What is Hell like?

CarolVP · #1 May 13, '12, 12:01 am

I define Hell as "the absence of God forever, freely chosen". I understand Heaven to be a state of eternal happiness with God, freely chosen, and Hell to be a choice to be without God forever. A person who makes this choice makes it before death, and has until the last moment before death to repent of his/her rejection of God.

That being said, I noticed that one thread, on the justice of Hell, had lengthy discussions on what Hell was really like. This seemed to be at a tangent, at the very least. Ergo, this new thread. I admit that I haven't checked for another one exactly the same. I'd rather start fresh.

My own concept of Hell is best explained by the excruciating heat of extreme anger, combined with the extreme coldness of loneliness. When one is extremely angry, one is caught up in the 'fire' of total self-consuming fury. It closes others out. Closing other people out, in its turn, causes the 'coldness' of isolation.

On earth, we can get over these states of utter misery, but in Hell we may not.

Satan is eternally locked in this misery, and seeks others to join him - not because he seeks their company, but because he hates God, and wants to possess the souls that God has created for Heaven.

**LilyM** · #2 May 13, '12, 12:19 am

I really don't care about the particulars of what hell is like. I just fervently pray that I don't end up there, nor anyone else who I can help to avoid it.

itullian · #3 May 13, '12, 1:04 am

Bezant · #4 May 13, '12, 1:37 am

Awful, I suppose.

Sam_777 · #5 May 13, '12, 2:58 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarolVP

I define Hell as "the absence of God forever, freely chosen".

Paul theApostle · #6 May 13, '12, 3:05 am

The Early Church Fathers on Hell -

The Early Church Fathers taught that any one who dies in a state of mortal sin will suffer for all eternity in hell.

Ignatius of Antioch

Corrupters of families will not inherit the kingdom of God. And if they who do these things according to the flesh suffer death, how much more if a man corrupt by evil reaching the faith of God for the sake of which Jesus Christ was crucified? A man become so foul will depart into unquenchable fire, and so will anyone who listens to him

Second Clement

If we do the will of Christ, we shall obtain rest; but if not, if we neglect his commandments, nothing will rescue us from eternal punishment

Justin Martyr

No more is it possible for the evildoer, the avaricious, and the treacherous to hide from God than it is for the virtuous. Every man will receive the eternal punishment or reward which his actions deserve. Indeed, if all men recognized this, no one would choose evil even for a short time, knowing that he would incur the eternal sentence of fire. On the contrary, he would take every means to control himself and to adorn himself in virtue, so that he might obtain the good gifts of God and escape the punishments

[Jesus] shall come from the heavens in glory with his angelic host, when he shall raise the bodies of all the men who ever lived. Then he will clothe the worthy in immortality; but the wicked, clothed in eternal sensibility, he will commit to the eternal fire, along with the evil demons

The Martyrdom of Polycarp

Fixing their minds on the grace of Christ, [the martyrs] despised worldly tortures and purchased eternal life with but a single hour. To them, the fire of their cruel torturers was cold. They kept before their eyes their escape from the eternal and unquenchable fire

Athenagoras

We [Christians] are persuaded that when we are removed from this present life we shall live another life, better than the present one. . . . Then we shall abide near God and with God, changeless and free from suffering in the soul . . . or if we fall with the rest [of mankind], a worse one and in fire; for God has not made us as sheep or beasts of burden, a mere incidental work, that we should perish and be annihilated

Theophilus of Antioch

Give studious attention to the prophetic writings [the Bible] and they will lead you on a clearer path to escape the eternal punishments and to obtain the eternal good things of God.... [God] will examine everything and will judge justly, granting recompense to each according to merit. To those who seek immortally by the patient exercise of good works, he will give everlasting life, joy, peace, rest, and all good things. . . , For the unbelievers and for the contemptuous and for those who do not submit to the truth but assent to iniquity, when they have been involved in adulteries, and fornications, and homosexualities, and avarice, and in lawless idolatries, there will be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish; and in the end, such men as these will be detained in everlasting fire

Irenaeus

The penalty increases for those who do not believe the Word of God and despise his coming. . . . It is not merely temporal, but eternal. To whomsoever the Lord shall say, "Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire," they will be damned forever

Hippolytus

Standing before [Christ's] judgment, all of them, men, angels, and demons, crying out in one voice, shall say: "Just is your judgment!" And the righteousness of that cry will be apparent in the recompense made to each. To those who have done well, everlasting enjoyment shall be given; while to the lovers of evil shall be given eternal punishment. The unquenchable and unending fire awaits these latter, and a certain fiery worm which does not die and which does not waste the body but continually bursts forth from the body with unceasing pain. No sleep will give them rest; no night will soothe them; no death will deliver them from punishment; no appeal of interceding friends will profit them.

Minucius Felix

I am not ignorant of the fact that many, in the consciousness of what they deserve, would rather hope than actually believe that there is nothing for them after death. They would prefer to be annihilated rather than be restored for punishment. . . . Nor is there measure nor end to these torments. That clever fire burns the limbs and restores them, wears them away and yet sustains them, just as fiery thunderbolts strike bodies but do not consume them.

Cyprian of Carthage

An ever-burning Gehenna and the punishment of being devoured by living flames will consume the condemned; nor will there be any way in which the tormented can ever have respite or be at an end. Souls along with their bodies will be preserved for suffering in unlimited agonies. . . . The grief at punishment will then be without the fruit of repentance; weeping will be useless, and prayer ineffectual. Too late will they believe in eternal punishment, who would not believe in eternal life.

