Did Jesus speak more about Hell than about Heaven? 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 . 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.. However, the NT leaves the door open for the belief that while hell as a manifestation of Gods implacable wrath against sin is unending, the existence of those who suffer in it may not be. He is a writer, graphic designer and IT specialist. Jesus thus strongly encourages his hearers to deal immediately with anger toward others pursuing reconciliation and forgiveness without delay. Soul means person here (cf. Hell is mentioned in the New Testament numerous times, including in Matthew 8:12, which says, "The children of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness . 1:9; Mt. Shame and guilt will launch an all-out attack on our confidence if we allow doubtful, worrisome, and anxious thoughts to spin into a destructive tornado. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. Powered by Knownhost and the Genesis Framework. 12:3). Heaven And Hell Are 'Not What Jesus Preached,' Religion Scholar Says Jehovah's Witnesses visited my home last week and the conversation revolved around the Catholic doctrine of hell. I pray well be like Spurgeon, who said, If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. The blight of eternal punishment was something that neednt ever have existed but for our participation in Satans sin. Ge 5:24; Heb 11:5; 2Ki 2:11.3. By the time of Jesus, gehnna was a picture of hell, such that Jesus warns "fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell [gehnna]" (Matthew 10:28). Re 19:20; 20:10. Ga 5:21; Eph 5:5; Re 22:15. print and digital media outlets, dedicated to reporting the truth in light of the Gospel and the Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Mt 6:20; Lu 12:33. Even if one regards these images as symbolic or metaphorical, the reality of hell is infinitely worse than we can grasp for this one reason: Hell is the logical destination for those who want nothing to do with God.. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.. When we originally scheduled the interview we're about to hear, we didn't. The wicked shall be turned into. Discuss it, I think. Again, in every usage, weeping and gnashing of teeth refers to an eternal hell, often combined with a description of fire in a place of outer darkness.. Jesus called this place the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25). When he comes again, he will personally judge the world (Acts 17:31). It is impossible to deny that fact. Its meaning as ruin or waste is clearly seen in Matthew 26:8 and Mark 14:4 (a waste of ointment). The New Bible Dictionary has (in part) these words about heaven (note especially the statement that heaven is sometimes used as a synonym for God): Heaven is the abode of God, and of those closely associated with him. Don't Quote Jesus' Words About Hell - HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S Many years ago, I decided to do some research to find out for myself if this was. Jesus again says that humanity is not to worry and to have faith. Both this literature and the Apocryphal books affirm belief in an eternal retribution (cf. In the words The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell and great was its fall! Carson somehow construesa clear depiction of eternal damnation: The sermon ends with what has been implicit throughout itthe demand for radical submission to the exclusive lordship of Jesus, who fulfills the Law and the Prophets and warns the disobedient that the alternative to total obedience, true righteousness, and life in the kingdom is rebellion, self-centeredness, and eternal damnation. Jesus, Who Loves You, Warned Frequently About Hell - Blog of the More menu. So Jesus did not, in fact, speak more about hell than heaven. The sheep will receive eternal life, while the goats "will go away into eternal punishment" (Matt 25:46). D.A. 13. the Valley of (the son[s] of Hinnom, a valley near Jerusalem (Jos. 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). They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. Helping people experience Gods love personally. You believe in God; believe also in me. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30), the weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 7. Thus when the prodigal says I have sinned against heaven (Lk. 9:1ff. (Pi che) More than a place, hell indicates." This suggests correctly that although hell is not . . 