On facebook, I saw someone post this photo.
I think a better question to ask is,
will you spend eternity dead or alive?"
You see, God doesn't promise eternal life and immortality to EVERYONE, He only promises it to those who believe in His Son and the Good News of His coming Kingdom, where Jesus will rule and reign as King.
If you are being tortured in hell for eternity, as Plato originated this belief, and now most modern churches will teach you - then you are technically ALIVE for eternity. Yes, tortured, miserable, burning... but still alive, and that would be eternal life and immortality. This teaching is in complete opposition to what the Scripture teaches us.
So, if you would like more information on this topic - here's more details on it:
Let's start in the book of Genesis! Genesis 2:7 Adam was formed from the dust of the ground. God then breathed his spirit of life into the man and Adam became a living soul or a living being.
In Genesis, the animals or other living creatures were also called living souls.
Neither Adam nor any of the animals were created with an ‘immortal soul’ – a part of them which could not die. Thus any church which teaches that men and women have an immortal soul which survives death is trading on a falsehood – and a serious one, since it was in fact the devil and not God, who told the first couple that they would not die, even when they disobeyed. God said that when and if they disobeyed Him, they would surely be on the way to death. And indeed they died. The descendants of that first human pair (Adam & Eve) also die (that's us). There is nothing more certain, it has been said, than death and taxes.
Many believe in the traditional, but false theory of “hell” where there is an endless torture of sinners based upon the false teaching of this immortality of the soul. But, as we just discussed in Genesis 2:7, man became a living soul or a living being. The Bible doesn’t say we ‘HAVE’ a soul. We ARE a soul, a living being! Nowhere does the Bible say our soul will live on after we die. The Bible says that immortality or the ability to live forever and ever without dying, is a gift. It’s a conditional gift – based on repenting from our sins, being baptized, believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom, and living an obedient life.
Man does not have a conscious, immaterial nature which continues to live after death. Man is unconscious in death. A person must be alive to experience torture and pain. If such a burning hell existed and a dead person were placed in it, he would not know anything about it, because ‘the dead know not anything.” Ecclesiastes 9:5.
A living man can experience pain through the function of his nervous system and brain, parts of his body which are buried in the grave after death. The dead unbeliever cannot feel any torture if his brain & nervous system do not function.
Some Facts about HELL:
1. Scripturally speaking, the word "hell" wasn't in the original manuscripts.
Hell is an English word derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “helan” which means “to cover” or “to hide out of sight.” The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew language; the New Testament was originally written in the Greek. In order for the Bible to be read in the English language, it was necessary for Bible scholars to translate the Bible from Hebrew & Greek into English.
The English word “hell” was used by these translators to translate Hebrew & Greek words that were originally used by Bible writers to refer to the grave. The men who originally wrote the Bible, of course, never heard of the word ‘hell’ since this is an English word and the English language was not spoken in Bible times. In order to understand the nature of the Bible hell, we must determine the meaning of the words used by Bible writers.
Old Testament writers, like Moses, Job, David, Solomon, Isaiah, recorded the fact that dead men are buried in sheol.
New Testament writers, like Matthew, Luke, Paul and John, taught that the dead are buried in hades.
Sheol and hades mean the same thing. Both refer to the grave. You can compare Acts 2:27-31 and Psalm 16:10.
In the Revised Stand Version of the Bible today…the words sheol and hades are not translated but left in their original words. This practice avoids confusion which has resulted from the modern unscriptural meaning which has been associated with the word ‘hell.’
2. WHO goes to hell? Everyone who is dead is in the Bible hell, the grave.
will you spend eternity dead or alive?"
You see, God doesn't promise eternal life and immortality to EVERYONE, He only promises it to those who believe in His Son and the Good News of His coming Kingdom, where Jesus will rule and reign as King.
If you are being tortured in hell for eternity, as Plato originated this belief, and now most modern churches will teach you - then you are technically ALIVE for eternity. Yes, tortured, miserable, burning... but still alive, and that would be eternal life and immortality. This teaching is in complete opposition to what the Scripture teaches us.
So, if you would like more information on this topic - here's more details on it:
Does God torture sinners in a burning Hell...or not? HELL is quite an interesting topic that many believe in, yet actually know very little about. My Grandmother once told my mom not to let my Grandfather know what 'hell' REALLY was, because she liked to use this concept to scare him into going to church with her.
HELL
In Genesis, the animals or other living creatures were also called living souls.
Neither Adam nor any of the animals were created with an ‘immortal soul’ – a part of them which could not die. Thus any church which teaches that men and women have an immortal soul which survives death is trading on a falsehood – and a serious one, since it was in fact the devil and not God, who told the first couple that they would not die, even when they disobeyed. God said that when and if they disobeyed Him, they would surely be on the way to death. And indeed they died. The descendants of that first human pair (Adam & Eve) also die (that's us). There is nothing more certain, it has been said, than death and taxes.
