Hello, my name is Thomas and I am quite literally obsessed with the notion of Hell and at times feel that that is my destiny. Stumbling onto this site has made me reconsider that judgment of myself, but I am still very skeptical that I am not destined for ETERNAL hell due to my sinful life. Hopefully I can grow to some extent on this forum, and perhaps by God's grace come to a better understanding of myself and the doctrine of hell......
Thanks.
:cloud9: Welcome to the board. This is a place of great blessings. Enjoy!
:welcome:
Hi Thomas! May the Spirit of Jesus guide you to what He wants you know. God bless you brother. Here I'll get you started:
You are NOT destined for an 'eternal hell' ! 1. The Hell that you've been assaulted with by false teachers does not exist. 2. The wages for a sinful life are 'Death', not 'hell'. You've already experienced it to some degree. 3. The judgment for sin is not by any means 'eternal'. Eternal means having no beginning or end. Believers in this age are judged In Christ. The later judgment for even the worst of mankind will last only as long as needed to get them corrected and reconciled to God. 4. The price for your (and all of our) reconciliation to God our Father has already been paid IN FULL by God, the Son. There's not a thing you can do to make it more effective toward you.
When you get your mind cleaned from all the lies that torment you, you can Rest and His (spiritual) Sabbath is a wonderful thing.
Lots of good articles on this site. You have a lot of reading to do. : )
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/
You didn't mention your religious background or the reason that you are obsessed with 'hell'. Mine was Baptist, then later Assembly of God / Charismatic type organizations, none of which taught the truth about salvation, judgment, or 'hell'. God led me down a strange, sometime painful path, OUT of the religious delusions into at least some hopeful understanding of the actual Kingdom of God. But the spirit(s) that protect the institutions and doctrines of religion are very strong. If you really want Truth, It isn't going to come easy. But you're here for a reason and God is leading you. Have Faith in God.
Matthew 6:33 Yet seek first the kingdom and its righteousness...
It'll serve you well to stop seeking 'hell'.
Quote from: StevenL on January 03, 2017, 08:33:06 AM
You didn't mention your religious background or the reason that you are obsessed with 'hell'. Mine was Baptist, then later Assembly of God / Charismatic type organizations, none of which taught the truth about salvation, judgment, or 'hell'. God led me down a strange, sometime painful path, OUT of the religious delusions into at least some hopeful understanding of the actual Kingdom of God. But the spirit(s) that protect the institutions and doctrines of religion are very strong. If you really want Truth, It isn't going to come easy. But you're here for a reason and God is leading you. Have Faith in God.
I've been on a long and confusing road in my feeble striving for the truth. I must say that I haven't always been fully honest with myself throughout it all and that I have sometimes embraced false ideas about God. Three years ago my vain thoughts came to a head and I wrote a malicious letter to a person. Afterwards, thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that I had committed the unpardonable sin. I have been growing steadily madder ever since that day. At this point I feel that Christianity is my only hope, but I can't part with the notion that I am not fit for the Kingdom of God. So now I'm placing my eggs in the universalist basket, as it were, and hoping that I can find rest in the God who loves me unconditionally.
Quote from: StevenL on January 03, 2017, 08:37:01 AM
Matthew 6:33 Yet seek first the kingdom and its righteousness...
It'll serve you well to stop seeking 'hell'.
The name is an expression of my obsession with hell. Perhaps I'll alter it to 'heaven'-seeker once I have psychologically graduated.
Dear Thomas,
I believe you will find hope and comfort on your searching way by thoughtfully reading the following 'unspoken sermon' on the unpardonable sin.
http://www.online-literature.com/george-macdonald/unspoken-sermons/4/
God bless you. He is drawing you to His heart and you're much closer than a lot of selfrighteous folks.
Abigail
Unless you are in a place where you are actually seeing Jesus work miracles, cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead, (doubtful) it isn't even possible that you've committed the alleged unpardonable sin. Even if you had, the sin was only 'unpardonable' in the age of law (at the time of Jesus) and the next age (grace and truth), and only for those who had committed the sin. There are ages to come after this one. And in the place where Jesus talked about the sin, he also said that ALL sins and blasphemies WOULD BE FORGIVEN the sons of men. And they were when He said "Father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing." and then, "It is finished." While dying on the tree.
