(* The
KJV and the NKJV are the only two of the major translations in the list
above to use "Hell" in the Old Testament. Even the NKJV which was only
supposed to modernize the English of the traditional "Authorized
Version," the KJV, took a dozen Hell references out. (2 Sam 22:6, Job
11:8, Job 26:6, Ps 16:10, Ps 18:5, Ps 26:13, Ps 116:3. Is 5:14, Is
28:15, Is 57:9, Jonah 2:2). It seems even in the King James Tradition,
the use of the word "Hell" is decreasing. The NKJV, RSV, ASV, NRSV, and
NASB are all technically revisions of the original King James Bible.
From 54 times to 32 and then to 12 or 13 times--who knows--maybe the
next revision will bring it in line with the many Bibles which have
eliminated the pagan word Hell all
together.)
** A note about the Parallel Interlinears. I
am referring to the word-for-word translations beneath the Greek in
these works, NOT the English versions which are also in these reference
works. Obviously the versions in these books (NIV, NASB, and KJV)
contain the word Hell as many times as they normally
would.
There are other translations like the
Companion Bible King James Version, American Standard Version (1901),
the Newberry Reference Bible (Still published by Kregal Publications),
and the Riverside New Testament by Ballantine (1934) which contain
footnotes, marginal readings and appendages which point out that several
key Greek and Hebrew words regarding Hell have been MIStranslated by
such Bible versions as the King James Bible. Please note that the above
list of Bibles which do NOT contain the word Hell in the text is NOT
exhaustive--we are discovering more translations all the time in which
the translators did not feel justified in using the Teutonic pagan word
Hell to translate the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek words Gehenna,
Hades, and Tartarus.
The End of "Forever" in
the Bible.
Another pleasant change which more Bible
translations of the future will make deals with the subject of the words
"everlasting," "eternal," and "for ever and ever." These words have been
used in times past to translate the Hebrew word "olam," and its Greek
counterpart "aion," and its adjective, "aionios." These ancient words
should NEVER have been translated this way. Many modern scholars are
beginning to cut against the grain of tradition and speak the truth
which has been shackled by the chains of tradition long enough. It's
time for light. The body of Christ has had enough of living in the
shadows. It's time for pure light!
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, a well-known
Bible teacher, hailed as "the prince of expositors" wrote in his book
"God's Method's With Men" on pages 185, 6, "Let me say to Bible students
that we must be very careful how to use the word 'eternity.' We have
fallen into great error in our constant use of that word. There is NO
word in the whole Book of God corresponding with our 'eternal,' which as
commonly used among us, means absolutely without end."
The above statement may come as a shock
to the traditional Christian in the typical Church. It was certainly a
shock to me. How could he make what appeared to me such a ridiculous
statement. The Bible translations I had were FILLED with verses that
spoke of things which were "eternal," "everlasting," and went on
"forever and ever." How could he be hailed as a renowned Bible teacher
and be given the honor of being called by the evangelical world the
"prince of expositors" and yet make what appeared to me based upon my
few Bible translations an utterly ridiculous statement? But when I
decided to dig through my walls of tradition to see if what the famous
Doctor Morgan said was true, I found MANY other well-known and respected
scholars and Bible teachers had come to the very same conclusions to
which Dr. Morgan had come.
And after doing some intensive studies
comparing English Bible translations and noting great discrepancies
among them, comparing translations to the original languages of the
Bible and studying the teachings of the early Christian believers and
leaders and aided by the Spirit of Truth whom Jesus promised to send His
disciples, I came to the conclusion based upon solid facts that Dr.
Morgan was correct in his assertions. The "traditional" teachings which
I had consumed in the many churches I had attended over the years were
false. This was a very painful discovery in one sense. It brought about
division with some of my other Christian brothers and sisters who were
not willing to look at these plain facts. They didn't want to rock the
boat. They were comfortable being in the majority whether they were
right or wrong. The fear and respect of man had gripped them and they
didn't even know it. Jesus said that His word would divide, didn't He?
Sometimes it even divided brother from sister, father from son, etc.
Even though that brought sorrow for a season, the Truth shall make you
free. The freedom I found after being set free of some "traditions of
men" and "doctrines of demons" which had held me imprisoned is
impossible to put in words. Truly God expanded Himself greatly in my
life after the religious shackles which enslaved me came off. I pray
that the rest of my brothers and sisters who are still enslaved to
"majority rule" thinking be given the courage to look at the truth
instead of bow down to the fear of man.
Today, many years after this shocking
discovery, I can't believe I ever believed the "traditional" view.
