Posts
Saturday, April 30, 2011
ENDURE...LET US RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US.
ENDURANCE...PATIENCE...
LET US RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US...
Hebrews 12 (King James Version)
Hebrews 12
1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
18For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
25See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29For our God is a consuming fire. AMEN!!!
Friday, April 29, 2011
HOW TO REMOVE THE VEIL...
HOW TO REMOVE THE VAIL...
14But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.
15But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
16Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
17Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The preaching of the apostle was suitable to the excellency and evidence of the gospel, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
It is the duty of the ministers of the gospel to use great plainness, or clearness, of speech. The Old Testament believers had only cloudy and passing glimpses of that glorious Saviour, and unbelievers looked no further than to the outward institution. But the great precepts of the gospel, believe, love, obey, are truths stated as clearly as possible. And the whole doctrine of Christ crucified, is made as plain as human language can make it. Those who lived under the law, had a veil
upon their hearts. This veil is taken away by the doctrines of the Bible about Christ. When any person is converted to God, then the veil of ignorance is taken away. The condition of those who enjoy and believe the gospel is happy, for the heart is set at liberty to run the ways of God's commandments. They have light, and with open face they behold the glory of the Lord. Christians should prize and improve these privileges. We should not rest contented without knowing the transforming power of
the gospel, by the working of the Spirit, bringing us to seek to be like the temper and tendency of the glorious gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and into union with Him. We behold Christ, as in the glass of his word; and as the reflection from a mirror causes the face to shine, the faces of Christians shine also.
2 Peter 1:2 (King James Version)
2Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, AMEN!!!
FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD...
FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD...
1 Thessalonians 5 (King James Version)
1 Thessalonians 5
1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
12And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
14Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
15See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
16Rejoice evermore.
17Pray without ceasing.
18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19Quench not the Spirit.
20Despise not prophesyings.
21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22Abstain from all appearance of evil.
23And 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.
24Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
25Brethren, pray for us.
26Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
27I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY HELL IS ?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY HELL IS ? PART (1)...IS IT THIS? OR...
THIS?
IS THIS HELL?
As a young boy I was obsessed and afraid of the Church's teachings about DEATH & HELL! I grew up in an Italian Catholic family that buried there dead in caskets, put in a tomb or the ground. The whole family would walk by the casket with our beloved family member in it and kiss our loved ones good bye. SCARY RIGHT!, remember I was a little boy just learning about life and death. So my obsession with DEATH and HELL began...I understood "DEATH," I saw it, touched it, smelled it, heard the silence, tasted it cold on my lips. I would cry until the tears stopped and then wonder," what happens to my loved ones now?"
The Catholic Church I attended taught me that the dead went to several places one being "HELL!" In the theology of some Christian denominations, mortal sin is sin that, unless forgiven and fully absolved, condemns a person to Hell after death. (MINE), Latin Infernus, Greek Hades, Hebrew Sheol.
The present article treats only of hell in the strict sense of the term.
The Latin infernus (inferum, inferi), the Greek Hades, and the Hebrew sheol correspond to the word hell. Infernus is derived from the root in; hence it designates hell as a place within and below the earth. Haides, formed from the root fid, to see, and a privative, denotes an invisible, hidden, and dark place; thus it is similar to the term hell. The derivation of sheol is doubtful. It is generally supposed to come from the Hebrew root meaning, "to be sunk in, to be hollow"; accordingly it denotes a cave or a place under the earth. In the Old Testament (Septuagint hades; Vulgate infernus) sheol is used quite in general to designate the kingdom of the dead, of the good (Genesis 37:35) as well as of the bad (Numbers 16:30); it means hell in the strict sense of the term, as well as the limbo of the Fathers. But, as the limbo of the Fathers ended at the time of Christ's Ascension, hades (Vulgate infernus) in the New Testament always designates the hell of the damned. Since Christ's Ascension the just no longer go down to the lower world, but they dwell in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1). However, in the New Testament the term Gehenna is used more frequently in preference to hades, as a name for the place of punishment of the damned. Gehenna is the Hebrew gê-hinnom (Nehemiah 11:30), or the longer form gê-ben-hinnom (Joshua 15:8), and gê-benê-hinnom (2 Kings 23:10) "valley of the sons of Hinnom". Hinnom seems to be the name of a person not otherwise known. The Valley of Hinnom is south of Jerusalem and is now called Wadi er-rababi. It was notorious as the scene, in earlier days, of the horrible worship of Moloch. For this reason it was defiled by Josias (2 Kings 23:10), cursed by Jeremias (Jeremiah 7:31-33), and held in abomination by the Jews, who, accordingly, used the name of this valley to designate the abode of the damned (Targ. Jon., Gen., iii, 24; Henoch, c. xxvi). And Christ adopted this usage of the term. Besides Hades and Gehenna, we find in the New Testament many other names for the abode of the damned. It is called "lower hell" (Vulgate tartarus) (2 Peter 2:4), "abyss" (Luke 8:31 and elsewhere), "place of torments" (Luke 16:28), "pool of fire" (Revelation 19:20 and elsewhere), "furnace of fire" (Matthew 13:42, 50), "unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12, and elsewhere), "everlasting fire" (Matthew 18:8; 25:41; Jude 7), "exterior darkness" (Matthew 7:12; 22:13; 25:30), "mist" or "storm of darkness" (2 Peter 2:17; Jude 13). The state of the damned is called "destruction" (apoleia, Philippians 3:19 and elsewhere), "perdition" (olethros, 1 Timothy 6:9), "eternal destruction" (olethros aionios, 2 Thessalonians 1:9), "corruption" (phthora, Galatians 6:8), "death" (Romans 6:21), What is this?"second death"??? (Revelation 2:11 and elsewhere).
The Christian doctrine of hell derives from the teaching of the New Testament, where hell is typically described using the Greek words Tartarus or Hades or the Arabic word Gehenna.
7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
1.) Latin Infernus hence it designates hell as a place within and below the earth. (MINE) 1st. Death and in The Grave.
2.) Haides denotes denotes an invisible, hidden, and dark place; thus it is similar to the term hell. (MINE) 1st. Death and in The Grave.
3.)Sheol is generaly "to be sunk in, to be hollow"; accordingly it denotes a cave or a place under the earth. (MINE) 1st. Death and in The Grave.
I want to know what the "SECOND DEATH" is and where do "THEY?" go? And who are they?
4.) What is this? Let us find out together! "second death"??? (Revelation 2:11 and elsewhere).
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY HELL IS ? PART (2)...IS IT THIS? OR...TO BE CONTINUED...PART (2)..
As a young boy I was obsessed and afraid of the Church's teachings about DEATH & HELL! I grew up in an Italian Catholic family that buried there dead in caskets, put in a tomb or the ground. The whole family would walk by the casket with our beloved family member in it and kiss our loved ones good bye. SCARY RIGHT!, remember I was a little boy just learning about life and death. So my obsession with DEATH and HELL began...I understood "DEATH," I saw it, touched it, smelled it, heard the silence, tasted it cold on my lips. I would cry until the tears stopped and then wonder," what happens to my loved ones now?"
