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One doctrine of devils that has had its way in today's society with great ease it that of the doctrine that says there is a Hell that lasts for all of eternity and those residing do so in screams of torment. Most take a verse in Revelation chapter 14 out of context and preach a Hell that is a place of eternal torment. Some also take three repeated verses from Mark to proclaim their belief in a worm filled eternal torture chamber. But before discussing these verses, and many other verses that speak of hell,
one needs to ask one question of themselves. Do they believe in
a God that would love us so much that He would allow His one and only Son to die for
us so we can gain eternal life in Heaven and then create a place that would be used for torture for all eternity
if we refused His love? Does the character of God come off as a tyrant who enjoys hearing the screams of people who have decided not to worship Him? Would this sound like a way to "glorify" Him as a loving and giving Father? Or does this sound like a way to de-glorify Him as a mean and unmerciful tyrant? I pray at this time that you will allow me to share with you some things of God's character as well as His Scripture that PROVE this "doctrine of a devil" is simply a lie to get billions upon billions throughout all of time to "blame" the Almighty and ever living God of all creation for creating such a place and sending them there.
No, the Lord God Almighty cannot be tempted of evil and He would not send you evil. The Almighty and ever living Creator did not create you to burn. He wants you to live! There is an "enemy" on this planet that is fighting for control of your soul. It has to do with a HOLY
WAR that is going on in the Universe. All the Universe is watching as the Creator of it is being challenged by one of His creations
that eventually fell. His name is now Bezzlebub, or Satan as most
call him now. The devil is actually trying to prove to all that is created that his way is better than God's way.
The Almighty on the other hand is proving that God's way is really the only way
to true happiness. The devil will send you evil temptations, yes. He is getting all to sin
day in and day out. He is the one flashing what appeals to the flesh in the eyes of ALL of God's people. He is doing this to try and prove that no
one can do it the way that God planned. But the devil has one big problem with his temptations. There is a "stipulation" set on each and ever single "carrot" he dangles in our faces
that are designed to tempt us to sin. The Almighty has set this in place because He loves us that much. When evil arrives, and it will, the Almighty actually sends you a way out of it. It
says in
1Corinthians 10:13 that "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it."
Jesus wants all to see salvation. It even says in His Word that the Father considers this hellfire a "strange act" that must be performed. It's strange because it is out of character for Him to do such a thing. It also states that if He has to cause grief, He does so with compassion. The Almighty wants us all to be saved from what hell is. In fact, it is written in Ezekiel 18:32, "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." It is also written in John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." And Hell is the basic definition of DEATH. Regardless of the fact that the Scriptures state that those that go to Hell "shall not see life," the world calls hell "eternal life" IN FIRE doesn't it? Yet the Bible says that the "wages of sin is death" in Romans 6:23. So I ask, how can this be eternal life in fire, if it says death? How can this mean eternal life anywhere? Do you recall this from your studies over the years or perhaps days? It says in Genesis 3:4, "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:" The devil has been saying for 6000 years that WE WON'T DIE just as he said to Eve. He repeats this lie because it works so well. After all, Eve fell for it as did Adam! This life in fire doctrine is no different than the serpant in the tree. Both are openly declaring the Lord a liar! 2 Peter 2:9 says "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: " Yes, we learned this earlier. The Lord will help us in times of temptation and deliver us out of it. But notice what happens to the "unjust" here. They are "RESERVED" unto the day of judgment to be "PUNISHED." Notice what this verse is not saying here. It is NOT saying "PUNISH-ING" It is saying punished! Jesus Himself said in Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."EVERLASTING FIRE?" Some use this verse to proclaim the fire will last forever and ever and ever and ever... But look at this passage using the same word "everlasting"
The result of the FIRE is and EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION. The wages of sin is DEATH not life eternal in hell fire! Life in hell fire would mean we have a mean and very angry God who enjoys the screams of billions of people for all eternity. This is the devil's plan to get you to believe this is the character of God. The devil desperately needs you to look at God in this way if this is going to work on you. Another passage...
