Do you still believe in Hell?

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Often, the clearest path to truth, is contradiction...because you can't prove a lie.

What does that even mean?

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Try to prove that 2+3=6.

It should be obvious that it contradicts itself. You recognize that because of a contradiction, this equation does not represent the truth, and so you look for another solution that does. For those searching for the truth the contradiction forces you to ask "if that isn't the truth...then what is?".  Obviously, when you get 2+3=5, the truth, it will stand out like a light in a dark space against all the other contradictions. It becomes plain as day. The clearest path to truth therefore was the contradictions along the way.

The truths about God and the bible are surrounded by contradictions and lies. Lies that are purposely set by Satan to obscure and confuse the pursuit of truth seekers looking for answers. Unfortunately, Satan tries to use those truths against us by completely twisting their meaning, or creating lies that are as close to the truth as possible, but are still enough to contradict the truth. His way of doing math is often 2+3=4.99999(ad infinitum), or often times it's just in your face contradiction 3+2=1000. Fortunately, God is a "God of truth"(Ps 31:5) and his word provides the tools needed to weed through all the lies, and give us the truth we seek(2 Tim 3:16).

Part 1 of this essay discussed whether the banishment to Hell was a just equitable punishment, for those who disobey and refuse to worship the most high God. We examined whether or not the creation of hell passed the inborn quality of justice that humans are born with(Gen 1:26) Of course, the creation of hell presents many contradictions right from the start as was presented in part 1, and yet many no doubt, after reading it, will still believe that hell does exist. That somehow a God who is love and mercy, and full of perfect justice, created a place to send the heathen for all eternity. They will still believe in hell because that's what they have been told all their lives regarding those who disobey God, and it's a message that is older than the hills as they say. They have always been told that 3+2=6.

For over a millennia, the belief in Hell has been pushed upon the masses by the churches of the world. You could say it's as deeply ingrained a part of Christian belief as the very pit of hell itself, and that's apparently pretty deep. Once a belief is so entrenched in the religious culture of a people, or group, getting them to believe in, or let alone consider anything else is extremely difficult, if not impossible for some. The longer one believes in hell, and the more information that is presented regarding hell, it becomes only secondary to dismiss any information that might discredit ones own knowledge, or belief. Even if what is presented is true, it takes twice as much true information to change ones mind after they believe in something false, and many times even more. Belief bias is a very powerful influence over ones perception, and because the belief in hell has been pounded into the Christian belief system for centuries upon centuries, any evidence provided to the contrary is dismissed as untrue, even if their is strong reasoning to support it.

Perhaps right now is a good time to ask yourself, are you willing to consider reasons why hell cannot exist? If ye are able to, then read on, for several more reasons will put forth as to why hell cannot exist. However, be warned, that your cognitive dissonance is going to be triggered. That internal voice of yours will be on high alert trying to prove why these reasons don't make the sense that they seem to make, and that's a perfectly normal response to something you have believed your whole life. Just remember, you can't prove a lie, you can only prove it is false, or disprove it, with the truth.

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Where am I?

Ask yourself, if you were in an actual place like hell would you know it? Would you know you were being tortured for eternity with no chance of escape? Isn't the whole point of hell is that you are conscious of your surroundings and realize you didn't choose Gods standards in your life? You chose to disobey God, hence you are now burning for all eternity. What would be the point of eternal torment if you didn't know you were being tormented, right?

However, the bible teaches a much different perspective for someone who has died.

Ecc 9:5,10 "For the living know they will die, but the dead know nothing at all...for there is no knowledge or wisdom...in the place to which you are going"

According to these two scriptures in Ecclesiastes it makes it quite clear that the dead, in fact, know nothing, zilch, zero. That would mean that if there is a hell, they wouldn't have knowledge of the fact they were there in the first place, because they know nothing. Doesn't that defeat the whole point of hell then? Do these scriptures contradict hell, and the belief that the dead know they are in hell?

So then, which is true? Do the dead know nothing OR do the wicked know they are being tormented for all eternity?

According to Ecc 9:5,10 the dead are not aware of anything, they have no knowledge. If there is an afterlife when one dies, wouldn't you have knowledge of it if you were there? Using hell as an example, those who go there should be aware of it because they are still alive to be conscious of their surroundings. Yet the scriptures draw a different picture of the dead and the afterlife.

