Are We All Sons of God?

I have heard many people say that they are a son or daughter of God and for many years I believed that this was the case. However, the Scriptures do not teach that. We are not all Sons of God. How can we come to this conclusion?

In the Bible, there are only a handful of people and two groups that are called God's Sons. The first group were the faithful angels. "Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you do know understanding...When the morning stars joyfully cried out together, and all the sons of God began shouting in applause?" (Job 38:4, 7) Further, Israel as a group is called a Son of God.-Deuteronomy 14:1; Isaiah 43:6

The people that are called Sons of God are Adam, Solomon, and Jesus. (Luke 3:38; John 10:36) Solomon is a special case. He was called God's son when he was king of Jehovah's nation, Israel. And even then, he was not called God's son until God bestowed that title upon him, showing that this was not something he was from the very beginning of his life. (2 Samuel 7:14) The nation of Israel was a collective son of God because they were a "holy people...special property, out of all peoples" and because Jehovah had helped them along from the very beginning after He made the covenant with Abraham.-Deuteronomy 14:1-2*

After Israel lost this privilege, it was given to others--Anointed Christians. They were not, however, full sons of God. "God sent forth his Son, who came to be out of a woman and who came to be under law, that he might release by purchase those under law, that we, in turn, might receive the adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5) Did all humans become adopted sons of God after Jesus' death, as some may argue the Scripture as saying? Paul says, "You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus."-Galatians 3:26; 4:6-7; John 1:11-12

Now, we must find out if this applies to all Christians, Anointed and the Great Crowd, or only to one group. Do we all become God's sons (by adoption) upon faith in Christ? No.

"For all who are led by God’s spirit, these are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: 'Abba, Father!' The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ, provided we suffer together that we may also be glorified together." -Romans 8:14-17

Paul promises that these will be joint heirs with Christ and that they will be glorified, both of which do not apply to the Great Crowd.

Now, these Anointed Ones are not full sons of God, but only adopted sons. Will they be in this state forever? No. "[God] has also put his seal upon us and has given us the token of what is to come, that is, the spirit, in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:22) One day they will be full sons of God while now patiently waiting and gladly being sons of God by adoption.

However, there is more! John says that Anointed Christians are "Firstfruits". This means that there must be ones who receive blessings afterwards. Yes, one day, all humans who pass the final test mentioned at Revelation 20:7-10 will be able to become earthly sons of God! Romans 8:19-23 is an indication that those with the earthly hope will one day become children of God.[1]

One other Scripture that proves that point is found in the book of Revelation.

"With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: 'Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away...anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.'" -Revelation 21:3-7

The context shows that those who reside on earth will be God's son.

So, while we are not sons of God as many people claim due to our being separate from God due to sin, this will not be the case forever. In fact, one day we, whether or the Anointed or the Great Crowd, will all have the "glorious freedom of the children of God!"-Romans 8:21

*The Israelites lost their position as a collective "son" after they lost his favor. (See Matthew 23:37-38; John 8:41-47) This is indication that sonship was not just from being descendants of Adam or Abraham but on their spiritual relationship.

References

[1] Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 999, pp. 5-7

Jesus--The Best Candidate of All

He has cures to all diseases and ailments-"At that time the eyes of the blind ones will be opened, and the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped. At that time the lame one will climb up just as a stag does, and the tongue of the speechless one will cry out in gladness."-Isaiah 35:5-6

He proposes the ultimate healthcare program-"And no resident will say: 'I am sick.' The people that are dwelling in [the land] will be those pardoned for their error."-Isaiah 33:24
"And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”-Revelation 21:4

He provides food and shelter for all-"And they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full."-Isaiah 65:21-22

He plans to end all wars-"He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the wagons he burns in the fire."-Psalm 46:9
"And he will certainly render judgment among many peoples, and set matters straight respecting mighty nations far away. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. They will not lift up sword, nation against nation, neither will they learn war anymore."-Micah 4:3

He promises to make the death rate drop to zero-"He will actually swallow up death forever."-Isaiah 25:8
"'Death is swallowed up forever.' 'Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?'”-1 Corinthians 15:55-56

He intends to drop the crime rate to zero-"And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be."-Psalms 37:10
"As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it."-Proverbs 2:22

He judges fairly, not based on income or race-"After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: 'Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb'...because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them, and will guide them to fountains of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes."-Revelation 7:9-10, 17

He stays calm under pressure-"He was hard pressed, and he was letting himself be afflicted; yet he would not open his mouth. He was being brought just like a sheep to the slaughtering; and like a ewe that before her shearers has become mute, he also would not open his mouth."-Isaiah 53:7

He will never be replaced or kicked out of office-"And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite."-Daniel 2:44

Did Jesus Teach "The Truth?"

