The teachings of Jesus caused
00:00:01.40\00:00:02.77
a lot of Thunder
in the Holy Land.
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And His teachings
about hell were no exception.
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Today, His teachings
are still misunderstood.
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But after this study,
I believe we'll not only
00:00:11.45\00:00:14.91
understand our
Savior's teachings on hell.
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But we'll also understand
better how to study the Bible.
00:00:18.25\00:00:22.10
Everyone comes to the
Bible with a method of thinking,
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a frame of reference, a
way of processing information,
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we call this a bias.
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Here's my first bias.
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I believe that God does not lie.
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This bias was informed by
a doctrine of Jesus Himself.
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He said in John 10:35 that
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"Scripture cannot be
broken or loosed or annulled."
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You see, God "is
a man of His word"
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and He means what He says.
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"For I am the Lord, I
change not," Malachi tells us.
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And in both Numbers and Titus,
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the Bible tells
us, "God, cannot lie."
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And since Jesus is God,
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I don't believe that Jesus
would lie or contradict Himself.
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This was the same belief
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the Apostle Paul
wrote in Hebrews 13.
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"Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday,
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and today and for ever."
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This may sound oversimplify,
but think about it.
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Would god teach
two different doctrines
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so contradictory that
to believe one is true,
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you'd have to
believe the other is false?
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I don't believe so.
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So when I come to the Bible
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and find two
contradictory statements,
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I fall back on
this bias, this truth.
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God doesn't lie and He
doesn't contradict Himself.
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With that said, let me say that
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the subject of hell
is without question,
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one of the most difficult
and perplexing studies,
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because there seems
to be biblical support
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for two radically
different and opposing views.
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Levi is standing by to
help us dig into this hot topic.
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Thanks, Charles.
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And for the causal
reader of the Bible,
00:03:05.89\00:03:07.88
the subject of hell
does appear contradictory.
00:03:07.91\00:03:11.59
The two schools of thought
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are one, the fires of
hell eventually do go out,
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the wicked are
destroyed and become ashes.
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And number two, hell burns
on and on without end forever.
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Now these two
conclusions are clearly at odds,
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both can't be
true at the same time.
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If you're burned
up, destroyed, consumed
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you can't live on and
on in constant torment.
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Since God cannot lie and since
He doesn't contradict Himself,
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we need to let the
Bible interpret itself.
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And to accomplish that goal
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I use a simple
yet positive method
00:03:44.30\00:03:46.57
that I learned
from Pastor Gary Ford
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in his book "The
ABC's of Bible Study."
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Now first I work
on the big picture
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and gather the
different scriptures together.
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When I do that, I
get a list of verses
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that do in fact appear
to say two different things.
00:03:58.39\00:04:02.20
And you can get a copy
of this list at www.qlp.tv.
00:04:02.23\00:04:08.36
When I lineup these verses
I've notice that 12 of them
00:04:08.39\00:04:11.79
found to the category of hell
eventually burns itself out,
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well, 5 of them found
to the category of hell
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keeps burning forever and ever.
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The last two in this
list in that first blush
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seem to have both
conclusions in the same verse.
00:04:22.73\00:04:26.08
So I had to dig
deeper to find the key
00:04:26.11\00:04:29.28
that unlocks this
apparent contradiction.
00:04:29.31\00:04:32.34
Now you don't have to be
a scholar or a theologian,
00:04:32.37\00:04:35.16
all you need is a
will to find the truth.
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So my next place to search
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was in the Strong's
Exhaustive Concordance.
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It acts just like a dictionary,
00:04:42.61\00:04:43.98
you look up the word hell
00:04:44.01\00:04:45.80
and it tells you
what the original word was
00:04:45.83\00:04:48.38
that are English word
hell was translated from.
00:04:48.41\00:04:50.92
And suddenly I began to realize
00:04:50.95\00:04:53.38
where some of the
confusion was coming from.
00:04:53.41\00:04:55.94
This one word hell in English
00:04:55.97\00:04:59.03
is translated from four
different original words.
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The first is a
Hebrew word she'owl.
00:05:02.13\00:05:05.23
It's the only word
in the Old Testament
00:05:05.26\00:05:07.25
that is translated hell.
00:05:07.28\00:05:08.97
And that's where I
found my first problem.
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In all but one verse
the word has nothing to do
00:05:11.49\00:05:15.39
with the place of
burning or torment.
00:05:15.42\00:05:17.97
The word in every
case simply means a grave.
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The actual definition reads,
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"The world of a dead as
if a subterranean retreat,
00:05:23.62\00:05:26.64
including its
accessories and inmates."
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It's just another way of saying
graves and those were in them.
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If you were to go back
through the Old Testament
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and exchange the word
hell for the word grave
00:05:34.52\00:05:38.21
like the New International
Version did in most cases.
