The King James version
of the Bible in Microsoft Word format has about 824,706 words. One of those
words is repeated 54 times in 54 verses. That word is hell.
Yes, believe it or
not, the word hell accounts for only 54 of the 824,706 words in the Bible. How
could a word given such low priority in the Bible cause so much trouble ? You
would think this would be an easy enough subject to understand and yet so few
know the truth about hell.
Many surface readers
and some well-meaning critics of the Bible think they understand what hell is
and have based their conclusions about God on misunderstandings about hell.
The diligently,
studious Christian, who believes that the Bible is the word of God, understands
that not one person is burning in hell today. He or she has learned from the
Bible that God will make no one immortal so that they can spend trillions of
millenniums in burning flames.
The word hell in the
Old Testament appears in 31 verses and is derived from the Hebrew word sheol.
It is translated as grave, hell or pit throughout these verses. It means -
Hades or the world of the dead. Where will you find dead people assembled
together ? In a graveyard. The grave is the world of the dead. It is not a
world of just bad people who are dead. It is not a world of simply good people
who are dead. The grave is the world of all dead human beings. Hence, the word
hell in the Old Testament means the grave.
Sometimes the word
grave is referred to as the "pit". In Isaiah 14:12-14, the Bible
reveals why Lucifer fell from heaven and in Isaiah 14:15, we find out what will
ultimately happen to him.
Isaiah 14:15 - Yet
thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Contrary to popular
belief, Lucifer (or the devil as he is also known) will not be in charge of
hell. He will not even hold one pitchfork. Apparently, Lucifer, himself, will
be brought down to the "sides of the pit" or hell as it called. What
is really meant by "the sides of the pit" ? The Bible further
explains itself...
Ezekiel 32:22 Asshur
[is] there and all her company: his graves [are] about him: all of them slain,
fallen by the sword:
Ezekiel 32:23 - Whose
GRAVES ARE SET IN THE SIDES OF THE PIT, and her company is round about her
grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land
of the living.
Graves are usually set
in the sides of a pit so it is easy to see why grave and pit are used to mean
the same thing. In the Old Testament, hell or the pit is the same thing as the
grave and this is where Lucifer will be brought down to. The devil will not be
in charge of anything; not hell, not the pit and not the grave. The grave is
his final destiny; someday he too, will be among the dead.
So what about the New
Testament ? Doesn't the New Testament teach that God will give eternal life to
the unrighteous so they can live for billions of centuries in a fiery furnace
where the devil is in charge ?
Why not ask Jesus
Christ ? He seems to be an authority in the New Testament. He often stated that
He was the Son of God. Wouldn't someone who is related to God know about hell ?
First let's see what Jesus taught about death and the grave. His words are
recorded in scripture.
Marvel not at this:
for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John
5:28,29)
Jesus taught that the
dead were in the grave and not immediately rewarded or punished after death. He
said that there would be 2 future resurrections - one for those who did good
and a separate one for those who did evil. Notice that Jesus said evil people
were in the grave and that they would be resurrected to face damnation at some
later point in time. Read the verse again.
Just to be sure we
don't misunderstand what Jesus believed about the dead, let's consider another
verse where He speaks about the resurrection of those who have done good.
And Jesus answering
said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither
can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children
of God, being the children of the resurrection. (Luke 20:34-36)
Jesus taught that dead
people were in the grave; not in heaven and not in hell. He said that there
would be 2 resurrections and that dead people would be raised in either the 1st
or 2nd resurrection. This would depend upon whether they were good or evil
people while they were alive. What Jesus taught about death and the grave was
in perfect harmony with the Old Testament because the New Testament had not
been written yet.
Christ was the only
person in the New Testament to use the words hell and fire together. "But
I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall
be in danger of the JUDGMENT: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall
be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in
danger of HELL FIRE." (Matthew 5:22)
This verse teaches us
that there will be a judgment and there will be hell fire. We have already
found that the word hell in the Old Testament means grave. How can a grave be
on fire ? Where and when would a grave be on fire ? How is the judgment
connected to hell fire ? The Bible gives us a glimpse of the scene.
(Revelation 20:12-15)
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Notice what happens to
those whose names are not written in the book of life. They are judged
according to their un-Christlike works that have been recorded in the books of
heaven. They are then resurrected to receive their punishment; the 2nd death in
the lake of fire where death and hell will also be destroyed. Read again what
happens to the grave or hell as it is called. It is cast into the lake of fire.
HELL CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE = HELL FIRE.
God promises that both
death and the grave will be destroyed. This is exactly what happens when death
and hell are cast into the lake of fire.
The last enemy [that]
shall be destroyed [is] death. (1 Corinthians 15:26) The Lord further promises
-
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O GRAVE, I WILL BE THY DESTRUCTION: (Hosea 13:14)
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O GRAVE, I WILL BE THY DESTRUCTION: (Hosea 13:14)
Death and the grave
have always been enemies to life and are the appointed lot of human beings.
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave ? (Psalms 89:48)
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. (Ecclesiastes 3:20)
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave ? (Psalms 89:48)
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. (Ecclesiastes 3:20)
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)
According to the
Bible, after a person dies, at some later point in time, his or her name will
come up in the judgment and the Christlike and un-Christlike works of his or
her life are examined. He or she is later raised in the 1st resurrection to
receive eternal life and the gift of immortality or raised in the 2nd
resurrection to receive the punishment of the 2nd death and be destroyed in the
lake of fire. Now we can understand what the Bible means when we read the
following...
Blessed and holy [is]
he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, Revelation 20:6
The second death is
permanent. There will be no restoration or continuation of life anywhere at all
for those who die the 2nd death. The punishment of the 2nd death will last
forever. Death is the opposite of life. It is an everlasting punishment. It is
not everlasting punishing. No one will ever be resurrected from the 2nd death.
They will never live again. They will cease to exist after being destroyed in
the lake of fire.
In fact, this is what
Jesus meant when he said that both soul and body could be destroyed in hell.
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
(Matthew 10:28) If something is destroyed, it does not continue to exist. The
body and the soul can both be destroyed in the lake of fire. This is what is
referred to as the 2nd death. This is the punishment for sin. It is the absence
of life not a continuance of it.
What about the rich
man in hell ? Do angels really carry beggars into Abraham's bosom after they
die ? Some people think so. Maybe they think that Jesus was teaching facts
about hell when he spoke of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Perhaps,
they are not familiar with one of the teaching methods that Jesus used.
All these things spake
Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto
them: (Matthew 13:34) What is a parable ? A fictitious narrative of common life
conveying a moral.
The parable of the
rich man and Lazarus was the last of 3 parables that are found in Luke
15:11-16:31. All 3 parables were about "a certain" man and all 3
involve principles of stewardship.
Unfortunately, many
have tried to convert the parable of Lazarus and the rich man into a doctrinal
teaching of the Bible.
The lesson of the
parable is a lesson for today. "If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." (Luke
16:31) There are those who choose to cling to the idea of an eternal life in
eternal flames no matter what the Bible teaches.
No one is burning in
hell today. It is not necessary for anyone to experience the lake of fire and
the 2nd death. Heaven is another option. A Christlike character is the
requirement. It is the only kind of character that could enjoy heaven and the
only kind of character that could be trusted in heaven. We are given a
lifetime, with the offer of God's grace to develop this character before we
die. Many people have different opinions about hell and punishment but only the
Bible teaches what you have just read.
For additional
information about hell or just anything on your mind contact tykeels@netscape.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tyrone_Keels/57620
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