The Catholic Church I attended taught me that the dead went to several places one being "HELL!" In the theology of some Christian denominations, mortal sin is sin that, unless forgiven and fully absolved, condemns a person to Hell after death. (MINE), Latin Infernus, Greek Hades, Hebrew Sheol.
The present article treats only of hell in the strict sense of the term.
The Latin infernus (inferum, inferi), the Greek Hades, and the Hebrew sheol correspond to the word hell. Infernus is derived from the root in; hence it designates hell as a place within and below the earth. Haides, formed from the root fid, to see, and a privative, denotes an invisible, hidden, and dark place; thus it is similar to the term hell. The derivation of sheol is doubtful. It is generally supposed to come from the Hebrew root meaning, "to be sunk in, to be hollow"; accordingly it denotes a cave or a place under the earth. In the Old Testament (Septuagint hades; Vulgate infernus) sheol is used quite in general to designate the kingdom of the dead, of the good (Genesis 37:35) as well as of the bad (Numbers 16:30); it means hell in the strict sense of the term, as well as the limbo of the Fathers. But, as the limbo of the Fathers ended at the time of Christ's Ascension, hades (Vulgate infernus) in the New Testament always designates the hell of the damned. Since Christ's Ascension the just no longer go down to the lower world, but they dwell in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1). However, in the New Testament the term Gehenna is used more frequently in preference to hades, as a name for the place of punishment of the damned. Gehenna is the Hebrew gê-hinnom (Nehemiah 11:30), or the longer form gê-ben-hinnom (Joshua 15:8), and gê-benê-hinnom (2 Kings 23:10) "valley of the sons of Hinnom". Hinnom seems to be the name of a person not otherwise known. The Valley of Hinnom is south of Jerusalem and is now called Wadi er-rababi. It was notorious as the scene, in earlier days, of the horrible worship of Moloch. For this reason it was defiled by Josias (2 Kings 23:10), cursed by Jeremias (Jeremiah 7:31-33), and held in abomination by the Jews, who, accordingly, used the name of this valley to designate the abode of the damned (Targ. Jon., Gen., iii, 24; Henoch, c. xxvi). And Christ adopted this usage of the term. Besides Hades and Gehenna, we find in the New Testament many other names for the abode of the damned. It is called "lower hell" (Vulgate tartarus) (2 Peter 2:4), "abyss" (Luke 8:31 and elsewhere), "place of torments" (Luke 16:28), "pool of fire" (Revelation 19:20 and elsewhere), "furnace of fire" (Matthew 13:42, 50), "unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12, and elsewhere), "everlasting fire" (Matthew 18:8; 25:41; Jude 7), "exterior darkness" (Matthew 7:12; 22:13; 25:30), "mist" or "storm of darkness" (2 Peter 2:17; Jude 13). The state of the damned is called "destruction" (apoleia, Philippians 3:19 and elsewhere), "perdition" (olethros, 1 Timothy 6:9), "eternal destruction" (olethros aionios, 2 Thessalonians 1:9), "corruption" (phthora, Galatians 6:8), "death" (Romans 6:21), What is this?"second death"??? (Revelation 2:11 and elsewhere).
The Christian doctrine of hell derives from the teaching of the New Testament, where hell is typically described using the Greek words Tartarus or Hades or the Arabic word Gehenna.
| Hebrew OT | Septuagint | Greek NT | times in NT | Vulgate | KJV | NIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheol[16] | Hades | Hades[17] | x10 | infernus[18] | Hell | Hades |
| Ge Hinom[19] | Ennom[20] | Gehenna[21] | x11 | infernus | Hell | Hell |
| tartaro[22] | x1 | infernus | Hell | Hell |
These three terms have different meanings and must be recognized.
- Hades has similarities to the Old Testament term, Sheol as "the place of the dead". Thus, it is used in reference to both the righteous and the wicked, since both wind up there eventually.[23]
- Gehenna refers to the "Valley of Hinnon", which was a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem. It was a place where people burned their garbage and thus there was always a fire burning there. Bodies of those deemed to have died in sin without hope of salvation (such as people who committed suicide) were thrown there to be destroyed.[24] Gehenna is used in the New Testament as a metaphor for the final place of punishment for the wicked after the resurrection.[25]
- Tartaro (the verb "throw to Tartarus") occurs only once in the New Testament in II Peter 2:4, where it is parallel to the use of the noun form in 1 Enoch as the place of incarceration of 200 fallen angels. It mentions nothing about human souls being sent there in the afterlife.
Our Summary:
Genesis 3:19,
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 (King James Version)
2.) Haides denotes denotes an invisible, hidden, and dark place; thus it is similar to the term hell. (MINE) 1st. Death and in The Grave.
3.)Sheol is generaly "to be sunk in, to be hollow"; accordingly it denotes a cave or a place under the earth. (MINE) 1st. Death and in The Grave.
I want to know what the "SECOND DEATH" is and where do "THEY?" go? And who are they?
4.) What is this? Let us find out together! "second death"??? (Revelation 2:11 and elsewhere).
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY HELL IS ? PART (2)...IS IT THIS? OR...TO BE CONTINUED...PART (2)..
Sunday, April 24, 2011
MY BELOVED WIFE LORI STARBUCK...
MY BELOVED WIFE LORI STARBUCK...
Ephesians 5:31-33 (King James Version)
31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
UNITED IN THE MYSTERY OF GOD...(35-36)...YEARS...I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!
THIS IS MY OLDEST SON SENECA SARNELLA...I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!
Seneca Sarnella
Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
KA Kettlebell Certified Instructor
B.A. � Fitness Management UNLV
THIS IS MY OLDEST SON SENECA SARNELLA...I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!
SENECA at 30 years old...A flash back to the beginning...:)
As a personal trainer for the last 11 years, Seneca has had the privilege of helping many people achieve success with their health and fitness goals. He has experience with just about every type of training style one could be looking for. Whether it�s strength, weight loss, muscle gain, sports specific or general heath and fitness, Seneca can help. Whatever your needs are, Seneca is confident that he can develop a proper individualized workout program that will guarantee results.
Seneca has been an athlete and fitness fanatic all his life. He enjoys the challenges and variety that this profession offers. If you are considering using a personal trainer to help you get started, or get yourself to the next level of fitness, feel free to approach Seneca. He will be happy to assist you!
"Health (physical/mental) is everything in life, and fitness is the tool to help you achieve and maintain a healthy body and mind!"
As a personal trainer for the last 11 years, Seneca has had the privilege of helping many people achieve success with their health and fitness goals. He has experience with just about every type of training style one could be looking for. Whether it�s strength, weight loss, muscle gain, sports specific or general heath and fitness, Seneca can help. Whatever your needs are, Seneca is confident that he can develop a proper individualized workout program that will guarantee results.
Seneca has been an athlete and fitness fanatic all his life. He enjoys the challenges and variety that this profession offers. If you are considering using a personal trainer to help you get started, or get yourself to the next level of fitness, feel free to approach Seneca. He will be happy to assist you!
