Jesus Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World, Matthew, The Expositors Bible Commentary. Eternal punishment means what it says. Hes a bestselling and award-winning author with millions of copies of his works sold worldwide. Ge 5:24; Heb 11:5; 2Ki 2:11.3. Depart from me, you accursed, into that eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41). In Matthew 25:46, the same wordeternalis used to describe eternal life for the righteous and the eternal punishment of hell for the unrighteous. May 02, 2023 You can hardly swing a cat in the New Testament gospels without hitting a spot where Jesus speaks about hell either directly or indirectly. Romans 1:32 and 6:21-2, James 1:15, 1 John 5:16-17 either refer to physical or spiritual death, neither of which means annihilation. The first is separation of body from soul, the second, separation of the soul from God. Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in Scripture . In the only other place in the New Testament where this word appears (2 Tim 3:8), it is translated as corrupt in KJV. Are these vivid images of hell Jesus literal or figurative? Heaven comes to be used as a reverent periphrasis for God. 12. 23:43), and to the third heaven (2 Cor. The blight of eternal punishment was something that neednt ever have existed but for our participation in Satans sin. Devils are confined in, until the judgment day. Jesus talked about hell more often than he talked about heaven. It is difficult to reconcile the ultimate fulfilment of the whole universe in Christ (Eph. Here are some verses. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. Eternal life, of course, begins the moment we believe in Jesus for it, but the longer we live in Him, the great the experience of eternal life gets. or school. 3:6). Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Depart from me, you accursed, into that eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41). The unrighteous will be condemned to a place of blazing fire and utter darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Soul means person here (cf. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use or Furthermore, in verse 6, where it is affirmed that the world perished in the flood, it is obvious that it was notannihilated, butwasted: consistent with the other interpretations above. In Jas. The teaching of the NT endorses this past belief. He definitely did not speak Arabic, another Semitic language that did not arrive in Palestine until after the first century A.D. But if anyone says that this is true, then their problem isnt theology. 15:18, 21), he means I have sinned against God. Because the Sadducees didn't believe in an afterlife of heaven or hell, but the Pharisees did. Carson, for example, who is one of the first purveyors of the Jesus talked more about hell than heaven myth, findshell in the story of the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27). Im not surprised that looking up heaven and hell in a concordance would give you contradictory results. Dan is the Executive Editor of the Unfundamentalist blog. All the NT language is perfectly capable of being understood along the lines of heaven as the place of perfection. 2:11), destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord (2 Thes. He invites everyone to trust in him to receive eternal life rather than the eternal punishment that everyone deserves for their sin (John 3:16-17). God did not spare the angels who fell into sin; he thrust them down to hell, chained them there in the abyss, to await their sentence in torment (2 Pt 2:4). So, the evidence suggests that Jesus didn't speak about Hell more than Heaven. The Bible couldnt be more clear than it is. Surprisingly, only about 60of those versesor an unwhopping three percent of themmight be construed as either directly or indirectly referring to hell. Robert Jeffress, How Can I Know? Search Bitesize Search Bitesize. In numerous parables, Jesus clearly and emphatically taught of a final judgment and the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous. Get our latest tips and leader helps with our free monthly e-newsletter. Those are some very bold and very specific quantitative assessments of Jesus message. This feels tragic to me; it indicates that Gods first intention was, from the beginning, extravagant blessing and reward. In this sense Jesus speaks of a "reward in heaven" (Mt 5:12) and urges people to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (ibid., 6:20; cf. So Jesus did not, in fact, speak more about hell than heaven. In fact, you may also have read/heard people telling you that Jesus preached on the fearful idea of hell as a place of endless suffering far more than he talked about heaven. If you were thinking of joining us in Houston on July 11-12 but havent yet secured your registration, dont leave it too late! Reprinted by permission. Dwelling on Truth, Not Lies - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - June 28. Given that interpretation, its no wonder that Carson thinks Jesus spoke of hell twice as much as heaven! What Is Hell? Names of saints are written. The same Greek word is also used to refer to eternal punishments (Mt 18:8; 25:41, 46; Mk 3:29; 2 Thess 1:9; Heb 6:2; Jude 7). Yes, throughout the gospels Jesus did speak about judgement, and yes, he also spoke a handful of times about places such as Gehenna and Hades, words oftentranslated as hell. But those instances do not stand as justification for the promulgation of the myth that Jesus spoke more about hell than he did about heaven. Ive heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. . California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Hell in the NT renders the Gk. I am so grateful for this resource. This seems extreme and is difficult to reconcile with other statements of grace and forgiveness that Jesus made. The Greek word used for hell in Matthew and the New Testament is gehenna. Among many ancient peoples there was the thought of a multiplicity of heavens. Without further ado, lets see what Dr. The biblical descriptions of a place of unquenchable fire (Matthew 5:22), utter darkness (Matthew 22:13), and ceaseless, restless torment (Revelation14:10-11) are horrible beyond words. 