00:05:38.24\00:05:41.40
You'd have a much clear
understanding of these verses.
00:05:41.43\00:05:47.03
The Greek equivalent for
the Hebrew word shield is hades.
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This Greek word is
in the Bible 11 times
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and once again only one time
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is it associated
with fire or torment
00:05:57.82\00:06:00.25
and that in the parable
Jesus told in Luke 16:23.
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Just like shield the
word is used in the Bible
00:06:03.99\00:06:06.99
simply means a grave
00:06:07.02\00:06:08.45
or a dark and dismal place
in the very depths of the earth.
00:06:08.48\00:06:11.70
So of the four words
translated hell in the Bible,
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two of them shield
and hades mean grave.
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If the King James Version
had translated them that way,
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it would have saved
the whole lot of confusion.
00:06:20.56\00:06:22.87
This leaves us only two original
words left to investigate.
00:06:22.90\00:06:26.29
The next is the
Greek word tartarro.
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Now this word is only
used in the Bible one time.
00:06:28.90\00:06:31.40
So it makes
translation harder up and down.
00:06:31.43\00:06:34.00
But as it is used in 2 Peter,
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"It is a place where
divine punishment is meted out,
00:06:36.20\00:06:39.39
it answers to
Gehenna of the Jews."
00:06:39.42\00:06:42.07
Now Levi and I are
on the Mount of Olives.
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These graves are perhaps
the most expensive in the world.
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It is the desire of the
Jews to have their graves here,
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since they believe that
those buried in New Jerusalem
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will be the first to be
resurrected by the Messiah.
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Levi and I have
shared with you that the word
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shield and hades should have
been translated grave not hell.
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Because if we insist
00:07:01.49\00:07:02.86
that the word
shield and hades mean hell
00:07:02.89\00:07:04.74
then all these Jews buried here
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on the Mount of
Olives are in hell right now.
00:07:06.56\00:07:10.00
Which brings us back
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to the doctrines
or teachings of Jesus.
00:07:11.43\00:07:13.80
John 5:28 says,
"Marvel not at this,
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for the hour is coming,
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in which all
that are in the graves
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shall hear His voice.
00:07:21.11\00:07:22.64
And shall come forth,
they that have done good,
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unto the resurrection of life,
and they that have done evil,
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unto the
resurrection of damnation."
00:07:28.44\00:07:31.02
According to the teachings
of Jesus, when you die,
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you don't go
right to heaven or hell,
00:07:33.95\00:07:36.06
you end up in the grave.
00:07:36.09\00:07:37.78
But there is an
hour coming Jesus taught,
00:07:37.81\00:07:40.22
when every dead
person will be resurrected.
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Some will come up to
the resurrection of life,
00:07:42.62\00:07:44.92
but those who have done evil
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will come up to the
resurrection of damnation.
00:07:46.35\00:07:48.68
And that is where
the real hell comes in
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and the last word
that needs to explained.
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And that word is Gehenna.
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Gehenna is right over there
just south east of Jerusalem.
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Andrea is
standing by to explain.
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Thanks Stephen, I'm
just south of the Dung Gate
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here in Jerusalem.
00:08:03.86\00:08:05.23
It's called the Dung
Gate, because this is a gate
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where all the refuse
was taken out of Jerusalem.
00:08:07.70\00:08:10.75
Probably all the
refuse from the temple
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and it services
was taken out here,
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also the refuse
from the cheese-makers
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that stunk quite badly.
00:08:17.74\00:08:20.06
In the old days
they didn't have cars,
00:08:20.09\00:08:21.77
so the streets were
shared with animals.
00:08:21.80\00:08:24.36
And all their dung would
have to be taken somewhere.
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So it too was dumped
here in the Valley of Hinnom.
00:08:27.79\00:08:31.18
Now you can be sure that
when they made this gate,
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they didn't name
it the Dung Gate.
00:08:34.20\00:08:36.24
It probably had a nice name
like the Gate of the Springs
00:08:36.27\00:08:39.34
since there was a spring
nearby or the Valley Gate,
00:08:39.37\00:08:42.26
since it went into
the Valley of Hinnom.
00:08:42.29\00:08:44.69
You know, you know,
00:08:44.72\00:08:48.03
that it didn't start
out as the poop gate.
00:08:48.06\00:08:51.12
But overtime because of what
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it was most know
for the name changed.
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The same is true for hell.
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And this valley is part
of how the understanding
00:08:57.75\00:09:00.30
of hell changed over the years.
00:09:00.33\00:09:02.81
For the Valley of
Hinnom was the city dump
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and refuse was constantly
being added and burned.
00:09:04.97\00:09:08.29
Hell is a place of burning,
Hinnom was a place of burning.
