Facts About Hell
by Samuel M. Ohmart
Why Facts about Hell? Because there is much teaching about Hell that is not fact but dishonoring superstition, conceived in ignorance, and taught as truth by men who should know better.
IT IS A FACT:
• That the popular teaching of an eternal hell has no support in the Scriptures, as we shall show.
• that “the wages of sin is death!”— utter deprivation of being, not eternal torture.
• that fear of an eternal hell has little moral value to restrain men from sin, since millions who believe it go on living in sin.
• that fear of an eternal hell is not a necessary motive in winning men to Christ, since millions of Christians do not believe in such a hell.
• that while wholesome fear of a just penalty is a Scriptural motive to turn to God, the best motive is the appeal to reason, conscience and will — not fear.
• that the doctrine of an eternal hell is the biggest single factor in today’s infidelity.
IT IS A FACT:
• that hell is an English word chosen by the translators to render four Greek or Hebrew words, three of which mean totally different things, and not one of which means hell in the popular sense, as we shall see.
• that hell in Old English meant a covered place, a pit, or concealed, hidden, like the grave.
IT IS A FACT:
• that the Hebrew word sheol, translated hell, is also rendered pit three times, and grave thirty-one times.
• that sheol could have been rendered grave, or equivalent terms, every time, had not the translators held the mediaeval theory of eternal torment.
• that in the Revised Version the revisers restored the Hebrew sheol to the text fourteen times untranslated, thus confessing the error of the King James translation and their own ignorance of the true meaning.
IT IS A FACT:
• that the Greek word hades is rendered hell improperly ten times out of eleven in the New Testament.
• that hades signifies literally the place of the dead, never a place of punishment.
• that from the cross Christ went to hades, the state of the dead, not to a place of punishment.
• that sheol in Hebrew and hades in Greek admit of the same definition -- the place of the dead. David prophesied of Christ, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in sheol,” (Psalm 16:10) and Peter quoted it in Greek, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hades,” i.e., in the place of the dead (Acts 2:27,31).
IT IS A FACT:
• that while the Greek word gehenna is rendered hell twelve times in the Authorized Version of the New Testament, it should not have been so translated even once.
• that gehenna never means the same as sheol and hades.
• that gehenna is the Greek way of spelling gehinnom or Valley of Hinnom (Jeremiah 7:31, 32).
• that the Valley of Hinnom was the place where by city ordinance the rubbish and refuse of Jerusalem, including the bodies of executed criminals, was consigned to be burned and so destroyed.
• that the Valley of Hinnom was thus not a place of torture but of utter destruction; that it was used by Jesus as a type of the future doom of the lost; and that it has been perverted by theologians to teach a hell of endless suffering.
• that in the Revised Version the revisers restored gehenna to the text untranslated eight times, thereby confessing the error of the King James translators in rendering it hell, as well as their ignorance of the true meaning.
IT IS A FACT:
• that tartaurus, rendered hell in 2 Peter 2:4, has not the slightest reference to a place of punishment, either present or future, but rather to a place of detention, where evil angels “are reserved unto judgment.”
IT IS A FACT:
• that of the four words—sheol, hades, gehenna, tartaurus—rendered hell, not one of them means a place of present suffering or of future eternal suffering.
IT IS A FACT:
• that if there is a present hell of punishment, the devil has never been in it.
• that we read of him being cast down from heaven upon the earth (Revelation 12:9).
• that we read of him as “the serpent” in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1,5).
• that the Bible speaks of him as “going to and fro in the earth” (Job 1:7) and “walking about as a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8).
• that he is called “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and “the prince of this world” (John 12:31;14:30;16:11).
• that we read of him as “the god (or ruler) of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
• but no inspired writer has ever portrayed him in hell, where theologians love to locate him. What would hell be without the devil?
IT IS A FACT:
• that if there is a present hell, none of the wicked are in it, becaused they are RESERVED unto the DAY OF JUDGMENT to be PUNISHED, and therefore they are not being punished now! (2 Peter 2:9; 2 Timothy 4:1).
• that AFTER the Judgment comes Malachi’s and Peter’s “burning day,” which is also the “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14; Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:7-12). What would hell be without sinners?
IS IT NOT A FACT,
• in view of all these facts, that the notion of an everlasting hell of fiery torments is a figment of the theological imagination, and not a Bible doctrine?
For more information, contact:
Dr. John H. Roller
5847 Brookstone Dr.
Concord, NC, USA 28027-2535
704-782-9574
johnroller@faithbiblechristian.com
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Well said! What are your thoughts on Rev 20:10? It is the only verse to my knowledge that suggests an eternal conscious presence in Gehenna.
ReplyDeleteRevelation 20:10 say that the beast and the false prophet are in the Lake of Fire when the Devil is finally cast in there after a thousand years? The word “are” is not found in the ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament but, instead, the word was inserted by English translators. That is why the word “are” is in italics in the King James Version. Words in italics in the King James Version indicate that the words were supplied by the translators. So, we can just as easily translate the passage to mean that the Devil was cast into the Lake of Fire where the beast and false prophet were. In fact, the Greek word for “are” (eisi) can be translated as: are, be, were, etc. But, even if we grant the use of the word “are” the verse can still be interpreted to mean that the beast and false prophet continued to remain in a state of annihilation at the time the Devil was cast into the Lake.
