YOU'LL ALSO BE INTERESTED IN ABSOLUTE PROOF YESHUA (JESUS) DIED, WAS BURIED AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD!!
CAN YOU PROVE YESHUA DIED AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD IN A COURT OF LAW? ABSOLUTELY!!
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YOU'LL ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THIS ARTICLE:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
=======
WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ALL THESE ARTICLES BELOW:
========
NOW TO THE QUESTION OF "HELL".
IS IT REAL?
IS THERE REALLY A "HELL FIRE" FOR MOST PEOPLE (OR ANYONE FOR THAT MATTER) FOR ALL ETERNITY?
-------------
THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING NO!!!! NO!!! AND HELL NO!!!!BELOW ARE SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL SCRIPTURES!-----------"ETERNAL FIRE TORMENT WITH NO HOPE FOR ANY HUMAN IS THE BIGGEST LIE AND HERESY EVER TAUGHT AND HAS IT'S ROOTS IN THE OCCULT AND SATANISM
-------------HOPEFULLY WE WILL PUT OUT THE FIRE OF THE "ETERNAL TORMENT IN FLAMES" FALLACY FOR GOOD! READ ON AND LET'S EXTERMINATE THOSE ETERNAL FLAMES SO THEY WON'T HAUNT YOU EVER AGAIN!!!!
------
1 CORINTHIANS 15:22
"FOR JUST AS ALL PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE OF THEIR UNION WITH ADAM, IN THE SAME WAY ALL WILL BE RAISED TO LIFE BECAUSE OF THEIR UNION WITH CHRIST."
JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE IS SAYING THAT IS NEVER TAUGHT IN MOST "CHRISTIAN" CHURCHES!
LET'S LOOK AT ANOTHER TRANSLATION FROM THE NEW REVISED STANDARD:
"For as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive
in Christ."
It's important to see the analogy here.
It's saying that ALL mankind die: "In Adam".
Once again "ALL MEANS ALL".
In the same manner ALL will be made alive in Christ. Once again "ALL MEANS ALL"!
Not "all who believe" or "all who repent" or " any other teaching that limits the number of people who are saved in the end. Most Christian churches teach that Jesus didn't save all mankind.
HERE IT IS AGAIN! ALL MEANS ALL!!!!
Most "Christian Churches" believe and teach falsely that he only "potentially" can save all.
But the above scripture you just read DIDN'T say "potentially" all will be made alive in Christ depending on if you believe or not".
NO! IT SAYS
"ALL WILL BE MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST"
PERIOD!
THAT'S REALLY THE GOOD NEWS!!!
-------
The reason this isn't taught in most Christian churches is because most people in hypocritical "churches", want to take credit for their salvation by their "good choice".
THEY WANT TO PAT THEMSELVES ON THE BACK!
Quite simply they don't want to believe that God can and will save "ALL HUMANITY" because they want to believe they are "special" for their "choice".
No, they want to believe God only saves those who made the "good choice" to believe, which is NOT what the Bible says.
IT SAYS IT IS NOT BY OUR "CHOICE" BUT HE CHOSE US!
------------
As a matter of fact, no one can believe in God on their own.
TIMOTHY 3:11
“THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD.
---------------
There you have it again. God is the savior of ALL HUMANITY because left on our own, no one would seek him, so he in effect has to come get us. You don't get credit for "believing"because "believing" isn't how we get rescued.
Christ's death on the cross is what saves us not our "belief"!
So, once again, who get's to be made alive in the end?
We just read it....
ALL WILL BE MADE ALIVE!!!!
(BELOW)
THE LAMB OF GOD TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!
NOT "potentially takes away sins of the world"
NOT "takes away the sins of only those who believe"
NOT "makes an offer to take away the world's sin and the rest is up to you"
DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE?
----------
JOHN 15:16
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit"
-------
Here it is again God chose us!
It wasn't a case of anyone making a "good choice" to chose him.
------------
THE MAIN THING TO KNOW IS THAT "CONSCIOUS ETERNAL TORMENT OR ANY ETERNAL TORMENTING" IN SOME NEVER ENDING FIRE AT LIFE'S END IS THE BIGGEST LIE EVER TAUGHT!
====
DID JESUS SAY HE ONLY CAME TO SAVE SOME PEOPLE? DOES HE SAY HE SAVES ONLY THOSE THAT BELIEVE? DID HE SAY HE ONLY SAVES PEOPLE WHO DO WHAT HE SAYS? NO! WHO DOES HE SAVE?
THE WORLD!!!!!!
GOD DOES NOT COUNT PEOPLE'S SINS AGAINST THEM IN SOME NEVER ENDING FIRE BUT RECONCILES THE WORLD TO HIMSELF!!!! WHO DOES HE RECONCILE? IS IT JUST "CHRISTIANS"? THE ANSWER IS NO. IS IT "ONLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE"? AGAIN...NO! WHO DOES HE RECONCILE....IT SAYS IT RIGHT HERE......THE WORLD!!!!!
BY ONE MAN (ADAM) CAME DEATH AND
NOW BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ONE (YESHUA / JESUS) IS THE FREE GIFT OF ALL MEN UNTO JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE!!!
====
IT DOESN'T GET ANY MORE CLEAR THAT NO ONE WILL BURN FOR ALL ETERNITY!!!!
HERE'S MORE:
HERE IT IS AGAIN!
NO ONE IS CAST OFF FOREVER!!!!
IT DOESN'T GET MORE CLEAR THAN WHAT WE HAVE SHOWN YOU!
YOU'LL BE INTERESTED IN THIS VIDEO BY JULIE FERWERDA WHICH REFUTES "ETERNAL TORMENT" AND "FREE WILL."BTW, WE DO NOT HAVE "FREE WILL", ONLY GOD HIMSELF HAS FREE WILL.
ANY LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE DOES NOT USE THE WORD"HELL"AND IT'S NOT USED AT ALL THE THE OLD TESTAMENT!
YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOOK INTO THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE OF THE BIBLE AND REALLY UNDERSTAND THE MISTRANSLATIONS MOST PASTORS CAPITALIZE ON TO KEEP YOU IN FEAR SO YOU CAN KEEP GIVING THEM MONEY:
"ETERNAL TORMENT" IS A LIE FROM SATAN AND ANYONE WHO TEACHES THE "ETERNAL TORMENT" CONCEPT FROM THE PULPIT MUST WANT TO BELIEVE IT IN SPITE OF IT NOT BEING TRUE! IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE STUDY TO DISPROVE IT.
MORE REASONS WHY "HELL" AND "ETERNAL TORMENT" IS A MYTH.
THE FACT IS, MANY "CHRISTIANS" WANT THEIR ENEMIES TO BE TORTURED FOR ALL ETERNITY AND THAT TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE WHO CONTINUE TO PUSH THIS NARRATIVE! MORE ON THIS "HELL FIRE" LIE BELOW:
HELL? NO!! IT'S NOT TRUE!!!
God is NOT in the business of tormenting and torturing people who don't follow him.
HE'S NOT CO-DEPENDENT:
MOST "CHURCH'S TEACH THE CONCEPT: "IF GOD LOVES YOU THEN YOU MUST LOVE HIM BACK" AND IF YOU DON'T YOU WILL BE TORTURED FOREVER!
HELL WAS CREATED BY THE CHRUCH TO SCARE AND CONTROL PEOPLE:
DO YOU SEE HOW TWISTED THIS LOGIC IS AND HOW HUMANISTIC IT IS?
(Below)
This is the image a lot of so called "Christian" churches put in your head as the destiny for those who don't believe in Jesus..... RIGHT?
This is pure occultic and Satanic nonsense and actual blasphemy to teach that a God of ultimate Love would allow such a thing.
If you have been taught this, YOU ARE IN A DEMONIC CULT!!!
THE REALITY IS:
IF GOD SAW THAT EVERYTHING HE CREATED WAS VERY GOOD, THEN HOW CAN HE HAVE EVER CREATED A LITERAL "LAKE OF FIRE?"
By the way, if Jesus died for all of our sins (which he did), that would also include the sin of "unbelief" RIGHT?
So, that is another example to let people know that even "unbelief" would not eternally separate you from God because that "sin" would have been taken care of as well on the cross!
THIS IS ONLY LOGICAL! AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO ON THIS SITE IS MAKE SENSE!
---------------------------------------------
While the concept of the unsaved suffering for all eternity has bothered me for a long time, ultimately we want you, the reader to look through the Bible on your own to see there are numerous translation errors and false teaching by ministers and pastors on Almighty God's word that contradict his perfect loving nature.
The conclusions we come to may not be the only ones, but we do think there are MAJOR flaws in contemporary Christianity teachings and it's most accepted teaching about hell.
We are presenting some other truths outside of traditional teachings and more from what the Bible teaches in it's original language.
The fact is the Bible teaches a completely different doctrine on the concept of "hell" than is taught by most Christian churches. In short,
THERE IS NO ETERNAL TORMENTING OF ANYONE IN SOME NEVER ENDING FIRE!
PERIOD!!!!
THE BIBLE SAYS AT DEATH THE SPIRIT RETURNS TO GOD! IT DOESN'T SAY SOME TO GOD AND SOME TO ETERNAL TORMENT!
IT SAYS THE SPIRIT RETURNS TO GOD WHO GAVE IT! PERIOD!
The depictions we use in this article that show some kind of place of never ending fire with people there have been cooked up in the minds of some individuals that are nothing but fables and dark fantasy with no basis in the Bible or reality but are straight out the the occult and satanism.
The fact is, if you are in a church that teaches God will torment billions of people for all eternity with no hope, quite frankly, you are in a cult.
For anyone who believes this, they have been brainwashed. Eternal torment is the biggest heresy that has ever been taught and this idea comes straight from Satan himself to make people believe that God is the same murderous monster he, himself is.
IF "ETERNAL TORMENT" WERE TRUE, THAT SCRIPTURE WOULD HAVE TO SAY "GOD'S WRATH LASTETH FOREVER"and NOT IS MERCY!
DO YOU SEE THAT?
GOD RECONCILES ALL!!!!
NO MATTER WHAT TRANSLATION IT IS OF CORINTHIANS 5:19, GOD RECONCILES THE ENTIRE WORLD TO HIMSELF! CLICK TO ENLARGE:
WHERE THIS SATANIC CONCEPT OF "ETERNAL TORMENT" GOT STARTED AND WHY IT IS FALSELY STILL PREACHED. HINT: IT HAS TO DO WITH MONEY, POWER AND CONTROL!
YOU WILL WANT TO CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ON THIS EXACT SUBJECT. WHY IS ETERNAL TORMENT PUSHED IN MOST CHURCHES?
BECAUSE IT MAKES MONEY IN THE COLLECTION PLATE.
IS THERE A SUCH THING AS "ETERNAL TORMENT?" ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!! NO WAY, NO HOW!!
BELOW: THE ETERNAL TORMENT FALLACY EXTINGUISHED FOR GOOD!
Let's go ahead and put out the flames of the idea of "eternal torment in fire"!
THIS IS A VIDEO YOU WILL WANT TO WATCH AFTER YOU HAVE READ THIS ARTICLE. IT'S REALLY THE GOOD NEWS MOST "CHRISTIAN" CHURCHES WILL NEVER TEACH BECAUSE IT'S OF NO FINANCIAL BENEFIT FOR THEM TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH!
THIS IS A GREAT VIDEO ON THE TRUTH OF THE SALVATION OF ALL! IN THE END, GOD GETS WHAT HE WANTED! THAT'S RIGHT! IN THE END GOD'S WILL TRUMPS MAN'S WILL AND FOR THAT WE CAN BE GLAD!
We would like to hear your input below in the comments area, especially if you have been told Hell was where unsaved people go to be tormented for all eternity.
Before we get started, here is a wonderful video pointing out that there is no human who will spend eternity burning in Hell with no hope! If you think there is an eternal "Hell" you have been lied to and there is a simple explanation as to why this can't be true!
HERE'S MORE STUDIES ON THE ETERNAL TORMENT LIE WE HAVE ALL BEEN TAUGHT SINCE YOUTH! IT'S TIME TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT!
As we can see, there is a danger is accepting "traditional" teaching that is not bible based:
Let's listen to another very good commentary about how the word 'hell" is misused and mistranslated and doesn't mean what people have been deceived to think:
Hell and Eternal Torment the Most Damaging Lies in Human History
MORE ON THE DESPICABLE TEACHING OF ETERNAL CONSCIOUS TORMENT. HOPEFULLY, YOU'LL NEVER BE HAUNTED BY THIS LIE AGAIN!
EVEN THIS GUY ON A TREADMILL KNOWS THE TRUTH!!!
NOW LET'S PUT AN END TO THE CONCEPT OF "HUMAN FREE WILL".
ULTIMATELY, IT'S GOD WHO DECIDES EVERYTHING AND IT IS NOT LEFT UP TO FALLIBLE HUMANS.
IF YOU REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT "FREE WILL" MEANS, YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DON'T HAVE IT.
IN THE END GOD GETS WHAT HE WANTS!
AND HERE IS PART 2 WHERE EVEN HERE, GOD STILL GETS WHAT HE WANTS!
Colossians 2:8
English Standard Version (ESV)
"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."
Traditionally, as Christians we are taught that there are two camps of people on the Earth.
Those who have accepted Christ's mercy and have called upon his name for salvation and thus have eternal life. Then there are those who reject the Lord's mercy and his Son Yeshua (Jesus) and thus are tormented for all eternity in a place called "Hell" when they die.
While I have absolute faith that the only way to the Father and thus the only way to have eternal life is through his Son Jesus, it has always bothered me about what traditional Christianity teaches about the destiny of those who have rejected Christ's love for us.