"Health (physical/mental) is everything in life, and fitness is the tool to help you achieve and maintain a healthy body and mind!"
My Two Heroes SENESCA and CAESARAY SARNELLA...:)
GRACE AND PEACE IN JESUS CHRIST TO ALL!!!
CHEZ STARBUCK MY YOUNGEST SON...
CHEZ STARBUCK MY YOUNGEST SON...
This is my beloved son Caesary Sarnella Today at 28 years old, I love him with all my heart! He is and always has been my very best friend. In those times of my life when I was down Caesaray was there to help me. I love you so much my son, the Grace of God be with you Forever!
Then to flash back in time here he is as Cody in the Disney film the 13th. Year...He was 13...:)
To me as his Dad he will always be a "STAR!"
GRACE AND PEACE IN JESUS CHRIST!!!
Then to flash back in time here he is as Cody in the Disney film the 13th. Year...He was 13...:)
To me as his Dad he will always be a "STAR!"
LORD...HOW SHOULD WE PRAY...?
LORD...HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?
Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version)
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
AMEN...
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Is the Rapture at the Beginning of the Tribulation?
Is the Rapture at the Beginning of the Tribulation? "REALLY?"
The Bible tells us the rapture comes with the sound of a trumpet:
- "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1Thes 4: 13-18)"
- "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed"
The book of Revelation explains step-by-step the events of the 7 seals and 6 trumps leading up to the rapture/first resurrection of the dead ("at the last trump").
How can anyone know these scriptures and believe anything other than: the rapture/first resurrection of the dead happens at the end tribulation*, not at the beginning.
- *Jesus said: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Mat 24:29-30)"
This is an important doctrine that needs to be explained to the Church correctly.
--clark
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE LAKE OF FIRE PART 2
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE LAKE OF FIRE PART 2
LAKE OF FIRE
Installment XVI—HELL: Part B
In Part A we saw how the Hebrew word sheol in the Old Testament is translated "pit" three times and "grave" thirty one times. In Part B we will see that this very same Hebrew word sheol is also translated thirty one times as "hell." Just what, pray tell, is the linguistic law or principle that imposed the translators to do this? No law. No principle. Well, why then?
There is NO Scriptural or rational reason for translating the Hebrew word sheol into the English word "hell" at all—NONE! And there surely is no reason to use the word hell in light of the fact that the Old English meaning of this word has been grossly perverted by the Christian church beyond recognition over the past four centuries. Let’s look at our definitions once more:
The "hell" as the English used it in everyday life in the 1600’s:
Webster’s Twentieth Century Dictionary: "hell, n. [ME, helle; AS, hell, hell, from helan, to cover, conceal.]"
The "hell" of the 21st Century:
The American Heritage Collegiate Dictionary: "The abode of condemned souls and devils...the place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, presided over by Satan…a state of separation from God…a place of evil, misery, discord, or destruction …torment, anguish."
Does anyone believe that these two definitions of "hell" have anything whatsoever in common with each other? Then how is it even in the realm of possibility that the Christian definition of hell today can be a translation for a word that is also to this day, translated three times as "pit," and thirty-one times as "grave." Am I going to fast for anyone?
THE DAMNABLE HERESY OF ETERNAL HELL
This evil teaching of the Church derogates God into an alien monster, and causes believers by the hundreds of millions to live in fear and mental turmoil and emotional anguish over presumed lost loved ones who are thought to be suffering day and night in this fabled hellhole of eternal torture. If there truly is a Christian hell as taught by fundamentalist preachers, then the god of that hell would be far more evil than all the sinners in the history of the world combined. There could never be any sin or evil more vile and revolting, or totally insane, than to torture most of humanity in literal fire for all eternity! It would be the ULTIMATE SIN, and its designer and sponsor would be the ULTIMATE SINNER.
But since this doctrine is bogus; a damnable heresy; an invention of depraved minds; a theological lie; a Christian hoax; it thus becomes, THE ULTIMATE BLASPHEMY by those who revel in and teach this spiritual swill.
Words fail to express the depth of this Satanic heresy. Theologians, professors, teachers, preachers, and pastors decry the sins of the most vile sinners of humanity, and then teach that the God Who will be their Judge, is trillions of times more depraved than the ones being judged. And this they call "FAIR" and "JUSTICE." Unbelievable. UNBELIEVABLE! May God have mercy upon their depraved minds and miserable souls! Amen.
With that said, back to the business I was called to do: "[1] Preach with SOUND DOCTRINE and [2] Refute those who CONTRADICT IT" (Titus 1:9, The New Revised Standard Version).
THE 31 HELLS IN THE KING JAMES OLD TESTAMENT
First we will go through all 31 references to "hell" in the Old Testament of the King James Bible. All 31 "hells" are translated from the one Hebrew word sheol.
We will then see if there is a lick of difference between those verses where sheol is translated grave and where it is translated hell. I hope that you will be as shocked and outraged as I was when I discovered these truths.
To save time, I will not comment on every single reference to "hell" translated from "sheol," but I will quote them all and point out the fallacies on those that make mention to fire or anything vaguely related to the Christian hell.
In all the "Torah"—the Law, that is all the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, the word "hell" appears but once in the King James Bible. Here it is:
1. "For a fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn unto the lowest hell [Heb: sheol], and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains" (Deut. 32:22).
Well, at last. There it is, "fire" is found with the word sheol, so surely now we have found Scriptural proof that sheol sometimes does mean the Christian "hell of eternal torture in fire," right? WRONG! This verse says nothing of burning dead people in sheol with fire.
The whole chapter is a "Song of Moses" (See verse 1). God prophesies through Moses’ Song, His anger over Israel’s lack of faith and the fact that they will turn to other gods, and for this God will punish them. He will not, however, torture them in an eternal fire of a Christian hell. Here is what God will do to them:
"For the Lord shall judge His people… I KILL, and I make ALIVE: I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand" (Deut. 32:36a & 39).
Notice that according to God Himself, the only way that someone He "kills" can ever live again is if God also "makes alive" again. Do Christians believe that dead people must be made alive again? No, of course not. They don’t believe that dead people are even dead, so why would God ever have to "make alive" again? It is not Scientifically, Physiologically, or Scripturally possible to physically DIE and yet be alive.
Let’s notice one most profound point in this Song of Moses which should remove any and all doubt as to whether Israel is being "tortured in literal fire" in this "lowest sheol." Verse 25:
"The sword without, and the terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, THE SUCKLING [an infant; a BABY] also with the man of gray hairs."
To be sure, God affirms that sucklings will be in this sheol. Are we to believe that God will TORTURE sucklings in sheol? Is sheol really a hell of torture in fire as orthodoxy demands? No, this is nothing more than the "grave" that we saw in the previous 31 Scriptures translated from the same Hebrew word sheol.
2. The sorrows of hell [Heb: sheol] compassed [surrounded] me about: the snares of death prevented [confronted] me" (II Sam. 22:6).
