What Men Have Said About Hell - Part 1

Hell and Everlasting PunishmentPart 1: What Men Have Said About HellNEHEMIAH ADAMS: "The Scriptures reveal a future state of reward and punishment. They teach that the body and soul will be joined in future hapiness and misery. Christ teaches that God can destroy both body and soul in Hell. Future punishment will therefore be a natural operation of moral laws, sustained and made effectual by the hand of God upon the sinner, who, by his state of depravity, will be made susceptible to misery forever. The essential elements of misery remain in the wicked after death. Redemption by Christ is represented as having for its object salvation from final perdition. No passage in the Bible discloses the future repentance of the wicked. The Bible closes with an express declaration of the future unchangeableness of character."HYMAN J. APPLEMAN: "Should you make your abode in hell, you will see the burning faces, the glazed eyes, the totured hands of fellow prisoners of damnation. You will recognize, God forbid, husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, friend, neighbor, that you could easily have taken to heaven as dragged down to hell. Oh, that awful mass of weeping, wailing humanity that inhabits hell! They, too, cry one heaven-searching cry to God, but, alas too late. All cry that endless refrain, 'Forever! Forever!' Beyond God forever! Beyond Christ forever! Beyond the Spirit forever! Beyond the cross forever! Byond the blood forever! Beyond tears forever! Beyond repentance forever! Beyond faith forever! Beyond confession forever! Beyond time forever! Beyond eternity forever! Forever! Forever! Forever!"ARMINIAN BAPTISTS IN ENGLAND: "These baptists affirmed belief in 'an eternal judgement... which is unalterable and irrevocable.'"AUGSBURG CONFESSION: "Christ shall appear to judge... ungodly men and the devils shall He condemn unto endless torment."EMERY H. BANCROFT: "We know the enormity only by God's own declaration with regard to it, and by the sacrifice which He has made to redeem us from it. As committed against an infinite God, and as having in itself infinite possibilities of evil, it may itself be infinite, and may deserve infinite punishment. Hell, as well as the cross, indicates God's estimate of sin."

Greg, I've avoided this subject you've been posting on, like the plague, or 'black death' would be more like it.Even now, I'm shaking and my heart is pounding, because all of this is too real and near to me, and I never tell anyone this, except I think maybe 2 or at the most 3 people in about 36 yr.s.But, when I was in my later teens, someone had given me a bad medicine... literally... and I went 'there'.Why I'm saying this now, I have no idea, because it's been such a difficult thing to just "talk about".God knew, that since I was a child, I "sought" Him, but not being exposed to Christianity and never so much as hearing the Gospel, anywhere, I sought in the only ways I knew at the time.I wasn't "trying" to not find Him, I just was never told HOW.My whole family and town and county and all were catholic, and that's all they knew, and all I heard.I left that church when I was 10, because 'something' inside was telling me, "Jesus is the way, not this way."Anyhow, for 8 hours, I was dangled between this life and 'that' place.I was IN what's called "outter darkness" ..... and on the way to the Hospital, I knew in my soul, I was headed to the "lake of fire" - next.Thankfully, I revived on the way to the Hospital.But when I saw myself in a mirror ... before God, I will tell you that my eyes were twice as wide and my hair stood up a few inches, even though it was long.I've only come out of that to tell people, that "who or 'what' you serve now, you will endure the torment of for eternity".Outter darkness, was just that .... Like being suspended in the outter most part of space or something, with virtually NO LIGHT at all.No place to stand your feet, total absence of 'Everything' .... because, "Light, colors, beauty,terra-firma, etc." are all Gifts of God, both on this earth and in Heaven... so outter darkness is void of all that is HIS.But demons were there, not visible to me, but every thing that I was involved in, at that time, as far as sin goes, I was cruelly tormented by and I begged these "sensations" to stop ... they were sickening, but on earth, getting drunk or high or any other "pleasure of sin" is only pleasurable for a "season", but on the "other side", without Christ and Salvation, those "pleasures" become "eternal torment".We choose our eternal companions (demons) by the particular "pleasures" we chose above Christ, while on this earth.Forgive me for making this so long, but I felt, I could share this for once, and quit the shaking that I get, whenever that I see you post on these.It's real. That's all I can testify to. And why I'd give my life, if I could, to prove it to unsaved folks. Even those who I and the world think are beyond helping.Thank you Greg.Annie

LGB,I just wanted to answer you as best I can.The incident was horrifying, so of course I don't like focusing on it, itself.But after I finally did hear the Gospel and accepted it so gladly, then was when I understood more of 'what' I went through.But mostly how FAIR God is.It just showed me how 100% HE leaves the choices of our lives, up to us. So we are actually "choosing" our Eternity also. That was the main message I got out of that experience. Every second of our lives, consist of Choice, choice, choice. Choices.Those people who influence our lives, for the bad or just that we admire, are part of it all too.Because God allowed me to see "why" I was where I was, first. I knew I deserved where I was, but still the thought of an Eternity in that state is more than one can even fathom for very long.Hope this is enough of an answer for you.Sorry to take up this thread.Annie

Dear Ellie, I do acknowledge that you indeed have the gift of Mercy, from all you've been through.I posted that elsewhere's, in some other thread, but not by name, so as not to ... well, you know.Ellie, I hope it stays with me as fresh as it has for these 36 yr.s... and only because, there have been certain evil men, around the world, who ruled nations etc. etc. and when I was tempted to hate them or wish them "there", I was stopped in my tracks, and began to pray for their salvation instead.It works everytime. Maybe we're all tempted to 'hate', and this, (pardon the pun) scared the hell out of me, because as God IS Pure Love ... Satan is 100% pure Hatred.There is no way, that a person could see that place and hate again... (at least not for very long.) Sin is satan's hatred for God and mankind.Satan blinds mankind to think that "sin has it's pleasures".That place should make us tremble for the sake of lost souls. It should always stay there, just as affective as the day after it happens.I just trembled at posting it, because it's not the type subject that I've ever posted before and don't want to draw attention to the wrong place or thing ...But that God is JUST and not 'mean' and always gives His Creation what they asked for, while they were alive, so to speak, that goes along with them, when it comes to Eternity also.He leaves the choice to us, and to me, that is an Extremely fair God, and folks shouldn't get mad at HIM, for "sending people to Hell".They 'choose' to go, and what their Hell will be.Love you Ellie. Thank you 'sincerely' for your concern for me.Pray one for another.Annie

God REALLY BLESS you Ellie. Amen !!!Love in our mutual Savior,Annie