Today, the Bible speaks from cover to cover of a MUCH more glorious God
than I had been taught in the traditional fundamentalist, evangelical,
Pentecostal, and Charismatic Churches I had attended. I wrote this brief
article to serve as an introduction to a subject on which we have
written and reprinted hundreds of articles, tracts, books, audio tapes,
CD's etc. It is merely a tiny spark.a spark which I hope will set ablaze
once and for all every single tradition the reader has been taught by
men and women which are contrary to the true Word of God. This article
will NOT answer all your questions-this article's purpose is to free the
reader to begin to ask the RIGHT questions which, with diligent study
and prayer, will bring the answers to the reader. At the end of this
article are listed some Internet sites which contain literally hundreds
of articles and books which will greatly expound upon the tiny spark
which this brief article is. If the reader let's this spark take its
course in their lives, I believe a real resurrection will follow-a
resurrection from the death found in the "traditions of men" and the
"doctrines of demons" and into the glorious light of the truly Good News
of Jesus Christ which most of the world to this day has NOT heard
especially in church.
Before reading the rest of this short
article, I beg the reader to pray a short prayer something like this.
Use your own words, of course: Dear heavenly Father, if I have swallowed
traditions and doctrines which have made the word of God of no effect in
my life (Matt. 5:15-6-9), then I ask you to reveal this to me, no matter
how hard it may be for me to bear it. I want the Truth and nothing but
the Truth. Please send the Spirit of Truth into my life. Make all my
beliefs line up with the Truth found in Jesus Christ alone. Cause me to
yield myself completely to the Spirit whom Jesus promised to send to His
believers. Set me free from ALL traditions, rituals, doctrines, beliefs
and associations which have NOT come from you. And Father, if the
message in this article is indeed true and from you, then let it do its
work in me. Use it as a spark which will burn up everything and anything
which is NOT from You. Humble me, Father, that I might be able to
receive your Truth found in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Send me Your
Precious Holy Spirit, and reveal the Truth to me. Amen.
Now please take the English Bible
translation of your choice and find the following Scriptures and allow
the Holy Spirit to do His work. It would be helpful if you compared at
least three English translations. Since the King James Bible has held
sway over the non-Catholic and Orthodox Churches for the last 350 years,
that should be one of the translations. Then find another one of the
leading "selling" English translations like the NIV, NASB, NRSB,
Amplified, Living Translation, etc. I emphasized the word "selling"
because the merchandising of the Gospel is one of the leading factors
which has brought corruption into our English translations. The third
Bible to have at hand would be perhaps Young's Literal Translation of
the Holy Bible published by Baker Book House, or "Rotherham Emphasized
Bible" published by Kregal Publications (both publishing houses are
leading well-established evangelical publishers). The last two
translations can be ordered from just about any Christian bookstore or
through their internet sites or via Christian Book Distributors, the
largest discounter of Christian books. They have a large Internet site
from which one can order directly. Also, used copies of the last two
translations are readily available through used book internet databases
like Bookfinder; their url is: http://www.bookfinder.com/
Now let's discover how long the
"eternity" REALLY is in many leading "selling" English
translations:
Sodom's fiery judgment is
"eternal" (Jude 7)--until--God "will restore the fortunes of Sodom"
(Ezek. 16:53-55).
Israel's "affliction is
incurable" (Jer. 30:12)-until--the Lord "will restore health" and heal
her wounds (Jer. 30:17).
The sin of Samaria "is
incurable" (Mic. 1:9)-until-- Lord "will restore ... the fortunes of
Samaria." (Ez. 16:53).
Ammon is to become a
"wasteland forever" and "rise no more" (Zeph. 2:9, Jer. 25:27
--until--the Lord will "restore the fortunes of the Ammonites" (Jer.
49:6).
An Ammonite or Moabite is
forbidden to enter the Lord's congregation "forever"-until--the tenth
generation (Deut. 23:3):
Habakkuk tells us of mountains
that were "everlasting", that is -until-- they "were shattered" Hab. 3
3:6).
The Aaronic Priesthood was to
be an "everlasting" priesthood (Ex. 40:15), that is-until-it was
superceded by the Melchizedek Priesthood (Hebrews
7:14-18).
Many translations of the Bible
inform us that God would dwell in Solomon's Temple "forever" (1 Kings
8:13), that is,--until the Temple was destroyed.
The children of Israel were to
"observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual
covenant" (Exodus 31:16)-until--Paul states there remains "another day"
of Sabbath rest for the people of God (Heb. 4:8,9).
The Law of Moses was to be an
"everlasting covenant" (Leviticus 24:8) yet we read in the New Covenant
the first was "done away" and "abolished" (2 Corinthians 3:11,13), and
God "made the first old" (Hebrews 8:13).
The fire for Israel's sin
offering (of a ram without blemish) is never to be put out. It shall be
a "perpetual"-- until-- Christ, the Lamb of God, dies for our sins. We
now have a better covenant established on better promises (Lev. 6:12-13,
Heb. 8:6-13).
