Annihilation of the damned

[Robertanthony]

It is a combination of poor preparation, poor judgment, lack of knowledge, lack of maturity, the evil choices of others, deficits whether by choice, environment or heredity, discrimination, outside factors and plain old chance. Success is not measured by failure. Failure is fully the result of giving up.

Great insight.

God offers solace from the pain, not more of the same. Abuse can contribute to a person becoming an abuser, feeling like a failure, losing heart, or denying God’s love. That is NOT a fixed result.

Hiding in a corner, not being around people, that’s what I want to do. Every day that I go to work or somewhere where there are people I have to against my personality. Hide my shame is what I want to do. Any little thing will ignite a sense of dread and anxiety. I’ve done enough fighting in my life, the constant effort it takes to convince myself that God is my ally is way too exhausting. whatever the enemy wanted me to believe about myself and God, he has achieved it. I see God placing the pawns, I sense his providence here and there, but it’s just too little too late. Suffering has not made me a better person, it’s made me a nervous, insecure wreck who is terrified of being 1-found out 2-mocked and rejected. Now that I’m basically destroyed, I go from day to day trying to preserve the little self-esteem/self-worth/dignity i have left, living the morose life of a defeated man. Not measuring up, not fitting in, knowing that most people barely tolerate you, feeling deeply inadequate, God will not change any of that. Why would he, if he had wanted me successful, he’d have made damn sure to equip me with intelligence and talents, while he may not have been thrilled with some of the rejection I faced, yet he did not do his part by equipping me physically, emotionally, and parent-wise to be able to fight back and crush any attempt at demeaning me. He did not need me, I am not necessary, no one really is, truth be told, yet, for some stupid and absurd reason, here I am. An introvert in a world where social interaction is unavoidable, a dimwith in a world where being able to constantly learn new things is vital, one-talent guy in a world where money ends up in the hands of people with talent, etc. Now this is quite a burden, naturally sin is a great comforter, but God has an unpleasant eternal life for those who don’t love him but would rather receive the comfort of sin. I am tormented about a lot of things, God himself is a source of torment. Obviously he loves me infinitely (so they say) yet he won’t take away any of the things that have plagued me when it would cost him absolutely nothing to do so. I held on for so many years, had to fight a lot of negativity, all the while being trapped in despair, disappointment, depression, something good could have emerged from God’s mind hell-bent on keeping me from far from success and enjoyment, something like a resolved will to make me see the good side of life, you know the side where there is affluence, abundant money, dreams within one’s reach. Fourty years of a damned life is not enough, but then you think of the torments of damned souls, that they don’t even move God’s heart, so my tormented soul probably doesn’t interfere with God’s sleep, as it were. Annihilation would be such a balm: after having endured God’s life for 70-80 years, the worst I could expect would be eternal sleep.

Since when is it “unlit”? “I am the Light of the World”, says the Lord.

Light is material, in Genesis it says God said “Let there be light”, so the trinity must’ve dwelled “somewhere” where there was no light. There was no darkness either, because darkness is the absence of light.

 

[Robertanthony]

What you are currently doing is obviously not bringing you happiness. You anticipate that you will continue to be in agony throughout the afterlife. Why not investigate an approach that you see has given comfort and hope to millions. What have you got to lose? Could things possibly get worse? You are not suffering from Predestination but rather self-fulfilling prophecy. Change the focus, change the behavior, change the results!

