Question about a basic fundamental christian belief?

Question

Fundamentally, does christianity teach that lost souls will spend eternity in h**l (that means forever and ever without end) in torment and/or torture? People keep telling me that is not a fundamental belief taught when I call them on the monstrosity of it. I heard it many times over and over again. I do not believe it is true. Am I wrong about it being a fundamental belief and teaching? (I know not all christians believe this way)

Answer 1

That is what I've been taught and believe.

Answer 2

it is a false teaching i will tell you most belief it,but its not what gods word says,if you want to take the time to look up scriptures i will show you the truth.a.NOT A LITERAL PLACE OF FIERY TORMENTjob while suffering prayed to go there...job 14;13 a place of no activity...psalms 6;5,eccl.9;5an 10(very impt,to read)isaih 38;18,19 jesus was raised from grave ,h**l...acts 2;27,31,32,psalms 16;10 h**l will deliver up other dead,be destroyed...rev.20;13,14 B.FIRE IS A SYMBOL OF ANNIHILATION cutting off in death symbolized by fire...matth.25;41,46and matth,13;30 unrepented wicked destroyed forever as by fire but not with fire....heb.10;26,27 satans fiery "torment"is everlasting DEATH!...rev.20;10,14,15 C.RICH MAN AND LAZARUZ ACCOUNT NO PROOF OF ETERNAL TORMENT fire no more literal than abraham's bosom....luke 16;22-24 abrahams favor also contrasted with darkness...matth. 8;11,12  babylon's annilation called fiery torment....rev.18;8-10,21 please if you want to understand,read the scriptures ask for GOD to show you that the truth is people will not be burning in a fiery h**l like you and others are told is truth,its a lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

amy

Answer 3

Yes and no.

I will explain.

h**l, where the rich man was, see Luke 16:19-31, is a holding place where people await judgment.  It is a place of fire, according to Jesus' description of it.  Not a fun place to be.  But it is temporary, just like the County Jail is temporary.

The day will come when everyone in h**l will be resurrected and face judgment.  Jesus will be the Judge in what is called the Great White Throne Judgment.

Then everyone who was in h**l, will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire and that is permanent.

Forever.

One cast into the Lake of Fire is not consumed.

So think of h**l as the county jail where one is held before the trial and then think of the Lake of Fire as the State Prison.  Except in this case the State Prison goes on forever.

I am not talking about "purgatory".  That is an invention of the Roman Catholic Church based on some ancients text which were never considered "inspired" by the Jews or anyone until about 1546.

Answer 4

"Fundamentally" the scriptures tell us that those who do not accept Christ as their Savior, will spend eternity banished from the presence of God.

The place of banishment is called h**l. The scriptures describe this place as a lake of fire, where there is gnashing of teeth.

This is what we are told, it is up to each individual to accept its validity or to reject it.

Answer 5

Yes a place of eternal torment most assuredly exists. Following are but a few verses denoting a literal place of torment.

   Matthew 25:41   "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

     This is the same fire (Lake of Fire) as described in Revelation.

    Revelation 20:10, 15    "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

   2 Thess 1:9   "These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."

  Mark 9:43-46   "“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into h**l, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 45 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into h**l, 46 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]

   Jude 7   "just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal 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, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

   All of the above Scriptures are referring to the final place of judgment---the Lake of Fire as seen in Revelation. Death and h**l( grave) will be thrown into the Lake of Fire as well. Yes  it is a very real and very permenant place of torment. Anyone arguing against eternal torment hasn't read Scripture because it is abundently clear.

Answer 6

Yes this is a fundamental belief of Christianity

Answer 7

Many Christians are split on this. The bible is clear that those who choose not to follow Jesus will go to h**l. the book of Revelation,  however, speaks of h**l being "thrown into the lake of fire." Some believe this is symbolic of God's final judgment where good and evil are permanently separated. Others believe this to be God destroying h**l and everything in it, putting them all out of their misery. Spending 1,000 years in h**l or an eternity in h**l. Either way, its not a place to be.

Also important to notice is that h**l is a choice. If you chose not to live in the light, then by default, you choose to live in the dark.

Answer 8

The real answer is, we don't know.

The teaching I received was that only God can (and will) have the right to judge everybody's heart.  The part about getting to God only through Jesus was never intended to be applied to people who didn't know God in the first place.  It was a lesson on the futility of trying to work your way into heaven.

Answer 9

not sure why anyone would say that fundies don't teach it, the truth is, if yo die without Jesus Christ as Savior, you go to h**l and pay for your own sins. Yes, it is forever and it is pain and suffering. Remember, it is punishment for the sins that YOU committed.

Answer 10

"10And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The Dead Are Judged

11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

~ Revelations 20:10-15

"22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In h**l,[a] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire."

~ Luke 16:22-24

"43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into h**l, where the fire never goes out.[a]"

Footnotes: Mark 9:43 Some manuscripts out, 44 where / " 'their worm does not die, / and the fire is not quenched.'

"30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

~ Matthew 25:30

"10he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."

~ Revelations 14:10-11

Answer 11

I believe there is no such thing as a lost "soul" - There are some very misguided souls.

The word "soul" means you are an alive human.

No one will ever spend "eternity" in h**l-fire. - If you are an unrepentant sinner you will DIE the SECOND DEATH in h**l-fire.

I believe this is what the Bible teaches.

Answer 12

The Bible states that if you want to go to heaven you have to be born-again.  Otherwise, you go to h**l when you die.

Answer 13

Someone once told me that you only spend a it of time in h**l. To pay for your sins or something to that effect. It still seems like a hideous idea to me. If there's a God, he isn't going to be petty enough to have us tortured mercilessly because we made some mistakes. Or, that we didn't believe in him.

Answer 14

well i believe there is h**l but really...God has this whole beautiful world to make and look after...why would he send a bunch of people there?i mean really horrible utterly impossible souls yes.

Answer 15

The beliefs regarding h**l vary between sects of christianity. I was raised very strict baptist and they taught that yes, if a person died before being saved, they would spend eternity in h**l.