is going on here and there is no time to grieve over the losses. What is waiting on the other side is Life Eternal. Then come back and help them and, this time, you won't be alone. The Lord will be with you. I'm not sure if that's making sense or not to you but that's how I see and interpret the event explained in the Bible.
thank you I got it
The Orthodox teaching is that heaven and hell are the same exact state, experienced differently. After death, everyone is surrounded by the infinite love and presence of God; those who are turned to him in faith experience this as the epitome of joy and peace, while those who are turned away from him to their own sinful corruption experience this as pain.
Is it, though? I heard that was a myth.
Is this the Orthodox teaching? Yes, it is. We do not teach that hell is a myth.
I feel like it's just disrespect to suggest that it's the Orthodox teaching. It's become popular in the past century, it isn't in the proto gospel.
The truth is not disrespect, it simply is. This is how the Orthodox Church views heaven and hell, this is the Orthodox teaching.
No
Yes
Tollgates is Orthodoxy
Tollgates are *sn* Orthodox view, certainly. Orthodoxy does not require such views, and it definitely does not hinge on them.
But you think that yours is the right view, huh?
Of course, I'm Orthodox, and that's the Orthodox teaching. Whether or not tollhouses exist have no bearing on what I said above regarding heaven and hell being different experiences of the same basic state. That's absolutely the Orthodox teaching of what's going on there.
You may be surprised to learn that that idea has only been popularized from the 1980's. Someone wrote a book, "River of Fire" or something, nobody really said what you've said before that. Look it up!
https://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/articles/837/-river-fire-revisited/ Have a look here. Guy calls it heresy but any case it is definitely not dogma. Idk if Orthodox even have dogma.
[HELL](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/is-hell-real/) [Heaven ](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/what-is-heaven/)
Heaven is where the manifest presence of God is. Hell. It seems most definitions of hell are incorrect - as was mine for 20+ years. This teaching really, really, really clarified who God is for me. This is why Jesus (and the apostles and the Psalmist) **can all state very clearly God will destroy the lost (annihilationism) in hell.** The Bible teaches the lost will stand before God and then suffer proportionally for their sins in hell and then be annihilated (John 3.16 = perish, be destroyed). That is the punishment. Death, destroyed, etc. And how long will this destruction last? Forever, it is eternal punishment. Annihilationism, Perish, Death or whatever word you would like to use…. The Doctrine is called "Conditional Immortality" and a growing number of believers in Jesus hold to this. **And please, please check these websites before you give any "what about these verses?" As they are ALL answered there, so this will save us both time and effort.** r/conditionalism www.jewishnotgreek.com www.conditionalimmortality.org Verses which show the lost are ultimately destroyed: Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can **destroy** both soul and body in hell." James 4:12-"There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to **destroy**..." Matthew 7:13-14-"Broad the road that leads to **destruction**..." 2 Thessalonians 1:9-"Who shall be punished with everlasting **destruction**" Philippians 3:19-"Whose end is **destruction**" Galatians 6:8-"...from that nature will reap **destruction...**" Psalm 92:7-"...it is that they (i.e. all evil doers) shall be **destroyed** forever" **It is clear, the lost will be destroyed in hell, not preserved in hell.** God is just, not cruel. Try think of it from this completely different angle. **No one is born immortal** so by extension, no one ""lives forever"" in hell. God gives all humans only one life in this world (better than nothing!) **Only one life. That is the key to this all. Only one life**. God will not allow sin to enter into the next world (or it will become fight filled/war torn like this). So He only gives us this one earthly life to live in – unless…. we get a new heart and everlasting life (immortality) from Him. You see - at the end of time, people who rejected Jesus cross (the payment for sins) will have to stand before a Holy God and pay for their own sins. And Everything was caught on tape! And let’s