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AUGUST featured article

Hell is a Christian Hoax

IS THE PUNISHMENT OF THIS HELL EVERLASTING-ETERNAL? Many Christians have a very strong opinion of things that they know virtually nothing about. Hundreds of times I have been told that "hell" is a literal place of literal fire which is everlasting or eternal. They have no proof of any such thing. Time and again I am told: "The Bible is LITERAL, Ray. You have to take it literally." Oh really, and do they even believe their own words?

Let's see if you believe the Bible teaches a literal hell of literal fire that lasts literally for eternity.

If there are Scriptures that clearly show that "hell fire" is not literal nor eternal, then how can there also be contradicting Scriptures which would suggest that "hell fire" is literal and is eternal? Hell fire cannot be both literal and eternal at one place in the Scriptures, but then it is also figurative and temporary at another place in the Scriptures. It is either one or the other, it cannot be both.

Let's look at a few examples from no less an authority on this subject than Jesus Christ Himself (Note: All quotations of Jesus in this paper will appear in red type).

"You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.

And if your right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell" (Matt. 5:27-30).

Mark's account adds these words:

"...into hell fire...where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. For EVERY ONE shall be salted with fire..." (Mark 9:48-49).

And this includes you and me, (Matt. 3:11 & I Pet. 4:12).

From just this one teaching of Jesus we can know absolutely whether "hell fire" is literal and whether it is everlasting or eternal.

Let's pay close attention to just one statement from Jesus that should help everyone to see that this is figurative language that teaches us a great spiritual truth. Jesus did not say what most Christians think He said.

Jesus did not say: "And if your eye offends you, repent of your lust or God will cast you into an hell of immortal worms and everlasting fire which will never stop burning." But that is what most Christians think Jesus meant even if He didn't actually say it. Nonsense.

"And if your eye offend you..."

This word "offend" means: "to entice you to sin" (Strong's Greek Dictionary). Now then, is it even "literally" possible for a physical organ of the body to be the cause of a moral or spiritual sin? No, it is not possible. Lusting after a woman does not have its origin in the eyes but rather in the heart.

"...whosoever looks ( with the eyes) on a woman to lust ( in his heart, not in his eyes) after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."

The lust of the eyes is itself a "figure of speech." We "look" with our eyes, but we "lust" with our heart. And the "heart" in Scripture virtually never means the organ of the body which pumps blood. The "heart" in Scripture is the inner most man, the seat of emotions and passions, conscience, and moral character. No physical organ of the body has even one of these spiritual attributes. More proof:

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders" (Mark 7:21).

Did you notice that "looking on a woman to lust after her" IS adultery, and it comes not from the eyes, but from the heart. So then, is this teaching in Matt. 5:27-30, literal, or figurative? It is figurative. More proof...

Here's what Jesus said to do if one finds himself looking at a woman to lust after her: "...if your right eye offend you ( entices you to sin) pluck it out ... if your right hand offend you cut it off..."

What? "Pluck it out ... cut it off?"

And lying two-faced hypocritical theologians tell us that the Bible must be taken "literally?" That both hell and hell fire are "literal?" That we are to pluck out our eyes and cut off our hands and feet, literally? Are they crazy?

If this teaching on hell by Jesus Christ is to be taken literally, how come you don't see millions and millions of Christians around the world having NO EYES, AND NO FEET, AND NO HANDS? Is there even one Christian in a billion that takes these Scriptures literally when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is? No, their failure to "literally" follow Jesus' command belies their assertion that virtually all of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus are "literal."

But what about the "worms that don't die," and the "fire never quenched?" Simple: Jesus never used the words "hell fire."

Two things we should never find in a Bible: ( 1) The old Anglo Saxon word "hell," and ( 2) any word denoting "endless time," as in "for ever AND ever," "everlasting," or "eternal." There is no such equivalent in any Hebrew or Greek manuscripts of the Holy Scriptures.

Furthermore, if "for ever" means an eternity, what pray tell does "for ever AND EVER" mean? Multiple eternities? How many eternities are there?

The first place that "hell fire" appears in the Greek New Testament is in Matt. 5:22. Virtually all Bibles with a center reference will refer you to the marginal note on "hell" where it says, "Greek: Gehenna." And Gehenna is Greek for the Hebrew word "Hinnom" or "Valley of Hinnom," which is found outside the city walls of Jerusalem on the south side.

You can, if you wish, take a stroll through hell in Jerusalem - it is now part of a city park. In the time of Christ's ministry this valley was the Jerusalem city garbage dump, and for centuries, as long as garbage was thrown into it, the fires kept burning and the worms which ate the garbage didn't die out - they kept reproducing, year after year after year.

The only way ... the ONLY WAY, that any Christian can claim that hell, hell fire, immortal worms, never-ending fire, eternal torture, etc., can be literal is if we take everything literally that Jesus said regarding hell (Gehenna fire). You cannot separate what Jesus says MUST be done to avoid having, "...your whole body cast into hell ( Gehenna) , from what Christians say hell is. In other words, you cannot avoid a LITERAL HELL by performing a FIGURATIVE action.