Did Jesus Teach "the Truth"?

This question might seem odd to some. Of course Jesus taught the Truth! However, what I am referring to is a term commonly used by Jehovah's Witnesses. In reference to their belief system, Jehovah's Witnesses commonly say "the Truth" as in "He found the Truth", "We accepted the Truth", "She was raised around the Truth" or "They left the Truth." The "Truth" to one of Jehovah's Witnesses is the Truth found in the Bible, or exactly what their religion teaches. To them, the Truth in the Bible and the Truth that they teach are one and the same.

Many times, though, people will attack Jehovah's Witnesses and say that they do not have the Truth. They will even say that Jesus Christ did not teach the "Truth" as Jehovah's Witnesses teach it. Is this actually the case? We will look at a belief of Jehovah's Witnesses and then statements that Jesus made concerning that belief to see if Jesus Christ taught it.

A Complete Record?
First we must find if everything that Jesus spoke concerning the Truth (because whatever Jesus spoke is the Truth) is actually contained in the Bible. What does the Bible record say? "There are, in fact, many other things also which Jesus did, which, if ever they were written in full detail, I suppose, the world itself could not contain the scrolls written." (John 21:25) Obviously, Jesus' day-to-day affairs are not contained in the Scriptures. Did he have a favorite place to eat? We don't know. How many people followed him from the time he first began his ministry to the end? The Bible record is silent. Is everything he taught contained in the Scriptures? Probably not.

One man who wrote about Jesus that lived in the time of the Apostles was a man named Papias (Born before 70 C.E.-Died 155 C.E. in Smyrna) who claims to have talked to some Bible writers and other eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ. This is certainly possible. Mark wrote his Gospel about 65 C.E., perhaps around the time Papias was born, and, therefore, may have lived on for Papias to grow into adulthood and John died about 100 C.E. Again, it makes it possible that Papias indeed knew Mark and John.

This should be taken into consideration because of something that Papias claims. He says someone who knew Jesus remembered a conversation between the Lord and Judas Iscariot about the coming paradise Earth. After Jesus supposedly gives an illustration about the abundance of food to be found in the coming new world Papias wrote, "But these things are credible to them that believe. And when Judas the traitor did not believe, [he] asked, 'How shall such growths be accomplished by the Lord?' he relates that the Lord said, 'They shall see, who shall come to these [times].'" [1]

The very fact that Papias says that Christ was teaching a paradise earth is noteworthy. Further, it adds some credibility to his claim. It does not, however, verify its authenticity. You see, supposedly, Papias wrote things that contradicted Holy Scripture and added his own interpretation to things Christ and the Apostles taught. But those claims even are not known for sure. None of the writings that we have from Papias today are preserved. We only have the writings of other men that quoted Papias--some of whom did not even like him! Obviously, these people could have misquoted Papias or even added things to his writings to discredit him. Unfortunately, because of this, we can not be certain that the things Papias wrote are correct, even what is quoted above. His writings are obviously of interest, though.

All of this reinforces the fact that all Jesus' words and actions are not quoted in the Bible so this list is not exhaustive. It does give us a basis for determining if the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are compliant with the words of Jesus because, if they are not, then Jehovah's Witnesses do not have the Truth.

What Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe? What Did Jesus Believe?

God's Name and Glory is of Highest Importance
"Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified."-Matthew 6:9
"Father, the hour has come; glorify your son, that your son may glorify you."-John 17:1
(See also: Matthew 5:16; Luke 10:21; John 12:28; John 17:26)

God created humans, we did not evolve
"“Did you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?"-Matthew 19:4

Christ is God's Son and is inferior to Him
"If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am."-John 14:28
(See also: John 8:42; John 20:17)

Christ was first of God's creations
"These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God."-Revelation 3:14

Christ's human life was paid as a ransom for obedient humans
"Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.”-Matthew 20:28

Bible is God's Word and is truth
"Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth."-John 17:17

Bible is more reliable than tradition
"In reply he said to them: 'Why is it you also overstep the commandment of God because of your tradition?'"-Matthew 15:3

The dead cease to exist, soul not immortal
"He said these things, and after this he said to them: 'Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.' Therefore the disciples said to him: 'Lord, if he has gone to rest, he will get well.' Jesus had spoken, however, about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. At that time, therefore, Jesus said to them outspokenly: 'Lazarus has died.'"-John 11:11-14

Hope for dead is resurrection
"The hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who have given heed will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to do judging, because Son of man he is. Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."-John 5:25-29

Only a "little flock" go to heaven
“Have no fear, little flock, because your Father has approved of giving you the kingdom."-Luke 12:32
(See also: Matthew 5:3)

Only those receiving the kingdom, the little flock, are born again
“Most truly I say to you, Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”-John 3:3

All others not of "little flock" will live on earth forever
“Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth."-Matthew 5:5
( See also: John 10:16)

It is the duty of all Christians to preach about the kingdom of God
"As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’"-Matthew 10:7
(See also: Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:19-20; John 14:12)

Satan is the ruler of the world
"Now there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."-John 12:31
(See also: John 14:30, John 16:11)

Christians are no part of the world
"If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you."-John 15:19
(See also John 17:16)

Christians are not under or bound by the Mosaic Law
"“The Law and the Prophets were until John [the Baptist]. From then on the kingdom of God is being declared as good news, and every sort of person is pressing forward toward it."-Luke 16:16

Prayers are to be directed only to Jehovah through Christ
"No matter what you ask the Father in my name he might give it to you."-John 15:16
(See also John 16:23)

Special titles are improper
"But you, do not you be called Rabbi, for one is your teacher, whereas all you are brothers. Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly One. Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for your Leader is one, the Christ."-Matthew 23:8-10

There is only one road to life
"Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it."-Matthew 7:13-14

Sound Support from Jesus
Jesus did teach "the Truth" as Jehovah's Witnesses refer to it. It is not made up of a Scripture here and a Scripture there all throughout the Bible. No, indeed Jesus believed what we believe. He taught what we teach. If you would like to learn more about what Christ taught and what Jehovah's Witnesses currently teach, you can write to the appropriate address or by electronic correspondence and Jehovah's Witnesses would gladly, indeed, feel privileged, to help you learn "the Truth"!-Matthew 10:7-8

References

[1] Preserved in Irenaeus’ Against All Heresies, 5:33:3-4

Demas--Ran From Death

After talking about Agabus, we can come to the conclusion that the Bible is full of examples of good Christian men and women that we can model ourselves around. And that is true. However, there are also examples in the Scriptures that teach us what not to do. One such is a man named Demas.

Demas was a faithful Christian for a long time, being mentioned on three occasions, all in letters written by the Apostle Paul. "Sending you greetings is...Demas...my fellow worker." (Philemon 1:23-24)* Demas must have worked hard with Paul, evidently being a fellow traveler with him. This reveals that Demas must have been a faithful Christian for a long time, since his record of faithful service would allow something like that.

So wonderful was Demas, he was mentioned in another letter possibly going to the same place, couriered by the same person. We read, "Luke the beloved physician sends you his greetings, and so does Demas." (Colossians 4:14) This further reveals that Demas was right there with Paul as he wrote his letters, perhaps being a faithful confidant. Truly, Demas had the rare privilege of traveling with Paul! How he must have burst with joy and excitement as he was asked to travel along with him!

However, things don't turn out so wonderfully in the end. The letter of Colossians and Philemon were written at the same time and sent to Colossae by Tychicus and Onesimus, a runaway slave. (Colossians 4:7-9) This letter, indeed, both Colossians and Philemon, were written and sent between 60 and 61 C.E. while Paul was imprisoned in Rome the first time.

About four to five years later, violent persecution is leveled at the Christians. Paul is imprisoned and sentenced to be executed. (2 Timothy 2:9; 4:6) Then, one of his loyal "fellow workers", yes, Demas, runs away. Why? "Because he loved the present system of things, and [so went] to Thessalonica."-2 Timothy 4:10

Demas was afraid to die. It was that simple.

