THE HELL OF THE BIBLE

A correct understanding of this subject has become almost a necessity to every Christian steadfastness. For centuries it has been the teaching of “Orthodoxy”, of all shades, that God, before creating man had created a great abyss of fire and terrors, capable of containing all the billions of the human family which He purposed to bring into being; that this abyss He had named “Hell”; and that all of the promises and threatening of the Bible were designed to deter as many as possible from wrong-doing so as to avoid making this awful place their perpetual home.

As knowledge increases, and superstitions fade, this monstrous view of the Divine arrangement and character of God is losing its force; and thinking people cannot but disbelieve the legend, myth, better still fallacy which used to be and is still being illustrated on church walls. Some now claim that the place is literal, but the fire symbolic, etc., while others repudiate the doctrine of “hell” and truer ideas of the great, wise, just and loving Creator prevail, I am alarmed to notice that the tendency with all who abandon this long-revered doctrine is towards doubt, scepticism, infidelity and fear.

Why should this be the case when the mind is merely being delivered from an error, many would ask? I answer that it is because many Christian people have so long been taught that the foundations of this teaching of hell is God’s word- the Bible-. Consequently, to whatever degree that belief in hell is shaken, to that extent their faith in the bible as the Revelation of is shaken also; so that those who have dropped their belief in a hell of some kind of endless torment, are often open infidels and scoffers at God’s Word.

Secondly, Christians are trapped in traditions; they are trapped in the dogmas of dead men. This is why often you hear such expressions as “in our church it is advised not to listen to other teachings; in our church we don’t go to other peoples ceremony; etc.” it is often about what the church or the pastor said or says and not what the bible says. The book of 1Thesallonica says you should prove al things- all things- but most Christians discriminate most things because the pastor says you shouldn’t do this. In Nigeria for instance, it is popular to see Christians drive Jehovah Witnesses out of their home because they believe they are blasphemy, it is also popular to see Jehovah Witnesses not going to functions in other churches and even devotions at other churches because they believe others are not teaching what they think is the “truth”. It is popular to see a Christian not talking to a muslim or arguing on how wrong a muslim is instead of reasoning along with them. How then do you intend to learn and grow and even teach others when you have been limited to the dogmas and confines of “your church or the pastor’s church”? Learning is a two way thing, if you want the Unbelievers to listen to you listen to them.

Guided by the Lord’s providence to a realisation that the Bible as well as its Divine Author teaches nothing on this subject derogatory to God’s character, nor to an intelligent reason, that therefore faith in God and His Word may be re-established in the hearts of His people, on a better and reasonable foundation.

That the advocates of the doctrine of eternal torture have little or no faith in it is evident from the fact that it has no power over their course of action. While the denominations of Christendom sustain the doctrine that eternal torment and endless, hopeless despair will constitute the punishment of the wicked, they are mostly quite at ease in following the wicked to take their course, while they pursue the even tenor of their way. Chiming bells and pealing organs, artistic choirs and costly edifices, upholstered pews and polished oratory, which more and more avoid any reference to this alarming theme, afford rest and entertainment to fashionable congregations that gather on the Lord’s day, and are known  to the world as the churches of Christ and representatives of his doctrines. But they seem little concerned about the welfare of the multitude or even themselves and their own families. One would naturally presume though that with such awful possibilities in view they would be almost frantic in their effort to rescue the perishing.

I cannot imagine how sincere believers of this doctrine can go peacefully from day to day about the ordinary affairs of life, or meet in elegance on  Sunday to hear an esay from the pulpit on peculiar topics often advertised. Could they do so while believing all the time that fellow mortals are dying at the rate of one hundred a minute, and entering

“That lone land of deep despair,” where

“No God regards their bitter prayer”?

If they really believe this few ‘saints’ could complacently sit there and think of those hurrying every moment into that awful state described by that good, well meaning, but greatly deluded man Isaac Watts (whose heart was immeasurably warmer and larger than that which he ascribed to Jehovah God when he wrote the Hymn-

“Tempest of angry fire shall roll

To blast the rebel worm,

And beat upon the naked soul

In one eternal storm.”

People often become frantic with grief when friends have been caught in some terrible accident or diseases though they know they will soon be relieved by death; yet they claim some knowingly and other especially the followers unknowingly that God is less loving than themselves, and that He can look with indifference, if not with delight, at billions of His master piece, His creatures enduring an eternity of torture far more than the term terrible which He has prepared for them and prevents any form of escape forever. Not only so, but they expect that they will literally get into Abraham’s bosom and will then look across the gulf and see and hear the agonies of whom now they love and weep over; and they imagine that they will be so changed, and become so like their present idea of God, so hardened against all pity, and so barren of love and sympathy. It baffles me how they will delight in such a God and a plan. Some go as far as believing their neighbours who are in the other faiths; whom God asked them to love as themselves would are signage citizens for this perpetual land of torture.

What amuses me most is that these otherwise sensible men and women, so much love their fellows, establish hospitals, orphanages, asylums and crave for a better and balance society, prevent cruelty even to the brute creation  still believe this doctrine and do not for once stop to reason the issue out and investigating its authority!

This is a mere idea of man. It is an agreement to the Devil’s first lie in the Garden when the Lord told Adam “thou shall surely die”  in contrast the Serpent noted “thou shall not die”. Seeing then the unreasonableness of man’s idea(s), I intend to critically view the teachings of the bible and the history of the word hell as well as where this doctrine hatched in the dark ages is coming from in the next article and am sure after that many would understand that the “Wages of sin is death (not eternal torture in a hell of fire) and the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”