...THE HELL DEBATE A Paper Presented to Professor Beauchamp of Liberty University Lynchburg, VA BIBL 350 By Gordon C. Wilson December 13, 2012 INTRODUCTION In this paper, I will give a brief overview of the nature of hell, the classical view and the annihilationist view. For the last decade, there has been a significant debate surrounding this very topic within evangelical circle. It is hard to understand how God can let his children be punished in hell, being he is an all-loving God and creator. However, John 3:36 makes it clear for all of us. (He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him)(Dake, Finis).” The Bible teaches that God loves you so much that the Creator of this universe (Jesus Christ) came to "taste death" for every man. Jesus wasn't just some baby for a manger scene. He is God come in the flesh to destroy the power of death and hell--He holds the keys, people! If you say yes to Jesus, hell won't be your final destination. If you say no to Jesus, the lake of fire will be your eternal home. There is no getting out and no comfort--it's everlasting. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, hell exists and the Bible says that it is never full. I've heard folks say that hell is not mentioned in the Bible or that hell is just the grave. Well, let's take a look at what the Authorized King James Bible says. Here are a few scriptures that deal with hell...
Words: 1997 - Pages: 8
...Liberty University Hell Debate: The Classical view and The Annihilationist view of Hell RLGN 335 B08 Professor: Wesley Handy By Tami L Moore October 16, 2015 Jesus, suggest that hell is “outer darkness “beyond heaven because heaven is light “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” He teaches that many will seek to enter heaven but be shut out (Luke 13:22-30), suggesting that there is no way to escape from hell once there. Throughout life, we have heard plenty of talk about Heaven and Hell. Heaven was for the people that believe in doing well unto God as Christian and lived their lives accordingly to God's Commandments. . And Hell was always known as the place where the devil reside and the place that sinners and evil people that resisted God and refuse to accept God into their hearts and lived in sin, and last judgement is served. Heaven and Hell was spoken of in church, but most Pastor spoke on hell lesser than they did heaven. Sinclair Ferguson expresses how the doctrine of hell should influence one’s preaching. “He says preachers should stress God’s righteousness, the sinfulness of sin, and God’s justice in condemning sin. He adds that expositors should affirm that hell is real, that hell is vividly described in the New Testament, and that hell, though prepared for the devil and his angels, is shared by human beings” (Morgan and Peterson). Many Pastors thought it was easier to reach the people if they talk more on Heaven and...
Words: 2153 - Pages: 9
...Liberty University The Hell Debate A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO Dr. Marshall Wicks IN COMPLETION OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR Fundamental Theological Issues BY Ritchie Moore SCHOOL’S LOCATION: Lynchburg, Virginia August 9, 2011 This paper definitely has an interesting topic, the nature of Hell. In the next couple of pages I’m hoping to explain why I believe there is a hell and what that entails, with a little help from some other documentation and beliefs. Growing up I think everyone has their own perspective of that place. Christians unquestionably think about hell a lot differently than unbelievers. One of the biggest point is that there are some people that use hell as a swear word. I imagine Christians would consider hell to be something more than just a bad word, it could be the worst place that a person could ever go after they die. As everyone knows our beliefs are part of the good news of God. God wants us to love him freely, He loves us and wants to be loved in return. Love cannot be forced, it has to be given freely and hell represents the possibility of saying no to God finally. Hell is not God’s choice as much as it is ours. Hell is more about refusing life than suffering punishment, because God loves us even in his judging of us.[1] It has been said that hell is a spiritual and material furnace of fire where its victims are delicately tortured in their minds and in their...