Do you see the word everlasting PUNISH-MENT being used here by Jesus Himself to explain the fate of the wicked? If Jesus meant eternal punishING don't you think He would have said that? The Bible never counterdicts itself. Jesus meant what He said. The "wages of sin is death" Death is PERMANENT. Punish-ING is an "ongoing" process. This is not what Jesus said. Nor does any verse in His Word say this. Some even preach that yes, indeed, the "body" is killed in hell fire. But, the "soul" lives on for all eternity in flames of hell. If so, I challenge them to explain this simple and very easy to understand verse...
KILL THE SOUL??? How can this be? According
to all those that preach people are alive for eternity in hellfire,
how can the Bible say the soul dies? I thought they said the wicked lived forever in the flames of hell? I thought their souls would spin and float in the fires as embers above a campfire forever Yet the Bible AGAIN proclaims that the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH! The body is killed and the soul is KILLED. "fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Destroy body and soul? KILL the soul? Is this ETERNAL LIFE IN HELL? No it is eternal DEATH! (((By the way... The Bible
definition of HELL = GRAVE!...DESTRUCTION...ETC))) And another thing, if Satan is running Hell and in control of the eternal torments of all those that reside in Hell, then why would the Word of God tell us in the following passage that Satan will also burn up, and he will burn up right before our eyes?
What day is this? When will this occur? Revelation 20:9 says, "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." When the City of Heaven is about to be placed on the Earth, as is prophesied to happen at the end of 1000 years, and all the wicked surround it to destroy it; THAT is when what the Bible calls "The second death" (SEE Rev. 2:11 Rev. 20:6,14 Rev. 21:8) is realized upon the wicked. Basic reality is, if it's true as Rome teaches that people are alive in hellfire, why does it say that hellfire DEVOURED them? All people are merely "asleep" in their graves until one of two things happens. That means everyone will be ressurected one day. Absolutely everyone that ever lived will one day get up to either receive their eternal reward of a happy and peace filled life in the Father's Kingdom. Or they will arise to live again only to be put to death in hellfire for the final time. What we call "death" today is NOT final. All that have died will eventually get up. For an in depth and Scriptural look at this, see my study on this site titled, "Where do we go from here"? Now for the verses that are often twisted by many to preach an eternal life in Hell. The next couple of verses are used by the world to corrupt the thoughts of God in the minds of all His children. The devil wants all of us to see God as a God that says... "You better worship me or I'm going to make you regret it for all eternity!!"
This verse in Revelation is favored by literally millions of preachers to prove hell is eternal punishING. Before proving what this verse truly
means, we must find out what the term "for ever" actually means to God when He says it. Understand first, God Almighty is an ETERNAL God and we, are a MORTAL people. Looking to Isaiah 34 you will see that the same language is used to describe the fate of Edom.
The poetic language of Revelation is apparently the same as the Prophet Isaiah. Yet, is Edom still
burning today? No it is not. But for those that were burned. It
burned forever. They never got up did they? They saw it burning as long as they lived. It lasted FOR EVER for them. And the destruction IS forever.
Jesus speaks of an "eternal /everlasting fire" for the devil and his angels? Now, look to this verse...
So, do me a favor for a moment. Step outside
your home and look across the Earth. Keep looking... I can wait.......... are ya done looking? Is Sodom and Gomorrha STILL burning today in the East? No it is not . But as far as the residents of Sodom and Gomorrha were concerned, the fire that burned them to death was eternal. It burned them and they are
gone and turned to ashes for ever. It burned for as long as there was something to burn. Just like "the worm that dieth not" of the 9th chapter of Mark. They too will not die as long as they have something to gnaw on. As far as anyone in this hellfire state of
torment is concerned, the fire, and the worm are there for as long as they live. If
they are still burning, the fire is alive. If there is still meat
to eat, the worm is alive as well. For as long as there is flesh to burn or eat, the destroyers of that flesh and bone,
"as well as the soul" will be present until they are no
more.
The worm will live as long as it takes to finish the job. And the fire will NOT be quenched until the "fuel" is depleted. The fire is not quenched... it just "goes out." In this case the fuel is the
"skin, bones, and soul" of the wicked. To "quench" is to extinguish a fire. This fire cannot be put out. It will burn until what is burning is gone
for eternity or "for ever." They cannot "deliver" themselves out of this fire either as we see Isaiah proves.
