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Originally Posted by Antipas
Much of the talk about "Hell" in the Bible may very well be hyperbole. For example...
Matthew 5:29
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Jesus isn't literally saying that we should maim ourselves to ensure that we are saved. It's a calculated exaggeration. Hyperbole is defined as being: |
Interesting point. Thinking this through--suppose that one did have a big problem with, for example, sexual sin, and suppose that one DID cut off the offending body part, (the penis, it has happened somewhere or other.) And suppose that this singular act DID in fact prevent one from imbibing in the sin of fornication (mechanically at least.) Suppose additionally, that this serious believer (on a roll now!) also discovered that removing one's testicles prevented not only the physical act of fornication, but predictably also helped against the sin of lust. (Kinda the definition and point of biblical concept, "eunuch," if I understand correctly.) In this case, could it not be correctly said that such a decision, such a strange risk was somewhat PROFITABLE toward entering heaven? So, is Jesus still only teaching hyperbolically? Therefore, such a teaching cannot be categorically labeled soley hyperbole, but at least valid as literal, too.
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When Jesus spoke of Hell, Jesus described a place...where the punishment eventually ends:
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Do you mean like here?
Mat 9:43 .. "than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched."
(Or is this meaning merely the *fire* which is never quenched, yet the criminal gets set free after a while? If that's true, why is it important to specify that the fire lasts for eternity?)
Mat. 25:41
"...depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire.."
In Yul Brynner voice, "Etcetera...etcetera...etcetera."
Apologies to original poster, but some issues grow into other things.
