In the "Nelix dies" topic, people were talking about what hell is. Here's my take(this is just my opinion...not to be taken as gospel!):

I think hell is a place where there is no light. In the world we have light even in the midst of great sin. People kill, hate, steal, etc. BUT, people are also kind, loving, caring, etc. Why? Cause God is still here.

At the end of time God judges everyone and then casts thoese that didn't choose Him away. What does this mean? Does it mean that people are tossed into a real fire? I don't believe that. I believe that the use of "fire" is a metaphor to describe judgement...such as the term "on the hotseat".

"If I choose God I'm with Him, if I don't I burn in hell and tortured". Where's the freedom of choice to CHOOSE God here? It's more a case of AVOID hell. I don't believe that's what God wants. He wants you to WANT to be with him. If I said "Say you think I'm the greatest in the world or I'll shoot you" and I have a gun to your head...what are you going to say? You'd say "You're the greatest in the world" (oh, shucks...thanks...:P), but you'd only say it cause you didn't want to get shot. So using hell as a negative motivator doesn't make sense to me, especially not from the perspective of a loving God who really doesn't need the ego-boosts that we often do.

However, remember that it is YOUR choice. So if you said "I want to do things my way. I don't want God." God is profoundly saddened by that, but it's His nature to keep His word. So, if, in the end, you choose you and not Him, that's what you'll get--You.

Now, again, imagine being in a place without light. There is no good. There is no niceness. Just you constantly wanting to do what you want and everyone else the same. A constant state of regret. A pain beyond imagination. Not a physical lite-you-on-fire pain, but the burning of regret. The gnashing of teeth of knowing that you made your decision, and it was the wrong one. Haven't you even done something stupid and absolutely hated yourself for it? Add to that the loss of the ability to see the good in yourself, cause the light is no longer there, and you'll know what gnashing of teeth is all about.

Okay, so why not be able to look at that then and say "I made the wrong decision, God! Please get me out of here!". Because your motivation is not that you want to be with God now, it's that you don't want to be in hell.

How long does one stay in hell? I don't know, but I would imagine it would be eternal. Doesn't sound fair? Well, remember that God keeps His word. So, if you choose you, you do so eternally. If you choose Him, you do so eternally. If he was to vanquish you from existence, wouldn't that demonstrate that your choice didn't matter? And if it doesn't matter, does that mean that you never really had a choice?

Now, look, I could be TOTALLY off-base with all of this as I am using my own logic to deduce stuff here. I've read the Bible and have studied a lot of stuff as it relates to hell, and based on those studies this is what I've come to see. Feel free to blast this away as I'm here to learn, so I'm not proud

Bottom line, though is that if you see God for what He really is, you'll want to be with Him. Read His word and pray, He'll reveal Himself to you and you will understand why you want to be with Him.

-Krylar

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If hell was a place/situation where the pain was of a separation type deal, I would have thought that if you were to use a metaphor to describe it, you would probably be more likely to use a COLD/freezing/dark metaphor, as this 'seems' to me to be more appropriate for loneliness. I think fire is more in keeping with torture, but obviously i can't be certain.

Secondly, I think the question is what is your motivation for being a Christian, is it the consequence or the reward? Well, I like to think both, but I'm sure that different people initially respond differently and that when you are witnessing to people, that the Holy Spirit knows what is likely to be more effective to an individual person. Having said that, most times, I am prompted by the Spirit to go with the reward avenue, but not always. Gee, this is my longest post ever!

Man Krylar, you have just made a whole heap of work for yourself! Happy moderating...

Seriously, I'm not sure the Bible is that precise on this because, as you say, it sets out to tell us how good God is, not to make us choose Him because the alternative is so bad. I personally don't agree that it's likely to be life without light. That's actually not possible, for starters. I also don't think it's a literal lake of fire. But I admit to having no hard and fast answers, in my opinion the best thing to do is simply to not go there. :-)

I think it would be complete seperation from God.

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There are only 10 types of people - those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Summary: God is Just, there are consequences for actions; God is love, He paid the price.

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Fight(as in overkill) the Good Fight of Faith...

†Caleb†

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"True friendship is not characterized by the absence of conflict, but by the ability to resolve conflict."

Thankyou Lord
amen.

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Karl /GODCENTRIC
Visionary Media
the creative submitted to the divine.
Husband of my amazing wife Aleshia
Klumsy@xtra.co.nz

-Krylar

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