Is there a Heaven Is there a Hell that is a good question? How can we know, no one has came back from the dead to tell us. What are peoples views on this subject.
You posed a great question. Why don't people believe what Jesus told us about heaven and hell? Jesus came back from the dead, to tell us about both places, and to help us avoid hell. No one has to miss heaven. Not one of us. If anyone knows what heaven and hell is like, it is God. He saw that man's sins seperated him from God. Sins do carry consequences in the spiritual world and have to be paid for, and Jesus [u]volunteered[/u] to pay for our sins, on the cross. God provided a Plan of Salvation, so that people could avoid going to hell. If anyone misses Heaven, it will be because they refuse to allow Jesus to rescue them from the consequences that sin placed on mankind. ANY who accept God's Plan of Salvation, shall be saved. It is God's promise. But not all [u]want[/u] Jesus or for Him to save them, and so they miss heaven. Man cannot drag his sins into a Holy Heaven, or it would not BE heaven, and that's why we need to follow God's Plan of Salvation and have our sins forgiven, so we can be ready for heaven.
Someone said hell is here on earth, but nothing could be further from the truth. If they think this is bad, then they will not want to go to hell and God provided a way that they could avoid it. God made everything beautiful and wonderful in the beginning, and there was no sin or death in the world, until man made the choice to sin, which caused his fall. Then Jesus stepped in to save mankind. But if any say they want nothing to do with God's Plan of Salvation, he will honor their request. He will not make that choice [i]for[/i] them. We are responsible for our own choices. Jesus laid his very life down to save us from hell. He did everything he could, to save us. If they want to curse and mock God, then they are showing that they want nothing to do with the salvation God offered them. That is not God's fault.
My answer is this. Jesus did not leave us to guess on how to get to heaven or even if there was a heaven or hell. That is no mystery. He gives a vivid description of both, in His Word. He also told us that he gave us His Word, the Bible, so that we wouldn't have to guess on what happens to us when we die, or where we're going. He even went so far as to come back from the dead and show us what happens to us after we die, when he resurrected from the dead and then ascended into heaven to join His Father in Heaven. If anyone would know how to get to heaven, it would be Jesus. He's been in heaven, came to earth, then went back again. The problem is that some don't want to believe him. Why, I will never know because God's character is that he cannot lie. He is sinless. Over 500 people watched him Ascend into heaven after his mission on Earth was done. There's nothing more the man could have done, to prove these things to us. Yet some still mock, curse, and disbelieve. And Jesus said even if one were to come back from the dead and tell us about heaven or hell, it would make no difference because he said we still wouldn't believe. He already did all that to prove himself. He doesn't need to do it again. Once was plenty enough. We'll really have no excuse, for not knowing what it takes to get to heaven. Jesus came down from heaven and showed us everything we needed to know to get to heaven.
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@LadyGrace Just to say that now i have turned from Christianity to Aitheism the feeling is great relief.
@LadyGrace You said: "I have asked you the same but you did not answer me."
Asked me what? I was baptized a Catholic. I guess I still am one because I have not been ex-communicated by the Pope even though I no longer practice the religion. I did aspire to be a Jesuit but opted out of the seminary and went to university instead. I studied the Bible but do not regard it as a work of God. The only part of the Bible pertaining to the teaching of Jesus is in the Gospels. I read nothing else and reflect only on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
@LadyGrace You said: "Do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God?"
No, I do not. Jesus was human, like you and me. The only difference - judging from the words purported to have been uttered by him - is the remarkable clarity he had in the perception of our human nature and his teaching on how to be free of it.
@sree251 God's Word says that if we don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and Savior of the world, as it says in the bible, then you cannot know Jesus as Savior, nor understand His mission. How do you expect to get to heaven, by good works? God said in His Word that is not possible. But then, you don't believe the Bible is the Word of God. Jesus said you will miss heaven if you do not believe him. You don't know where Heaven is even at so how can you find it and how would you get there, since you don't have wings? You have no way to get to heaven so what will you do? You cannot rely on Good Works. The Bible says so.
Hell is on earth? Don't count on it. Earth is a picnic, compared to hell. Nothing compares to hell. If you've ever had a nightmare that terrified you so bad, you woke yourself up screaming, just magnify that about a billion times, and even that doesn't touch it. The Bible describes it in great detail, so we can avoid going there. But that's up to us.
@LadyGrace you have your beliefs, I have mine. Study church history. The Bible was created by a bunch of pagans in the year 325 at the Council of Nicea. It's all created by man to control man.
Yup And some people have died and come back, there's stories all over my youtube
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It seems that most are more capable of imagining hell than heaven. Gustave Dore, illustrating Dante''s Divine Comedy, did far more illustrations for the Inferno than for Paradise. Those for hell have so much more "bite", those for heaven fairly insipid.
One of Hell:-
Good stuff, hey? We've all wanted to throttle someone at one time or another.....
