Featured Who Currently Resides in Hell Today?

Thank you.

God bless.

 

Is that true for you?

Didn't think so, Evangelist.

And I point that out because I think we need to be sensitive to the fact that many believers are babes in Christ, and many remain that way due to poor discipling, which leads the culpability back to leadership.

I think that the Lord is going to do what the Word tells us...


James 3:1

King James Version (KJV)

3 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.


...and that He is far more understanding of the babe that is materialistic than he is of teachers that are responsible for that materialism.

Of course the Church is more focused on material things...because the Church is not made up exclusively of teachers. While I think that all believers have a responsibility before God to study, I also know from experience that there is a need to motivate people to study.

And the best way to do that is for us to be able to address the issues pertinent to the lives of those who have not yet discovered the wonders of study.

Keep in mind that despite the fact that the Church fails, the Lord still has servants out there who have been gifted to accomplish what He will, without fail, accomplish.

Are you not one of those servants? And do you think that every member of the Body should have the particular ministry God has called and has gifted, and still gifting you in?

Not everyone will do what you do, and perhaps that is a good thing, because there are also those who will be reached by those who picture Christ in their lives though they may not be avid students of the Word, or evangelists, or teachers.

It has been said, "You are the only Bible some people will ever read," and that is true in large part.


God bless.

 

"Hell" is not the same thing as Hades, though, as in the Scripture you present, it seems to be.

Here, we have Hades being cast into Hell. Hell is properly the place of judgment that will be the eternal punishment of Satan, his demons, and all of mankind that have rejected the revelation God has provided them. The punishment of those who reject the revelation provided to man through Christ will be worse than that suffered by those who rejected previous revelation, such as the Covenant of Law.

When the Lord spoke of eternal punishment, the word used is not Hades, but geenna, or Gehenna a it is known best by:


Matthew 23:33

King James Version (KJV)

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?



But when the Lord spoke of the place of the departed dead in His day, He spoke of Hades (which is the Greek equivalent to Sheol):


Luke 16:23

King James Version (KJV)

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.


Some, like myself, take the view that prior to the Cross men did not go into Heaven to be with God, but because their transgression were not redeemed men went into Sheol:


Genesis 37:35

King James Version (KJV)

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.




Here we see that it is translated "grave" which, when we keep in mind the limitations of revelation in the Old Testament we understand they were not given the revelation we have which explains the places where spirits of men go when they die.

Failure to understand the concepts and teachings about this issue have led to the popularity of false teachers such as Rob Bell and an increasing popularity of denying the Biblical understanding of Heaven, Hell, and Hades.

Rise of popularity in doctrines such as Soul Sleep and Annihilation are also a result. The Sadducees of Christ's day were ancient deniers of Scripture, and received rebuke from Christ and specifically told their error was that they did not know the Scriptures.


2 Samuel 22:6

King James Version (KJV)

6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;


Sheol is translated grave, pit, hell, in the KJV. Our job is to understand what Scripture teaches.

In the three links you have all you need to come to a Biblical understanding of Hell and Hades, and if you study how these are used in Scripture, you will see that it supplements and clarifies other teachings as well.

An example would be that understanding that it was necessary for Christ to die for the sins of the Old Testament Saints as well as those after is crucial in understanding Redemption. If we impose the completion Christ brought to that in the Old Testament, which had only the vicarious sacrifices meant only to picture and foretell Christ's death, then the Cross of Christ loses the magnitude that in reality it is, and we weaken the power that Scripture presents of the Cross.

Take a look at the links, and look at the uses of hades and gehenna. Once one is familiar with where they found and what context they are found, they will see that the destruction that is coming upon those who reject Christ is a horror that is not only a reality, but important enough that God would manifest in flesh and take upon Himself the sins of the world, that He might provide a means of escape for those who are helpless, left to themselves, to do anything about it.


God bless.

 

I would suggest that the derision that some hold for literalism is something which is damaging to some people. Such derision usually arises from a System of Theology. And those, like myself, who are called "hyper-literalists," are usually not, taking into consideration that sometimes Scripture employs certain literary styles which have to be taken in the context of the one using them, such as John the Baptist calling those who approached him a "brood of vipers."

Scripture was given to be taken literally, because it is specifically revelation God means for people not only to have, but to understand, it is not given in mysterious terms. And like all literature, we account that use of figurative language, metaphor, and symbolic meaning can be found. One aspect of the Word of God is it's progressive nature in revelation. God gave revelation concerning Messiah, but He did not intend for man to know the specifics we, as born again believers, have been given in the New Testament. It was sufficient for man to know then that God is the only Savior, and that Messiah was coming. People were called to faith in God and what He revealed.

So we approach in a literal manner, because that is how it is given. When we see something in which literary styles are used to be descriptive, such as Satan being presented as a dragon, we don't lose the literal intent which is...there is an entity named Satan.

Right now the saved, when they die, go to be with the Lord in Heaven. The lost, go into Hades. When this world passes away, Hades, and all death, will go into the place of judgment, and the resurrection of the "dead" is incorporated into that.

