re: #552 Walter L. Newton

He died and went to Hades, Geheanna, the one and only words that we use for hell.

This is not a problem with scripture, this is a problem with Christianity which teaches a burning hell, and then can’t reconcile the language and concepts with early 1st century concepts of the GRAVE.

So, you got yourself a big problem that you have to twist and turn to explain.

The plain meaning of scripture is he went to the grave for three days. And anywhere else Hades (or Sheol in the hebrew scriptures) is used, the term simply means grave, not some burning place of punishment.

Sorry you had to leave, but I have to say, just so!
This whole idea of a ‘burning place of punishment’ is also a much later accretion - and has led to many people rejection God and Jesus because they cannot and will not (rightly so!) belive in a tyrant who seems to delight in punishing people for whatever arbitrary transgressions.

It ain’t so!
These transgressions, these punishemnts were an invention of much later priests who needed to exercise power over others, by instilling fear.

What is the one thing God and Jesus tell people again and again?
‘Do not be afraid!’

Draw your own conclusions!