Also note that Jeremiah prophesied long ago that Jerusalem would burn with a fire that could not be quenched in any way possible. He said in Jeremiah 17:27, "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." So again... does this mean Jerusalem is still burning today because the fire is unquenchable? Or, look at 2Chronicals 36:19 that says "And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof." Jerusalem burned to ashes back then. It is NOT burning today. Unquenchable indeed. But to better illustrate all this using today's understanding of such things, let's look at the "Unquenchable fire" of an Atomic blast. Can you quench it once it started? No. yet, does it burn forever? No it does not. That nuke will burn as long as there is fuel. Another verse? (Yes! As I said there are many
to confirm this. But I won't share them all or now.)
Turning them into ashes is not saying that they are still burning and screaming to this day in the "eternal fire" that Jude 1:7 said a few paragraphs earlier now is it? PLUS, look at the end of the verse where it says this is "an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;" AN EXAMPLE for those that live ungodly would mean screaming in fire for all eternity according to the world's present definition of hell, wouldn't it? If this is "an example" of the future hell, then hell is not as the world is preaching is it? The Biblical example is one that shows people being burned until they are ash. But as Satan has been saying since the garden of Eden, the people never die. Here we see the Bible pointing out Sodom and Gomorrha at two separate times therefore defining quite clearly what happened on that day, and what WILL happen on the LAST DAY. It will not be an eternity of life in fire. It will be an eternity of death. Ashes are not alive no matter how much Satan stretches the lie. Another "for-ever" in Scripture can be found in Exodus 21:6 which says, "Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever. " How is this possible? What happens when the slave dies? That's right. The definition of for ever is not eternity. When the slave dies, his master no longer has his service. Just like the wicked. When they, "the slaves of sin" die, their "master" will no longer have their service. PLUS, their master will die as well in that lake of fire. Now check this verse out... Jonah who was in the belly of the whale a mere three days (Matthew 12:40) actually speaks of it as a place he resides FOREVER! He said in Jonah 2:6 "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God."
You see? the devil has twisted so many verses out of
context over the centuries that almost everyone on planet earth believe his lies as authentic Bible teachings! But WHY must there be a hell? Why must the wicked be burned up to ashes? Why? Why? Why? Heaven MUST and WILL be a place of eternal peace and happiness as well as holiness and eternal perfection. If sin is not allowed to rise up again, then what must become of all the wicked? They must die, plain and simpl, right? It is a test. The wedding is about to begin and we are invited.
But, we cannot enter the wedding without the proper garments. To walk in to
the wedding as His bride clothed in the sins of the world, we will
declare ourselves adulterous which will tarnish Heaven. Heaven will then
be no different than the World. It will no longer "be"
Heaven. What is reserved for those of us that choose eternal life with Jesus? John 14:2-3 says, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." Fire and death is reserved for Satan, his
angels, and all those that join him. Love and eternal life is reserved
for Christians and all those that join Jesus. Still, The Almighty gives you FREE WILL to choose as you wish. Why? He did not create robots. He created a people that would CHOOSE to love Him.
Think about this as well. It is no different than the tree in the garden of Eden that the Almighty told Adam and Eve not to touch. They had MANY other trees all throughout the garden to eat from. Just one was not to be touched. Why? Because the Almighty did not create robots
that were programmed to worship Him. He gave us absolute free will. He want's us to CHOOSE him over that tree! To choose the tree,
as did Adam and Eve, is to choose another way other than His way. The "choice" is there so we can "choose" to worship Him from our heartfelt desire to do so. Just as the tree in the garden was a choice, so is the sin in our lives a choice to ignore His way. Will you choose HIM today? I
certainly hope so! WHY FIRE? A friend of mine said it best in this way... Natures reason for fire...
(which is the exact same as God's, of course, and we both know
why) I thought about how alot of people
see forest fires as a bad thing. Of course when it is
arson, it is. But when it is natural, like a lightning
strike, that is natures way of cleansing. It always has been, and
always will be. It replenishes the land for us. That
in itself is a marvelous gift from God. But these fires
destroy all that is corrupt, and make a way for new life.
