Unreached People Groups

[John of Japan]

I hate to differ with you, but may I gently explain that Jesus did not speak of hell more than He spoke of heaven. This is a common, unexamined phrase that nearly every pastor and Bible teacher repeats, but it is wrong.

According to Strong’s Concordance, there are 104 verses associated with Jesus and the word “heaven”, but only 28 verses associated with Jesus and the word “hell”.

As I said, it's not correct to include "Kingdom of Heaven" in the study, because that was Matthew's way of referring to what the other Gospels called "Kingdom of God," and it was referring not to the place called Heaven, but the influence of God on earth.

We should expect that Jesus would talk a lot more about Heaven, because He lived there and He was proclaiming the kingdom of heaven in His ministry. But it is correct to claim that Jesus explained hell more than anyone else ever had.

This is helpful.

 

[John of Japan]

You are the only Christian I have ever known who questioned that phrase “Jesus spoke about hell more than He spoke about heaven”!

Our numbers differ, but the result is the same.

According to Strong’s Concordance, there are 104 verses associated with Jesus and the word “heaven”, but only 28 verses associated with Jesus and the word “hell”.

Again, not a valid comparison, because of the meaning in Matthew of "Kingdom of Heaven."

 

[Ascetic X]

Again, not a valid comparison, because of the meaning in Matthew of "Kingdom of Heaven."

You are more of a scholar than I, but to me, speaking about the kingdom of heaven is speaking about heaven.

It is the kingdom ruled by, located in, or coming from, heaven.

 

[John of Japan]

You are more of a scholar than I, but to me, speaking about the kingdom of heaven is speaking about heaven.

It is the kingdom ruled by, located in, or coming from, heaven.

We'll agree to disagree, but you have made an interesting point. But if you really want to dig deep in this difficult subject, Alva J. McClain's Greatness of the Kingdom (1968) is the dispensational classic--though to be fair, I don't know if he would agree with all I've written here. Haven't read the book myself in a long time.