Now, it would be wrong to make assumptions about Demas. All we know about this poor man is that he "loved the present system of things" enough to fear death, although he had a sure hope. He ran almost six hundred miles across land and sea from death. We do not know if he integrated himself into the local congregation in Thessalonica and continued to worship Jehovah and follow Jesus Christ or anything about him after that. We are not the judges of individuals but we do know that Demas' decision, and the fear that caused him to make that decision, was wrong. It led to the last mention of him in the inspired Word to be negative.

We may be in a similar situation as Demas. Our life may be on the line. Will we be able to stand up for what is right by looking to the prize, "the real life", and be able to stand firm until our death? (1 Timothy 6:19) Only Jehovah, through His spirit, can give us that courage.

*Four other people, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, and Luke, are also mentioned, however, since this article is about Demas the other names have been omitted from this post.

Agabus--Faithful in Times of Peace and Persecution

Who is Brother Agabus? Are you ignorant of this man? If you answered yes, you are not to be faulted. Agabus is only mentioned twice in the Holy Scriptures, but what we read of this faithful brother is very faith-strengthening.

The only two times that Agabus is mentioned both occur in the Bible book of Acts. He makes his first appearance in Chapter eleven. We read: "Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus rose and proceeded to indicate through the spirit that a great famine was about to come upon the entire inhabited earth; which, for that matter, did take place in the time of Claudius."-Acts 11:27-28

Agabus was a holy prophet, which shows that he was a very good man. Jehovah didn't just give that responsibility to anyone. Sure, after receiving holy spirit in those days, people would speak in tongues or display some other gift from the spirit but they were generally not considered prophets. The very fact that Agabus was a known prophet shows us that he had been a worshiper of Jehovah God for a long time. In fact, in the Roman Catholic Church and "Eastern Christianity"* he is regarded as a saint. Church tradition holds him as one of the seventy disciples sent forth by Christ at Luke 10:1, although this cannot be verified by the Holy Scriptures.[1]

The prophecy that Agabus made was fulfilled in 45 C.E. during the time of Claudius. However, we find that, because of Agabus' prophecy "those of the disciples determined, each of them according as anyone could afford it, to send a relief ministration to the brothers dwelling in Judea; and this they did, dispatching it to the older men by the hand of Barnabas and Saul." (Acts 11:29-30) Agabus was respected and taken seriously. Due to his faithfulness and prophecy, many of our first-century Christian brothers and sisters were well taken care of. All of this occurred before 45 C.E., just as Agabus stated.

The second time that Agabus is mentioned in the Scriptures is towards the end of the book of Acts, prophesying again. He gave this prophecy in Caesarea: "A certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea, and he came to us and took up the girdle of Paul, bound his own feet and hands and said: 'Thus says the holy spirit, "The man to whom this girdle belongs the Jews will bind in this manner in Jerusalem and deliver into the hands of people of the nations."'-Acts 21:10-11

Both times, Agabus is stated as traveling from Judea to wherever Paul was. It can thus be assumed that Agabus resided in Judea, possibly even in Jerusalem. If this was the case, then Agabus had plenty of opportunities to show his love of Jehovah God. Many things happened to the Christian Jews in Jerusalem. Herod began to persecute the Christian congregation. He killed the Apostle James with the sword. He even arrested the Apostle Peter. (Acts 12:1-5) Through all of this persecution, Agabus stayed strong, undoubtedly being a great source of encouragement to the local brothers.

Even before all of that, if Agabus was already a Christian, he had to endure the opposition from fellow Jews with the other brothers when it became clear that Gentiles were now allowed to be followers of Christ. (Acts 11:1-3) If Brother Agabus was actually a follower of Christ when the Messiah was on earth as the Catholic Church believes, then he had even more opposition immediately following the Lord's death. Things were tough for the disciples, including possibly Agabus, in those days.-John 20:19, 26

We can only assume that Agabus remained steadfast in the Truth up until his death, whenever that was. Surely, his brief mention in this Scriptures testifies to that. But what can we learn from Brother Agabus?

