INTRODUCTION TO THE CONTROVERSY
Mr. Cameron and some other leading Protestants are now coming to grips with the problem with a continually burning hell fire. It would mean that our loving God is sanctioning torture. God is love and would never be Sadistic. Further, an ever-burning hell torture chamber for the unsaved would be rewarding Satan with more souls to burn forever that he led astray. The fate of the unsaved is to be burned up quickly. Their sinful, troubled life is permanently ended. This is called annihilation. The defiantly wicked who resist God will be, on judgment day, ashes. Kirk is correct in realizing that God is not a Sadist.
Malachi 4:2-3, “But to you who fear My name The Son of Righteousness shall arise… And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ASHES under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts.” (NKJV)
The fate of the wicked is not to be tortured forever and ever as in Dante's Inferno but a few moments gnashing of teeth, fearing their ultimate fate. They will see the oncoming wall of fire. God wants them to have closure, and know that they are truly wicked and wrong.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT UNQUENCHABLE HELLFIRE?
Hellfire either destroys or annihilates the wicked or is an instrument in eternal torture. Which is it? We will examine scriptures to find the truth.
Psalms 145:20, “The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.”
Clearly, this verse says the saved are given eternal life and the wicked are destroyed.
Matthew 13:38-42 , “The field is the world…but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age…40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41… and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Note that this verse undermines the idea of each wicked person going to hellfire upon death. No, all this happens at the end of the age based on God's plan.
2 Thessalonians 1:8, “…in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction ...the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day…”
The wicked are destroyed –– not tortured for all eternity which would be sadistic –– and it is at a set time, not on a continuous pattern of passing away into Dante’s Inferno.
Jude 1:6-7, “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain…He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these…and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
What does the Bible mean by the term “everlasting” fire? You can go to where the ancient city of Sodom was and you will not find any fires burning today. Obviously it means a fire that is not extinguished, but will burn until all combustible material are consumed. The fate of the wicked is to be consumed by fire not tortured forever. However, Satan’s fate is to be locked up in the dark bottomless pit for all eternity. He and the demons do not have human nature and therefore have no excuse for their evil and deserve this jailing.
Revelation 20:11-12, “Then I saw a great white throne…12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
Clearly, most men have never had their minds opened to Bible. It will happen at this period when all are resurrected. Then the book of life is opened to add new names. What happens to those who remain defiant sinners or have committed the unpardonable sin in their first life?
Verses 13-14, “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
Note that the lake of fire left them dead not tortured forever, this is the second death.
Revelation 20:15, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
DO WE HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL ?
Part of the problem with the ever burning torture chamber approach to the unsaved is the issue of what to do with them for all eternity if they have an immortal soul like spirit Beings? Does the Bible really teach an immortal soul?
Matt. 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (KJV)
Christ says the lake of fire will destroy the wicked. They do not have an immortal soul.
Jude 1:21-23, “…keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life…23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire…”
Jude is stating that we look to Jesus for His merciful gift of eternal life and trying to save others from facing final destruction in the fire.
1 Corinthians 15:50-54, “…that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 this mortal has put on immortality, then...that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’”
Mankind cannot inherit immortality if we already have it. We must put it on as a gift – wonderful!
MUSIC
WE LIVE IN WORLD OF POLITICAL HATRED, WILL IT UNDERMINE BOTH ISRAEL AND AMERICA? OUR MEDIA FEEDS THE PROBLEM.
