THE CORRUPT DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL HELLFIRE

     Today’s Christianity has the Bible contradicting itself in a host of doctrines, each of which robs the glory of Jesus Christ and “the power of his resurrection” (Phil.3:10). Wresting verses from their context and intended lessons, several doctrines long held in the Roman Catholic church, (and that Protestants adopted) have always openly contradicted other verses that teach the opposite of these accepted doctrines, forcing one class of texts to be ignored, denounced, and even pronounced as uninspired.

     But there is one doctrine, over and above every other that will account for the loss of untold numbers of souls for the kingdom of heaven. It is the church’s character assassination of Jesus Christ through insisting that adults and children alike who stood ignorant and/or belligerent against GOD’S love and sacrifice will suffer the tormenting flames of hell forever. One thing the Bible student should keep in mind: this teaching, along with Sunday sacredness, and the union of church and state (uniting the use of violence with the non-violent message of Jesus Christ), all have their source in the Roman church.

Memory Texts: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” for “the wages of sin is death.” Eze.18:4; Rom.6:23

     Before we begin it needs to be said at the outset that the greatest stumbling block in the Christian world is the church twisting the definition of words beyond their plain meaning that is confirmed by every dictionary (including Hebrew and Greek). This misrepresentation of the plain “Thus saith the LORD” assaults not only the dignity of salvation through Jesus Christ, but the character of His undeniable servitude to life with His promise to “the saints” that after “the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be nor more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” II Pet.3:7; Rev.22:4.

     This study will expose the leading fallacy of today’s Christian beliefs concerning death and hellfire. It will be shown that the words, “death,” “die,” “destroy,” “devour,” “consume,” “perdition” and “perish” are in no way, shape or form associated with continued life, but rather its total cessation, termination, eradication, and extinction.

     Within the religious quagmire in the world today, many miracles are witnessed by men, women, and children. Historically they have led kings and nations to both virtue and destruction. The Bible identifies the two sources of every miracle witnessed by people: they come from either GOD and Satan. And without strict adherence to Scripture's every teaching, the common deceptions both in and out of the church are sure to lead the soul to ruin as events unfold ushering the 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ.

1. What passage of Scripture is always used to force
people to accept the doctrine of eternal hellfire?

Luke 16:19-31 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; [v.23] And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. [v.24] And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

     This parable of Jesus Christ describes the rich man, “in hell,” “being in torments,” crying to “Abraham” to send the beggar, “Lazarus” who “was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom” to warn his “five brethren,” “lest they also come into this place of torment.” And Abraham’s response, which is the whole point of the parable, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.”

     This was a well-known story in Christ’s day. It was called “The Fable of Tantalum.” (See The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, by Alfred Eddersheim, single volume edition, pg. 669). In the original story, as was taught by the rabbis, the rich man was the one in heaven, and the poverty and ill ridden Lazarus was the one in fiery torments. In Christ’s day, the religious leaders taught that the rich were the ones blessed of GOD and therefore had a guaranteed entrance into heaven; while the poor and sickly were in their condition due to GOD’S curse resting on them, and were therefore condemned to eternal damnation. This theology made the rabbis very rich, for the spiritual flattery of wealthy men filled their wallets.

     But Jesus reversed the roles in this story by placing Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom and the rich man in torments, thereby exposing the popular doctrine as false. This is affirmed in Luke 18:24-26, when He said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?”—In other words, if the rich were most likely lost, what of those without the blessings of good health and financial prosperity?

     The church today has trampled Christ’s one intended lesson in His parable (ver.26), and replaced it with a pagan teaching that assaults the love born of heaven and promotes the “doctrines of devils” that the apostle Paul warned would enter the church (I Tim.4:1). With the exception of its moral (ver.26), every aspect of the modern Christian view of this parable contradicts Christ’s own doctrine (Matt.10:28). The beatitudes truly rebuked the Pharisees.

2. What other words of Scripture cause churchmen to stumble?

Jude vss.6,7 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

     Please note: Sodom and Gomorrah are not burning today. The fire went out after reducing those cities to ashes. So, “eternal fire” has an end! Eternal hellfire was first taught by Plato (4th century B.C.) then adopted to Christianity by Alexandrian theologians (2nd century A.D.). And when the Church of Rome married the Gospel of Christ to pagan philosophy this unholy union with sin opened the door for the Roman church to receive acceptance with the heathen rulers. The pope of Rome has usurped the throne of the Christian world through sin! And through the Roman church’s union with military force the pope imposed his fundamentally immoral religion on the peoples of Europe.

