The word hell was therefore properly used if the translators were using the word hell as the hidden condition of death. In old English literature, records may be found of the helling of potatoes-putting potatoes into pits and of the helling of a house-covering or thatching it. Originally, the old English word hell simply meant to conceal, to hide, to cover. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The church professes her faith in the Athanasian Creed : ‘They that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.’ the church expressly teaches the eternity of the pains of hell as a truth of faith which no one can deny or call in question without manifest heresy.” Soon this compromise developed into a firmly held church creed. Eager to win pagan converts, the church adopted this philosophy by associating Zoroastic meanings to highly symbolic scriptures. When the body died, the soul went to be judged, and if found to be evil, it would be doomed to torment. For example, in the sixth century BC, Zoroaster taught the Persians of a Lord of Lies who lived in the dark reaches under the earth recording the deeds of men as debits and credits. By the third century AD, many distortions of Bible doctrine had resulted from the church carelessly allowing pagan beliefs to mix with Apostolic teachings. Pagan ideas of a fiery underworld date back as far as Egypt’s Nimrod. Indeed, for a Christian today to subscribe to such a doctrine without thorough investigation would be dishonoring to a God of love.
ALL THINGS DONE IN THE DARK WILL COME TO LIGHT SCRIPTURE FREE
Today, in this time of enlightenment, with free access to Bibles and study materials, investigation is not only possible, but also a necessity to understanding the true character of God and His loving plans for all-including those who do not accept Christ now.
perfect love casts out fear because fear hath torment.” 1 John 4:16-18Įntire congregations have been held captive to this fearsome interpretation of Scripture for centuries, because they have been unable to deny such a claim without the privilege of owning a Bible. The Apostle John states that “God is love. But God Himself declares that such a concept “never did enter My mind.” (Jer.19:5) The idea of torture is abhorrent to God. Pagans built sacrificial altars to their false god, Baal, where they burned their children alive in the fire. 29:13) His desire is a willing and obedient heart motivated purely by love for Him and His righteousness-not motivated by fear. Is God honored by such fear tactics? “Their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men.” (Isa. To tell the unrepentant that the worst fate that could befall them is extinction makes continuing in sin seem less risky.” Brown, a theology professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, declares the effectiveness of the fear of hell-fire compared to that of simple non-existence at death: “.annihilationism takes some of the punch out of Gospel preaching. History records that every device of tyranny, persecution and torture in the name of God and religion, has flourished to frighten the uneducated church goer into believing. The fear of eternal torment has terrified Christians for nearly 1,700 years. Parables and symbolic passages in the Bible were taken literally, distorting the true intent of the scriptural message. Pagan ideas of an underworld were mixed into Christian doctrine 3. The Dark Age churches found the fear of hell to be a strong incentive to keep people in the Church, and to make new converts 2. So how, then, did this doctrine of a burning hell enter church doctrine? Three factors led to the wrong interpretation of Scripture: 1.
God tells us the penalty for sin: “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” God sentenced Adam to death for the sin of disobedience-there was no mention of an immortal soul and burning eternally for sin. Indeed, there is no consciousness or pain or any feeling whatever in the grave. The dead are really dead-not alive-awaiting the promised resurrection. When evil people die, are they sent alive to a place called hell where they will writhe in agony forever in eternal flames? The doctrine of hell-fire is largely based on the assumption of an immortal soul (being eternally alive in the death condition), but our previous issue of The End Times established that there was no Biblical foundation for that commonly held doctrine. Shedding Light on Dark Age Doctrines Part 2
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