Hell - A FOCUS of the New Testament?

[jabcat]

A very informative post from WilliH in 2008 that is  :2thumbs:.


Sorry, but "HELL" is somewhat of a pet peeve of mine...

I just watched a TV program about Carlton Pearson the other nite... In it one of the quoted evangelists, and former "friend" of Carlton, said WORD FOR WORD, just what B_T quoted above...

FYI... especially for "lurkers" (guests and non-posting members)...  might I note the following:

JESUS "spoke" the word GEHENNA on a TOTAL of 4 occasions, ...and the word HADES on a TOTAL of 3 occasions... a TOTAL of 7 days or occasions, ...out of over 1200+ days of ministry...

Which amounts to ONCE, every 172 days, or, twice a year... did He bother to mention either of these words...  To me, this could hardly be considered a FOCUS... and if it was really, "IMPORTANT"... He would have spoken MUCH more often about this possible "destination"...

When one speaks of something, once every SIX MONTHS... it is shown to have a very small place on ones agenda...  Something so "IMPORTANT"... would not only be mentioned MUCH MORE often than once every SIX MONTHS... but the writings which came forth from CHRIST's Apostles would also REFLECT this "IMPORTANT" teaching as well, would it not?

Two of the New Testament "heavyweight writers" as far as content and measure  goes... Paul and John, did NOT MENTION this "destination" ...at ALL!  

Neither is it ("HELL") found in the Book of ACTS... Which is an EARLY dialogue of the GOSPEL going out to the World... and is not found in JUDE either...  

WHY?  If this teaching of "HELL" is so "ALL IMPORTANT", and it is to be the DESTINATION of MOST... why was it IGNORED by these "IMPORTANT" Apostles?  

I'll tell you WHY... Because it is a LIE...

Concerning the uses of "HELL" outside of the Gospel accounts:

Only the Books of

(1)  TARTARUS 2 Peter 2:4 which ONCE uses Tartarus (not Hades or Gehenna),  ...
(2)  GEHENNA James 3:6 ONCE (which refers to the tongue as Gehenna fire),  ...and
(3)  HADES  Revelation 1:18 / 6:8 / 20:13-14 (which must use it, as CHRIST REVEALED has the keys to HADES [the grave] and death...)

There is no other mention beyond the GOSPELaccounts, ...of Hades and/or Gehenna than these...

It certainly was NOT an agenda of "IMPORTANCE" to the followers of CHRIST...

Here is a little breakdown of Hades, and Gehenna... believe what you will...

Of the 3 mentions of HADES, they were ALL found in SYMBOLIC or PARABOLIC orations... NONE were LITERAL,  ... nor did any of these even refer to LITERAL scenarios...  

1. (Mt 11:23 / Lk 10:15) 2 accounts of the same occasion, and were not concerned with INDIVIDUALS nor a potential "Eternal DESTINATION" for INDIVIDUALS...

2. (Mt 16:18) ...Also was not referring to an "Eternal DESTINATION"

3. (Luke 16:23) This is within a parable, which does not mention HEAVEN, GOD, or ETERNITY...

Nor does it note the RICH MAN as negative in any way... (He just "got the breaks" in life)... It is also not noted that he (the rich man) did anything negative to Lazerus or anyone else... It IS noted that they both DIED, but the DEATH they DIED is not indicated to be the NATURAL death... It is better noted to be SPIRITUAL death...

This parable is NOT speaking of an Eternal DESTINATION which INDIVIDUALS are "going to" at all! ...it is speaking of the SPIRITUAL condition in which both of these are found, and one -- Lazerus is in the "bosum" of Abraham (not Heaven)... which is the "bosum" of FAITH...  

This parable is simply denoting the IMPASSIBLE (except by REVELATION of GOD),  CHASM or GULF between BELIEVING and NOT BELIEVING... showing that an UNBELIEVER doesn't believe in either the OLD (Moses/Torah) or NEW (Jesus) testaments which contain FAITH...

In the Bosom of Abraham, is Lazerus comforted by FAITH... The RICH MAN was addressed by CHRIST in the NT, as was LAZERUS, they were both REAL characters, and there is no coincidence that BOTH were mentioned in this parable.

The RICH MAN asked CHRIST what he might do to have Eternal life... and was found unwilling to give up his "riches"...  and was the illustration that LOVE of, and TRUST in RICHES prevents FAITH and prevents that one from entering into the Kingdom of God... a parabolic  illustration of the pathway to DEATH!  (Mk 10:17-25)

LAZERUS on the other hand was a common man that found FAITH and was the illustration of the RESURRECTION teaching, given by CHRIST... a parabolic illustration of the pathway to LIFE!  (John 11:11-45)



Of the 4 mentions of GEHENNA, ...Again,

1. (Matt 5:22,29 / Mark 9:43, 45, 47) 2 accounts, same occasion... At the end of the account in Mark it says EVERY ONE shall be salted with FIRE... and that SALT is GOOD!  ...At the end of the oration in Matthews account CHRIST speaks of LOVING and FORGIVING enemies!

