HELL. People's view of hell and its torturing fire for the unrepentant lost is arguably the greatest obstacle people face in coming to embrace Trinitarian, Adoption and Inclusion Theology and the salvation and redemption of ALL humans.
People just LOVE their hell and if you mess with it they get fighting mad. Why is this? In their self righteous selves of obedience and "doing" their Christian duty they see others who are sinners beyond measure and undeserving of salvation and must pay for all the "fun" they are having in the flesh now with the hell fire they deserve.
We all grew up with the concept of reward and punishment. Heaven for 'good' people and hell for evil people. Gifts for good little boys and girls and switches and ashes for bad ones. Religion historically the world over has always had this concept. All based on legalism and works with 'heaven' for good people and the netherworld or some type of suffering for evil ones.
When you really analyze this concept you will find that it actually comes from the great father of lies, Satan the devil who is a liar from the beginning. He wants to make the Father look like a harsh, vindictive, vengeful, wrathful, hateful, monster who would gain pleasure from the charred flesh of his children burning in some hell hole forever.
The ancients, and in particular the Greeks, had always had a philosophy of a netherworld or underworld for the suffering of evil men who had died. In the 4th century B.C. the Greek philosopher, Plato, took the concept, embellished it giving it names dividing the netherworld into departments with its attending torturing FIRE and called it "hell" naming it after an ancient Greek Goddess named 'hel'.
Nearly 1000 years later in the 5th century A.D. St. Augustine of Hippo, considered to be the 'father of the Catholic church and an avid fan of Plato introduced the idea of Hell, hell fire, torturing evil people forever in the depths of suffering to the church. And it has stayed in the WESTERN CHRISTIAN CHURCH'S THEOLOGY ever since.
For the first 500 years since Jesus death the idea of hell was simply living in one's own life choices, eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and suffering the consequences. But, when one came to know who they actually were IN Jesus the light of understanding went off in their life and they transitioned from a life of darkness into a life of 'abundance' in Jesus. ( John 10:10 ).
To conclude: A refusal to accept and believe who one is in Jesus which denies one the happiness of sharing in the heavenly blessings (Eph.1) is living in HELL . And this refusal Can last forever. Remember, God is not willing for any to perish-- continued suffering--Gk. "appolumi", but for all to come to repentance-- Gk. "Metanoia"--simply a change of mind of who we are IN Jesus. ( II Peter 3:9).
For you who want to learn more about the subject of Hell just Google search "Plato's Hell, or go to www.thereisnohell.com , and begin checking it out.
Happy studies !!!
Pastor Paul Kurts
Madison, AL
256-468-8081
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2 comments:
I've often thought that many people believe more strongly in hell than they believe in Jesus. They're certain of hell, but they're not absolutely certain about who Jesus is.
yeah... what's with that?
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