Hell in a Nutshell

[elohimrules]

So, I get a little bit confused in my theology. I want to pray for souls fervently so I need to understand hell better. I believe that it exist and I know Mary warned about so many souls going to hell fires and we should pray for them. Faustina said the way is narrow to heaven.

My question is this. In 1 Peter we read that God did not spare the angels that sinned against Him but had them chained in darkness awaiting the judgement. In the gospel we see the picture of the rich man Lazarus being in flames that were hot he needed a sip of water and begged the poor man. Sooo, emm, angels who know God and rebel from Him get lights out while a human being who never saw Him gets fried, to put it bluntly. Is our color of hell tinted by Dante’s inferno? I think C.S. Lewis says the greatest hell is being separated from God.

Is the way so truly tough that most souls will go to hell?! Will their hell really be a fiery eternal state in flames being tortured by demons? Or are there different levels. I just dont understand why a demon could be held by chains in darkness while a human soul would be so tortured. Why isnt there rehabilitation clinics? LIke if someone was molested and it caused them to sin against others, they have a bad childhood, parents who left them or did drugs, so they learned how to steal and do drugs. I dont know I guess im just trying to understand more what is truth so that I can pray better. Thank you all. This forum rocks!

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Many saints have disclosed their private revelations and visions of Hell and Purgatory. You can Google online and find quite a few. Not all of them are exactly alike; some of them describe a Hell with different types of punishments while others describe a Hell where pretty much everyone is suffering in the same manner. However, it’s safe to say that all of them have reported that Hell is a very severe and terrible suffering no matter how you slice it and that many souls end up there. I don’t think it’s all that important whether Hell has one level or 10 levels or different punishments because the people in Hell are not getting out, or changing levels, or anything.

Purgatory, where people go when they are basically “saved” but still need to be purified from the sins they committed on earth, is more the “rehabilitation clinic” that you describe, and the saints have indicated that it has different types of punishments depending on what sins are involved and the degree of sin, also that being separated from God is a large part of the suffering of the souls in Purgatory. When we pray for deceased souls, we are praying for the souls in Purgatory as they cannot pray for themselves, but our prayers for them can help lessen some of their suffering and get them to Heaven faster. Then when they go to Heaven they can pray for us who prayed for them.

It is likely when God is judging someone and deciding whether they go to Hell or Purgatory he would take all the circumstances of the person’s situation into account, which would include things such as whether they had a mental disease or had been terribly abused as a child and therefore their minds were affected in some way so the level of intent in committing some sin was not the same as someone else who had a sound mind and no history of abuse. Also, only God can really tell if a person truly repented in their mind and heart of their sins. Someone who looks to the world to have done evil acts might well have something going on in their heart that is known only to God, so we should not judge or make presumptions ourselves.

It’s a good thing to want to pray for souls. The Divine Mercy is a good prayer to say for both living people and dead souls in Purgatory.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

Before I answer any of this, there’s one very important point about Hell that you must remember: Every soul in Hell would rather be there than in Heaven. I know this doesn’t make any sense to us right now, but it’s the Truth. The only souls in Hell are those that chose to be there.

Is the way so truly tough that most souls will go to hell?!

We do not know the percentage of people that go to Hell. Good Catholic theologians have had differing opinions on this, and the church has never (and will never) say that such-and-such a percentage of people are damned.

With that being said, every Saint I’ve read / heard of that’s had a vision of Hell hsa said that many souls do go there.

Will their hell really be a fiery eternal state in flames being tortured by demons?

Yup. Hell is eternal and Hell has fire. I don’t know if there’s a teaching on if the demons are directly torturing you or not. Keep in mind, they are suffering in Hell as well…

Or are there different levels.

This question is kind of inconsequential. The chief suffering of Hell is eternal separation from God. Everyone in Hell experiences that. No matter the severity of associated suffering, it will never be worse than that. With that said, I personally think that the complimentary suffering a soul in Hell experiences is related to their sins in life. i.e., someone like Hitler is going to suffer a lot worse than someone who simply rejected God’s sovereignty but otherwise tried to live a fairly “good” life. This is just my opinion though, I’m not sure if there’s an official teaching on this.

Why isnt there rehabilitation clinics?

Because, despite the popular notions about Hell in our society, it’s not about paying for your sins. Don’t get me wrong, in Hell you are definitely paying for your sins, but not in a finite sense like a jail sentence. Purgatory is where you go to atone for your sins and be rehabilitated. Hell is about the utter rejection of God. A soul in Hell is unwilling to seek rehabilitation because that would mean picking God over themselves. The whole reason they’re in Hell is because they have definitively chosen themselves over God. If they would ever seek forgiveness, God would forgive them; but they won’t. Essentially, once we die our soul is locked in, either for God or against Him. Like the angels, we no longer have the capacity to change course like we do in life.

