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

Moving Mountains With a Word

"Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it." (Hebrews 11:1, New Century Version) We today have never seen Jesus Christ. However, the words in the Bible are so powerful that we cannot help but "see" him in a spiritual sense nor can we help but love him. Our sentiments match the words of the Apostle Peter: "Though you never saw him, you love him. Though you are not looking upon him at present, yet you exercise faith in him and are greatly rejoicing with an unspeakable and glorified joy."-1 Peter 1:8

Peter saw Jesus Christ. He knew him intimately and loved him. We do not have the privilege but we still love our Lord and Savior. The same goes with Jehovah God. We have never seen Him and yet we still love Him. Our faith is what keeps that love for both of them intact. We know that the Bible is God's Word and that everything it says is true. It, like our God and like our Lord, has proven itself many times.

Yes, faith is powerful.

How powerful, though, is faith? Jesus Christ said, "Truly I say to you, If you have faith the size of a mustard grain, you will say to this mountain, 'Transfer from here to there,' and it will transfer, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) Was Christ being literal here? How can we truly know? Has anyone ever moved a mountain before? We can confidently say no. Perhaps, too, Christ was trying to make a point as to how powerful faith actually is.

One reason that we can possibly take that statement seriously is found in an account where the power of faith was made manifest.

"[Jesus] compelled his disciples to board the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowds away. Eventually, having sent the crowds away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. Though it became late, he was there alone. By now the boat was many hundreds of yards away from land, being hard put to it by the waves, because the wind was against them. But in the fourth watch period of the night he came to them, walking over the sea. When they caught sight of him walking on the sea, the disciples were troubled, saying: 'It is an apparition!' And they cried out in their fear. But at once Jesus spoke to them with the words: 'Take courage, it is I; have no fear.' In reply Peter said to him: 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you over the waters.' He said: 'Come!' Thereupon Peter, getting down off the boat, walked over the waters and went toward Jesus."-Matthew 14:22-29

Faith is a powerful thing. It enabled a man to walk on the water. Yet, notice something further about Christ's statement in Matthew 17:20. He said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard grain..." The mustard seed was the smallest known seed in that area of the world at that time. This is an excellent point.

To illustrate: Imagine yourself on an airplane. Across the aisle you see a businessman who is very calm, perhaps typing on a laptop. You can tell that he has been on many flights. Next to him is a little old lady who has never been on an airplane before. You can tell that this old lady is very scared. You realize that she must have had a small amount of faith that the plane would not crash or she would have never gotten on. Just then the plane takes off and you make it to your destination safely. Although the businessman had more faith then the little old lady, both were carried through. Their faith got them to their destination because, if they had no faith, they would have never gotten on the plane.

Now, if Jesus' words are literal, and if you even have the smallest amount of faith to move a mountain, then what is keeping you from it? Well, a lack of faith. You know Jesus' words and you even believe them. Somewhere, though, there is something in the back of your head that doubts. If you remove all doubt, you may find that you can move mountains.

And really, is moving mountains with a word so hard to believe. Faith made a man walk on water. When he lacked that faith, he could no longer do it. (Matthew 14:30-31) Further, any amount of faith that we have can work wonders through us. The Apostle John said, "This is the conquest that has conquered the world, our faith." (1 John 5:4) Think about it. Because of our faith, no matter how big or small, we conquered the world! We conquered Satan and the demons, we conquered opposition, persecution, materialism, governments, and the spirit of the world! If we can conquer this with our faith, is moving mountains with a word really so awesome?

The average, ignorant American and politics today

I don't really follow politics. I don't vote, and keep from having an opinion. Obviously, though, keeping yourself entirely free of a presidential election, and definitely this one, is kind of hard. There are so many absurdities in it. From McCain rambling on about Obama's celebrity status to praising Palin about her's, to Palin going out and buying $150,000 worth of clothes, to Michelle Obama's "For the first time in my adult life" blunder, there has been no other election that has been this crazy to keep track of. The "Iron my Shirt" incident was priceless.

