I think there is a devil, or devils, but not hell. I don’t think it’s God’s plan to have billions of souls burning in a physical fire for eternity. I think He is more merciful, and he has other ways to punish us.
Don't know how you square that notion of no hell with the Biblical teaching. Your assertion of "billions of souls burning in a physical fire for eternity" is noted--and some teachers certainly look at that as a metaphor, but only because Hell will be very, very bad. Other teachers not there IS a resurrection of the body and a punishment to accompany that resurrection.
God's mercy also MUST be coupled with justice...otherwise, there is no real meaning to the term "mercy".
I urge you to study and think about the matter a bit more.
“I think there is a devil, or devils, but not hell. I don’t think it’s God’s plan to have billions of souls burning in a physical fire for eternity. I think He is more merciful, and he has other ways to punish us.”
Well you are wrong.
Do you believe the Bible?
None of us really know and we can only speculate. I do believe the notion of "burning in a physical fire for eternity" is a bit much. I believe that concept of hell was invented by man thousands of years ago so as to keep his fellow brethren in line. By instilling the fear of eternal hellfire and an all-seeing, all-knowing God, well that is a sure-fire way to maintain order in an undeveloped society. Now that's not entirely a bad thing. If people felt there were no consequences for bad behavior, we would have had a barbaric society indeed and likely we would never have developed civilization to where it is today.
So do I believe that hell is an eternal fire in which souls are condemned to burn forever and ever? No, I do not believe that at all. Like you, I think that God would be more merciful than that. Perhaps hell is more like a purgatory where you are given a chance to eventually redeem yourself of previous sins. Sometimes I wonder if our life here on Earth is not some kind of purgatory (or even hell) in itself where we are sent to work out some issues from a previous existence. Of course, that does not explain why many of us die in the womb or as children. Unless there is a purpose for that I am not aware of.
Again, I can only speculate and attempt to reason logically with the brain that God has provided me. Perhaps I will find out different when I exit this particular mortal coil.
I think mere "physical fire" is the concept that trips people up. They do not understand the nature and holiness of Almighty God.
The Lord appeared to Moses as fire that did not consume the bush (Exodus 3:1-6). He appeared as a "pillar of fire" to guide the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). He appeared as fire come down from heaven to consume the sacrifice offered by Elijah that the false god Baal could not consume (I Kings 18:36-40).
"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.' This phrase 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of what is shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:25-29)."
His fire consumes all evil, everything contrary to Him.
Nowhere in the Bible is hell described as a place of punishment; instead, the term used is torment (Gk. basanos). The torment of hell is the lack of God's grace, caused by the refusal of those here to have accepted it; put more simply, the love of God compels Him to allow those who do not wish His presence in their lives to not have that presence. The love of God requires the existence of a hell, because if God made everyone accept His salvation, then God would be, not love, but tyranny.
Let me put it this way: I love my flowers. But some of them just don't bloom well, and some don't bloom at all. So I pull up the duds and throw them on the compost heap with the worms and manure. They will never bloom again, although they will still serve me for my purposes.
Hell is spoken about extensively in the Bible, including eternal punishment.
This is a quote from a criminal/murderer Charlie Peace as he was led to his execution, as a pastor was reading to him from scripture. “if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worth while living, just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that!”[5]
Not according to Scripture. Matthew 7:14, spoken by Christ says:
"14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few"
(Matthew 7:14 ESV)
"And those who find it are few."
and... Matthew 25:45:
"45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. ’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:45-46 ESV)"
Seems pretty straight-forward to me.
God the Son said this. I think I'd take this at face value instead of trying to make God fit what we think he should be... or do.
Grace and Peace
Hoss
The issue is is who will abide in the presence of true Holiness for all eternity.
He doesn’t have to endure the presence of iniquity for all eternity.
The real question is, Why doesn’t He send us all there immediately?
Answer:
Because He loves that which He made and affords us all the opportunity for salvation.
Strangely; there seems to be a quite popular book that states otherwise.
Christianity is not about what 'you think' but what The Word says. What part of God's plan of The Cross escapes you - the crux of Christianity?
He is more merciful, and he has other ways to punish us.
More merciful than what/who? Where did you get the idea God wants to punish us? What more do you want Jesus to do for you? The ball is in your court to decide and by your post there is more thinking than knowledge and that is your choice.
God doesn’t send people to hell, they choose it .
Only those who refuse accountability play the dumb act of willfully not believing there is a hell.