Cyril of Jerusalem

We shall be raised therefore, all with our bodies eternal, but not all with bodies alike; For if a man is righteous, he will receive a heavenly body, that he may be able worthily to hold converse with angels; but if a man is a sinner, he shall receive an eternal body, fitted to endure the penalties of sins, that he may burn eternally in fire, nor ever be consumed. And righteously will God assign this portion to either company; for we do nothing without the body. We blaspheme with the mouth, and with the mouth we pray. With the body we commit fornication, and with the body we keep chastity. With the hand we rob, and by the hand we bestow alms; and the rest in like manner. Since then the body has been our minister in all things, it shall also share with us in the future the fruits of the past.

fif1189 · #7 May 13, '12, 3:25 am

Like being stuck in rush hour traffic with a full bladder.

No, I couldn't resist....

Anyway, I've always heard it described as a place devoid of hope. That alone sounds pretty horrible.

Honestly, if I recall properly, the Bible doesn't say much on the exact specifics of hell, just that it's there, is full of suffering, and sucks.

To be honest, I kind of like Dante's idea: multiple layers, though I'm not sure how Biblical it is.

LegoGE1947 · #8 May 13, '12, 4:01 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by fif1189

Like being stuck in rush hour traffic with a full bladder.

No, I couldn't resist....

Anyway, I've always heard it described as a place devoid of hope. That alone sounds pretty horrible.

Honestly, if I recall properly, the Bible doesn't say much on the exact specifics of hell, just that it's there, is full of suffering, and sucks.

To be honest, I kind of like Dante's idea: multiple layers, though I'm not sure how Biblical it is.

What hell is like is as much a mystery as what heaven is like. It totally goes against all I can imagine that heaven or hell are for eternity!

**GEddie** · #9 May 13, '12, 4:05 am

Even if Hell were only the town in Michigan

it would be unbearable to miss our LORD's embrace for ever!

ICXC NIKA

**GEddie** · #10 May 13, '12, 4:06 am

Link to the original thread?

Hansel Paul · #11 May 13, '12, 6:20 am

http://spiritlessons.com/documents/7...venes_Hell.htm

Hansel Paul · #12 May 13, '12, 6:20 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bezant

Awful, I suppose.

http://spiritlessons.com/documents/7...venes_Hell.htm

JackVk · #13 May 13, '12, 6:28 am

"the eternal absence of God, freely chosen." Think I'll pass on that offer.

Philosopher Peter Kreeft had a few ideas about it. One way he put it was that, rather being fire and brimstone, it is much like your soul is destroyed and is a pile of ash. You a human being, were once a beautiful work of art made by God, but you destroyed yourself.

Another hypothesis he had was that the "fire of hell" is really the fire of God's Love. To the saints, who love God, it is pleasing and joyful, but to the reprobate, it is torment, beause they do not love God back.

belorg · #14 May 13, '12, 7:26 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackVk

"the eternal absence of God, freely chosen." Think I'll pass on that offer.

Philosopher Peter Kreeft had a few ideas about it. One way he put it was that, rather being fire and brimstone, it is much like your soul is destroyed and is a pile of ash. You a human being, were once a beautiful work of art made by God, but you destroyed yourself.

Then hell is the same as anihillation?

Quote:

Another hypothesis he had was that the "fire of hell" is really the fire of God's Love. To the saints, who love God, it is pleasing and joyful, but to the reprobate, it is torment, beause they do not love God back.

Who made them so that they cannot love God back?

**tonyrey** · #15 May 13, '12, 6:28 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarolVP

I define Hell as "the absence of God forever, freely chosen". I understand Heaven to be a state of eternal happiness with God, freely chosen, and Hell to be a choice to be without God forever. A person who makes this choice makes it before death, and has until the last moment before death to repent of his/her rejection of God.

That being said, I noticed that one thread, on the justice of Hell, had lengthy discussions on what Hell was really like. This seemed to be at a tangent, at the very least. Ergo, this new thread. I admit that I haven't checked for another one exactly the same. I'd rather start fresh.

My own concept of Hell is best explained by the excruciating heat of extreme anger, combined with the extreme coldness of loneliness. When one is extremely angry, one is caught up in the 'fire' of total self-consuming fury. It closes others out. Closing other people out, in its turn, causes the 'coldness' of isolation.

On earth, we can get over these states of utter misery, but in Hell we may not.

Satan is eternally locked in this misery, and seeks others to join him - not because he seeks their company, but because he hates God, and wants to possess the souls that God has created for Heaven.

No rational person would opt for Hell if it didn't have its compensations. The damned choose to be independent because they enjoy being absolute masters of themselves. They succumb to their lust for power which causes so much unnecessary suffering in this world. But to worship themselves is a form of lunacy because they are imperfect and incapable of satisfying their yearning for perfection which - as St Augustine observed - only be fulfilled by God.

Hell certainly isn't a trap into which we fall as a result of carelessness because that would be unjust and incompatible with God's love. We all get precisely what we deserve and what we deserve depends entirely on us. As you pointed out, "losing other people out, in its turn, causes the 'coldness' of isolation". The image of fire in Hell is appropriate because it conveys the idea of being consumed by the flames of illicit desires which by their very nature are doomed to be failure. Anger and frustration are at the root of the misery of those who reject God but they are willing to pay the price of total independence.

They are addicted to themselves as a result of constant pandering to their own desires even at the cost of sacrificing the happiness of others. In effect they are punishing themselves for punishing people who had done nothing wrong but were simply obstacles in their pursuit of power and pleasure. Since the damned caused unnecessary suffering divine justice ensures that they suffer in turn. Evil is destructive of peace and happiness in this world but the tables are finally turned in the next. The Greek concept of Nemesis and the Indian doctrine of Karma are truths about personal existence. Vices incur their own punishment and virtues their own reward. We cannot find peace and joy unless we overcome our weaknesses by forgetting ourselves and living for God - which implies living for others - now and forever. Amen.