Does anyone believe that David just narrowly escaped the tortures of an eternal hell of pain in literal fire? No? I don’t either. But I can clearly see how he felt death and the grave closing in on him when his enemies were out to kill him.
35But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39All flesh is not the same flesh: but there iskind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. one another.
42So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.(NEW BODY!)
50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
3. It [the wisdom and secrets of God] is as high as heaven; what can you do? Deeper than hell [Heb: sheol] ; what can you know" (Job 11:8).
This is poetic language and has nothing to do with a place of torture in fire.
4. Hell [Heb: sheol] is naked before him, and destruction has no covering" (Job 26:6).
5. The wicked shall be turned [Heb: shub] into hell [Heb: sheol], and all the nations that forget God" (Psalm 9:17).
I heard this verse quoted on TV just this past Sunday. Boy oh boy this one seems pretty hard to side step, isn’t it? "The wicked shall be turned into hell." Well, maybe not. The translators have tried to do their tricky little deceitfulness once more. You see, the word translated "turned" is the Hebrew word shub and it means "to RETURN," (not, "turn" or "turned"), but REturn or REturned. In fact this word is translated "return" or "returned" almost 100% of the approximately 450 times it is used. Notice how other versions correct this same verse:
"The lawless shall RETURN [Heb: shub] to hades, All nations forgetful of God" (Psalm 9:17, Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible).
"The nations shall be TURNED BACK unto sheol, All nations that are forgetful of God" (Psalm 9:17, The New American Bible).
"The wicked do TURN BACK to sheol, All nations forgetting God" (Psalm 9:17, Young’s Literal Translation).
"The wicked shall RETURN [Heb: shub] to the unseen, all nations forgetful of God" (Psalm 9:17 Concordant Literal Old Testament).
Actually "return" is a better translation than "turn back," but at least we can see that other translators see and use the proper meaning of shub, which of course, The King James did not.
The Bible likens death to a "Return." The soul RETURNS to sheol/hades—the UNSEEN. The spirit RETURNS to God who gave it. And the body RETURNS to the dust of the ground from whence it came. And so likewise, the wicked nations will be RETURNED to sheol—the grave, sheol, the unseen, DEATH.
If "sheol" is a Christian hell of torture in fire, then they would also have to conclude that these nations also CAME FROM an eternity of suffering in fire, and they are not RETURNING to that same place. Anyone see a problem with such unscriptural nonsense?
6. "For you will not leave my soul in hell [Heb: sheol]; neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 16:10).
Although this is a prophecy concerning the Lord, it is nonetheless, the words of David concerning himself and his own salvation from sheol. Notice that David concedes that he (his soul, the conscious, sentient self) will die and go to sheol. But David’s prayer is that God, "will not LEAVE my soul in sheol." Everyone’s soul goes to sheol at death—both the sinners and the saints.
7. "The sorrows of hell [Heb: sheol] compassed me about: the snares of death prevented [confronted] me" (Psalm 18:5).
David is not in sheol, but rather is sorrowful in just contemplating death.
8. "Let DEATH seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell [Heb: sheol]: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them" (Psalm 55:15).
Notice that that one must be "dead" in order to go to sheol.
9. "For great is Thy mercy toward me: and you have delivered my soul from the lowest [depth of] hell [Heb: sheol]" (Psalm 86:13).10. "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell [Hb: sheol] got hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow" (Ps. 116:3).11. "If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make my bed in hell [Heb: sheol], behold, You are there" (Psalm 139:8).12. "Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell [Heb: sheol]" (Prov. 5:5).
Seems pretty clear that feet and steps are one, and they go to one place—death and hell [sheol] are all one.
13. "Her house is the way to hell [Heb: sheol], going down to the chambers of death" (Prov. 7:27).
Once more, her house with its chambers, go down to hell/sheol and death.
14. "But he knows not that the DEAD are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell [Heb: sheol]" (Prov. 9:18).
Hell/sheol contains DEAD PEOPLE, not living souls!
15. "Hell [Heb: sheol] and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?" (Prov. 15:11).
16. "The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart [keep away] from hell [Heb: sheol] beneath" (Prov. 15:24).
17. "You shall beat him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell [Heb: sheol]" (Prov. 23:14).18. Hell [Heb: sheol] and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied" (Prov. 27:20).19. "Therefore hell [Heb: sheol] has enlarged herself, and opened her mouth with out measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoices, shall descend into it" (Isa. 5:14).20. Hell [Heb: sheol] from beneath is moved for you to meet you at the coming; it stirs up the dead for you, even all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations" (Isa. 14:9).21. "Yet you shall be brought down to hell [Heb: sheol] to the sides of the pit" (Isa. 14:15).22. "Because you have said, We have made a covenant with DEATH, and with hell [Heb: sheol] are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves" (Isa. 28:15).23. "And your covenant with DEATH shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell [Heb: sheol] shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then you shall be trodden down by it" (Isa. 28:18).
Notice in both verses 15 and 18 of Isa. 28 that "death and hell" keep company together. Another major proof that those in sheol are DEAD, not tortured in fire. Sheol is associated with DEATH, not life.
24. "And you went to the king with ointment, and did increase your perfumes, and did send your messengers far off, and did debase yourself even unto hell [Heb: sheol]" (Isa. 57:9).25. "I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall; when I cast him down to hell [Heb: sheol] with them that descend into the pit and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth" (Ezek. 31:16).26. "They also went down into hell [Heb: sheol] with him unto them that be slain with the sword: and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen" (Ezek. 31:17).27. "The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell [Heb: sheol] with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword" (Ezek. 32:21).28. "And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell [Heb: sheol] with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, through they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living" (Ezk. 32:27).29. "Though they dig into hell [Heb: sheol], thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down" (Amos 9:2).30. "And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the BELLY of hell [Heb: sheol] cried I, and You heard my voice" (Jonah 2:2).
Imagine that! The belly of a FISH is also the "belly of hell." But for sure there was no literal fire inside that fish torturing Jonah.
31. "Yea also, because he transgresses by wine, he is a proud man, neither keeps at home, who enlarges his desire as hell [Heb: sheol] , and is as DEATH, and cannot be satisfied, but gathers unto him all nations, and heaps unto him all people" (Hab. 2:5).
Again we see death and hell keeping company. There is NO CONSCIOUSNESS in sheol / hades / grave / death. Jonah only figuratively (symbolically) cried out from "the belly of hell/sheol." Jonah was not literally in sheol, as he had not died, although he was very close to it. David in the same way, cried out in his agony as though he had already been consumed with death, although he had not.
We have now quoted every Scripture from the Hebrew Old Testament which contains the word sheol. 3 times as "pit," 31 times "grave," and 31 times "hell." Not once did we read of "PUNISHMENT," "TORTURE IN FIRE," or a place of "EVERLASTING" anything. We have clearly seen that both the righteous and the unrighteous go to this same condition and place called sheol. It is spoken of literally, figuratively, symbolically, and poetically.
IS SHEOL THE SAME AS THE GRAVE?
When it comes to matters regarding the salvation of all mankind theologians have found it necessary to distort many verses of Scripture to force a compliance with their pagan teaching on the subject. I will try to clear up all of the difficulties and contradictions associated with sheol/hades because of the pagan Christian teaching of an eternal hell. Strong’s Concordance, Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek, and the Bible, is all we need to make sense of it all.
Although sheol is translated "grave" 31 times in Scripture, the question remains, should it even be translated grave at all? We will prove that it should NOT be translated "hell," but should it ever be translated "grave," seeing that there is another Hebrew term used in Scripture that specifically means grave.
It will all make sense when we come to realize that there are two aspects regarding the grave that are spoken of at some length in Scripture:
- The PHYSICAL GRAVE, which includes the location and type of burial.
- The CONDITIONAL GRAVE, which tells us why someone is in the grave, what their sins were, what their present condition is, and what their losses are.
The Hebrew qeber qibrah means: sepulcher, burying place, grave (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary). It is used many times in Scripture, as in Job 21:32:
"Yet shall he be brought to the grave [Heb: qeber qibrah], and shall remain in the tomb."
This verse pretty much defines gave by stating that a person brought to the grave would remain in the tomb (the "tomb" being a "burying place"). But does not sheol/hades also mean: sepulcher, burying place, grave?
Strong’s definition of qeber gibrah is quite accurate and accords perfectly with the Scriptures. His definition of sheol, however, leaves much to be desired:
"sheol—hades, the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates: grave, hell, pit." "The world of the dead, a subterranean retreat, including its accessories and inmates."
Nowhere is the grave called "a world," and nowhere are there "inmates"—that is living residents in the grave. Strong’s word "retreat," however, is interesting. Here’s an American Heritage College Dictionary definition of, "retreat, a place affording peace, quite, privacy, or security." Sounds more like a country club in the Caribbean, than the hell of Christendom.
However, the last three words he uses to define sheol—"grave, hell, pit" could all be correct and acceptable if we use and understand "hell" to be only what it was defined as and used as in Old English—"to cover or conceal."
Since Strong defines sheol as hades, let’s look at his definition of hades.
"#86. hades, from 1 (as negative particle) and 1492; properly unseen, i.e. ‘Hades’ or the place (state) of departed souls—hell, grave."
Again, "hell and grave" would be acceptable if we understand "hell" to mean "conceal or cover" rather than, "a place where sinners are tortured with Satan and devils in literal fire for eternity."
The "grave" is the common denominator in all verses regarding sheol. But why didn’t the writers use the Hebrew qeber qibrah which most definitely means grave? Why are both terms used if what is always meant is "the grave?"
ANSWER: The Hebrew qeber gibrah always has reference to the geographical location and vessel of internment for the body. For example, is the body buried on the top of a mountain in a cave, down in the valley in the ground, or maybe in a garden in a tomb? The first time qeber qibrah is used in the Scriptures is a perfect example:
"And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave [Heb: qeber qibrah]: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave [qeber qibrah] unto this day" (Gen. 35:20).
Here’s another:
"My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die [am dying] in my grave [Heb: qeber qibrah—grave, sepulcher, burying place or tomb] which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, THERE shall they bury me" (Gen. 50:5).
Okay then, if the "qeber qibrah—grave" is the location and type of burying place, what does "sheol—grave" mean? Does sheol then fit the description and definition of a grave? Yes, it does, but with an added dimension. The "sheol—grave" addresses not so much the location or type of burying place, but rather the CONDITIONS surrounding the person(s) entombed.
Here are just some of the things associated with sheol as a grave:
- darkness, corruption, worms, rest in dust (Job 17:13-16)
- down to sheol is DEATH and up from sheol is to MAKE ALIVE (I Sam. 2:6)
- a CHANGE must come to live again (Job 14:14)
- no thanks in sheol (Psalm 6:5)
- it is silent in sheol (Psalm 31:17)
- the DEAD are in sheol (Proverbs 9:18)
- souls are REDEEMED from sheol (Psalm 49:15)
- there is no work, device, knowledge or wisdom in sheol (Ecc. 9:10)
- no praise in sheol (Isa. 38:18—not even from the RIGHTEOUS who are there)
- God will RANSOM souls from sheol (Hosea 13:14)
- sheol is a place of DEATH (Psalm 55:15)
- the DEAD are in sheol (Psalm 139:8)
- God is in sheol (Psalm 139:8)
- God will DESTROY sheol (Hosea 13:14)
Now seriously and honestly and Scripturally, is there ANY torture in fire going on in sheol? Is there ANY human activity whatsoever going on in sheol? Is there even consciousness in sheol? Of course not—SHEOL IS DEAD! But Christians ASSURE us that sheol/hades/hell is a place of extreme activity, pain, screaming, torture, fire, demons, Satan, etc., etc., etc. Let me make this so simple a child can understand it. Remember the Christian definition of hell in our dictionary:
The American Heritage Collegiate Dictionary:
"hell, the abode of condemned souls and devils... the place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, presided over by Satan… a state of separation of God… a place of evil, misery, discord or destruction… torment, anguish."
Okay then, here are ten bold key words which define "hell." If these are the proper words and phrases to describe and define "hell" in our English Bibles, then we should find these ten words scattered all through the verses of Scripture which speak of sheol/grave/hell.
Let us now go through all 31 verses of Scripture in which the translated sheol into the English word hell, and count all of the times that we find the words: condemned souls, devils, eternal punishment, Satan, separation of God, evil, misery, discord or destruction, torment, anguish.
| 1. condemned souls is found | ZERO times |
| 2. devils | ZERO times |
| 3. eternal punishment (or punish alone) | ZERO times |
| 4. Satan | ZERO times |
| 5. separation of God | ZERO times |
| 6. evil | ZERO times |
| 7. misery | ZERO times |
| 8. discord or destruction | ZERO times |
| 9. torment | ZERO times |
| 10. anguish | ZERO times |
| ---------------------- | |
| TOTAL: ZERO! |
Now to the average theologian I have proved absolutely "zero" by my above scholarship. If fact, they might even laugh me to scorn for such antics. However, let it be known that I thank my God many times over that He does not allow my mind to work like the minds of popular theologians!
This little experiment above proves VOLUMES to me regarding the meaning and usage of the Hebrew word sheol. I think that they do lie and deceive when they continue to translate sheol into the modern Christian "hell."
HEADS = GRAVE, TAILS = HELL
Below I list all of the 65 Scriptural references to sheol in the King James. It appears that they might have used the flip of a coin to determine whether to translate any particular verse as heads or tails. I do this to impress upon your minds the unscholarly, unscriptural, and silliness employed to come up with 31 graves and 31 hells by using the same one word, sheol.