Those, like the Rich Man of Luke 16, will stand before God and be judged. When they are judged, not one of them will be able to say "I didn't know I was supposed to obey you." God provides revelation to all men, whether it is simply in Creation itself, the internal witness He gives to all men, or specific revelation delivered by Prophets, Scripture Writers, or even God himself speaking directly to man (i.e., in the Garden, on the mountain, in the furnace, in the Person of Christ).

It is a literal teaching in Scripture, and sometimes figurative speech is used, but the Doctrine of the Bible is always literal.


God bless.

 

And that has been one of Satan's most effective ploys, to make a caricature of Biblical Doctrine. God is made to be a childish and tyrannical God, Satan himself is made to be a cartoon character which no logical person would believe existed, and demons are explained away as medical maladies which the enlightened of modern times recognize.

And teachers like Rob Bell tickle many ears of people who care more about what he says Scripture means than what God has spoken directly to the heart of those individuals.

To make myth of Biblical Doctrine is a ploy of the Devil, and the only thing standing in the way of his teaching and God's Doctrine is...obedience itself.

I have been amazed on the forums I visit to see just how poplar certain doctrines have become, and are held by those we might consider primarily orthodox. It is good motivation to address those issues.


God bless.

 

Two things I would take issue with are

I could be wrong but seeing that in view are the spirits of men, I view their place to be a spiritual place, meaning, Hades is not in the earth (derived from, I believe, the fact that the body goes into the ground and we see the earth swallow up sinners).

The second thing would be this:

When Christ died, and arose, they supposed they saw, not a soul (though they did see a soul, lol), but a spirit:

Luke 24:36-37

King James Version (KJV)

36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
When God created man, He formed man's body, then breathed spirit into him, and man did not receive a soul, he became a soul.

The use of the term "soul" is in most places representative of the person themselves, not an immaterial aspect of our makeup as is a popular belief. an example of this is clear here...



Acts 27:36-38

King James Version (KJV)

36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.




...where the immaterial part of man is clearly not in view, but that the individual is.

Here is the primary proof-text of Annihilationists:



Matthew 10:28

King James Version (KJV)

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.


At first glance in a context of Annihilation, this seems to suggest that both the material and immaterial aspect of man can be destroyed in Hell.

That is not the case. In view in this text is the fact that man can kill other men, but that is the extent of their power over men. That is contrasted with the truth that this limitation is not on God, who can destroy men while living, as well as when dead. That is the thrust of the statement.

And the intent of the statement by the Lord is that men should fear God.

And Hell. Which we see here it is Gehenna, not Hades, in view.

Then we examine the destruction spoken of, a link provided in the verse for that as well.

The Annihilationist teaches that what is in view here is cessation of existence, but if we look at the use of apollymi we will see that is hardly the case, and we see the Lord employ this word just prior to speaking about His power in Hell:

Matthew 10:6

King James Version (KJV)

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.


Pretty amazing, isn't it?

In view is the separation of Israel to God. They are in a state of destruction in that separation, and the destruction of the lost in Hell is no different. It does not mean cessation of existence, but a condition which even those who are alive can experience, and in fact all are born into that condition.

So we have to be careful when we apply an immaterial aspect to the word soul in every passage that it is used in.

A few more examples where an immaterial entity is not in view:


Luke 1:46

King James Version (KJV)

46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,


Luke 12:19

King James Version (KJV)

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.


1 Corinthians 15:4

5King James Version (KJV)

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.


1 Thessalonians 2:8

King James Version (KJV)

8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.


James 5:20

King James Version (KJV)

20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.


1 Peter 3:20

King James Version (KJV)

20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.




Here are a few where we might consider an immaterial aspect:


1 Thessalonians 5:23

King James Version (KJV)

23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Hebrews 4:12

King James Version (KJV)

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The first I view as being used in a sense that "soul" does represent man in his totality even as Paul exhaustively defines a man where no aspect is left out. The second I view as speaking of death, where the departure of a soul's spirit results in a condition where a man is not whole, as he was before death, but is separated from his body.

And all of that just to say, those are the only two issues I take with the statement you provided, I am in full agreement with the rest, and think it better represents Biblical Doctrine than some of the things we see not only being taught in modern Christendom, but embraced.


God bless.

 

True.

For some.


God bless.

 

But as you can see in the responses...not everyone knows that.

Therefore we see the title draws those who think they can answer the question with...the lost.

But thanks for making another valid !




God bless.

 

So you are free from materialism?

Not trying to be overly critical, Rebel, but your statement was, well, what I see as overly critical, lol.

Understand, there are some people, and usually on every forum, that have a message that reviles the Church, as though they have been given knowledge from God that He somehow lost control. So just want to point out that despite the fact the Church is made up of fallible people, God is still in control and He is still building His Church the same way He has always built it. And just as we see even someone like Peter could fall into error, how much more should we understand that people today are not always going to meet a criteria which is presented in Scripture. That's not an excuse, just an allowance for that fallibility. And if God can save us despite our faults, then we can allow that He will perfect us (in the temporal sense) despite our faults. It just takes time.

I just wouldn't want you to fall into what I have seen to be something that literally cripples people spiritually, where growth ceases and bitterness sets in. We should never speak derisively about those known as the Church.

Not when it comes across as condemnation as a whole.

The Church gets enough bad press as it is, because people want to hear stuff like that, and it is irritating never to see those who are doing good broadcast in the media.

Hope that makes sense.


God bless.