These fires do not go on to burn forever, only until the corrupt
is gone, and at that point, new and healthy life begins to
grow. So in the exact same way, the eternal
fire at the end only burns until the corrupt is gone, at which
point, new life will come. Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. This is a rest that is indeed a real blessing. It is a perfect peace that cannot be explained with mere words. ONE LAST THING...
Simple common sense can be such a blessing when used correctly. Historic fact is, Christ DIED. Biblical fact is, the wages of sin is DEATH. He did as He promised and in so doing He is the Saviour of the world! In the Vatican's approved Catechism books it states the following regarding Purgatory. "Augustine (Enarration on Psalm 37, no. 3) speaks of the pain which purgatorial fire causes as more severe than anything a man can suffer in this life, "gravior erit ignis quam quidquid potest homo pati in hac vita" (P.L., col. 397). Gregory the Great speaks of those who after this life "will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames," and he adds "that the pain be more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life" (Ps. 3 poenit., n. 1). In other words, it's all about fear. If the powers that be in Rome can convince their flock they alone have the truth, then their people will bow to them and trust them feeling they have no other choice. For Rome, that has been the norm for centuries. But we are now in the last days when we have the ability to check their claims with the written Word of God thanks to the Bible being printed in every language known to man. Long gone are the days of Roman prelates standing before the people as the sole bearers of the truth. Today, as prophesied, they are now seen in the light of truth and as prophesied they are the most evil men to ever walk this earth. The Bible clearly says our Heavenly Father is a "God of love and peace" in 2 Corinthians 13:11 as well as many other verses in the Bible. But for centuries Rome outlawed the Bible so as to prevent the people from knowing the truth so as to cultivate a mindset in the people that believed the God of Heaven was a tyrant who demands pain and suffering of His people before they can ever enter into Heaven. But does that sound like a loving Father? No. It sounds more like a hateful devil. That being said, why do the Popes of Rome declare that when a Christian dies that they must first enter into the torments of Purgatory when there is not a single Bible verse to back that up? It's because most never had Bibles before. But now that we do have Bibles and as prophesied the man of sin has been exposed wherein everyone can see his his evil acts from child molestation to homosexual brothels bought and paid for with Vatican money, who on earth will believe these men when they claim doctrines like Purgatory exist when anyone with a Bible knows they are lying? Purgatory was invented so the Popes and prelates of Rome could control the people. In fact, they have admitted in writing that "The doctrines of the Catholic Church are entirely independent of Holy Scripture." (Familiar Explanation of Catholic Doctrine, Rev. M. Muller, p.151) And so again, who is more trustworthy? The God of the Bible? Or the men the Bible defines by using many prophecies and historic records as being Antichrist? I recall as a very young Catholic boy in parochial school asking the nun one day to explain Purgatory to me because it scared me to death! I loved the Lord as a child and I simply couldn't believe He would be so mean and hateful. She looked me straight in the eyes and said with a stern look on her face that the flames are very real and I was destined to burn in those real flames as long as it takes just so I could get ready to be in God's holy presence. That's all she or any priest would ever say about it. And when asked to give more details they would tell me that the common man cannot possibly understand what the leaders in the church do unless they dedicate their lives to God as they did. And so of course as a little boy I was left with no choice but to trust them over the Lord I loved and I began to fear God in a way that confused me about how His love was truly defined by Him even as a child. It never stopped me from loving or even praying to Him as I did often in the prairies of Illinois even as a boy, but it was part and parcel to the reason I rebelled from the God I loved in a big way in my teenaged years. And yes, this is what Catholicism, and especially the doctrine of Purgatory is designed to do all along. This doctrine creates hate in the hearts of billions because they see no love in the God of Heaven when He promises to put His people and their loves ones in Purgatory just to be ready to be in His kingdom. But ask your priest and nun this. If we all need the cleansing of the purgatorial flames to be in the presence of the Lord, why is it nary a single soul felt so much as the heat of a candle flame when Jesus walked among us 2000 years ago? My Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 that "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Not a single Purgatorial flicker ever came from His loving presence 2000 years ago, and since he never changes, it will never be needed to gain His presence in the future. SOME SHOCKING LINKS TO SHARE REGARDING PURGATORY:
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By the way..