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Sat 5 Jul, 2008 10:15 pm
could it be a symbol of eternal torment? God expressed repugnance for such practice, saying that it was "a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart" (Jeremiah 7:31), so it seems most unlikely that God's Son, in discussing divine judgment, would make such idolatrous practice the basis for the symbolic meaning of Gehenna. It may be noted that God prophetically decreed that the Valley of Hinnom would serve as a place for mass disposal of dead bodies rather than for the torture of live victims. (Jeremiah 7:32, 33)
Given that the dead "are conscious of nothing at all" (Ecclesiastes 9:5), we may be certain that the term Gehenna is not used to denote a place of eternal torment.
Quote:Earlier in Jewish history, it had been a place of false worship, including human sacrifice.
What constitutes false worship? New occupants, so all that other stuff those other guys were doing was false?? So says who?
Joe(hmmm human sacrifice with a bit of burning sulfur. Something to think about.)Nation
neologist wrote:Well, could it be a symbol of eternal torment? God expressed repugnance for such practice, saying that it was "a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart" (Jeremiah 7:31)
You didn't quote the passage in its entirety. As to the idea of eternal torment, and god's thoughts about it, this passage is irrelevant, because the passage is referring to the practice of human sacrifice, not eternal torment.
Quote:They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into My mind.
Gahanna is a small city in Ohio--and a rather dull one, too.
Official site of the city of Gahanna
Mornin' Set! :wink: How you doin?
31And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. Jeremiah 7:31, 32
I think it was because they were idol worshipping that God was so upset. Which is not surprising seeing that he does say he is jealous of our (Christian's) worship (Ex. 20:5)
If you are a Christian, then you believe that God created the world and that his hand has had a part in all that you see, feel, touch and taste whether you believe it was created in 6 days or whatever. So even if you don't believe in God, you are still partaking of his goodness just by living in his creation.
My understanding of hell is that it will be eternal separation from God. The resurrected souls will know a world that GOD does not exist. And that the world that does not have God is a horrible place. Their soul will cry out and long to be where God is. But they will not be able to be, because they refused to believe. This is the torture.
@neologist,
neologist wrote:could it be a symbol of eternal torment? God expressed repugnance for such practice, saying that it was "a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart" (Jeremiah 7:31), so it seems most unlikely that God's Son, in discussing divine judgment, would make such idolatrous practice the basis for the symbolic meaning of Gehenna. It may be noted that God prophetically decreed that the Valley of Hinnom would serve as a place for mass disposal of dead bodies rather than for the torture of live victims. (Jeremiah 7:32, 33)
Given that the dead "are conscious of nothing at all" (Ecclesiastes 9:5), we may be certain that the term Gehenna is not used to denote a place of eternal torment.
yikes, sounds to me like a Studio City neighborhood in L.A.
@mismi,
mismi wrote:
My understanding of hell is that it will be eternal separation from God. The resurrected souls will know a world that GOD does not exist. And that the world that does not have God is a horrible place. Their soul will cry out and long to be where God is. But they will not be able to be, because they refused to believe. This is the torture.
But doesn't an athesist already live in a world where where God does not exist?
This doesn't feel like torment to them already, so why should it feel like torment at some time in the future?
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