Jesus did not say: "If your right literal eye literally offends you, FIGURATIVELY pluck your literal eye out..." But that's the kind of insane theological poppycock that is peddled from the pulpits.

How is it possible to "figuratively" pluck out one's eyes, and cut off one's hands and feet to avoid a "literal" eternal hell fire, and then insist that the words of Jesus and most of the Bible must be taken literally?

Why do you stand for such utter and unscriptural nonsense? Why would you want to continue defending such illogical ignorant enemies of God's Word? You would never stand for such a travesty, such a miscarriage, such a violation of sound scholarship in any other area of your life, save when it comes to religion.

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What role if any did the teachings of the Qur'an play in the 9/11 attacks? What does Islam really teach? What about Jihad? Should Christians try to befriend our Muslim neighbors and share the gospel? If so, how? The title is Understanding Islam: A Christian Perspective. I would like you to watch it for free. Please forward this to all your friends!

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@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 | style="color:#000;" | <div id="mp-tfa" style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 5px; text-align: left;">
-==Who is Jesus Christ?==
+==Hell is a Christian Hoax==
-Millions profess to “follow Jesus,” but are they all worshipping the Jesus described in the Bible?
+'''IS THE PUNISHMENT OF THIS HELL EVERLASTING-ETERNAL?'''
+Many Christians have a very strong opinion of things that they know virtually nothing about. Hundreds of times I have been told that "hell" is a literal place of literal fire which is everlasting or eternal. They have no proof of any such thing. Time and again I am told: "The Bible is LITERAL, Ray. You have to take it literally." Oh really, and do they even believe their own words?
-What first comes to your mind when you hear the word counterfeit? Perhaps you think of counterfeit money. Counterfeiting currency is probably as old as money itself. Professional counterfeiters can turn out a product that is virtually impossible to distinguish from the genuine by the untrained eye. Even before the introduction of paper money, counterfeiters mixed base metals into what was supposed to be pure gold or silver, or “shaved” the edges of a coin so that it weighed less than intended.
+Let's see if you believe the Bible teaches a literal hell of literal fire that lasts literally for eternity.
-Label counterfeiting is also an ongoing problem in today’s global economy. This involves cheap knockoffs that imitate quality products. They carry the same logo, but are made with low-grade materials and carry a much lower price tag. Preoccupied with the thrill of a perceived bargain, the buyer is caught unaware. When the item’s performance proves to be inferior, disappointment sets in.
+If there are Scriptures that clearly show that "hell fire" is not literal nor eternal, then how can there also be contradicting Scriptures which would suggest that "hell fire" is literal and is eternal? Hell fire cannot be both literal and eternal at one place in the Scriptures, but then it is also figurative and temporary at another place in the Scriptures. It is either one or the other, it cannot be both.
-But such deception can reach beyond consumer products. Consider that we can also be taken in on religious matters. A surprising number of Christians around the world—while sincere—have been misled by religious leaders. Are you sure what you are being “sold” is genuine? For instance, are you aware that the Bible mentions twopersons called “Jesus”?
+Let's look at a few examples from no less an authority on this subject than Jesus Christ Himself (Note: All quotations of Jesus in this paper will appear in red type).
-The apostle Paul forewarned of a clever counterfeit facing the early Church: “For if he that comes preachesanother Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him” (II Cor. 11:4).
+"You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
-Paul was afraid that if false teachers came to the Corinthian congregation and preached “another Jesus” or “another gospel,” they would tolerate this instead of rejecting them. How many spend time determining if they are following the right Jesus? Could you believe a different gospel, brought by a different spirit? Is the Jesus you know the real Jesus?
+And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.
-'''Portrayals of Jesus'''
+And if your right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell" (Matt. 5:27-30).
-What is Paul talking about when he speaks of “another Jesus”? The Greek word translated “another” in this verse is allos, meaning “different.” We are considering a different Jesus—not the One of the Bible, notthe only begotten Son of God, but an impostor.
+Mark's account adds these words:
-Many ideas and practices that have absolutely no scriptural basis have been accepted by mainstream Christianity. These practices, introduced gradually by false teachers, have been accepted through tradition. This was also foretold: “There shall be false teachers among you, who privily [secretly] shall bring in damnable heresies” (II Pet. 2:1).
+"...into hell fire...where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. For EVERY ONE shall be salted with fire..." (Mark 9:48-49).
-For example, many Christians have grown up exposed to illustrations of what they believe to be the Son of God. Most artists’ renderings of Jesus picture him in a helpless state, at the beginning or end of his life—either as a newborn or hanging on a cross.
+And this includes you and me, (Matt. 3:11 & I Pet. 4:12).
-During the Christmas season, Christianity venerates “little Lord Jesus,” portraying him as an infant in a manger, “tender and mild.”
