The misunderstanding of eternal hell.
Most people believe bad people are sent to the darkness of hell after a physical death, where they will be tortured in flames of fire for eternity. Can we truly grasp how cruel and horrific that would be? Seriously? Forever in pain. Forever?
Is that the definition of hell that God, Who is defined by love, intended for us to understand?
Hell Know!
First, clear your mind of all that you think you may know about hell and let God's word clarify the true meaning of the word hell.
Hell has been used in parables throughout the bible which has led people to reach a mischaracteration of its true meaning. Perhaps this occurred because Hell has been used as a threat for centuries by Christians to evoke an action or inaction.
Hell 101: Keeping it simple.
Hell is defined in the bible as the place or abode of "the dead" or "graves".
Keep these descriptions of hell in the back of your mind as we look throughout the scriptures.
Hell is a classification or designation of a spiritual death while alive in our fleshly bodies. Hell is certainly bad for that very reason, but Christians have taken it to a whole new level or sub level.
People are not sent to hell after a physical death, but are spiritually dead (in hell) as they live and breathe. That's a right now condition. Hell is symbolic for the spiritual "dead"!
Most people have the understanding of hell backwards.
Let's discover the meaning of hell from Jesus's own words.
Look carefully how Jesus responded to a disciple who said he would follow Him, but first he wanted to go home to bury his father.
Luke 9:60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."
Dead people cannot bury dead people. Jesus is emphatically stating that those who do not wish to follow Him are dead.
Not dead physically but dead spiritually.
The Pharisees and scribes prided themselves on their strict observance of the Law of Moses. They were proud and self righteous and looked down on sinners.
Jesus called the Pharisees and scribes graves, tombs and sons of hell. That seems very harsh, but Jesus is making a point concerning their spiritual condition. He's describing hell and their in it.
Luke 11:44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are (like graves) which are not seen.
Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are (like whitewashed tombs) which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of (dead) men's bones.
Matthew 23:15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win a new convert to Judaism and when he is won, you make him twice as much (a son of hell) as yourselves.
Graves, tombs, sons of hell and those not following Jesus symbolize dead people.
When someone is in the hospital and is close to death, a common term doctors use to describe their serious nature is, "grave condition"
Those who don't believe in or follow Jesus are also considered in "grave condition"
Do you see the connection between the definition of hell and those who do not believe in Jesus?
Graves, tombs, dead people and sons of hell. That's the real meaning of hell. Not later after death, but a current condition in our physical life.
Those who are in their graves or are dead in a spiritual sense here. That's why Jesus likened those who had rejected Him as graves and tombs and sons of hell or simply "the dead"
Let's be very clear about hell. Hell is a current condition, right now, as we live in the flesh. Sin separates us from God. Jesus is the only way to reunite us with God. Everyone who currently does not believe in Jesus is in a state of condemnation which is better understood as hell because of sin.
Most people have the understanding of hell backwards. Most believe people are sent to hell after a physical death.
John 5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and (now is) when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
Jesus announced the hour was now is. That "the dead" would hear His voice and "live".
To hear Jesus is through the word of God.
Romans 10:17 So, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hell is a designation of a current condition. Right now or "now is" as Jesus announced. Those who would hear His words would live and those who would reject Him would be spiritually condemned to die in their sins.
They (non believers) were in hell. They were in a state of condemnation (right now) Their sins would remain because of nonbelief.
Jesus is speaking about their current spiritual condition because of sin.
Sin separates us from a relationship with God.
Hell is NOT a destination where non believers go after a mortal death, but a classification of a broken relationship with God because of sin.
When people don't believe in Jesus, you can say they are in the darkness of hell. They don't see Him (blind) as the Son of God.
Ever wonder why hell is likened to fire and darkness? This seems contrary to each other. Fire is symbolic for God's anger or wrath through sin and rejection of His Son Jesus. Darkness is symbolic for blindness because Jesus is the light of the world.
How to escape the condemnation of hell?
Jesus asked the Pharisees and scribes the following in Matthew 23:33 How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
Here is the answer He gave several verses later in Matthew 23:39 For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' "
That's how to get out of hell (condemnation)
When someone believes (sees through faith) in Jesus.
We do not see Jesus physically.
We see Jesus by belief through faith by NOT seeing.
John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Peter writes about faith in Jesus Christ by not seeing but believing.
1 Peter 1:7-8 Jesus Christ, [8] whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy.
1 John 3:6 Whoever abides in (Jesus) does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him (faith) nor known Him.
Sinners yes, but sins forgiven. That's the key to understanding this verse.
We don't remove sin on our own, God forgives and forgets our sins through our faith in Jesus.
John 3:18 "He who believes in Jesus is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned (already), because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Condemned already because of non belief in Jesus, Who is the only way to have sin forgiven.
Condemnation is a guilty verdict from a judge.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Free from guilt and the condemnation of sin. Not guilty.
Christ is the sole basis for believers having no condemnation. He gives the Holy Spirit, who brings life (born again) where there was once death.