While I'm not going to talk about every scripture that speaks on the subject of Heaven and Hell, what I want to do is look at the scriptures that have been misinterpreted along with scriptures that seem to absolutely contradict the teaching that the unsaved will be tormented for all eternity.
God is NOT in the business of tormenting and torturing people who don't follow him!
SO WHAT IS "THE BOOK OF LIFE?"
Remember, he has absolute love for people that reject him and refuse his love and forgiveness. I think the bible teaches us God has a much more humane way of dealing with rebellious people who die without receiving his mercy and forgiveness.
I'm sure you have heard people say "God doesn't send anyone to hell, they go to hell because they refuse the alternative" which is life through Jesus Christ." Well, Yes, Jesus is the truth and the light, but to say God doesn't send sinners to hell but they choose that on their own is just a cop out for self righteous people who also most likely can't reconcile how God could set up a system where rebellious humans will suffer forever.
Obviously these people don't have loved ones that may not be saved and they don't seem to be concerned about them. Well, we'll see in just a minute, God would not allow something as awful as that to exist. Remember, Jesus never said he came so that no man would go to hell. He said he came to give us "Eternal Life!"
While I do believe eternal life only comes through Jesus Christ, I do believe the bible teaches that God would NEVER set up an economy or system in the first place to where the Christ rejecting world would have to go to a place of eternal fire torment forever and ever with absolutely no hope.
If Hell is real, does that mean that human motherly love is more powerful and enduring than God's love? Do you know of normal parents who would endlessly torment most of their kids that may reject their parents love? Why do we believe our heavenly Father, who is millions of times more loving than all of us combined, could allow such an horrible thing to happen?
If Hell is real, why does the human spirit writhe under the horror of wars and prison camps, torture chambers and dictators? How can we judge these things as wrong, if Hell is real? If eternal torment was real, God would be a bigger monster than any evil dictator that ever lived!
After all, Hell far eclipses these earthly torments which came from the most sinful and beastly part of humanity. We say God is grieved by man's violence and disregard for life, and yet believe that He Himself enforces the same principles for all eternity!
If what we have been taught really happens to the unsaved. There is no doubt that many of us who are saved will have loved ones who will reject God and his mercy.
That means some mothers will have sons and daughters who will spend eternity where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth." That means there will be some sons and daughters who will have parents who will have the same fate........or will they? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!
I don't know about you, but since Heaven is a place of absolute bliss, joy and love and a place where "every tear will be washed away" I can't imagine having complete joy knowing that a loved one is being tormented in hell for all eternity.
Does the Bible really teach this or is this just what we've been told happens through pagan traditions? Interestingly, it was the devil who was first to suggest that sinners would not die
(Genesis 3:4).
A hell where sinners never perish is a satanic doctrine!
It was God, who told Eve she would "surely die" as a result of transgression. HE DID NOT SAY TO HER she would live forever in "eternal torment"! DEATH is the enemy of man NOT some nightmare fantasy of "eternal torment'!
Is the concept of eternal torment in Hell really Biblical? Most Christians think there is a place of eternal fire and torment called "Hell" which will be the ultimate fate of the wicked. Satan, they believe, is to rule in this limited kingdom of Hell and torture his unwilling subjects for all eternity.
The concept of an eternal fiery Hell designed to torment sinners forever has been taught by the illuminati created Catholic Church and accepted as true for many centuries. Integral to this concept is the proposition that no one will ever really die, since upon the death of your external mortal body, your spirit immediately travels to Heaven if you has accepted Jesus Christ or supposedly Hell if you have not.
You either live forever in heaven with God, or you live forever in torment in Hell with Satan and his angels, at least that is what is taught and believed by most of the Christian world.
Hell Is NOT a New Testament or Old Testament Doctrine!
ETERNAL CONSCIOUS TORMENT IN FIRE IS A SATANIC DOCTRINE AND NOT FROM THE MOST HIGH GOD!*
Popular myth: Jesus spoke of Hell more than He did of Heaven. This is not true! Jesus warned the Jews many times of impending destruction, both nationally and individually.
BUT NOT ANY KIND OF ETERNAL TORMENT!
MORE ON THIS HERE:
Jesus used several different terms to refer to punishment/destruction, some of which were erroneously translated as the same word, "Hell" by Bible translators.
We do not deny that God will indeed judge the whole world, nor do we wish to make light of His judgments. We are challenging the belief that His judgment on sin and unbelief is eternal torment/Hell and never-ending separation from God. Certainly, Jesus spent a lot of his ministry warning people to repent or reap the consequences, But could we be reading more into His warnings than He originally intended?
Think about it..
Where did the concept of Hell originate? Hint, not from the Bible. How did "hell" enter the Bible? Ironically, the only Jews who believed in "hell" at the time of Jesus were the Pharisees.
We know this from the Jewish historian Josephus, a contemporary of Paul. The Pharisees probably "borrowed" the concept of "hell" from the pagan Greeks after Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East during the "silent" period between the writing of the OT and NT.
THE CONCEPT OF HELL IS A MONEY MAKER AND MEANS OF CONTROL THROUGH FEAR AND TERROR!
Like the Greeks, the Pharisees undoubtedly found that "hell" increased their power, revenues and profits. That is sadly even true today.
Most Christian churches make money from their congregations because people think they can "donate" their way our of "hell." HOW SAD IS THAT!!!
But the Greek hell was Tartarus, not Hades. As we will see, there is only one verse in the entire Bible containing a word that actually means hell, but that hell is not for human beings, nor is it eternal.
FOR A COMPLETE STUDY ON THE MISTRANSLATED WORD "ETERNAL" IN THE GREEK LANGUAGE, CLICK BELOW:
HERE'S MORE INFORMATION ON LANGUAGE AND MISTRANSLATIONS:
THE FALSE CONCEPT OF "FREE WILL"
SO WHERE DID THE MODERN CONCEPT OF "ETERNAL TORMENT" COME FROM?
Dante’s Inferno!
Where did most of the satanic concepts of "hell" came from?
Almost no one understands that it was primarily pagan poets who authored today’s widely believed concept about an underground, ever-burning hell (Greek mythology, Homer...etc).
While the concept most likely existed before Alighieri's Divine Comedy, this is what undoubtedly brought this un-biblical doctrine to the majority of Christianity.
Much of the tradition surrounding this subject came from Dante Alighieri’s (1265-1321) famous work Divine Comedy. In it, he described his view of paradise, purgatory and hell.
Notice this quote from a book about his life, Dante and His Inferno: “Of all poets of modern times, Dante Alighieri was, perhaps, the greatest educator.
He possibly had a greater influence on the course of civilization than any other man since his day…He wrote, in incomprehensible verse, an imaginative and lurid account of a dismal hell a long poem containing certain phrases which have caught the attention of the world, such as, ‘all hope abandon…ye, who enter here!’ This had a tremendous impression and influence on the popular Christian thought and teaching. His Inferno was based on Virgil and Plato.”
This makes obvious where Dante got his ideas.
He believed that the pagan philosophers Plato and Virgil were divinely inspired. His fascination with the Greek philosopher Plato caused him to accept Plato’s ideas about the immortality of the soul as described in his famous work, Phaedo. Here is what the Encyclopedia Americana says about Virgil:
“Virgil, pagan Roman poet, 70-12 B.C.,
Belonged to the national school of pagan Roman thought, influenced by the Greek writers. Christians of the Middle Ages, including Dante, believed he had received some measure of divine inspiration.” Few know the true origin of the beliefs that they hold.
Fewer still even wish to know! We have just laid bare, in the quotes above, the real origin of this belief. Did you realize the source of these ideas?
The concept of an ever-burning hell comes from outright paganism! We will see that the popular version of hell has never had anything to do with the true teaching of the Bible.
The Divine Comedy:
In the early 1300s, Dante Alighieri wrote this popular play, called The Divine Comedy. It was influential in outlining three misunderstood places or states of mind: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Alighieri claimed he experienced this journey in the spring of 1300.
At the time, many believed his story as gospel. Some continue to believe it today.
--
According to the story, Dante and the pagan poet Virgil descend into the Underworld after Alighieri becomes lost in a mysterious forest somewhere on the surface of the globe.
The original play had such an impact on society that a general belief in Purgatory endures. Purgatory is found nowhere in the Bible. Many Christians attempt to explain what it is, though neither Testament makes reference to it whatsoever.
Alighieri’s diagram of the cosmological structure of the Universe had quite an influence on popular thought.
The depiction Alighieri used resembled the original Aristotelian model of the Universe. According to the model, Hell is located at the center of Earth and Heaven is somewhere above the clouds.
Perhaps this is the reason many still cling to that mythological interpretation, every bit of it from a single fictional story.
If Hell is real, why did God tell the Jews that burning their children alive in the fire to the false god Molech, (in the valley of Gehenna ) was so detestable to Him? God said that such a thing "never even entered His mind" (Jer. 32:35).
How could God say such a thing to Israel, if He has plans to burn alive a good majority of His own creation in a spiritual and eternal Gehenna of His own making?
Sounds to me like the concept of someone burning in fire is a satanic doctrine. The doctrine, in addition to "Dante's Inferno" had it's origination in the satanic "Egyptian Book of the Dead."
Let's take a look at Genesis 3:22
"Behold"
Adam was alone on the earth as I am alone in the heavens on high.
From him there will arise those who will know how to distinguish between good and evil.
If he had kept the commandments (which) I commanded him he would have lived and endured like the tree of life forever. But now, since he has not observed what I commanded him, let us decree against him, and let us banish him from the Garden of Eden, before he puts forth his hand and takes (also) of the fruit of the tree of life.
For behold, if he eats of it, he will live and endure forever."
The above scripture is the first clue that God would NOT allow humans to live forever in a fallen state of torment!
Do People Have Immortal Souls?
Most people do not understand the relationship between physical men and souls. In Sunday school, I was taught that human beings are born with immortal souls. The common belief is that, upon death, the souls of sinners go to hell forever, since they are immortal. Is this what the Bible says?
If the wages of sin is death, could the Bible also teach that people have immortal souls?
Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” This verse does not say that men have souls, but that they are souls. Adam became a soul he was not given a soul.
Then, almost immediately, God warned him, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die” (vs. 16-17).
When placed together, these verses reveal that men are souls and that souls can die!
The prophet Ezekiel was inspired to write (twice): “The soul that sins, it shall die” (18:4, 20).
Death is the absence of life. It is the discontinuance or the cessation of life. Death is not life in another place. It is not leaving “this life” for “another life in eternal torment.”
IMPORTANT!
Let's look at this closely. God wanted to make sure Adam did not eat from the Tree of Life. WHY? because if he did, he would live in a fallen state separated from his creator forever and God didn't want that. Do you see that? God would not allow Adam to screw things up so bad that he must live for all eternity in a fallen state.
This is the first clue from the Bible that God does not want and will not allow the rebellious to live forever being tormented for all eternity. That only makes sense for a merciful God to do that, right? I mean we as imperfect people who can't even begin to love as much as God can.... even fallen sinful people show compassion by not wanting living beings to suffer.
Even we shoot suffering horses because we don't want them to live in torment.
So, we need to look at God as the embodiment of everything Love is. He is able to Love beyond our understanding. We need to look into if a loving God would ever set up an economy where even rebellious human beings would spend all eternity in agony and torment.
THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING NO! GOD WOULD NOT EVER ALLOW HUMANS TO SUFFER IN ETERNAL TORMENT!!!
I have presented this concept before to which some Christians will say, "well yes, but God is also righteous, so that's why he allows the rebellious to spend eternity in hell."
In other words, what they are really saying is that Gods perfect Love and Mercy are ultimately cannibalized by his "righteousness." For many Christians, it seems like they don't want the lives of the unsaved to be mercifully put to an end. But some "Christians" seem to want them to burn for all eternity and anyone who says any different is a heretic!
Luke 23:34 : Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." **This is an amazing prayer request from Jesus Christ to God the Father. Think about it!
There is no greater sin one could commit than to murder the very Son of God, and yet, there was not even the slightest hint of any revenge or unforgiveness in Jesus’s heart towards his unbelieving murderers. We know for certain that Father God will grant His Son’s request.
While there is no doubt in many places in the Bible it calls for repentance and to confess and turn away from our wicked ways and sinful practices. BUT, this prayer by Jesus shows he can unilaterally forgive us! NO MATTER WHAT WE DO!!!!!
These men he asked his Father to forgive, were not repentant nor were they seeking forgiveness. But what about these scriptures?
Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
"But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Luke 13:24
"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to."
Well, upon looking at these verses closely, we will see Jesus was not talking about those that are saved and those that are unsaved. Matthew 7:14 cannot be talking about eternal life.
It is speaking about the futility of making the right choices apart from God the Father and The Son of Man (Son of God) Jesus Christ. At any given moment, most of humanity is not following Jesus Christ. Most are on the wrong path. Few are actually following Christ.
All of us have been on the wrong path at one time or another.
I know I sure have been. Remember, salvation and eternal life is a free gift through Christ Jesus....it's not a matter of hide and seek. Here, Jesus is saying most people are on the wrong path. Jesus had to come get you and put you on the right path. Remember, in JOHN 15:16, Jesus said "I chose you!"
Here it is: JOHN 15:16.
"You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name." So, this scripture is not talking about eternal life, per se. it is not a prediction about who will have eternal life and who will perish in the end.
No one knows that put God himself! Jesus did not encourage speculation on that matter. The good news is, if you are on the wrong path, that is correctable!
But ONLY God can correct it. We don't have the ability to do it on our own.
It is simply saying that left on our own, we will make the wrong choices and end up on the wrong path...to that, Jesus says he has to come get us and put us on the right path, the narrow gate, WHICH IS JESUS!