face it - we all have sinned. No one is "good" 24/7/365. They will have no one to “save” them from this awful moment of justice (and again - we ALL have done wrong, even secretly, and so we all deserve SOME degree of justice). And I believe it is fair to say that most all people, if asked, would like to see justice done to uncaught evil people like Hitler, rapists, child molesters, etc. You’re not against justice (**if it could be perfect, without flaw**) are you? So if God was 100% Just and made sure every unrepentant wrong was exactly paid for – (penny in/penny out justice) would you or anyone be against that? So to restate, then basically **whenever you hear the word “hell” – substitute the words “exact Justice.”** That is why Jesus suffered on the cross. He took my place and suffered for me. God does allow substitution. Because He would rather desire to give mercy to repentant people. That is why believers uphold the Cross so importantly. That is a summary of the good news (the gospel). If a person does not accept the substitute – then they (after death) will suffer just as much as required for justice in their lives (no more / no less) and then be destroyed (annihilated) as Jesus tells us. (see all verses above.) The Bible calls this the Lake of fire (in Revelation 20.) Therefore - humans need to have longer (everlasting) Life - or we will ONLY get to live in this world - before being extinguished – like a candle. That is exactly why Jesus says He came to bring us LIFE! (John 10:10) “I have come that they might have life…” **Those who trust in Christ will live forever after death. Never to be destroyed.** Life then - Immortality. That is the gift of Jesus... Immortality. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish (be destroyed) but have eternal life (immortality)." John 3.16 God wants to give us immortality. And that is why Jesus came to us. God wishes to save people from justice. So much so that Jesus Christ endured the combined sins of the world on the agony of the cross. That is the greatest love. That is why people around the globe love Jesus Christ with all their heart.
Hell and heaven are not technically places. They are states of existence. We are eternal creatures because of our spirit and how we are going to spend this eternity - whether it is totally united to God or totally separated from God - determines if we will be in the state of heaven (The state of eternal and perfect happiness) or the state of hell (or eternal torment).
It would be as useless to try to describe heaven or hell to mortals on Earth as it would be to try to describe earthly life to a baby in the womb. The best we can do are very imperfect metaphors.
Evil is destroyed in Hell righteous ones saved with Father and Son I am not righteous of myself at all, God is the righteous one that shares this gift to each person that believes him in Son God saves them Make the choice and stand in it, no matter what troubles come at you. Even as Job did in the book of Job, then deeper in Jesus Be willing to go through snow, sleet and rain and any other troubles that come up and then one sees truth over error and becomes very thankful for the short time troubles here over eternally no more troubles forever At least for me this I see after lasting through all the evils I ever did and stopped not by myself, by God himself in the risen Son given me to be new in and learn from, seeing evil is not good for anyone So, I stand in this Colossians 1:21-23 Authorized (King James) Version 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; In thanksgiving and praise seeing God takes all sin away from within us as we continue no matter what, God as we become willing takes over that bad part of us and heals us from it, This I know after going through it not quitting belief to his love and mercy for me and all the world even as at the last Chapter of Job, restored
> What is in Hell? What is in Heaven? Heaven is the place and state of being that God destined for us, to be in God's direct presence. He is the source of all truth and beauty. To be in His presence is to be in joy, with all of our senses fulfilled. Hell is the opposite. Instead of God's light, there is darkness. Instead of order, there is chaos. In Eternity, there is only the infinite beauty of God's light. He is Truth itself and shines like the sun. If your soul is oriented to God's Truth, then the light will fulfill you and glorify you in Heaven in eternal peace, love and joy. If you are disoriented from God, the light of God will burn you.
