Difference between revisions of "Hell is a Christian Hoax 31"

Revision as of 21:27, 8 February 2011

Contradiction #17

"There is no water in Hell, at all, no water" (From Bill's 23 Minute Script, p. 12). And "There was not one green thing, not one living thing, not one blade of grass..." (23 Minutes, p. 10).

Bill says, "I wanted to find out when I got back from this experience, if there's any body in the Bible who has ever experienced Hell. So I began research. I listen to Chuck Missler a lot ( well maybe you shouldn't) . He's a Bible teacher across the nation, a real scholar ( Oh really? He's 'a real scholar' and he thinks that Jonah went to Hell? Give me a break. If that's scholarship, then I'm a rocket scientist) and he had said that Jonah had experienced Hell. In Jonah 2:2 it says, "in Hell ( Hebrew: 'sheol-the state of the dead. Translated 31 times in the Old Testament as 'grave') he cried out." And In Jonah 2:6 it says:

"the earth with her bars was about me forever, yet thou has brought up my life from corruption."

So at least there was somebody in the Bible that experienced Hell, Jonah." (23 Minutes, Script, p.4),

So the question I will now ask is: Do the Scriptures support Bill's claim, and Chuck Missler's scholarship, that Jonah went to a place in the center of the earth, where there was fire, lots of hideous thirteen foot demons, spiders as large as Volkswagens, and snakes the size of a locomotive, but no water, no life, not one green thing, and no grass? I can see that some of you are already ahead of me. Here's Jonah's real experience:

"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17).

"Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell ( Heb: sheol - Strong's #7585, 'hades, the world of the dead') cried I, and You heard my voice. For You had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all Your billows and Your waves passed over me" (Jonah 2:1-3).

Note that "out of the belly of the fish," and "out of the belly of hell," is the same place. Only as a figure of speech was Jonah in the belly of hell/sheol/hades/the world of the dead." Literally, we know for a fact that he was really in the belly of the fish.

So why then did Jonah say: "the belly of sheol." Because Jonah knew, as did others like King David, that He was as good as dead in this hopeless situation. The Bible is literally filled with allegories, metaphors, types, signs, symbols, parables, etc. Most Bible students know practically nothing of this aspect of Scripture. I will take the time to explain this in some detail, as it is absolutely essential to the understanding of the Scriptures. Here are just a few examples:

BIBLICAL FIGURES OF SPEECH

Here are some of the fully substantiated figures of language used in Scripture. Many of these examples can be found in an appendix in the back of The Concordant Literal New Testament published by Concord Publishing Concern.

We will begin with FIGURES OF LIKENESS which include:

similes (when something is like, or as something else, it is a simile rather than a metaphor)

metaphors (where one thing is said to actually be something else) as in, "all life is grass" I Pet. 1:24. A metaphor cannot be literal. When John says, "...the lake of fire, This IS the second death" (Rev. 20:14), and "...the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which IS the second death" (Rev. 21:8), he is speaking in a metaphor.

implications (a figure where the statement of likeness is omitted)

parables (there are many, the shortest one being, "Physician, heal Thyself" Luke 4:23)

allegories (as in the two women standing for two covenants, Gal. 4:22-28)

visions (as in a sheet let down from heaven, Acts 10:11-16)

signs (as in the sign of Jonah the prophet, Matt. 12:39)

types (as in Adam corresponding with Christ, Rom. 5:12-21)

shadows (as in the law being a shadow of good things to come, Heb. 10:1)

examples (as in the tabernacle vessels being examples of what is in heaven , Heb. 9:23)

images (as Christ is the image of God, Col. 1:15)

impersonations or personifications (where things are spoken of as persons)

condescension's (as where God takes on human attributes-hands, arm, eyes, hair, etc.)

diminutives (as in "little women, heaped with sins" II Tim. 3:6)

There are FIGURES OF ASSOCIATION which include:

association or metonymy's

appellations (as when a quality or office is used instead of a proper name, as in "Son of Mankind" instead of saying Jesus Christ)

compound associations (as "the word of the cross" I Cor. 1:18, which has to do with Christ's shameful and agonizing death)

near associations (as in a phrase that is partly literal, "Then went out to Him Jerusalem ( that is the people of Jerusalem) ", Matt. 3:5)

retentions (this one is too complicated to explain, but I'll give you an example, "the tablets of the heart" II Cor. 3:3)

circumlocutions or periphrasis a descriptive phrase in place of a name in order to emphasize the association. Examples, "the product of the grapevine ( though not named is, wine) " Matt. 26:29, "the city of David ( though not named is, Bethlehem) " Luke 2:11,

enigmas, and symbols (where a known object or something else is used to typify something else, or an intangible quality such as love, power, etc.)

