Hell is often considered a mainstay of Christian doctrine. Most people take for granted that hell is where non-believers go to suffer forever. Well, a not very well-known fact is that hell as it is commonly understood is not biblical at all but rather an apostasy that is verily easily refuted in the scriptures. As a place of conscious eternal suffering, hell has no existence in true Christian doctrine. I am talking about Christianity, the supernatural phenomenon, of course, not Christianity, the religion.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
How can I make this claim? First, know that in the Old Testament, the word “hell†is translated solely from the Hebrew word, “sheol,†which is also translated as “grave†and “pit†in the King James Version of the Bible. In the book of Genesis, Jacob expects that he will one day die and go to sheol (Genesis 37:35). In fact, in the book of Job, the title character desires to die and go to sheol, specifically to avoid his suffering (Job 14:13). Also know that when the New Testament quotes Hebrew scripture that contains “sheol,†it translates that as the Greek word, “hades,†from which many uses of “hell†in the New Testament are translated (Acts 2:25-28). “Hell†just refers to the state of death. <o:p></o:p>
So, what is the fate of the unsaved? What is the “eternal fire†(Jude 1:7)? It is “consuming fire†(Hebrew 12:29). It is eternal death, utter destruction of the body and soul (Matthew 10:28). Consider Psalm 37:18-20: “The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.†<o:p></o:p>
Consider similarly John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.†When God said “perish†as opposed to “have everlasting life,†he actually did say “perish.†He did not say “should not have bad everlasting life, but have good everlasting life.†<o:p></o:p>
So why do so many Christians believe in hell? Easy. On a macro-present-level, Satan likes to spread misinformation to make God look mean. On a micro-historical-level, early Christians like St. Augustine were misguided by the beliefs of pagan Greek philosophers such as Plato. At the end of the day, though, the true word of God is what matters, and I cannot do justice to it in this column, so I recommend everyone pray and research on his own to find the truth. There are countless other pieces of evidence in the Bible that support this fact. It is time for Christians who believe in God’s word to reclaim Christianity from the mainstream apostate churches, which dominate the discourse and play right into the hands of the devil. <o:p></o:p>
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*Of course, all Christians are brothers are in Christ regardless of what they believe, and I only want the best. Nothing personal.<o:p></o:p>
How can I make this claim? First, know that in the Old Testament, the word “hell†is translated solely from the Hebrew word, “sheol,†which is also translated as “grave†and “pit†in the King James Version of the Bible. In the book of Genesis, Jacob expects that he will one day die and go to sheol (Genesis 37:35). In fact, in the book of Job, the title character desires to die and go to sheol, specifically to avoid his suffering (Job 14:13). Also know that when the New Testament quotes Hebrew scripture that contains “sheol,†it translates that as the Greek word, “hades,†from which many uses of “hell†in the New Testament are translated (Acts 2:25-28). “Hell†just refers to the state of death. <o:p></o:p>
So, what is the fate of the unsaved? What is the “eternal fire†(Jude 1:7)? It is “consuming fire†(Hebrew 12:29). It is eternal death, utter destruction of the body and soul (Matthew 10:28). Consider Psalm 37:18-20: “The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.†<o:p></o:p>
Consider similarly John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.†When God said “perish†as opposed to “have everlasting life,†he actually did say “perish.†He did not say “should not have bad everlasting life, but have good everlasting life.†<o:p></o:p>
So why do so many Christians believe in hell? Easy. On a macro-present-level, Satan likes to spread misinformation to make God look mean. On a micro-historical-level, early Christians like St. Augustine were misguided by the beliefs of pagan Greek philosophers such as Plato. At the end of the day, though, the true word of God is what matters, and I cannot do justice to it in this column, so I recommend everyone pray and research on his own to find the truth. There are countless other pieces of evidence in the Bible that support this fact. It is time for Christians who believe in God’s word to reclaim Christianity from the mainstream apostate churches, which dominate the discourse and play right into the hands of the devil. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
*Of course, all Christians are brothers are in Christ regardless of what they believe, and I only want the best. Nothing personal.<o:p></o:p>
