Can bible really be interpreted as if there is no torment but you cease to exist

[Aardverk]

1. Hell is a place, so to speak, but not what we usually think of a place being. It is not on earth, and neither is heaven. It is spiritual, meaning you won't have a body to burn or a physical brain to think with. Your spirit will be in torment because you missed Christ when he was staring you in the face.

2. Mark 12:25 says "When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage." We will have been washed clean by Jesus' sacrifice so we won't have the desire to sin. Heaven is not a place in the clouds or another planet with natural law restrictions or body limitations like disease. Philippians 3:20-21 says "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body." Adds Revelation 21:4, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Heaven is a not a party to drink at, but a place we will be perfectly happy fellowshiping with others and being with God. Imagine the feeling you had when you were first engaged or married (or what it might be) and when or if you held your first child in your arms. Heaven will be joy like that, but infinitely more powerful and unending.

Thank you 'Undeceived' for your attempt to answer this most difficult question. Unfortunately you avoided my first question. I asked why you thought heaven was real but hell was only in your head. You didn't cover that. 'Spiritual' just means 'imaginary' to most of us.

Your second answer was mystifying. If you good Christians all end up with a "glorious body" like Jesus Christ's that presumably means a physical body because Jesus went up to heaven with a human body according to the bible. So, heaven must be a physical place for those billions of glorious bodies to reside and admire each other. Well, I admire glorious bodies, don't you? Are you quite sure sex is banned? No drink either? Jesus turned water into wine so surely he can manage a bit more booze to keep people happy? No TV? How about music? Debating societies perhaps? Or will we have all the answers and not need to think about anything?

That still leaves me with my original query - what on earth, sorry, what in heaven are YOU going to do for an E T E R N I T Y. An eternity is a hell of a long time. Feeling happy, like when you first hold your child (good example) can not possibly last unless we, sorry, unless you have most of your brains removed to stop you being bored out of your minds within a week. Is that why it is only Christians going there?

No, it doesn't really make sense does it 'Undeceived'? Our brains, well most of us here anyway, are active, productive, enquiring things that we enjoy using. The idea of sitting around with a happy smile on my face for an E T E R N I T Y sounds absolutely awful. It sounds more like a hell to me. Are you sure you've got it the right way around? Do you really want to be brain dead with a silly grin for an E T E R N I T Y?

No, you've let me down 'Undeceived'. Does any other 'believer' want to offer their view of heaven? This view obviously makes no sense at all. If that's heaven, I certainly don't want to go. Captain Stormfield's heaven sounds far more likely to me. Do read it; it's only a short story.