i’ve given up on myself, whatever people threw at me, i now firmly believe because everything they said resonated with me. I am defeated. Outside of money, I can’t win. My situation is very precarious, someone could insult me on a bad day, I could pasue and think about my life and say “To hell with it” , I could make the person suffer for all the little deaths I had to suffer and utterly destroy my life. Suffering has made me a time bomb. It wouldn’t take much to open a flood of negativity in me that would end very badly. Again, god is a great tragedian, enamoured with himself and his work, if I end up in hell after a ****** life, God will not lose his humour, good mood and happiness. It would have been best for all parties involved if I had remained nonexistent. Heaven is no great loss where you’re sleeping quietly in the arms of nonexistence. Heaven is not worth all the turmoil and affliction I had to suffer. God is aggravating, annoying, frustrating. Being prescient he knew I would not like him, but here I am anyhow, who cares if i lose my eternity and end up reliving my formidable youth forever? Annihilation sounds so good…It actaually sounds way too good to come from God, God loves pain, especailly pain endured by others, and letting anybody off the hook displeases his majesty. Hell reveals the heart of Abba. Nowadays I’m more in an ego-preserving phase, what’s left of it, but what can you do when you feel like ****, have adhd, have anxiety and a whole host of psychological troubles, social anxiety, what can you do when all you want is to find a shelter and yet have to face the world day in day out same as the talented, social butterfly, witty guy? God comes along, has no comfort to offer, but the tired “suck it up now, live it up in 70 years”. God created me, allowed me to be created, therefore there is something flawed about him, intelligence-wise or benevolence-wise, he can’t be perfect. Might as well give me vomit and call it a gift like no other gift. The gift of life, my ***. Tragedy is unhelpful, I remain a project that never materializes, nobody, nobody in the whole wide universe sheds a tear, everyone is happy. I never hear how much God loves me, never hear the “so loved the world that he gave his son”, never hear of our loving God’s hell. Creating me was just plain dumb.

 

[Robertanthony]

The fact that you are CREATED AND EXIST proves that God wants to have a relationship with you. You’re luckier than the 50 million or so who were aborted because they were an “inconvenient” to their mother. Trust me, I have felt the same way you’re feeling but it’s amazing what actually reaching out and talking to somebody, in my case a priest at Confession today, can do and by doing so, it shows God that yes, you DO care. Blessings your way!

I’d rather be nonexistent. I realize it pains God, for some mysterious reason, to be generous with me. If my intra uterine life had ended in a miscarriage, chances are I’d be in heaven. You think God would want to give me Heaven that easily? I understand God ‘s stance towards me, I don’t ask for his Heaven, I just wish he had kept me out of his wonderful life. If my mom had aborted me, I’d probably be in heaven, but God placed me in a situation where escaping unscathed was an impossbility, then turns around and pretends that he has nothing to do with any of the stuff that destroyed me! That’s my God. I don’t care much about Heaven, but I’m worried about the place my loving father has prepared for people who recognize him for whom he is. Coming out of my mother’s womb alive is anything but something to rejoice about. If God had had a heart, sudden infant death syndrome was still available past birth, but my parents might not have been happy about it, their faiths may have suffered, therefore, for my parents’ sakes, here I am. I’ve been depressed in the past, I am not depressed now, however. However hard I try to renew my mind, to start anew, I always come back to this: life is not for me. It just isn’t. Never mind that God “put” me here, life is not for me. When life doesn’t work after 4 decades, then it should never have been. Creating me was God’s first step in destroying me. He can fool lots of people with his lovey dovey hogwash, but not me. I begged and begged, got nothing, crumbs or silence, no more begging.

 

[chefmomster2]

Robertanthony,

We seem to have lost our way. Since this is no longer about the OP, I’ll say this last thing.

I’m sorry for your pain, but more so for your loss- loss of love, hope, meaning and God. Not the God you describe, he doesn’t exist except in depths of your depression and desperation. But the One I have rediscovered, the One who is right here beside me leading me to all good things.

If I could help, I would, but I don’t find that you’re open to receiving help, kindness or faith. That’s enormously sad for me because I can see your potential. You are obviously intelligent, well-spoken, logical, interesting and passionate. I am certain you are much more than that. I would so love to know the person you could become. I am sorry you can’t see your possibilities.

I will pray for you. I hope that good things happen for you and that you are able to find the strength to trust, believe and change your life.

I sincerely wish you all the best!

 

[total_Catholic]

Robertanthony,

We seem to have lost our way. Since this is no longer about the OP, I’ll say this last thing.

I’m sorry for your pain, but more so for your loss- loss of love, hope, meaning and God. Not the God you describe, he doesn’t exist except in depths of your depression and desperation. But the One I have rediscovered, the One who is right here beside me leading me to all good things.