God's waves of wrath roll over
Jonah "forever"-until--the Lord delivers him from the large fish's belly
on the third day (Jonah 2:6,10; 1: 17); Egypt and Elam will "rise no
more" (Jer. 25:27)-until--the Lord will "restore the fortunes of Egypt"
(Ez. 29:14) and "restore the fortunes of Elam" (Jer.
49:39).
"Moab is destroyed" (Jer.
48:4, 42)-until--the Lord "will restore the fortunes of Moab" (Jer.
48:47).
Israel's judgment lasts
"forever"-until--the Spirit is poured out and God restores it (Isa.
32:13-15).
So, narrow is the way to life
and few find it-until-- and His church confiscate the "strong man's"
booty, setting the captives free so God becomes all in all (Isa. 61,
Luke 11:21-22, Matt. 7:13; 16:18, 1 Cor. 15:24-28).
The King James Bible, as well
as many others, tells us that a bondslave was to serve his master
"forever" (Exodus 21:6), that is,--until--his death.
God is now calling out "a
people for His name"--an "elect" or chosen priesthood people who will
represent and reflect His loving nature. Many are called and few are
chosen--until--the small chosen priesthood people, by the Spirit,
restore "David's tabernacle" so ALL mankind may inquire of the Lord.
Thus we see that the church is the first-born, the beginning--until--in
ALL (later born new creatures in Christ) our Lord will have supremacy
(Amos 9:11-12, Matt. 22:14, Acts 15:14-18, Eph. 3:15, Col. 1
18).
All manner of sin will be
forgiven in this AGE as well as in the AGE (not eternity) to come,
except blasphemy against God's Spirit-until--such blasphemy finds pardon
in the fullness of the times (or ages) when God unites all in Christ.
For the Lord does not retain His anger forever because He delights in
mercy (Matt. 12:32; 18:11,21-22, Eph. 1:9-11, Rev. 4:11; 5:13, Mic.
7:18-20).
God's wrath has come upon
Israel "to the uttermost" (1 Thess. 2:16). So there is a gulf between
"the rich man in purple" (Royal Covenant "Son", Israel) and the saved
gentiles (Lazarus) which no man can cross--until--Christ Himself crosses
it to bring His promised restoration. For again, Scripture promises that
ALL Israel will be saved (Jer. 50:5, Luke 16:19-26, John 12:32, Romans
11:26-29).
Christ's fallen apostle,
Judas, will be restored just as surely as fallen Israel (of which he is
a member) will be restored. For the gifts and callings of God are
irrevocable, and He has purposed to unite all in Christ. For Scripture
assures us that He who calls us is 'faithful". He will surely perform
it. So Judas is lost-until--the Lord restores Him (John 15:16, 1 Thess.
5:24).
So, Christ will say to
unrighteous NATIONS, "Depart from Me into 'everlasting' fire." And these
nations will go away into "everlasting" (original language: age-lasting)
punishment or pruning, that is--until--by God's severe mercy shown in
judgment, ALL nations He has made glorify and worship Him. Thus God will
fulfill His covenant with Abraham that in Christ all the families of ALL
the nations will be BLESSED (Gen. 12:3, Ps. 62:12, 67:4, 86:9, Matt.
25:41,46). For according to Paul (Gal. 3:8), God's covenant with Abraham
means that ALL will be justified and set right with God. So all flesh
will bless His name forever and ever (Ps. 145:21).
Therefore, ALL scriptural
references that speak of everlasting fire or judgment MUST be understood
in light of God's (Love's) clearly expressed heart, promise, desire,
purpose and will. They ARE "everlasting"; that is, they are continuous
and on-going--until--God's judgments serve to accomplish His unchanging
will and purpose to unite ALL creation in Christ. (Gen. 12:3, Romans
4:13, Heb. 6:17).
Truly God's judgments are in the
earth-until-mercy shall triumph over those judgments. (James
2:13)
In Adam ALL died, that is,--until-in
Christ shall ALL be made alive, but each in his own order. (1 Cor.
15:22) Paul reemphasized this important truth in Romans 5:18. "Through
the one man's offense judgment came to ALL men, resulting in
condemnation, that is,--until-through one Man's righteous act the free
gift came to ALL men, resulting in justification of life." It is
righteous AND fair that because all were condemned to death through
Adam's one act of disobedience that God undo that unrighteous act and
give us all live. We didn't ask to die and we should have to ask to
live. God is God. We do we get mad when He becomes good to all just
because He delights in doing good? There is a parable about some workers
who worked all day yet were given the same wages as those who only
worked a short while. Perhaps we, Christians, should learn the lesson of
that parable. (Matt. 20:1-16) What is in us that doesn't think it's fair
if God gives us all eternal life? After all, did we earn ours? Maybe
that's where the real problem lies. Many of us have been duped into
mixing law and works with grace thereby falling from grace and becoming
unrighteous judges just like the Pharisees of old.