Part of the reason, though, that I have been keeping such a close watch on this election is because of a man at my job, Mick.* Mick is a staunch McCain supporter. He literally hates Barack Obama. He criticizes everything Obama does. I bet if Obama didn't let down the toilet seat, Mick would scream how he was not fit to be president.

At one point, Mick was talking to me about Ayers, Obama's acquaintance who was at one time a terrorist. He asked me if I knew anything about this and I told him I heard about it but wasn't extremely knowledgeable on the matter. He then proceeded to tell me how I represented the average, ignorant American. I took offense but kept my mouth shut. He then showed me some facts about the Obama-Ayers relationship. When he thought he had my full attention and was starting to sway me to his side (I can assure you he wasn't. I think he believes that I am an Obama supporter because I'm bi-racial, black mother, white father. I don't have the heart to tell him I don't have an opinion) he finally let me get back to work.

When I got home I proceeded to check his statements and found that he didn't know his facts. He is so against Obama that he will believe anything anyone tells him that paints Obama in a bad light. I can't stand listening to him but I have a problem that whenever something bad is said about McCain, I have to prod him about it. I can't wait until November 4. If Obama wins, I will let him have it! It is very exciting!

Another thing Mick did that was so funny is how he completely changed his opinion to match the circumstances. When the big deal was Obama v.s. Clinton, Mick told me that he wanted Obama to beat Clinton because America was not ready for a female president. He said women relied too much on emotion then they should and not enough on logic. He then said that even if Obama won, he wanted McCain to beat him because Obama was too much of a celebrity and didn't have enough experience.

Enter Sarah Palin. Extremely low experience, woman, and bigger celebrity then Obama. Yet Mick said that she had enough experience, America is ready for a woman president, and that her celebrity status is a good thing. It can only help McCain in the long run.

Needless to say, I wanted to puke. If anything, Mick is a prime example of your "average, ignorant American." I won't tell him any of this but I honestly feel that since I have more of a neutral view of this, I can see the entire picture clearly, not blur the parts I want to ignore and brighten the parts I want to focus on.

If only everyone could be like that. Indeed, if only people could see how Christians should view politics.

Jesus Christ, when on earth, said this in prayer to his Father, Jehovah. "I have given your word to them, but the world has hated them, because they are no part of the world, just as I am not part of the world. I request you, not to take them out of the world, but to watch over them because of the wicked one. They are no part of the world,just as I am no part of the world."-John 17:14-16

Christ made it very clear that we as Christians are to be no part of the world. Why? Because neither God nor Christ is ruler of the world. Who is? Satan the Devil! The Bible calls Satan "ruler of the world" and "God of this world" as well as saying that the "whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4, English Standard Version; 1 John 5:19) For a Christian to be a part of the world would be partaking in what the Bible calls "the spirit of the world."-1 Corinthians 2:12, compare Ephesians 2:1-2

Being separate from the world means being neutral in politics, like Jesus Christ was. (John 6:15) Too, being separate means shunning materialism and self-centeredness. (1 John 2:15-17) Regarding people who did these things James said, "Adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God."-James 4:4

Why is this Christian separateness so important? "The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world." (James 1:27) Our very worship is affected when we are not free from the world!

You see, two things are important to consider when we speak of this. First, the true government under Jesus Christ is the government that Christians uphold. This is called "Kingdom of God". (Mark 1:15) This Kingdom will destroy all wickedness and usher in world-wide peace. (Psalm 37:10-11, 29; Daniel 2:44) For us to throw in a vote for an earthly government is to vote against God's Kingdom and Jesus Christ.

Second, to be a good subject of any government, you must follow the laws of that government. The King, Jesus, has told us to refrain from being materialistic. (Matthew 6:19-23; Mark 10:17-25; Luke 12:15-21) If we do these things, as well as follow his other commands, our worship will be clean and undefiled to our God.