1/28/2024 0 Comments Eternal tormentThe most comprehensive description of hell as a place, as man commonly views it, is found not in the Bible but rather in the 14th-century work The Divine Comedy, written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. For centuries the common view was that hell is inside the earth in a vast subterranean chamber. ![]() ![]() Hell's location has been a subject of much discussion. Generally speaking, the most common belief has been that hell is a place in which wicked people are tortured forever, but never consumed, by ever-burning flames. Beliefs about hell have varied widely, depending on which theologian's or church historian's ideas one reads. Teachings on the subject of hell have by no means been consistent through the centuries. The Augsburg Confession of 1530 reads: "Christ will return.to give eternal life and everlasting joy to believers and the elect, but to condemn ungodly men and the devils to hell and eternal punishment" (Toon, p. The Lateran church council in 1215 reaffirmed its belief in eternal torture of the wicked in these words: "The damned will go into everlasting punishment with the devil" (Toon, p. Walker, The Decline of Hell: Seventeenth-Century Discussions of Eternal Torment, 1964, p. An edict from the Council of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 543 states: "Whoever says or thinks that the punishment of demons and the wicked will not be eternal.let him be anathema" (D.P. This belief has been officially reiterated over the centuries. Their torments will never have diminution or end" (quoted by Peter Toon, Heaven and Hell: A Biblical and Theological Overview, 1986, p. Devouring flames will be their eternal portion. In the third century, Cyprian of Carthage also wrote: "The damned will burn for ever in hell. Perhaps one of the earliest to expound this view among Christians was the Catholic theologian Tertullian, who lived around A.D. The traditional view of hell as a fiery cauldron of punishment has been taught for centuries. Just what is the truth about hell? Hell through the centuries Why, then, are so many willing to accept the idea that the God they worship and hold in highest esteem would willingly inflict such punishment not on just a few, but on a great multitude of people who die every single day? How can such a belief possibly square with the Bible's description of a God who is infinitely loving and merciful? They would understandably be aghast and sickened that anyone might willingly torture another person in that way. Most people would find the idea horrifying almost beyond imagination. What would that kind of agony feel like if it went on for a minute? For a year? For a lifetime? For ever and ever? Imagine being trapped in flames that would char and burn away your skin in the same way. Perhaps you've seen a burn victim who was disfigured in some horrible accident, his flesh gnarled and misshapen. ![]() What happens? You'll likely scream involuntarily and suffer misery for several days from a painful burn. Light a match, then hold your finger in its tiny flame for five seconds. Or perhaps it's better if you just imagined it, since the actual test would prove quite painful.
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