In one verse they would have us believe God is speaking of an "ETERNAL LIFE OF TORTURE IN FIRE," and in another verse using the very same word sheol, they would have us believe all are "DEAD." And they did this SIXTY-FIVE TIMES!
sheol translated | ||
| Deut. 32:22 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Gen. 37:35 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| II Sam. 22:6 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Gen. 42:38 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Job 11:8 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Gen. 44:29 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Job 26:6 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Gen. 44:31 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Psalm 9:17 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| I Sam. 2:6 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Psalm 16:10 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| I Kings 2:6 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Psalm 18:5 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| I Kings 2:9 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Psalm 55:15 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Job 7:9 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Psalm 86:13 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Job 14:13 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Psalm 116:3 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Job 17:13 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Psalm 139:8 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Job 21:13 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Prov. 5:5 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Job 24:19 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Prove. 7:27 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 6:5 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Prov. 9:18 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 30:3 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Prov. 15:11 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 31:17 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Prov. 15:24 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 49:14 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Prov. 23:14 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 49:14 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Prov. 27:20 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 49:15 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Isa. 5:14 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 88:3 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Isa. 14:9 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 89:48 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Isa. 14:15 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Prov. 1:12 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Isa. 28:15 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Prov. 30:16 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Isa. 28:18 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Ecc. 9:10 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Isa. 57:0 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Song 8:6 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Ezek. 31:16 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Isa. 14:11 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Ezek. 31:17 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Isa. 38:10 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Ezek. 32:21 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Isa. 38:18 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Ezek. 32:27 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Ezek. 31:15 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Amos 9:2 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Hosea 13:14 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Jonah 2:2 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Hosea 13:14 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Hab. 2:5 | "hell" | eternal life of torture in fire |
| Psalm 141:7 | "grave" | burying place of the dead |
| Num. 16:30 | "pit" | a huge hole in the earth |
| Num. 16:33 | "pit" | a huge hole in the earth |
| Job 17:16 | "pit" | a place of rest in the dust |
Not once in all 65 verses where we find the word sheol do we find a word associated with Christianity's hell.
What do we find in these verses then? Well, for one thing, in these 65 verses we find the words "death," "dead," or some form of dying (as in ‘slain with the sword’), TWENTY-FIVE TIMES. Yet we do not find any one of the ten words used to describe the Christian hell, even ONCE in all 65 verses. Is anyone out there in computerland beginning to use their own God-given brain just once, instead of listening to the "Church Authorities" (Which Church Authorities Jesus Christ upbraided to high heaven)?
THEY LOOK LIKE SHENANIGANS TO ME
Let’s consider some very interesting translations:
In Psalm 88:6 we read this:
"You have laid me in the LOWEST PIT [Heb: bor—a hole, a pit], in darkness, in the deeps."
And in Psalm 139:15 this:
"My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the LOWEST PARTS of the earth."
But in Deut. 32:22 we read:
"For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the LOWEST HELL [Heb: sheol].
Why "hell?" Why not "pit?" We already have Scriptural proof that there are such things as the "lowest pit" and "lowest parts" with absolutely no connection or reference to any kind of hellish torture chamber, so why not use "pit" in Deut. 32:22? Actually "grave" would be better, but since they like to translate sheol as "pit," why not make it pit in Deut. 32:22? You tell me.
In Job 17:13 we read:
"If I wait, the grave [Heb: sheol] is mine house, I have made MY BED in the darkness"
Here we have God telling us that Job will make his "bed" in the darkness of the sheol-grave.
But in Psalm 139:8 we read:
"If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make MY BED in HELL [Heb: sheol] behold, You are there."
What sense is it for Job to say, "If" he makes his "BED in the sheol-GRAVE," whereas King David considers, "If" he make his "BED in the sheol-HELL?"
Consider also that when people have been buried in graves from time immemorial, they are laid down as in a bed (witness the mummies of Egypt), but in what possible, conceivable way can a person in a "Christian hell" who is supposedly being tortured in literal fire, be considered to be "in BED?" Do Christians never, ever, EVER think about what they are reading? Apparently not to often.
Clearly, Psalm 138:8 should be translated "If I make my bed in the GRAVE…" Furthermore we have Scriptural proof that David was buried in a grave:
"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both DEAD and BURIED, and his SEPULCHRE is with us unto this day" (Acts 2:29).
And NO, David never went to heaven either:
"For David is not [‘is not’—In both Greek and English, that means "IS NOT’] ascended into the heavens…" (Verse 34).
In Psalm 31:17 we read:
"Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon Thee; let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave [Heb: sheol]."
But in Psalm 55:15 we read:
"Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell [Heb: sheol]: for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them."
Was this another toss of the coin—heads it’s "grave" or tails it’s hell? In one verse the King James sends the wicked to the grave, and in another the King James sends the wicked to hell.
Do you think they learn these things I am teaching you in seminary? Does it really matter? Does anyone really care? Why should anyone question such trivial things?
Listen to me very carefully: What I am teaching you right here in these pages has to do with whether there is a lick, a smidgen, a crumb, a shred, a tad, a scintilla, an iota of proof or Scriptural evidence that ANYONE ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH, FOR A PERIOD OF FOUR THOUSAND YEARS, WAS EVER WARNED BY GOD OR A PROPHET, OF AN ETERNAL HELL FIRE OF TORTURE FOR ALL WICKED PEOPLE WHEN THEY DIE.
God clearly and plainly tells us that before He would ever send calamity or evil upon a people, He will first warn them: "REMEMBER GOD ALWAYS WARNS HIS CHILDREN!!!
"Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in the city, and the Lord has not done it? SURELY, the Lord God will do NOTHING, but He reveals His secret unto His servants the PROPHETS" (Amos 3:6-7).
Has God blown a trumpet to let humanity know that all unrepentant wicked people will be burned in some fabled eternal fires of hell? The Hebrew Scriptures cover four thousand years of human history. Where is there a warning of an eternal hell of torture in fire for the wicked? WHERE? WHERE are the prophets who have warned of such a fate of eternal torture in fire? Where? Give me chapter and verse? Does God LIE? Does God’s Word LIE? Or do your theologians, pastors, and ministers LIE?
Do not the web sites by the hundreds of thousands, LIE? Are not the Bible book stores, and now even the department stores, parading books filled with the lies of babbling religious heretics? Are not the air waves filled with the LIES of televangelists trying to frighten more and more people into sending them more and more money for their $25,000,000.00 private executive jets? Have they no conscience? Have they no shame? Jesus WALKED, Peter, Paul and the apostles WALKED to spread the gospel, but FIRST CLASS on modern jets and limousine service is NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR TODAY’S phony evangelists.
Maybe to some of you that is a very small thing, not even worthy of study. To me it is a GIANT THING because I have seen and experienced the suffering of those who have unfortunately bought into this most "DAMNABLE HERESY AND BLASPHEMY" in all creation, which the Church has fostered upon all of us whom they consider to be, VERY DUMB SHEEP! Well God is giving some of us dumb sheep a voice to expose and make known these damnable heresies to the whole world.
Regardless of how they translate sheol we know from the context in no less than 25 of these verses that sheol is a place of DEATH. Is there any hope for all those who go to sheol in death, which includes every person who has ever died? Yes there is.