Words: 2658 - Pages: 11
...Hell Debate __________________ A Paper Presented to Liberty University __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Theology 350 __________________ by Tirsa Woodson July 3, 2015 The Hell Debate The debate over the nature of hell is one that can bring out the best and the worst in biblical exegesis. Everyone nowadays is concerned about the enemy (Satan) and delete hell existence. The beginning signs that Jesus is coming soon, frightens the human race. We were taught when God returns, it will be judgment day. John reveals this judgement will take pace during the last days, when God will conquer all who have and would defy him and to rescue the righteous. Judgment meant the outcome of an individual, will they go to heaven with God or to hell with the devil. There are many misconceptions about Hell, rather the lost will burn forever or annihilated. Hell is real. Universalism believes everyone will eventually be saved, while Christian believe we all will be judged for the deeds we have done. First, the Annihilationist believe that the unrighteous will not suffer eternal torment, but that they will, after being justly punished according to their deeds, be annihilated and cease to exist. Also they believe that hell is eternal in consequence, not duration the wicked shall be no more (Boyd & Eddy). Secondly the classical view states that the wicked will be cast into hell that supports the traditional...
Words: 1329 - Pages: 6
...UNIVERSITY THEOLOGICAL CRITIQUE: FOUR VIEWS ON HELL A THEOLOGICAL CRITIQUE SUBMITTED TO DR. ROBERT WETMORE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE THEO 530 LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY PETER J. FILIPIAK SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1 SUMMARY.............................................................................................................1 CRITICAL INTERACTION...................................................................................2 The Literal View...........................................................................................2 The Metaphorical View................................................................................4 The Purgatorial View....................................................................................5 The Conditional View..................................................................................6 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................7 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................9 Introduction Four Views on Hell is a book edited by William Crockett in which four contributing...
Words: 2461 - Pages: 10
...While Dante’s placement of Mohammed in Hell is, in itself, implied, the latter’s damnation not only comes from a sense of divine justice but also acts as a reflection on and a warning to Dante on his individual journey to God. Dante, along with many of his peers and influences, views Islam as a false sect broken off from the core of Christianity and Mohammed as a Christian with a corrupted view of doctrine that lures potential followers from a true path of righteousness. Mohammed, like Dante, feels a spiritual discontentment that leads him on a reflective journey; however, as Mohammed turns his personal path, beliefs, and interpretations into its own doctrine, he varies from Dante’s poetic but applicable tale of salvation. Dante’s encounter...
Words: 2972 - Pages: 12
...characters' motives arise as these themes are portrayed. Questions regarding Hamlet's love for Ophelia or his sanity arise. However, these questions develop throughout the story. The most important question arises at the beginning of the story in Act 1, and affects Hamlet’s every thought and action thereafter. Is the King's ghost a good spirit, merely seeking justice or an evil spirit sent to corrupt Hamlet? Perhaps the ghost is genuinely that of the dead king, but the fact that the ghost uses Hamlet to exact revenge and demands he commit the mortal sin of murder, clearly shows it to be an evil, malicious demon from hell. During the era in which Hamlet was written, there was a common belief of demonic intrusion, and corruption by the devil. Even today, it is not too difficult to find people who will agree that specters are evil demons, sent up from the bowels of hell to corrupt and destroy the living. In fact, a recent CBS poll reveals that almost half of all Americans believe in evil spirits, and that the dead can return in certain places and situations (Alfano). Because of this belief, the appearance of the spirit, along with the assumption of its wickedness, would not be considered unusual then or now. Subsequently, it is believed that demons can take any form in order to deceive another into committing a sin which will cost them their soul. Often times this was written about in plays, such as William Shakespeare’s King Lear where the character Edgar, pretending to be an...
Words: 1944 - Pages: 8
...Doctor Faustus Christopher Marlowe Prologue * Chorus comes on and tells audience that the play isn’t going to be about war, valiant deeds, or love, but all about the fortunes of some guy named Faustus * Faustus was born in a town called Roda in Germany and was raised by relatives in Wittenberg * He excels at his studies of Theology, so much that he’s very quickly given the title of doctor of divinity and can out debate anyone * Faustus’s pride is a serious problem * Because Faustus is so proud he’s not happy being a mere theologian, so he opts instead to study magic Act 1 Scene 1 * Meet Faustus, he’s busy figuring out what he wants to do with his life – he mulls over the options: philosophy, medicine, law – he rejects them all for being too boring and too pointless * Every time he reads the Bible Faustus can’t help but conclude that man’s sins give him no hope of heaven anyways * Faustus decides to study magic because a magician is almost like a god * He tells his servant Wagner to fetch Valdes and Cornelius, his friends, who happen to be a couple of magicians * Before they stop by the Good Angel enters and tells Faustus to lay the books of magic aside and to read the scriptures instead * Bad Angel disagrees & thinks Faust should go ahead with his plan because he’ll be godlike * Faustus is convinced and begins to wax poetic about all the thing he’ll do once he masters magic – especially excited about the whole...
