Is Hell eternal?

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I’ve heard different arguements, but never was sure. Can we really be punished FOREVER nonstop for all of eternity for ever and ever for sins that aren’t being committed forever and ever?
 
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kyle8921:
I’ve heard different arguements, but never was sure. Can we really be punished FOREVER nonstop for all of eternity for ever and ever for sins that aren’t being committed forever and ever?
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Yup.

Even if not, do you want to take that chance?
 
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kyle8921:
I’ve heard different arguements, but never was sure. Can we really be punished FOREVER nonstop for all of eternity for ever and ever for sins that aren’t being committed forever and ever?
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Unless one is willing to call Jesus a liar, I don’t understand why there in a argument. He conclude the foretelling of the judgement of the nations in Mt 25:31-46 with
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matt 25:46 (NRSV)​
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Yes, I believe hell is eternal. I know “eternal” is a hard concept to imagine since we are human.

Karen
 
God is all good and all love. Being totally separated from all good and all love would be more horrible than anyone could even imagine. When we die, if we are separated from God, we now exist separated from Him outside of time. In otherwords, we just exist without any smidgeon of good or love. That means it’ll be total bad with no beginning and no end.
 
Jesus says it is. We have to take Him at His word. To assume otherwise would be pretty stupid.

wc
 
Search the Ask the Apologist forum for more details about hell and its eternity. They give a pretty good answer to your question and provide a link to a Catholic encyclopedia for more information on hell than you would ever need.
 
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kyle8921:
I’ve heard different arguements, but never was sure. Can we really be punished FOREVER nonstop for all of eternity for ever and ever for sins that aren’t being committed forever and ever?
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Eternal? Yes. Your difficulty may come from your concept of eternity, or, to be more precise, forever from here on after death. We don’t have a clear concept of how time works or to what degree we’ll be *outside of time. *Some might call it a state of being… a state of our choosing to be separated from God in whom alone we can find true happiness and peace. The punishment isn’t negotiable, but it is not infinite either. Only God is infinite.

Just as in Heaven, one saint is more saintly, more great-hearted, more loving, and therefore more able to contain God’s joy in heaven than another, and in a sense is “higher” than another, so one sinner is “lower” in hell than another (i.e. more deep-set in despair and pride and hate.) There are limits. Hell’s punishment fits sin’s crime because sin is divorce from God. The punishment fits the crime because the punishment IS the crime. Saying no to God means no God. Those who object to hell’s overseverity do not see what sin really is. The probably look at sin externally, sociologically, as “behaving badly”. They fail to see the real horror of sin and the real greatness and goodness and joy of the God who is refused in every sin. We all fail to appreciate this. Who of us fully appreciates God’s beauty? The corollary immediately follows: who of us fully appreciates sin’s ugly horror?

The last paragraph is a close paraphrase from one part of Peter Kreeft’s Handbook of Christian Apologetics. I highly recommend you read the whole book, and not just the section on hell.
 
Hell is eternal separation from God.
We think of it as punishment because we are looking at from the point of view of believers. But to the people who go to Hell, it is the freedom to say “NO!!” to God. It makes no sense to me that anyone would choose this, however, the scriptures, & 2000 years of Christian thinkers tell us that they do.
I personally like something that a very wise man once told me: “People are not in Hell because they don’t repent; they are there because they won’t repent.” This is a choice. Some people make it, even in the face of eternity. Because they refuse to bow down & worship the King of the universe.
Remember Milton’s Satan? “It is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven”.
Yes, I know. This is insanity. But there are people like this…
 
We are promised eternal reward in Heaven for acts in this life: acts that are not themselves everlasting. A cup of cold water given to a disciple, a meal to a hungry person, a visit paid to the sick - “the reward is very great”. :dancing: .:love:
I have never heard anyone protest that God ought not give us an everlasting reward for good acts that took only a moment to do:whistle:

…I like the smiles on this forum.:yup:
 
Once in hell, a soul is bound by immense hatred of God which itself is a grave sin. he will never get out this and will continue commit this sin as long as he’s there.
so punishment of hell is eternal as the sins of the souls there is unlimited
 
Catechism of the Catholic Church

**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.” 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.
 
It will be what they have chosen, and they may consider hell to be heaven, and heaven to be hell.

Read C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce” for an interesting take on heaven and hell.
 
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