THE POSITIVE SIDE OF SHEOL/GRAVE/HELL
I've heard many, many times that hell is "separation from God." And, of course, they translate "hell" in the Old Testament from one word only—sheol. Now then, is this oft-repeated statement in Christendom true? NO, not according to the Scriptures, not according to God—Psalm 139:8:
"If I ascend up into heaven, THOU [thou being GOD] art there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, THOU ART THERE"!
Sheol cannot separate God from humanity. God is just as surely in sheol as He is in Heaven.
[1] Psalm 49;15:
"But God WILL REDEEM MY SOUL from the power of sheol [grave]: for he shall receive me. Selah."
And Hosea 13:14:
"I WILL RANSOM THEM from the power of sheol [grave]…"
Notice the context of this verse in this chapter as it is speaking of SINFUL Israel. Israel has sinned greatly, they have died, but notice God’s ultimate mercy upon them:
"O Israel, you have destroyed yourself, BUT in Me is your help" (Verse 9).
And so, even though they died in their sins without repentance, yet will God be their help and will "RANSOM them from the power of sheol." But orthodox Christian theology teaches us that once a wicked person goes to sheol there will never ever be a return. They say that there will never be a "second chance" to be saved. As though the Scriptures ever speak of a FIRST CHANCE?
Let me digress for a minute to clear up another damnable heresy of the Church, and that is this unscriptural notion of "chance." The Scriptures know of the carnal concept of "chance." Never, ever is salvation associated with the idea of one having a "chance" to be saved. The word "chance" does not exist in God’s sovereignty, anymore than the words "unpredictable" or "luck."
The American Heritage College Dictionary:
"chance n. 1a. The unknown and unpredictable element in happenings that seem to have no assignable cause."
And do we really think such things exist in God’s economy? For all of you who have read my "Myth of Free Will" series, you know that God is the "cause" of all, and that absolutely nothing is "unpredictable" or "unknown" to Him. Yet twice the translators of the New Testament King James thought it necessary to use the word "chance" in describing that which was not by "chance" at all.
Luke 10:31—"And by chance there came down a certain priest that way…" No, the priest didn’t come down by "chance," but by "coincidence." The Greek compound word translated "chance" is, su[n]g kur I’a. Literally, "together-sanction." Hence "co – incidence"—"Together happen." Sometimes a "coincidence" really seems very strange, but would we expect anything less from a God who does many things that seem strange to us.
I Cor. 15:37—"And that which you sow you sow not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain." Think for a moment think—someone who didn’t actually plant the seed might not know what will come up, but I guarantee that the sower who sowed the seed knows. No one has ever sown a kernel of corn and had a stalk of wheat come up.
The word translated "chance" in this verse is the Greek, tu[n]gch[an]’o, literally "happen [-up]," and can be translated "happen" as in Rotherham’s Translation.
Now, lest anyone thing that there is an element of "chance" involved in this word, notice how it is used in Heb. 8:6—"But now has He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant…" The phrase "has He obtained" is the translation of this one Greek word tungchano which is translated "chance" in I Cor. 15:37, believe it or not. It merely means "to happen, to obtain, to come about." There is absolutely NO "chance" of anything in Scripture or with God. Salvation has nothing to do with "chance" or "luck" or any such carnal nonsense. Salvation through Christ our Lord is absolutely SURE:
"SURELY [Gk: ge—"a primary particle of emphasis, yet, at least, besides, doubtless, SURELY"], He Who spares not His own Son, but gives Him up for us ALL, how shall He not, together with Him, also be graciously granting us ALL?" (Rom. 8:32, Concordant Literal New Testament).
Is anyone so foolish as to think that the very ministry of our Lord was a thing of "chance?" What a powerful Scripture Rom. 8:32 is when we translate all the words: and yet most Bibles do not even translate this word in their versions. What a shame.
[2] But there is more; a great deal more: "…I will redeem them from DEATH: O death, I will be thy plagues." (Verse 14). We also read this same truth in the New Testament in I Cor. 15:55, but the translators tried to hide it: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave [grave is translated from hades, but the translators tried to hide it by translating it just this once as "grave," whereas every other time they translate hades as "hell"], where is your VICTORY?" Yes, there is "…victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" over hades (Verse 57). This is because: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is DEATH" (Verse 26).
[3] And what does Hosea say that God will do after He "Ransoms them from the power of SHEOL…" and "…redeems them from DEATH…"? Let’s read it together:
"I will be your plagues; O GRAVE [O SHEOL], I will be your DESTRUCTION…" (Hosea 13:14)!
WOW! We have just seen clear Scriptural proof that there is VICTORY over death and the grave [hades/sheol], and that we (saints AND sinners) will be RANSOMED and REDEEMED, from the power of sheol, and God will be the utter DESTRUCTION of death and the grave [sheol]!
Unrepentant sinning Israel, Sodom, Jerusalem, all the Hitlers of the world and every person who has never even heard the name of Jesus Christ will be raised from the dead and JUDGED in the Great White Throne / Lake of Fire / Second Death Judgment, and then all humanity will be saved and God will be "ALL in All" (I Cor. 15:28). There will never be death again, as it will be completely abolished (I Cor. 15:26) by being destroyed along with hades/sheol in the Lake of God’s Spiritual Consuming Fire (Rev. 20:14).
So why doesn’t the Church teach these marvelous Truths of God? Because the "Synagogue of Satan," (Rev. 2:9), and "Satan’s throne" (Rev. 2:13), and the "depths of Satan" (Rev. 2:24), are in "The Seven Churches of God."
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he was cast out into the earth [the ‘earth’ represents those who are called out of the ‘sea,’ but who are not as yet in ‘heaven’—they are the ‘many called’ but not ‘chosen’—the carnal CHURCH!], and his angels were cast out with him" (Rev. 12:9).
THE ONLY OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCE TO FIRE AND JUDGMENT
There is not one single word in the entirely of the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures that speaks of the dead in sheol being tortured or burned with fire. There is a Scripture however that speaks of a "refiner’s fire," but the time setting for this fire is not the Old Testament, but rather the New:
Israel and especially the priests mocking ask:
"WHERE is the God of judgment?" (Last phrase in Mal. 2:17).
To which God answers:
"Behold, I will send My Messenger before Me: and the Lord, Whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple [His people in whom He dwells, I Cor. 3;16], even the Messenger of the covenant [the NEW covenant], Whom you delight in: behold, He shall come, says the Lord of hosts.
But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? for He is like A REFINER’S FIRE, and like FULLERS’ SOAP: And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi…" (Mal. 3:1-3a).
Just who are the "sons of Levi" under the New Covenant? Why they are the "chosen elect FEW." Peter describes them:
"But you [those chosen for salvation in this church era] are a chosen generation, a royal PRIESTHOOD, and holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light: Which in time past were NOT a people, but are NOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD…" (I Peter 2:9-10).