Gehenna's fires are not
quenched and its worm does not die--until--the restoration of all things
which has been spoken of by all God's holy prophets (Christ included)
since the world began. For our Savior did not come to contradict His own
prophets. Our Good Shepherd and Faithful Deliverer came to fulfill the
law and the prophets! Thus our Lord does not cast off forever (Lam.
3:31-32, Heb. 13:8). He who taught us to forgive and bless our enemies
will surely do the same for His. For every tongue will give thanks that
in Him they have righteousness and strength. All flesh will bless His
name forever and ever! For our Lord will not fail or become discouraged
until He fulfills all of God's purpose, word and will. For He tells us
that everyone will be "seasoned" with fire (Matt. 5:17, Mark 9:42-49,
Acts 3:21).
Those who disobey the gospel
and persecute Christians will be repaid with "everlasting" (that is,
continuous) tribulation, destruction and punishment-until--by such
persistent correction God shows them their need for Christ. So what is
written in the prophets will come to pass, that ALL shall be taught of
God, and everyone who has heard and LEARNED from the Father (eventually)
comes to Christ. Thus, all the families of the nations will remember Him
and worship before Him. And all will submit to Him and sing His praise.
So God's promise will be fulfilled that ALL men shall reverence Him
proclaim His works, and wisely consider His doing (Ps. 22:27-28, 64:4-5,
64:9, 2 Thess. 1:7-10).
Paul the apostle understood
the "forever until" principle at work in God's redemptive judgments. He
knew the heart of God, and Paul also knew God's will, purpose and plan.
His knowledge of God's character, will and purpose governed his
understanding of Scripture. That is why Paul could appear to contradict
the prophet David! Have a look at Romans 11:9-12 in the NIV translation,
where David prophesies in Psalm 69:22:
"May their table become a
snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them. May their
eyes be darkened so they cannot see and their backs be bent
FOREVER."
And observe how Paul
responds:
"Again I ask: Did they
(Israel) stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? NOT AT ALL! Rather,
because of their transgression, salvation has come to the gentiles
(pagans, all who are spiritually unenlightened) to make Israel envious.
For if their transgression means RICHES for the WORLD, and their loss
means riches for the gentiles--how much greater riches will their
(Israel's) fullness bring?"
Wow. . . ! In the next three
verses Paul assures us:
that Israel's fall is the
reconciliation of the WORLD;
that Israel's fall will be
(for them and all the world) life from the dead! (Ez.
37);
that because the FIRST fruit
(Israel) is holy, the whole world ("lump" or "harvest field") is
holy.
Read all of Romans chapter
eleven, and the Scriptures will clearly speak for themselves. Practice
reading all of God's Word in light of His character, commitment, purpose
and reliable good pleasure and will. Get God's "forever until" policy of
judgment settled in your heart--and get ready!
The "forever until" principle
should really more accurately be termed "present time until" principle,
NOT "forever-until. As the reader can plainly see from the many
Scriptures we quoted, the terms "forever and ever," "eternal,"
"everlasting," etc., are MIStranslations which appear in many of our
leading "selling" translations, but they never appeared in the original
languages of the Scriptures. The wages of sin have always been DEATH,
NOT "everlasting" punishment, "everlasting" destruction" or burning in a
lake of fire "for ever and ever."
Yes, death, which was IMPUTED
to all mankind through the one unrighteous act of Adam, would send ALL
of mankind to death-until-Jesus would overcome all His enemies, the last
one being death itself. ALL death will be overcome by Jesus. The lake of
fire is defined by the Bible itself as the "second death." (Rev. 20:14,
Rev. 21:8) Death would reign-until Jesus overcomes it and then Jesus
will deliver the kingdom unto God the Father, that He may be "all in
all." (1 Cor. 15:28)
If one wants to get down right
technical about it (which I don't particularly want to do in this
article), many leading selling English Bible translations have just
plain missed it when translating the Hebrew word "olam," the Greek word,
"aion," and its adjective "aionios." These words simply should never
have been translated by words which indicate an eternal state. Many
leading scholars today readily admit that. I'll just quote one for this
non-technical article just for the reader's sake.
