Question: If Hell is real and describes a real place, why does the English word "Hell" come from a pagan source instead of the ancient Hebrew writings of the Bible?
Answer: The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The fact that God would use a pagan term doesn't negate the reality of the words in the Bible. Perhaps your own understanding of the word as pagan is an error on your part. What proof do you offer of it.
Question: Why didn't God put a warning about Hell in the beginning of the Bible? God said the penalty for eating the fruit was death not torment in an eternal lake of fire.
Answer: Moses wrote the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and Hell is found in Deuteronomy. If some scholars are correct the Bible books are not in chronological order so Deuteronomy might be ahead of one or more of the Pentateuch books. Irrespective of that Hell is there in Deuteronomy so it is in the beginning of scripture. The Jewish people read all their scripture; not just Genesis to find out what God had to say. In addition, death in this instance obviously didn't mean instant physical death. Death didn't exist while Adam and Eve were pure. So death is a curse pronounced upon them and their descendants to experience at some future time. It could also mean spiritual death because there is a spiritual death that leads to eternal damnation
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Question: Why do most Christian Bibles no longer have Hell in the Old Testament? Why don't the Jews of today acknowledge Hell in their scriptures which is the Christian OT?
Answer: Which Bibles are those you speak of? Name me one. If they exist as you say then they are avoiding the word Hell because they would rather not deal with the possibility. As far as the Jews are concerned; the new generations of Jews don't acknowledge Hell because they live for this world and reject the judgments of God. The Jewish scholars who study diligently refuse to change the scriptures to suit the younger generations and, as such is the case, they maintain the word Hell as it was originally written.
Question: If Hell is real and if good people go to heaven and bad people go to Hell, why does EVERYONE, good or bad, go to the same place in the Old Testament? They ALL go to Sheol which the King James Version translated "Hell" thirty-0ne times, "grave" thirty-one times and "pit" three times? Are we all destined to go to Hell or did the King's translators make some gross translation errors?
Answer: The word for hell in all the Old Testament is sheol (sheh-ole') - It means hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat) including all it's accessories and inmates, grave, pit. As far as your assertion that everyone in the Old Testament who dies goes to sheol I ask again; give me some verses to prove your assertion. Further, it's well known by some scholars that words and prophecies in the Old Testament sometimes will carry double meanings. That is a peculiarity of the Hebrew language if I'm not mistaken.
You are also mistaken to call anyone good or bad. The Bible is quite clear that there isn't one good person on earth and that man is corrupt from birth and altogether vanity. Even our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know their own heart? Good never can be applied to any man because of his own moral goodness therefore the imputation of righteousness comes only through Jesus Christ. Apart from that we are all wicked and lost.
A NOTE FOR MY READERS: The asker in the case of this teaching has a very important error in his presentation that he reiterates over and over. He insists that most scholars and most Bibles or Jewish texts do not support the word Hell as Christian believers teach. Some of the questions he asks are not worthy of an answer for this very reason because they are based on an assumed position and the asker never provides information on any of them. I am picking questions from about 25 or more that I believe are relevant and should be asked because he isn't making assumptions based on his own view of the subject.
Question: If Hell doesn't exist in the Old Testament, how could Jesus and his disciples teach salvation was deliverance from a place that is not even found in their Scriptures? (There was only the Old Testament at that time.) Would that not make the Lord appear like a false teacher? Or could it be that Jesus never taught such a concept in the first place? Could it be that this concept has been added to the church and SOME Bibles through "traditions of men?"
Answer: Since Hell does exist in the Old Testament in 31 references this question can't be based in right thinking. There are two things that he should know about Jesus. First, Jesus Christ is God incarnate or God come in human flesh. Since the Godhead consists of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and they are always in agreement on everything, then Hell in Christ's teaching comes from that unity. So Jesus teaching about Hell is no mystery. Second, Jesus spoke of Hell 15 of 22 times in the New Testament using three different Greek words, gehenna, hades and tartaroo. Gehenna means a place of eternal torment, hades a place of departed souls or the grave and tartaroo means the deepest abyss of hades, to incarcerate in torment. Simple logic would put all three words together and prove conclusively that Hell is horrible and a place of torment. Hell however, is not eternal as proven in Revelation 20:14-15. The lake of fire is the place of damnation and the final destination of those who die in their sins.
Question: If Hell was real, why did the early church appoint an avowed universalist as the President of the second council of the church in Constantinople in the fourth century? (Gregory Nazianzen, 325-381) - (For those who don't know, Universalists believe and teach that everyone will be saved and none will be damned.)
Answer: Men’s mistakes do not circumvent or discredit the word of God. If a universalist was appointed as the president of this council then those who appointed this universalist will answer to God for their decisions and the results of their decisions, and the universalist will also account to God for his false teaching.
Question: If Hell was real and a place of no escape, why did the early church teach Jesus went to Hell (Hades), preached to them and led captivity captive?
