Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Quix
I think of hell and eternal punishment for something done here on earth for perhaps 70-80yrs, as incredibly cruel, unjustified, and unnecessary.
436 posted on 12/22/2002 8:49:41 AM PST by stuartcr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 421 | View Replies ]


To: stuartcr
I still don't know what to make of hell.

Some have taken the route that EVENTUALLY ALL will be reconciled to God.

Jesus went into Hell during the 3 days in the grave and "took captives captive" --delivered--evidently--all who wanted out.

C.S. Lewis' GREAT DIVORCE is telling. Most didn't want to leave. Perhaps hyperbole.

But I really have met people who would refuse to go to Heaven because it wasn't constructed on THEIR specifications. God is not about to allow such to pollute His Heaven.

Even if hell is "only" a place apart from conscious awareness of God--that would be hell enough.

Then there's that interesting Scripture about not fearing man who can only kill the body but fear God who can kill the soul.

Clearly God is using hell to say--hey--group--there are REAL CHOICES. There has to be REAL CHOICE or else there CANNOT be real LOVE. If being unloving yields the same array of consequences as being loving--then there is no choice. Without the choice to choose NON-love, we are all robots. God is without the desired Loving dialogue with Loving intelligent creatures made in His image.

I don't know what hell is or will be.

But I believe Him in what He says about it. Besides that, my OOB experience in the throne room of hell was QUITE HELLISH. I don't wish to go back in any form at any time for any reason.

At least it's a vivid illustration of the consequences of choosing to reject God and His provision for an eternal relationship with Him; ruling and reigning with Christ. I prefer to take the illustration seriously and to my part of accepting Christ's Blood covering; forgiveness and Eternal Life.

To do otherwise seems to be eternally suicidal without hope of any eternal EMT's in the life copters etc.

It also seems to me to be terminally stupid.

So, I can stand on some pedastal for some microseconds or whatever and piss against the wind at THE BOSS's construction of and use of hell.

Stupid. Stupid.
482 posted on 12/22/2002 7:05:31 PM PST by Quix
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 436 | View Replies ]

To: stuartcr
I think of hell and eternal punishment for something done here on earth for perhaps 70-80yrs, as incredibly cruel, unjustified, and unnecessary.

Hey stuartcr, if you have in your 70-80 years here (a gift from God) decided up to the last minute to rebel decisively against Him, to ignore his love, and His hopes that you will become a loving being yourself - and if you have made the decision to bring horrendous evil into this world (and thus to follow the way of Satan) - then you have made your choice. What difference if you made that choice in 70-80 years, with an infinite number of chances to repent, or in 700-800 years? My guess would be that people of this nature (like Stalin, as an example, unless he truly repented), are far from God now. God gives you a lot of chance to join the good side. Don't be a fool and tell Him that your 70-80 years isn't good enough for you.

496 posted on 12/22/2002 7:52:22 PM PST by yendu bwam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 436 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson