To many Christians, the fear of an eternal place of torment for unbelievers is very real. In the first four parts of this Hellfire Series, we addressed many of the sources of these fears one at a time. What we have seen is straightforward. First, the concept of “unquenchable fire” comes from the Old Testament and simply means a fire of destruction that burns until its work is done. Second, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” refers to deep regret on the part of those who should know better and has nothing to do with flames and torture. Third, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is just that. It is a parable that demonstrates the unfaithfulness of the Jewish nation when they rejected Jesus. Fourth, history plainly reveals the origin of torture and flames in an afterlife comes from pagan origins and is not at all biblical. Finally, here we are looking at the book of Revelation. Do its graphic statements fit in with all that we have previously discovered? Absolutely!

The book of Revelation reveals some pretty ominous descriptions of penalties for ungodly activities. Reading things like, “he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb,” and “the smoke of their torment” in Revelation 14:10 and, “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” in Revelation 20:10 can easily give us a sense of fear and foreboding. Even though we know Revelation is a book of extremely symbolic language, we need clear explanations. What is really being said here?

The first point to consider may sound simplistic but is necessary when interpreting these texts. That is, Revelation is part of the whole Bible, and its symbols are consistent with the rest of God’s word. Accepting this simple premise allows us to build a solid foundation for true understanding. Let’s take the word for “torment” that appears in both of these Revelation texts as an example. This same word appears in its different forms (noun, verb) in several other New Testament scriptures. When we examine how it is used in all these cases, a clear meaning begins to emerge. This word is NOT at all describing the physical pain and suffering that would come from a hell of torment. Rather, it reveals the genuineness of a person or system. Does this person or religious system truly represent what it proclaims to stand for?

Check out our September 24, 2024 podcast, “What Does ‘The Smoke of Their Torment Rises Up Forever’ Mean? (Hellfire Series Part V)” for details. We consider these symbolic Revelation scriptures in the light of their immediate context using the foundation of the rest of biblical testimony. What we find is a clear and harmonious message. It reveals the consequences for misrepresenting God’s sanctified truth as destruction and NOT torment. Join us for this unfolding of these very symbolic texts in the light of God’s love and plan for all of humanity.

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The subject of eternal torment can be volatile, as there are so many variations in its explanations. Aside from all of the questions and debates regarding the interpretation of Scripture, there’s one fundamental question that often gets overlooked: If a hell of torment is the ultimate consequence for sin, did God’s people always know that? Think about the power of this question. For the many Christians who see the eternal torture of hell as a deterrent from sin, wouldn’t God in His justice have given all of His people through all of history ample knowledge of this overwhelming consequence? Is the doctrine of eternal torment plainly revealed throughout the whole Bible? When do we see this teaching revealed in any ancient pagan belief systems? What is the history of hellfire?

It is a straightforward way for us to understand how the principles of justice emanate from the mind and hand of God to the human race. God creates Adam and then Eve. He puts them into this garden to cultivate and gives them everything they need for a perfect and eternal life. God gives them the rules and plainly expresses that death is the penalty for disobedience. They disobey. They are removed from the Garden and the dying process begins. God had said that they came from the dust of the ground and to that dust they would return.

Such a clearly defined explanation of life and death at the very beginning of humanity’s course SHOULD be the basis for any conversation about the doctrine of eternal torment. Our first important question:

Why would God tell Adam he would return to the “dust of the ground” if he was to be eternally tortured? Built upon this first question are two further fundamental questions:

Why in the almost 4,000-year history of Old Testament writings is a hell of torment never referenced? Why would God be silent with so much at stake?

What did pagan history during that same period of time teach in great detail about afterlife torture? In how many different pagan cultures did these afterlife torture teachings appear?

Check out our recent podcast, “Did a Belief in Hell Always Exist? (Hellfire Series Part IV).” We delve deeply into these three questions. We trace pagan history in great detail. This history of hellfire reveals clear and incontrovertible evidence of afterlife torment and torture in many cultures. We compare the timeframe in which these beliefs were relevant with what was simultaneously happening in biblical history. The conclusions the evidence presents are more than just thought provoking, they are profound. Join us for this amazing and factual journey through questions rarely asked. What is at stake is our comprehension of the very character of God. What we find are glorious answers!

The post Did a Belief in Hell Always Exist? (Hellfire Series Part IV) appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.

The subject of eternal torment can be volatile, as there are so many variations in its explanations. Aside from all of the questions and debates regarding the interpretation of Scripture, there’s one fundamental question that often gets overlooked: If a hell of torment is the ultimate consequence for sin, did God’s people always know that? Think about the power of this question. For the many Christians who see the eternal torture of hell as a deterrent from sin, wouldn’t God in His justice have given all of His people through all of history ample knowledge of this overwhelming consequence? Is the doctrine of eternal torment plainly revealed throughout the whole Bible? When do we see this teaching revealed in any ancient pagan belief systems? What is the history of hellfire?

The biblical account of Adam and Eve speaks volumes.

It is a straightforward way for us to understand how the principles of justice emanate from the mind and hand of God to the human race. God creates Adam and then Eve. He puts them into this garden to cultivate and gives them everything they need for a perfect and eternal life. God gives them the rules and plainly expresses that death is the penalty for disobedience. They disobey. They are removed from the Garden and the dying process begins. God had said that they came from the dust of the ground and to that dust they would return.

Such a clearly defined explanation of life and death at the very beginning of humanity’s course SHOULD be the basis for any conversation about the doctrine of eternal torment. Our first important question:

If such an eternally painful and horrifying consequence did come from God, why would He not proclaim it from the beginning?

Why would God tell Adam he would return to the “dust of the ground” if he was to be eternally tortured? Built upon this first question are two further fundamental questions:

Why in the almost 4,000-year history of Old Testament writings is a hell of torment never referenced? Why would God be silent with so much at stake?

What did pagan history during that same period of time teach in great detail about afterlife torture? In how many different pagan cultures did these afterlife torture teachings appear?

Check out our recent podcast, “Did a Belief in Hell Always Exist? (Hellfire Series Part IV).” We delve deeply into these three questions. We trace pagan history in great detail. This history of hellfire reveals clear and incontrovertible evidence of afterlife torment and torture in many cultures. We compare the timeframe in which these beliefs were relevant with what was simultaneously happening in biblical history. The conclusions the evidence presents are more than just thought provoking, they are profound. Join us for this amazing and factual journey through questions rarely asked. What is at stake is our comprehension of the very character of God. What we find are glorious answers!

The post How Do We Understand the Rich Man and Lazarus? (Hellfire Series Part III) appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast.

In Part I, we looked into what Jesus really meant when he talked about “hell” and “unquenchable fire.” Gehenna, the Greek word Jesus used for “hell,” describes a valley in which horrible acts of idolatry occurred. God proclaimed this valley would be known as a valley of slaughter, a valley that would symbolize utter destruction. Further, we discovered that when Jesus spoke of “unquenchable fire,” he was referring to Old Testament fires of destruction that would burn until there was nothing left to be consumed. While these realizations take the eternal torture and flames out of the concept of hell, we still have other words of Jesus to consider. What about all of the times that Jesus said some would experience “weeping and gnashing of teeth”? What was he describing?

Jesus specifically spoke about “weeping and gnashing of teeth” seven different times. This tells us several important things. First, we see he was relaying a very important message. His words were a warning to his listeners to be aware of themselves so they would be able to avoid having this reaction. Second, we need to know who was being addressed. It turns out there were several categories of people being spoken to. There were the Jews of his day, and Christians – both true and false – throughout the whole age of gospel message going forth. Then he also addressed those at the end of the age, when the “time of trouble” will descend upon the world. Jesus’ message was comprehensive and attention-getting!

Next, we need to be aware of what this “weeping and gnashing of teeth” phrase meant and what it didn’t mean. This is a deeply important point, as many Christians instinctively associate it with the concept of a burning hell. The problem here is simple. As we discussed in Part I, the idea of torture in everlasting fire is not at all scripturally accurate. That being the case, we need to have a crystal-clear understanding of how Jesus used this particular phrase. By understanding the words and their context, this begins to become clear.

Next, we need to face the fact that most of the time “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is used, it is within the context of parables. Parables by definition are symbolic, and we need to honor that basis in our understanding. So many details and so little time! Check out our July 15, 2024 podcast, “What Does Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Mean? (Part II)” for more. We systematically go through an overview of all seven times Jesus spoke these words. We identify the “who” and “why” of each instance. Finally, we then highlight the similarities and point out the differences as we compare them. What we find is a sobering and comprehensive lesson Jesus taught to anyone and everyone who would come to know him. Join us to see how weeping and gnashing of teeth makes incredible sense as a learning experience and not as eternal torture.

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To the critical observer, modern Christianity is confusing as we have countless denominations and their countless ways of interpreting Scripture. These widely varied interpretations give birth to widely varied traditions that support those interpretations. As a major subset of this, we have wide discrepancies regarding the destiny of unbelievers. Several times, Jesus plainly taught about the consequences of hell. The enormous question that needs answering is, did he teach hell was a place of agonizing and eternal torture from which there is no escape, or were his several references to hell pointing to a very different meaning? Our focus is on the primary New Testament word Jesus used to describe hell. If we understand the word and its context, we will understand Jesus’ meaning.

Whenever Jesus spoke about hell, it was usually accompanied by descriptions of fire. Not only was there fire involved, but this fire was described as unquenchable. To make things even more dire, there were times when Jesus added descriptions of worms that don’t die. When we put this all together, it looks like we have descriptions of some kind of cataclysmic place, event or time that is wholly unpleasant. Jesus spoke about these things to get our attention. The question is, what was he actually showing us?

For many the answer seems obvious, and their conclusion is that all of this is describing the fiery torment of an eternal hell from which there is no relief. This widely held interpretation has been around for many generations. We would like to respectfully suggest what we consider to be several glaring inconsistencies with this reasoning.

The first question arises when we understand what the word for “hell” means in these teachings of Jesus. “Hell” is the Greek word Gehenna. Gehenna literally translates to “The Valley of (the son of) Hinnom.” This was a literal valley outside of Jerusalem that in Joshua’s day was passed on to the sons of Hinnom. So, this is a piece of real estate. Why would Jesus use a physical piece of land in these graphic descriptions? The sad answer is because of the idolatry that took place in the days of Jeremiah. Israel not only worshipped idols, but they burned their children alive to these idols as sacrifices. In the book of Jeremiah, God plainly stated that such torture had never entered His mind.

Why would God eternally torture people when by His own words he so vehemently condemned it? This is just one of many questions that need asking. Check out our July 8, 2024 podcast, “What Did Jesus Mean When He Talked About Hellfire? (Part I).” We dig deeply into this question, as well as the glaring questions about unquenchable fire, undying worms and Gehenna. The source for the answers to these queries is the Bible. No speculation, no tradition; just scriptures put in place to explain other scriptures. Join us as we walk down this biblical road in search of God’s clearly stated truth.

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