When you think of hell, what is it you think of? A place of burning? Fire? Demons gleefully torturing people as they scream in terror? If you are like most people, that is likely what the word “hell” brings to mind.
But did you know that such a depiction of hell does not come from the Bible at all? It comes from ancient pagan beliefs; not from the Bible.
When the Bible talks about hell, or hades, or sheol, a completely different picture emerges. This is what we talk about in this podcast episode on Jonah 2:2, where Jonah goes to hell.
The Text of Jonah 2:2
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.
In this discussion of Jonah 2:2 we look at:
- Why the first half of verse 2 is not officially the prayer of Jonah.
- The significance of Jonah “crying out to Yahweh”
- What Jonah means when he says he went to hell
- A brief discussion of hell in the Bible
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In respect to ‘Universalism’ and other ‘out-there views’, allow me a hypothetical situation: what if I could prove conclusively that the Bible is full of errors; that it only represents God’s mind in some instances ….What would this do to your thinking?
First: it would force you away from dogma; simply because you cannot insist on anything with any absolute certainty of ‘Divine authority’.
Second: This would force you to consider another thoughtful persons opinions as potentially viable.
Third: This, then, would automatically make you more humble, regardless of the knowledge you have.
Forth: You would be less judgemental, because you no longer have evidence which condemns another’s viewpoint, or lifestyle.
Finally: God could become better than you thought He was.
Very interesting, and I like your conclusion.
Peter posed the question “what if I could prove conclusively that the Bible is full of errors?” I”ve found that Bible study is similiar to panning for gold. Telling those who were part of the Gold Rush that the rivers were full of sand wouldn’t have deterred any of them. The Gold Rush went to locations where some gold had been found. I”d suggest that some Bible translations have fewer errors than others. The Institute for Scripture Research’s translation doesn’t use the word “Hell” at all.. ISR’s text of Jonah 2:2 is…. And he said, “I called to YHWH because of my distress, and He answered me. From the stomach of the grave I cried, and You heard my voice.
The concept of hell that I was taught, hasn’t made any sense to me since I started listening to you. I know that there are consequences for actions, and I do believe that there is separation from God for unbelievers. But eternal suffering, from a loving God is illogical. I look forward to hearing more of your views on this topic.
As usual, I enjoyed this lesson, and this whole series has been very enlightening.
I’m with Faith on this. Separation from God literally means death so how is it possible to be alive and and also separated from the source of Life. Therefore God needs to keep you alive in your pitiful state and that is torment, whether God actively does it (of course not!) or allows/puts up with it. It doesn’t solve the problem but just boundaries it off, sin/pain/hate remains in the new creation forever, this is very dissonant to me.