     The great legacy of the American Constitution is its disassociation with Rome’s rules of government. America’s founders well understood that the sin of tyranny has no part in Christ’s kingdom (Lu.22:25,26). The Bible warns that all who employ sin to lead men to worship GOD disgrace the Gospel, “seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Heb.6:4-6). If genuine appreciation for what Jesus has done cannot draw our affection for, and obedience to Him, all the blackmail and coercion will avail nothing. To make alliances between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and “doctrines of devils” that Paul warned would enter the church (I Tim.4:1) assaults the very heart of the Gospel, literally removing the transcendent perfection of the words, “GOD is Love.”—He is nothing else! And how we define that “Love” determines the general character of our relationship with each other and with GOD. We will live out our view of the character of GOD, and that view will influence how we regard others.

     Nevertheless, the fact remains: Both Christianity and Islam teach that men will suffer the horrifying pain of their searing flesh in the fires of hell for all eternity as a witness to all who dare to reject the “mercy” of GOD. But the Bible is clear that it is the punishment of being reduced “to ashes upon the earth” in “the lake of fire” that is “for ever and ever” not the punishing, as we will see the clear texts that cannot be controverted.

3. Just what does the Bible teach concerning the fate of
Satan and his demon angels?

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

     Bruising the head of Satan is the first prophecy of his death. While “bruise his heel” refers to Christ’s death, but “it was not possible that he should be holden of it” (Acts 2:24), for death can only hold sin and Christ had none!

Isaiah 14:9-15 Hell [the grave] from beneath is moved for thee [Satan] to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? (v.11) Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. (v.12) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning ! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (v.15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [the grave], to the sides of the pit.

Ezekiel 28:16,18,19 By the multitude of thy merchandise [instruments of rebellion] they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (v.18) Thou [Satan] hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (v.19) All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (v.9) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

     Note: The words “for ever,” “eternal,” and “everlasting” are used many times in Scripture to describe what has come to an end through the fulfillment of prophecy: the statutes of sacrifices in the Mosaic Law being the most common examples. The lesson of “for ever” is also seen when we combine the LORD’S prophecies concerning Satan. The final verse (Rev.20:10) is best summarized thus: “the devil…shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Keep in mind: “the beast and the false prophet” are not included in this punishment assigned specifically to the father of sin, Satan. After all have perished in the “lake of fire,” Satan will suffer on. “Day and night” Satan must suffer the retribution from his multitude of sins against the security and joy of life. His never-ending torrents of transgressions against the Ten Commandments must be met with an equivalent vengeance (Gal.6:7). GOD’S Word will be fulfilled: to “destroy… devour… bring…to ashes upon the earth” the Author of sin.

     After “the lake of fire” consumes every trace of sin in the Earth the fire goes out! And then the Savior’s words will be heard by the saints, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev.21:5). The re-creation of “the new heavens and the new earth” (Isa.66:22,23) will precisely repeat the Genesis account of Creation. For six days, as Jesus speaks the Word, and life is created anew from the Glory of His Voice, the saints will stand in awe, and marvel as the first Sabbath of “the new earth” begins. Then will be fulfilled one of many prophecies for the new earth: “affliction shall not rise up the second time.” Na.1:9.

     The Bible student will also notice the prophetic event for the above passages assigned to Satan. All apply to the time of the Great Judgment when Satan, fallen angels and every unrepentant man stand before Jesus Christ to give an account of their deeds in life: to expose their unholy works in contrast with the works of Christ’s righteousness. For over 1700 years the Roman church has called and continue to call the Bible writers liars: everything from enforcing disobedience to the Ten Commandment Law to the false view of Satan’s fate and unrepentant men. The dogma of Rome has led countless souls to stand ignorant to the legal framework of GOD’S salvation, and through that ignorance stand condemned in their sins at the Great Day of Christ’s Judgment, as it is written, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.” Hos.4:6.

     But the avid Bible student will not be deceived as Christ and His Apostles warned of the coming apostate church cloaked in the garb of Christianity (Matt.24:24; Mk.13:23; II Thess.2:3-12; I Tim.4:1,2).

4. What about the fate of the multitudes of men deceived by Satan to disobey the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Malachi 4:1-3 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root [Satan, the leader] nor branch [his deceived followers]. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

2. Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved under fire against the day and judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Psalm 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Obadiah 1:16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had never been.

     Jesus warned of those who build their religion on the foundation of sand (Matt.7:24-27). From the dawn of “her” ascendancy the Church of Rome has built on the foundation of sand by adopting the pagan doctrine of purgatory along with other traditional sins of pagan idolatry, with Sunday sacredness being the most dangerous, for it denies the Bible fact of Christ’s Creatorship in the Fourth Commandment (Jn.8:58): the one commandment where GOD promises the restoration of our tranquility that was lost through sin. Protestants refused to repent of this teaching of GOD’S fiery torture chamber. They also employ it to incite fear and control the lives of men in defiance of GOD’S method of converting souls, as it is written: “with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jer.31:3. False views of GOD taken from religious traditions of pagan idolatry have been perpetuated all through time, and are still promoted today as being trustworthy and acceptable service to GOD. In essence, the most pathetic oxymoron to ever be associated with “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (I Cor.2:2) is evangelized as truth! Satan has successfully attributed his own ruthless character to that of GOD’S; and as a result, untold billions of people throughout history have seared their conscience forever against the love born of heaven (I Tim.4:2).

     Historically, and to this day, this doctrine has corrupted the “natural affection” of hundreds of millions of people as Paul prophesied (II Tim.3:1-7). And through this perpetual slander of GOD’S character, religious history in the modern era is littered with the cruelest demonstrations of tyrannical blasphemy ever perpetrated: all hiding behind the Good Name of Jesus Christ. During the Dark Ages, tens of thousands of people were tortured by authority of the pope in the most obscene cruelty, accompanied with the priest’s sadistic proclamation, “What I do to you now is nothing compared to what God will do to you in hell if you do not recant your heresy and submit to the Mother Church!” This is why an estimated fifty million people were murdered in cold blood, and untold thousands were burned at the stake, inhumanely imprisoned and starved to death. Eternal torment is the most intimidating threat of religion! Void of even the most primitive form of love, and definitely void of Calvary’s Cross this false belief explains more than any other the Bible’s prophecies of religious tyranny under the auspices of Christianity. And it also explains the final display of the tyrannical church that stands on the horizon of our day (Rev.13:11-17).

     The doctrine of eternal hellfire must also be united with the most famous Bible verse, John 3:16. And its union must be read thus: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not [eternally burn in hell, writhing in agony as punishment for sin] but have everlasting life.” If you believe in eternal hellfire you must always replace the word “perish” with those words or their synonyms.

     What is the opposite of “everlasting life?” Everlasting death. The church belligerently changed the plain meaning of words in Scripture: meanings that every dictionary authenticates. This denies all sound reason, sound logic, human aspirations for justice, mercy and love; and the moral criteria established by Jesus. It removes the love demonstrated by Jesus as He bore the sins of every man, woman and child to the grave: especially for those who believe.

     Who were the true followers of Jesus through the Dark Ages? Those who did the burning or those who were burned? Who were the Righteous in GOD’S eyes, the persecutors or those persecuted? The harm done via the church’s slander of the character of GOD paved the way for the rise of atheism to rule in every secular institution today. It also explains, more than any other, why hatred of GOD is so pronounced in our secular society, universities and science institutions. This stems from the first momentous act of atheistic defiance against Rome’s version of salvation: the French Revolution in 1794 (The dawn of atheistic government).

     When tyranny became the dominant force in the church’s witness, the power of GOD'S drawing love (through the presence of His Spirit) became hidden from the knowledge of men. The Spirit of GOD, who always tugs the heartstrings through love, could have no part of their message. As a result, Christ’s prophetic warning to the unconverted among Christians is being ignored, “I never knew you” (Matt.7:23). To lie against the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most pitiful condition anyone could be in, as it is written, “all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Rev.21:8.

     With the doctrine of eternal hellfire being nearly universal among the various denominations the “scholars” have had to come up with all manner of speculation as to the whereabouts of this eternally burning hell. Some have said it is a special world within view of the saints and the LORD Jesus Christ. While others have said it is on the outskirts of the known universe. And many others teach that it lies within the bowels of the earth; and even after the earth is recreated, they believe that the saints will be well aware that beneath their feet are billions of men, women and children: mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and friends writhing in agony, screaming for mercy and deliverance, all because they refused the message of ‘God’s love.’ Preachers have even induced cheers and applause over this belief!