If I could help, I would, but I don’t find that you’re open to receiving help, kindness or faith. That’s enormously sad for me because I can see your potential. You are obviously intelligent, well-spoken, logical, interesting and passionate. I am certain you are much more than that. I would so love to know the person you could become. I am sorry you can’t see your possibilities.

I will pray for you. I hope that good things happen for you and that you are able to find the strength to trust, believe and change your life.

I sincerely wish you all the best!

As do I. PLEASE talk to somebody. I just sent Heaven-ward 1 OUR FATHER, 1 HAIL MARY AND 1 GLORY BE for you. Let God heal you!

 

[mikekle]

LOTS of Biblical verses support the notion that our loving God’s divine judgment will destroy all sin. Malachi speaks of the saints walking on ashes and answer me this, if EVERY INCH of this new world, earth, heavens, etc is to be free of all pain, sickness, death and suffering then where will Hell be?

Jesus says the righteous will INHERIT eternal life. The wages of sin is DEATH. Revelation 20 calls hell the SECOND DEATH. Why then all of this talk of the sinners essentially having eternal life only to be tortured without mercy for all time.

Sorry, really struggling with this as it totally attacks God’s character of mercy. I am sure I am not the only person that has ever struggled with this.

I believe in the bible it says, eventually even hell will be completely destroyed, but Im not sure what happens to all the people and/or satan and the demons after this…maybe they are just destroyed too and simply dont exist anymore.

Furthermore, immediately after Satan fell and took 1/3 of the angels with him, God should have absolutely destroyed Satan and the demons right then and there, just turn them all to dust instantly, so they dont even exist anymore…that would have been the best way to deal with them imo.

 

[gmx2014]

Jeffrey Dhamer had a pretty uneventful youth, it’s very likely his propensity to go rape, kill and eat men must have happened in utero. Some are born more depraved than others, there are 1,5 and 10 talent people, likewise we all differ in our depravity. I never had an irresitible urge to go on a killing spree and eat my victims, it never crossed my mind.

Not so.

He was sexually assaulted in childhood. He also came upon dead animals in the environment (I believe 8 years old was his specified age) in which he took a fascination. If he hadn’t been sexualized (violation), he likely would not have been aroused by the dead animals.

 

[total_Catholic]

I believe in the bible it says, eventually even hell will be completely destroyed, but Im not sure what happens to all the people and/or satan and the demons after this…maybe they are just destroyed too and simply dont exist anymore.

Furthermore, immediately after Satan fell and took 1/3 of the angels with him, God should have absolutely destroyed Satan and the demons right then and there, just turn them all to dust instantly, so they dont even exist anymore…that would have been the best way to deal with them imo.

I have read that if that had happened, the fullness of God’s love would’ve never been shown to mankind. Something to the effect that God wants us to love Him out of a free will, not coercion and that evil must manifest itself to the fullest so that humanity will see that God is love and that loving Him must be made of a clear and conscious choice on our part, not coercion by another human being or situation. Hope that made sense.

 

[chefmomster2]

LOTS of Biblical verses support the notion that our loving God’s divine judgment will destroy all sin. Malachi speaks of the saints walking on ashes and answer me this, if EVERY INCH of this new world, earth, heavens, etc is to be free of all pain, sickness, death and suffering then where will Hell be?

Jesus says the righteous will INHERIT eternal life. The wages of sin is DEATH. Revelation 20 calls hell the SECOND DEATH. Why then all of this talk of the sinners essentially having eternal life only to be tortured without mercy for all time.

Sorry, really struggling with this as it totally attacks God’s character of mercy. I am sure I am not the only person that has ever struggled with this.

The “Second Death” is referred to in three different verses in Revelations. They are:

NAB REVISED:
REV 2:11
“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.c The victor shall not be harmed by the second death.”*

Rev 20:6
Blessed* and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over these; they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for [the] thousand years.

REV 21:8
But as for cowards,* the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort,** their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death**.”h

Note to Rev 2:11

• [2:11] The second death: this refers to the eternal death, when sinners will receive their final punishment; cf. Rev 20:6, 14–15; 21:8.