One of Heaven, in fact quite good, with the circling angels creating a mandela effect.
Yet can we share and relate to such an image in the same way as those of hell?
Thinking of other threads and exchanges here, maybe the sheer [i]selflessness[/i] of goodness means that we cannot picture it in the same way as the images of hell, which are soaked with our "self" - its desires, hates, its ignorance.
@sree251 Yes, we have a small patio outside our apartment with a tiny bit of garden. A few flower tubs, a bird bath and bird-feeder. The nearby squirrels often get to the birdseed first. Our birdbath is just a very cheap terracotta plant pot base but has provided hours and hours of joy. Sometimes a few ducks waddle up from the pond in the park nearby. Funny really - they take a drink from the birdbath!
Just have one picture on file, an invasion of ducks.
Yes, staying with the danger. I realise that texts and such are not everyone's cup of tea, but the Dalai Lama's favourite verse from the [i]Bodicaryavatara[/i] is:-
[i]For as long as the universe endures, for as long as this earth lasts, may I live to dispel the miseries of the world.[/i]
For the Mahayana, the "way out" is itself the way back. No betrayal.
@SW-User Lovely garden. Thanks for sharing. I can see the magic even from here. I feel that our protection comes from being with that magic. It won't come into your life and infuse it with its ambiance unless and until you have given up everything to follow "it".
Texts are us. I can't perceive without the word.
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@sree251 I like "texts are us". Like [i]everything[/i] else they can be known and received as "revelation". Picking out just one thing, or one text, and declaring it pre-eminent and for [i]all[/i] is a recipe for conflict and further suffering.
The Bible doesn't leave us to guess on this. Yes there is definitely a heaven and a hell. God does not lie. Jesus came back from the dead and he told us there is a heaven and there is the hell. I think we believe it or we don't. I do believe God and I always will. He is trustworthy.
It's like assuming there are two genders; it's limiting and foolish. It's like assuming that you're going to pick the right deity worship; it's limiting and foolish. It's entertaining to ponder, but much like wondering what presents you're going to get for Christmas, it's not conducive to anything pertinent. Many people start talking to God when the living refuse to acknowledge them. Heaven for some, is Hell for others.
I figure if a Being is able to create this universe so it can spawn life then He could never be that petty and unaccepting. You don't get off scott free but it's more about enlightenment to me
There might be a heaven and hell. Hell might not be as bad as you think, though. We all might be living in it now. ..or maybe we came from there and given the opportunity to earn our way back into heaven. 'Live' backward is 'evil,' literally.
It's strange that they point to the infinite beyond when they point to heaven, but when they point to hell, they point at earth, where everything that lives needs water to keep living. ⅔ of the Earth's surface is covered with water. What's water made of? It's two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. That's ⅔ of the ingredients necessary to make one of the hottest fires known to humankind
Some of the basic rules of nature are cruel and deceptive. ..survival of the fittest. ..follow the path of least resistance. Lying, stealing and cheating are paths of least resistance, aren't they?
It could be that were such highly adaptive creatures and we got so used to living in hell that we've become like the Brooks character in the movie, Shawshank Redemption. (spoiler alert) He had grown so accustomed to prison life that he was scared to leave the safety of the penitentiary, and when he did, he couldn't hack it. The freedom was overwhelming to him, so he hung himself.
I don't necessarily believe all this. I don't necessarily not believe it either. It's just a scenario that might answer some questions I have sometimes.
@SW-User Yes, quite right. There is more to life than words alone. And we are much more than words can say. Preeminence of words is the cause of suffering. We named and declared that we are human beings living on planet Earth. And we have become that on the preeminence of those words.
How are the miseries of the world to be dispelled? Am I not the misery itself? The act of will is what we are: the actor. Zen's focus is on negation of the self, the actor. What do you think? The problem I find with zen discussion is the spinning of word salads. Surprisingly, I was found guilty of this crime and the accuser was right! Talk about stumbling. Be that as it may, let's talk zen. I thought you might like that.
You showed interest in Chinese thought also. I like the Chuangtze story about the boatman. What is your take about the cause of rage that seems to arise only when there is someone to vent it on? I find this story amusing. Self knowing, to me, is not spiritual enlightenment, attainment of the higher self. It's discovery of the fool.
Heaven is at hand..so is hell. Symbolic for our mindsets...attitudes.
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Is There a Heaven Is There a Hell The reason i asked this question was to provoke thought on this serious subject. I am in no doubt that both exist Heaven is to be found and Hell is to be avoided at all cost. We are living today in a time of great apostacy, a time when very few people read the bible and many have no spiritual awareness, however Gods day of grace still exists and the opportunity for to come to Christian faith is still available to all. God has made this possible through his son Jesus whom he sent into this world to die on the cross of Calvary to pay the price of our sin, but we must accept him as our Saviour and Lord. Read John Ch3 V16.