In fact the Israelites, who were Gods chosen people, didn't historically believe in an afterlife. The belief in a life after death didn't exist to them. They believed that death was exactly that, death, no more living, anywhere. Their perception of death was the person no longer existed, which is why death was so hard for the living, so sorrowful. There was nothing to look forward to after one died. No family, friends, food, or drink would exist, no knowledge that could bring happiness or joy existed in death.

Consider Adam, Gods first human creation. Before Adam was created he did not exist, just as no human being or animal exists until they are conceived in the womb. Adam was formed from the dust into a well made body of bones, blood, organs, and skin. He wasn't actually alive until God breathed the "breath of life"(Gen 2:7) into him. Gods spirit, or breath, gave Adam life, and he came to exist. God then clearly explained to Adam what would happen if he sinned, in that "...he would die"(Gen 2:17). He didn't tell Adam he would return to some afterlife, or that he would be sent to some eternal punishment when he died, but simply said that he would return where he came from. Adam returned to dust(Gen 3:19), and the spirit inside him, the "breath of life" returned to God who gave it. Adam no longer existed, except in the memory of God and those who knew him.

The "breath of life", or the spirit from God, is the gift that gives all creatures life. In heaven, and in the physical universe, we all have the same breath of life that gives us the ability to live. The scriptures teach us this, and when it comes to death, the bible shows that mankind and the beast(animals) share the same gift from God, his spirit of life.

Ecc 3:19-20 "For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity. 20 All are returning to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust."‍

What happens to the spirit after we die?‍

Ecc 12:7 "Then the dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be, and the spirit itself returns to God, who gave it"

Nothing lives without the spirit or "breath of life" from God. All creation, angels included, have Gods spirit giving them life. Once something dies that spirit goes back to the one who gave it, God. The spirit is ours to keep while we live, but because humans eventually die, it returns to God. You no longer exist, except in Gods memory and in the memory of those who knew you. The only hope we have once we die is in the resurrection through Jesus Christ, however that is for another article which will be posted soon.

Ask yourself and be honest, do these scriptures support the existence of hell, or do they contradict the existence of hell? If there is a contradiction, is it in the bible, or in your belief of what the bible teaches?

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Do YOU trust God or Satan?

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What kind of question is that you ask?

Well, if you believe in hell, you are actually putting your faith in Satans words and not Gods. C'mon you say...that is absolutely not true, in fact that would be rather insulting if somebody told you that. However if you believe in hell, it's true, and here's why.

Consider what God told Adam. He is quite clear when he says:

Gen 2:17 "But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”

After Adam & Eve sinned what eventually happened to them? Of course they died, just as God had said they would. They turned back to dust(Gen 3:19, Ecc 3:20), and the spirit of life went back to God who gave it(Ecc 12:7). They no longer existed. The bible teaches that one day is as a thousand years to God(2 Pet 3:8), so its true that on the day(Gods day) that they ate the fruit, they died.

Now consider what Satan told Eve when she was tempted by him in the Garden of Eden.

Gen 3:1-5 "...So the serpent began to say to the woman: “Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?” 2 At this the woman said to the serpent: “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. 3 But as for the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat from it, no, you must not touch it that you do not die.’” 4 At this the serpent said to the woman: “You positively will not die. 5 For God knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, KNOWING good and bad.”"

Lets examine here what God, and Satan, told Adam & Eve. God told Adam "YOU will positively die". What does that word really entail, the word 'you'? Does 'you' consist merely of bone, blood, organs, and skin? Or is 'you' comprised of more than just a physical body, such as emotion, personality, thoughts and memories, and ultimately a conscience and spirit? That is what makes you, you, is it not? It doesn't take a medical degree to discern that we, or 'you', encompass much more than just a physical body as we exist.

It's much easier to grasp what God is telling Adam when we look at it from this perspective, from the understanding of what God meant when he said "YOU will positively die"!!!

Now look at it from the viewpoint of what Satan told Eve. He said 'you" will positively not die. Again, what makes you, you? A belief in hell requires us to believe that we ultimately don't die, but are still living somehow in an eternal punishment exacted upon us by God. Physically dead, yes, but "you" are still alive to receive the sentence of eternity in a burning pit.

So which is it? Do "you" die, or does only part of 'you' die and 'you' keep living somewhere else?

Who do you trust, God, who cannot lie(Titus 1:2), or Satan, who is the Father of the Lie(Jo 8:44)?

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Eternity in our hearts

Gods original purpose for mankind was for us to live forever, for eternity, to never die in the first place. That alone should be enough to dispel any notion of hell ever being created, for what would be the point of hell if nobody died? Also, sin did not exist at that point in time, for mankind was perfect and sinless when they were created, so again no need for hell. Gods original purpose has never changed from the beginning, it is still the same.

Hell was never in his original purpose...therefore hell c____t exist!(fill in the blank).

Consider the following. On the sixth day of creation, after God had created Adam & Eve, his purpose for creation came to a completion(Gen 2:3)  Everything that needed to be set in motion had been accomplished, and God "saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good..."(Gen 1:31). At the start of the seventh he began to rest, and he is still resting from his creation(Gen 2:1-3) to this day. The following scripture helps us to understand just how complete and perfect this creation was, it says:

“I have come to know that everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite. To it there is nothing to add and from it there is nothing to subtract...” Ec 3:14

There was nothing left to add or subtract, his creation was perfect. For hell to exist, it means that God must have added hell to his already perfect creation sometime after the seventh day of rest. This contradiction(2+3=6) is inconsistent as to what the bible teaches however, in that Gods creation was complete(Gen 2:2) with nothing to add or subtract. So a belief in hell forces you to accept a contradiction that God did not complete his creation on the sixth day and is now resting from his works. A belief that hell exists forces you to believe that Gods sacred day of rest, the seventh, wasn't so sacred after all, if he had to create hell during his rest day.

Any belief that goes contrary to what the bible teaches will pull us further from God, further from the truth. Oh what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive. Satan, the father of the lie(Joh 8:44), knows us very well. He knows how we were created, and he uses this knowledge against us to draw us away from God. He knows that God put "eternity into our hearts"(Ecc 3:11) and used this against the first woman Eve, to seduce her into eating from the fruit. Adam & Eve would have lived forever, just as God intended, had they never sinned. When Satan told Eve that she would never die he was manipulating a truth that was a part of her very essence, the part that was in her heart, eternity.

“10 I have seen the occupation that God has given to the sons of mankind in which to be occupied. 11 Everything he has made pretty in its time. Even eternity he has put in their heart, that mankind may never find out the work that the [true] God has made from the start to the finish.” Ec 3:10-11

Satan is a skilled manipulator, and his purpose is to deceive. Remember how close 2=3=4.9999 is? By playing on her heart Satan was essentially telling Eve what she already knew to be true, that she would never die(Gen 3:4). It was in her heart in the first place that she would live for eternity, so of course the fruit was made to look good, for what Satan was telling her sort of made sense. He manipulated the truth just enough to convince her to eat from the tree(1 Tim 2:14), and he does the same today does he not, by playing on our heart.

“. . .the wicked one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. . .” Mt 13:19

There is no doubt then why a belief in hell can be so easily believed, because we want to believe that we are going to live forever. That when you shed the skin and bones of your physical life you will continue to live, or exist, in another realm or dimension. That the good go immediately to heaven, and the sinners go immediately to hell. However as has been shown, a belief in hell requires us to believe something that goes contrary to what the bible teaches us about Gods original purpose. It goes against the inborn sense of justice that all humans have, and invalidates Gods true love(Joh 3:16) for mankind. We were made in Gods image, we were made to live forever, we were made to love God, and one another.

The churches of the world have failed us, in providing a true purpose or meaning that mankind can follow, by allowing pagan teachings to infiltrate into the truth, and destroy the true hope that the bible gives. By promoting the belief in hell, they have forced many to turn away from a loving God that would NEVER allow somebody to be tormented for all eternity. They have drawn a picture of a loveless God that doesn't care about his people anymore, that doesn't pay attention to what is happening in the world today.

The following article will show the true hope that the bible provides man with. That through Jesus Christ our King, to the Glory of our God and Father, Jehovah, almost everybody will get a second chance if they have died, the righteous AND the unrighteous. Hopefully now, you see more clearly about hell, and why a loving, merciful Father would never consider doing that to his children. Just remember Gods original plan is, and always will be, the same. It cannot change, because as the scriptures plainly show there is nothing to add or subtract(Ecc 3:14), it is perfect.

And it most certainly doesn't have a place like hell inside of it.

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