You can see that the Second Death is defined for us in Rev 21:8.

We are not “attacking God” by believing in the existence and eternity of Hell. We are stating doctrine of the Church which reminds us that God is a God of Justice, tempered by Mercy.

A God of Justice must fulfill His Word. The good people on earth are promised that their struggles to fulfill the demands of faith here on earth will be rewarded by eternal life in heaven. Likewise, God promises that the evil will be immediately cast into Hell.

This is confirmed in:

CCC 1034 Jesus often speaks of “Gehenna” of “the unquenchable fire” reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost.614 Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,"615 and that he will pronounce the condemnation: **“Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!”**616

"CCC 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire.“617 The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.”

The Judgment is separate from God’s mercy. Our Judgment is a result of our own choices. Those who do not love God, who die in a state of mortal sin, etc., have demonstrated that they do not wish to be united with God. In fact, the CCC defines this choice in part as “refusing to accept the merciful-love of God”. This refusal of His mercy occurs in this life. It is consummated in the next.

What if this wasn’t so? Man would have little reason to reform his life since there would be more chances after death. There must be a final endpoint and God has warned us!

God is giving us this final chance, His mercy here on earth and He tells us that very clearly. We are all acquainted with deadlines. This is God’s deadline, literally, I guess. We either repent, accept God’s love unconditionally by our free choice before the very moment of death or we miss our chance.

This is NOT a case of God being “mean”. He gives to each of us according to our freely expressed choice after a lifetime of offering us the mercy that can bring about our salvation.

 

[Robertanthony]

I believe in the bible it says, eventually even hell will be completely destroyed, but Im not sure what happens to all the people and/or satan and the demons after this…maybe they are just destroyed too and simply dont exist anymore.

Furthermore, immediately after Satan fell and took 1/3 of the angels with him, God should have absolutely destroyed Satan and the demons right then and there, just turn them all to dust instantly, so they dont even exist anymore…that would have been the best way to deal with them imo.

God can’t do evil, I think destroying (i.e. making them cease to be, to exist) any creature, be it angelic or human, is simply not in the spectrum of things he can do. Sure he doesn’t lack the power and ability to destroy Satan or the damned, but probably holds back for moral reasons. Or destroying any creature could be both possible and not against God’s nature, but he chooses not to. I’m finite so I’m very limited in my understanding, but maybe a finite being disrespecting an infinite one is such a horrible and abhorrent thing that it is a crime that cries for vengeance. We’re obviously in the realm of concepts that escape your typical worker punching in and out of work from Mon to Fri. Most of us have no clue about economics, finance, so the necessity or desirability of an eternal punishment for one 30 min long mortal sin is mind blowing.

Adam and Eve had the Tree of knowledge so that the choice for or against God was possible. Now that we have a fallen nature and can never free ourselves of concupiscence in this lifetime, then demonic influence only makes things worse. If I want to be 100% certain that you choose me for my sake, I will make it very easy for you to choose something/someone else, I will throw banana peels your way, in the end if you reach me, I’ll say “well done good and faithful servant”. The problem with demons is that if they weren,t around to tempt us, choodsing god would be easier, life on Earth would be better, there would proabbly be far less people in Hell. It is God’s apparent disregard for the collateral damage (i.e people ending up in hell) that I resent (and that many people resent, also). Eternal prize or annihilation= God rocks. Punishing people who are here without having a say in it and who are mad eeternally miserable because they refuse to love someone whom they deem not to be lovable hardly seems just. But things are what they are, you do reap what you sow, hating God to the bitter end promises untold terror and affliction.

 

[Robertanthony]

Not so.

He was sexually assaulted in childhood. He also came upon dead animals in the environment (I believe 8 years old was his specified age) in which he took a fascination. If he hadn’t been sexualized (violation), he likely would not have been aroused by the dead animals.

I read a bit about the guy, I believe he had a conversion sometime in his jail term. I also watched a documentary about him, and, to the best of my recollection, there was no mention of sexual abuse.