     Once the plain teachings of the Gospel were polluted with traditions of pagan idolatry the vain imaginations of men became their god: worshipping their own ideas above the GOD who says, “Thus saith the LORD,” “Thou shalt not bear false witness…” (Ex.20:16).

     The church’s claim of moral supremacy over the affairs of men is made null and void when those outside of the church can claim a greater mercy and compassion than the god of today’s Christianity.

     “The LORD” warned the priests of their wickedness leading to their damnation, of which eternal hellfire has been a leading contributor: “The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” Eze.34:4.

     At the very heart of today’s Christian message lies this cruel declaration: “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ or He will torture you in the fires of hell forever.” To this they say, “amen.” “Little children who stole a cookie before they died will writhe in the flames of hell through all eternity, amen.” And this is the first doctrine children learn. And the saddest part of all: multitudes of Christians and Muslims rejoice in this doctrine, for it allows them to be ungodly, uncaring and indifferent while outwardly showing themselves as pious—even showing themselves as more merciful than GOD. Jesus addressed this same problem with the religious leaders of His day: “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” This is why Jesus declared to His disciples, “Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matt.23:28; 5:20.

     Even when most Christian and Muslim leaders are shown the plain words describing the fate of Satan and his followers they refuse the Bible truth on this because:

1. They cherish the desire for all infidels to suffer forever.
2. It calls for humility and repentance: to acknowledge that they have believed and taught a lie.

     Paul summed up why so many will be lost: “they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.” II Thess.2:10.

5. What other verses of Scripture are used to support the
church’s claim that eternal torment in hellfire exists?

     One of the leading verses used to bolster the belief of eternal hellfire is found in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Matt.5:29. The Greek word for “hell” in this verse (and others) is gehenna, which was the trash heap outside of Jerusalem. A perpetual fire was kept to maintain a limit on the buildup of garbage. The fire burned the refuse to ashes, thereby preventing the garbage from overrunning its appointed boundaries. And the lesson of gehenna, as with other illustrations Christ used to describe the fate of “the wicked,” is very simple and ethical: GOD’S use of fire in Scripture is for purifying and cleansing, never for the use of torture or physical pain.

     The Bible’s examples where fire was used to destroy people were when GOD ended the lives of “evildoers” (Lev.10:1,2; Nu.11:1; Ju.7) and Satan caused fire to fall from the sky and burn alive innocent men and animals (Job 1:16). It is important to know GOD’S use of fire vs. Satan’s purpose. And Revelation 13:13 warns us that Satan will cause fire to fall again, but this time on a more grand scale. Thus, Satan will provoke the sin-evangelizing church to take desperate measures to appease an angry god (as every pagan religion has ever done). The remedy of our church leaders will be to legislate the great sin of Rome into federal law: the law of the sun god, not the Law of the Son of GOD (Jn.8:58). This in turn will drive GOD’S protection even further away, as “the LORD” warned long ago, “Woe also to them when I depart from them.” Hos.9:12. And when GOD leaves, Satan is given a free hand; and his will is never for the benefit of man. And yet, the world will never learn (II Tim.3:7)

     Again, to settle this issue of “hell,” the clarity of the truth, wisdom, and love of Jesus Christ should be acknowledged: “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.” “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.” “But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt:13:40; 10:28; 19:17.

     To sum up: blind-to-pagan-tradition theologians have taken words of Scripture and given them a mystical meaning beyond any dictionary’s definition, and followed Satan’s deceiving miracles to disqualify the verses of Scripture that teach the exact opposite (Isa.5:20). This has been and will always be the method of “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Rev.17:5). Prophecy forewarned that the pope of Rome would be exalted to rule the world, and sin would be his weapon to accomplish his selfish aims. (Dan.7:1-8,25; Matt.24:4,5; Rev.13). But Christ will come and crush him to dust, “and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them.” Dan.2:35.

     Ministers stand naked in their ignorance of how: 1. Jesus suffered the same punishment the wicked will face. 2. Conquered the dominion of death on behalf of His children. 3. Justifies the righteous to eternal life, as well as His judgment to utterly destroy Satan and his followers. The truths of GOD'S Love will one day lighten the Earth with GOD’S desire to lavish His forgiveness and receive the sinner’s repentance. Jesus Christ is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Jn.14:6. And it is only by men’s determination to attribute the spirit of their own cruelty to that of GOD that will lead to their eternal death, as it is written, “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee.” Ps.50:21.