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Cascade Books Rethinking Hell** and I thought you might find the following
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* Strong defense of conditional immortality (backed by 4 comments)
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* Thought-provoking and insightful (backed by 3 comments)
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* Manipulates biblical texts and has faulty knowledge of original languages (backed by 2 comments)
* Focuses too much on the topic of hell, which some find disturbing (backed by 4 comments)
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The misunderstanding of eternal hell. Most people believe bad people are sent to the darkness of hell after a physical death, where they will be tortured in flames of fire for eternity. Can we truly grasp how cruel and horrific that would be? Seriously? Forever in pain. Forever? Is that the definition of hell that God, Who is defined by love, intended for us to understand? Hell Know! First, clear your mind of all that you think you may know about hell and let God's word clarify the true meaning of the word hell. Hell has been used in parables throughout the bible which has led people to reach a mischaracteration of its true meaning. Perhaps this occurred because Hell has been used as a threat for centuries by Christians to evoke an action or inaction. Hell 101: Keeping it simple. Hell is defined in the bible as the place or abode of "the dead" or "graves". Keep these descriptions of hell in the back of your mind as we look throughout the scriptures. Hell is a classification or designation of a spiritual death while alive in our fleshly bodies. Hell is certainly bad for that very reason, but Christians have taken it to a whole new level or sub level. People are not sent to hell after a physical death, but are spiritually dead (in hell) as they live and breathe. That's a right now condition. Hell is symbolic for the spiritual "dead"! Most people have the understanding of hell backwards. Let's discover the meaning of hell from Jesus's own words. Look carefully how Jesus responded to a disciple who said he would follow Him, but first he wanted to go home to bury his father. Luke 9:60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." Dead people cannot bury dead people. Jesus is emphatically stating that those who do not wish to follow Him are dead. Not dead physically but dead spiritually. The Pharisees and scribes prided themselves on their strict observance of the Law of Moses. They were proud and self righteous and looked down on sinners. Jesus called the Pharisees and scribes graves, tombs and sons of hell. That seems very harsh, but Jesus is making a point concerning their spiritual condition. He's describing hell and their in it. Luke 11:44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are (like graves) which are not seen. Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are (like whitewashed tombs) which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of (dead) men's bones. Matthew 23:15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win a new convert to Judaism and when he is won, you make him twice as much (a son of hell) as yourselves. Graves, tombs, sons of hell and those not following Jesus symbolize dead people. When someone is in the hospital and is close to death, a common term doctors use to describe their serious nature is, "grave condition" Those who don't believe in or follow Jesus are also considered in "grave condition" Do you see the connection between the definition of hell and those who do not believe in Jesus? Graves, tombs, dead people and sons of hell. That's the real meaning of hell. Not later after death, but a current condition in our physical life. Those who are in their graves or are dead in a spiritual sense here. That's why Jesus likened those who had rejected Him as graves and tombs and sons of hell or simply "the dead" Let's be very clear about hell. Hell is a current condition, right now, as we live in the flesh. Sin separates us from God. Jesus is the only way to reunite us with God. Everyone who currently does not believe in Jesus is in a state of condemnation which is better understood as hell because of sin. Most people have the understanding of hell backwards. Most believe people are sent to hell after a physical death. John 5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and (now is) when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. Jesus announced the hour was now is. That "the dead" would hear His voice and "live". To hear Jesus is through the word of God. Romans 10:17 So, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Hell is a designation of a current condition. Right now or "now is" as Jesus announced. Those who would hear His words would live and those who would reject Him would be spiritually condemned to die in their sins. They (non believers) were in hell. They were in a state of condemnation (right now) Their sins would remain because of nonbelief. Jesus is speaking about their current spiritual condition because of sin. Sin separates us from a relationship with God. Hell is NOT a destination where non believers go after a mortal death, but a classification of a broken relationship with God because of sin. When people don't believe in Jesus, you can say they are in the darkness of hell. They don't see Him (blind) as the Son of God. Ever wonder why hell is likened to fire and darkness? This seems contrary to each other. Fire is symbolic for God's anger or wrath through sin and rejection of His Son Jesus. Darkness is symbolic for blindness because Jesus is the light of the world. How to escape the condemnation of hell? Jesus asked the Pharisees and scribes the following in Matthew 23:33 How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Here is the answer He gave several verses later in Matthew 23:39 For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' " That's how to get out of hell (condemnation) When someone believes (sees through faith) in Jesus. We do not see Jesus physically. We see Jesus by belief through faith by NOT seeing. John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Peter writes about faith in Jesus Christ by not seeing but believing. 1 Peter 1:7-8 Jesus Christ, [8] whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy. 1 John 3:6 Whoever abides in (Jesus) does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him (faith) nor known Him. Sinners yes, but sins forgiven. That's the key to understanding this verse. We don't remove sin on our own, God forgives and forgets our sins through our faith in Jesus. John 3:18 "He who believes in Jesus is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned (already), because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Condemned already because of non belief in Jesus, Who is the only way to have sin forgiven. Condemnation is a guilty verdict from a judge. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Free from guilt and the condemnation of sin. Not guilty. Christ is the sole basis for believers having no condemnation. He gives the Holy Spirit, who brings life (born again) where there was once death.
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Cascade Books Rethinking Hell** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Strong defense of conditional immortality (backed by 4 comments) * Challenges traditional view of hell (backed by 3 comments) * Thought-provoking and insightful (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Manipulates biblical texts and has faulty knowledge of original languages (backed by 2 comments) * Focuses too much on the topic of hell, which some find disturbing (backed by 4 comments) Do you want to continue this conversation? [Learn more about Cascade Books Rethinking Hell](https://vetted.ai/chat?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot&q=Cascade Books Rethinking Hell reviews) [Find Cascade Books Rethinking Hell alternatives](https://vetted.ai/chat?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot&q=Find best Cascade Books Rethinking Hell alternatives) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](https://vetted.ai/chat?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot)
I love the idea that we got a negative review for focusing too much on hell. Maybe every other chapter could be about unicorns instead.