00:09:08.32\00:09:13.00
And because Hinnom
was always burning,
00:09:13.03\00:09:15.72
because the trash, the
refuse was constantly burning,
00:09:15.75\00:09:19.82
overtime the concept
of a nonstop burning hell
00:09:19.85\00:09:23.55
became an added
layer of meaning.
00:09:23.58\00:09:26.16
But not a layer of
meaning that is true
00:09:26.19\00:09:28.43
or even biblical
as you will soon see.
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Let's once again refer
00:09:31.68\00:09:33.05
to our special
Bible study tool on hell.
00:09:33.08\00:09:35.59
The first 3 verses, I'd like
us to look at are Mark 9:43-44,
00:09:35.62\00:09:40.67
Matthew 3:12 and a supporting
verse in Isaiah 66:24.
00:09:40.70\00:09:46.47
Okay, here is the
teaching of Jesus,
00:09:46.50\00:09:49.75
"And if thy hand
offend thee, cut it off,
00:09:49.78\00:09:52.61
it is better for thee
to enter into life maimed,
00:09:52.64\00:09:55.21
than having two
hands to go into hell,
00:09:55.24\00:09:58.06
into the fire that
shall never be quenched.
00:09:58.09\00:10:00.99
Where their worm dieth not
and the fire is not quenched."
00:10:01.02\00:10:07.28
Notice Jesus didn't say
the fire will not go out,
00:10:07.31\00:10:10.86
He says, you can't put it out.
00:10:10.89\00:10:13.76
And what doesn't
die are not the people,
00:10:13.79\00:10:16.48
but the worms and the dirt
that continue to feed on them.
00:10:16.51\00:10:20.22
The forerunner of
Christ had that same concept.
00:10:20.25\00:10:23.55
He was talking about the
Messiah that was soon to appear.
00:10:23.58\00:10:27.04
He uses wheat to
illustrate the good people
00:10:27.07\00:10:29.64
who will be saved versus
the chaff or the bad people
00:10:29.67\00:10:32.52
that will simply be burned up.
00:10:32.55\00:10:35.31
Look at the text carefully,
00:10:35.34\00:10:36.71
"The Messiah's
fan is in his hand,
00:10:36.74\00:10:39.06
and he will
thoroughly purge his floor
00:10:39.09\00:10:41.62
and gather his
wheat into the garner
00:10:41.65\00:10:44.34
but he will burn up the
chaff with unquenchable fire."
00:10:44.37\00:10:48.30
Again it doesn't say
that the fire will not go out,
00:10:48.33\00:10:51.56
it says that it
cannot be put out.
00:10:51.59\00:10:55.04
This is the same
teaching as Isaiah 66:24,
00:10:55.07\00:10:58.41
"And they shall go forth,
00:10:58.44\00:11:00.28
and look upon
the carcases of men
00:11:00.31\00:11:02.59
that have
transgressed against me,
00:11:02.62\00:11:05.04
for their worm shall not die,
00:11:05.07\00:11:07.75
neither shall
their fire be quenched,
00:11:07.78\00:11:09.85
and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh."
00:11:09.88\00:11:14.01
We normally think that
the term unquenchable fire
00:11:14.04\00:11:16.86
means the fired never goes out.
00:11:16.89\00:11:19.26
However in the
Bible and also today
00:11:19.29\00:11:21.72
we have fires
that are unquenchable,
00:11:21.75\00:11:23.98
no matter how much
water we throw at them.
00:11:24.01\00:11:26.34
But that doesn't
mean they never go out,
00:11:26.37\00:11:29.34
it simply means
you can't put them out.
00:11:29.37\00:11:33.18
Now I could just be saying this,
00:11:33.21\00:11:35.37
but this is what
the Bible teaches
00:11:35.40\00:11:37.28
when you compare
scripture with scripture,
00:11:37.31\00:11:39.52
rightly dividing
the word of truth.
00:11:39.55\00:11:42.07
Let's look at
Jeremiah's prophecy.
00:11:42.10\00:11:44.75
Jeremiah 17:27 says, "But
if ye will not hearken unto me
00:11:44.78\00:11:50.06
and hallow the Sabbath day,
00:11:50.09\00:11:51.85
and not to bear a
burden even entering in
00:11:51.88\00:11:54.45
at the gates of
Jerusalem on the Sabbath day,
00:11:54.48\00:11:57.23
then will I kindle a
fire in the gates thereof,
00:11:57.26\00:12:00.46
and it shall devour
the palaces of Jerusalem,
00:12:00.49\00:12:03.25
and it shall not be
quenched." Same word.
