The Hell of Fire

Recently, I attended a Church service which presented a video of a man who claimed to have spent “23 minutes in hell.” I learned from the video that he also authored a book by the same title. What he experienced, he called a vision – an “out of body” experience. Now, he seemed genuinely sincere, and very humble, not desiring to set himself up as some kind of prophet or spiritual guru. He was also adamant that everything he said was backed by Scripture – 150 Scripture references to be exact. Plus, he claimed to have partnered with some Bible scholars regarding the Scripture references to be sure that none were “out of context.” Yet, as I listened intently to his story, it seemed to me that, almost without exception, every Scripture he used was either “out of context” or a gross misinterpretation.

At the end of the video, almost an hour, the pastor turned off the DVD player and asked for comments and responses. One man commented that “...he backed everything up with Scriptures, and you can't argue with that.” Others related how we are “more fearful of men than of God” and that's why we are lax in telling people about hell. The general attitude seemed to be that this was indeed a Scriptural message that needed to be preached more often; that people must be told that if they don't repent, the only alternative for them is an eternity in the conscious torment of a fiery hell.

Well, I can't tell you how heavy my heart was after hearing all this. I wanted so bad to stand up and say NO! NO! NO! This is all wrong! Can't you see that this “hellish” doctrine does not honor God at all? Can't you see that it does no justice to God's nature and character, much less to His precious Word? On the one hand, we believe that God is patient, not wanting any to perish but that all should come to repentance; we believe that God is merciful and “His mercy endures forever”; and that he is just!? And yet, this doctrine of an eternal punishing hell requires that, at some point in the future, God is no longer patient or merciful or just, much less loving or kind! He willingly consigns the murderer and rapist along with a good husband and father alike, to the same eternal punishment! The doctrine posits that eternal punishment is "away" from God's presence and yet we must consider that only God can sustain the life of the impenitent and therefore He must keep them forever in the state of misery and torment!

Of course, supporters of the doctrine attempt to vindicate God from this cruelty by pointing out that He created "hell" for the devil and his minions. Therefore, it is man's choice to go to hell, not God's. Yes, they say, men who reject Jesus, regardless of how they live their lives – good or bad – choose hell because they do not choose Jesus! But can this be right? What about those who have never heard? Who never even had a chance to hear? And what about those who rejected Christianity purely on the basis that they cannot reasonably accept such a cruel and merciless doctrine? I cannot help but think that the teaching of this doctrine offends our loving heavenly Father! I do not question the reality of “final punishment” - the Bible is quite clear about that fact. The question is rather, what is the nature and duration of that punishment?

I knew it would not be well received and would serve no good purpose to disrupt the meeting with my opposing opinion, so I kept quiet. After all, how could I fight against 150 Scripture references in only a few moments! Plus, I had the disadvantage of not having had a vision, or “out of body” experience! It never ceases to amaze me how blind people can be to the plain language of the Bible (I once was blind to these things myself), and how open people can be when they hear that someone has had a vision – especially if that vision supports long held traditions!

If this topic is of interest to you (and I think it certainly should be), you may profit from reading a couple of very excellent articles. Just click the links below. I will also be posting more on this topic myself.

God Bless,
Keith

Making the Dead Alive: Translating Sheol as Hades Brings the Dead to Life

The Final End of the Wicked – by Edward Fudge

A Man Under Authority

Luke 7:1-10; Matthew 8:5-13

This passage of Scripture is very instructional and enlightening. Most bible translations give it a pericope heading of "The Centurions' Faith", or something similar. But perhaps it should be given the heading "A Man Under Authority." The Centurion had great faith to be sure, and Jesus commends him for it. However, I think the central truth found here is not so much in the fact of the Centurion's faith as the cause of his faith!

Notice in verse 9 that he says, "for I too am a man under authority..." In the past, for me, the focus of this passage has been on verse 7 where the Centurion says, "...but say the word, and let my servant be healed." Invariably, when I would read this, I thought to myself, wow, what a testimony to this man, and a gentile besides. He had the distinction of one whose faith had surpassed that of any Jew! He really got it! He knew that Jesus didn't have to be present or have to lay his hands on the servant in order for him to receive God's healing mercy. All Jesus had to do was "say the word" and it would be done!

Of course, what I didn't understand is WHY he only had to "say the word" and the actual reason for which he commended the Centurion! Somehow, I always related the authority to the spoken word, but the reason Jesus could simply speak the word and get results is because he was under God's authority. Now you may think I am rather thick headed not to have seen this before, and you could be right. But my previously held belief, that Jesus is also God, hindered my appreciation of the facts, and the truth of the Centurions insight and understanding.

Time and again Jesus affirmed that he only did what the Father told him to do, and he only said what the Father told him to say. The Centurion understood this perfectly because he himself was a man "set" under authority! As a man under authority, he understood the power of one in that postition. His words carried the full backing of Rome and, for all practical purposes, when he spoke, it was as if the words came from the Emperor of Rome himself. It was this very fact, that he understood Jesus as a man under the authority of God, that produced faith in him!

Luke points out that "when Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him"! This word "marvel" means to wonder, to be in awe of something. To get the gist of the word "marvel" you might picture someone scratching their head, as if in wonderment; or dropping their jaw after hearing something they didn't expect or that didn't quite register. It's interesting to note that Jesus was said to be in this state of mind only one other time, and that was in Mark 6:6 when "he marvelled because of their unbelief"!

Here in Luke's gospel, Jesus simply follows up with the statement that "...I have not found so great faith, no, not in all Israel." But in Matthew's account, he adds a rebuke saying "...the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness." (Matthew 8:11-12). This rebuke to Israel and commendation of the Centurion, I suggest, is not just because a gentile demonstrated great faith, but because he recognized Jesus as a man commissioned by God and vested with His full authority! How else could he expect a spoken word to carry such power, not even being within hearing distance of the servant? Unless, the Centurion recognized Jesus as God... but his words exclude that possibility! (...I also am a man... v8)

Here is yet another example of how my "faith eyes" have been made new! Understanding Jesus as fully human, without the need to see that he is at the same time God, has allowed me to see Scripture in a different way. Should we not join with the multitudes in Jesus day who were "awe-struck... and ascribed the glory to God who had entrusted such power to a man." (Matthew 9:8 - Weymouth Version)