A lot of people have struggled with the false notion of the 'unpardonable' sin. You're not alone there. But please don't put your faith (eggs in the basket) in universalism; put your faith in God and in the Son of God Whom He raised from the dead because of your justification. "Universalism" can contain falsity just like any other 'ism'. Any person here (or anywhere else) can also be subject to some error, since we all see into the mirror dimly. But God won't fail you.
Pro 3:5 Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. Pro 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Pro 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear Jehovah and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8 Healing shall be to your navel and marrow to your bones.
hello hellseeker! (truth seeker?)
I heartily agree with the above (very good) posts!
A lot of folks here, I believe have had a bit of the same experience.. a coming out, when 'hell' became an unbearable thought. I don't really come from a church background, but since 1979 have been studying on my own. Meaning not taught by the churches. Whatever ideas I read from churches and Christianity I read, studied and considered on my own. There's two or three things which logically, I never could swallow and make a part of myself or my faith. Soon enough I bought myself one of those large Strong's Concordances which is so helpful in tracing back God's words closer to His intent. For a short while I thought perhaps there was wheat, and there were tares and any who were lost were never His.. but when I examined where this idea leads.. I figured it led to ideas like Hitler had, so thAt didn't seem logical. (Now I realize we all have chaff.. and the tares at the end of the age will be resurrected and reconciled to God, upon what I think surely has to be a very long 'day' of judgment (actually a day of "Atonement"!? :banana: :cloud9: ) And that any by end of that day still not believing and thus not yet written in the book of life, will experience God's refining fire of love.. a jealous love, zealous for purity.. but not "forever" as has been believed.
I've never forgotten when I looked for the word "forever" in Strong's Concordance. I thought perhps they'd made a mistake! Of course :doh: the "forever" translation would actually be "for ever" - but the "ever" is G165 - "aion" an aion/aon/eon is an "age" or "a space or duration of time"
For example - Jude 7 in the New King James, says - "as Sodom and Gomorrah... are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
- we can see the word translated as "eternal" - http://studybible.info/IGNT/Jude%201:7 (http://studybible.info/IGNT/Jude%201:7) - is Strong's #G166
------- and we can see that #G166 is the Greek word "aiōnios" which most of us know pretty much what aion, eon means, and it's not "forever" nor "eternal" but is "ageduring, agelong" "lasting for an age"
but which man has rendered the meaning to be forever, etc. --> http://studybible.info/strongs/G166 (http://studybible.info/strongs/G166)
Speaking of the devil, Revelation 20:10, saying "..will be tormented/tested (tempered?) day and night forever and ever" - the forever and ever, is actually -
"G165 G3588 G165
αιωνας των αιωνων
aion ὁ aion
God bless! Tentmaker has a LOT of very excellent articles and studies!!
:hiya:
:welcome:
Quote from: hellseeker on January 03, 2017, 09:46:10 AM
The name is an expression of my obsession with hell. Perhaps I'll alter it to 'heaven'-seeker once I have psychologically graduated.
:laugh:
A good sense of humor is a long step towards psychological healing :o). Welcome.
Quote from: eaglesway on January 03, 2017, 11:44:40 PM
Quote from: hellseeker on January 03, 2017, 09:46:10 AM
The name is an expression of my obsession with hell. Perhaps I'll alter it to 'heaven'-seeker once I have psychologically graduated.
:laugh:
A good sense of humor is a long step towards psychological healing :o). Welcome.
Amen! :iagree: :iagree:
Quote from: hellseeker on January 03, 2017, 12:45:21 AM
Hello, my name is Thomas and I am quite literally obsessed with the notion of Hell and at times feel that that is my destiny. Stumbling onto this site has made me reconsider that judgment of myself, but I am still very skeptical that I am not destined for ETERNAL hell due to my sinful life. Hopefully I can grow to some extent on this forum, and perhaps by God's grace come to a better understanding of myself and the doctrine of hell......