Answer: This question is almost comical if it weren't so tragic that a supposed scholar of scripture is asking it. There is obviously no escape for those who are wicked but Jesus descended into Hell to take the keys of death and Hell from Satan. Neither death or Hell could keep him from the resurrection. There is no record that anyone else came back from the dead along with Jesus when he resurrected so "led captivity captive" means he literally removed the power of Hell to keep him and conquered Hell's ability to hold Him as a captive.
Question: If Hell was real and the grave settled the matter forever, why did the early Christians offer up prayers for the dead?
Answer: This question is based on 1 Corinthians 15:29, "Else what shall 'they' do which are baptized for the dead?" What is Paul saying here? This is a favorite verse used by the Mormons who pray for the dead and Catholics as well. Paul is speaking to believers about an outside group of people who practiced prayer for the dead. It has nothing to do in any way with Christians praying for the dead. Throughout the entire 15th chapter Paul speaks to Christians as "brethren in the Lord, you, we and us when he includes them. In this one verse he refers to the people who pray for the dead as "they."
Question: If Hell was real, why did the first comparatively complete systematic statement of Christian doctrine ever given to the world by Clement of Alexandria, A.D. 180, contain the tenet of universal salvation?
Answer: Catholic dogma is not Christian and never could be. You also forgot the all important “proof” of your assertions. It seems that you like to ask a lot of questions and make a lot of statements in them but you don't seem quite as anxious to prove all those things you are asserting.
A NOTE FOR MY READERS: The person asking these question then went on to ask a plethora of questions based on a wrong assumption. He was confused about the difference between Christianity and Catholicism believing them to be one and the same. That is a major error that many make. There is a vast difference between the teachings of Catholicism concerning Mary, Jesus' siblings, praying to saints, and other false doctrines leaving a gap that can't be breached. That would be another exhaustive study.
Question: If Hell was real and all died NOT because of their transgressions but because of Adam's transgression (Romans 5:18), why do many Christians not see what is plainly written, that "even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to ALL MEN, resulting in JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE!"
Answer: This question isn't worthy of a person who logically considers what is said. Adam will bear the judgment for his own sin as will all mankind. While the free gift of salvation has come to all mankind; not all mankind will accept it. Jesus said; "Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life and few there be that find it, but broad is the road that leads to destruction and many go in thereat." Just because men receive and invitation to repent and turn to the Lord doesn't mean they will all repent as common sense and even observation will tell anyone who is paying attention. The asker is so intent on proving his particular view of Hell that he is letting his misguided zeal remove simple logic.
Question: If Hell is real and everlasting, why does Psalm 30:5 say His anger is but for a moment?
Answer: Hell is real but not everlasting as I have stated before. God's anger is not like the anger of men. He is not capricious in any way as we are. God anger is perfect, but so is his mercy. God doesn't hold grudges like mortal man does. We hold anger in and often anger becomes unforgiveness. God can be angry with us but he is always ready to forgive. As for the word moment; A day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day to God. He is, was, and always will be living in eternity.
Question: If Hell is real and most of mankind ends up there, how can God have promised Abraham that in him ALL the families of the earth will be blessed? (Genesis 12:3)
Answer: Because they are blessed. All mankind enjoys the gift of life to begin with, and in life they receive many blessings. They have amazing bodies that can perform a multitude of activities and minds that can do amazing things to produce all sorts of products and/or teachings and etc. We are given beautiful skies, wide oceans, flowers, birds of every kind and many beautiful creatures and creations. We have food and drink and blood and air and water to keep us alive. We have gravity to hold us to the earth so we don't float off into the depths of space. We have other humans to associate with including the precious babies and the blessings of old folks who teach us from their life's lessons and experiences. God never promised an easy life or a life free from trouble because man is evil from his birth.
Question: If Hell is real, is justice being served considering the fact that finite crimes would receive infinite punishment?
Answer: This question is probably as old as time or nearly that old. The answer is simple. Because we are finite we only see sin as finite beings see it. We do not see sin in the way God sees it, and we don't really understand the depth of sin at all. God's perfection is the one thing about him that amplifies all his attributes. Because of this his love, mercy and judgment are flawless, He sees sin in a way we cannot begin to understand but through faith we believe he is just and fair in every way because if he is perfect he is incapable of error. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us that our thoughts are vastly beneath those of God. Isaiah also teaches us that God cannot receive knowledge from any source and his perfection means that he is unchangeable because perfection can never be more or less than it already is. Therefore God can rightly say; "I am God, I change not."
There are no doubt many more questions that could be asked on this subject but everyone reading this will not want an entire book on one subject and those who are objective in their research will be happy that there is more to be discovered on this subject and every other subject concerning scripture that is worthy of consideration. The true student never tires of seeking out more knowledge and wisdom than they currently possess.
I pray that this collection of questions and answers will be a blessing and help to everyone and that God will use it for his glory. If God is honored in this that is the important thing.
C R Lord © 3/11/2011
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