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mk. As the one who was God in human flesh, no one knows more about hell than Jesus Christ. The powers of, cannot prevail against the Church. For example: he [Jesus] himself speaks twice as often of hell as of heaven. 1. Its meaning as ruin or waste is clearly seen in Matthew 26:8 and Mark 14:4 (a waste of ointment). TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. For those who do not enter the narrow door of faith and repentance in Jesus (Luke 13:24) a place of weeping and gnashing teeth awaits them (Luke 13:28). Turning Jesus gospel of love into a gospel of fear, damnation and punishment is eitheralarmingly ignorant or intentionally manipulative. Regardless of where Paradise was for Old Testament saints (whether heaven or Hades), it was different in this key way: it lacked the presence of the . Christians believe that when a person dies, their soul goes eternally to heaven or hell. As heaven is more wonderful than our finite minds can comprehend,hell is more horrible than we can comprehend. print and digital media outlets, dedicated to reporting the truth in light of the Gospel and the Apparently someone made the statement that Jesus spoke about hell more than heaven, so John at Verum Serum checked it out to see if it was true and he came to the conclusion, just be doing a word count that Jesus speaks more about heaven than hell. It may be that its in this sense that anger, unchecked, becomes equivalent to murder. D.A. Mt 16:18. How Can Christians Know if They're Trapped in Culture Wars? More In Religion. Finally, we must notice an eschatological use of the term. 15. Either way, its very bad news indeed, and needs to stop. He is a writer, graphic designer and IT specialist. Hebrews 12:25, 29: Isaiah 33:14, a verse similar to 12:29, states, who among us shall dwell with thedevouring fire? The place of disembodied spirits. 25:41). Instead, Jesus frequently talks about everlasting life, and life in the kingdom of God. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. D.A. and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.") speak to Jesus's power and the impotence of Satan. 2Th 1:9. But many people who should know better still seem hell-bent on insisting that He did. Rick Warren, interview with John Piper, Jesus said more about hell than about any other topic. It's interesting in that the apostle Matthew recorded more of Jesus' teachings about Hell than did the other Gospel writers. 1Co 15:50. b. Mt 28:18; 1Pe 3:22. Gods dwelling-place. In fact, no other biblical figure speaks about hell more often than Jesus Christ. Episode 57: Death, Adam and Eve, and Ephesians 2:1, with Joey Dear (Part 1), Logical Fallacies Part 3: The Red Herring, Click here to read the rest of this article. 1Ch 21:26; 2Ch 7:14; Ne 9:27; Ps 20:6. e. Sends his judgments from. So shall it be with the wicked soul, which will be wasted or ruined, but not blotted out of existence. Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Rather, the act of murder actually began in Cains sin of malice that is nursed inwardly. The killing of Abel itself was the final, outward expression of the murderous intent that Cain had already been nurturing within himself, out of public view. 3. So Jesus did not, in fact, speak more about hell than heaven. In later Jewish writings Gehenna came to mean the place of punishment for sinners (Assumption of Moses 10:10; 2 Esdras 7:36). Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! 1:2), or the Father who is in heaven (Mt. 9:43, 45, 47; Lk. Lu 10:20; Heb 12:23. Here is an important truth: No one loves you more than Jesus Christ, yet no one spoke of or taught on Hell and Judgment more than He did. Can We Pray for Illumination in Our Lives? Punishment of, is eternal. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire" (Mark 9:43). The Jehovahs Witnesses render punishment as cutting-off in their bogusNew World Translation, in an attempt to establish their doctrine ofannihilationism, but this is impermissible. SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. 205-210; J. Jeremias, TDNT 1, pp. My friend and scholar, Len Woods, also offers this sobering insight, which seems a fitting way to end this section of commentary: Hell not simply the word but the terrible truth it represents ought to cause us sleepless nights. the Valley of (the son[s] of Hinnom, a valley near Jerusalem (Jos. Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven. Powered by Knownhost and the Genesis Framework. D.A. We can only bow the head and say, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen. xviii. Does the Bible Say There Are Levels of Hell? On that point, the Bible is unmistakably clear. It was depicted as a place of unquenchable fire-the general idea of fire to express the divine judgment is found in the OT (Dt. What Is the Thorn in the Flesh Paul References in 2 Corinthians 12:7? BIBLIOGRAPHY. book I am currently writing on the violence of God in the Bible, Hell Is For Real Ive Been There and Came Back. So what are we to do with Jesus teaching about hell? Its Meaning and Importance in Christianity, How to Move from Being a Hearer to a Doer of the Word. All rights reserved. While Jesus talks about heaven more than hell, neither have a big emphasis in His teaching. is the classical word for the place of eternal punishment but is here applied to the intermediate sphere of punishment for fallen angels. Itll be best, I think if we never have to find out. When we originally scheduled the interview we're about to hear, we didn't. 9:6), and of the angels in heaven (Mk. Our understanding of hell ultimately derives from Him. 9:43), eternal (Mt. His new book is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. As to whether that hell is purely a mental existence or a world or reality, Lewis refused to speculate except to say, It will be as actual as as well, as a coffin is actual to a man buried alive.. What am I supposed to do with that? Thus when the prodigal says I have sinned against heaven (Lk. Heaven and Hell.
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