Now in Luke 13:24, let's take a look at that and see that is not referring to who will have eternal life and who will perish either. Remember, salvation is a free gift. Ephesians 2:8. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God."
So, if that is true, then the words "effort" and "ability" have nothing to do with eternal life, which is a free gift. So, just like in the above explanation, most of humanity is on the wrong path and we do not have the "ability" to correct it on our own. That's why we need a Savior!
We can't save ourselves. That's the whole point of humanity needing a Messiah! Romans 3:11. "as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
This begs the question. If we can come to God with our own "free will" wouldn't that be doing a good thing? But the Bible says "THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD" refutes this concept of "free Will".
"No man CAN [by his own phantom ‘free’ will] come to Me, except the FATHER which has sent Me draw him [Greek: ‘drag him’]: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44 & 65.)
Some excerpts below from L. Ray Smith:
But what about these scriptures?:
"The Lake of Fire!" A Scriptural Journey Through the Lake Burning with Fire and Brimstone,
Which is the SECOND DEATH
Some time in the last half of the first century AD, the apostle John (whom Jesus loved) was on the Isle of Patmos when he found himself "in spirit on the Lord’s day." Among his many remarkable visions he saw this:
Revelation 19:20,
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
Rev. 20:10,
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
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Rev. 20:14-15,
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
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Rev. 21:8,
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Concerning the "Second Death," John also has this to report:
Rev. 2:11, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."
Rev. 20:6, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." And finally this one:
Rev. 14:10, "...and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."
These are all the Scriptural references in the entire Bible that mention the "lake of fire and the second death."
THE LIES YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD
Theologians and clergymen by the thousands have been telling the world that this lake of fire is an eternal torture chamber. It is the final HELL of eternal separation from God accompanied by unfathomable pain, torture, and despair.
We have been told that there is absolutely no possibility of ever being rescued from this hellhole of suffering and human misery where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, as real fire barbecues their bodies, and while worms will be eating their flesh.
This hideous scene is to continue day and night for trillions of billions of quadrillions of centuries upon centuries--for EVER!
We are told that those who will spend eternity in this prison of pain have themselves chosen to spend eternity there - that God doesn’t send anyone to hell, but that people actually choose, themselves, to go there. Even a fool knows that no person would ever choose such a fate, but theologians must somehow get God off of the hook of responsibility, for surely this place exists and will continue to exist for eternity they assure us.
THREE FALSE ASSUMPTIONS:
Fundamentalist Christians are the largest group who hold three bedrock doctrinal teachings, which are really only assumptions, regarding the lake of fire:
1. The "lake of fire" part of this verse must positively be taken LITERALLY.
2. This lake of fire and second death are just other terms for HELL.
3. All the wicked, unsaved, and unbelieving sinners will be consciously TORTURED in this lake of fire hellhole by having their flesh barbecued FOR ALL ETERNITY, which is said to be "the second death."
ALL THESE COMMONLY HELD DOCTRINES ARE FALSE!
MORE ON THIS HERE:
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Are any of these three assumptions true or Scriptural? Absolutely and unequivocally NOT! There is no record of God ever creating such a place as "The Lake of Fire".
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Remember back in Genesis after everything God created, the Bible says "And God saw that it was good". The Bible NEVER says "And God created the lake of fire for all that reject him and saw that it was good'...OF COURSE NOT!!!
HOW CAN THE LAKE OF FIRE BE A LITERAL PLACE CREATED BY GOD IF EVERYTHING GOD CREATED WAS GOOD?
The lake of fire absolutely cannot be a literal place because God would have had to create such a place and there is no account of him doing so.
In our journey we will clearly see that these verses are NOT to be taken literally, and they do NOT represent a place called hell, and God will NOT torture anyone for all eternity.
We will also see from the Scriptures that God never punishes for the sole purpose of torturing.
God always punishes and chastises for the ultimate purpose of correcting, righting, amending, changing, fixing, rectifying, redeeming and saving.
LITERAL OR SYMBOLIC?
In many cases it is not difficult to determine whether a verse is literal or not.
But, since we use figures of speech so often we tend to forget that much of what we say daily is not literally true.
Many of us would hardly be able to carry on a conversation if we had to drop out of our vocabulary every word and every phrase we speak that is NOT LITERALLY TRUE.
The English language, as well as all other languages, is just filled with symbolic and metaphorical phrases.
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The first eleven verses of Chapter one in Revelation are an introduction regarding where, how, and what John is going to record for us.
Much of this introduction can be taken literally, however, not all. Beginning with verse twelve, we are confronted with one symbol after another for the remainder of the entire twenty-two-chapter-book.
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h1. Everything written in Revelation is true, but most is not meant to be "literally true".
The fact is there are many many truths in the Bible that are not literally true, but intended to be spiritual truths.
Jesus "said" that the bread He gave His disciples at the Lord’s supper was His body.
Yet, Jesus Himself explains in other places that this was not literally true. He gave them literal bread, and not His literal physical flesh.
What that bread represented, and symbolized, was indeed, His body--but not his physical body.
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Jesus said that the words that he spoke were SPIRIT (John 6:63).
Jesus Christ changes not. His words are STILL spirit and they certainly were spirit when John wrote the words of Christ regarding His unveiling or revelation.
Just as we physically feed on physical bread for PHYSICAL LIFE, thus also we spiritually feed on Jesus Christ’s spiritual body for SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Understand this! Some think that by accepting the Scriptures as they are given (in the case of Revelation that means AS SYMBOLS), that somehow this "spiritualizes away" the teaching.
What? It is the "spiritual" aspect of these symbols that IS THE REAL THING; THE REAL UNDERSTANDING! Physical things "pass away" whereas spiritual things are eternal!
The very FACT that this book is written in "symbols" is proof positive that the understanding of them is SPIRITUAL and not physical or literal.
Symbols, metaphors, and parables ARE NEVER LITERALLY TRUE!
But they powerfully demonstrate SPIRITUAL TRUTHS!
"This is the second death--the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15 and 21:8) is a metaphor that is no more literal than "Jesus taking the bread...said, ‘Take, EAT. This IS My body" (Mat. 26:26). "I was IN THE SPIRIT on the Lord’s day..."
And then he begins to tell us what he hears and sees.
Now the very fact that he was "in the spirit" on the Lord’s day conclusively proves that he was not literally there! Let us never lose sight of this fact: John WRITES what has been SIGNIFIED (WITH SYMBOLS) the things that he SEES and HEARS IN A VISION--IN SPIRIT!
Beginning in verse twelve John starts to tell us what he saw and heard,
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me ... his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass ... And he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword..."
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NONE of what I underlined is literal. Have you ever "seen a voice?"
All these things are symbols that stand for other things.
And God immediately gives us proof positive of this in verse 20, "The mystery [this is not literal--it was a mystery until God tells us that one thing really means or represents another and DIFFERENT THING] of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.
The seven stars ARE THE ANGELS OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest ARE THE SEVEN CHURCHES."
PHYSICAL FIRE VERSUS SPIRITUAL FIRE.
Without realizing it, those who defend a literal fire in this judgment of God will have a very hard time showing that anyone can be "tormented day and night for ever and ever" in a literal fire.
If the fire is literal, then the idea that anyone could be tormented for ever and ever is totally impossible! How so? We will see.
Notice who is thrown into this lake of fire: "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet ...
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20).
If the beast and false prophet are humans, then a real lake of fire would BURN THEM UP making it impossible for them to be tortured for ever and ever!
If the beast and false prophet are supernatural, superhuman, or spirit in nature, then physical fire CANNOT HARM THEM in any way. So, if the fire is literal, it can serve NO useful purpose!
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire..." (Rev. 20:10).
As this is Satan, he is a spirit, and therefore CANNOT be tortured with REAL FIRE! Real, physical fire has NO effect on SPIRIT! Since God "makes His angels SPIRITS; His ministers a FLAMING FIRE" (Psalm 104:4), it isn’t likely that the Head of the "sinning angels" would be the least bit hurt by literal fire!
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:12 & 15).
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"The dead, small and great" are mortals resurrected to judgment and are still mortal. Therefore, physical fire will BURN THEM UP, hence there can be NO torture or torment for ever and ever.
So now what will our fundamentalist friends do with this evidence? Real, physical, literal fires, BURN UP physical bodies! And, real, physical, literal fires CANNOT burn or harm spiritual bodies! Sorry, but that’s just the way it is!
Hades
Hades is the most frequent translation of Hell found in the original Greek text of the New Testament. The English version appears without any distinction between it and the other two Greek words for Hell.
Hades means nothing more than a hole in the ground. Four hundred years ago, English farmers would talk of how they needed to “plant their potatoes in hell for the winter.”
According to Acts 2:31, Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from Hell after he climbed out of his burial tomb. Matthew 12:40 refers to Hell as the grave where Jesus spent three days and nights before his alleged resurrection.
It was not as though he made some mythological trek through an infernal Underworld, as often misinterpreted by uneducated fundamentalists. The direct translation is that he was resurrected from his tomb, nothing more.
BELOW:
THE CONCEPT OF ETERNAL TORMENT IS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE AND WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES IS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE:
THIS IS JUST FOR TEACHING AND NOT A "LEFT vs RIGHT" POLITICAL REFERENCE:
CLICK TO ENLARGE
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SHEOL, TARTARUS, HADES AND GEHENNA
To start with, let's clear up some of the translation problems with the word "hell." The Hebrew word is SHEOL and the Greek word is HADES.
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Sheol is used 65 times in the Bible. It is translated The Pit, three times.
Hades is used 11 times and at least once literally means "The Grave." Two other words which is commonly interpreted as hell are "Tartarus" and "Gehenna." Gehenna is also known as the Valley of Hinnom or a city dump located in Jerusalem where garbage was burned. Pagan worshipers at one time used it for ritual sacrifices.
The Hebrew word "Sheol" is translated "hell," "the grave," "death," "destruction," and "the pit." Sheol identifies the general abode of the dead, a place where life no longer exists.
It's important to note that this is a place where life does not exist....not a place where people live forever in torment!
The words Sheol, Hades and Gehenna do not mean "hell." The Hebrew word Sheol clearly means "the grave" or "the abode of all the dead, good and bad." The Greek word Hades also means "the grave" or "the abode of all the dead, good and bad." Gehenna is a physical valley in Israel, not "hell."
Gehenna
Gehenna is another Greek word replaced with the single English word, Hell. Gehenna was once a place near the Hinnom Valley just outside of Jerusalem. Refuse and the bodies of criminals were burned there throughout history. Because of this, it was associated with the future punishment of the wicked which is not the case. Gehenna is a literal physical place.
Gehenna means Valley of Hinnom, not eternal Underworld. The Bible makes reference to this place 12 times in the original Greek version. It's outlined in Revelations 20: 14-15. Once again, this does not translate to burning forever in eternity!
A Popular Scripture
Perhaps the most familiar and often-quoted verse in the Bible is understood by almost no one. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Millions routinely quote this verse, while ignoring an essential phrase within it.
Reread it! Those who receive salvation are promised that they “should not perish” but “have eternal life!”
If hell is a place of eternal torture, then the people suffering this torment must also have eternal life. But the verse says, “should not perish.” It does not say, “Should not suffer eternal life in torment.” How does the word perish (which literally means "cease to exist") relate to the popular teaching about hell and hell fire?
Why did God inspire John to use the word perish if this is not what He meant? Another translation of "perish" is "To be totally destroyed."
Tartarus
Tartarus is the third Greek translation of Hell found in the New Testament.
Tartarus means darkness of the material Universe, dark abyss, or prison.
It has nothing to do with the hellfire associated with Gehenna or the infernal Underworld of Christian mythology.
Tartarus appears in the New Testament once, in II Peter, 2:4, and is the place where God will cast Satan following Jesus’ return. It refers to the condition or restraint of the fallen angels, having no reference to a container or place for men and women.
The Lake of Fire, or Hell, is a place of everlasting fire that was originally created by God as a place of punishment for Satan and the angels that followed him in his rebellion against God (Mat. 25:41). Because it is referred to as the place of “outer darkness” (Mat. 8:12; 25:30), we believe that it is most probably located at the farthest reaches of the creation.
BUT ALSO REMEMBER "THE LAKE OF FIRE" ISN'T A LITERAL PLACE!
Gehenna is described in Scripture as a “furnace of fire” (Mat. 13:42); “everlasting punishment” (Mat. 25:46); “the mist of darkness” (II Pet. 2:17); the “hurt of the second death” (Rev. 2:11 cf. 20:6,14; 21:8); “a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20; 20:10; 21:8).
But even here, this will not be forever!
THERE WILL BE A TIME WHERE EVIL WILL NO LONGER EXIST!
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell (Tartarus) and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.
WHAT IS TARTARUS?
In this verse, the Greek word Tartarus has been mistranslated as hell.
Tartarus is used only once in the Bible, and the context in which it appears reveals the meaning of the word as a prison of spiritual darkness.
The scripture above confirms that God cast the angels who sinned down to Tartarus and chained them in darkness, to be reserved for judgement, which is referring to their final future judgement in the Lake of Fire. Tartarus is the final stop for Satan and the fallen angels who followed him....
IT IS NOT CREATED FOR HUMANS!
Matthew 25:46 "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” **NOTE: Eternal punishment is NOT the same thing as Eternal punishing...do you see the difference?**
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NOTE: EVEN THE WORD "ETERNAL AND EVERLASTING are mistranslations: The word should be "AEON" which means "AGE". which has and end and is
NOT ETERNAL OR EVERLASTING!!!!
