NOTE: There are certain texts in the Bible that, if we surfacely read, and not taking into account the original intended meaning of their saying, in their respective context and time, can give us wrong impressions, lead to wrong interpretations, even to view the Bible as contradictory. These principles which are often overlooked, are to be taken into consideration, even allowing Gods Spirit to guide and enlighten the mind in truth(JOHN 16:13). Lets proceed: (PT. 1)>>WHAT ARE THE TWO APPLICATIONS OF THE WORD HELL IN THE BIBLE? In Scripture, the word hell does not always have the same meaning based on translation from the original language it was written in. English versions of the Bible often use the word hell to translate the Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades. These terms actually speaks of the grave, where both the righteous and the wicked dead are, in a state of unconsciousness, awaiting their respective resurrection and reward (see JOHN 5:29). EXAMPLES: for You will not leave my soul in hell (or Sheol- the grave), nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Pslam 16:10. ... I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell (or Sheol- the grave) cried I, and thou heardest my voice (remember the story of Jonah in the belly of the fish?-Jonah 2:1). Jonah 2:2 But also, the Greek word geenna, which the English versions of the New Testiment transilate with the word hell, refers to the fiery punishment for the unrepentant. Geenna is taken from the Hebrew Ge Hinnom - Valley of Hinnom. This is a gorge on the south side of Jerusalem, where, Israel had conducted the forbidden heathen practice of burning children to Molech (See: 2 CHRON. 28:3; 33:1, 6; 2 KINGS 23:10). Of this sinful rite, Jeremiah had predicted that the Lord would make the valley a Valley of Slaughter, where the Israelites shall be buried, till there is no more place left. (See: JER. 7:32, 33; 19:6). This prophecy certainly led Israel to view Ge Hinnom as a place of Judgment of the wicked. Now Jesus used the fires of Hinnom as a symbol of hellfire in Mattew 5:22 (18:9 also), which says: 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 (Ge Hinnom or Gr. gehenna). So the fires of Hinnom is a representation of the consuming fire of the judgment to come upon the earth (see 2PETER 3:7), which is an experience beyond death (see LUKE 12:5), and that such a fire would destroy both body and soul (see MATT.10:28). Even so, this fire from God, unlike a common earthly fire, is able to consume and destroy supernatural beings - the devil and his angels who sinned from the beginning (see 2 PETER 2:4; REV. 20: 9-10). (PT. 2)>>WHAT IS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF HELL FIRE (geenna)? To know this, we will go back to the typical services of the earthly sanctuary mentioned in the Old Testament. The practices within the earthly sanctuary (established by God) served as types, which were prophecies pointing to the antitypical: Christ, the true lamb of God( see JOHN 1:29), His sacrifice and ministry(see MATT. 20:28; ROM 5:8), even as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary (see HEB 4:14; 5:8-10; 7:25, 26), His judgment(see JOHN 5:26, 27; ROM 14:10-12), His dealings with sinners and sin (see HEB. 4:15, 16; 1JOHN 1:9; 4:10) in the plan of salvation for fallen mankind and earths restoration (see REV. 21:5). The PRIMARY purpose of Hell fire is to destroy SIN - the transgression of Gods holy law (1JOHN 3:4), which results in guilt, pain, suffering and death (ROM 8:22; 6:23). And going back to one of the typical services of the earthly sanctuary then, we will see the significant truth of this, pointing to how sin will finally be destroyed. Lets consider the sin offering. Of this offering, the sinner would bring an animal (like a lamb) into the court of the sanctuary, lay his hands on its head and confessed his sins, then killed it (see LEV. 4:29; NUM. 5:7). The officiating priest would then sprinkle some of its blood on the horns of the alter of sweet incense before the Lord in the tabernacle of the congregation, and all of its blood was poured at the base of the alter of burnt offering at the door of that tabernacle (LEV.4:7, 18, 25, and 30). After this the animal would be burned without the camp (see: LEV.6:30; HEB. 13:11-12). But an important task that the sinner had to do in this ceremony, was to REMOVE ALL the fat from the different organs of the animal, for the priest to burn it upon the brazen alter. The fat actually represents sin (see PSALM 37:20; ISAIAH 43: 23-24). And so we can see here the SIGNIFANCE of this in our life, in removing all sins by confession and repentance to Christ our heavenly high priest, who forgives and cleanses us from sin. (PT. 3)>>WHY WILL SOME END UP FACING HELL FIRE? Having understood that sin at the end of time, will finally be eradicated from the earth by hell fire, we can now understand also the consequence of those who chooses to hold on to sin- they will perish with it. God has no pleasure in the death of sinners (EZEKIEL 33:11). He hates sin, but loves sinners. His desire and plan is for ALL to be saved (2 PETER 3:9). He will surely not force us to accept Him, because made us as free agents to choose. We decide our destiny, not God. Jesus is now our perfect sacrifice, the true lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (JOHN 1:29). For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (PT. 4)>>WHEN & WHERE WILL HELL FIRE BE? Unlike the belief that hell fire is burning the wicked from beneath the earth, at present, the Bible clearly speaks of it has an event that SHALL take place in the future: For, behold, the day cometh, that SHALL burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, SHALL be stubble: and the day that cometh SHALL burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it SHALL leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4:1. And based on Revelation 20, the devil, his angels, and the host of the lost, AFTER the 1000 years (Millennium period- which will begin after Christ 2nd coming [I’ll do a further study on this in the future]), will be consumed by fire from God (REV. 20:9-10). While some may believe that this earth will not be purified by fire, the Bible also clearly teaches that it SHALL be. 2 Peter 3:10 says: But the day of the Lord WILL come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens SHALL pass away with a great noise, and the elements SHALL MELT with fervent HEAT, the earth also and the works that are therein SHALL be BURNED up. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (remember Noah and the flood?): But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto FIRE against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:5-7. The purpose of this in purifying the earth by fire this time, is because God had declared His unbroken promise to make all things new, by cleansing away sin and its results: Revelation 21:1&4 says: And I (John the revelator) saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away....And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (PT.5)>>WILL A GOD OF LOVE & JUSTICE BE BURNING SINNERS IN HELL THROUGHOUT ETERNITY? Two eternal results are laid out before us in John 3:16. Accepting Jesus by faith, as Lord and Saviour, gives the decider the assurance of receiving and experiencing eternal life. But the opposite of this would result in eternal destruction or lifes extinction. The New Testament uses the terms everlasting and eternal, in relation to the punishment of the wicked. These terms are translated from the Greek word aionios, which is applicable to God as well as to man, respectively. But what many fails to understand is that the word aionios is a relative term-The object that it modifies, determines its meaning. God is aionios (eternal or everlasting) - in this context, the subject God, possesses infinite existence (Who is immortal). But when referring this term aionios, to a mortal human or things that are perishable, it would mean as long as the person lives or the thing exists (a husband who would say to his wife, I will love you forever, actually means he would love her as long as he lives [consider also the expression in the story of Hannah and her child in 1 SAM.1:22&27,28]). But lets take a careful note of what had happen to the wicked cities Sodom and Gomorrah in Jude 7: Those cities suffered the vengeance of eternal fire. But is that place burning today? Certainly not! Peter declared that that eternal fire turned those cities into ashes, condemning them to destruction (see: 2Peter 2:6). So what NEEDS to be understood here is that the RESULT in the destruction by that eternal fire is everlasting or eternal. That fire burned till nothing was left to burn, and then it went out. And this was made an example to the future punishment of the wicked. Also, the everlasting fire that Christ said will burn up the wicked (MATT. 25:41), will be unquenchable (MATT. 3:12). But what does unquenchable means in this context? God had set a fire at the gates of Jerusalem, which was not to be quenched in Jeremiah 17:27. Surly that fire is still not burning now. The actual meaning of this is that the fire that God had set, and the eternal fire that will burn up the wicked, was not, and shall not be quenched UNTILL its job of DESTRUCTION is COMPLETED! What about the meaning of everlasting punishment that Jesus spoke of in Matt. 25:46? But by carefully taking note here, Jesus never meant everlasting punishing. The bible speaks of eternal redemption (HEB. 9:12) that those who chooses to be redeemed by Christ, will be receiving and experiencing eternal life throughout eternity. But the punishment that the wicked will face, will also be eternal, in the sense of its COMPLETION or FINALITY of their destruction, and not the wicked suffering in hell fire endlessly. Know this as well, that for the saints to have eternal life, they must be CHANGED into IMMORTAL beings-only them will receive this (see 2 COR. 15:50-58; 2 TIMOTHY 1:9-10). But for the wicked mortals, they will not be granted immortality to be suffering in hell forever (see PSALM 37:28 & 38). A PERPETUAL HELL FOR SINNERS, IS NOT A TEACHING FROM A GOD WHO IS LOVE AND JUST. Finally, in considering this logically: If God said He will make all things new-the heavens and the earth(REV 21:5), having the former things passing away, including sin, sinners, suffering and death (REV. 21:1&4), and that this same earth that will be purified by the everlasting fire that the wicked shall be destroyed by, will be inherited by the saints after all traces of sin is vanished(PSALM 37:9&34), THEN all this must clearly show that hell fire throughout eternity will NOT BE the case. God will take sin and sinners FROM His presence (2 THESS. 1:8-9).
Posted on: Thu, 29 May 2014 16:42:32 +0000
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