Words: 4566 - Pages: 19
...Milton in Paradise Lost Immediately after the prologue, Milton raises the question of how Adam and Eve’s disobedience occurred and explains that their actions were partly due to a serpent’s deception. This serpent is Satan, and the poem joins him and his followers in Hell, where they have just been cast after being defeated by God in Heaven. Satan lies stunned beside his second-in-command, Beelzebub, in a lake of fire that gives off darkness instead of light. Breaking the awful silence, Satan bemoans their terrible position, but does not repent of his rebellion against God, suggesting that they might gather their forces for another attack. Beelzebub is doubtful; he now believes that God cannot be overpowered. Satan does not fully contradict this assessment, but suggests that they could at least pervert God’s good works to evil purposes. The two devils then rise up and, spreading their wings, fly over to the dry land next to the flaming lake. But they can undertake this action only because God has allowed them to loose their chains. All of the devils were formerly angels who chose to follow Satan in his rebellion, and God still intends to turn their evil deeds toward the good. Once out of the lake, Satan becomes more optimistic about their situation. He calls the rest of the fallen angels, his legions, to join him on land. They immediately obey and, despite their wounds and suffering, fly up to gather on the plain. Milton lists some of the more notable of the angels whose names...
Words: 636 - Pages: 3
...because of flawed personality traits but may bring much misfortune on themselves. As the story unfolds, in an attempt to seek vengeance for his father, suffocated by his own flaws such as his obsession with revenge, confusion on the meaning of life, and procrastination in taking action, Hamlet dooms himself to the misfortune of self destruction. Often times, in outrage people will seek revenge and occasionally become obsessed with the idea, much like Hamlet did. Hamlet was overcome with anger when he discovered his father's murderer; in all his frustration and bitterness he became infatuated with the idea of revenge, surrendering to insanity, and eventually leading himself to self destruction. While contemplating a decision Hamlet debates with himself, “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.—That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. Oh, this is hire and salary, not revenge”(3.3.74-80). This reveals his insanity to me because he is investing far too much thought into it his deed. I think that Hamlet so desperately wishes his uncle pure misery that he believes he will only do him a favor if he kills him while in prayer because Claudius will go to heaven for repentance. Believing that he can determine whether Claudius goes to heaven or not based on the timing of his murder makes Hamlet look foolish. Another flaw that led...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...Underworld, Hell, Hades ECT (A comparison of the underworld from The Odyssey and The Aneid.) Where one goes after death is a mystery. No scientist has proof, no Christian has proof, no ONE has any proof. All this world has is guesses, and what we are told through religious texts; and from there is where people draw their own personal opinion. “I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves. Neither can I nor would I want to conceive of an individual that survives his physical death; let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts. I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.” (Einstein) However in ancient Greece and Rome the afterlife did not have the illusive idea of a heaven and hell, they simply had an underworld ruled by the brother of the great god Zeus; Hades, or in Latin Pluto. However the underworld was described differently and similarly in several different cases, in several different takes of the stories. For example, Edith Hamilton in part IV of her book Greek Mythology, describes the visits of Odysseus and Aeneas to the underworld. Although they do relate in some ways, in others they are completely different. The decent into the underworld...