@SW-User isn't it a violation of the 10 Commandments to pray to Jesus and to wear the crucifix? Jesus is not God. To say he is Lord makes him a false idol. Besides, aren't we all God's children? Didn't the Romans kill Jesus? Why should they be trusted to tell his story? They didn't believe it when he was telling it. Then they come up with a religion that makes us talk to God through them. I'm just not buying it. It seems like a sneaky trick Satan might have come up with to convert everybody to his ways. You see, because there's nothing evil about Jesus. He was full of love and understanding, so nobody would be the wiser if they were told by people in power that he's the one to pray to. And what's said about power? Power is corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Heave and hell are not places to go to. But they are real and are another form of existence. I am a Christian and this is the reality that I believe in. If you lived a life consistent to what we believe heaven is then we experience a heaven in our new reality when we die. The same for hell, so I do believe in Hell for Hitler and Stalin, etc.
@helenS No, helen. Hell is not a state of mind. It is real. People do suffer and it hurts me bad. I am not an empath and I don't do charity. People are not part of but actually me. Human pain. We are all connected: when one struggles to breath, others choke; when one eats, others starve. We create Hell in Paradise.
@sree251 Really. You have said before that you see the suffering in the world. I think a person would have to be blind not to see that, nor the evil in this world. After all, we do live in it and we see killings and War and what have you, all the time, on the news.
@LadyGrace You said: "You have said before that you see the suffering in the world."
I do. My mental suffering stems not only from anxiety and fear for my personal situation. I see my own risk of suffering poverty whenever I come across a homeless person in the street. The people suffering the conditions of war in Gaza could be me because a conflagration of hatred could hit any city in America not to mention being a target of violence should I travel abroad.
Humanity is blessed with a beautiful blue planet and the intelligence to make life wonderful with technology. And yet, we are a curse to ourselves.
@DeadSophie Sophie, I respect your beliefs too, but because I love you and care about you as a person, I'm hoping you will reconsider and at least think about these things. Not only i, but more importantly, Jesus wants to see you in heaven. Please be aware that though there are many who won't believe, that will not change God's plans. This world is coming to an end, so that's why we must prepare while we can. Thanks for your kind reply. 🌹🤗
@DeadSophie Aww, your nana loves you so much. I know she's so proud of you and you are so beautiful. Did you know that religion has nothing to do with salvation? That's because Jesus didn't die for any certain group or any certain religion on this Earth. He died to save the whole world. Even Wikipedia describes religion as nothing but men made philosophy. It doesn't even come from the teachings of God in the Bible. Religion lets us down. It wasn't religion that died on the cross to pay for our sins, it was Jesus, so that's why it makes it a very personal relationship, not some religion. People will let us down, but Jesus never will and the reason I know that is because I've been loving him and knowing him for the last 50 years. He even saved my daughter's life when the doctors gave up on her and told her that she would be dead in a week. And God loves you more than words could ever say. He loves you and he already accepts you and I, and the world, unconditionally, just as we are. He wants us to realize that we are all in the same spiritual boat....in need of a Savior. You are very blessed to have such a sweet grandma.
Yes. But not what we have been told, that we go to heaven after death.
We are simultaneously living in heaven as souls and spirit while we live in hell bodily. Life is that connection between soul and death is that parting of soul & body .. and reason for the word [b]die[/b] which is the di in divide and Divorce..
Heaven and hell are not physical locations. They refer to the state of a soul. It might be terrible or blissful depending on thedissipationof itskarmic clutter.
However, neither is the ultimate goal. What we call salvation is far higherto these states of hell or heaven.
The thought of life ending circumstances scares fools so much they imagined themselves out of it. It also gave them the excuse to be hateful bigoted pieces of crap.
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i think there is like nothing its jus die and sleep told stuff like heaven /hell to make us be better or feel better sadie xxxxhugs
@SW-User No, I am not speaking spiritually but actually about our everyday reality which is Hell. Money shields us from the misery of people around us living in poverty and crime violence.
@sunriselover [quote]So you don’t think that involves loving your neighbour, reconciliation , going the extra mile?[/quote]
There's a difference in the way you're thinking of Heaven, according to the Bible. There are people that practice being a good neighbor, reconciling with people and going the extra mile, but that does not mean they are necessarily followers of Christ. When people accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, He sends His Holy Spirit to live in them, to help them, guide them and teach them about things about the Lord. That's as close a follower of Christ can get to the Lord, right now, until they actually join him in heaven, after they die.
@sunriselover Have I attacked your faith in God? No I just gave you something else to think about. There's nothing wrong with questions or searching. That's something each and everyone of us has had to do and nobody knows it all, including myself, and have never claimed to. I learn and grow in Christ every day. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings by my answers. If I did, I certainly didn't mean to. I was just sharing what I have learned from the Bible.