LIke if someone was molested and it caused them to sin against others, they have a bad childhood, parents who left them or did drugs, so they learned how to steal and do drugs. I dont know I guess im just trying to understand more what is truth so that I can pray better. Thank you all. This forum rocks!

God knows our hearts. He knows why we sin, and He knows how culpable we are for those sins. In some cases, childhood abuse may lower a person’s culpability. If that is the case, then God knows that, and will judge the person accordingly. We are only held accountable for what we knowingly chose. However, we cannot assume that this means a person who is molested isn’t responsible for their actions if they do the same to someone else. The same it true for bad parentage. True, someone may be raised wrong, but that doesn’t mean that they were never presented with the truth, or that they don’t know it innately in their hearts (natural law). Ultimately, all we can do is trust in God’s sovereignty, and understand that we will only be damned if we chose to be. If we seek Him to the best of our knowledge and ability, even if we do an outstandingly bad job at it, He knows it, and He will take that into account at our judgment.

Try to remember, God didn’t create us so He could damn us. He created us to be with Him for eternity, experiencing the joy of His presence and the wonder of His creation. That is the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. It’s not actually all that complicated. The only catch is that we have to chose Him, and not ourselves. Sadly, many people are unwilling to do this, and so God allows them, through the free exercise of their wills, to chose against Him, and thereby separate themselves from Him. It’s not what He wants, and I personally feel that if there’s any way of keeping us from it at all, short of violating our free wills, He will take advantage of it.

 

[Techno2000]

My question is this. In 1 Peter we read that God did not spare the angels that sinned against Him but had them chained in darkness awaiting the judgement.I

I have read from private revelations that there were angels that were undecided during the rebellion of Satan, but God had to punish them too, they are on earth with man right now to help him. These angels can take on any form, be it Human or animal, and they will be helping man until the end of the world.

 

[Crusaderbear]

Prayers don’t go to waste! If your target is beyond redemption, the prayers will go somewhere else you may be praying for or thinking about. The important thing is you P R A Y !

 

[drac16]

Hell is more than separation from God. It is the outpouring of God’s wrath on guilty sinners. John 3:36 says “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him”. No, I don’t believe we’re being inspired by Dante’s Inferno. It is the Bible from which we derive the fact that Hellfire is God’s wrath. It is from the Bible that we see the story of the rich man and Lazrus. It is from the Bible that we look to to ascertain the fact that the wages of sin is death and that all have fallen short of the glory of God. The Bible is the source-- not Dante’s Inferno.

Yes, it is true that most souls go to Hell. Jesus said “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14). I don’t know if there are different levels of Hell. I haven’t come across that idea in the Bible.

I cannot even imagine the pain of having suffered molestation. However, that does not give the victim a license to sin. Surely God will be merciful to the victim, but he/she is still under the obligation to obey God’s commandments.

 

[animalis]

Prudence: Knowledge of how to avoid evil and pursue the supreme good. In order to be prudent, you have to have a general orientation to the following:

Justice: use of the will accord with right reason (Prudence being the most beneficial for this).
Fortitude: power to overcome the perception of obstacles in pursuit of the supreme good
Temperance: the power to overcome the desire for excess which impedes the other virtues.

“And if a man love justice: her labours have great virtues; for she teacheth temperance, and prudence, and justice, and fortitude, which are such things as men can have nothing more profitable in life.” (Wis 8:7)

The Christian has virtue in mind. The theological virtue of Hope desires heaven with a confident virtuous focus that God’s intervention will assist entry.

 

[thistle]

So, I get a little bit confused in my theology. I want to pray for souls fervently so I need to understand hell better. I believe that it exist and I know Mary warned about so many souls going to hell fires and we should pray for them. Faustina said the way is narrow to heaven.

My question is this. In 1 Peter we read that God did not spare the angels that sinned against Him but had them chained in darkness awaiting the judgement. In the gospel we see the picture of the rich man Lazarus being in flames that were hot he needed a sip of water and begged the poor man. Sooo, emm, angels who know God and rebel from Him get lights out while a human being who never saw Him gets fried, to put it bluntly. Is our color of hell tinted by Dante’s inferno? I think C.S. Lewis says the greatest hell is being separated from God.