Many believe in the traditional, but false theory of “hell” where there is an endless torture of sinners based upon the false teaching of this immortality of the soul. But, as we just discussed in Genesis 2:7, man became a living soul or a living being. The Bible doesn’t say we ‘HAVE’ a soul. We ARE a soul, a living being! Nowhere does the Bible say our soul will live on after we die. The Bible says that immortality or the ability to live forever and ever without dying, is a gift. It’s a conditional gift – based on repenting from our sins, being baptized, believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom, and living an obedient life.
Man does not have a conscious, immaterial nature which continues to live after death. Man is unconscious in death. A person must be alive to experience torture and pain. If such a burning hell existed and a dead person were placed in it, he would not know anything about it, because ‘the dead know not anything.” Ecclesiastes 9:5.
A living man can experience pain through the function of his nervous system and brain, parts of his body which are buried in the grave after death. The dead unbeliever cannot feel any torture if his brain & nervous system do not function.
The Bible mentions "everlasting punishment" (Matt. 25:46), but not "everlasting punishing." The wicked will be destroyed for all eternity in the second death. They will be "punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9).
Some Facts about HELL:
1. Scripturally speaking, the word "hell" wasn't in the original manuscripts.
Hell is an English word derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “helan” which means “to cover” or “to hide out of sight.” The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew language; the New Testament was originally written in the Greek. In order for the Bible to be read in the English language, it was necessary for Bible scholars to translate the Bible from Hebrew & Greek into English.
The English word “hell” was used by these translators to translate Hebrew & Greek words that were originally used by Bible writers to refer to the grave. The men who originally wrote the Bible, of course, never heard of the word ‘hell’ since this is an English word and the English language was not spoken in Bible times. In order to understand the nature of the Bible hell, we must determine the meaning of the words used by Bible writers.
The Hebrew word for grave is sheol.
The Greek word for grave is hades.
Old Testament writers, like Moses, Job, David, Solomon, Isaiah, recorded the fact that dead men are buried in sheol.
New Testament writers, like Matthew, Luke, Paul and John, taught that the dead are buried in hades.
Sheol and hades mean the same thing. Both refer to the grave. You can compare Acts 2:27-31 and Psalm 16:10.
In the Revised Stand Version of the Bible today…the words sheol and hades are not translated but left in their original words. This practice avoids confusion which has resulted from the modern unscriptural meaning which has been associated with the word ‘hell.’
2. WHO goes to hell? Everyone who is dead is in the Bible hell, the grave.
He/She will remain in hell, the grave, until the resurrection. The bible declares that both the righteous and the wicked are in sheol or hades. So, everyone you know who has died…did they go to hell? Well, Scripturally speaking, they sure did!
Scriptures: Jacob – Genesis 37:35
Job – Job 14:13; Job 17:13
Hezekiah, a godly man - Isaiah 38:10
Jesus – Acts 2:27, 31
They did not go to a burning hell. They died and were buried.
Scriptures: Jacob – Genesis 37:35
Job – Job 14:13; Job 17:13
Hezekiah, a godly man - Isaiah 38:10
Jesus – Acts 2:27, 31
They did not go to a burning hell. They died and were buried.
They were in the grave, the Bible hell. Impress all your friends with that knowledge!
3. WHAT Hell is like: The fact that the Bible hell is the state of death or the grave, is evident from the descriptions of sheol or hades.
a. It is down in direction – Genesis 37:35; Numbers 16:33; Isa. 14:15
b. It is in the ground – Numb. 16:30, 33
c. It is beneath us – Isa. 14:9
d. Men are described as being able to dig into hell – Amos 9:2
e. Man cannot experience suffering while he is dead – Job 3:17.
4. Duration of HELL: The grave, the Bible hell, is the temporary resting place of the dead until resurrection. The Bible hell is not eternal. Christians will be raised from the grave at the first resurrection. Whilst the rest of the dead will be raised from the grave at the last resurrection. At the last or general resurrection, hell (the grave) will be completely emptied. Revelation 20:13
3. WHAT Hell is like: The fact that the Bible hell is the state of death or the grave, is evident from the descriptions of sheol or hades.
a. It is down in direction – Genesis 37:35; Numbers 16:33; Isa. 14:15
b. It is in the ground – Numb. 16:30, 33
c. It is beneath us – Isa. 14:9
d. Men are described as being able to dig into hell – Amos 9:2
e. Man cannot experience suffering while he is dead – Job 3:17.
4. Duration of HELL: The grave, the Bible hell, is the temporary resting place of the dead until resurrection. The Bible hell is not eternal. Christians will be raised from the grave at the first resurrection. Whilst the rest of the dead will be raised from the grave at the last resurrection. At the last or general resurrection, hell (the grave) will be completely emptied. Revelation 20:13
Notice that the rest of the dead will be judged AFTER they are resurrected out of hell. Does this mean that God tortures people in a burning hell for thousands of years and then finally resurrects them so that He can judge them?