00:12:03.28\00:12:07.43
The fulfillment of
Jeremiah's prophecy
00:12:07.46\00:12:09.74
is recorded in 2
Chronicles 36:19-21
00:12:09.77\00:12:14.00
were it plainly states
"That all the palaces thereof
00:12:14.03\00:12:17.23
were burnt with fire,
00:12:17.26\00:12:19.15
to fulfill the Word of the
Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah."
00:12:19.18\00:12:22.95
Now remember this fire
00:12:22.98\00:12:24.92
that destroyed
Jerusalem was unquenchable.
00:12:24.95\00:12:28.43
If unquenchable means
that it never goes out.
00:12:28.46\00:12:31.31
The city of Jerusalem
00:12:31.34\00:12:32.71
would still have to be
burning today, right now.
00:12:32.74\00:12:36.49
Okay, I'm looking up
00:12:36.52\00:12:37.97
out of the Valley of
Hinnom towards Jerusalem.
00:12:38.00\00:12:40.85
Look up there with me.
00:12:40.88\00:12:42.58
Do you see any fire burning?
00:12:44.66\00:12:47.58
Levi and Stephen
have a better view
00:12:47.61\00:12:49.17
from up over on
the Mount of Olives.
00:12:49.20\00:12:51.29
Let's asks them if
Jerusalem is still burning.
00:12:51.32\00:12:54.20
No, Andrea,
00:12:56.60\00:12:57.97
we can see the whole
city and it's not burning.
00:12:58.00\00:13:00.63
The fires have gone out.
00:13:03.15\00:13:06.20
So the term
unquenchable does not mean
00:13:06.23\00:13:08.10
never ending, just unstoppable.
00:13:08.13\00:13:10.52
When God kindle the fire
at the gates of Jerusalem,
00:13:10.55\00:13:13.04
it was an unquenchable fire
00:13:13.07\00:13:14.90
and no one, but no one
could put it out. Charles.
00:13:14.93\00:13:19.22
So the first
insight we've gained is that
00:13:20.27\00:13:22.55
unquenchable does not
mean never ending fire
00:13:22.58\00:13:25.55
that will not go out.
00:13:25.58\00:13:27.51
It simply means a
fire that can't be put out.
00:13:27.54\00:13:31.12
But there are still some
problem verses in our list.
00:13:31.15\00:13:34.67
Verses that seem
abundantly clear,
00:13:34.70\00:13:37.10
because they use the
words forever, eternal
00:13:37.13\00:13:41.04
and for ever and
ever. What's more?
00:13:41.07\00:13:43.54
Are these verses contained
00:13:43.57\00:13:44.94
the words and
teachings of Jesus?
00:13:44.97\00:13:47.73
These 3 texts are
found in Matthew 18:8,
00:13:47.76\00:13:51.25
Matthew 25:46
and Revelation 20:10.
00:13:51.28\00:13:55.24
"Better for thee to enter
into life halt or maimed to,
00:13:56.58\00:14:00.16
Jesus said, rather
than having two hands
00:14:00.19\00:14:02.76
or two feet to be cast
into everlasting fire."
00:14:02.79\00:14:07.91
Our next verse reads,
"And these shall go away
00:14:07.94\00:14:11.51
into everlasting punishment,
00:14:11.54\00:14:13.60
but the righteous
into life eternal."
00:14:13.63\00:14:17.63
And finally Revelation says,
"The devil that deceived them
00:14:17.66\00:14:21.69
was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone,
00:14:21.72\00:14:24.72
where the beast and
the false prophet are,
00:14:24.75\00:14:27.47
and shall be tormented day
and night for ever and ever."
00:14:27.50\00:14:33.38
The obvious question here is
00:14:33.41\00:14:34.98
"Doesn't forever or everlasting
mean forever without end?"
00:14:35.01\00:14:39.43
The short answer is not always.
00:14:39.46\00:14:42.79
Again we must let the
Bible interpret itself.
00:14:42.82\00:14:45.87
And for that we turned to
two other verses in our list.
00:14:45.90\00:14:50.25
The first is found in Jude,
00:14:50.28\00:14:52.31
while it uses the word eternal
00:14:52.34\00:14:54.37
instead of
forever or everlasting.
00:14:54.40\00:14:56.71
It comes from the same original
root word in the Greek, Ion.
00:14:56.74\00:15:02.00
Jude says, "Even
as Sodom and Gomorrah,
00:15:02.03\00:15:05.15
and the cities
about them in like manner,
00:15:05.18\00:15:07.51
giving themselves
over to fornication,
00:15:07.54\00:15:09.54
and going after strange flesh,
are set forth for an example,
00:15:09.57\00:15:14.21
suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire."
00:15:14.24\00:15:18.37
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah
is found in Genesis 18 and 19.
00:15:18.40\00:15:23.35
These cities practice sodomy,
homosexuality, rape, bestiality,
00:15:23.38\00:15:28.06
violence and many
other wicked practices.