Dr. R. F. Weymouth, translator
of the "New Testament in Modern Speech" states in that work, "Eternal,
Greek aeonian, i.e., of the ages: Etymologically this adjective, like
others similarly formed does not signify, "during" but "belonging to"
the aeons or ages." Many more scholars who make similar statements
regarding these key Hebrew and Greek words may be found at the "Scholars
Corner," at the following Internet sites:
http://www.tentmaker.org
http://what-the-hell-is-hell.com
You are about to embark upon a
love affair with our Heavenly Father that will transform your life. His
heart will heal and transform your heart! For of Him and through
Him--and to Him--are ALL things! (Romans 11:36) Yourself included. For
again, we must remember, our Savior did not come to contradict the words
of His own prophets. He came to fulfill them. God hardened all of us,
that He might have mercy upon all of us. One can't give mercy to someone
unless one is in need of it. And that is why God does not unharden and
give mercy to all at once. WE must learn to be like God Who overcomes
His enemies with His Love. How can we possibly practice becoming like
Him unless He gives us hardened unbelievers who look like enemies? How
can we love the unlovely unless He allows some of us to remain unlovely
until He chooses to unharden them as well? Paul told the early church
that those whom God hardened were to be won through the mercy shown them
through us who had received God's mercy.
Concerning the Jews whom God
hardened for a season that the gentiles might be grafted into the
tree:
Concerning the gospel they are
enemies FOR YOUR SAKE, but concerning the election they are beloved for
the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are
irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet now have
obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now
been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain
mercy. (Study Church history and see if the Church has shown this mercy
to the Jews. Sad story indeed) For God has committed (shut them all up
in) disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His
judgments and His ways past finding out! 'For who has known the mind of
the LORD? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him
and it shall be repaid?' For of Him and through Him and to Him are ALL
things to whom be glory forever. Amen.
The Father seeks worshippers
who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. The Father also implores us
to reason with Him. Try to fathom the height, depth, length, and width
of His Love. Imagine truly knowing the beginning from the end. Imagine
being absolutely sovereign over all things, where NOTHING takes you by
surprise. Imagine mercy which does not know an end. (Psalm 136) Imagine
a judge who always delivers absolutely perfect righteous judgment.
Imagine a God who is ever-present everywhere. Imagine a God who says all
souls are HIS and that He fashions EVERY heart. (Ez. 18:4; Zech. 12:1;
Isaiah 45:9; Psalms 33:15) This God is perfectly Holy. He is NOT a man
that He should lie. He does NOT break His promises. He does NOT break
His word. While He can get angry for righteousness sake, He will NOT be
angry forever nor will He cast off man forever. (Lam. 3:31, 32; Isaiah
57:16) He is a God Who said He was going to overcome His enemies with
love and commands us to do likewise if we want to be like Him. (Matt.
5:43-48) When some of Jesus' disciples wanted to pour fire down on some
unbelievers' heads because they refused Jesus as Lord, Jesus responded
to them, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son
of Man did NOT come to destroy men's live but to save them. (Luke
9:54-56) How much is the spirit of the modern church like these two
disciples' and so much UNLIKE the spirit of Jesus?
Imagine a Love that NEVER
fails. (1 Cor. 13:8) Imagine a loving God for whom NOTHING is
impossible. (Jer. 32:17; Matt. 19:26) Imagine a Creator who made you in
HIS image-one who desires that you call him Daddy, Abba. Imagine YOUR
loving heavenly Father who not only says that He loves, but Who says the
He IS LOVE!!! Imagine this Love who said in one of His parables that He
leaves the ninety nine sheep to find the single one that is lost and He
does NOT give up until He finds it. Have you got all this in your mind
and heart? It's really all too big, too wonderful, isn't it? That is why
we will need a new spiritual body. Our natural bodies are simply
incapable of handling all that our glorious Maker is. Hold all these
attributes in your mind as well as you are able.
Now this heavenly Father, our
Maker, has a Son. He sent His Son to the earth to accomplish a few
things. He gave this Son all power and all authority to accomplish the
Father's will and desires. Here are a handful of Scriptures which
declare why God the Father sent His only begotten Son into this
world:
God did not send His Son into the world
to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved. (John 3:17)
Who comes down from heaven and gives Life
to the world. (John 6:33)
The Son of Man did not come to destroy
men's lives but to save them. (Luke 9:56)
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all peoples to Myself. (John
12:32)
As you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to
as many as you have given Him. (John 17:2)
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. (John
3:35)
God, Who at various times and in various
ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these
last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made
the worlds. (Hebrews 1:1,2)
His purpose is very
clear: to reconcile all things back to His
Father. (Col. 1:16-20)
According to Scripture, Jesus Christ, Son
of the Living God, created all things,
reconciles all things, is Heir of all things, has authority of all things, will have all men to be saved, His grace comes to all men, He takes away the sin of the world, He gives His flesh for the life of the
world, He is the propitiation for the sins
of the world, whose gifts are irrevocable of
which life is one of the gifts, He manifested to put away sin, He
preached to the spirits in prison and holds the keys to death and hell,
who changes not, He is Lord of both the living and the dead, he will
destroy all enemies of God the last one being death, Who made all things alive, Who completes the work the
Father gave Him to do, Who restores all
things, gave HHHHimself a ransom for all, He takes away the curse and said He came
to do the will and work of the Father who wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the
truth so that God, the Father may be all in
all! I could lengthen this paragraph considerably, but I think
the point has been made.