Here are many of the words from the book of Revelation used as SYMBOLS:

candlesticks; horses; locusts; beasts; birds; animals; dragons; heads; horns; teeth; tails; eyes; mouths; wings; hair; feet hands; foreheads; odours; books; gold; seals; crowns; names; cities; nations; kings; tongues; Nicolaitans; Antipas; Armageddon Balaam; Balak; Abaddon; Apollyon; Babylon; Sodom; Egypt; Jezebel ; book of life; tree of life; water of life; hours; days months; seasons; rod of iron; sickle; bow; blades; swords; reap; harvest; grass; trees; thrones; garments; robes; signs; images wonders; marks; numbers; vials; trumpets; winds; rivers; lakes; seas; waters; clouds; floods; mountains; islands; lightnings voices; thunders; earthquakes ; hails; songs; wine-presses; grapes; wine; balances; wheat; barley; oil; eye salve; pebbles;manna wreaths; palm fronds; whores; harlots; fornications; keys; doors; temples; synagogues; pillars; rich; poor; blind; naked; hot cold; lukewarm; blood; deaths; fire; sulphur; brimstone; smoke; sun; moon; stars

And even heaven and earth are used as symbols in this great book of symbols.

There are also FIGURES OF OMISSION which include:

omitted nouns (as in "the wicked ( people is understood) ," "the blind ( people) ," "the rich ( people) ," "the poor ( people) ," "the twelve ( apostles is omitted but understood) )

omitted verbs (as in incongruous omissions like, "Milk I give you to drink not solid food" The omission of "to eat" is understood, as one does not "drink solid food" I Cor. 3:2)

unfinished sentences (the King James usually finishes sentences that are unfinished in the Greek, such as, "As I swear in My indignation, If they shall be entering into My rest!" Heb. 3:11)

omission or non-sequence (as in "These which you are beholding___there will be coming days..." Luke 21:6)

I did not take the time to present this basic listing of "figures of speech" from the Scriptures, just to fill more pages. It is most important to understand that the study of the Scriptures is not the same as studying a high school or college text book. It is far different. School text books, as a rule, would not contain even one percent of the figures of speech that I have presented here.

If we do not have even an elementary understanding of these many and varied figures of speech, we will hardly be in a position to teach God's Word to others, as the Bible is literally filled with hundreds of examples of figurative language.

Yet Christians and theologians by the millions tell us that the Bible is literal, and must be taken literally. As if something that is not literal, is not true. The many parables of Jesus were not "literally" true, yet their teaching was absolutely true. A metaphor is true, but it is not "literally" true. There are many hundreds and of statements in the Scriptures that are true, but they are not "literally" true.

Did Jesus "literally" go "fishing for men" with rod, reel and hocks (Matt. 4:19)?

Are Christians "literally" "salt" (Matt. 5:13)? Or are they not just "like" salt in certain ways? It's a metaphor, not literal.

Did Jesus mean for Christians to "literally" "pluck out your eyes, cut off your hands, and cut off your feet" if they offend or cause to sin (Mark 9:43-47)? How many Christians do you know who have no eyes, no hands, and no feet because they obeyed this command "literally?"

Did Jesus mean that men are "literally" "dogs and pigs" (Matt. 7:6)?

Do false prophets "literally" wear "sheep's clothing" (Matt. 7:15)?

Did Jesus mean that Christians who live righteously are "literally" "trees that bring forth good fruit" (Matt. 7:18)?

When Jesus said: "...let the dead bury their dead," did He mean that dead people can "literally" bury other dead people?

