Fire and brimstone is a motif in Christian preaching that uses vivid descriptions of hell and damnation to encourage the listeners to fear divine wrath and punishment. A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell, according to many religious beliefs, is a place or a state of pain and suffering. ... // Religious In some forms of Western Christian belief, damnation to hell is the punishment of God for persons with unredeemed sin. ...

Biblical references

Several Biblical passages use the image of burning sulfur, or brimstone, to respresent divine wrath. The King James translation often renders such imagery with the phrase "fire and brimstone". In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah via a rain of fire and brimstone, and in Deuteronomy 29, the Israelites are threatened with the same punishment should they abandon their covenant with God. Elsewhere, divine judgments involving fire and sulfur are prophesied against Assyria (Isaiah 30), Edom (Isaiah 34), Gog (Ezekiel 38), and all the wicked (Psalm 11). Brimstone, an ancient name for the element sulfur (or sulphur). ... Look up Anger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Anger is a term for the emotional aspect of aggression, as a basic aspect of the stress response in animals in which a perceived aggravating stimulus provokes a counterresponse which is likewise aggravating and threatening of violence. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... Michelangelos depiction of God in the painting Creation of the Sun and Moon in the Sistine Chapel Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, one of the manifestations of the ultimate reality or God in Hinduism This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... In the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah (עֲמוֹרָה, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew , ) —were two cities destroyed by God for their sins. ... Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible. ... Relief from Assyrian capital of Dur Sharrukin, showing transport of Lebanese cedar (8th c. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Edom (אֱדוֹם, Standard Hebrew Edom, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔḏôm, Assyrian Udumi, Syriac ܐܕܘܡ), a Hebrew word meaning red, is a name given to Esau in the Hebrew Bible, as well as to the nation that purportedly traced their ancestry to him. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article is about the Book of Ezekiel. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ...

Fire and brimstone frequently appear as agents of divine wrath throughout the Book of Revelation, culminating in chapters 19–21, wherein the devil and the ungodly are cast into a lake of fire and brimstone as an eternal punishment: Visions of John the Evangelist, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ... The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity who, in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil. ...

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20, KJV)

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10, KJV)

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8, KJV)

The descriptions of fire and brimstone are not to be taken literally. They are supposed to show how sinfulness and rejection of god's love can result in serious problems. A beast, in the English language, is most often used as a synonym for animal. ... False prophet is a label given to a person who is viewed as illegitimately claiming charismatic authority within a religious group. ...

History

During the Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s, revivalist preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield used fire and brimstone preaching to elicit fear of divine wrath in their hearers, sometimes to great effect. Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" remains among the best-known sermons from this period; when Edwards first preached it, many in his audience burst out weeping; some reports indicate that other attendees cried out in anguish or even fainted. The First Great Awakening was a religious movement among American colonial Protestants in the 1730s and 1740s. ... Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703- March 22, 1758) was a colonial American Congregational preacher and theologian. ... George Whitefield (December 16, 1714 - September 30, 1770), was a minister in the Church of England and one of the leaders of the Methodist movement. ... Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, one of the most famous of all fire and brimstone sermons, was first preached by Jonathan Edwards, a prominent Puritan minister, in Enfield, Connecticut, in 1741. ...

Since that time, fire and brimstone sermons have been an occasional feature of Christian preaching, chiefly among more conservative preachers in the United States.

In more recent times, fire and brimstone preaching has declined in popularity, as many Christian churches prefer to present a more positive message. Fire and brimstone is now characteristic only of the more conservative branches of Christianity; the fundamentalist cartoonist Jack Chick of Chick Publications keeps the tradition alive in print. Many Baptist, Pentacostal, and Church of Christ preachers, especially older ones, do still deliver sermons in the fire and brimstone tradition. Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ... Jack Thomas Chick (born April 13, 1924) of Chick Publications is a comic book artist and publisher. ... Chick Publications is an American publishing company run by Jack Chick which produces and markets Protestant fundamentalist pamphlets, DVDs, VCDs, videos, books, a poster, and (most famously) comic tracts in many languages. ... A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. ... The Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations. ...

Some denominations, such as the Society of Friends (or Quakers) have few, if any, members who support such notions; indeed many mainline churches have a significant number of followers who would deny the existence of hell in any literal sense. In more recent times, the term "fire and brimstone" is used more often to stereotype conservative preachers; Few preachers, even conservative ones, would label themselves that way. The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... Mainline is also rail terminology for the main and often most transited portion of a railroad, which is usually double- or more track. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell, according to many religious beliefs, is a place or a state of pain and suffering. ...

See also

• Afterlife
• Annihilationism
• Christian demonology (Has a wealth of links)
• Devil
• Jonathan Edwards
• Gehenna
• Hell
• Problem of Hell
• Satan
• Sheol
• Billy Sunday

The afterlife (or life after death) is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual and experiential, beyond this world, or after death. ... Annihilationism is one of several doctrines of hell in the Christian religion. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity, who, in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil. ... Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703- March 22, 1758) was a colonial American Congregational preacher and theologian. ... Note: Tanach quotes are from the Judaica press Tanach. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell, according to many religious beliefs, is a place or a state of pain and suffering. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Gustave Dores depiction of Satan from John Miltons Paradise Lost Satan (Standard Hebrew: , Satan Tiberian Hebrew ; Greek , Satanás; Aramaic: , ; Arabic: شيطان, Shaitan) is a Abrahamic term which is traditionally applied to an angel, demon, or minor god in many belief systems. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Billy Sunday William Ashley Billy Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was noted first as a professional baseball player, and then more famous evangelist. ...

External link

• The Straight Dope on Fire and Brimstone