Nevertheless, in pondering the logic of my thoughts from a mathematical point of view, even if I suffer a little, if it is interminable (this word exists too, Prarflesekhm )
Yes, I noticed it was in the definition of the word in question
I was only trying to understand what your meaning was with ‘illimited’ as that was a new word for me (I don’t keep up with Webster very well these days)
I see. This is more a logico-mathematical problem than anything else. I was seeing the degree of justice/injustice in terms of time. If all damantion(s) is/are eternal, they are all illimited, and therefore all are equal and equally unjust. But if I think outside the box one moment, I would prefer suffering from mild headaches to migraine, especially if they are eternal, so damantions are all different really, proportionate and therefore just. One could even ponder, for the sake of musing, that maybe outside of the spacetime universe there is no time as a proper dimension, and therefore eternity doesn’t mean “the hands of the clock go round and round neverending” but that the self-wrought damnation is unavoidable once you have chosen.
Am I right?
Yes, the self wrought damnation is unavoidable because we
choose to go there. God does everything in His power (in my experience, and that of many others I have spoken to) to show us that He
is. “It is written upon mens hearts that I AM”
Eternity means eternity so far as I know. I think we are ‘built’ to recognize time, given our preoccupation with it. There is an excellent book out titled “Purgatory explained by the lives and legends of the Saints” by Fr. F.X. Schouppe, S.J. People in Purgatory are said to recognize the impact of time upon their sufferings.
One individual was given a choice - spend three days in Purgatory, or spend the next year continuing to suffer from an illness he was in terrible pain from. Naturally the man took the three days. After an hour his guardian angel appeared to console him (this seems to be a Mercy from god for all those in Purgatory) the man expressed his confusion about being stuck in his pains for so long. The angel asked him how long he thought he had been there suffering, and the man said “At least several years”. The angel replied that he had only been there for
one hour. The intensity of the pain deceives you as to the time, an instant seems a day and an hour, years.
The same seems to be true for those in hell.
However, in both places, this suffering is proportionate - as is the location on the body of the suffering (the mouth for gluttony, lies, scandal, the hands for idleness, theft, etc.) and therefore just. The only difference seems to be the duration. Purgatory will end - and those inside know this as well as the reason for their suffering, and have the knowledge that God sustains them through it and so suffer gladly.
As for hell - what I think your question is (and correct me if I am wrong here) do we humans spend eternity in hell, burning forever and ever. I don’t think so - personally.
Mat 10:28 Stop being afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
This means to me that hell (for us humans) is also limited according to our deeds. It makes little sense to me that hell for us is unlimited - as our life itself is limited. Although our soul goes on living after our physical body dies - that soul can be destroyed by God in hell. As the verse states. I think the confusion comes into play where Scripture states that the sinful unrepentant man (or woman
) will NEVER be reunited with God. Ever.
Even though I stated above that hell is limited for us humans - it may well be limited also for satan:
Rev 17:8 The beast that you saw once was, is no longer, and is going to come from the bottomless pit and go to its destruction. Those living on earth, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, will be surprised when they see the beast because it was, is no longer, and will come again.
My answer for that is “I don’t know”. The traditional belief is that Hell is forever - as it is also stated in Scripture, but it also seems to be limited, as stated in the verses above. But that may be just for satan and his angels, because they KNEW God, and the choice they made was to rebel anyway. There is no repentance for them, because they knew the choice when they made it and knew that choice was forever
before they made it.
In other words it was not a question of Faith, or Hope, for them it was a choice of staying or going forever, and they made it anyway.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible to keep on restoring to repentance time and again people who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have become sharers of the Holy Spirit
Help at all?
Peace
John
) so it is nominally infinite suffering (wow). Nevertheless, it is obvious anyone would prefer a little suffering to a lot of suffering, even though both are interminable thus illimited. Anyway, that’s just me musing.