Hi! I just recently became Christian. I have questions.

[kristoph123]

It would be great if you could answer my questions or any that you know the answer to, thank you.

1. Who, Why, or How was hell created?
2. Is hell really a bad place? If it is don't you think it's far too great as a punishment?
3. Will i remember my life on earth before i died?
4. If i go to heaven, will i see my family there? (I'm the only Christian in this household and i can't bear the thought that my family will spend eternity being tortured.
5. Can I pray for my family to go to heaven even though they aren't Christian?

 

[1 holy 1]

The Christian teaching that I have always heard says that everyone will stand before God and He will separate out those who accepted Jesus to go to heaven and those who didn’t to hell. Granted, that description is simplistic, but it is basically correct.
If one truly believes that the majority of humankind is doomed to burn in agony for all of infinity and they do not spend every single waking moment of their life doing every thing they possibly can to save people from the sinking ship of life, what does that make them? How can you possibly have a job or do anything recreational or spend time reading blogs if everyone around you is destined to be trapped in a land of torment and you have the one way to save them?
Does one who believes in an eternal hell have such utter disregard and perhaps even hatred for all of his fellow man that they do not regard the lost as worthy of their time? Would that then make a Christian who does not spend every single moment of every day proclaiming the Gospel the most evil of all persons on the earth?

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

There is a huge diversity of beliefs concerning each of your questions.

So a thoughtful answer should introduce you to the scope of different beliefs within
different schools of thought.

#1 Hell is a German word translated from the Greek word Hades which simply means the unseen.
There is some controversy because the Jews were looking for a resurrection of the just and the unjust.
The Jews believed in Sheol or the pit were the occupants were unaware of their surroundings and were awaiting a resurrection of the just and the unjust.This was different from all the pagan religions/mythologies that had stories of the afterlife where the occupants were aware of there surroundings.These other cultures did not believe in a resurrection of anyone(except Egyptology as far as I know).
One other thing to consider is what the book of revelation says:
King James Version
Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

If anyone tells you Hell is eternal then they have probably never seriously considered how to account for Hell delivering up it's dead for the occupants to be judged.Which begs a further question of why someone would be tortured before even being judged.And what about those in the sea,how did they get there?
Does this mean an evil man who dies at sea can escape Hell?That doesn't make any sense in my mind or my heart.

If we look at other translations of that same verse it actually fits the Jewish belief of a resurrection and then a judgement.
New Living Translation (©2007)
Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
Revelation 20:13 And the Sea yielded the dead which were in it, and Death and Sheol yielded the dead which were with them, and they were judged, one by one, according to their works.


Further complicating the concept of hell is this:

King James Version
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
This verse is really hard to make any sense if Hell is an eternal place of tortutre
Other translations seem to make a little more sense.

New Living Translation (©2007)
Revelation 20:14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
Revelation 20:14 And Death and Sheol were cast into The Lake of Fire- this which is the second death.

Question #2 #3 and #4 would depend much on your understanding of the the afterlife or what Jesus termed "the world to come".

Question # 5 is an important question that deserves full study because there is much disagreement about it.
So we should again seek the scripture that either confirm or refute the concept.
I will try to get back soon with some key verses that should be considered when praying and or believing for others to come to know the truth.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

Welcome, Kristoph123. You ask good questions. Be patient in your search for answers.

Spirit Led Ed (SLE)

 

[mercyorphanage]

i am praying for you for you may get satisfied answers from our talkjesus forum.

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

5. Can I pray for my family to go to heaven even though they aren't Christian?

The traditional view of heaven has the same problem as the traditional view of Hell.
That is that the Jews were awaiting a resurrection of the just and the unjust.
Also Jesus said "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall never pass away.

Rev.21 1-3
1Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”a for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.

Jesus spoke of resurrection,eternal life and the world to come.
Jesus did not describe eternal life as going to heaven.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Jesus said"I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may be also".
And that is the new Jerusalem which comes down from heaven and according to Revelation 21:3 where God will reside with men.
We think he wants us to come and live with him but scripture seems to say he wants to come and live with us.

God desires to come and live with us in New Jerusalem.
Where is New Jerusalem?
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
As far as I can tell the new Jerusalem must be someone who loves Jesus because that is where Jesus said he and the Father would make their abode.So if you love Jesus then your family is not very far from heaven is it.

OK,I don't want to throw to much on your plate but since our understanding of the afterlife,the resurrection or what Jesus called the "world to come" is at the very best muddy then rather than trying to get to heaven which will pass away we should pray that they come to know God and the one whom God sent,Jesus Christ.

I pray that your family and everyone they and you come in contact with would come to Know God and the one whom God sent,Jesus Christ.
Amen

 

[Kallie]

I can try and answer questions 1 ,2 and 4

1 : Matthew 25:41
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

2: Hell is a place utterly void of God's presence. Once we understand that God is good (Psalm 25:8, 34:8, 100:5) and that God is love (1st John 4:16), as well as the fact that all good things come from Him, we come to understand that when all of these things, including God's influence, goodness, and His attributes are totally removed, all that remains is utter destruction, death, chaos, fear, despair, evil, and hatred. Once God is removed, all good things go with him, this is why Hell is utter destruction and despair.

In other words, God did not have to create Hell as such a horrible place, but once His presence was removed from the equation, Hell became desolate, because God's glory, grace, goodness and love were all removed from it. by Henry M. Morris.

4: John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (heaven) except through Me.