ANSWERS TO YOUR EMAILS

QUESTION:

Are you saying that in the end all people will go to Heaven? If you do not believe in Hell then where do bad people go or are there bad people?

ANSWER:

WHERE DO WE GO WHEN WE DIE?

The most common misconception among Christians (and people in just about every other religious system as well) is that everybody goes somewhere at the point of death. For most Christians, this means that good (or 'saved') people go to heaven (or paradise) when they die, and that bad (or 'unsaved') people go to hell. But is this what the Scriptures really teach? Did Jesus teach that good (or 'saved') people go to heaven at the point of death?

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13)

According to Jesus, nobody has yet ascended to heaven, except for Christ Himself. (I find it extremely interesting that Jesus, while He was on earth making this statement, was speaking as if He had already risen from the dead, and was even now in heaven. Perhaps He was!) So where are all of the multitudes of people who have ever lived and died?

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun; that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:3)

According to Ecclesiastes, they (meaning humanity) all go to the dead. So, does the Bible give us any indication what the realm of the dead is like?

…there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. (Psalm 146:4)

The Bible likens death to a deep, sound sleep (see my Statement of Faith for a list of Bible references). When we go to bed at night, we are not aware of the fact that we are asleep while we are asleep. It is only when we wake up that we become aware of the fact that we were asleep. And so it will also be at the resurrection:

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28,29)

Scripture clearly teaches that all (both good and evil) who have died are dead and in their graves, and are awaiting the resurrection. Christendom teaches that the body dies, the soul is immortal (as did the pagan Greek philosopher Plato), and goes to either heaven or hell when we die. They have bought into the serpent's lie Ye shall not surely die. God's Word teaches that the soul (not the body) that sins will surely die (Genesis 2,3; Ezekiel 18). Who ya gonna believe?

God formed man from the dust of the earth, gave him the breath of life, and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). At the point of death, this process is reversed. God takes away the breath of life, and the soul ceases to be (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The most difficult truth for people to accept is the fact that one day they will all die, and will sleep the sleep of death, with only one exception (see I Corinthians 15:51,52).

TWO RESURRECTIONS

God's Word (Jesus is the Word) has established the fact that there are two resurrections: the resurrection of life, and the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28,29). Those who take part in the first resurrection are all of those who will have found the narrow way, which leads to life with Christ during the coming Kingdom Age. The apostle Paul clearly understood this:

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection FROM the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11 - NKJV)

Please note the emphasis that was added to that little four-letter word from. Unlike the King James Version (which uses the word of), most of our modern translations, including the American Standard, New American Standard, Revised Standard, New International, and the New King James Versions accurately show that there is a distinction here between the two resurrections. Paul's desire was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, the first resurrection, or the resurrection (apart) FROM the (spiritually) dead (Revelation 20:6), which is the narrow path leading to (first resurrection) life (Matthew 7:14). The wide path leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13) will be the resurrection OF the (spiritually) dead (Revelation 20:12). You can rest assured that if your desire is to attain to the first resurrection (which leads to life with Christ during the coming Kingdom Age), which is apart (or separate) from the second resurrection of the (spiritually) dead, then you are not in for an easy life:

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (John 15:18-20)

Yes, and ALL who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus WILL suffer persecution. (II Timothy 3:12)

The apostle Paul knew that he had to endure many hardships and persecutions to the end before he could finally make this boast:

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (II Timothy 4:6-8)

And Jesus Himself states that it is the ones who endure (hardships, persecutions, etc.) to the end (that) shall be saved (Matthew 24:13). In other words, the ones who endure to the end will attain to (first) resurrection life with Christ in His Kingdom. All others (the spiritually dead) will be raised in the second resurrection to face condemnation at the Great White Throne Judgment.

John 3:16 (KJV) - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting (Greek: aionian) life.

NOTE: Words like forever, eternal, everlasting, and endless, the way they have been used in Scripture, make the Bible contradict. The Hebrew word olam, as well as its Greek counterpart aion, are never used in Scripture to express the idea of endlessness. Even Webster's Dictionary affirms this:

AEON or EON (noun): an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time: AGE

AEONIAN (adjective): lasting for an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time

The Bible does not even necessarily agree that this word is always used to express the idea of a long period of time. If you check your KJV, you will find that the translators had Jonah in the belly of the whale for ever (Hebrew: olam; Septuagint: aion), even though we all know that it was for a period of three days and three nights. Most modern translations have corrected this error. [What? The KJV actually contains an error?]