Did Jesus mean that Christians are "literally" food produce as we would find in the produce department of a supermarket, that will one day be "harvested by laborers" like grain in a field (Matt. 9:37-38)?

Was Israel "literally" "lost sheep" (Matt. 10:6)?

Was Jesus speaking "literally" of animals when He said:

"I send you forth as SHEEP in the midst of WOLVES: be ye therefore wise as SNAKES, and harmless as DOVES" (Matt. 10:16)?

Did Jesus "literally" mean that the Pharisees were the offspring of SNAKES when He called them: "O generation of vipers..." (Matt. 12:34)?

Was Jesus "literally" dead in His tomb for "three days and three nights" as He used as a sign for the Pharisees? How does one get "three days AND three nights to fit between Good Friday sunset and Easter Sunday morning? That's "literally" only one day and two nights. The answer is in understanding that the sign of Jonah is not literal, but is rather a parable also. What is "the heart of the earth?" It does not stand for His tomb or grave.

Are Gentiles "literally" sub-human "dogs?" Did Jesus "literally" call the woman of Canaan a "DOG" (Matt. 15:26)? No, of course not. Jesus was merely expressing to this woman that the Jews looked upon the Gentiles as "dogs." And so Jesus did feed her with more than "crumbs" and literally did heal her daughter.

Did Jesus warn against using the "leaven" of the Pharisees in their baking (Matt.16:6)? No, of course not, their "leaven" was their false "doctrine" or teachings (Matt. 16:12).

Did Jesus tell Peter that the Kingdom of Heaven is "literally" locked up and requires "literal" "keys" to unlock (Matt. 16:19)?

Did Jesus expect His disciples to go through life with a "literal" "cross" on their backs, or to "literally" all be crucified as He was (Matt. 16:24)?

Did Jesus "literally" speak with dead Moses and Elijah in the company of His disciples on the mount (Matt.17:3)? No, of course not, it never "literally" happened, it was a "a VISION" (Matt. 17:9). This vision took place in the minds of the Apostles while they, not Moses and Elijah, were on the mountain.

Did Jesus really say that the Pharisees would "literally" "...strain out a gnat, and swallow a CAMEL" (Matt. 23:24)? Who could literally swallow a camel?

When Jesus took the unleavened bread at the last supper and said: "Take, eat; this is My body," did He mean for His disciples to eat "literal" human flesh rather than bread (Matt. 26:26)? And was the wine "literally" Jesus' "blood" (Matt. 26:28)? Furthermore, God forbids the drinking of blood in the Bible.

Was Jesus "literally" a "Shepherd" and His followers "literally" "sheep" (Matt. 26:31)? Jesus was literally a "carpenter," not a "shepherd."

Jesus: "...let this cup pass from Me..." (Matt. 26:39). Is this a literal cup?

Well there are a couple of dozen verses which are figurative language and not literal at all. The Bible is filled with hundreds and hundreds of just such figures of speech which are not to be taken literally. They represent spiritual truths, but they are not to be taken literally as stated.

And so there are dozens of ways that teachers and theologians misrepresent the Scriptures in order to perpetuate their unscriptural pagan doctrines. With regards to "hell," I have heard Christian teachers state dozens of times that: "Jesus spoke twice as much about hell as He did about heaven." That is a bald faced lie.

The truth is that Jesus never once spoke of anything related to the Christian usage of the English word "hell." And even if we accept the few times that the word "hell" is attributed to Him, it is only on four occasions that the word "hell" is attributed to Jesus:

"Capernaum... brought down to hell ( Greek: hades/unseen) " (Matt. 11:23)
"Capernaum... thrust down to hell ( Greek: hades/unseen) " (Luke 10:15)

"hell ( Greek: hades/unseen) shall not prevail against...church" (Matt. 16:18)

"And in hell ( Greek: hades/unseen) he lifted up his eyes" (Luke 16:23)

"I ( Jesus) ... have the keys to hell ( Greek: hades/unseen) " (Rev. 1:18)

Even if we accept these four occasions where "hell" is attributed to Jesus, that means that if He spoke twice as much about hell as heaven, then Jesus would have mentioned "heaven" only two or three times. Truth is, Jesus spoke of heaven one hundred and thirteen times. Therefore if He spoke twice as much about hell, then Jesus would have had to discuss hell two hundred and twenty-six times, whereas we find only five mentions on four occasions. Yet how many Christians have ever questioned such false statements of theologians? Virtually none, that's how many, but tens of thousands of Christians get irate at me when I show them the truth.