AS A MATTER OF FACT, ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM THE LIVING GOD IS NOT POSSIBLE!!!
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Luke 13:3: I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish (apollymi). **NOTE: Perish does not mean to "live forever in torment"...Perish means "cease to exist"** Rom 6:23:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." **NOTE: the wages for sin is death, not eternal punishing and torment in some place called Hell.
If Christ did not die in our place, if He did not take our sins to the cross and pay the death penalty that we are condemned to as sinners, then the price for sin is not paid and we retain our sins, and we will surely pay the death penalty ourselves because of our sins.
**Ezek 18:4: "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die."Ezek 18:20: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Die, not be tormented forever!_
When and where will the devil receive his punishment? What will that punishment be? "So shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire." Matthew 13:40-42. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone." Revelation 20:10. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS." Matthew 25:41. "Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee ... and never shalt thou be any more." Ezekiel 28:18,19._
NOTE: For whom is The Lake of Fire created for? THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS! NOT HUMANS! And it goes even further.
EVEN THIS PLACE WILL NOT LAST FOREVER!!!!
Here the bible says Satan and his angels will be reduced to ashes and "never shalt thou be any more." WOW! Here the bible says eventually, at some time in the future even where Satan and his fallen angels are will cease to exist!
Jude 7 speaks of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah having received the “vengeance of eternal fire” for their sins. Those cities are not burning today and have been so completely destroyed that archaeologists have never been able to prove with certainty their exact location.
What happened to these cities does not reflect a permanent state of visible fire burning for all to see today. Their destruction was eternal.
When those cities completely burned up, the fires went out. However, their punishment continues to this day but not their punishing! It should be clear why Paul recorded that the wages of sin is death, not eternal punishing and torment in an ever-burning hell. Most people have seen fires go unquenched.
But they always burned out after they consumed whatever combustible material was available to them. Read Jeremiah 17:27 and 52:13.
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, after God warned Jerusalem that He would burn her with an “unquenchable fire,” if she did not repent, this happened. I have also seen Jerusalem.
You, too, have probably seen it many times on television. It is not still burning today.
Revelation:20:10 is speaking of Satan the devil being cast into the lake of fire at the end of Christ's 1,000-year reign. Reference to the Beast and False Prophet being cast in is only parenthetical here, as they will have died when that happened 1,000 years earlier.
They will not still be burning there. Thus being tormented "forever and ever" applies principally to Satan, and presumably to his demonic cohorts as well (compare Matthew:25:41).
Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the Greek phrase translated "forever and ever" here, eis tous aionas ton aionon, literally means "unto the ages of the ages."
It means until the culmination of the ages, which would allow for an ending point soon after the casting into the symbolic fire. And even here it is symbolic and in no way means a literal conscious suffering in any sort of flames for any human!
LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN: THE HIDDEN MEANING BEHIND THE PARABLE.
Another passage of Scripture that many find difficult to reconcile with the truth about hellfire is the story of the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke chapter 16.
SO, HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS A PARABLE? BECAUSE IN MATTHEW 13:34, IT SAYS IT WAS!!
“I will open my mouth in parables,I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” c
IT'S A PARABLE!!!!! LET'S LOGIC THIS THIS TOGETHER!!!
But by realizing that this passage is a parable-at the end of a long list of parables-we can understand better the imagery Jesus employs.
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The Greek word for "hell" is Tartarus, a word which appears in only a single verse in the entire Bible (2 Peter 2:4).
But that verse is about fallen angels awaiting judgment, so its "hell" is not eternal and is not for human beings. Jesus Christ himself mocked the idea that human beings would go to Tartarus in his parable of Lazarus and the rich man, which clearly describes the afterlife of the pagan Greeks, called Hades.
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WHAT THIS PARABLE ULTIMATELY IS ABOUT!
THE FACT IS LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN IS A PARABLE ABOUT JESUS HIMSELF! JESUS WAS ONCE RICH AND EMPTIED HIMSELF AND BECAME POOR EVEN TO THE CROSS WHERE HE JUST NEEDED WATER FOR HIS THIRST. HE WAS "SURROUNDED BY DOGS", IN THIS PARABLE THE RICH MAN IS LICKED BY DOGS!
THIS PARABLE IS ABOUT YESHUA/JESUS AND NOT A LITERAL RICH MAN AND LAZARUS!!!
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WHY DOES JESUS SPEAK IN PARABLES? MATTHEW 13:13 TELLS US!
"This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand".
This is why pastors and ministers to this day, can't figure out that this is a parable!
HADES
Hades was not "hell" because everyone went to Hades when they died. In Hades the heavenly regions (the Elysian Fields and Blessed Isles) were separated from the fiery pit of Tartarus (the Greek "hell") by an impassable abyss.
The dead could chat with each other across this abyss, but no one could cross it.
Thus the "blessed" were unable to help the "wicked."
But of course this bizarre place was the invention of Greek poets like Homer and such a place had never been described anywhere in Hebrew scripture.
When the Pharisees claimed that they would inherit heaven simply by being descendants of Abraham, Jesus ridiculed their absurd belief by putting the Gentile beggar Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham, and a rich Pharisee in the fiery Tartarus. But this does not mean that Jesus believed or was teaching eternal torment in "hell."
Certainly Abraham's bosom is not the eternal abode of the redeemed, and it seems impossible that the lost in hell can converse with the saved in heaven. When we remember that hell allegedly takes place at the end of the world, and that there are no people suffering in hell at this present time, we can determine more exactly three major points contained in Jesus' remarks.
By representing the beggar as being in heaven and the rich man as lost, Jesus taught His hearers that, contrary to the prevailing view, wealth was not necessarily an indicator of divine favor, just as poverty was not a sign of God's judgment upon a person.
Jesus was also seeking to educate the Jews that salvation would not be theirs by birthright. The rich man in torments calls out to "father Abraham," just as the Jews of Jesus' day were mistakenly pointing to heritage as proof of their assurance of salvation.
Furthermore, Jesus was seeking to lead His hearers to understand that only faithfulness to God's Word would prepare them to enter into eternal life. He told them, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).
To use the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in order to promote the false doctrine of an eternally burning hell is to misuse God's Word and to misrepresent His character.
Those who insist that this is not a parable, but a true, literal story Christ told to describe the condition of the lost in hell must overlook several facts to arrive at that conclusion.
First, Yeshua the Messiah never accuses the rich man of any sin. He is simply portrayed as a wealthy man who lived the good life. Furthermore, Lazarus is never proclaimed to be a righteous man. He is just one who had the misfortune to be poor and unable to care for himself.
If this story is literal, then the logical implication is that all the rich are destined to burn in hell, while all the homeless and destitute will be saved. Does anyone believe this to be the case?
If hell is truly as it is pictured in this story, then the saved will be able to view the lost who are burning there. Could anyone enjoy eternal existence if they were able to see lost friends, family, and acquaintances being incinerated in hell, yet never burning up?
Additionally, if hell (as it is traditionally taught) is an abyss of fire and brimstone where sinners are tormented forever, does anyone really believe that one drop of water would relieve the pain and anguish of someone suffering in its flames?
We have all read the parable of the rich man. Most people think that it is about what happens to bad people when they die.
But, if we look at context, this parable may not be about that at all. We are going to scrutinize the context of the previous chapter to see could have led Christ to tell this baffling parable.
We see in the previous chapter that He is at odds with the powerful Scribes and Pharisees who scoff at Christ for keeping company with sinners, and they grumble that He even eats meals with them. Christ begins to tell these wealthy men a series of parables, that ends with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man.
The higher ups in Christ's time were the Pharisees, the Scribes and the Sadducees. (The Priests) These men wielded political, religious, social and financial clout.
Had Christ played their games, He would have been one of them completely, but they had a big problem. He sometimes hung out with poor people, prostitutes, tax collectors, fishermen and the lower echelons of the society of that day.
And the two did not normally mix. Just like today.
We all know what class structure is. Rich people prefer to hang out with rich people. You rarely see truly wealthy people hobnob with the poor on a regular basis.
The Country Club is a private place where the "well to do" can avoid contact with the non-Country Club crowd. People think that India has a strict class structure, but really it is a common human trait found in all societies.
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Not that the poor want to be away from the rich so much as it is the other way around. It was no different in Christ's time.
The rich didn't want to have to mix with the lower classes, and especially they didn't want to eat with them. Christ didn't care about class.
He mixed with both groups, He had meals with both groups. He might be eating at a rich mans house and the same night, be hanging out and dining with people considered to be "sinners" and the bottom of the barrel. This didn't make the Pharisees and Scribes very happy.
They murmured about it. Remember this as part of the back story or the context. "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them." Luke 15:1-2
Luke 15 sets the stage for the parable of the rich man. (Luke 16:19).
Christ responded to their murmuring. He didn't hit them head on. He subtly told them the parable of the lost sheep, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"
His point being...ok, even if these people are sinners, they are lost sheep to be saved, but that really didn't get through to them.
So, He told them another parable about the woman who had 10 pieces of silver and lost one piece, and hunted until she found it and she rejoiced. Again, they weren't buying.
Then He told them a harder parable about the prodigal son who wasted his inheritance on wine, women and song, and how his dad was still so happy that he came back home that he sacrificed the fatted calf for him, even though he had never done that for the "non-sinning good brother."
Christ told another parable or two but the Scribes and Pharisees began to deride Him.
Christ's point all along had been that they didn't need to look down on sinners and poor people because God wanted to save them. Remember the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost brother. But, His parables had no effect on them at all, so He finally told them a truly hard parable that got their attention and burned their ears.
If the parable of Lazarus and the rich man had been about punishing bad people, Christ could have skipped the whole Lazarus part and just said, 'there was a rich man and he died and went to hell." But no, Lazarus is a key part of the parable.
These snobby Pharisees and Scribes were offended that Christ had meals with sinners. So, Christ made the point that poor Lazarus didn't get to eat a meal with the rich man, he didn't even get any crumbs from his table. He is rubbing their face in their condescension of poor people.
They certainly wouldn't have given even a crumb from their tables to those who they felt were below them...they wouldn't eat with them at all!
Let's take a closer look
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
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21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried." Luke 16:19-22
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What is Abraham's bosom? "Abraham's bosom" was an expression in the oral traditions of the Jewish Rabbi's for the state of bliss after death." So, Christ made it plain...poor Lazarus would have bliss, but not the rich man. (They knew He was talking about them.) Christ's point to them, was that being rich in this life would be no help to them after they were dead.
He continued, "And in hell (the grave) he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (bliss) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. "
Those rich Scribes and Pharisees didn't want to hear this. Poor people would be in bliss and they the rich would be tormented. Christ was making a powerful point to them personally.
There was no real man with a hundred sheep who really lost one, there was no real woman who had ten coins and lost one, there was no real man who had 2 sons and lost one AND...there was no real rich man. These parables were an attempt to get through to these rich and powerful men that they should not look down on others.
These men didn't like Christ because He stood up for sinners, and poor people, and for women (the woman caught in adultery) and for all the social outcasts of that society.
This is the real and deep meaning of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Comfort is coming for the Lazarus's of the world. For the people who haven't had it so good in this life.
Christ knew that the rich will have it rough later...and that it would be hard for an ultra rich man to even make it in the Kingdom of God. Now Jesus is not against wealth.
He is concerned with how it is used. The story of Zacchaeus shows Jesus commending a wealthy and formerly corrupt man who became generous with his resources (19:1-10). But Jesus wants to warn about the danger of abusing resources.
This story of an unrepentant rich man reveals the tragedy of learning this lesson. His deep pockets had been sewn tight when it came to others.
More Clear Scriptures on the subject of Eternal Life vs Death:
"This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life." (I John 5:11-12)
Do you see the simple, beautiful, clear message of the gospel here?
God is just trying to save his beloved fallen creation, humanity, from the wages of sin. Ezekiel 18:32 reveals the heart of God well on this matter: “ ‘For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,’ declares the Sovereign LORD. The above scripture does not say or even imply any concept of any kind of eternal torture. It just says you cannot have life without Yeshua.
A God of mercy and compassion could never torture anything or anyone, let alone do it for all eternity. Carefully consider these verses: Psalm 104:35: “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.” Simply take this verse for exactly what it says, adding nothing to it.
It is consistent with all that we have seen so far about the fate of the wicked.
The next series of verses is stronger.
Psalm 37:9-12, 20, 22, 29: “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yes, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes upon him with his teeth…But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away…For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off…The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” There is no confusing this description of the fate of the wicked.
Also, note that the meek do not inherit heaven but rather inherit the earth. Christ quoted this same verse when describing the inheritance that true Christians will receive (Matt. 5:5).
So what happens to the people who willingly reject Christ and his love in this life? Possibly two things and eternal torment isn't one of them. The answer is simple. It's a truth we have read time and time again but never understood.
They Perish! BUT NOT FOREVER!!!!
This another thought provoking video on Lazarus and the rich man parable:
BUT! THERE MAY BE MORE TO THIS STORY IN THE VIDEOS BELOW!
They cease to exist.
For a time, BUT NOT FOREVER!!!
They have no more life..for now..but not forever!!!! Because remember, the act of saving people is from God's grace and no works any man can boast!
They will NOT be eternally tormented and tortured for all eternity.
Let's look at the dictionary definition below.__per·ish__ /ˈperiSH/verb. synonyms:
h1.
CEASE TO EXIST, To Be Totally Destroyed, die, lose one's life, be killed, fall, expire, meet one's death, be lost, lay down one's life, breathe one's last, pass away, synonyms: come to an end, die (away), disappear, vanish, fade, dissolve, evaporate, melt away, wither.
Do any of these definitions even remotely say "live forever in torment?"
This doctrine of eternal torment is the most evil idea ever invented that is passed off as "Christianity".
ONE FINAL THOUGHT AND TWO VIDEOS YOU MUST SEE!!!
There is a school of thought that God will redeem every person that has ever lived in the concept of the total reconciliation of man. That is a distinct possibility as well and we are really leaning toward this truth and we would encourage everyone to do a study on this concept.
We didn't go too much into that here, but there are many scriptures that indicate that this may be the case. But one thing we know for sure and that's that the concept of eternal torment in some everlasting fire is the biggest heresy ever taught and is straight out of the occult and occult teachings.
The below videos are a good place to start:
THIS IS A GREAT VIDEO ON WHY THERE IS NO "ETERNAL TORMENT"
Here's another good video put out by Martin Zender who you heard from earlier on the absurdity of "eternal torment".
NOTE: I really don't like using one person's videos too much, but he's absolutely right on so I need to post them.
THE BOOK OF JUDE REFUTES AND KIND OF "ETERNAL TORMENT"!
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IN CONCLUSION:
GOD WILL RECONCILE "ALL" THINGS THRU HIM. NO ONE WILL LIVE IN REBELLION FOREVER.
WE WILL "ALL" BE RECONCILED! THAT'S EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS!!!
THERE WILL BE A TIME WHEN EVERY PERSON THAT EVER LIVED WILL ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS IS LORD AND THUS BE SAVED.
ONCE AGAIN EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS!!!! WHAT BETTER WAY. FOR GOD TO HAVE ALL THE GLORY THAN TO RECONCILE ALL THINGS TO HIMSELF!!!
THIS PUTS AD END TO THE CONCEPT OF "ETERNAL TORMENT".
THE GOOD NEWS!!!
NOTE: EVEN THOUGH JESUS WAS NOT HIS REAL NAME BUT IT WAS RATHER "YESHUA or YAHUSHA", WE WILL LEAVE THE NAME JESUS IN AT TIMES BELOW WHEN QUOTING FROM OTHER SOURCES.
WE WILL ALSO INCLUDE AN ARTICLE BELOW ON JESUS' REAL NAME ALONG WITH THE FALSE IMAGE OF THE CHRIST YOU WILL WANT TO READ.
YESHUA'S SUFFERING FROM A MEDICAL POINT OF VIEW:
CRUCIFIXION IS THE WORST TORTURE EVER DEVISED:
YESHUA'S EXECUTION WAS WORSE THAN IS PORTRAYED IN MOST "CHURCHES".
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NOW TO THE RESURRECTION OF YESHUA AND WHY WE WILL ALL BE RESURRECTED!!
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BEFORE WE GET STARTED: IT WAS PREDICTED HE WOULD COME.
THE ODDS OF ALL THIS COMING TRUE BY COINCIDENCE IS A STATISTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY.
THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF YESHUA: CAN IT BE PROVEN TODAY IN A COURT OF LAW?
At the age of 33, Yeshua was condemned to the death penalty. At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yeshua was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.
Each nail was 6 to 9 inches long. The nails were driven into His wrist. Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There is a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder.
The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist, that tendon would tear and break, forcing Yeshua to use His back muscles to support Himself so that He could breathe.
REMEMBER, HE DID THIS SO YOU AND I CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!!! HE DIED FOR EVERYONE! NOT JUST "BELIEVERS"!
Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Yeshua could not support Himself with His legs because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and then using His legs just to continue to breathe. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, and the courage!
Yeshua endured this reality for over 3 hours.
Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Yeshua stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from His wounds.
From common images, we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side. But do we realize the magnitude of the wounds actually made in His body?
A hammer driving large nails through the wrist. The feet overlapping and an even larger nail hammered through the arches. Then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But before the nails and the spear, Yeshua was whipped and beaten.
The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and His beard was ripped from His face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture.
WHILE THE ABOVE PICTURE IS WHAT PEOPLE THINK THE NAILS LOOKED LIKE, THEY REALLY WERE THIS.
AND 9 INCHES LONG:
HERE'S MORE ON THIS:
AND THIS:
LET'S LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CROSS AND CRUCIFIXION WHICH MOST "RELIGIONS" WILL NOT TELL YOU:
He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds.
The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood. Yeshua poured all 3.5 liters of His blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His chest.
All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own cross beam for almost 2 kilometers (2100 yards), while the crowd spat in His face and threw stones, (the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight (70 pounds), only for its higher part, where His hands were nailed).
Yeshua had to endure this experience, so that you and I can have free access to God. So that our sins could be "washed" away. All of them! With no exception! YESHUA DIED FOR US! When it comes to the subject of the resurrection of the Christ, (literally his name was pronounced Yeshua).
Many tend to believe it can't be proven but must be accepted on faith alone. While faith is an important issue when it comes to the Bible, lets take a look at the facts surrounding the resurrection of Yeshua (English translation "Joshua" and every international translation "Jesus").
The fact is:
COULD THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS BE PROVEN TODAY FROM A MODERN DAY JURY IN A COURT OF LAW?
In short, there is more proof that Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead, than we have that Julius Caesar even lived. If you find that hard to believe, then read on.
**Evidence and Proof**
Some excerpts of the article below are from: Rory Roybal
The reason I initially considered Biblical Christianity is because it is the only belief system massively supported by historical evidence that can be objectively verified. It has the only set of 'scriptures' in the world filled with real places, real people, real historical accounts, and real scientific claims that are proven accurate when critically investigated.
The Bible is also the only record that had a significant amount of future prophecy when written (~1/3). Man-made religions don't come close to matching up to the overwhelming and flawless physical evidence that has been thoroughly examined and verified from the Bible.
The Legal Perspective of Jesus Christ's Resurrection and Character
SIMON GREENLEAF: A HARVARD PROFESSOR AND EXPERT OF EVIDENCE
Simon Greenleaf was royal professor of law at Harvard and a main founder of the Harvard law school. Greenleaf, was considered to be the greatest expert of evidence the world had ever known. He wrote the famous legal volume.
A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, which many consider to be the greatest legal volume ever written. Greenleaf was a skeptic firmly set against Christianity, and taught his students Christianity was false. When one of his students challenged him to investigate evidence for Christianity for himself, he set out to disprove the Biblical testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Greenleaf was certain that a careful examination of the internal witness of the Gospels would dispel all myths at the heart of Christianity, and disprove it once and for all. However, this legal scholar concluded Bible eyewitnesses were reliable and that Christ's bodily death and resurrection were objective fact. If anyone should be qualified to state the reliability of Christ's resurrection as an actual historical event according to the laws of legal evidence, it is Greenleaf. After years of exhaustive research and analysis, Greenleaf concluded:
“ The foundation of our belief is a basis of fact - the fact of the birth, ministry, miracles, death, resurrection by the Evangelists as having actually occurred, within their own personal knowledge ... it was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually rose from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact. ”
---Simon Greenleaf
Simon Greenleaf, LL.D., The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined by the Rules of Evidence, Grand Rapids, MI, Kregel Classics 1995.
Regarding the character of Jesus Christ portrayed by the Evangelists, Greenleaf determined:
“ The great character they have portrayed is perfect. It is the character of a sinless being, of one supremely wise and supremely good. It exhibits no error, no sinister intention, no imprudence, no ignorance, no evil passion, no impatience; in a word, no fault; but all is perfect uprightness, innocence, wisdom, goodness and truth. ”
Simon Greenleaf, LL.D., Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists, by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice, with an Account of the Trial of Jesus, Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown 1846, p. 67.
Eyewitnesses to the Resurrection and Miracles of Jesus Christ The entire framework of the Bible is based on reliable eyewitness accounts, which are the strongest form of legal evidence.
These accounts include multiple eyewitness testimonies of the unique birth, life, miracles, death and bodily resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
Eyewitnesses included many people who knew Christ face to face for three years, such as the Apostles, so they could not have mistaken His identity.
They saw, heard, touched, ate and drank with Christ after his bodily resurrection for 40 days. This overwhelming physical evidence overcame their initial incredulity and disbelief.
They were so sure of their experience that they were also willing to die for what they knew to be true. Some people may sometimes die for a lie that they believe to be true, but for a large group of individuals to all willingly endure severe persecution throughout their lives and die torturous deaths for something they know to be a lie (which they certainly would have known), doesn't happen. -- 
The Supreme Justice of the Supreme Court said that Greenleaf's testimony is the most basic and compelling testimony that can be accepted in any english speaking court in the world.
When Greenleaf spoke, that settled the matter. He was far and away the most knowledgeable person on evidence the world had ever known.
The London Times said that more light on jurisprudence had come from Greenleaf than all the jurists of Europe combined.
Greenleaf had one inviolable principle in his classrooms at Harvard, and that was, you never make up your mind about any significant matter without first considering the evidence.
Greenleaf was not a Christian. When challenged by one of his students with this principle, he admitted that he had not considered the evidence. When he did, he became a Christian: believed in the deity, death and resurrection of Jesus.
SIMON GREENLEAF, THE WORD'S MOST PROMINENT AUTHORITY ON EVIDENCE SUBMITTED TO A JURY WROTE:
After examining every thread of information he could find he said in his book, The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined for the Rules of Evidence, Greenleaf concluded:
**"If any unbiased jury in the world considered the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, they would have to conclude that Jesus of Nazareth actually rose from the dead."**
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And so he became a believer that Jesus was God and was converted.
He wrote, "In requiring this candor and simplicity of mind and those who would investigate the truth of our religion."
He sees that Christianity is, in fact, the only evidential historical religion in the world, and the whole things rests upon evidence which he finds so compelling and so overwhelming that any honest person with an open mind examining the evidence would be like himself inescapably drawn to accept it and so he sets forth his first rule of legal evidence and for any other ancient document.
"Every document apparently ancient coming from the proper repository or custody and bearing on its face no evident marks of forgery, the law presumes to be genuine and devolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise."
"This ancient document, the Scripture, has come from the proper repository, that is, it is has been in the hands of the persons of the Church for 2000 years almost and it bears on its face no evident marks of forgery and therefore the law presumes it to be genuine and those who would presume otherwise upon them devolves the responsibility of proving it to be false. We don't have to prove it to be true. They have to prove it to be false. That's what the law says."
(Simon Greenleaf, The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined for the Rules of Evidence) "It was IMPOSSIBLE that the apostles could have persisted in affirming the truths they had narrated, had not JESUS CHRIST ACTUALLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD "
There are many miracles recorded in the gospel records, but not a single conflict in prepositional logic among the accounts.
Therefore, there is no logical or historical reason to consider these accounts as invalid (barring devotion to the atheistic/naturalistic ‘religious’ assumption that miracles are impossible).
As expected with genuine eyewitness accounts, and as I have personally witnessed in jury trials, different witnesses in the Bible's Gospel records naturally focus on different people and events. If the Gospel accounts matched exactly, this would make their independence suspect, and they would be less credible from a legal perspective.
Even Christ’s disciples had a very hard time believing his resurrection, though he specifically predicted this and told them in advance. In fact, they rejected it over and over until they saw him with their own eyes, heard, touched and ate with Him.
Their initial skepticism is understandable, but they were finally overwhelmed by verifiable evidence. The reactions of people recorded in the Bible seem very natural, and add credibility to the accounts.
Witnesses who saw Christ alive and well after His death and resurrection were numerous at the time, (500 total). These events were recorded and they were certainly carefully examined at the time. If these eyewitnesses were not credible, Christianity would have stopped before it started, since Christianity is foundationally based on the divine identity, physical death and bodily resurrection of Christ. h
The resurrection of Christ is shown to be one of the best proven facts of history. Greenleaf concluded that according to the jurisdiction of legal evidence the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the best supported event in all of history!
Not only that, Dr. Greenleaf was so convinced by the overwhelming evidence, he committed his life to Jesus Christ!
What changed his mind?
What evidence did Dr. Greenleaf encounter that so drastically turned him around? What facts did he discover that he could not rationally ignore? In order to answer that, let's go back to that scene nearly 2,000 years ago.
That night in the garden of Gethsemene, as a blood-thirsty mob came and arrested Jesus Christ. He was brought before Pilate, and there in plain view, Jesus Christ was spit upon, cursed, he was laughed at, whipped, beaten. He was branded a blasphemer.
And He was sentenced to die by the most extreme, shameful form of capital punishment ever devised — crucifixion. Galatians 3:13 reads, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree".
In the eyes of the deceived world, Jesus Christ died a curse.
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He died as a criminal.
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He died in open shame and disgrace.
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How sad is it that they couldn't see he did this for them!!
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And there stood His apostles — in stunned unbelief.
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Here was their hope. Here were 12 men that had forsaken all and followed this man.
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They believed in this man for 3 years.
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Can you imagine what was going on in their minds?
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Didn't He heal the sick?
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Didn't we see Him walk on water?
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Didn't we see Him raise people from the dead?
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Didn't we see Him still the raging storm? Then to end like this?
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THAT NIGHT, THERE STOOD 12 DEFEATED AND CONFUSED MEN!
They had given up everything for naught and then to die like He did.
Beaten, smitten, humiliated, guilty, blasphemer.
A complete disgrace!
Or so it seemed to them.
Oh how wrong were they! -- And Mark 14:50, says, "And they all forsook him, and fled".
There was the apostle Peter, the one who boasted, just days earlier, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee." (Matthew 26:35)
There he was that night, standing in the mob, defeated, confused, and hurt. Jesus was dead! He was crucified as a blasphemer!
One of the women saw Peter and said, "you were one of them, you was with Jesus of Nazareth". The Bible says "he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak." (Mark 14:71) Three times Peter denied the Lord, cursing and swearing,
"I know not this man".
