The Truth in Print Vol. 21 Issue 3, April 2015
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
Website
Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
You mentioned “going to
Hell,” with accent.
The above title more precisely is presented in a recent letter as “No
more believing in a pagan Hell than I do the absurdity of a pagan Christmas or
a pagan Easter, I online searched other nearby churches. I found Valley Church
of Christ. Its online Who We Are was inviting; I found no Hell in it. VCC being near my RV Park, I
visited Wedi4Jan evening for Bible study. A warm welcome met me and I found
myself very comfortable midst friendlies. But, at X point in your study
discussion (s) you mentioned “going to Hell,” with accent. Not being among my
beliefs, I was disappointed. Ergo, my question to you as I was leaving
regarding your “Hell” statement.”
One of the obvious things here is mentioning Hell with two things you
don’t find in the New Testament. It is true that New Testament churches were
not given Christmas or Easter — these developed via human tradition bound by
man not God. But you cannot say that you don’t find Hell mentioned in the New
Testament, for it is. The particular verses mentioned in the study attended was
from Matt. 18:8-9. Notice who mentioned Hell here — Jesus did so, and I might
add with accent. It was a stern warning in a context teaching disciples not to
despise one another.
After our
study, which was on Forgiveness, said visitor asked me, “What do you believe
about Hell?” I told him it believed Hell is real and eternal. Have you heard
the saying “God said it, that settles it, I believe it”? And that settles it IF I don’t believe it! — but I do and the visitor didn’t. He referred to Hell in his
letter as “the fabled Hell.” Although he did not believe in Hell I recall him
saying that he thought he’d come back, for he thought he could be comfortable
with us. And, of all things, he said he had respect for me.
Considering things he said later in his letter I’d say that the fact he
asked me about Hell after class showed he was not all that comfortable.
Moreover, in his letter I can see just how uncomfortable he is with scriptural teaching
on Hell.
“My god is
Love.”
He says: “My god is Love. My god’s Love does
not condemn to a pagan Hell of Hate that is incomprehensible torture and
suffering forever, and ever, and ever, ad nauseam.” As one brother put it, You can’t be too comfortable when you are nauseated. Oh what
one feels when they hear what they don’t want to hear from God’s Word!
Is Jesus unloving? Is God’s justice hate? Jesus said: Mat 10:28 “And do not
fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Statements such as this by the
One who taught more on Hell than any other in the New Testament, teach us to
fear God.
Consider “destroy” (Matt. 10:28). Thayer’s
definition: apollumi G622 1) to destroy 1e) metaphorically to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell:
Mat. 10:28. Also W.E. Vine explains — destroy (G622), The
idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of wellbeing. He says this is clear from its use thus giving:
1)
Of the marring of wine skins, Luk_5:37; (B.L., Ruined but still skins).
2) Of lost sheep, i.e., lost to the
shepherd, metaphorical of spiritual destitution, Luk_15:4, Luk_15:6, etc..; (B.L., Lost but
still sheep.)
3) The lost son, Luk_15:24. (B.L. After
he experienced ruin he came back home).
4) Of the perishing of food, Joh_6:27;
(B.L., Would you eat it?).
5) Of gold, 1Pe_1:7. (B.L., Ever seen
gold worn away as in a ring?).
6)
So of persons, of the loss of well-being in the case
of the unsaved hereafter, Matt. 10:28; (B.L. “in Hell).
7) Judas, Joh_17:12 (B.L., Judas
“perished” and “went to his own place” (Acts 1:25).
Although Vine’s does not give Jude 5, Thayer does, and it says God
“destroyed” (G622) the Israelites who did not believe. Compare that with Jude 7
where those of Sodom and Gomorrah are “undergoing” the punishment of eternal
fire. Did God “destroy” them like He did the
Israelites? Yes and they still had eternal spirits! Jude said the Sodomites
were undergoing the punishment of eternal fire still — at the very time he
wrote his epistle.
The punishment after death is not shut off before one gets to
the Judgment day and is cast into Hell.
How long has it been since these took place?
1) Rev 14:11 "And the smoke of their torment goes up
forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast
and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." (B.L., Those who
bowed down to the image of Caesar in the days of the Roman Empire.)
