Origins of Lucifer and other Xtian Rituals

Wouldn't surprise me. The original Hebrew word is even closer. I had heard that hell was a derivative of the Greek (?) word "gehenna", I think. Not sure about that, though.

 

I think the Hebrew word is Sheol (spelling?) which meant more of a state of seperation from God than a lake of fire.

 

Gehenna is when the 3rd generation of vampires arise from their slumber and feast upon their progeny. The competition between the newly arisen vamps bring about the end of the world. :xyzthumbs

 

My understanding from previous Bible study (ages ago, I admit) was that many Bible stories & prophecies had a dual meaning or fulfillment--1 material, 1 spiritual. And the story of Lucifer was said to refer both to the physical king & to a "fallen angel" who rejected God & became his "adversary." Don't recall the source--sorry--or I'd include it here.

As to hell: the same source (???) said that 4 different terms in the Bible were translated into the English "hell." The Hebrew (Aramaic?) "sheol" and Greek "hades" were supposedly equivalent, & simply meant a hole in the ground--the grave. Another was supposedly mentioned only once or twice, & I'm not sure I remember the term; but it seems it was something like "tartaroo;" & it specifically referred to a prison for fallen angels or demons (???). The last, gehenna, referred to the "lake of fire." In literal terms, it was a garbage dump on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where refuse was thrown & burned. And that, supposedly, is the fate of the unsaved . . . to be burned. Many of the churches I've associated with say this burning torment goes on and on. One Christian church I belonged to taught that this was a misinterpretation of Scripture--that the fire simply consumed all that was thrown into it, including unrepentant sinners. That certainly seemed a more compassionate & godly way to deal with the unrepentant to me Eternal torture seems very extreme for all but the most heinous wickedness to me. And even for the heinous, why not just wipe it out & forget it?

 

The Biblical descriptions of hell are a little confusing to me too. I haven't been able to nail down a clear picture of what it is and what it isn't yet. I think it's very possible I never will. I tend to think some things in the Bible are intentionally vague. Sometimes whispers and rumors can be even more terrifying than clearly stated fact.

I have also read and heard of the "dump" on the outskirts of Jerusalem that, if I remember correctly, burned almost continually. I think it was used somewhat for garbage, but mainly for disposing of all things deemed "unclean" in Jewish culture, including bodies (depending on how the people died). A grisly sight to be sure, and not surprising that someone would use that as an illustration.

 

Wow, I have never heard of that before. I wouldn't put it past those people to discard of unworthy souls like that. They did a lot of practices then that we condone now...since as a modern society, of course, we feel superior in our knowledge.

 

As far as 'unclean' bodies go, I'm thinking most of that probably had to do with controlling disease, but I could be mistaken. Disease was a serious threat to the community, and they had some nasty ones (i.e. leprosy, plague, etc.), but I could be mistaken. It could have included criminals, too. :huh:

 

We will never know for sure. Not until once of us dies and decides to time travel.