"And they all forsook him, and fled!"
BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED!
**Something happened to that small band of frightened and humiliated men. . . Less than two months later, they went back into Jerusalem boldly preaching, at the threat of death, that: JESUS CHRIST WAS ALIVE!**
Listen to Peter in Acts 2,: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs. . . ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. . .
THIS JESUS HATH GOD RAISED UP, WHEREOF WE ALL ARE WITNESSES."
What transformed these fearful and confused men into fierce, bold lions? Acts chapter 4:18-19, reads, "And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." -- And verse 20 reads, "For we cannot but speak the things which WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD".
What had these men seen?
What had these men heard? What was it that beatings, jail, torture and even death could not silence? In Acts 5, they put in jail and beaten and verse 41 says "And they departed. . . rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name".
What had these 12 men seen that they would eventually die a horrible death for? -- Friend, there's only one event in the history of this universe that could explain such a change.
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST!
One theory suggests the apostles fabricated the resurrection. Two major problems: One, If the body of Jesus Christ was available, you'd better believe, the Roman authorities would have paraded His body for all to see. Christianity was spreading like a wild fire!
And nothing could have quenched that flame quicker than the body of Jesus Christ! An article, suggesting Jesus faked His death and resurrection, appeared in the prestigious British Journal of the Royal College of Physicians.
The article makes the assertion, "the whole episode was planned by Jesus and his followers. . . that death would be feigned so that early removal from the cross might be secured." --
Do you know the problem with that? if the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not true, there were 12 men that knew it! -- Remember, friend: THESE MEN WERE EYEWITNESSES! They were there! --
"Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were EYEWITNESSES. . ."
Luke 1:2 -- "That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN WITH OUR EYES, which we have LOOKED UPON, and our HANDS HAVE HANDLED. . ." 1 John 1:1 -- "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were EYEWITNESSES of his majesty." 2 Peter 1:16 --
And these men went so far as seal their testimony with their blood! They died a horrible and martyrs death!
WOULD ALL THESE MEN DIE FOR A LIE. KNOWING IT WAS A LIE?
There is no way, these 12 men could have all been deceived.
For this reason, how could these 12 men die for a lie? Here is the catch. IF THEY KNEW IT WAS A LIE!
If the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a lie, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE KNOWN IT!
You can not find a group of 12 men in the history of this universe who forsook all, were beaten, were jailed and even went so far as die for a lie — KNOWING it was a lie!
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Michael Green, principal of St. John's College, Nottingham, writes concerning the apostles, "You could imprison them, flog them, kill them, but you could not make them deny their conviction that on the third day he rose again." Dr. Greenleaf wrote, "IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE that the apostles could have persisted in affirming the truths they had narrated, had not JESUS CHRIST ACTUALLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD!"
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And then there's the man called Saul of Tarsus. Saul of Tarsus thought Jesus was a false messiah, a fake, a blasphemer. And to exterminate Christianity totally, became his passion!
The Bible describes him: -- "As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison." (Acts 8:3) -- "And Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, " (Acts 9:1) -- Saul of Tarsus was one of Christianities' most rabid persecutors.
One day traveling the dusty road to Damascus, Saul burning with vengeance, with documents authorizing him to capture all the followers of Jesus.
But on the road to Damascus something happened to Saul of Tarsus. -- "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest". (Acts 9:3-5) --
And on the road to Damascus, the greatest conversion in history took place! For Saul of Tarsus, among the greatest enemies of Jesus Christ, that ever lived — became the Apostle Paul —
THE GREATEST BELIEVER THAT EVER LIVED!
What happened to this man? -- What could so transform this man, that he completely dedicated his life to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ? Who was later beheaded at Rome in 67 A.D. for his faith in Jesus Christ.
There is only one possible explanation.
YESHUA ACTUALLY ROSE FROM THE DEAD!
Gilbert West and Lord Lyttleton, two Oxford students, believed Christianity was a "tale gone mad" and they determined to refute the Christian faith. Lyttleton resolved to disprove the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and West would refute the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
They figured a careful, rational, examination of the evidence would easily disprove the Christian faith. -- But after examining the evidence — they both separately came to the opposite conclusion! Lyttleton concluded that Saul of Tarsus did, in fact, convert to the Apostle Paul through Jesus Christ.
Gilbert West concluded the following:
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The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was among the best established facts in all of history!
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West went on to write a book entitled, "Observations on the History and Evidences of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ".
Professor Thomas Arnold, former chair of history at Oxford, and author of the famous volumes, History of Rome, was skillfully educated in the study of historical facts. Professor Arnold, stated, "I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is PROVED BY BETTER AND FULLER EVIDENCE of every sort, than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."
After investigating the evidence of the resurrection, Lord Darling, former Chief Justice of England, stated, "there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true."
To deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ you have to close your eyes to the overwhelming facts of history!
Orthodox Christianity, Judaism and Islam all hold to the miracle of God's special creation of the universe and life, but only Christ proved He is the Creator and Messiah by His well authenticated miracle of bodily resurrection from the dead.
All leaders of 'religions' are dead and buried, but as Creator, Christ alone was victorious over physical death, and is the only One we must follow.
Historical and Archeological Accuracy of Old and New Testaments: Nelson Glueck was one of the greatest modern archeologists, an ordained Rabbi, and former president of the Hebrew Union College and Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He personally discovered over 1,000 ancient sites, including the copper mines of King Solomon and the ancient sea port of Ezion Geber.
After studying archeological evidence for the Bible for decades, he said:
“ It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference. ” Dr. Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert: a History of the Negev, New York, New York: Farrar, Strous and Cudahy 1959, p. 136.
The renowned Sir Frederic Kenyon was a leading authority on the reliability of ancient manuscripts, and is considered to have been one of the greatest Directors of the British Museum. He drew this conclusion:
“ The interval then, between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established. ” Kenyon, F. G., The Bible and Archaeology, New York and London: Harper 1940, pp. 288, 89.
Sir William Ramsey, an eminent British scholar and archaeologist, was a Professor at both Oxford and Cambridge. He was raised as an atheist and skeptic and was convinced the Bible was fraudulent. He believed Luke's writings were not historically sound, and that travels of the Apostle Paul recorded in the book of Acts were the weakest part of the New Testament.
Therefore, he set out to disprove the book of Acts by personally tracing the Apostle Paul's journeys, spade in hand. However, his own extensive 15-year field investigation of near east archaeology in the Bible lands forced him to completely reverse his position. He stated: -- “ I set out to look for truth on the borderland where Greece and Asia meet, and found it there.
You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian's and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment. “ Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of facts trustworthy; he is possessed of the true historic sense ...
In short, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians. ” -- Sir William Ramsey, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the trustworthiness of the New Testament, 1915, pp. 81, 222.
-- Of Ramsay's book, Josh McDowell, Christian author and former skeptic, writes: -- “ The book caused a furor of dismay among the skeptics of the world.
Its attitude was utterly unexpected because it was contrary to the announced intention of the author years before. For twenty years more, book after book from the same author came from the press, each filled with additional evidence of the exact, minute truthfulness of the whole New Testament as tested by the spade on the spot.
The evidence was so overwhelming that many infidels announced their repudiation of their former unbelief and accepted Christianity. These books have stood the test of time, not one having been refuted, nor have I found even any attempt to refute them. ” -- Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Historical Evidences for the Christian Faith, CA: Here's Life Publishers 1972, p.365.
Academia's "Outdated Bible Teaching" is a farce! Our academic institutions generally teach false and disproved information about the Bible to unwitting and trusting students.
The idea that Bible authors and historical events are not as internally stated and that the Old Testament is inconsistent with the New are common claims among skeptics, widely taught and accepted in higher academia as fact.
However, so-called 'higher criticisms' of the Bible still generally taught in university religion or philosophy courses have been completely discredited by the last century of archeology and rock solid manuscript evidence. Their ideas are obsolete, so much so that no leading historian today would dare challenge historicity of the Biblical text (all of it) and destroy their own professional reputation, regardless of theological beliefs.
Many professors still teach outdated and unfounded hypotheses and are aware they are obsolete, but don't want to change their course material for obvious personal reasons, and some have gone on record saying it would simply be too much work to change their curriculum.
Unified Old and New Testaments The Old and New Testaments form a tightly integrated whole, and are not disjointed as skeptics often claim. The New Testament was written almost exclusively by Jews well versed and believing in the Old Testament.
Much of the New Testament is exposition of the Old Testament by those who were in a position to know it best, and they directly quoted the Old Testament approximately three hundred times in the New. Paul the Apostle was an ex-Pharisee from the eminent school of Gamaliel, and Paul wrote the majority of the New Testament.
Many of the Pharisees had the Old Testament completely memorized, and Jesus Christ Himself said:
“ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled ” (Matt. 5:17-18).
It is hard to imagine any stronger statement of reverence for the Old Testament, and in no cases do New Testament writers contradict it. The Mature Science of Documentary Evidence
The mature discipline of documentary evidence is to determine whether recorded events are credible. It demands one look for things mentioned in documents that can be objectively verified, such as names of cities, cultural practices, names of people, and well known historical events.
The Bible has been intensely investigated in this area probably more than any other book, in no small part due to intense desire of skeptics to disprove it, but much also by people who are objective researchers and those who wish to further substantiate it.
New Testament accounts are precisely true according to this rigorous and objective science, despite unfounded objections of skeptics.
Precise Bible Accuracy Evidence for accuracy of the Bible is overwhelming, the greatest of all ancient books.
There are over 40,000 extant New Testament manuscripts for comparison as of this writing, and less than .0015% statistical chance of textual errors. This amounts to a few verses maximum, and none of those are direct statements of Jesus or change any basic tenets. -- William Albright was a Biblical and archeological scholar who mastered more than 26 ancient and modern languages. He stated:
“ The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, certain phrases of which still appear periodically, has been progressively discredited.
Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history. ”
-- Albright, William F., The Archaeology of Palestine and the Bible, Ada, MI: Revell 1935, p. 127.
-- Millar Burrows, renowned Professor of Archaeology at Yale University, exposed the cause of persistent unbelief:
“ The excessive skepticism of many liberal theologians stems not from a careful evaluation of the available data, but from an enormous predisposition against the supernatural. ” -- Burrows, Millar, What Mean These Stones? New York, NY: Meridian Books 1956, p. 176.
Early Writings Dr. John A. T. Robinson, lecturer at Trinity College, Cambridge, and one of England's most distinguished scholars, originally accepted 'late dating' of New Testament books.
After investigating, however, he concluded that the New Testament is the work of the apostles themselves or of those who directly worked with them (such as Luke).
He dates every book of the New Testament before 70 A.D., even including John's gospel which was previously considered by many scholars to be the latest.
At one time, John's Gospel was said by scholars to have been written no earlier than 150 years or so after Jesus' lifetime. But then a fragment of papyrus was discovered in Egypt and acquired by the John Rylands Library in England.
It was discovered that Fragment 52 of the John Rylands papyrus, dated to 135 A.D. or earlier, contained portions of John 18. In other words, what is thought to be the latest New Testament book can now be conclusively dated to within at least fifty years of John's estimated lifetime, if not sooner.
William F. Albright, one of the world's foremost biblical archaeologists, wrote:
“ We can already say emphatically that there is no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80. ” -- Albright, William F., Recent Discoveries in Biblical Lands, New York, New York: Funk and Wagnalls 1955, p. 136
-- In summary, the most current discoveries and research indicate that all the books of the New Testament were written within fifty years after the events they report, which would have been during the lifetimes of eyewitnesses, as the Bible internally claims.
First Century Eyewitness Manuscripts
Early manuscripts were written and distributed long before existence of the Roman Catholic Church, or Gnostic or Montanist counterfeit 'gospels' popularized in the fictional Da Vinci Code book and movie. Therefore, any supposed deviations would be revealed in extensive manuscript evidence.
Until a few years ago, the oldest assumed manuscript was the St. John papyrus (P52), housed in the John Rylands museum in Manchester, and dated at 120 A.D. (Time, April 26, 1996, p.8).
Thus, it was thought the earliest New Testament manuscript could not be corroborated by eyewitnesses to the events. That assumption has now changed, for three even older manuscripts, one each from the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke have now been dated earlier than the Johannine account.
The Lukan papyrus, situated in a library in Paris, has been dated to the late 1st century or early 2nd century, so it predates the John papyrus by 20-30 years (Time, April 26, 1996, p.8). However, of even more importance are the manuscript findings of Mark and Matthew.
New research has now been uncovered and published in a recent book The Jesus Papyrus by Matthew D'Ancona and Dr. Carsten Thiede, mentioning a fragment from the book of Mark found among the Qumran scrolls (fragment 7Q5) showing that it was written sometime before 68 A.D.
It is important to remember that Christ died in 33 A.D., so this manuscript could have been written, at the latest, within 35 years of His death; possibly earlier, and thus during the time that eyewitnesses to that event were still alive!
The most significant find, however, is a manuscript fragment from the book of Matthew (ch. 26) called the Magdalene Manuscript. Using a sophisticated analysis of the handwriting of the fragment with a state-of-the-art microscope, Dr. Thiede differentiated between 20 separate micrometer layers of the papyrus, measuring the height and depth of the ink as well as the angle of the stylus used by the scribe.
After this analysis Thiede was able to compare it with other papyri from that period; notably manuscripts found at Qumran (dated to 58 AD), another at Herculaneum (dated prior to 79 AD), a further one from the fortress of Masada (dated to between 73/74 AD), and finally a papyrus from the Egyptian town of Oxyrynchus.
The Magdalene Manuscript fragments matches all four, and in fact is almost a twin to the papyrus found in Oxyrynchus, which bears the date of 65/66 AD. Thiede concludes that these papyrus fragments of St. Matthew's Gospel were written no later than this date and probably earlier.