Just like when he traveled all that distance from Jerusalem to Antioch, we can go wherever Jehovah wants us to, as willingly as Agabus proved himself to be. Also, when under severe persecution, we can remain steadfast, relying on Jehovah and His spirit and our Head, Jesus. Finally, we should never let the fear of men bring us down. Surely, this courageous brother, although not mentioned very much in the Scriptures is a wonderful example for us today.-Romans 15:4

*"Eastern Christianity" is composed of the Assyrian Church of the East, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Eastern Catholic Churches.

References

[1] "New Advent" Catholic Encyclopedia

Does God Torment People in Eternal Hell?

"God is love." (1 John 4:8, 16) Imagine a person is being roasted on a hot iron plate. In his agony he screams for mercy, but nobody listens. The torture goes on and on, hour after hour, day after day—without pause! Whatever crime the victim may have committed, would not your heart go out to him? What of the one who ordered the torture? Could he be a loving person? In no way! Love is merciful and shows pity. A loving father may punish his children, but he would never torture them!

If you were walking in a jail and you saw this torture, what would you do? If you inquired as to what the person was being tortured for and the torturer said, "Because he didn't believe in the judge who could sentence him to this torture," honestly, what would you think about this judge? If you inquired further and the man said, "Well, a while back he got a parking violation that he didn't pay off. He was fined a fair amount and then after he paid the fine we decided to torture him for the next forty years." Wouldn't that be unjust?

Imagine that judge is God. The jailer torturing the man is Jesus Christ. The man being tortured is a man who has just died. Let us say this traffic violator was a doctor who saved countless lives, gave much to those in need, even adopted two children from poor countries, and showed himself to be a good husband, father, friend, brother. In short, he was always helping others. However, this man was not "saved by grace". Is he deserving of being tortured in hell for all eternity? Absolutely not. If "God is love" as the Scriptures say and "perfect is his activity" (Deuteronomy 32:4) then would He be a kind, merciful God if He tortured this man for all eternity because he wasn't "saved by grace?"

Furthermore, torturing people with fire was something that God never even considered. Speaking of people who would burn their children in fire as sacrifices to God, Jeremiah 7:31 says of the practice that this was something that God "had not commanded and that had not come up into [his] heart." Yes, God had never even considered the thought of people being tortured with fire, much less forever.

Even the idea that the soul lives on after death is something completely foreign to the Bible. In fact it says simply, "The soul that sins--it itself will die." (Ezekiel 18:4) At Ecclesiastes 9:5 the Bible says, "For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all!"

The soul dies? The dead are conscious of nothing at all? If people did go to hell after they died then that would completely contradict those verses. Then where does the doctrine of hell come from? From mistranslations of the Bible! There is no hell in the sense that people who claim to be Christians teach. The concepts of hell in the Bible were completely different from what Jesus and the apostles thought of as hell. Plus, ask yourself, is it really a just punishment to torture people for all eternity for something they did for just seventy or eighty years of their life? Let your morality be the judge. If our morality says "no" then God, who is perfect and loving, would likewise say no, right?

Then what is the punishment for sins? Romans 6:23 tells us: "For the wages sin pays is death." Yes, we pay for our sins upon death. James 1:14, 15 says, "Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it becomes fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death." So we die because we sin, and yet Romans 6:7 says, "For he who has died has been acquitted ["acquitted", NWT and HCSB, footnote; KJV, NIV, and others say "freed"] from his sin." We have paid off our "debt" of sin by dying. Do you torture someone for incurring a debt after they have paid it off? No. They are free to go after they have paid their debt.

What about those Scriptures that plainly speak of people tortured with fire for all eternity? Well, fire in the Bible is symbolic for destruction. So when the Bible says that someone is to be punished with eternal fire, it simply means eternal destruction. One case in point is found for us at Jude 7. "So too Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them...are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire." Are Sodom and Gomorrah actually burning today? No! In fact, they are most likely now underwater, their remains submerged in the Dead Sea! Sodom and Gomorrah are not burning forever, they are destroyed forever, never to be rebuilt.

