Wednesday, 04 November 2009
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Going To Hell
People have many different beliefs about Hell. Some disregard its existence, some believe God would never send people there, and others believe that anyone who doesn't repent and follow Jesus is on their way there already. What's interesting to me is that the people who believe in Hell, and believe that people are actually going there, love to point out who's going to Hell, while sitting back and doing nothing about it.
There are certain people that most christians have already affirmed in their minds are going to Hell or are in Hell as we speak, but I beg to differ. I would venture to say that, although I am positive that Hell exists and that people really do go there if they reject God, there is NO ONE who knows who is or has gone to Hell, with the exception of a few people who are mentioned in the Bible as definitely in Hell. If we were honest, I don't want to be misunderstood with this statement, but no one actually knows how salvation works. Yes we know what the Bible tells us, that a person must believe in God, repent of their sins, and ask Him to save them and that everyone can KNOW wether they are saved or not on a personal level, but in all honesty, when it comes to the small details and matters of the heart, regarding who is saved and who isn't, only God and the individual knows and it is only up to God anyway.
Since it is God's decision and He's the only one who truly knows who is saved and who is on their way to Hell, than I believe it is time for us to stop pointing fingers at each other. I wouldn't even say that Adolf Hitler is definitely in Hell today. Who knows what happened to him as a child or what was going through his mind as he contemplated his own suicide? Did you know that Yasser Arafat, on his death bed, asked for one of his former right hand men who had later converted to christianity, to come in alone, and tell him how to get saved according to christianity?* Why do we insist on limiting God's abilities to save people of any walk of life?
Who knows what kind of a reach God has and who are we to judge who is saved and who is going to Hell? All God called us to do is tell people about Him and love people as He loved us first. I believe more people are brought to Jesus through love than Hell fire and brimstone scare tactics. You can't scare people to Heaven but you can love them to Jesus.
*Details are taken from this book LINK
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Comments (50)
Great entry. I agree about love over fear. Salvation through fear seldom lasts.
That's interesting about Arafat. I had never heard that.
So in essence you're saying there may or may not be a hell, and no one knows (except God) who's going there. Nothing proven here unless you 'just believe it'. So I can't see the point.
Not sure if that's true about Arafat. I thought I heard it was an urban myth. I could be wrong. Good post over all.
I do think it's important to remember that those who do not know Christ ARE headed for Hell right this minute. They have the grace of God extended to them to change that, but they most certainly are headed there if they don't. That shouldn't make us bitter; it should make us desperate to reach them.
sometimes i wonder if this is hell! and maybe we will all getto go to heaven after we finish life in hell! lol
Good post. It's better to live your life as though there is a God, and die and find out there's not one, than to live your life as though there is no God, and die and find out there is one!
Good thoughts. Basically, it comes down to whether an individual is truly saved or not. Professing as much does not necessarily designate the reality. Words are cheap. Actions may conflict with words. None of us live completely consistent lives, even those who really will end up not going to hell.
And as you said, all of us here on earth cannot judge or know for sure. I would hope at the least, however, you are certain of your own heaven-hell status. It's between you and God. We only cannot know for certain anyone else, I believe. That's where FAITH enters in.
Wow. I love your post. You are completely right that none of us have the right to judge one another and say who's going to hell or not. The decision of where we go is up to God. He picks. For me though, Hell is not a place of fire or anything depicted by others, but a place of emptiness. Hell in the old testament is based on Sheol/Gehenna where the Jews who worshipped idols would sacrifice their children by burning them alive. This place of sacrifice later became a trash dump and today's idea of Hell. The idea of hell is also somewhat borrowed from the Zoroastrinism beliefs so that's why I can't completely believe in it; a whole bunch of ideas meshed together.
@Shopgirl0393 - yes I am definitly sure I am going to Heaven and I believe anyone can know, personally, where they are going. I was refering to us knowing another's eternal destination.
@Da__Vinci - This post's intent was not to prove the existence of Hell. I know there is one and I could go into proving it but I had other intentions for this particular post.
Considering how little we actually know about God, we know even less about how he is going to judge us.
If I was a Christian, I would agree wholeheartedly. Even though I'm not, I still agree. I've never understood why people like to tell others that they are going to hell. As I understand it, God is supposed to be the only one who can truly judge.
I loved this. :) It was great.
Paul told people they were going to hell. But situations like that take discernment. You can't go around saying people are going to Hell based off a mistake. I don't personally have a desire to tell people they're going to Hell. And that was a part of Paul's calling anyway. I'm sure some people have that calling.
I really don't want anyone to go to hell. It makes me sad thinking about it. I had a dream about hell last night, in fact.
@Simbathe2nd - It speaks to the premise of your post, so please do what no one else seems to be able to do, proove hell.
I am really thankful that you are a Xanga member and I consider your posts to be well-balanced and accurate and persuasive. You believe that Christians ought to demonstrate the reality of their faith in Christ by being loving rather than condemning!
And yet you still believe that hell, as mentioned by Christ, really exists. But we should not be jumping to conclusions that people we know are heading there or are already there!
As to Hitler, and certain others, while I am sorry about it, there's still no question in my mind that they will never see heaven; therefore they must be with all those who have rejected Christ. Adolf Hitler was the very personification of Satanic evil and I have no doubt about that whatever! Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ is in the same category. I waste very little time thinking about these dead sinners!
Still, as usual, I loved your blog. You always have something worthwhile to share!
@Pickwick12 - @buddly47 - Definitely agree with your statements.
@crazy2love - The reason the bronze age writers of the bible deferred judgment to God is that they couldn't come up with a good enough reason to dole out infinite punishment for finite crimes, especially when those alleged crimes were mostly BS. But that implies they were capable of seeing the injustice, which I doubt.
@Grampa_David - Agreed.
It would just be nice for people to stop pointing fingers at who's "going to hell" based on their beliefs....
I think it would be really a good idea if Christians and followers other religions would continually and vigorously apply critical thinking to all matters of belief and faith, particularly those concerning afterlife and judgment.
im a non-believer.
so whos joining me in hell? ill see all of yous therr....ill make the drinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
someone just bring some chips.....
@Manstration - actually He tells us , He judges the heart & the fruit of it. :) Just saying.......
PS wanted to include, that since our hearts are the measure, people who have died never hearing the truth are judged differently this is not to change or belittle that the Sacrifice Of Christ is The Redeemer.
I disagree that we are even able to know our own salvation with 100% certainty. Paul tells us to work out our salvation with "fear and trembling". But we cannot, as you said, ever know the salvation of another as only God can read someone's heart. When it is all over for me, I hope to go to heaven and, if I make it, I expect I will see people there that will surprise me, and I expect that there will be people missing whom I expected to see.
As for what is "Hell". I have always been taught, and I believe, that it is the absence of the beatific vision, it is eternal separation from God. Whether that involves pitchforks and fire or not, I guess I hope not to find out.
@dirtbubble - To you, critical thinking means dismissing anything that cannot be proven empirically, correct? That is a non-starter. It is called faith for a reason.
@scrambledmegsntoast - Oh hi de-friender. No, you are wrong about what I mean. Critically thinking means just that. Contemplation, if you prefer. Oh, but yeah I don't think faith is very useful in any event.