2) Rev 22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers
and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who
loves and practices lying. (B.L., They still exist and are “outside the city”
of God.)
3) Jud 1:6 And angels who did not keep their own
domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under
darkness for the judgment of the great day, (B.L. How long has it been?)
Notice these
opposites are both everlasting
Mat 25:41 "Then
He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting (G166 aiōnios) fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
(B.L., Jesus talking about Hell.)
Mat 25:46 And these will go away into everlasting (G166 aiōnios) punishment, but the righteous into eternal (G166
aiōnios) life." Look! The word “everlasting” used for fire is the same words as
“eternal” used for life, Matt. 25:41, 46: “everlasting” (G166) aiōnios – Thayer: 3) without end, never to cease, everlasting
— thus “opposite ideas are everlasting.” If the reward is forever the
punishment is – the same word used for both. It says “everlasting fire” (41).
At the Day of Judgment only two places remain: Heaven and Hell.
The Bible doesn’t say the punishment is shut off after one gets
to Hell.
Read the below in view of the
argument being that God
is not a God of prolonged
punishment.
Paul describes Jesus’ coming:
2Th 1:8 In
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th 1:9 Who shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Consider the word “everlasting” (2 Th. 1:9): everlasting” (G166) aiōnios – Thayer: 3) without end, never to cease,
everlasting – again the same as in Matt. 25:41, 46. Thayer’s definition of
destruction” (G3639) olethros
is: 1) ruin, destroy, death.
Notice this is defined in the text as
“away from the presence of the Lord…” -- like Rev. 22:15 says “outside” the
city. In other words there is still an existence in Hell. This is a different
word than the one Jesus used but it does not change what Jesus taught on Hell.
Both “destruction” and “perdition” appear together in I
Tim. 6:9 — here “perdition” - (G684 apoleia) means “loss of well being
not loss of being” (W.E. Vine).
The writer quotes a certain
translation of Rev. 3:19 that expresses God’s love. Following with I Tim. 2:3– 4 where God wills all to be saved and come to a
knowledge of the truth. This presentation — as old as the hills from those who
believe Hell is a fable — leaves out the warnings in Revelation to overcome and
not be hurt by the second death, Hell. It’s the old “If God desires that all
men be saved, then being God He will get His desire.” The answer is God gave
you a choice. Did Jesus get what He wanted in His lament over Jerusalem (Matt.
23:37)? What happened in 70 A.D. to those who would not listen to Him? God was
longsuffering at the time of the Flood — He preached through Noah for 120
years. How many did not refuse the delivery? Only eight (cf. I Pet. 3:20).
The writer says he lays no claim to being a
Christian because he does not yet follow Jesus; says he knows no living
Christians, though he has met many who profess such but their actions belie
their words — then adds the Lord’s rebuke to Christians in Laodicea where He
said without repentance He’d spew them out of His mouth (cf. Rev. 3:16). To use
that at least is an admission that Jesus, being God, condemns, isn’t it? Maybe that’s why he doesn’t follow Jesus —
more ad nauseam.
He says that his heart is inclined to “where there are two or three, gathered together into my name there am I,
in their midst” (Matt. 18:20) as being best for discussing the Word, and that
he’ll heed its inclination. Isn’t this picking and choosing what one likes from
what Jesus said. Like many he doesn’t seem to understand the context and that
this was spoken to the Apostles. To please God Christians were not to forsake
assembling (cf. Heb. 10:23-31; Heb. 11:6).
He says his “churches of men aversion
remains” and closes with “Respectfully.”
I believe the points I’ve used from this
letter are a good study on how people will reject teaching on Hell, as well as
how easily some get their feather’s ruffled when they hear what they don’t like
nor want from God’s Word. It doesn’t just happen with Hell, but with many other
topics that are important to understanding God’s eternal plan to save us in
Christ. The writer is certainly welcome to visit and find that as a local church of Christ “sound doctrine” is
important to us (cf. Phil. 1:27; Jude 3).
His letter says nothing about God providing
a way of escaping Hell:
Mar
16:15 And he
said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature.
Mar
16:16 He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
By Bob Lovelace
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