00:15:28.09\00:15:31.43
So God Himself destroyed
them in an act of judgment
00:15:31.46\00:15:35.82
but the Bible
records that the fire
00:15:35.85\00:15:37.95
that destroyed
them was eternal fire.
00:15:37.98\00:15:42.69
Jesus disciple Peter talks about
the same event in 2 Peter 2:6,
00:15:42.72\00:15:48.44
"And turning the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes
00:15:48.47\00:15:52.43
condemned them
with an overthrow,
00:15:52.46\00:15:54.61
making them an
ensample unto those
00:15:54.64\00:15:56.90
that after should live ungodly."
00:15:56.93\00:16:00.39
Now the Bible here is
talking about the same event
00:16:00.42\00:16:03.83
but one verse says they were
destroyed with eternal fire,
00:16:03.86\00:16:07.46
while the other says,
they were reduced to ashes.
00:16:07.49\00:16:11.00
So is the fire
eternal as an unending fire.
00:16:11.03\00:16:15.82
Well, this was easy
for me to check out.
00:16:15.85\00:16:18.63
I drove from the
northern end of the Dead Sea
00:16:18.66\00:16:21.13
all the way to the southern end.
00:16:21.16\00:16:23.34
I've driven up and down
the entire Jordan Valley,
00:16:23.37\00:16:26.83
the biblical location
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:16:26.86\00:16:29.91
And one thing is clear
there is no fire burning.
00:16:29.94\00:16:34.89
So this eternal
fire has gone out.
00:16:34.92\00:16:38.34
Does that mean the Bible writers
didn't mean what they said?
00:16:38.37\00:16:41.98
Not at all.
00:16:42.01\00:16:43.38
You see, they used the
words eternal or forever
00:16:43.41\00:16:46.80
in exactly the same
way we use them today.
00:16:46.83\00:16:51.22
We can use it with the
meaning of time without end.
00:16:51.25\00:16:54.98
But we also use the word to
mean a certain amount of time.
00:16:55.01\00:16:58.68
For example it took me
forever to get my passport.
00:16:58.71\00:17:02.66
Well, how long is that forever?
00:17:02.69\00:17:05.55
Perhaps just a few
days or weeks or months
00:17:05.58\00:17:09.05
but not time without end.
00:17:09.08\00:17:11.34
After all, I got my passport.
00:17:11.37\00:17:14.49
We can also use the word
forever to mean continually,
00:17:14.52\00:17:17.66
like she was forever pushing
her hair out of her eyes.
00:17:17.69\00:17:21.59
Of course, the day she gets her
haircut that habit will stop.
00:17:21.62\00:17:25.74
Now one more
problem text remains
00:17:25.77\00:17:28.02
and that concerns the devil.
00:17:28.05\00:17:30.20
Revelation 20:10 says,
00:17:30.23\00:17:32.27
"He will be
tormented for ever and ever."
00:17:32.30\00:17:35.56
So does hell for Satan
continue on and on without end?
00:17:35.59\00:17:41.57
To answer that
question we need to embrace
00:17:41.60\00:17:43.63
one more Bible study principle.
00:17:43.66\00:17:45.71
But first let's review the
two that we've learned so far.
00:17:45.74\00:17:49.70
We talked about
the assumption that
00:17:49.73\00:17:51.20
God does not lie
or contradict Himself.
00:17:51.23\00:17:54.31
And we talked about
getting the big picture,
00:17:54.34\00:17:56.91
gathering all
the verses on a topic
00:17:56.94\00:17:58.61
and looking them over to
see where the big picture leads.
00:17:58.64\00:18:01.94
And finally we have
to look at the context.
00:18:01.97\00:18:04.46
A text without a
context is a pretext.
00:18:04.49\00:18:08.10
So how do you know what
someone is talking about
00:18:08.13\00:18:11.63
if you have no
context or reference point
00:18:11.66\00:18:13.72
in the conversation?
00:18:13.75\00:18:15.57
So we check out
the literary context,
00:18:15.60\00:18:17.58
we examine the
historical context.
00:18:17.61\00:18:20.06
And of course, we look at
the verses around the text
00:18:20.09\00:18:23.13
to see who's
talking to whom, etcetera.
00:18:23.16\00:18:25.60
Now a careful investigation
reveals that the term forever
00:18:25.63\00:18:29.40
is used 56 times in the
Bible in connection with things
00:18:29.43\00:18:32.62
that have already ended,
00:18:32.65\00:18:34.42
just like the fires
of Sodom and Gomorrah
00:18:34.45\00:18:36.29
or Jerusalem, that's context.