What you say about coming upon dead animals proves my point. It triggered something which was already there, dormant maybe. When I was young (and still nowadays) the sight of dead animals gross(es-ed) me out (as it does most people).

 

[total_Catholic]

The “Second Death” is referred to in three different verses in Revelations. They are:

NAB REVISED:
REV 2:11
“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.c The victor shall not be harmed by the second death.”*

Rev 20:6
Blessed* and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over these; they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for [the] thousand years.

REV 21:8
But as for cowards,* the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort,** their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death**.”h

Note to Rev 2:11

• [2:11] The second death: this refers to the eternal death, when sinners will receive their final punishment; cf. Rev 20:6, 14–15; 21:8.

You can see that the Second Death is defined for us in Rev 21:8.

We are not “attacking God” by believing in the existence and eternity of Hell. We are stating doctrine of the Church which reminds us that God is a God of Justice, tempered by Mercy.

A God of Justice must fulfill His Word. The good people on earth are promised that their struggles to fulfill the demands of faith here on earth will be rewarded by eternal life in heaven. Likewise, God promises that the evil will be immediately cast into Hell.

This is confirmed in:

CCC 1034 Jesus often speaks of “Gehenna” of “the unquenchable fire” reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost.614 Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,"615 and that he will pronounce the condemnation: **“Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!”**616

"CCC 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire.“617 The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.”

The Judgment is separate from God’s mercy. Our Judgment is a result of our own choices. Those who do not love God, who die in a state of mortal sin, etc., have demonstrated that they do not wish to be united with God. In fact, the CCC defines this choice in part as “refusing to accept the merciful-love of God”. This refusal of His mercy occurs in this life. It is consummated in the next.

What if this wasn’t so? Man would have little reason to reform his life since there would be more chances after death. There must be a final endpoint and God has warned us!

God is giving us this final chance, His mercy here on earth and He tells us that very clearly. We are all acquainted with deadlines. This is God’s deadline, literally, I guess. We either repent, accept God’s love unconditionally by our free choice before the very moment of death or we miss our chance.

This is NOT a case of God being “mean”. He gives to each of us according to our freely expressed choice after a lifetime of offering us the mercy that can bring about our salvation.

Right. I’m not denying Hell. I’m just posing the question that is the punishment eternal as in constant and always. In other words, as my ORIGINAL post asks, do the sinners die out at sometime or are they always burning in fire for ETERNITY. Some would say that attacks God’s character of mercy.

 

[Robertanthony]

Right. I’m not denying Hell. I’m just posing the question that is the punishment eternal as in constant and always. In other words, as my ORIGINAL post asks, do the sinners die out at sometime or are they always burning in fire for ETERNITY. Some would say that attacks God’s character of mercy.

Ages ago, i came across an old book in a Q and A format about Catholic theology. It essentially said that the pains of Hell grew milder in eternity until the damned were like in a neutral existence, or something along that line. I felt relieved, knowing loving God is not for me, but I found out later on that what I had read was NOT sound Catholic theology (translation: bullcr**). Logically Natascha Kampusch’s abductor should have a very high degree of punishment, whereas the guy whose only mortal sin when he dies is to have tried to have sexual relations with his wife along with her happy-to-oblige best friend will logically get a much milder Hell. According to Faustina (you’re free to take it or leave it), the worst pain of Hell is the eternal separation from God. “Welcome to your life, there’s no turning back”. God makes the rules, you can’t escape, really, when your 70-80 years of life are up, it’s either eternal Hell or eternal Heaven. Reaching Heaven is quite simple: love your God with all your might, your strength, your will etc. If you accept to not be happy in this life, then it makes it easier. If you don’t accept to not have your slice of the happy pie, it can be a formidable stumbling block to your relation with God/salvation. As for myself, I owe it to the young boy I once was to make it in this life. I won’t watch some of my enemies prosper like there is no tomorrow while I have to settle for a frustrating, small life. Cursed by God in both lives (had another word in mind, can’t use it here). But there you have it, Hell is horrible, bad beyond belief, eternal, once you’re past death, God can literally do nothing for you. You have death and life before you, choose wisely, choose life. God sucks, but Hell sucks even more. 80 years of loneliness, without sex, with people making fun of you sucks, eternity in God’s Hell sucks way more. If you’re lucky, God will have blessed you in this life and you will enjoy this life and the next without much torment and heartbreak. God’s elects I call them. FInal thing, you can argue about the fairness of Hell for the rest of your life, it really is pointless, you need to live in a way that when you die you meet God the daddy and not God the merciless tyrant. Hell is bad, horrible, intense, and the intensity does not relent. That’s how far God will ever go to destroy someone, putting them to sleep is not on the menu, and it is heartbreaking and depressing that it is not. Make no mistake about it: annihilation is but a beautiful dream which emerged from the heart of a kind and loving soul.