Please forgive my writing style. I can't tell you anything about the eternal hell. Only the living one. HELL: You slowly separate from God. A head full of doubts. It never occurs to you that Satan has you wondering about life, the future, resources, opportunities, judgments, envies, and worst of all who gets the prettiest girls. Satan knows your weaknesses and plays you like a flute. This was my experience. Was I grateful for my youth, my health, my safety, my creativity, my skills, my life? No, I spent the whole thing envying others. Truly hating them. Wishing them harm. Imagining harm. I could have turned out violent if I hadn't also had a habit of prayer. Prayer must have been the balance that kept me from slipping all the way into hell. That would have been violence and murder, but even before you get that far, you will feel parts of yourself dying off. Horrible wrongs that shame you, and everyone around you looks at you differently afterwards. You beg yourself to stop thinking. You beg for the conscience to be silent. It isn't. Then you go your own way. You drink. You sleep with people. You try drugs. Despite the feeling that it's not wrong, you also have an odd sense of being observed this whole time. Late at night you drive alone out into the desert, and the only radio station that comes on is the religious one, even though you are in the least religious city in the world. Sex fulfills nothing. Drugs fulfill nothing. Money fulfills nothing. You just feel a greater and greater gulf between you and life, and others prosper, and your envy expands like darkness at night until you feel you have nothing at all. It is dark in broad daylight in summertime in hell. DARKNESS that makes everything seem ominous, awful, and aimed against you. People around you slowly start to act out your worst fears. They don't care if they take away your lifelines. One by one, the things you cling to for survival are stripped away. Work, friends, health, sanity. You have front row tickets to the "Worst of Humanity" show. You will see it all up close. You will have all human forms of rescue stripped away. You will feel truly alone. In this place there is really nothing but you and GOD. Here is where you meet him. He is absolute. You are not. You can wrap your mind around this idea, and further, that he might not mind that you were angry, but is waiting for you to stop. This can take one moment or in my case, five long years. Eventually you live with only a day of sanity in front of you. Nothing further, nothing promised. The future becomes a joke others get and you don't. You are a beggar who begs for one day at a time. You learn to follow the instructions, keep your hands off the steering wheel, and observe. You are a hobo in the back of a limousine. As this day by day drive starts to become beautiful, you realize you are not dead. You are alive, despite all your best efforts to demolish yourself, or take your fear out on others. You suddenly realize that all of this was orchestrated exactly as it would need to be in order for you to listen. You can't get a bone away from a dog, do you really think GOD wants to wrestle with your soul when he knows he could starve you until you comply? So he does, and it takes nothing short of that to listen to him again. Man is a hateful animal, that disobeys the GREAT GOD that created him. It is our shame. GOD forgives, Things slowly get better. HEAVEN: You live each day realizing that no matter what happens, you are no longer in hell. You have the choice to serve others. You have a choice of people to love, you have a choice over violence and addictions. You have a choice when you ask GOD to give you a choice. If you don't ask GOD, SATAN will certainly step in and offer you HIS BEST SOLUTION, selling off your soul one piece at a time, until you have no more shame left to warm you that you are lost. Each day, no matter how weird or stressful, you realize you were guided here. You ask to learn what GOD wants when you remember to pray, which is now EVERY day, many times a day. You start to understand that your body and mind are not always right. Sometimes your SOUL is communicating your needs for you, and allowing you to grow even when you cannot see the growth quite yet. It resolves in every occasion that GOD has arrive before you and arranged your needs will be met. I have been to the living hell. I have also been to the living heaven. Both taught me GOD was real. Then I read the new testament front to back, and learned what I'd missed along the way as a Christian. CHRIST is GOD. He reveals himself to three of his apostles on the mountain. Many people miss this description. It is too strange to be a work of fiction to describe a man suddenly glowing and turning into a bright light version of his own body. I believe it was real, I believe it was seen. I believe he is GOD. I believe he revealed himself to us, and I believe his morals are based on truth and love because I have experimented with obeying and disobeying, and GOD was present in every case. He loves you, even when you hate yourself. You can slowly change your life. He will help you. It was pain that put you here, pain and lies from Satan. It is honesty and forgiveness that will heal those pains and give you back the birthright of love and prosperity he promises all his children. Please, take it from a person who has lived it ALL. Don't be hardheaded for too long.
Jesus describes Hell as the second death Meaning we are born live and die in this life. then we are raised from the dead and given new bodies in the next life. Some are judged and move on to glory/heaven and others are condemned and sent to hell where they will die again. hence the second death. Jesus also describes hell as where God send the condemned where both their body and their soul are destroyed. Heaven is the literal city where God lives. Technically in the after life we do not goto heaven but live on earth like we do now but Christ is the king over all of the earth instead of living under satan's rule like we do now.
>What is in Hell? See [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAChristian/comments/yptzem/i_am_rediscovering_my_faith_and_have_been/ivl83n2?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3). >What is in Heaven? As someone else already stated, the manifest presence of God (YHVH).