Continuing with Jonah's experience:

"Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast You brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into Your holy temple" (Jonah 2:4-7).

"And the LORD spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land" (Jonah 2:10).

All's well that ends well. Moral: Don't run away from God.

Now let's be completely honest. Bill says that Jonah literally experienced the same "Hell" that he experienced (after all, how many Christian "hells" are there?) Okay, here are some of Bill's fraudulent contradictions:

1. Jonah was swallowed by "a great fish" (the 'fish' had LIFE). So much for Bill's false assertion that there is "NO LIFE" in Hell (Jonah 1:15). This great fish as well as Jonah himself, were very much alive. In Bill's fancied visit to hell, he was alive; billions of people were alive; and the demons were all alive, yet he states; "...in hell there is no life of any kind. ALL IS DEAD" (23 Minutes, p. 12).

And on page 37 of his book, Bill says, "You soul cannot die..."

2. Jonah and this great fish were "in the sea" (Jonah 1:27).

"For You had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all Your billows and thy waves passed over me" (Jonah 2:3).

So Jonah was in the sea, in the deep, in the midst of the seas, compassed with floods, and billows. That's a lot of water for a place Bill says has no water!

3. "...the waters encompassed me" (Jonah 2:5)-MORE water.

4. "...the weeds were wrapped about my head" (Jonah 2:7). But Bill tells us that there is not even a blade of grass in Hell, nothing green. Yet Jonah is wrapped in weeds. Aren't most weeds, green?

5. One can go "...down to the bottom of the mountains" in a sea, for many island mountains terminate at the bottom of the sea. But one cannot go down to the bottom of the mountains in the center of the earth. Are there mountains in the center of the earth? No. The Concordant Literal Old Testament translates this phrase as: "I go down to the fashioning points of the mountains..."

6. Bill apparently had no thoughts of God when he went to Hell, whereas Jonah said, "...my prayer came in unto Thee, into Your holy temple." And because Jonah prayed, God heard him and answered him by releasing him from the horrors of this great fish

And so the things that Bill tells us are not found in his hell. But we have seen from the Scriptures, those things described during Jonah's experience with this great fish in the sea. (Obviously, Jonah was not in Bill's hell, the Christian hell, The Jew's hell, the Muslim's hell, or any of the other pagan "hells" of the world).

So Bill tells us that Jonah was in the same hell that he was taken to, yet we found that the things described in Jonah's experience are things that Bill tells us are NOT found in hell. Next let's examine the things that Bill says ARE found in hell, and see how many of them are also found in Jonah's experience:

Did Jonah journey to the center of the earth? No.

Did Jonah experience fire during his time in the great fish? No.

Did Jonah see hideous 13 foot demons while in the fish? No.

Did any creature crush his head, break all his bones, or rip his flesh off? No.

Did Jonah see spiders as big as Volkswagens? No.

Did Jonah see snakes as large as locomotives? No.

Did Jonah see billions and billions of other people being tortured in this fish? No.

Now then, did God tell Jonah to warn Nineveh that they would spend eternity in the belly of this great fish if they did not repent? No. Why not? Bill says Jonah experienced the same hell that he did, and that Jesus told Bill that the whole purpose of his experience in hell was to WARN people to flee from the wrath to come. Was that not the purpose of Bill and his wife going to such exotic places as New Zealand and Paris - to warn them of the wrath that awaits them in hell? And let's not forget the side benefit of selling books. Maybe Jonah just wasn't the smart business entrepreneur that Bill and his wife are? What do you think?

I'll tell you what I think: I think that Bill is a deceitful and fraudulent opportunist. Of course that's just my opinion, albeit based on dozens of Bill's contradictions, and hundreds of Scriptural references. If I should forget, be sure to remind me before I close this paper, to explain to you just who "the Devil's angels" of Matt. 25:41 really are.