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). Did Jesus speak more about Hell than about Heaven? Matthew 5:21-26 seems to say that any angry outburst will send me straight to the fires of hell, regardless of whether Im Christian or not. 5 Myths about Hell - Welcome | Crossway It is, indeed, a mystery which we cannot understand, and which Christ has purposely left unexplained. It was a symbolic reference to a literal place: the Valley of Hinnom, located just south of Jerusalem. The beast, false prophets, and the devil shall be cast into. May Our Lady help us to make the important choices in life as she did: according to love, according to God.. All the NT language is perfectly capable of being understood along the lines of heaven as the place of perfection. Havners reply: Thats where I got my information about hell.. It's interesting in that the apostle Matthew recorded more of Jesus' teachings about Hell than did the other Gospel writers. We cannot get around this fact. Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:11-14; 21:27). Hebrews 10:27-31 must be understood in harmony with Hebrews 6:2, which speaks of eternal judgment. The only way to synthesize all the data presented here is to adopt the eternal hellfire view. In numerous parables, Jesus clearly and emphatically taught of a final judgment and the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous. His new book is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. So, first, let's look at the different terms and images Jesus uses to describe hell, and then explore what he actually says about it. All rights reserved. Lu 15:7. In this peaceful pursuit, the sinful seeds of anger are rooted out and rendered ineffective in a persons life. Early Christian . D.A. It may be worth noting that in Deuteronomy 28 (and following), the blessing section (28:1-14) is a great deal shorter than the cursing section (28:15-68). . In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt 8:12). 1, p. 202). What and where is heaven? The answers are at the heart of the Easter story Carson, Jesus Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World, He [Jesus] spoke more often about hell than he did about heaven. Who among us shall dwell witheverlasting burnings? The metaphor of God as a fire (cf. Heaven is thus the present abode of God and his angels, and the ultimate destination of his saints on earth. What Did Jesus Say about Hell? - Christianity Endeavour to keep others from. Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in Scripture . In any case, nothing should be allowed to detract from the seriousness of our Lords warnings about the terrible reality of Gods judgment in the world to come. At the end of human history, everyone will appear before Jesus Christ, where he will divide humanity into "sheep" (those who demonstrate their faith in Jesus through their good works) and the "goats" (those who did not trust in Jesus Christ). It seems as though, Williams observes, there was no proper place for mans punishment; there is no book of death corresponding to the book of life.. More In Religion. 25:46). As a matter of fact, this includes a number of others on our team. But since Christ described hell this way every time, we must wonder if he was, perhaps, giving us a literal peek into that awful, painful place. 5:25-26). Click here to read the rest of this article over at Right Reason. What Jesus (as) Really Said About Heaven and Hell: A Response to an I am so grateful for this resource. What did Jesus say about hell? - Explore the Bible Liked it? We see this usage in English when someone says, There was not a living soul there.. For many people today, the concept of hell is outdated, a relic of the past that has served its purpose and can be safely done away with. Why? In fact, Jesus said more about hell than did any other biblical figure. Heaven and Hell in Christian Thought (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Lay up treasure in. 184-196; ZPEB, 3, pp. Here are some verses. Another factor is that the statement, "Jesus talked more about hell than about heaven," probably refers to the total number of verses devoted to the subject, and not just the number of . (Word Pictures in the New Testament, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930, vol. Did Jesus Say There is a Hell? - Heaven & Hell Ge 19:24; 1Sa 2:10; Da 4:13,14; Ro 1:18. a. But many people who should know better still seem hell-bent on insisting that He did. book I am currently writing on the violence of God in the Bible, Hell Is For Real Ive Been There and Came Back. As the one who was God in human flesh, no one knows more about hell than Jesus Christ. This word,kolasis, is defined in KittelsTheological Dictionary of the New Testamentas (eternal) punishment. Vine (An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) says the same thing, as does A. T. Robertson all impeccable language scholars. 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. These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power (2 Thes 1:9). But he was also an honest, objective scholar, so he gave the proper meaning ofapollumi, in agreement with all other Greek scholars. By an objective measure, we know that people really are asking this question in droves! But it has the full support of Scripture and, specifically, of Our Lords own words.. Your email address will not be published. He gave warning after warning and told parable after parable, practically Continue reading "Jesus, Who Loves You, Warned Frequently About Hell" Mt 16:18. I have heard it said by some very well-known preachers that Jesus spoke more about Hell than He did about Heaven but what are the facts? John MacArthur, The Ultimate Religious Decision, Jesus said more about Hell than Heaven. They stumped me when the topic was hell. An Arab-American, Mike is proud to be a person of color (BIPOC) active in Christian publishing. Christians believe that when a person dies, their soul goes eternally to heaven or hell. 13. (See Matt. SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. Lets look at some of the things Jesus said about hell in the Gospel of Matthew and try to answer a few questions people have asked about hell and what Jesus has to say about it. 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. Heaven comes to be used as a reverent periphrasis for God. Turning Jesus gospel of love into a gospel of fear, damnation and punishment is eitheralarmingly ignorant or intentionally manipulative. 18. BIBLIOGRAPHY. How did they come to believe that? More importantly, it's why Luke could also speak of Jesus being "in Hades" while dead (Acts 2:27, 31). 26:15). This is difficult for most of us simply because the very concept of hell seems so out of character for God and his loving nature. And how could a God of love punish someone for eternity? The same is true for "hell." There are terms like "the kingdom of heaven" in Matthew which occur frequently, and change the statistics considerably. 2:11), destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord (2 Thes. Subscriber Service CenterAlready a subscriber? He lives in Montana, is married and lives with two cats. One of the many perks for those attending the Rethinking Hell 2014 Conference will be the opportunity to meet and hear from Glenn in person. HELL. For believers, the reality of hell is an impetus to evangelism and missions; it is a reminder to us of what is at stake with the gospel. And in the end, Jesus will do more than speak about judgment. Pr 5:5; 9:18. Published by Rose Publishing, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers. More and more, dioceses are closing or consolidating parishes to cope with the twin realities of fewer priests and declining Mass attendance. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. Other theologians see Jesus making a reference here to humanitys first murder Cains killing of his brother, Abel, as recorded in Genesis 4. Those are some very bold and very specific quantitative assessments of Jesus message. 14. Im not positive its either literal or metaphorical there are good arguments for both of them. 2 Peter 2:1-21: In verse 12, utterly perish is from the Greekkataphthiro. Williams finally concludes: How to reconcile this destiny, which seems inconceivably terrible, with Gods mercy, love, and justice, has always proved a stumbling-block to free thinkers. Required fields are marked *, One question fundamentalists cannot answer . Devils are confined in, until the judgment day. Thayer was a Unitarian who probably didnt believe in hell. We see the meaning ofphthiroclearly in every other instance of it in the New Testament (usually, corrupt), where in each case, the meaning is as I have stated (1 Cor 15:33; 2 Cor 7:2; 11:3; Eph 4:22; Jude 10; Rev 19:2). Nine times Jesus talks about eternity - Home | NewSpring.cc Your email address will not be published. We cant just ignore that Jesus spoke frequently about hell and that he seemed to view it as a literal, fiery place. J. cast down to the lower regions. 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. 13:24-30,36-43, 47-50; 22:1-14; 25:14-46.) For more than 50 years, I have heard ministers state that Jesus spoke more of Hell than He did of Heaven. Heaven is real. Was Jesus Referring to Hell When He Said the Outer Darkness? 2 Peter 3:6-9: Perish is the Greekapollumi(see Matthew 10:28 above), so annihilation, as always, isnottaught. How do they arrive at a conclusion so contrary to the facts? Rick Warren, interview with John Piper, Jesus said more about hell than about any other topic. In truth, he talked about Heaven three times more than He did about Hell! In every instance, its a record of Jesus talking, and all three verses are references to hell. Jesus also is said to have passed through the heavens (Heb. 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. However, the Christian should not consider it strange that Christ has more to say about hell than anyone else. Ac 2:31. a. Punishment of, is eternal. One cannot deny the traditional Christian doctrine of hell and honestly call oneself an orthodox Christian.