Because of the mistranslation of the word aionian, most have been led to believe the previous passage speaks of everlasting life in heaven, but it is a mistake to think so. Christ's message of repentance was concerning the coming messianic Kingdom Age, when the meek shall inherit the earth. In Roman-occupied Israel, the Jews were hopeful they would see that Day, and were bitterly disappointed when Jesus failed to deliver. Here are a couple of better and more accurate (although not as poetic) translations:

(Concordant Literal New Testament) - For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him should not be perishing, but may be having life eonian.

(Weymouth's New Testament) - For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish, but may have the Life of the Ages.

Those who have been blessed with the ability to rightly pide God's Word understand that the ones who perish (Greek: apollumi) are those (the spiritually dead) who are raised to life in the second resurrection, and must endure judgment in the lake of fire, which is the second death:

The rest of the dead [please note that they are DEAD, and are not suffering torment in some pagan's version of hell, and] did not live again, until the thousand years were finished [until the Kingdom Age was over] (Revelation 20:5).

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

In Revelation 20 we read of God's judgment in the lake of fire where, according to our King James Bibles, the wicked will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. But is it true? No, despite what Christian theologians may tell you (beware the leaven of the Pharisees), we have already learned that the Greek word aion is representative of a limited period of time. The Concordant Literal New Testament renders this verse for the eons (or aions) of the eons. And the following is proof that "aions of the aions" does not translate into "ever and ever."

They break FIVE LAWS OF GRAMMAR IN JUST THREE WORDS! And Christendom then has the audacity to call their King James Bible "INERRANT." UNBELIEVABLE! What we have here is obviously a failure of many to "study to show themselves approved."

And on top of these grammatical errors in translation, in the very next chapter, the Biblical text then clearly contradicts the fundamentalist's assertion that this is unending torment. The lake of fire is called the second death (Revelation 20:14). But 5 verses later (Revelation 21:4) we read that there will be no more death! Although this group of people will indeed suffer the tremendous loss of not taking part in God's Kingdom Age, they will all be saved in the end, by God's consuming fire (see Hebrews 12:29; compare Revelation 20:11-15 with I Corinthians 3:11-15).

Therefore, the fundamentalist's teaching of an eternal burning lake of fire where the wicked are tortured unmercifully, for ever and ever, is not only an error, but is a damnable heresy:

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel; which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-8)

I find it quite ironic that the fundamentalist often uses this verse to condemn so-called cults such as Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. They attempt to remove the speck from their brother's eye, but fail to see the log in their own.

But why should we be surprised by all of this? After all, we were warned:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (I John 4:1)

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. (I Timothy 4:1)

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Timothy 4:3,4)

The most blasphemous fable of them all is the concept that a loving God will cease to love, cease to forgive, and cease to have mercy upon his children, despite the fact that the Old Testament Scriptures tell us (36 times!) that His mercy endureth for ever. (See my article on Mercy)

But the most widely accepted fable of them all has to be this idea that we shall NOT surely die. For most people, this is a bitter pill to swallow. No one desires to go to the grave; that is, no one desires to DIE. But nevertheless, it is a safe place to be while we await the resurrection.

Although everyone has a perception OF death, and many actually experience the process OF dying, absolutely no one will ever experience anything IN the state of death itself. Nothing can harm us there. There are no devils, no tormenting flames, and no fear of darkness, because there is NO PERCEPTION THERE. Death is truly like a deep, sound SLEEP, from which our Father will awaken us in the morning. Let us be comforted by that thought.

Your servant in Christ,

Gary

I highly recommend that you read the article Twelve God-Given Truths. Every student of God's Word needs to know these twelve Biblical principles, which are essential in rightly piding God's Word of Truth.

I also suggest that you read the article Does Man Have an Immortal Soul? by Ken Eckerty

And be sure to watch the video interview (appx. 83 min.) with Greek scholar Louis Abbott, who provides an in-depth study of the word aion.

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