 

[total_Catholic]

Ages ago, i came across an old book in a Q and A format about Catholic theology. It essentially said that the pains of Hell grew milder in eternity until the damned were like in a neutral existence, or something along that line. I felt relieved, knowing loving God is not for me, but I found out later on that what I had read was NOT sound Catholic theology (translation: bullcr**). Logically Natascha Kampusch’s abductor should have a very high degree of punishment, whereas the guy whose only mortal sin when he dies is to have tried to have sexual relations with his wife along with her happy-to-oblige best friend will logically get a much milder Hell. According to Faustina (you’re free to take it or leave it), the worst pain of Hell is the eternal separation from God. “Welcome to your life, there’s no turning back”. God makes the rules, you can’t escape, really, when your 70-80 years of life are up, it’s either eternal Hell or eternal Heaven. Reaching Heaven is quite simple: love your God with all your might, your strength, your will etc. If you accept to not be happy in this life, then it makes it easier. If you don’t accept to not have your slice of the happy pie, it can be a formidable stumbling block to your relation with God/salvation. As for myself, I owe it to the young boy I once was to make it in this life. I won’t watch some of my enemies prosper like there is no tomorrow while I have to settle for a frustrating, small life. Cursed by God in both lives (had another word in mind, can’t use it here). But there you have it, Hell is horrible, bad beyond belief, eternal, once you’re past death, God can literally do nothing for you. You have death and life before you, choose wisely, choose life. God sucks, but Hell sucks even more. 80 years of loneliness, without sex, with people making fun of you sucks, eternity in God’s Hell sucks way more. If you’re lucky, God will have blessed you in this life and you will enjoy this life and the next without much torment and heartbreak. God’s elects I call them. FInal thing, you can argue about the fairness of Hell for the rest of your life, it really is pointless, you need to live in a way that when you die you meet God the daddy and not God the merciless tyrant. Hell is bad, horrible, intense, and the intensity does not relent. That’s how far God will ever go to destroy someone, putting them to sleep is not on the menu, and it is heartbreaking and depressing that it is not. Make no mistake about it: annihilation is but a beautiful dream which emerged from the heart of a kind and loving soul.

Please seek help.

 

[Holly3278]

The belief that the damned will be annihilated rather than suffer in Hell for eternity is a false doctrine. The Catholic Church teaches that Hell is eternal and the suffering of the damned in Hell is also eternal.

 

[Robertanthony]

Please seek help.

Thanks for your concern. But human interest aside, I think my post answers your questions. In Catholic circles, you’ll never get anything beyond the lame “God is infinite, ergo any offense against an infinite being should receive an infinte punishment”. It bears saying that the duration is infinite but not the punishment itself, and therein may lie the mercy of God. Hell could be worse in my understanding. If eternity could be translated into years, the condition and situation of a damned will be exactly the same in 100 billion years as it was when he entered Hell. If you’re good in math, 100 billion years is nearly 8 times the freaking age of the universe! A long time to be tormented and miserable.

 

[chefmomster2]

Right. I’m not denying Hell. I’m just posing the question that is the punishment eternal as in constant and always. In other words, as my ORIGINAL post asks, do the sinners die out at sometime or are they always burning in fire for ETERNITY. Some would say that attacks God’s character of mercy.

My post, I thought, addressed your OP.