ReplyDeletefrom
The Bible Verus the Traditional View of Hell also Edward Fudge on "DEVIL, BEAST & FALSE PROPHET"
Regards
Tarnya
How convenient!pheudoprophetes "false prophet ARE." You don't change Scripture to match you false doctrine! There are many scriptures to disprove your false teaching! Bob Jones
DeletePeace of God, our Father and of Jesus Christ, our Lord!
ReplyDeleteI am Janos, from Romania.
Textual criticism is very important to know if this verse of Revelation 20:10 is "clear" of early human interpolations.
I am deeply interested in textual criticism (but not in the so called "higher criticism") and I recommend a research in this matter. Would you help me, please, to see all the textual variants for Revelation 20:10? If I understand correct, a former SDA member, from Romania, told me about two different sources, in Tischendorf's magnum opus "Critical Edition of the New Testament." In this two different sources the text of Revelation 20:10 contains just this words: "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur." In Codex Sinaiticus is also this short text.
I waiting your helping hand, to find the textual variants from Tischendorf's work.
Christian regards,
Janos
How do you explain away the rich man and Lazarus?
ReplyDeleteLuke 16:14-31
You bring up a good passage WS Lewis. I am one of many who agree with you. I believe this passage supports the eternal aspect of a conscious suffering in Hell, away from God forever. In fact the big to do about Heaven is to be with Jesus for ever. The big pain of Hell is to be separated from Him forever (especially after lost man is called into judgement and acknowledges that Jesus is indeed Lord of Lords to the Glory of God the Father...just prior to his banishment to hell. Oh the pain of forever regrets and the bottomless pit where one can never get a foot hold to gain a sense of control and autonomy to muster up a plan of escape or find a suitable position to engage God in a plea bargain for a second chance.
DeleteCessation of being is agreeable to our human sympathies. It is a more "comfortable" position. Man thinks this is more fair. But the truth is that Heaven is not fair. We don't deserve God's mercy and grace but the saved have humbled themselves and received it. The proud have spurned it and rejected it....many times over...and YET God is till holding out His grace if the lost would repent and believe on Jesus as Savior-Son of God.
To believe in cessation of being is not to believe in the eternal nature of the soul. Jesus made this distinction in Matthew 10:28 when He said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell." Man can stop the human heart from beating...but he cannot silence the soul. The soul lives on and is accountable to God. Eternal death is not cessation of soul but is forever dying...forever alienated from God.
The Bible (Mark 9:48) describes Hell as a place where the fire is not quenched and the worm does dot die. At the very least this means that those who reside there will never disappear but remain as fuel for the fire and food for the worm.
While this passage does not require a blow torch to the body...it does require the conscious presence of a lost man who has rejected God. And torments can be real and terrible without being a sci-fi horror show. God's Holiness will exact judgment in a righteous way. Annihilation is not that way.
Finally...if the Adventist is trusting in Jesus alone as God and Savior...then he is my brother and I rejoice in that. However...I would desire to persuade them to reconsider their position on the eternal nature of Hell. Eternal suffering in the scriptures is in harmony with God's nature...just like eternal blessedness.
-RB Christopher
I fully agree with R B Christopher! When one rejects an eternal God, that one receives eternal punishment. The Scriptures are so clear that a child can read and understand. No one would ever believe in annihilation by reading scripture. Scripture gives no support for this view. The Greek in Scripture make it clear that this is a false doctrine. Scripture is not multiple choice, we cannot pick and choose what we would like to believe as if it was some buffet of choices! It's no wonder James 3:1 tells us - "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgement. It's a serious thing to take away from God's word and try to enforce your own ideas on God's unchangeable truths! It's even worse when you teach others!. The Scripture tells us in no uncertain terms that it cannot be broken or altered. It warns regarding adding to and taking away from it. It's God's truth and we are called to believe it, not change it. I Peter 1:23 calls God's word the living and eternal word of God. v.25 says that the word of the Lord endures forever, and this is the word that was preached to you. Galatians 1:8-9 says that to teach anything other that the apostles gave us is a false gospel. Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
ReplyDeleteThis is what Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 15:6-9. They makes the word of God of non effect. Matthew 7:15 warns us to be aware of wolves in sheep's clothing. Many at judgement will say Lord, Lord... But He will say - "I never knew you." Teaching the truth of God's word regarding hell should bring guilt and fear on sinners because it's the truth of God's unchangeable word. The teaching of hell, is not, as Mr. Roller tells us,"the biggest single factor of total infidelity." The rejection of God's truth is the biggest factor of total infidelity! II Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and they will turn away their ears from the truth and be turned aside to myths. that's exactly what is going on in many churches today and the teachings here on this site regarding this false view of hell is exactly what this verse is talking about.
In Christ - Bob Jones.
Of all this talk with no bible to back up an eternal hell. I would like to ask how does one gain eternal life? John 17:2&3 1st John 5:11-12.John 3:16.
ReplyDeleteWhen Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus to wake HIM up who got up? Where does the Bible say David was in Acts 2:22-36?
This Ecc.12:7 Have you ever been to heaven? How can you return to a place where you have never been?
Mark 9:48 is not teaching a eternal hell. Look, at it what is the thing that is not dying Jesus is speaking of? Their WORM. Look at the word worm it is "Magnet" feeding on the dead bodies of what was thrown into the city dump. Come on The doctrine of eternal hell is not what Mr. Jones is trying to teach. Only one group of people will have eternal life and it is those who have the Son. It is a fact that if one does not have the Son one can not live forever.