Now-think and reason with your
Maker and the Son Who is probably in your heart. Is it reasonable that
God should consign everyone who was every born to endless misery burning
forever in a literal lake of fire which will never be quenched
considering the above nature and character of the Father and the purpose
of Christ? Most of traditional Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant,
Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Charismatic Christianity seems to think so.
They all say one will burn in Hell if they don't make some kind of
decision before they die. Is it reasonable and just to tell the world
that if two people commit murder just before they die, if one says the
sinner's prayer, he will escape punishment forever and if the other
doesn't, he will burn in Hell forever without a chance of pardon? Is
this really "justice?" Millions of church-going Christians are taught it
is.
Now stay with me for a little while
longer. How are people saved? Paul tells us through the foolishness of
the preaching of the gospel.(1 Cor. 1:17-21) "Faith cometh by hearing by
the word of God." (Rom. 10:17)
"But what saith it? The word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:
that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:8-10)
Paul and Jesus make it quite plain that
people are "saved" by hearing the gospel preached, responding to it by
believing in one's heart that God raised Jesus from the death and
confess Him with the mouth, they will be saved. The Bible also makes it
quite clear there is no other name by which mankind can be saved except
the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12) There are a couple of verses they
might indicate one needs to be baptized in some fashion or another as
well. (Mark 1:8; John 1:26-33)
Dear reader, are you aware that 2000
years after the gospel was sent into the world, that there are literally
thousands of languages in the earth today which do NOT have even pieces
of Scriptures let alone an entire Bible? Do you understand that from
Adam to the present day, probably well over 95 percent of the world
never heard the one name under which men must be saved? Are you also
aware that most of the world who did hear the name hear it from a
Catholic priest who told them that Jesus was a piece of cracker which
they had to eat in order to be saved? Are you also aware that most
denominations of Christianity throughout the ages have added hundreds of
other qualifications which potential converts also had to perform or
rules one had to abide by in order to stay saved? The list is endless-it
ranges from being a member of the "right" church or denomination to a
certain form of water baptism to declaring a certain formula to having
to speak in tongues, etc. Once a person is saved, there are literally
hundreds of ways one can lose their salvation according to the thousands
of different denominations which have formed around creeds, men, styles
of buildings and worship, nationality, forms of church government, etc.
Let's face it, if we add all the things
Jesus said about those who thought they knew Him but whom He would say
to, "I never knew you,"(Matt. 7:23) and the many luke-warm who he would
"vomit" out of his mouth (Rev. 3:16), surely there is scarcely a person
who can really have absolute assurance they are truly saved. Contrast
this depressing situation with the nature and character of our heavenly
Father and His Son. Do you see a terrible discrepancy? As a matter of
fact, the discrepancy is so great that many Christians have had to
create other gospels remedy this great gap. Some Christians have
invented the "age of accountability" to get the little ones out of the
eternal flames. Surely they do it quite unscripturally. There isn't a
shred of Scripture which supports such a cause noble as it may be.
The Scriptures plainly state "there is NONE righteous, nay, not one."
(Rom. 3:10-12) "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."
(Rom. 3:23) No-the teaching that children are innocent until a mythical
age of accountability might partially remove the black eye He suffered
from the church's "good news" which is terribly bad for almost ALL of
mankind, but it's not in the Bible.
Some well-meaning Christians try to
justify God for sending almost all of mankind to Hell even though they
never heard the name of Christ by stating Romans 1:20 makes it plain
that all can see that there is a god just by looking at trees, stars,
rocks, etc. Well, there were MANY heathens who believed in a god through
nature. The nation of Israel was surrounded by nations who believed in
gods of all kind because they saw something divine in nature, but did
that save them? NO! They were called idolators! One does not find Jesus
by looking at clouds and trees. One finds Jesus through the
preaching of the Good News. No preaching, no salvation. Archaeology
conclusively proves this fact. We only find Christian civilizations
where the Gospel was preached. We do NOT find it in civilizations in
which there were no Bibles or preachers of the Gospel.
To try to get some of those who never
heard the gospel into heaven because they realize it isn't fair to send
someone to Hell if they've never heard the gospel tell us that God will
judge people based upon the condition of their heart. If they are good
people, God will save them even if they've never heard the gospel. While
that certainly makes God look a lot better than what traditional
Christianity teaches, this teaching totally contradicts the Bible which
plainly states "there is NONE righteous, nay not one." Furthermore, it
negates the cross completely. If people can get saved outside of the
cross, then there was no reason for Christ's death. Good people go to
heaven, bad people go to hell. But according to Scripture, there are no
"good people" from God's point of view. When someone called Jesus good,
Jesus said to them, "Why do you call me good? There is none good except
God."