Ironically, it is the "people who were NOT a people" that make up the New Covenant "royal priesthood" (II Pet. 2:9). It is the "uncircumcision who are now God’s circumcision people" (Phil. 3:3) It is the GENTILES who are God’s New Covenant "JEW which is one inwardly" (Rom. 2:28). It is the GENTILES who are the New Covenant SPIRITUAL "Israel OF GOD" (Gal. 6:16).
Notice that Peter calls us "a ROYAL priesthood." The word "royal" is translated from the Greek, basileios, and it means "kingly." Peter is speaking of " a KINGLY priesthood" or "KING/PRIESTS." Yes, that is exactly what God calls us:
"And has made us unto our God KINGS AND PRIESTS, and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10 & Rev. 2:26-27).
Continuing in Mal. 3:3
"…and purge them as gold and silver…"
Now where do we read of this in the New Testament/New Covenant? Paul makes clear to us that only the "gold, silver, and precious stones" of God’s word in us will survive the "refiner’s fire":
"Now if any man build upon the Foundation [Jesus Christ] gold, silver, precious stones [these are refined and purified and made much more valuable by the fire], [or] wood, hay, stubble [these are totally consumed and burned up by the fire]:
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by FIRE; [The ‘Refiner’s fire.’ ‘For our God is a CONSUMING [spiritual] FIRE,’ Heb. 12:29]; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself SHALL BE SAVED; yet so as by fire" (I Cor. 3:12-15).
Concluding Mal. 3, verse 3:
"that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
It is this "offering in RIGHTEOUSNESS" that the "kings of the earth [we, the chosen elect few, ARE the ‘kings of the earth, Rev. 5:10] do bring their glory and honor [‘an offering in righteousness’] into it [New Jerusalem out of Heaven]" (Rev. 21:24).
THE BLESSINGS AND THE CURSINGS
THE BLESSINGS:
"And all these BLESSINGS shall come on you, and overtake you, IF you shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God" (Deut. 28:2).
- Will set you high above all nations on earth
- Blessed in city and field
- Fruit of body, cattle and ground
- Smite your enemies
- Blessed in storehouses
- Blessed in all you set hands to do
- Blessed coming & going out
- All nations will fear you
- Will establish you an holy nation
- Will make you plenteous in all goods
- Shall lend but not borrow
- Be the head and not the tail
THE CURSINGS:
- "But it shall come to pass, IF you will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statues which I command you this day; that all these CURSES shall come upon you, and overtake you" (Deut. 28:15).
- Cursed in city and in field
- Cursed in basket and store
- Cursed fruit of body, flocks & land
- Cursed coming in & going out
- Send cursings, till destroyed
- Pestilence will consume you
- Smite with consumption, fever, etc.
- Extreme burning and the sword
- Your heaven as brass & earth as iron
- Smitten by your enemies
- Smite you with botch of Egypt
- Madness, blindness, astonishment of heart
- Shall not prosper in your ways
- Another man will take your wife
- Build a house but not dwell in it
- Plant a vineyard but not partake of it
- Sons & daughters given to foreigner
- Fruit of your lands eaten by other nations
- You will go mad
- Smitten with botch which cannot be healed
- Smite from sole of foot to top of head
- Shall serve other nations and their gods of stone
- You will be mocked among the nations
- Locust eat your fields, worms eat your grapes
- Locust will consume all the trees of the field
- Children will go into captivity
- Strangers within will rule over you
- Strangers will be the head and you will be the tail
- Therefore you shall serve your enemies
- He will put iron on your neck until you are DESTROYED
- You shall have none assurance for your LIFE
Now let’s be completely honest with what we have just read. All of the blessings are physical blessings of food, cattle, children, houses, and safety from enemies from without, in this land, in this life, ONLY. And the Cursings are loss of children, cattle, food, house, and their land, and sickness, disease, pain, suffering in their bodies, and captivity, slavery, bondage, misery, and death and destruction in scattered foreign lands. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Where in all these blessings is there ONE WORD about anything beyond the relatively short life of prosperity and safety in the land? Where is there ONE WORD about an afterlife of blessing with God?
Where in all these cursings is there ONE WORD about anything beyond the relatively short life of disease, poverty, captivity, misery, slavery and death in scattered lands? Where is there ONE WORD about punishment beyond death in an afterlife of pain and punishment in an endless hell? Can we not all agree that it just isn’t there?
A FEW HINTS OF AN AFTERLIFE
Does this mean that the Old Testament contains not a word about an after life? No, not quite. There are a few hints and a prophecy that confirm the dead will live again, but not a word that the DEAD ARE ALREADY LIVING.
RECORDED IN THE LAW:
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it [Heb: ‘He’—the One Seed, Christ] shall bruise [Heb: ‘hurt’] your [Satan’s] head, and you [Satan] shall bruise [hurt] his heel" (Gen. 3:15).
This prophecy was indeed vague at best to Adam and Eve, and even the Old Testament readers, but it was nonetheless, a positive affirmation that the deceiving work of Satan in the Garden would one day be rectified.
RECORDED IN JOB:
"If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. You shall call, and I will answer you: you will have a desire to the work of your hands" (Job 14:14).
Job was given to understand that there is coming life after the grave. Not IN the grave but after a period of "waiting," and after a "change" takes place.
RECORDED IN PSALMS:
"Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave [Heb: sheol] (Psalm 49:14-15).
David realizes as does the writer of Ecclesiastes, that a person dies just like an animal, and both are consumed away in the grave. But, David was also given to understand that God will "redeem" his soul (the real, sentient David, preserved by God until resurrection back to life into a new body). This will take place in either of two resurrections of the dead.
RECORDED IN THE PROPHETS:
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting [Heb: ‘eonian’] life, and some to shame and everlasting [Heb: ‘eonian’] contempt" (Daniel 12:2).
Daniel does not tell us when these two resurrections of awakening out of sleep will occur, only that they will. We know from New Testament revelation that the First happens prior to Christ’s reign and the Latter happens after His 1000 year reign. But the hope of an afterlife was made know to at least a few of the Old Testament writers.
Interestingly, Moses never once makes mention of any such thing as a punishment upon the wicked after death, or a blessing upon the righteous after death. We have record of but a handful of men who even knew of an after life, but not one of them suggests and endless punishment for the wicked. From where then did this teaching originate?
CONCLUSION
Is anyone so foolish as to suggest that DEATH is not permanent. God revealed that DEATH is the wages of SIN. GOD teaches DEATH is permanent and without the BLOOD and sacrifice of our beloved lord and Savior Jesus Christ Mankind is eternaly seperated from God by "DEATH FOREVER"! The first five books of the Bible by Moses, and the rest of the Old Testament canon, we find not a word about endless punishment. What we find is DEATH and go to any cemetary and talk with the dead...THE DEAD ARE DEAD!..It is permanent. We need God...We need Jesus Christ to resurrect us from DEATH to LIFE and give us new bodies! RIGHT?King James Bible
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Romans 6:23 (King James Version)
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
GRACE IS BETTER...RIGHT?
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