Thanks.
When I was 8 years old, one of my grammar school teachers, a nun from an illustrious order, gave me, only me I believe, a book about Mortal Sins. It was small, but quite big enough to convince me I was heading straight to Hell......little tiny, goodie-two-shoes that I was. I have since recovered......but, I will never forget the fear that gripped me. In retrospect, she probably had herself a good laugh over it......but, a cruel thing to do to the young, very sensitive, and already traumatized child I was, who lived in a home that my teacher would never have imagined was as difficult as it was. So, I sympathize with you. But, I am here to tell you that LOVE NEVER FAILS, and God is Love, and He, my friend, will not the shut the door on you. We are all His lost sheep; the coin He could not find; the prodical son that left home and had not yet apologized when the Father ran to hug him and put a ring on his finger. We are His beloved, and He has counted every hair on our head.
John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Welcome.... I am sure God lead you here.
D.
Greetings to you Thomas. Enjoy this ride!
Dandelion (and everyone else, of course),
Great post!
Quote from: hellseeker on January 03, 2017, 12:45:21 AM
Hello, my name is Thomas and I am quite literally obsessed with the notion of Hell and at times feel that that is my destiny. Stumbling onto this site has made me reconsider that judgment of myself, but I am still very skeptical that I am not destined for ETERNAL hell due to my sinful life. Hopefully I can grow to some extent on this forum, and perhaps by God's grace come to a better understanding of myself and the doctrine of hell......
Thanks.
Ronny to Thomas:
Hey Thomas and welcome to Tentmaker. :-) And Thomas, there is no hell for you to worry about or obsess over. For Jesus Christ, never created such a place. And you are just as much loved of God, as all of us are, so, we are all in the safest of hands. We are in the hands of God/Jesus Christ. So, we are in the hands of love! :-) And a real good link below, with many articles about why hell is not real and is not in the bible. This place/webpage goes by a different name; but it is made and put out, by those who also put out the Tentmaker webpage. Thomas, sure will be nice to get to meet and know you, face to face, in the next life! :-)
http://what-the-hell-is-hell.com/
I was thinking of the concept of hell this morning. I've been hell bound all my life, or so i'd always believed. Then I was thinking of all these people who have near death experiences (unfortunately I'm daft enough to watch them and scare myself silly) and the thought came to me that they've often no medical back up proving they've died.
I think we always need to keep in mind....that the adversary gives lying signs,visions and dreams,also...to support
his agenda.
I've been afraid because of those stories too.
A few thoughts:
- a lot of people who had those experiences actually became convinced everything will ultimately be well and completely lost their fear of death
- all those who went to 'hell' came back (so they had been set free from that hell somehow)
- it is possible to have an entire, complicated dream in a few seconds. When they have really been dead, their experience can have been a kind of nightmare just before they died. Just like you sometimes feel like you're falling down, down, down when you fall into a restless sleep. When you have severe physical problems (which you do have when you're dying from it), you have a big chance to have bad dreams.
- amen to Sheila. I think the adversary likes to attack people with terror and lies.
Greetings Thomas ,
God bless you with His peace .....
Quote from: heavenseeker on January 03, 2017, 09:44:16 AM
I can't part with the notion that I am not fit for the Kingdom of God.
News Flash: None of us, as we are in this life, are fit for the Kingdom! It is God Who makes us fit, for salvation comes from Him - so that no man can boast. Yet, the apostle Paul says that we shall be like Him - mindblowing! :declare:
:thumbsup:
Amen!
Heavenseeker, I am SO thankful that we are His children.. "beneath are the everlasting arms" We are free to believe and worship our father.. through Jesus who has preeminence forever in all things. If He be for us, who (or what) can be against us? we are his, the cry in our heart of 'Father, my Father!' is the proof, the pledge, notary.. the stamp of His ownership, and the promise/pledge that HE, will bring to completion the good work he has begun in you (us).. like a 'downpayment'.." He is Love. Love never (ever) fails".
:dsunny: :cloud9: