There Is No Hell!

[newnature]

Paul’s usage of the Greek word for body is “soma.” “Soma” is not something external to a man himself, something he has, it is what he is. Indeed, “soma” is the nearest equivalent to our word personality. To believe in the resurrection of the “soma,” means to believe that my human self, the human being that “I” am, will be restored to life again. I will not be someone different from who I am now, but I will be exclusively myself. God has committed himself to preserving my individuality, personality, and character. The term body “soma” is simply a synonym for “person.” The goal of God’s redemption is not the destruction of his first creation, but its restoration to its original perfection. This is why the Scripture speaks of the resurrection of the body “soma” rather than of the creation of new beings. Both death and resurrection affect the total person “soma.” The resurrected persons “soma” will be the same individuals as those who existed previously on earth.


Being created in the image of God means that we must view ourselves as intrinsically valuable and richly invested with meaning, potentially and responsibilities. We are to be and to do on a finite scale, what God is and does on an infinite scale. By virtue of being created in the image of God, human beings are capable of reflecting his character in their own life; animals possess none of these qualities. What distinguishes people from animals is the fact that human nature inherently has godlike possibilities. Omniscience omnipotence, or omnipresence, none of these other divine attributes have been ascribed to man as part of the image of God. We have been created to reflect God in our thinking and actions, but the physical sustained by God and dependent upon him for our existence in this world and in the world to come. Developing a godly character in this present life, this will be our personal identity in the world to come. It is the character or personality that we have developed in this life, that God preserves in his memory.


Breath of life and the living soul; man’s soul is in his blood and indeed his blood is his soul. He is kept in being [alive] as a living soul by the inhalation of oxygen out of the air. Man’s soul depends on this intake of oxygen and the blood, but the cessation of breathing results in the death of the soul, because the blood, which is equated with the soul, no longer receives the oxygen that is so vital for life. Breathing is seen as a manifestation of the sustaining power of God. Man became a living soul does not mean that at creation his body was endowed with an immortal soul, a separate entity, distinct from the body. Rather, it means that as a result of the divine inbreathing of the “breath of life” into the lifeless body, man became a living, breathing being. The heart began to beat, the blood to circulate, the brain to think, and all the vital signs of life were activated. A living soul means a living being. Not through the implantation of an immaterial, immortal soul into his material, mortal body, but through the animating principle of life “breath of life” conferred on him by God himself.


In the Old Testament, the word “sheol” is the underground depository of the dead. There are no immaterial, immortal souls in sheol, simply because the soul does not survive the death of the body. Nowhere in the Old Testament is the abode of the dead regarded as a place of punishment or torment. The concept of an infernal ‘hell’ developed in Israel only during the Hellenistic period. The condition of the dead in sheol, the realm of the dead, is one of unconsciousness, inactivity, a rest or sleep that will continue until they are resurrected. The prospect that one day a vast number of people will be consigned to the everlasting torment of hell is most disturbing. Traditionalists read “eternal punishment” as “eternal punishing.” When the adjective “aionios” meaning eternal or everlasting, is used in the Greek with nouns of action, it has reference to the result of the action, not the process. The wicked will not be passing through a process of punishment forever, but will be punished once and for all with eternal results. The destruction of the wicked is eternal “aionios,” not because the process of destruction continues forever, but because the results are permanent. “Eternal” often refers to the permanence of the result, rather than the continuation of a process. It is evident that the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah is eternal, not because of its duration, but because of its permanent results.


“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire” (Jude 23a). The fire to which Jude refers is obviously the same kind of fire that consumed Sodom and Gomorrah. It is evident that the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah is eternal, not because of its duration, but because of its permanent results. It is important to note that the Greek word “aionios” literally means “lasting for an age.” Roman emperors being described as “aionios”; what is meant is that they held their office for life. Unfortunately, the English words “eternal” or “everlasting” do not accurately render the meaning of “aionios”, which literally means “age-lasting.” The notion of the eternal torment of the wicked can only be defended by accepting the Greek view of the immortality and indestructibility of the soul, a concept which is foreign to Scripture. Everlasting torture is intolerable from a moral point of view, because it pictures God acting like a bloodthirsty monster who maintains an everlasting Auschwitz for his enemies, whom he does not even allow to die. Consider the moral implications of the traditional view of hell, which depicts God as a cruel torturer who torments the wicked throughout all eternity. The thought of such a torment being deliberately inflicted by divine decree, is totally incompatible with the idea of God as infinite love.


Many Christians will be sorely disappointed to discover that their beliefs in the afterlife are a delusion. When this happens, it will cause personal crisis to Christians accustom to believing that at death their souls break loose from their bodies and continue to exist either in Heaven or in the torment of Hell. Redemption is the restoration of the whole person, and not the salvation of the soul apart from the body. If at death the soul of the believer goes up immediately to Heaven to be with Jesus, one hardly can have any real sense of expectation for Jesus to come down to raise the dead believers that were in Jesus, and transform the living believers that are in Jesus. Traditionally, evangelical and other religious persuasions teach, that at the resurrection, their material bodies are reunited with their souls, thus intensifying the pleasure of Heaven or the pain of Hell. Why are evangelicals so adamant in refusing to reconsider the Biblical teachings on the restoration of the whole person? To abandon souls being reunited with their bodies, also entails abandoning a whole cluster of doctrines resulting form it. The total impact of dividing humans into body and soul has promoted all sorts of false dichotomies in Scripture. To be an “Evangelical” means to uphold certain fundamental traditional doctrines without questioning. Any one who dares to question the Biblical validity of a traditional doctrine can become suspect as a “heretic.” It is impossible to estimate the far-reaching impact that the doctrine of unending hellfire has had throughout the centuries in justifying religious intolerance, torture, and the burning of “heretics.” The rationale is simple: If God is going to burn heretics in Hell for all eternity, why shouldn’t the church burn them to death now?

[RickD]

First off, welcome to the site, newnature. When you get the time, please tell us a little about yourself in the General chit chat forum.

Now, getting to your post, one thing I noticed, was that you never mentioned man's spirit. Man was created with a spirit, that's eternal. Man is made up of a body, soul, and spirit. You correctly mentioned that the body and soul are temporary. But, since man's spirit is what goes to be with the Lord, or apart from the Lord, when we die, if an unbeliever dies, where does his spirit go, if not to eternal separation from God?

[mlynchrules]

Hello! I'm going to try to keep my response short today, but I am definitely open to more discussion and elaboration when I can. So I agree, I don't necessarily believe in a "Hell" as it is so often described as. Hell is very commonly described as the place a "bad" person goes to spend the rest of time (aka forever) in punishment at the hand of Satan. I ask of you this though, what "crime" would be so bad that it would condemn that person to spend eternity in misery? I think that every Christian will agree that God loves all of his people, He is sad when we sin but He will always love his children for we are His creation. If our God is and all loving God, then why would He want to send anyone away from him for all eternity? That just doesn't make sense to me.

If you would like to know my opinion on Heaven/Hell, I think that there is some sort of "Hell" like place where EVERYONE will be punished after death. There is not a single person who lives a perfect life. We all have our sins and deserved to be punished by God in some manner. Then once we "serve our time" (so to speak) we will be able to rejoin God in Heaven. This may be a longer period of time for some than others based on the severity of their sins and how long it takes an individual person to be truly sorry and repentant for their sins.

I understand why the concept of Hell is what it is. The concept of an eternal Hell was most likely (at least as far as I can hypothesize) developed as a way to make people be better people. If people thought that they would be able to go to Heaven no matter what as long as they just spend some time in punishment, SOME people may be less apt to live good Christian lives than if they thought they had only one shot to get to Heaven. That is my belief anyway.

[RickD]

Hell is very commonly described as the place a "bad" person goes to spend the rest of time (aka forever) in punishment at the hand of Satan. I ask of you this though, what "crime" would be so bad that it would condemn that person to spend eternity in misery? I think that every Christian will agree that God loves all of his people, He is sad when we sin but He will always love his children for we are His creation. If our God is and all loving God, then why would He want to send anyone away from him for all eternity? That just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm not sure where you got this idea from. People are eternally separated from God, by their own decision. They would rather have their own will, than God's will. People in hell will get exactly what they want. To be without God. The misery will come from themselves, as a punishment . Just think of the utter lonliness and despair one will have when one is eternally separated from God.

If you would like to know my opinion on Heaven/Hell, I think that there is some sort of "Hell" like place where EVERYONE will be punished after death. There is not a single person who lives a perfect life. We all have our sins and deserved to be punished by God in some manner. Then once we "serve our time" (so to speak) we will be able to rejoin God in Heaven. This may be a longer period of time for some than others based on the severity of their sins and how long it takes an individual person to be truly sorry and repentant for their sins.

Actually, we all deserve to be eternally separated from God, because we all sin. Thankfully, God has made a way for us to be with Him forever. The work of Jesus Christ. All who believe on what Christ has done, will have eternal life. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I understand why the concept of Hell is what it is. The concept of an eternal Hell was most likely (at least as far as I can hypothesize) developed as a way to make people be better people. If people thought that they would be able to go to Heaven no matter what as long as they just spend some time in punishment, SOME people may be less apt to live good Christian lives than if they thought they had only one shot to get to Heaven. That is my belief anyway.

Tell me, how does one lead a good Christian life?

[cheezerrox]

I also don't believe in the traditional view of Hell personally either, as I fall more into the position of annihilationism. But, a word of caution would be to not start making judgements about those that do hold the traditional view, and especially do not make judgements about G-D. Saying things like, "Everlasting torture is intolerable from a moral point of view, because it pictures God acting like a bloodthirsty monster who maintains an everlasting Auschwitz for his enemies, whom he does not even allow to die" is not acceptable. Are you that sure of yourself and your human reasoning that you're that ready to start making moral judgements against the Judge of the world? Can you imagine the feeling when you go to meet Him after death and you find out you're wrong? It's fine and good to be convinced of your position, but statements like that convey arrogance.

Also, I see a lot of "I believe"'s coming from the OP and from mylynchrules. Aren't we, as Christians, supposed to take our beliefs from Scripture? Ponder these following verses.

Isaiah 66:24
Psalm 9:17
Daniel 12:2
Matthew 25:41-46
Hebrews 10:28-29
Revelation 14:9-11

[B. W.]

Hello! I'm going to try to keep my response short today, but I am definitely open to more discussion and elaboration when I can. So I agree, I don't necessarily believe in a "Hell" as it is so often described as. Hell is very commonly described as the place a "bad" person goes to spend the rest of time (aka forever) in punishment at the hand of Satan. I ask of you this though, what "crime" would be so bad that it would condemn that person to spend eternity in misery?...

What Crime...

The same crime of that put Jesus Christ upon the cross...

We are all guilty of this...
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[B. W.]

There is a misconception which comes from our English word definitions translated as hell and the euphemism used to describe hell.

1-There is a Hell called the Lake of Fire which is future..

2- There is a hell called Hades, Sheol, the pit, the grave… which is current

We label all these the same - Hell.

The Grave can refer to either the current hell or a burial pit. The ancient Hebrew burial practice was not done same in the manner as to so today by a 6 foot long, 3 wide, and 6 foot deep hole in the ground. The ancient practice was to place a deceased body in a round burial pit, or tomb, along with one’s own family members. After awhile, these tombs become cluttered. In order to make room for more family members, all the old bones were gathered up and placed in a Box. On the Box was usually inscribed the immediate families name. All the bones of that family were placed in the same box.

These burial chambers were usually in the ground and round in nature or dug into side of a hill, or carved out of hill side rock. Dug into the wall of the burial pits were chambers where the body lay to decompose of the recently deceased of a family member. Latter their bones were placed into boxes which share other family member’s bones and these were placed somewhere in the pit off to the side, like a family record – a rather crude filing system... The burial system like this changed over time. However, during the Old and New Testament time periods, the above method was the norm.

So please recall that Jesus’ remains were placed in a tomb like this. Also, please note, Jesus did not cease to exist, or was annihilated into non-existence in order to taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9c) during the three days/night he left his mortal body. That is enough evidence to disprove annihilation and soul sleep. How – simple, for Jesus to effectively taste death for all, according to the doctrines of annihilation and/or soul sleep, Jesus would absolutely need to be annihilated into non-existence to effectively taste death… legally and fully.

Now back to the words translated as hell in our English Translations. The context in which these are used define which hell is being mentioned, the current one or the Future one. People like to manipulate these distinctions in such a manner as to air condition both hells. Give hope that any suffering is short duration, thus actually serves in an attempt to manipulate God by pitting his own character traits/attributes against each other. That will not work.

People may not like the idea of an eternalness of hell, but it is there in both Old and New Testaments. Jesus warns of avoiding the final Hell at all cost. His warnings are not one that teaches universalisms cleansing torturous fiery bath or a state of non-existence where peace/rest of nothingness awaits (Isaiah 48:22, Isaiah 57:21. Isaiah 3:11c). Unlike modern scholars and theologians, Jesus Christ did not air condition Hell to make it palatable to the poor human psyche that put him on trial, bore false witness, beat him, whipped, mocked him, spat, stole, lied about him, begged him to do their bidding or else they won’t believe, and nailed him to the Cross.

The charge against humanity was revealed upon the cross. How people really treat goodness – even God’s goodness exposed, and how we treat each other as well, exposed, that human nature that seeks to twist, manipulate love, grace, mercy, to get away doing one's own thing, exposed.

It is not crimes of a temporal nature that define hell's duration; it is the warped twisted nature of the human heart that causes all temporal crimes is why hell is eternal. The nature that seeks to game God’s own character attributes against each other in order to rule or get out of a jam. This is called rebellion, and defines sin. Human beings were fashioned according to God’s own eternal nature and likeness. This way, when God slays the wicked mortal being, that person does not cease to be, but continues on, and in this, God cannot be found a murder in the absolutist sense of the word. Truly, God is a God of the living and not the dead.
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[cheezerrox]

The nature that seeks to game God’s own character attributes against each other in order to rule or get out of a jam. This is called rebellion, and defines sin. Human beings were fashioned according to God’s own eternal nature and likeness. This way, when God slays the wicked mortal being, that person does not cease to be, but continues on, and in this, God cannot be found a murder in the absolutist sense of the word. Truly, God is a God of the living and not the dead.
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I may disagree with certain parts of your post, but overall, I do agree with you. No matter what, all people who are honest with themselves and with the Scriptures have to admit that there is a hell, there is judgement, it is final, and it's the worse thing that could ever happen to you. But, please tell me that you know that I, as well as many annihilationists, don't adopt this position out of some kind of desparate attempt to believe what we want. I have no problem with you disagreeing, and I hope to learn things and be open to you and others who disagree with me, but you seem to think that the only reason I and others have this belief is because we're being dishonest, and in the above quote, if I'm not misunderstanding you, it seems as if you're calling our disagreement rebellion, and sin. Have I misunderstood you?

[RickD]

The nature that seeks to game God’s own character attributes against each other in order to rule or get out of a jam. This is called rebellion, and defines sin. Human beings were fashioned according to God’s own eternal nature and likeness. This way, when God slays the wicked mortal being, that person does not cease to be, but continues on, and in this, God cannot be found a murder in the absolutist sense of the word. Truly, God is a God of the living and not the dead.
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I may disagree with certain parts of your post, but overall, I do agree with you. No matter what, all people who are honest with themselves and with the Scriptures have to admit that there is a hell, there is judgement, it is final, and it's the worse thing that could ever happen to you. But, please tell me that you know that I, as well as many annihilationists, don't adopt this position out of some kind of desparate attempt to believe what we want. I have no problem with you disagreeing, and I hope to learn things and be open to you and others who disagree with me, but you seem to think that the only reason I and others have this belief is because we're being dishonest, and in the above quote, if I'm not misunderstanding you, it seems as if you're calling our disagreement rebellion, and sin. Have I misunderstood you?

Cheezerrox, where does man's spirit go after death? Where does an unbeliever's spirit go? Do you also believe man's spirit gets annihilated?

[cheezerrox]

Cheezerrox, where does man's spirit go after death? Where does an unbeliever's spirit go? Do you also believe man's spirit gets annihilated?

I believe man's spirit goes to Sh'ol/Ades, both the believer and the unbeliever (Genesis 42:38, Psalm 16:10, 31:17, Job 17:16, 21:13, Acts 2:31). I do believe a man's spirit gets annihilated, but only those who are thrown into the Lake of Fire and suffer the second death (Matthew 10:28).

[RickD]

Cheezerrox, where does man's spirit go after death? Where does an unbeliever's spirit go? Do you also believe man's spirit gets annihilated?

I believe man's spirit goes to Sh'ol/Ades, both the believer and the unbeliever (Genesis 42:38, Psalm 16:10, 31:17, Job 17:16, 21:13, Acts 2:31). I do believe a man's spirit gets annihilated, but only those who are thrown into the Lake of Fire and suffer the second death (Matthew 10:28).

Ok, I see what you're saying. I just think there's a difference in how we see the character of God. Correct me if I'm not getting this, but in annihilationism, God destroys the sinner. In the belief of an everlasting hell, God gives the unbeliever what the unbeliever really wants.(to be left alone, without God). Left in hell, to reap what he has sown in this life. To see a great picture of this, I highly recommend B.W.'s book. Ask him about it, he'll send you a copy, or you can buy it online. It has the best, most powerful imagery of any book I have ever read. B.W. tells how those in hell realize they are there because of how they lived, and the feeling of everlasting self-torment there, is powerful.

[cheezerrox]

Ok, I see what you're saying. I just think there's a difference in how we see the character of God. Correct me if I'm not getting this, but in annihilationism, God destroys the sinner. In the belief of an everlasting hell, God gives the unbeliever what the unbeliever really wants.(to be left alone, without God). Left in hell, to reap what he has sown in this life. To see a great picture of this, I highly recommend B.W.'s book. Ask him about it, he'll send you a copy, or you can buy it online. It has the best, most powerful imagery of any book I have ever read. B.W. tells how those in hell realize they are there because of how they lived, and the feeling of everlasting self-torment there, is powerful.

You are correct about annihilationism's view. I don't think our perceptions of the character of G-d are all that different, though. But, I must say, many of the philisophical arguments and explanations for everlasting torment are very compelling and sound right concerning Who G-d is; ie, as you just explained, about G-d giving the unbeliever what he/she really wants. Church members of mine and I have had plenty of debates, and to me those were the most compelling part of their position. That sounds right, but, I just feel like what I read says differently. I think a better, more specific way to put it would be that we view being without G-d differently, as well as the important doctrine of the inherent immortality of the spirit of men (which I do not accept).
And I've heard of B.W.'s book, and it interests me. I'll probably pick up a copy sometime, maybe even over the summer. I appreciate your recommendation.
I do hope that all, especially B.W., understand that I simply am convinced through the Scriptures of my position, and that I seek neither to believe what I wish, or to disparage the position of everlasting torment or its believers. I honestly do try my best to continue to have an open mind about this (that's what led me to my current position), as I don't take annihilationism as a fact, but simply what I believe is the most accurate interpretation of Scripture.

[RickD]

. I think a better, more specific way to put it would be that we view being without G-d differently, as well as the important doctrine of the inherent immortality of the spirit of men (which I do not accept).

So, you don't believe man was created as a being with an everlasting spirit, who temporarily abides in this mortal body?

[cheezerrox]

So, you don't believe man was created as a being with an everlasting spirit, who temporarily abides in this mortal body?

I can't say that I do. I do believe that all men have a spirit that's been given to them by G-d, some spark of the divine within them that separates us from the other creatures that allows to be aware of spiritual things and come into a relationship with G-d, but, I don't believe that the spirit that abides in us makes us everlasting beings. I believe immortality is something that's given through the Messiah only to those who trust in Him.

[RickD]

So, you don't believe man was created as a being with an everlasting spirit, who temporarily abides in this mortal body?

I can't say that I do. I do believe that all men have a spirit that's been given to them by G-d, some spark of the divine within them that separates us from the other creatures that allows to be aware of spiritual things and come into a relationship with G-d, but, I don't believe that the spirit that abides in us makes us everlasting beings. I believe immortality is something that's given through the Messiah only to those who trust in Him.

Could you then tell me what Daniel 12:2 means, in light of annihilation?

Daniel 12:2

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting [a]contempt.