00:18:36.32\00:18:39.81
So every time we
see the word eternal,
00:18:39.84\00:18:42.03
everlasting or forever,
00:18:42.06\00:18:44.42
we can't immediately assume
that it means time without end.
00:18:44.45\00:18:48.53
But the context
does make it clear
00:18:48.56\00:18:50.62
that sometimes you
must read it literally.
00:18:50.65\00:18:53.22
Now let's go back and
look at our final verse
00:18:53.25\00:18:55.42
that points toward
a never ending hell.
00:18:55.45\00:18:58.00
Revelation 20:10,
00:18:58.03\00:19:00.15
"And the devil
that deceived them
00:19:00.18\00:19:01.55
was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone,
00:19:01.58\00:19:03.84
where the beast and
the false prophet are,
00:19:03.87\00:19:06.34
and shall be
tormented day and night
00:19:06.37\00:19:08.46
for ever and ever."
00:19:08.49\00:19:10.81
So is the devil thrown into
hell and tormented for ever?
00:19:10.84\00:19:14.56
Well, that's what the text says.
00:19:14.59\00:19:16.42
But the broader context of
Sodom and Gomorrah from Jude 7,
00:19:16.45\00:19:19.98
should make us wonder.
00:19:20.01\00:19:21.97
I'm standing at one of the
sites suggested as Gomorrah
00:19:22.00\00:19:25.03
and unlike the dirt and rock
to the north and south of here,
00:19:25.06\00:19:29.06
it does look ash like
but it's not still burning.
00:19:29.09\00:19:33.71
Next, let's look at the context
right in Revelation 20:9,
00:19:33.74\00:19:38.20
it says that Satan leads
the host of wicked people
00:19:38.23\00:19:41.12
to attack the city of God
00:19:41.15\00:19:43.20
and notice what happens to Satan
and those who followed him.
00:19:43.23\00:19:47.15
"And they went up on
the breadth of the earth,
00:19:47.18\00:19:50.12
and compassed the
camp of the saints about,
00:19:50.15\00:19:52.99
and the beloved city,
00:19:53.02\00:19:54.39
and fire came down
from God out of heaven,
00:19:54.42\00:19:58.22
and devoured them."
00:19:58.25\00:19:59.86
The word devoured
comes from a Greek word
00:19:59.89\00:20:02.14
that means to eat up,
devour or to utterly consume.
00:20:02.17\00:20:07.38
The word is used
15 times in the Bible
00:20:07.41\00:20:09.24
and not once does it
ever have another meaning,
00:20:09.27\00:20:12.22
it's never used in any
other way than eating up,
00:20:12.25\00:20:15.24
devouring or consuming so
that what was there is now gone.
00:20:15.27\00:20:20.97
With this context in mind,
00:20:21.00\00:20:22.48
let's look at
the prophetic message
00:20:22.51\00:20:23.88
about Satan in Ezekiel 28.
00:20:23.91\00:20:26.86
"Thou hast
defiled thy sanctuaries
00:20:26.89\00:20:29.16
by the multitude
of thine iniquities,
00:20:29.19\00:20:32.33
by the iniquity of thy traffick,
00:20:32.36\00:20:34.13
therefore I will bring forth
a fire from the midst of thee,
00:20:34.16\00:20:38.19
it shall devour thee,
00:20:38.22\00:20:39.89
and I will bring thee
to ashes upon the earth
00:20:39.92\00:20:43.41
in the sight of all
them that behold thee."
00:20:43.44\00:20:47.11
The context of verse
18 as verse 19, it says,
00:20:47.14\00:20:51.15
"And never shalt
thou be any more."
00:20:51.18\00:20:53.97
In fact, three times
in the Book of Ezekiel,
00:20:54.00\00:20:55.99
God predicts that Satan will
come to an end and be no more.
00:20:56.02\00:21:01.81
Now we've looked
at the seven verses
00:21:01.84\00:21:03.90
that raise questions as to
whether hell burns for ever.
00:21:03.93\00:21:08.94
But our list had 14
verses that seem to indicate
00:21:08.97\00:21:11.94
that the furnace of
hell eventually go out.
00:21:11.97\00:21:15.16
Steven standing by
to take a look at those
00:21:15.19\00:21:17.49
exciting and
comforting verses with us.
00:21:17.52\00:21:20.62
We should start with
the teachings of Jesus.
00:21:20.65\00:21:23.06
In His most
famous verse He said,
00:21:23.09\00:21:24.81
"For God so loved the world,
00:21:24.84\00:21:26.21
that he gave his
only begotten Son,
00:21:26.24\00:21:28.20
that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish,
00:21:28.23\00:21:30.86
but have everlasting life."
00:21:30.89\00:21:32.73
The wicked don't
live for ever in pain.
00:21:32.76\00:21:35.06
This verse says they perish.
00:21:35.09\00:21:37.07
Only the believer
gets everlasting life.
00:21:37.10\00:21:39.75
Psalms 37:20 says,
"The wicked perish,
00:21:39.78\00:21:43.24
as the fat of the
lambs, they shall consume,
00:21:43.27\00:21:46.22
into smoke they
shall consume away."
00:21:46.25\00:21:48.99
Is bad enough that the wicked
have to die and never live again
00:21:49.02\00:21:52.42
never experience
the bliss of heaven.
00:21:52.45\00:21:55.18
But God's character of love
has been besmirched by this lie
00:21:55.21\00:21:57.88
that has been force
it upon His good name.
00:21:57.91\00:22:01.35
God said through
His prophet Ezekiel,
00:22:01.38\00:22:03.41
"Behold, all souls are
mine, as the soul of the father,
00:22:03.44\00:22:07.20
also the soul
of the son is mine,
00:22:07.23\00:22:10.09
the soul that
sinneth, it shall die."
00:22:10.12\00:22:13.96
Paul agreed with this
prophecy when he wrote,
00:22:13.99\00:22:16.37
"The wages of sin is death,
00:22:16.40\00:22:18.01
but the gift of
God is eternal life
00:22:18.04\00:22:19.95
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
00:22:19.98\00:22:23.09
We earn death and deserve it
00:22:23.12\00:22:24.80
if we choose to continue living
selfish and hurtful lives.
00:22:24.83\00:22:28.43
The only residents
of heaven will be those
00:22:28.46\00:22:30.58
who've embraced
God's kingdom of love
00:22:30.61\00:22:32.41
and live lives that are actuated
by the principle of love.
00:22:32.44\00:22:35.58
The principle of
giving what is needed most.
00:22:35.61\00:22:38.99
Hell is a real fire
that will burn up the wicked
00:22:39.02\00:22:40.92
at the end of
time, at the last day.
00:22:40.95\00:22:43.29
Just like this white powder
00:22:43.32\00:22:44.69
what is possibly the
remnants of Gomorrah.
00:22:44.72\00:22:47.55
But this is not God's
desire for you and me.
00:22:47.58\00:22:50.47
Listen to His heart in these
prophetic words from Ezekiel,
00:22:50.50\00:22:53.44
"As I live, saith the Lord God,
00:22:53.47\00:22:55.58
I have no pleasure in
the death of the wicked,
00:22:55.61\00:22:58.27
turn ye, turn ye
from your evil ways,
00:22:58.30\00:23:00.61
for why will ye die?"
00:23:00.64\00:23:03.01
This list we've been working
off is not an exhaustive list
00:23:03.04\00:23:06.27
but it is representative
of the whole of scripture.
00:23:06.30\00:23:09.54
But if there is
one, just one passage
00:23:09.57\00:23:11.41
that has been most misconstrued
about death and hell.
00:23:11.44\00:23:14.46
It is the story Jesus told
00:23:14.49\00:23:15.91
of the rich man,
Lazarus in Luke 16.
00:23:15.94\00:23:19.48
So here's the
parable of these two men,
00:23:19.51\00:23:21.78
one was rich man who Jesus
didn't even bothered to name,
00:23:21.81\00:23:25.34
the second was a
poor beggar named Lazarus
00:23:25.37\00:23:28.15
who sat in front of the
rich man's house begging
00:23:28.18\00:23:31.19
while the dogs licked his sores.
00:23:31.22\00:23:33.85
Now in the Jewish
culture in Christ day
00:23:33.88\00:23:37.06
and probably
somewhat still today,
00:23:37.09\00:23:39.13
they believed rich people
were blessed of God and poor,
00:23:39.16\00:23:42.69
sick beggars were cursed of God.
00:23:42.72\00:23:45.94
So if God didn't even
care about the beggars.
00:23:45.97\00:23:48.84
Those who are
blessed were certainly free
00:23:48.87\00:23:50.84
from any obligation to
extent a kindness or concern.
00:23:50.87\00:23:55.14
So imagine the
shock when Jesus said,
00:23:55.17\00:23:57.89
"Both men died and
the rich man went to hell
00:23:57.92\00:24:00.77
while the poor man
was carried by angels
00:24:00.80\00:24:02.96
to the bosom of Abraham."
00:24:02.99\00:24:05.54
Now in this parable
heaven and hell are so close,
00:24:05.57\00:24:08.48
they can see and
talk to each other.
00:24:08.51\00:24:11.02
So the rich man
asked Father Abraham
00:24:11.05\00:24:13.37
to send Lazarus to
bring him the comfort
00:24:13.40\00:24:15.89
of a drop of water
to cool his tongue.
00:24:15.92\00:24:19.26
Abraham said, "That
was not going to happen."
