Off the subject, I was thinking about hell, and I'm pretty sure I know what it is. The Bible mentions God "stretching out the Heavens"- (adding energy to space to make it stretch out to fill the hole universe, from a point), so, when God judges those that want nothing to do with him, I think God will simply confine the prisoners to earth, and block them from entering Heaven. The Bible talks about "throwing them down to earth", and then He'll simply pull Himself out of the universe, causing it to collapse in on itself. Space will collapse instantaneously (space was stretched out on the first day, so it's safe to assume that it can also collapse instantaneously, as there may be no temporal component to space- it may be dimensionless), and the universe will crush down into a point singularity- a black hole. A supermassive hole. Notice, hell is described as a "bottomless pit", of heat, but no light (photons are ripped apart by the supermassive gravity of the hole), and nothing can escape it. A spirit can be defined as living information, and no information or energy can pass the event horizon of a black hole. The event horizon being the point beyond which no information from any event in the hole can pass. So, it may be a prison for spirits as well.
Hell is called also, the "storm of darkness", in 2nd Peter- a perfect symbol for a black hole. A swirling hurricane like storm of darkness. Also, and here's the funky part, the Bible in Genesis calls Satan's judgement a "crushing". Satan will be "crushed" under your feet- Paul also says. And in a vision about the death of the antichrist- he is said to be "crushed". Jesus said that there is a valley separating hell from heaven- the event horizon? A valley no one can cross.
The "Lake of fire", may be a portal into the event horizon. Notice, death is said to be "swallowed up". Imagine the universe crushing to a point. Swallowing everything.
Time inside a black hole may continue as normal, eternally, but from our perspective, it would appear to stop. Also, with space destroyed, time would go with it, as might memory of this universe- which may be why God says He will "wipe every tear from our eyes". Our memories of this place may be wiped. Also, the old will "not be remembered nor brought to mind". Which is great, because I'm still carrying things around from the 4th grade-- ha ha
Merry Christmas
mark
You see, the devil managed to make men believe that God does not really love us, that He really only loves Himself, and that He accepts us only if we behave as He wants us to behave; that He hates us if we do not behave as He ordered us to behave, and is offended by our insubordination to such a degree that we must pay for it by eternal tortures, created by Him for that purpose.
Who can love a torturer? Even those who try hard to save themselves from the wrath of God cannot really love Him. They love only themselves, trying to escape God's vengeance and to achieve eternal bliss by managing to please this fearsome and extremely dangerous Creator.
Do you perceive the devil's slander of our all loving, all kind, and absolutely good God? That is why in Greek the devil was given the name , "the slanderer".
You are probably spending too much time worrying about what is basically an act of Faith.
Heaven and Hell do not have to be explainable.
Don't we all? Especially at this time of year.
In my 9th year of life I had a very, very large and loving family and we spent WONDERFUL Christmases at our home. The very, very large family is almost all gone. Makes me sad except that I know they really are in a better place.
Christmas has become more meaningful to me in a spiritual sense and I enjoy it now as much as I ever did.
Snerf, I have my own tear to have wiped away.
Merry Christmas, emiller.
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What if HELL...
...was not a place,
...but a feeling?
The feeling that comes from having the burning fire of LOVE just burning away in your heart for the LOVE Itself,
...after your having seen Him directly after your own death,
...and not having that same LOVE returned by the LOVE Itself for all eternity ...in your seperateness.
...This comes from your not having acted lovingly towards others & yourself while on the Earth, as commanded.
For when you finally see the LOVE Itself,
...you also see your own heart...
...filled with LOVE,
...or absent It.
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There are more than a few reputable theologians who think that hell is eternal separation from God. That, in itself, knowing for all eternity that you chose wrong and can never "fix it," is more than enough to cause "wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Hmm... interesting thought...