God’s mercy makes it possible for us to achieve Heaven. God mercifully forgives our sins. He mercifully answers our prayers. He mercifully gives us comfort. He mercifully provides everything we need to make this possible- the Scriptures to reveal His plan and how we must follow His will to fulfill that plan, the Apostles who received the Word from Jesus which would guide us to Him, the Saints who model the faith and love which we can emulate, the Popes with his bishops and Church which inform us of the doctrines of belief, and our local clergy who provide our day-to-day guidance, sacraments and correction. And that is just a very small list of His mercies!

All of this is provided because God wants us to go to Heaven. In his mercy He also tells us the rules:

1. We will die in this life.
2. There is an eternal Heaven and an Eternal Hell.
3. We have all been redeemed by Christ’s Resurrection.
4. Our salvation will be gained by following God’s will.
5. It is His will that we love Him with our whole mind, heart, and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves and die without mortal sin.
6. When we sin by not attending to His will, He will forgive us, as often as we need it!
   So Mercy fills every day of our earthly lives. It thrives in us due to God’s grace.

THIS IS THE WAY GOD PROVIDES FOR US. THIS IS THE GOD OF MERCY.

But…the JUDGMENT IS ABOUT JUSTICE!

1. Be prepared!
2. You won’t know the day or the hour!
3. Hell is ETERNAL AGONY IN GAHENNA.
4. When you die you will immediately be judged. NO SECOND CHANCES.
5. If you have mortal sin on your soul at death or if you have rejected God, you will go to eternal damnation.

God promised that the good will inherit heaven. He promised that the evil would condemn themselves to Hell. God keeps His promises. That is JUST! It is something which He promised us throughout the entire bible.

When we die, we go to heaven if we have died free of mortal sin and if we have had faith in the merciful-kindness of God. We chose God, so now we will be with Him forever.

When we die, we go to hell if we have died without true faith in God and His merciful-kindness. We chose to be away from God, so now we will be away from Him forever.

THIS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF OUR CHOICE. WE CHOSE IT. GOD GRANTS IT.
THIS IS THE GOD OF JUSTICE.

This part is NOT merciful- it is JUST. It is not unlike the parent who warns his child about the consequences of disobeying him. If the child chooses to disobey in full knowledge, then the parent is going to give the punishment they had warned him about. This is JUSTICE.

So, the answer is:
Is the punishment eternal as in constant and always. ABSOLUTELY YES!

In other words, as my ORIGINAL post asks, do the sinners die out at sometime NO

or are they always burning in fire for ETERNITY. YES!

Some would say that attacks God’s character of mercy. NO. IT DISPLAYS HIS CHARACTER OF JUSTICE!

Remember that like us, God possesses many characteristics. In the bible He is revealed as merciful, loving, strong, powerful, gentle, just, all-knowing, kind, personal, giving, etc. There are stories that show his power- such as the Great Flood- it shows him acting justly against a sinning people. Once the boat was sealed up and the rains began justice won out. This does not negate his mercy. This does not destroy his kindliness.

If I found you in a situation when you were angry, would that mean you are not kind?
If I see you laughing, does that mean you are never grieving. Do you show all aspects of your character in every moment to their fullest effect? Or are there times for weeping, times for dancing, times for silence and times for healing? God’s great mercy is revealed ABUNDANTLY in Scripture. “The Judgment” is the time for eternal JUSTICE.

If I am still not getting your point, let me know. LOL I am trying!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 1 (RSV)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

 

[chefmomster2]

Thanks for your concern. But human interest aside, I think my post answers your questions. In Catholic circles, you’ll never get anything beyond the lame “God is infinite, ergo any offense against an infinite being should receive an infinte punishment”. It bears saying that the duration is infinite but not the punishment itself, and therein may lie the mercy of God. Hell could be worse in my understanding. If eternity could be translated into years, the condition and situation of a damned will be exactly the same in 100 billion years as it was when he entered Hell. If you’re good in math, 100 billion years is nearly 8 times the freaking age of the universe! A long time to be tormented and miserable.

I hate to tell you this, but the punishment is eternal too!