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--- faq:faith-and-belief:hell [2026/01/11 12:04] – [Absence from God] kbieb
+++ faq:faith-and-belief:hell [2026/01/11 12:08] (current) – [The point] kbieb
@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 This view has basis in scripture (2 Thessalonians 9-10 NASB): ''These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified among His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our testimony to you was believed.''
-I like to believe in this explanation of the nature of Hell rather than a place that God created in order to punish people simply for not wanting to live with him. This seems more in line with a loving God, but God is also just, so I am able to believe that God would require punishment as justice for committed sins. Would it be just for an unrepentant Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot to get away without being called to account for their crimes? My understanding of justice would say no. So, I can also believe that a loving and just God could create a place of punishment. There is evidence for this version of Hell in scripture too. Jesus describes Hell as a "furnace of fire" (Matthew 13:41-42): ''The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'' And Revelation references a "lake of fire" (Revelation 13:20) ''And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.''
+===== My personal belief =====
+I tend toward absence from God or Annihilationism, rather than a place that God created in order to punish people simply for not wanting to live with him. This seems more in line with a loving God, but I have to be careful not to lean on my own understanding or desires. God is also a just god, so I am able to believe that He would require punishment as justice for committed sins. Would it be just for an unrepentant Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot to get away without being called to account for their crimes? My understanding of justice would say no. So, I can also believe that a loving and just God could create a place of punishment. There is evidence for this version of Hell in scripture too. Jesus describes Hell as a "furnace of fire" (Matthew 13:41-42): ''The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'' And Revelation references a "lake of fire" (Revelation 13:20) ''And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.''
 Would a being be sent to this place of punishment for eternity? What even is eternity outside of time? Would there be different levels of punishment for different sins? Will there be a possibility of redemption in Hell? I have no answers for any of these questions. Not having those answers is one of the reasons that I choose Jesus's gift of grace now. Frank Turek says something along the lines of, "Ultimately, we either get justice or grace, which do you want?" Grace please. Is this fire insurance? Yes, I suppose it is, but it is only one of the reasons that I choose Jesus. A more important reason is because God is good and following Him makes me a more fulfilled, happier and better person.
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 <WRAP center round important 60%>
-To avoid Hell, all one has to do is humble themselves, repent their sins, accept the free gift of Jesus's sacrifice and agree to obey and serve him.
+To avoid Hell, all one has to do is humble themself, repent their sins, accept the free gift of Jesus's sacrifice and agree to obey and serve Him.
 </WRAP>
 C.S. Lewis said in //The Great Divorce//: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”