00:24:19.29\00:24:21.83
So the rich man asked that
00:24:21.86\00:24:23.53
Lazarus be sent to
the brothers to warn them.
00:24:23.56\00:24:27.04
Abraham said, "They had already
00:24:27.07\00:24:28.84
received their warning
in the writings of Moses."
00:24:28.87\00:24:32.69
But if someone came from
the dead said the rich man,
00:24:32.72\00:24:35.51
they would repent.
00:24:35.54\00:24:37.49
And here is where I believe
00:24:37.52\00:24:39.21
the punch line of
the story comes in.
00:24:39.24\00:24:41.93
"And Abraham said unto him,
00:24:41.96\00:24:44.23
if they hear not
Moses and the prophets,
00:24:44.26\00:24:47.25
neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead."
00:24:47.28\00:24:53.01
This story is a
parable much the way
00:24:53.04\00:24:55.26
Aesop's fable of the grasshopper
and the ant is a parable.
00:24:55.29\00:24:59.50
Parables don't have to
be true to make a point.
00:24:59.53\00:25:02.75
Today we tell
stories about dying
00:25:02.78\00:25:04.73
and standing before Saint Peter
to gain admittance to heaven.
00:25:04.76\00:25:08.47
There's nothing biblical about
Peter watching out of the gate
00:25:08.50\00:25:11.54
to pass judgment on
those who have died.
00:25:11.57\00:25:15.07
But the stories make a point
00:25:15.10\00:25:17.23
just like this one of
the rich man and Lazarus.
00:25:17.26\00:25:21.33
The historical
context of the time was that
00:25:21.36\00:25:23.90
all rich people are
blessed of God and go to heaven.
00:25:23.93\00:25:27.91
Poor people are cursed of God
00:25:27.94\00:25:29.53
so they all go to
a place of torment.
00:25:29.56\00:25:32.98
Jesus turned these
misconceptions upside down
00:25:33.01\00:25:36.09
by sending Lazarus to paradise
00:25:36.12\00:25:38.72
and the rich man
to the bad place.
00:25:38.75\00:25:41.38
Now if we insist
on taking this parable
00:25:41.41\00:25:44.17
as a true teaching about hell,
00:25:44.20\00:25:46.95
then we have to take
the whole parable literal.
00:25:46.98\00:25:50.37
That would mean when you die,
00:25:50.40\00:25:52.02
you don't go to
heaven according to verse 22,
00:25:52.05\00:25:54.86
you go to live on
Abraham's hairy chest.
00:25:54.89\00:25:58.47
Imagine all the saved
people on Abraham's chest.
00:25:58.50\00:26:02.26
We'd all be like fleas
there, moving the hair, morning.
00:26:02.29\00:26:08.52
According to verse 24,
00:26:08.55\00:26:10.20
you'd also have heaven
and hell so close together,
00:26:10.23\00:26:13.38
you could talk back and forth.
00:26:13.41\00:26:15.87
That makes heaven
sound real appealing.
00:26:15.90\00:26:19.12
And finally the rich man says
00:26:19.15\00:26:20.90
that if someone
comes back from the dead
00:26:20.93\00:26:23.38
then the living will repent
00:26:23.41\00:26:24.97
and change their
lives for the better.
00:26:25.00\00:26:27.71
Okay, here comes the
point of Jesus parable,
00:26:27.74\00:26:31.16
the truth which sets us free.
00:26:31.19\00:26:33.19
Pay attention now.
00:26:33.22\00:26:34.88
Luke 16:31, "And
he said unto him,
00:26:34.91\00:26:38.86
if they hear not
Moses and the prophets,
00:26:38.89\00:26:41.98
neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead."
00:26:42.01\00:26:46.97
This point is true
because in John 11,
00:26:47.00\00:26:51.06
a real man named
Lazarus was raised from the dead
00:26:51.09\00:26:54.81
and they still didn't
choose to believe in Jesus.
00:26:54.84\00:26:58.94
So here's Jesus' teaching.
00:26:58.97\00:27:01.90
Hell is a real place.
00:27:01.93\00:27:04.79
And God doesn't
want anyone to go there.
00:27:04.82\00:27:08.07
So He sent His Son to
save us we need not perish.
00:27:08.10\00:27:12.69
And if we
choose not to be saved,
00:27:12.72\00:27:15.66
we'll end up in a
fire that will consume us,
00:27:15.69\00:27:19.23
reducing us to ashes.
00:27:19.26\00:27:21.92
While those who love and
serve Jesus will avoid hell
00:27:21.95\00:27:26.72
or the second death.
00:27:26.75\00:27:29.63
Now it's up to us to choose,
00:27:29.66\00:27:32.73
choose Jesus and
the truth of His word.
00:27:32.76\00:27:36.62