Words: 1094 - Pages: 5
...“Eschatology: The Destiny of the Unsaved” Reconciling a good, loving God with the idea of eternal punishment is one of the most difficult things I have had to do in my Christian life. How can a God who loves us enough to shed His own blood for us then, at the end of our lives, send some of us away from Him to be punished forever? There are some different theories about what happens to us after we die. Eternal punishment is the idea that sin must be punished and those who have not received the gift of salvation will be punished forever for their sins. Annihilationism is the idea that, rather than eternal punishment, some souls will simply cease to exist. There are three main forms of this. The first says that all human beings simply cease to exist at death. The second says that God imparts immorality to the redeemed human beings and allows the rest of humankind to cease to exist at death. The third says that humankind is immortal and fulfills its destiny in salvation. In this third form of annihilationism, reprobates cease to exist, either by a direct act of God or by the corrosive effect of evil. Universalism claims that all will be saved. The Bible uses some different words when referring to a place of torment. Sheol is the word used in the Hebrew texts to describe a place where all souls go after death. Hades is the Greek equivalent. Sheol is a much broader word referring simply to the place where souls go upon death. Hades narrows the concept somewhat and separates...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? In the story “Where are you going, where have you been” by Joyce Oates is about a beautiful young girl, Connie, that is trying to grow up too fast. She obsesses over her looks, friends, music, and day dreams about boys all day. She gets great pleasure in the fact that many boys of all ages find her very attractive. This though gets her in a lot of trouble with a boy name Arnold. This boy puts on a fake façade to get Connie to come to him. He manipulates her and deceives her. Arnold friend could also be interpreted as “Arch fiend” suggesting that he may be the devil. Many things that the author Joyce suggest leads the reader to believe that he may be the devil. For one his pale skin and his hair is wild, almost as though he is wearing a wig and hiding some horns underneath. When he walks he wobbles almost suggesting that he may have hooves as feet, just like the devil. Demon or not, however, his strangely mismatched appearance adds to the threatening quality of his calm voice and seemingly gentle coaxing as he tries to convince Connie to come outside. Connie at first is strangely attracted to Arnold in a very dangerous way. He is a very attractive, sexy older man that is showing some interest in her. He is also very alluring to her. Something about him keeps her interested. He offers to take her away from her very unhappy life and give her a better one in a field with flowers and sunshine. Soon though he beings to make threats and demands...
Words: 289 - Pages: 2
...Philosophy 1010 Rebellion - Fyodor Dostoevsky In the passage where Ivan is talking about atonement for the dead, and the tortured children, he poses some questions to his brother Aloysha. For example, “They must be atoned for, or there can be no harmony, but how? How are you going to atone for them? Is it possible? By their being avenged? But what do I care for avenging them? What do I care for a hell for oppressors? What good can hell do, since those children have already been tortured, and what becomes of harmony, if there is hell?” What I understand from Ivan’s passage here is that he wants to pursue and better understand the overall point of the situation. If the oppressors are going to have to deal with the evil of hell in the after life, why should they get to live the rest of their human life in bliss, while the child has already had his life and its opportunities taken away? I think his first premise (P1) is that evil has a purpose, but the purpose of evil isn’t worth dealing with. I think that this is pretty much saying that, we do need evil for “harmony” but having to deal with this cruel evil isn’t worth waiting for the harmony that comes along with it. Why should the child have to be tortured for the harmony to be achieved? Why can’t we skip the evil step and have harmony as something that doesn’t hurt us before it becomes better? The second premise that I took from Ivan’s passage is (P2) the justification of evil has worse consequences than positive aspects...
Words: 531 - Pages: 3
...Where are we? What the hell is going on? The dust has only just begun to fall, Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling. Spin me round again and rub my eyes. This can't be happening. When busy streets a mess with people would stop to hold their heads heavy. Hide and seek. Trains and sewing machines. All those years they were here first. Oily marks appear on walls Where pleasure moments hung before. The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this still life. Hide and seek. Trains and sewing machines. (Oh, you won't catch me around here) Blood and tears, They were here first. Mmm, what you say? Mm, that you only meant well? Well, of course you did. Mmm, what you say? Mm, that it's all for the best? Ah of course it is. Mmm, what you say? Mm, that it's just what we need? And you decided this. Mmm what you say? What did she say? Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth. Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs. Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth. Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs. Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a...
Words: 263 - Pages: 2
