(October 7, 2015 at 11:35 pm)sinnerdaniel94 Wrote: Bible teaches that Hell is NOT separation from God
Its a place of...
flaming fire
smothering smoke
dismal darkness
screaming and wailing
everlasting chains
flesh-eating worms
no rest
Does it? I'm not so sure.
It's necessary to break it down within its C1 Jewish context.
Most of the usually used descriptions are written in Jewish apocalyptic language, which means it's not to be taken remotely literally. The usually used stories tend to be derived from somewhere else, and therefore can no more be used as a picture of reality than the film adaptation of Lord of the Rings.
Some of the material is used to describe something that's already happened (the inauguration of God's Kingdom), or exclusion from the Kingdom. Translations tend to evoke medieval imagery rather than contemporary C1 usage (e.g. Gehenna translated as “hell” calling to mind Hieronymus Bosch rather than the place of cremation- bodily destruction- it actually was).
Your mention about flaming fires and immortal worms misses the point- these are the main ways of destroying a dead body.
The Spanish Inquisition would be unlikely to consider worms as a tool of torture.