What we really need to examine, though, is what the Bible says the final end for people will be. According to Peter, "But these men, like unreasoning animals born naturally to be caught and destroyed, will, in the things of which they are ignorant and speak abusively, even suffer destruction in their own course of destruction, wronging themselves as a reward for wrongdoing." (2 Peter 2:12-13) Peter tells us that wicked people will suffer destruction, not eternal torment. Another name for this everlasting destruction is "the second death". In fact, we are told that the second death is "the lake of fire." The lake of fire cannot be hell because "death and hell were cast into the lake of fire."-Revelation 20:14, King James Version

One last point worth consideration on this, fire equaling destruction, is what the Bible says will be the final end to Satan the Devil. We read, "And the Devil who was misleading them was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur...and [he] will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10) However, Hebrews 2:14 says that Jesus will "destroy him." (King James Version) This falls right into place when we understand the true meaning of the lake of fire. Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for ever. In other words, he will be dead, yes, destroyed, forever and ever.

What about such Scriptures as Mark 9:43-48? The New International Version has this as:

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"

This is a quote of Isaiah 66:24. "And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." One commentary says that this Scripture is refers to going out "of Jerusalem to the surrounding Hinnom Valley (Gehenna), where human sacrifice was once practiced (Jeremiah 7:31) and which eventually became the city's refuse heap." [1] What is the verse speaking of? It is not talking about being tortured; it speaks of dead bodies. What is speaks of as not dying is worms--not human lives or immortal souls.

One Bible commentary commenting on Mark 9:48 says, "[The] phrase is taken from Isaiah 66:24. The prophet shows the two ways corpses were usually destroyed: putrefaction and incineration...The juxtaposition in the text of the maggots and fire reinforces the idea of destruction...Both destructive forces are described as permanent ('is not quenched, does not die'): there is simply no way to escape them. In this image, the only survivors are the maggot and the fire--not the man--and they both annihilate anything that falls within their power. Hence, this is not a description of everlasting torment, but one of total destruction." [2] Obviously, the doctrine of eternal torment is debunked from four different angles: 1) Bible Commentators, 2) Moral Reasoning, 3) Understanding the Person of God, 4) Using the Bible Itself. There is no punishment after death for the wicked.

So, is death the end, since it is unconsciousness? No. Acts 24:15 says, "I have a hope toward God, which these men themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous." (See also John 5:28, 29; Revelation 20:12, 13) Almost everyone who has ever lived will have the opportunity to live again in a perfected earth without Satan, sin, and wickedness to get in the way of coming to Jehovah God.


References

[1] The Jerome Biblical Commentary

[2] El evangelio de Marcos. Analisis linguistico y comentario exegetico, (The Gospel of Mark. Linguistic Analysis and Exegesis Commentary), Vol. 2

My 10 Favorite Kingdom Songs

*These are not in any particular order, they are just my favorite Kingdom Melodies*


1. Song #4-God's Promise of Paradise
Luke 23:43: "And he said to him: 'Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.'

2. Song #13-Christian Dedication
Exodus 39:30: "Finally they made the shining plate, the holy sign of dedication, out of pure gold and inscribed upon it an inscription with the engravings of a seal: 'Holiness belongs to Jehovah.'"

3. Song #74-Jehovah, Provider of Escape
Psalm 18:1-2: "I shall have affection for you, O Jehovah my strength. Jehovah is my crag and my stronghold and the Provider of escape for me. My God is my rock. I shall take refuge in him, my shield and my horn of salvation, my secure height."

4. Song #87-The Lord's Evening Meal
1 Corinthians 11:23-26: "For I received from the Lord that which I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf and, after giving thanks, he broke it and said: 'This means my body which is in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.' He did likewise respecting the cup also, after he had the evening meal, saying: 'This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives."

5. Song #168-Recognizing Earth's New King
Psalm 2:12: "Kiss the son, that He may not become incensed and you may not perish from the way, for his anger flares up easily. Happy are all those taking refuge in him."

6. Song #171-A Victory Song
Exodus 15:1: "At that time Moses and the sons of Israel proceeded to sing this song to Jehovah and to say the following: 'Let me sing to Jehovah, for he has become highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has pitched into the sea.'"

7. Song #180-God's Own Book--A Treasure
Proverbs 2:1: "My son, if you will receive my sayings and treasure up my own commandments with yourself."

8. Song #187-All Things Made New
Revelation 21:4: "And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."

9. Song #205-Christ Our Exemplar
1 Peter 2:21: "In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely."

10. Song #212-We Thank You, Jehovah
1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In connection with everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in union with Christ Jesus respecting you."