This suggests that we either have a portion of the original gospel of Matthew, or an immediate copy which was written while Matthew and the other disciples and eyewitnesses to the events were still alive. This would be the oldest manuscript portion of the Bible in existence today, one which co-exists with the original writers! ref. Matthew D'Ancona and Dr. Carsten Thiede, The Jesus Papyrus, New York, New York: Galilee Trade, 2000.
An Avalanche of Evidence There are even more manuscripts written in Latin and Syriac (Christian Aramaic), some of which were written as early as 150 A.D., such as the Syriac Peshitta (150-250 A.D.). -- There are also over 32,000 quotations from the New Testament found in writings from before the council of Nicea in 325 A.D.
Quotations of the Scripture in the works of early church writers are so extensive that the New Testament could virtually be reconstructed from them without the use of New Testament manuscripts. Sir David Dalrymple sought to do this, and from the second and third century writings of the church fathers he found the entire New Testament quoted except for eleven verses!
Thus, we could throw the New Testament manuscripts away and still reconstruct it with the simple help of these letters, e.g. Clement (30- 95 A.D.), Ignatius (70-110 A.D.), who knew the apostles directly and quoted from 15 of the 27 books, and Polycarp (70-156 A.D.), a disciple of John.
The evidence at our disposal today provides us myriads of manuscripts with which to corroborate our current New Testament.
The earliest of these manuscripts have now been dated earlier than 60-70 A.D., within the lifetime of the original writers, with an outside possibility that they are the originals themselves.
On top of that we have 15,000 early translations of the New Testament, and over 2,000 lectionaries. Finally, we have scriptural quotations in the letters of the early Church fathers with which we could almost reproduce the entire New Testament.
From a documentary standpoint, it is difficult to imagine how evidence for the life, miracles, physical death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ could be stronger. From a scholarly perspective, the default assumption of truth goes to the authors, and the burden of proof is on others to clearly prove why the consistent eyewitness accounts are not true based on fallacious internal or external evidence.
Skeptics almost always take an other approach, revealing extreme bias against the message, simply because they don't want to believe what God says in his word and/or don't want to be accountable to him. As of today, manuscript evidence is rock solid, so we definitely have in our hands what was originally written, and the Bible's consistent eyewitness accounts are worthy to be believed.
All evidence we could reasonably expect for the life, miracles, resurrection and deity of Jesus Christ is in our hands today.
Credible eyewitnesses carefully recorded dates, times, and events, and these written records are supported by overwhelming manuscript evidence according to the reliable and mature discipline of documentary science.
This evidence aligns precisely with well known historical events, further substantiating eyewitness testimony.
If the Bible is 100% accurate on events which are provable (including hundreds of fulfilled prophecies, present in no other religions),
It should be considered accurate for events with no human eyewitnesses, and for which God Himself is the only eyewitness. These events include God’s creation of the universe and future events, which no man can know from direct experience, but will determine the eternal destiny of each of us.
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The mathematical proof that Jesus is in fact who he said he was:
Biblical Prophesy Here's more evidence detailing the probability of Jesus fulfilling Old Testament prophecy by chance. --
The reason why prophecy is an indication of the divine authorship of the Scriptures, and hence a testimony to the trustworthiness of the Message of the Scriptures, is because of the minute probability of fulfillment. --
Anyone can make predictions. Having those prophecies fulfilled is vastly different. In fact, the more statements made about the future, and the more the detail, then the less likely the precise fulfillment will be.
For example, what's the likelihood of a person predicting today the exact city in which the birth of a future leader would take place, well into the 21st century?
This is indeed what the prophet Micah did 700 years before the Messiah. Further, what is the likelihood of predicting the precise manner of death that a new, unknown religious leader would experience, a thousand years from now - a manner of death presently unknown, and to remain unknown for hundreds of years? Yet, this is what David did in 1000 B.C.
Again, what is the likelihood of predicting the specific date of the appearance of some great future leader, hundreds of years in advance? This is what Daniel did, 530 years before Christ.
If one were to conceive 50 specific prophecies about a person in the future, whom one would never meet, just what's the likelihood that this person will fulfill all 50 of the predictions?
How much less would this likelihood be if 25 of these predictions were about what other people would do to him, and were completely beyond his control?
For example, how does someone "arrange" to be born in a specific family?
How does one "arrange" to be born in a specified city, in which their parents don't actually live?
How does one "arrange" their own death - and specifically by crucifixion, with two others, and then "arrange" to have their executioners gamble for His clothing (John 16:19; Psalms 22:18)?
How does one "arrange" to be betrayed in advance?
How does one "arrange" to have the executioners carry out the regular practice of breaking the legs of the two victims on either side, but not the legs of Jesus?
Finally, how does one "arrange" to be God's ONLY SON?
How does one escape from a grave and appear to people after having been killed?
Indeed, it may be possible for someone to fake one or two of the Messianic prophecies, but it would be impossible for any one person to arrange and fulfill all of these prophecies.
Here's a true story of how governments use prearranged identification signs to identify correct agents: David Greenglass was a World War II traitor.
He gave atomic secrets to the Russians and then fled to Mexico after the war.
His conspirators arranged to help him by planning a meeting with the secretary of the Russian ambassador in Mexico City. Proper identification for both parties became vital.
Greenglass was to identify himself with six prearranged signs. These instructions had been given to both the secretary and Greenglass so there would be no possibility of making a mistake.
They were: (1) once in Mexico City, Greenglass was to write a note to the secretary, signing his name as "I. JACKSON";
(2) after three days he was to go to the Plaza de Colon in Mexico City and
(3) stand before the statue of Columbus,
(4) with his middle finger placed in a guide book. In addition,
(5) when he was approached, he was to say it was a magnificent statue and that he was from Oklahoma.
(6) The secretary was to then give him a passport. --
These six prearranged signs worked. Why? With six identifying characteristics it was impossible for the secretary not to identify Greenglass as the proper contact (John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Walter Kaiser, "The Case for Jesus The Messiah", Melbourne: Pacific College Study Series, 1994, 17-18). --
How true, then, it must be that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, if he had 456 identifying characteristics well in advance, and fulfilled them all! In fact, what does the science of probability make of this?
The science of probability attempts to determine the chance that a given event will occur. The value and accuracy of the science of probability has been well established beyond doubt - for example, insurance rates are fixed according to statistical probabilities.
Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, Peter Stoner, has calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies made concerning the Messiah. The estimates were worked out by twelve different classes representing some 600 university students.
The students carefully weighed all the factors, discussed each prophecy at length, and examined the various circumstances which might indicate that men had conspired together to fulfill a particular prophecy. They made their estimates conservative enough so that there was finally unanimous agreement even among the most skeptical students.
However Professor Stoner then took their estimates, and made them even more conservative. He also encouraged other skeptics or scientists to make their own estimates to see if his conclusions were more than fair.
Finally, he submitted his figures for review to a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. Upon examination, they verified that his calculations were dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented (Peter Stoner, Science Speaks, Chicago: Moody Press, 1969, 4).
For example, concerning Micah 5:2, where it states the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah, Stoner and his students determined the average population of BETHLEHEM from the time of Micah to the present; then they divided it by the average population of the earth during the same period.
They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 300,000.
After examining only eight different prophecies (Idem, 106), they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10 to the 17th power!
To illustrate how large the number 10 to the seventeenth is (a figure with 17 zeros), Stoner gave this illustration: If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten.
Suppose that we take 10 to the 17th power.... silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They'll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state.
Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one.
What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would've had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom (Idem, 106-107).
In financial terms, is there anyone who would not invest in a financial venture if the chance of failure were only one in 10 to the 17th This is the kind of sure investment we're offered by god for faith in His Messiah.
From these figures, Professor Stoner, concludes the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of the prophecies (Idem, 107) - the likelihood of mere chance is only one in 10 to the 17th.
Another way of saying this is that any person who minimizes or ignores the significance of the biblical identifying signs concerning the Messiah would be foolish.
But, of course, there are many more than eight prophecies.
In another calculation, Stoner used 48 prophecies (Idem, 109) (even though he could have used Edersheim's 456), and arrived at the extremely conservative estimate that the probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person is the incredible number 10 to the 157th.
In fact, if anybody can find someone, living or dead, other than Jesus, who can fulfill only half of the predictions concerning the Messiah given in the book "Messiah in Both Testaments" by Fred J. Meldau, the Christian Victory Publishing Company is ready to give a ONE thousand dollar reward!
As apologist Josh McDowell says, "There are a lot of men in the universities that could use some extra cash!" (Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, California: Campus Crusade for Christ, 175). --
How large is the number one in 10 to the 157th?
It contains 15,700,000,000,000,000,000 zeros!
Stoner gives an illustration of this number using electrons.
Electrons are very small objects. They're smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10^15 of them, laid side by side, to make one inch.
Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long (Stoner, op. cit, 109).
With this introduction, let's go back to our chance of one in 10 to the 157th.
Let's suppose that we're taking this number of electrons, marking one, and thoroughly stirring it into the whole mass, then blindfolding a man and letting him try to find the right one.
What chance has he of finding the right one? What kind of a pile will this number of electrons make? They make an inconceivably large volume.
This is the result from considering a mere 48 prophecies.
Obviously, the probability that 456 prophecies would be fulfilled in one man by chance is vastly smaller. According to Emile Borel, once one goes past one chance in 10to the 50th, the probabilities are so small that it is impossible to think that they will ever occur (Ankerberg et. al., op. cit., 21).
As Stoner concludes, 'Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world (Stoner, op. cit., 112).'
God so thoroughly vindicated Jesus Christ that even mathematicians and statisticians, who were without faith, had to acknowledge that it is scientifically impossible to deny that Jesus is the Christ. our thanks to David Williams, a mathematician who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Sources outside the Bible that validate It's validity.
Now some people may be saying you can't use the Bible to validate the Bible.
Okay, let's look at other historians, many of whom were not followers of Jesus:
Jesus Christ - An Historical Fact by JackWellman:
Perhaps most people don’t believe in Jesus Christ because they think that the only written record of His life is restricted to the Bible and many people see scriptures as less than 100% convincing. In fact, some go so far as to say that He never even existed or He was just a good teacher.
This is hard to believe, since even the non-religious or other world religions have heard of Him. And there are enormous amounts of secular history from secular Historians who were contemporaries’ of Jesus and that go into great detail in writing about Him that are most convincing.
And these Historians included almost every culture in the world at that time. Here is what they wrote. THALLUS:
Thallus is perhaps the earliest secular writer to mention Jesus in his writings….even though his writings are so ancient, that no copies exist but those of Julius Africanus, who writing around 221AD quotes Thallus.
Thallus and Africanus both explain mention a strange darkness that occurred at the point of Jesus’ crucifixion. And these stories of a “strange darkness” were written about far and wide on the earth. They all coincided with around 32-33AD.
AFRICANUS: Africanus writes that “Thallus in the third book of his histories, explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun…” This record of Thallus, confirms that Jesus lived, and was crucified and that something highly unusual and unexplainable happened on that day.
There were many reports of various earthquakes, destruction, and a “strange darkness”. -- Africanus also mentions a historian named Phlegon who wrote a chronological history around 140AD.
In this history, Phlegon also mentions the darkness surrounding the crucifixion in an effort to explain it, but even more interestingly, he mentions Jesus’ ability to foresee the future in describing the life of our Savior.
JOSEPHUS: Josephus (AD 37 – c. 100), born of a priestly and royal ancestry, survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 …and he was a prodigy.
At age 13, he was already a consultant for the Jewish rabbis, by 16 he became a Galilean military commander and a Roman Citizen.
And being under the rule of roman emperor Vespasian, he was allowed to write a first-century history of the Jews. Being a devout Jew and Roman Citizen, Josephus could hardly be described as a hostile witness.
He wrote more about Kings the Messiah’s, but Josephus makes references to the Saducees, the names of Jewish High Priests of the time, the Pharisees and the Essenes, the Herodian Temple, Quirinius' census and the Zealots. He also writes of such figures as Pontius Pilate, Herod the Great, Agrippa I and Agrippa II, John the Baptist, James the brother of Jesus, and to Jesus.
He even describes the death of John the Baptist, mentions the execution of James. All of which are described in the New Testament -- People, groups, times and events written about are corroborated in the New Testament by Josephus’ history.
He describes the death of John the Baptist , and calls James the brother of “Jesus the Christ“. In his final passage he writes that Jesus was a wise man and the Messiah, and there is a retelling the resurrection story! All of which is described as such in the Bible.
Josephus writes in his Antiquities of the Jews (18.63-64; 3.3). -- “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure.
He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ.
And when Pilate , at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”
The interesting thing is that the Historian Origen states that Josephus was "not believing in Jesus as the Christ" [1.] "he did not accept Jesus as Christ" [2.], but Josephus’ declares in the Jesus to be Christ (in the Testimonium).
The manuscript evidence in support of the iron-clad reference to Jesus in Josephus is very strong and accepted by the great majority of professional historians. Between the New Testament and Josephus, there is no serious reason whatsoever to doubt the historical 'existence' of the Jesus of Nazareth behind those references.
All the relevant non-Jewish historical sources of the time mention Jesus! It is nearly universal. Not just in the books, but common knowledge of Jesus life and death among the people.
This was not done under cover, but out in the open as much as could be possible.
The Crucifixion was done on a hill, and always by a man thoroughfare, for all to see, far and wide.