Hell is simply the grave, or the state of death.
The wicked do not receive their eternal punishment at the time of death. They die and are unconscious in the Bible hell until this last resurrection. In this last resurrection, the dead return to life in their mortal, physical bodies. After their judgment, the wicked will be punished by being destroyed. The wicked will not return to hell or the grave after their final judgment. They will receive their eternal punishment by being destroyed in the lake of fire, the second death. “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:14, 15
Gehenna Fire
“the valley of Hinnom” or “Gehenna.”
Gehenna was the city garbage incinerator for ancient Jerusalem.
Rubbish, refuse, and dead animals were thrown into this valley to be consumed in the fire. The fire continued burning as long as there was material for it to consume. The rubbish itself was consumed, but the fire continued to burn as it consumed additional rubbish. There is no fire in the valley of Gehenna today. It was extinguished centuries ago. The valley is no longer used as an incinerator.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, criminals who died after crucifixion were cast into this Gehenna fire to be destroyed. It was thought that crucified ones did not deserve a decent burial. Many Bible Scholars feel that Jesus would have been cast into this burning rubbish pile to be consumed, if Joseph of Arimathea had not gone to Pilate and begged permission to bury the dead Jesus in his own tomb.
Gehenna Fire was regarded as symbolic of judgment and destruction. Jesus used Gehenna fire as an illustration of the final destruction of the wicked. Gehenna fire refers to the lake of fire, which is the second death. (Rev. 20:14,15).
The Greek word Gehenna occurs in 12 verses in the N.T. – 11 times by Jesus, and once in James. The English translators used the word ‘hell’ to translate the word Gehenna. Sheol & hades sometimes translated “hell” refers to the grave. Gehenna, however, does NOT refer to the grave, but to the lake of fire, which will be the agent for the final destruction of the wicked. These translations into the English word ‘hell’ has added much confusion to this subject!!
Matthew 5:22 | Shall be in danger of hell fire | |
Matthew 5:29 | Whole body be cast into hell | |
Matthew 5:30 | Whole body be cast into hell | |
Matthew 10:28 | Destroy soul and body in hell | |
Matthew 18:9 | Two eyes cast into hell fire | |
Matthew 23:15 | Twofold more the child of hell | |
Matthew 23:33 | Escape the damnation of hell | |
Mark 9:43 | Having two hands to go into hell | |
Mark 9:45 | Having two feet cast into hell | |
Mark 9:47 | Two eyes cast into hell fire | |
Luke 12:5 | Hath power to cast into hell | |
James 3:6 | Tongue is set on fire of hell |
In all these twelve verses the word "hell" is from the Greek word Gehenna. ... Notice in these verses that man’s ‘whole body’ ‘eye’ ‘hands’ and ‘feet’ are mentioned being cast into Gehenna fire. Men who believe in the immortality of the soul and the torture of the wicked in a burning hell today, cannot use these verses to support their false theory. According to their theory, the sinner’s body is buried in the grave, and only his disembodied soul (a soul without a real body) goes to the burning hell.
Scripturally speaking, Gehenna hell fire refers to the future lake of fire in which the wicked in their mortal bodies will be destroyed by being consumed.
Destruction of the Wicked
Psalm 37:20 | Into smoke shall they consume | |
Malachi 4:3 | Wicked shall be ashes under feet | |
Psalm 37:38 | Transgressors shall be destroyed | |
Psalm 73:18 | Casteth them into destruction | |
Psalm 92:7 | Shall be destroyed forever | |
Psalm 145:20 | The wicked will he destroy | |
Proverbs 10:29 | Destruction workers of iniquity | |
Isaiah 1:28 | Destruction of the transgressors | |
Matthew 7:13 | Way leadeth to destruction | |
Philippians 3:19 | Whose end is destruction | |
2 Peter 2:12 | Shall utterly perish | |
Matthew 3:12 | Will burn up the chaff | |
Malachi 4:1 | Shall burn them up | |
Obadiah 16 | Be as though they had not been | |
Psalm 37:10 | The wicked shall not be | |
Proverbs 10:25 | So is the wicked no more |
The wicked will be destroyed in the lake of fire. The wicked will be consumed in the fire, but the fire will continue to burn until it has consumed all the wicked. The fire itself is unquenchable. No one can extinguish the fire in order to escape its destruction. The fire is called “everlasting” and “unquenchable” because it cannot be put out until its work of destruction is completed.
The wicked may experience various degrees of suffering while dying the final death in the lake of fire, but all the wicked will be totally destroyed.
Source: Systematic Theology, Alva Huffer.
The above article was taken from
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