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But no guest would draw a door on a his host's home, much less demand magic to make it real. It seems the analogy has to be stretched awfully far to make the host's actions civil.

Actually, no, you have the assumption wrong. They are outside already. He isn't going to throw them into hell, he's inviting them into Heaven (relationship with Him would be more accurate). You take the approach that you should be in heaven by right, but get cast into hell for something you do wrong. The Bible teaches that you are born in a place very close to hell. The doorway to Heaven is opened to you by the grace of G-d. It is a tremendous gift that He has made the way. And He made the way easy. He won't cast you into hell if you make a mistake. But you will fall there if you don't go through the door. Do you see the important difference? He won't condemn you. He will invite you in. If you refuse to go in, you condemn yourself.

The underlying assumption that God orders eternal torture for men who make the wrong choice, does not fit with the with the kindly host analogy. Even the worst host in the world would invite a guest back after he apologized humbly and begged forgiveness for a year. How could Almighty God never forgive, even after trillions of years of sincere repentence?

Read "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis. The more correct underlying assumption is that everyone who has not chosen to go through the door will never change their minds. After a while their hearts become too hard.

Shalom.

Actually, no, you have the assumption wrong. They are outside already. He isn't going to throw them into hell...

But once they are in hell, He will never permit them to leave, even if they repent. Apparently the time frame of the human life span, though unimaginably short when measured against eternity, is of supreme importance to God. I don't see how that is not capricious and cruel in the extreme.

The more correct underlying assumption is that everyone who has not chosen to go through the door will never change their minds. After a while their hearts become too hard.

I believe that after ten minutes in hell, anyone would change his mind. Why would God then turn him away? I can't believe that He is unjust and cruel. I also do not believe that the Bible is wrong. My best judgement is that many folks are misinterpreting these verses.

In my version of the analogy, the stubborn prospective guests would indeed go to jail. But after a time they would be released. And when they grew and learned and eventually chose to accept the grace of the host and enter the banquet properly, the host would welcome them heartily. They would not languish in the jail eternally.