CD ROM Paradise Collection 4/CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso/edu/essy53.zip/62.DOC

Text File | 1995-04-08 | 8KB | 137 lines

                                  ESSAY 62

                                    THE
                              "HELL IS A MYTH"
                                    MYTH


              Politically  correct  people  cannot  stand  the idea of
         hell.  "Why, the  very  idea of being punished for not living
         according  to  the  values  of  some radical religious bigot!
         After all, even if God did exist, he would be a God of love!"
              This revulsion to hell is sometimes expressed, "The idea
         of  frightening  children  with a place of eternal punishment
         is just terrible!"  Interpretation:  "The idea of hell scares
         me, too!  If we don't stop them from scaring the kids, we may
         not get them to believe in atheism!"
              I am grateful that our pastor, Brother Bullock, preached
         the reality of hell.  It was under his  ministry  at  Victory
         Missionary Baptist Church  in  Gulfport, Mississippi, that  I
         was "scared" into accepting Christ as my Savior.  I was  only
         seven years of age when I was converted.
              It  was  another pastor, Brother L. R. Shelton, who kept
         me  uncomfortable  when I  was  not  living  for the Lord.  I
         appreciate his "being true to my soul," as he said it.   This
         New  Orleans  pastor  reminded me that I was not serving God,
         through his radio ministry.
              We need to  be  afraid of God's judgment and not of what
         people may do to us.  PROPER FEAR IS OUR FRIEND--WE ARE MOVED
         TO RIGHT CHOICES.  Jesus said,

                   Do  not  be  afraid of those who kill the
                   body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be
                   afraid of the One [God] who  can  destroy
                   both  body  and  soul  in hell [Gehenna].
                   (Matthew 10:28, NIV).

              God  does love everyone.  That is why he sent his Son to
         die for us.  However, if people do not accept Christ as their
         Savior, what would God do with them? He could not allow evil,
         unregenerated  people to be with him forever--it would not be
         heaven.
              We have a place for sociopathic people: prison.  If evil
         people  were  allowed  to murder, steal, rape, or sell drugs,
         society would be chaotic.  Society  cannot  function  without
         prisons or capital punishment or both.  Prison not only keeps
         evil people from hurting law-abiding people, but it also acts
         as a DETERRENT.  Some do not  do  evil  because they know the
         consequences of breaking the law.
              God  also  has  a prison.  It is called Hell.  He places
         incorrigible people there.
              He also has a place for fallen  angels.  It is a special
         prison for spirit beings who decided to become evil:

                   And  the  angels  who  did not keep their
                   positions  of  authority  but   abandoned
                   their  own  home--these  he  has  kept in
                   darkness, bound  with  everlasting chains
                   for judgment on the great Day. (Jude 1:6,
                   NIV).

         One third of the good angels decided to follow  Satan  in his
         rebellion.  These  evil  angels  are kept in God's prison for
         angels.  This prison is called Tartarus:

                        For  if  God  did  not  spare angels
                   when  they  sinned, but sent them to hell
                   [Greek,  Tartarus],   putting  them  into
                   gloomy  dungeons to be held for judgment;
                   (2 Peter 2:4, NIV).

              The  English  term "Hell" needs further explanation.  It
         has  its  roots  in the Old Testament.  "Abraham's bosom," is
         a  Jewish  term  synonymous to Paradise.  The word "Paradise"
         comes from the Old Persian word PAIRIDAEZA.  It is translated
         by the Greek words PERI  ("AROUND")  and  TEICHOS ("a wall").
         PERITEICHO  was  chosen  to  translate  the  Garden  of  Eden
         (Hebrew) into Greek in the SEPTUAGINT, a Greek translation of
         the Hebrew Scriptures.
              Paradise  was a compartment of Hades, the  place  of de-
         parted  human spirits.  (Hades is the Greek equivalent of the
         Hebrew  Sheol).  Paradise  was  the  place  where  believers'
         spirits were taken.
              Jesus  used  Gehenna as a symbol of everlasting torment.
         The word  Gehenna  is  a transliteration  of  the  Greek word
         GEENNA,  which  is a transliteration of the two Hebrew words,
         GE + HINNOM  (Valley  of  Hinnom  [Tophet]).  The  Valley  of
         Hinnom is located  immediately  south  of  Jerusalem.  At one
         time,  ancient  Israel  sacrificed  infants  to the false god
         Molech, there.
                  Later, a  good  king of Judah named Josiah destroyed
         the  idol  Molech.  Josiah  stopped  the  practice  of infant
         sacrifice  and  the area was made into a garbage dump. It was
         not a sanitary landfill like we have today.  Bodies of humans
         and  animals, plus  filth  were dumped there.  Because of the
         rotting  material, perpetual  fires  were  kept  going.  Thus
         Jesus words, "Where their worm [ Greek, SKOLEX, maggot] dieth
         not  and  the fire is not quenched." (MARK 9:48).  Thus Jesus
         used a garbage dump as a symbol of hell.
              It was both physically and morally repulsive to the Jews
         of  Jesus'  day.  The idea of roasting little babies alive in
         the heated arms of a pagan idol was  unconscionable and vile.
         The  stench  and  visual  filth  was sickening.  JESUS USED A
         STRONG  METAPHOR  TO  DESCRIBE  THE TERRIBLE PLACE OF ETERNAL
         SEPARATION FROM GOD.
              There  is  anguish  in the place where unbelievers go in
         Hades.  Jesus taught,

                   In  hell [Hades]. . .he  [Dives]  was  in
                   torment. . .Abraham  [was] far away, with
                   Lazarus  by  his side. (Luke 16:23, NIV)

              Dives was in Hades in torment (ODYNOMAI,  literally  "in
         anguish").    (Vincent,  WORD  STUDIES  IN  THE NEW TESTAMENT,
         1:399).  This word is used only  by  Luke,  and  means  "deep
         sorrow, grief or anguish."
              Some  future  day,  unbelievers  will  be taken from the
         temporary Hades and be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation
         20:11-15).  The lake of fire is commonly called Hell.
              On the other hand, those trusting in Christ and his Word
         will be taken from the temporary Hades and brought to be with
         the Lord forever in what is commonly called Heaven.
              The difference between an eternity in Heaven or Hell  is
         the simple choice of accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior.
         We simply believe in him for our salvation:

                   Whoever  believes  in him [Christ] is not
                   condemned, but whoever does  not  believe
                   stands  condemned  already because he has
                   not believed in the name of God's one and
                   only  Son.  (John 3:18, NIV).


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