All these extra-biblical ways to try to
get more people out of the traditional Hell and into heaven is because
the traditional view has so grossly distorted the gospel and the
character of God, that well-meaning Christians have felt the need to
invent non-scriptural means to empty the traditional Hell some. The
traditional concept of salvation, when carefully scrutinized, surely
puts almost all of mankind into Hell. How can grace have abounded much
more than sin with such pathetic results. Adam condemns all of mankind
to death, Jesus manages to squeeze out a pathetic handful for Himself
and then is compelled to send the rest of mankind to eternal tortures
which would make Hitler's actions look like child's play.
Until the heart of God and the
will of God become the foundational factors determining our
understanding of Scripture, our "gospel" will be bad news--not good.
"God is Love, but" is simply not the message the Holy Spirit is
conveying to us in the Bible (1 John 4:10,14).
(Many of the above "forever-til" verses
came from an excellent work entitled "Absolute Assurance in Jesus
Christ: Four Views of the Salvation of Our God" by Charles Slagle. The
book may be ordered from Charles & Paula Slagle, P. O. Box 17419,
San Antonio, TX., 78217 or phone at 817-685-7617. It is also on the
internet at: http://www.tentmaker.org under "books.")
Listed below are some reference materials
which will help the reader with the Truth side of Bible translations,
how to push through the traditions of men which have found their way
onto the very pages of the Bible. And there is also some material which
will help the reader discover the real nature of the God of the
Scriptures.
Some links are to brief articles. Others
are to full and well-documented reference books. In addition, at the
bottom of the page is a link to Bibles and concordances for the
individual to do their own searches and also two links to Internet sites
full of more books and articles on these most important
subjects.
Truly the knowledge of the Lord will
cover the earth even as the waters cover the seas. Open your minds and
hearts and let the Glory of God, our Father and Jesus Christ, His Son,
shine upon you! The first few entries on this list deal with Hell and
the Bible. The next few deal primarily with the mistranslation of the
key words "olam," "aion," and "aionios," and a few other key Greek words
followed by several works that show that the early believers closest to
the original languages believed in the salvation of all mankind through
Jesus Christ.
These works show/prove that this teaching
is perfectly consistent with the original Greek and Hebrew AND more
importantly with the nature of the God of the
Bible.
Hell is Leaving the "Bible
Forever"
The word "Hell" is disappearing from the pages of
English Bible translations and HAS already completely disappeared from many of
them. Even those leading
selling translations which contain the word usually don't use the word
more that a dozen times or so? Why so few times if indeed salvation is
FROM such a terrible fate? Was God absent minded? Or is it NOT found in
the original languages at all? Scholars are beginning to see that a few
key ancient words should NEVER have been translated to mean eternal.
Hell is Leaving the Bible "Forever"
(Updated and expanded version)
Hell is leaving the Bible forever. Contains a Chart
showing many Bible translations which DO NOT contain the concept of a
Hell of everlasting punishment and many scriptural proofs that words
like "eternity," "forever and ever," "everlasting" in various leading
Bible translations are simply gross errors.
Bibles That do not Teach A Hell of
Everlasting Punishment (also Entitled "The Gates of Hell Shall Not
Prevail")
This article is a comparison and list prepared by
Gary Amirault showing that there are major differences among English
translations regarding the teaching of Hell. Many Bible translations do
NOT contain the word Hell nor the concept of everlasting
punishment.
The Bible Hell
An excellent
short book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson detailing the history of the
English word "Hell." He also goes into thorough detail discussing the
Greek and Hebrew words, Sheol, Gehenna, Hades and Tartarus.
The Origin and History of the Doctrine of
Endless Punishment
An excellent well-documented full-length book by
Thomas Thayer proving the teaching of Hell and Everlasting Punishment
was added to Christianity centuries after Jesus walked this
earth.
Analytical Study of Words
Louis
Abbott spent 50 years combing the Greek of the Bible and related
reference works. Once believing in Hell, his studies turned him away
from such a concept because he could not find it in the original
languages of the Bible. He quotes many outstanding scholars who have
come to a similar conclusion...Jesus is indeed Savior of the whole
world.
The Greek Word Aion/Aionios Translated
Everlasting/Eternal in the Holy Bible
by Dr. John
Wesley Hanson
Surely, the Greek word aion and
its adjective aionios have been mistranslated in most Bible translations
leading to grave misrepresentations regarding the length of punishment
and Hell in the Bible. This book is probably the best one on this most
important subject.
The Power of Life and Death in a Four
Letter Greek Word: Aion
A short article by Gary Amirault that shows how
important the correct translation of a single Greek word can be in truly
understanding the God of the Bible. There is a REAL problem with how
some leading selling English Bible translations have translated the word
"aion" and its adjective "aionios."
Does ForeverS and EverS Make Sense to
You?