Is the way so truly tough that most souls will go to hell?! Will their hell really be a fiery eternal state in flames being tortured by demons? Or are there different levels. I just dont understand why a demon could be held by chains in darkness while a human soul would be so tortured. Why isnt there rehabilitation clinics? LIke if someone was molested and it caused them to sin against others, they have a bad childhood, parents who left them or did drugs, so they learned how to steal and do drugs. I dont know I guess im just trying to understand more what is truth so that I can pray better. Thank you all. This forum rocks!

God does not send anyone to Hell. Going to Hell is the choice of a person who commits a mortal sin (thereby rejecting God’s love) and dying in that state has chosen to go to Hell and be eternally separated from God.

 

[BarbTh]

God does not send anyone to Hell. Going to Hell is the choice of a person who commits a mortal sin (thereby rejecting God’s love) and dying in that state has chosen to go to Hell and be eternally separated from God.

Very well said.
Mortal sin in essence is to stand against God, rejecting Him. God certainly does not send anyone to Hell. Those in Hell have chosen to reject God through sinning mortally. We choose Hell through mortal sin - and God will not act against one of the greatest gifts He has given to human nature: free will.

We can certainly repent of sinning mortally, but we must do so before death - there is no repentance possible after death.

---

" Why isnt there rehabilitation clinics"
Why, why, why? Why this and why that we can ask:

Isaiah Chapter 55
Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.

Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; Let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are
your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.

 

[mikekle]

I have read from private revelations that there were angels that were undecided during the rebellion of Satan, but God had to punish them too, they are on earth with man right now to help him. These angels can take on any form, be it Human or animal, and they will be helping man until the end of the world.

NONE of the fallen angels including satan himself are actually in hell right now, the bible clearly states they were cast down to earth, among us. They will not be in hell until Christ comes again, and even then, it says Satan will be released again for a short time after being chained in the pit, so I could never understand why satan MUST be released again…who determines that and why? f he must be released again, why not human souls too?

 

[thistle]

NONE of the fallen angels including satan himself are actually in hell right now, the bible clearly states they were cast down to earth, among us. They will not be in hell until Christ comes again, and even then, it says Satan will be released again for a short time after being chained in the pit, so I could never understand why satan MUST be released again…who determines that and why? f he must be released again, why not human souls too?

That doesn’t make sense. The Church teaches that Hell is eternal separation from God. Under your thought process Satan and the other fallen angels, if they are not in Hell, are not eternally separated from God.

 

[Dorothy]

NONE of the fallen angels including satan himself are actually in hell right now, the bible clearly states they were cast down to earth, among us. They will not be in hell until Christ comes again, and even then, it says Satan will be released again for a short time after being chained in the pit, so I could never understand why satan MUST be released again…who determines that and why? f he must be released again, why not human souls too?

The fallen angels are to tempt us, although they are on a leash and can only tempt us how God allows them to. We are to resist the temptations with the help of the grace of the Lord, and can become stronger spiritually by continuing to do so. God determines what is best for all of us and how we can grow spiritually if we choose to! God is perfect Love! He knows what He is doing!

Having rejected God, the fallen angels are in hell by their own free will. Even though they are cast down to the earth to tempt, they are in hell. (miserable and without God by their own choice).

Mikekle, I am doing my best to explain what I am aware of to you. If you have a lot of questions about what is written in Sacred Scripture, and it seems illogical to you, it would be good to hear from those who know how to explain it clearly. (I am not an expert, but understand some things.)

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Most of the ideas about hell over the past couple of centuries had to do with Dante’s Inferno, which of course is fiction.

Even the visionaries had this mindset when the Blessed Mother showed them hell and explained what they saw in those terms.

However, as in most visions, things are explained in symbolic language which is difficult to discern.

Even the 3rd Secret of Fatima if you read it, is like reading the Book of Revelation. Although it foretold of the assassination attempt on the Pope, it didn’t specifically say it was Pope John Paul II. After it happened, he himself asked Sister Lucia, if this was the 3rd secret and she affirmed that it was.

Prophecy isn’t like a fortune teller stating specifics of what will happen.

Rather, the prophecy given, states of things that will come, but the specifics are not clear until the events take place.

Hell exists, have no doubt about it.

However, place your hope in salvation through Jesus Christ. He should be the focus of your attention, not hell.

Jim

 

[Vico]

So, I get a little bit confused in my theology. I want to pray for souls fervently so I need to understand hell better. I believe that it exist and I know Mary warned about so many souls going to hell fires and we should pray for them. Faustina said the way is narrow to heaven.

