Satan gets a bad rap. He ain't even a boogeyman in the OT. Just some angel, likes to mess with God is all, challenge Him. And nothing to do with the snake in Eden, either. That's all revisionism.
Will you guys at least acknowledge he didn't become the evil villain until the New Testament? And then, how do you ignore the obvious similarities to the Greeks' Hades, complete with Zeus casting him out and such? OT "hell" was simply the grave, where everyone went upon death.
Please answer this - logic, preferably, not scripture: If God's gonna totally reimagine Satan/hell for the NT, why would that reimagining so closely mimic ideas introduced to Israel by the Greeks and Persians? God's really this lazy?
And the NEW fire/torture ideas 'n imagery; doesn't it seem likely these represent Gehenna, an earthly locale used for fire sacrifice?
And why Satan/hell 2.0 at all, this isn't curious? Constantine establishes the West's new religion, and maybe eternal suffering is more persuasive than a grave? Maybe an evil Prince of Darkness is more likely to inspire conversion than a mischievous angel called "The Accuser"?
How do you reconcile this, critical thinkers?
Some previous posts I grabbed quickly:
This is exactly why I often tell folks that I don't want them to be "eternally separated from God" because I don't know exactly what "hell" is or isn't.
I do grasp the eternality of God and the eternality of separation from him, but the "flames of hell". Literal? Figurative? Don't know.
I've heard defenses of both positions. I've read exactly what you noted. I've also searched out Sheol, Hades and Gehenna in lexicons and scoured articles for help. What I find is no consensus.
I think separation from God and all of his divine attributes is punishment enough. Will people experience the wrath of God's judgment? Absolutely. Will they have to come to terms with their choices and be separated from all of his goodness, mercy, grace, justice, love, etc.....? Yes.
We also read of "gnashing of teeth" and most associate that with the physical trauma, but people coping with mental stress and loss tend to gnash their teeth even more so.
Will folks simply be annihilated and cease to exist? Again I've read and heard both sides, but I don't think so. Still, existing in the flames of hell eternally doesn't seem reasonable, but I do believe God is just and that those that reject him will be dealt with accordingly. I've studied the "a temporary offense doesn't warrant an eternal punishment" objection and the apologetic response.....I discussed it on these boards.
What is the "fiery lake of burning sulfur"? Where is it? Depths of the earth? Another dimension? Literal? Figurative? The devil, false prophet and beast are indicated to burn in it forever. Will others be with them? What does that mean exactly? Is some of it literal and some of it figurative? Don't know....not versed enough.
Regardless, I choose to be aligned with Christ....that's who I want to spend eternity with. That's who I want others to come to know as well. The reality of the fates of the unbelievers I don't wish upon anyone because existing eternally or temporarily without God's divine attributes in that existence would be hell to me.
In this passage there is no mention of "hell", but the eternality of the after life is there:
Matthew 25:41-46
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
What is the "eternal fire"? Literal? Figurative? What does the"eternal punishment" consist of? Something is going to happen and folks will be separated permanently from God and all he is. Are the "unquenchable fires of hell" the eternal realization of the implications of people's choices to be separated from God? Simply metaphors?
Yet the devil who knows his definite fate and will be cast into the lake of fire. No realization of separation from God will occur.....he's already separated and understands the ramifications. Seeks to manipulate God's creation into willfully rejecting God and joining him in that separation. So not a metaphor? Literal casting in burning sulfur?
Personally I have no desire to experience that situation. There's more to be said, but I've word vomited enough for this reply LOL.
Mithra, Horus and other mystery religions and cults are topics that new generations of atheists discover over and over. Unfortunately, they are antiquated and debunked arguments that are continually recycled as new. With Bill Maher's "Religulous" he helped introduce these topics to the current generation yet neglected to mention the history of the argumentation....gee, wonder why LOL?
Edwin Yamouchi is an expert on such topics and was part of a great Mithraic conference last century that discussed and debunked all the old arguments, but others prior to Dr. Yamouchi had already done the same.
What can I or anyone else do though? People love their "coffee house objections" whether they are valid or not. If you want I'll grab my literature on Mithra and show you how the comparisons between Mithraism and Christianity fall apart.
Why do I believe scripture, Jesus, Satan, angels, demons, Noah's ark, Garden of Eden, etc.....despite other flood narratives, Greek god and goddesses, Mithraism, other legends of dying and rising gods, various mystery religions, etc.....?
Upon deeper inspection what has been repeatedly uncovered is that the supposed, surface parallels between scripture and other non-biblical materials are often deemed weak, conflated and exaggerated.
Now my primary, personal answer for belief is simple. I know and have experienced the risen Christ. I've also experienced angelic and demonic activity. I don't share those experiences much on these boards because the majority of folks on GB wouldn't understand or care to understand.
Is hell real? Absolutely. Is it separation from God and all that he is? Absolutely. Is it for those that reject God? Absolutely. Is it eternal? Absolutely.
Do I know exactly what hell is or isn't? I do not.