This article by Gary Amirault deals with the
various double construct forms of the Greek word "aion" found in the
Greek New Testament. The author shows that many leading selling English
Bible translations have translated these constructs after the traditions
of their denominations, NOT according to the Greek or correct English
grammar.
Eternal Death; One Step out of Hell, One
Step short of Glory
This work by
Gary Amirault deals with the concepts sometimes called "Conditional
Mortality," "Eternal Death," or "Annihilationism." The leading visible
figure espousing this view is Dr. Edward Fudge. Many small groups of
Christians hold such a view: The Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day
Adventists, many Bible Student Movement groups, etc. This work shows
that the original languages of the Bible do not allow for such a view.
This view would still make God out to be an utter failure, which He is
not.
Olethron Aionion (Eternal
Destruction)
An excellent short note from "Word Studies in the
New Testament" by Dr. Marvin R. Vincent. There are a few key passages in
leading selling English translations of the Bible which have been
mistranslated causing the God of the Bible to appear to be
double-minded. This brief note examines one of those key
passages.
Etymology of the Word
"Damned"
Most modern English translations no longer use that
word. Why? Because this word has been changed by theologians to such an
extend that it no longer even remotely means what it did when it was
first used in the original King James Bible. Discover what it originally
meant before "theologians" changed its meaning. By Gary Amirault (use
attached article) Aion This small book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson is
perhaps the complete treatment of a Greek work which has been
mistransated by several of the leading selling Bible translations. He
proves conclusively the word "aion" and its adjective "aionios" should
NEVER have been translated eternal, everlasting, or for ever and ever.
It's clearly a timely word.
Time and Eternity
An excellent short book by G. T. Stevens
examining the Greek, Hebrew, Latin words behind our English concepts of
time and eternity. It traces how Hebrew words denoting time were changed
to the idea of eternity through Jerome's Latin Vulgate.
Bible Threatenings
Explained
Some leading selling
English Bible translations seem to teach both the concept of everlasting
punishment AND universalism, that is, the salvation of all mankind. This
book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson shows that those passages in SOME
translations that teach Hell have been mistranslated or misinterpreted.
Dr. Hanson analyzes each of those passages of Scripture which appear to
teach endless punishment proving the original Greek and Hebrew taught
something entirely different.
Early Christian View of the
Savior
Many Orthodox scholars
acknowledge that the early Church did NOT primarily believe in Hell, but
believed in the salvation of all mankind. They termed their belief in
Greek "apocatastasis," that is, the restoration of all things back to
God. This work by Gary Amirault quotes some of those Orthodox historians
as well as some of the early church leaders who taught universalism
though Jesus Christ.
Universalism in the First 500 Years of
the Church
A well-referenced full
length book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson proving that the message of
Universalism, that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the entire world, was
the majority view of the early Church and its leaders.
The Doctrine of
Scriptural Retribution
Brother of the famous Henry Ward Beecher,
Dr. Edward Beecher traces the teachings of punishment after death to
their original sources. He discovered this teaching does NOT originate
from the original texts of the Jewish and Christian
Scriptures.
One Hundred Scriptural Proofs That Jesus is the
Savior of All Mankind
A list of scores of Scriptures by Thomas Whittemore
proving that Jesus Christ is indeed Savior of the whole world, not just
a part of it.
Arguments in Favor of Biblical
Universalism
The twentieth chapter of E. E. Guild's book
"Universalist's Book of Reference. The Scriptures implore us to "reason
together" with God. This chapter reveals the reasonableness of Jesus
Christ truly being the Savior of all instead of a few.
Bible Proofs
Another fine work by Dr. J.W. Hanson
showing both the reasonableness of the Doctrine of the Salvation of all
mankind through Jesus Christ, but also it's scriptural foundation.
Just What Do You Man By "The
Judgment?"
Christians have been brainwashed to believe in a
false and unbiblical concept of God's judgments. This book by J. Preston
Eby brings God's judgments and punishments back into their proper
Biblical places.
Bible Search Tool
Lots of Bible Translations and search
tools. Compare your favorite translation with Young's Literal
Translation or Weymouth's NT and see some MAJOR differences regarding
Hell.
Hell Charts
In-depth statistics and
charts showing how all the Greek and Hebrew "hell" words have been
translated by many different Bible translations. (This is the chart
that's in the Hell's Encyclopedia)
http://www.what-the-hell-is-hell.com/HellStudy/HellCharts.htm
http://www.what-the-hell-is-hell.com/HellStats/hell.htm
There are many other well-researched articles on
the subjects of Hell, everlasting punishment, and Universalism
(Salvation of all mankind through Jesus Christ at the following urls.
Try the provided search engines on these sites to help you find specific
persons, events, or passages of Scripture.
http://www.tentmaker.org
http://what-the-hell-is-hell.com