My question is this. In 1 Peter we read that God did not spare the angels that sinned against Him but had them chained in darkness awaiting the judgement. In the gospel we see the picture of the rich man Lazarus being in flames that were hot he needed a sip of water and begged the poor man. Sooo, emm, angels who know God and rebel from Him get lights out while a human being who never saw Him gets fried, to put it bluntly. Is our color of hell tinted by Dante’s inferno? I think C.S. Lewis says the greatest hell is being separated from God.

Is the way so truly tough that most souls will go to hell?! Will their hell really be a fiery eternal state in flames being tortured by demons? Or are there different levels. I just dont understand why a demon could be held by chains in darkness while a human soul would be so tortured. Why isnt there rehabilitation clinics? LIke if someone was molested and it caused them to sin against others, they have a bad childhood, parents who left them or did drugs, so they learned how to steal and do drugs. I dont know I guess im just trying to understand more what is truth so that I can pray better. Thank you all. This forum rocks!

What about the Catechism?

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. 612 Jesus solemnly proclaims that he “will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,” 613 and that he will pronounce the condemnation: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!” 614

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.” 615 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.

612 Cf. Mt 5:22, 29; 10:28;13:42, 50; Mk 9:43-48.
613 Mt 13:41-42.
614 Mt 25:41.
615 Cf. DS 76; 409; 411; 801; 858; 1002; 1351; 1575; Paul VI, Creedo of the People of God # 12.
DS = Denzinger Schonmetzer Enchiridion Symbolorum.

Modern Catholic Dictionary, Gehenna (Hinnom):

A valley southwest of Jerusalem which developed an evil reputation among Jews because of idolatrous and barbarous events that took place there during the reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh (II Chronicles 28:1-4, 33:1-6). Jeremiah deplored the superstitious excesses and renamed it the Valley of Slaughter (Jeremiah 7:32). Yahweh warned the inhabitants it would become a “city of desolation” (Jeremiah 19:8). In the New Testament the name in Hebrew acquired the meaning of Hell. Jesus used it on numerous occasions, warning sinners they would be condemned to Hell if they continued their sinful ways (Matthew 5:22, 5:29; Mark 9:43).

 

[Techno2000]

NONE of the fallen angels including satan himself are actually in hell right now, the bible clearly states they were cast down to earth, among us. They will not be in hell until Christ comes again, and even then, it says Satan will be released again for a short time after being chained in the pit, so I could never understand why satan MUST be released again…who determines that and why? f he must be released again, why not human souls too?

Well again this is just private revelation,but it said after Jesus’s second coming there will be peace for 1000 years, but man will fall back into his evil ways, and the Devil will be released from hell as a punishment for mankind.

 

[mikekle]

That doesn’t make sense. The Church teaches that Hell is eternal separation from God. Under your thought process Satan and the other fallen angels, if they are not in Hell, are not eternally separated from God.

If they were eternally separated from God, how could God ask Satan where he has been, and Satan replying, coming and going from the earth.

If he was eternally separated, he would not ever be a position where God is asking him questions.

 

[Dorothy]

If they were eternally separated from God, how could God ask Satan where he has been, and Satan replying, coming and going from the earth.

If he was eternally separated, he would not ever be a position where God is asking him questions.

That dialogue pictured in scripture between God and satan, was a manner of speaking. God, at all times, knows where satan is…he is on a leash and only allowed to do what the Lord wills.

 

[BarbTh]

That dialogue pictured in scripture between God and satan, was a manner of speaking. God, at all times, knows where satan is…he is on a leash and only allowed to do what the Lord wills.

Satan can only do what God permits - see CCC on Divine Providence. Also, first couple paragraphs of The Book of Job.
God directly wills all that is good. He only permits the opposite because He knows He can bring good out of it. See CCC.

I can quote with links if anyone wants them - no time just now.

 

[thistle]

If they were eternally separated from God, how could God ask Satan where he has been, and Satan replying, coming and going from the earth.

If he was eternally separated, he would not ever be a position where God is asking him questions.

You are wrong. Satan and his minions are in Hell and they are eternally separated from God.

 

[Vico]

If they were eternally separated from God, how could God ask Satan where he has been, and Satan replying, coming and going from the earth.

If he was eternally separated, he would not ever be a position where God is asking him questions.

Satan was cast of out heaven. Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18. That does not mean there can be no communications.

Christ exercises dominion over all things “in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth,”[Phil. 2:10] “in this age [and] in the age to come.”[Eph. 1:21].