+From just this one teaching of Jesus we can know absolutely whether "hell fire" is literal and whether it is everlasting or eternal.
-Often found behind the pulpit in churches, many paintings or statues of Jesus display a gaunt, forlorn, longhaired man who often has his hands clasped in a prayerful position, gazing upward. Even Jesus’ death has been trivialized, depicting him with a slight trickle of blood oozing from the crown of thorns piercing his head, and another from wounds in each of his hands. Some artists even insert a “sacred heart” with a crack running through the center, depicting Jesus as having died of a “broken heart.”
+Let's pay close attention to just one statement from Jesus that should help everyone to see that this is figurative language that teaches us a great spiritual truth. Jesus did not say what most Christians think He said.
-'''To Continue [[A Counterfeit “Jesus”?|Click Here]]'''
+Jesus did not say: "And if your eye offends you, repent of your lust or God will cast you into an hell of immortal worms and everlasting fire which will never stop burning."
+But that is what most Christians think Jesus meant even if He didn't actually say it.
+Nonsense.
+"And if your eye offend you..."
+This word "offend" means: "to entice you to sin" (Strong's Greek Dictionary).
+Now then, is it even "literally" possible for a physical organ of the body to be the cause of a moral or spiritual sin? No, it is not possible. Lusting after a woman does not have its origin in the eyes but rather in the heart.
+"...whosoever looks ( with the eyes) on a woman to lust ( in his heart, not in his eyes) after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."
+The lust of the eyes is itself a "figure of speech." We "look" with our eyes, but we "lust" with our heart. And the "heart" in Scripture virtually never means the organ of the body which pumps blood. The "heart" in Scripture is the inner most man, the seat of emotions and passions, conscience, and moral character. No physical organ of the body has even one of these spiritual attributes. More proof:
+"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders" (Mark 7:21).
+Did you notice that "looking on a woman to lust after her" IS adultery, and it comes not from the eyes, but from the heart. So then, is this teaching in Matt. 5:27-30, literal, or figurative? It is figurative. More proof...
+Here's what Jesus said to do if one finds himself looking at a woman to lust after her:
+"...if your right eye offend you ( entices you to sin) pluck it out ... if your right hand offend you cut it off..."
+What? "Pluck it out ... cut it off?"
+And lying two-faced hypocritical theologians tell us that the Bible must be taken "literally?" That both hell and hell fire are "literal?" That we are to pluck out our eyes and cut off our hands and feet, literally? Are they crazy?
+If this teaching on hell by Jesus Christ is to be taken literally, how come you don't see millions and millions of Christians around the world having NO EYES, AND NO FEET, AND NO HANDS? Is there even one Christian in a billion that takes these Scriptures literally when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is? No, their failure to "literally" follow Jesus' command belies their assertion that virtually all of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus are "literal."
+But what about the "worms that don't die," and the "fire never quenched?" Simple: Jesus never used the words "hell fire."
+Two things we should never find in a Bible: ( 1) The old Anglo Saxon word "hell," and ( 2) any word denoting "endless time," as in "for ever AND ever," "everlasting," or "eternal." There is no such equivalent in any Hebrew or Greek manuscripts of the Holy Scriptures.
+Furthermore, if "for ever" means an eternity, what pray tell does "for ever AND EVER" mean? Multiple eternities? How many eternities are there?
+The first place that "hell fire" appears in the Greek New Testament is in Matt. 5:22. Virtually all Bibles with a center reference will refer you to the marginal note on "hell" where it says, "Greek: Gehenna." And Gehenna is Greek for the Hebrew word "Hinnom" or "Valley of Hinnom," which is found outside the city walls of Jerusalem on the south side.
+You can, if you wish, take a stroll through hell in Jerusalem - it is now part of a city park. In the time of Christ's ministry this valley was the Jerusalem city garbage dump, and for centuries, as long as garbage was thrown into it, the fires kept burning and the worms which ate the garbage didn't die out - they kept reproducing, year after year after year.
+The only way ... the ONLY WAY, that any Christian can claim that hell, hell fire, immortal worms, never-ending fire, eternal torture, etc., can be literal is if we take everything literally that Jesus said regarding hell (Gehenna fire). You cannot separate what Jesus says MUST be done to avoid having, "...your whole body cast into hell ( Gehenna) , from what Christians say hell is. In other words, you cannot avoid a LITERAL HELL by performing a FIGURATIVE action.
+Jesus did not say: "If your right literal eye literally offends you, FIGURATIVELY pluck your literal eye out..." But that's the kind of insane theological poppycock that is peddled from the pulpits.
+How is it possible to "figuratively" pluck out one's eyes, and cut off one's hands and feet to avoid a "literal" eternal hell fire, and then insist that the words of Jesus and most of the Bible must be taken literally?
+Why do you stand for such utter and unscriptural nonsense? Why would you want to continue defending such illogical ignorant enemies of God's Word? You would never stand for such a travesty, such a miscarriage, such a violation of sound scholarship in any other area of your life, save when it comes to religion.
+'''To Continue [[Hell is a Christian Hoax|Click Here]]'''
 |-