2. (Matt 10:28 / Luke 12:5) same occasion... This passage, after mentioning Gehenna... says that SPARROWS are not even OUTSIDE the concern of GOD... and that MEN are of MUCH more value than are Sparrows to God!  That FIRE tests our lives is part of the PROCESS of SALVATION (1 Cor 3:11-15)  To observe that FIRE as NATURAL is to NOT observe it as SPIRITUAL...

3. (Matt 23:15 & 33) same occasion... these verses are speaking of JUDGMENT, not an ETERNAL "destination"...

4. (Matt 18:9)... This passage is clearly NOT speaking about Gehenna as a DESTINATION, rather is about a PROCESS, ... It is speaking about removing EVIL from the use of the body you have in the NATURAL for GOOD...

If it is speaking of Gehenna as a NATURAL or LITERAL entity,  ...we are then to be LITERALLY cutting off hands & feet, poking out eyes... etc.   And NO ONE has been found LITERALLY following this instruction, so in essence, ...we would ALL be doomed, ...How ridiculous is this viewpoint!  

However one might look upon these notations of "HELL"... they are to be understood in SPIRIT... and are NOT in any way LITERAL... nor are they NOTED to be ETERNAL DESTINATIONS for MEN...

GOD so LOVED the WORLD... And is NOT WILLING that ANY PERISH, and NEVER WILL be WILLING...

GOD, nor CHRIST ever changes... GOD still LOVES the WORLD, and ALWAYS WILL, ...LOVE the WORLD...

CONCLUSION...  "HELL" is DESTINED for DESTRUCTION, not the BELOVED Creatures of GOD...

[micah7:9]

A  belated HALLEUJAH!! AND GLORY! AND AMEN!

[Nathan]

Thanks for bringing that back to the top Jabcat.  It was well worth reading.  I do enjoy Willie's gifting in putting his revelational experiences with the Father into words for the rest of us to come into agreement with.

[Cardinal]

   :cloud9: :thumbsup:

[eaglesway]

As I understand it, Hades is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Sheol....Sheol means the invisible, or unknowable, or the unseen, or the grave. Hades, as a Greek concept and myth, was roughly equivalent to the Norse "hel", or underworld. Hades was the god of the underworld as well as the name of the underworld he ruled in Greek mythology. Hel was the name of the god(a she) of the Norse underworld as well as the name of the underworld itself.
    Since the King James translators were primarily English and had no equivalent for the word sheol(hebrew) or Hades(greek) they chose the word hell out of their Anglo Saxon/ Norse background- and then yoked it philisophically with all the Greek/Roman baggage carried in the word Hades.

As Willie so aptly pointed out, the few occasions when "hell" was used for Gehenna, it was used in a typological sense of having ones works burned in the garbage dump of God's discernment, even as Paul re-iterated in 1 Cor 3:15


Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath 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.
(1Co 3:13-15)

Gehenna, the garbage dump of Jerusalem, is the perfect symbol for this "suffering loss"- yet as we see...."he himself shall be saved". It is also important, I think, to note, that whenever Jesus was speaking of these things, He was addressing the Pharisees, who were the false teachers, the "wood hay and stubble men" of their day. :2c: Peace, John

[thinktank]

Interesting that Jesus mentioned Lazarus in that parable. This isn't a coincidence that out of all names there is a person called Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead.

Notice the rich man pleaded not with God but with Father Abraham, the very thing that the pharisses allways mentioned to Jesus that they have Abrham as their father. But this parable by Jesus proves to them that having Abraham as their father will not save them, but Lazarus on the other hand who had faith in Jesus was saved.

Another interesting thing is that if this hell experience was for real, this parable proves that it isn't all that painful, for the rich man was able to hold a conversation, most of us mere mortals can't even hold a conversation when we step on top of a plug.  :grin:

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9:  :laughing7:

[CHB]

Interesting that Jesus mentioned Lazarus in that parable. This isn't a coincidence that out of all names there is a person called Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead.

Notice the rich man pleaded not with God but with Father Abraham, the very thing that the pharisses allways mentioned to Jesus that they have Abrham as their father. But this parable by Jesus proves to them that having Abraham as their father will not save them, but Lazarus on the other hand who had faith in Jesus was saved.

Another interesting thing is that if this hell experience was for real, this parable proves that it isn't all that painful, for the rich man was able to hold a conversation, most of us mere mortals can't even hold a conversation when we step on top of a plug.  :grin:

Yes, and why just a drop of water, why not ask for a water hose?   :laughing7:

I think you touched on something very important when you mentioned the fact that the rich man pleaded with Abraham and not God.  Something to think about.

CHB