The list is enormous: Tacitus (Annals, AD 115-120), Suetonius (Lives of the Caesars, AD 125), Lucian (mid-2nd century), Galen (AD 150; De pulsuum differentiis 2.4; 3.3) Celsus (True Discourse, AD 170), Mara Bar Serapion (pre AD-200?), Jewish Talmudic References (AD 300).
Jesus historicity and story became known from the Mediterranean to Africa to Asia-Minor, and into most of the known world at the time.
One example was around 70AD, when a Syrian philosopher named Mara Bar-Serapion, writing to encourage his son, compares the life and persecution of Jesus with that of other philosophers who were persecuted for their ideas. He used Him as an example of being persecuted for your belief.
The fact that Jesus is known to be a real person with this kind of influence is important. It should not surprise us.
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VERDICT!
ANY IMPARTIAL JURY IN TODAYS COURTS WOULD IN FACT CONCLUDE THAT YESHUA (JESUS) DID IN FACT DIE AND ROSE AGAIN!!!!!!
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YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ OUR ARTICLE ON THE "ETERNAL TORMENT" LIE THAT IS STILL TAUGHT IN MOST "CHRISTIAN" CHURCHES. IN OUR OPINION, ANY CHURCH THAT TEACHES THIS DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WORD "LOVE" REALLY IS OR WHO GOD REALLY IS. READ HERE WHY THE "ETERNAL TORMENT" DOCTRINE CANNOT POSSIBLY BE TRUE:
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NOW WHAT ABOUT THE FALSE MESSIAH WE ARE WARNED ABOUT? WHAT IS THE BEAST SYSTEM AND HOW ARE MOST "RELIGIONS" PART OF THE POWERFUL DELUSION?
Yahusha is Yahuah!
It has been an ongoing debate for thousands of years.
Who is the Biblical Antichrist? People have been speculating on who this "man" might be and they are always wrong.
While we think it's very possible that "The Antichrist" may in fact be a coming World dictator that will have complete control of The New World Order, we also think people are missing the Antichrist that is hidden in plain sight and has long been in front of everyone all along.
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"Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God…
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie…" (2 Thess. 2:3,4;9-11)
Many preach this Scripture to show that the Jews must have rebuilt (or are going to rebuild) the temple.
But taking all other Scripture into consideration, wouldn’t it make sense that, if we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the temple of God, then this Scripture isn’t referring to an antichrist person who comes in and sits down as God in the literal temple of God that is rebuilt, but is in fact something that comes forth sitting as God in the Body of Christ, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he sits as God in the “church” – or in the Body of Christ, or in the temple of the Holy Spirit, or among the people of God – showing himself that he is God (that is, taking the preeminence as though he spoke for God, or was the representation of God, or is God)?
That’s what John is eluding to when he talks about Diotrephes in Third John:
Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence, and would not allow John to come and minister to the saints.[1] What we see in 2 Thessalonians 2 is not a literal antichrist who comes and sits down in a literal temple, but what we see is a warning of a religious system that will rise up from within the Body of Christ.
It’s not talking about Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism or Paganism or Atheism. You might call it “Churchianity” – but it’s a "religious system" that comes forth as God, takes the place of God, and is antichrist. It gets in the way of a simple, abiding relationship with Jesus and it replaces a Christ-centered faith with a church-centered faith, a self-centered faith.
All the proof and evidence you need to realize this is in this Scripture: “…exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
-Chip Brogden
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WHAT IS TRUE "CHRISTIANITY?"
THE BEST TRANSLITERATION IS:
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GOD THE FATHER IS: "YAHOO-AH"
THE SON IS: "YAHOO-SHAH"
HERE IS A GOOD STUDY ON THAT SUBJECT:
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To start with, let's define what "Christianity" is and the difference between "Jesus" and "Yeshua" or "Yahusha".
First, we are going to talk about the fact that there are two different and distinct forms of "Christianity" as well as "Christs".
The first is "true" Christianity which comes from "Scripture" which was written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. Scholars generally recognize three languages as original biblical languages:
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. Language of the Hebrew Bible.
The Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh (Hebrew: ×ª× "ך ), consists of 39 books. "Hebrew" in "Hebrew Bible" may refer to either the Hebrew language or to the Hebrew people who historically used.
There are also three other books that possibly should be included here like the book of Enoch, Jasher and Jubilee. The reason why these books should be included is because Scripture specifically mentions these books and Enoch himself.
The book of Enoch goes into all kinds of detail about the Nephilium and the Giants that were the result of fallen Angels being sexually involved with human women before the flood of Noah.
While the book is fascinating to read, it is important to note that the first book of Enoch is not part of Scripture in the West, although there are compelling arguments that it should be and actually is included in the Ethiopian Bible.
The book was quoted in the Apocryphal book of Baruch, and in several early church manuscripts: Barnabas 16:5, Idolatry 15:6 (Tertullian), and Eccl. Proph 3 (Clement of Alexandria).
Some have speculated that Jude 14-15 is a quote from the book of Enoch and concluded that Jude regarded Enoch as Scripture.
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MORE ON THIS INCREDIBLE STORY:
A NOTE ON THE BOOK OF ENOCH
From Barbara Hartwell.
In 1946 what are now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered near an ancient settlement, Qumran. h1. Among these manuscripts were the majority of portions of a non-canonical extra-biblical text, the Book of Enoch. The Book of Enoch is comprised of five books
The Book of Watchers, Book of Parables, The Astronomical Book, The Dream Visions, and The Epistles of Enoch, roughly 100 chapters, though some are missing.
These chapters document the story of the 7th patriarch in the Book of Genesis, Enoch, the father of Methuselah and grandfather of Noah. The Book of Enoch provides a different and far more detailed history than we find in the biblical account of Noah’s Ark.
Enoch tells of the Watchers, otherwise known as the fallen angels. (See Genesis 6 in the Bible.)
The Watchers, in their ungodly lust for the daughters of men, engaged in sexual relations with them. The Book of Enoch tells of the children born of the Watchers and human women, called the Nephilim, the Giants who wreaked havoc on God's Creation, despoiling and desecrating the earth, committing perversions with both humans and animals.
Enoch was included in the canon of the Old Testament of the Coptic Church in Ethiopia, but otherwise was rejected by those at the Council of Nicea (325 AD).
The Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10:12-13 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon.
It is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, that mournful funeral song which David composed at the time of the death of Saul and Jonathan.
Enoch is mentioned on dozens of places including: Hebrews 11:5, Jude 1:14 and Genesis 4:17 along with dozens of other versus.
Jubilee is talked about in: Leviticus 25:8-55 and many other places as well.
ONE THING WE NEED FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHO CLAIM TO BE "CHRISTIAN" IS THE CURRENT STATE OF ISRAEL IS NOT OCCUPIED BY THE HEBREWS OF THE BIBLE.
IT IS OCCUPIED BY IMPOSTERS WHO CLAIM TO BE JEWISH BUT ARE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ARE "PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE JEWISH BUT ARE THE "SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN" AND CONTROLLED BY THE NEW WORLD ORDER!
BELOW: CLICK TO ENLARGE:
In the letters to the early Christian churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9, reference is made to a synagogue of Satan (Greek: συναγωγή τοῦ Σατανᾶ, synagoge tou satana), in each case referring to a group persecuting the church "who say they are Jews and are not".
CAREY WEDLER IS JEWISH (HEBREW) AND SHE EXPOSES THIS!!
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JESUS AND YESHUA/YAHUSHA
Yeshua/Yahusha is the REAL Christ associated true Christianity.
He was a middle Eastern "Hebrew". Yeshua or Y'shua ( ישוע with vowel pointing ×™ֵשׁוּ×¢ַ – yēšūă‘ in Hebrew) was a common alternative form of the name ×™ְהוֹשֻׁ×¢ַ ("Yehoshua" – Joshua) in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the Second Temple period.
The name corresponds to the Greek spelling Iesous (Ἰησοῦς), from which, through the Latin (a dead language) IESVS/Iesus, comes the inaccurate English spelling Jesus.
Now the real Christ has the Hebrew spelling Yeshua or Y's.
That's right, the "Real" Christ was referred to as "Yeshua" and NOT "Jesus".
If you have to "Westernize" his name, "Joshua" would be the closest and once again not the commonly excepted "Jesus".
The true Christ and Messiah (Yeshua) really looked something like this.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:
The real "Yeshua" was a middle eastern person of Hebrew (Jewish) decent.
The mainstream "Jesus" most people worship was a blond haired, blue eyed European looking person. At least that's the "image" most people have of him and we will get to that in a bit.
WHAT IS "MAIN STREAM" CHRISTIANITY AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM "TRUE CHRISTIANITY?"
The second form of Christianity is what basically the entire World holds to.
We will call it "Mainstream Christianity".
The "Bible" is taken from "Scripture" and translated into many World languages.
The problem is some words in the original texts don't translate well and people's understanding of these translations vary as well from culture to culture.
Mainstream Christianity calls the Christ "Jesus" which was NOT his name instead of "Yeshua" which WAS his real name. Mainstream Christianity includes a host of organizations that include the Catholics, Protestants, Charismatic movement, Baptist, Methodist, Non Denominational movement, the TBN crowd and all the "Mega Churches" you see on TV.
THE FALSE CHRIST
THE FALSE/COUNTERFEIT CHRIST:
WHAT HE DIDN'T LOOK LIKE:
JESUS DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS!
OR THIS:
OR THIS!
OR THIS
OR THIS
OR THIS
And any religion or organization who wants you to have these false images in your head is trying to manipulate you.
WHAT IS "THE BEAST SYSTEM"?
There are many more, but you get the idea. It's the "pop culture" or "pop Jesus" that is the generally accepted form of Christianity that are not much more than social groups where people get together for a sense of belonging and entertainment or out of a sense of obligation or just what people are used to because they were brought up this way.
(REV 18:4) "Come out of her, MY people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.'"
SO WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST AND WHAT IS THE "BEAST" SYSTEM?
We will propose to you that the Biblical Antichrist is much more than a future World dictator which is what mainstream Christianity teaches.
Now, he well may in fact be a coming dictator, but in reality is much more than that. It's the "image" of a man most of mainstream Christianity is worshipping right now. Bear with us as we will show you his "image" later.
To start with let's look at what Scripture says about "The Beast" and what the Beast is.
Revelation 13:1. "And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads."
Okay, let's stop here. In Revelation it's clearly talking about a 'Beast" with 7 horns and 10 heads. What is it talking about here?
Well, we will see what this means later in Rev 17.9:
“This calls for a mind that has wisdom:
The seven heads mean seven mountains, where the woman sits on top".
Revelation 17:12:
And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast." (BELOW)
This is what the illuminists want, the reconfigured, interconnected 10 super nations of the New World Order to look like:
This is what the Bible speaks of when talking about the antichrist having 7 heads and 10 HORNS. These future 10 nations will be ruled by the Antichrist.
But, the "BEAST" it's talking about here is not the Antichrist "the man" but it's the 10 "Super nations" that the Globalists set up to form The New World Order.
It's the "Beast" system that the Illuminati Globalists have control of now.
So we see here that the Antichrist "the man" isn't what we see here on earth yet, but we see rather the "Beast" SYSTEM which is in place now. No one will argue that this World is system in run by Illuminati tyrants who are all Antichrist." The Beast system are run by the 12 families that have full control of the World's monetary system, political system and entertainment system along with the media. These are the Illuminati families in control of The Beast system today: --
Remember, they believe their occult power is preserved thru their bloodlines.
The Satanic bloodlines are 13 in number, (another illuminati power number) counterfeiting God's 12 tribes of Israel which he was to bring his messiah through.
Revelation 13:4:
And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”.
HERE ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF THE ILLUMINATI SATANIC BLOODLINES CONTROLLING THE BEAST SYSTEM TODAY WHO ARE CHANNELING THE POWER OF THE DRAGON OR SATAN:
1. ROCKEFELLER BLOODLINE
2. ROTHSCHILD BLOODLINE
3. COLLINS BLOODLINE
4. DuPONT BLOODLINE
5. KENNEDY BLOODLINE
6. ASTOR BLOODLINE
7. FREEMAN BLOODLINE
8. LI BLOODLINE
9. VAN DUYN BLOODLINE
10. ONASSIS BLOODLINE
11. BUNDY BLOODLINE
12. REYNOLDS BLOODLINE
13. MEROVINGIAN BLOODLINES (European Royalty)
Interconnected families:
DISNEY
McDONALD
HARRIMAN
VANDERBILT
BROWN
WARBERG
KRUPP
FARBEN
GUGGENHEIM
The Satanic goal of the illuminati is to destroy all governments and religions and bring the world under their control. That is the idea of the 10 nation New World Order.
The agenda is to have a one world government under their domination with the biblical Antichrist as the ultimate world leader.
BUT WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST IMAGE THAT IS THE DECEPTION BEHIND THE "BEAST" SYSTEM TODAY?
It's very interesting that before the Antichrist "the man" is revealed, the BEAST system has to be already in place. That's what we see today.
Also, it seems as if the beast system causes all not to worship the Antichrist at this time, but the "IMAGE" of the Antichrist. How do we know that? Let's take a look.
Revelation 13:14–15 h1. English Standard Version.
"And by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain."
SO WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE "IMAGE"?
What is the image of the beast? There are two "beasts" described in John's vision in Revelation 13.
The first beast represents the Antichrist and a group of nations and leaders who will fight against God and His followers.
It is a leopard-like creature with seven heads and ten horns and has been given authority from the dragon, who is Satan.
The second beast represents the False Prophet who will deceive people into worshipping the first beast. It is a lamb-like creature with two horns and the mouth of a dragon.
It also has authority from Satan.
So it appears that the Beast system will be disguised as "mainstream" Christianity linked to the name "Jesus" and not true Christianity who is linked to the name "Yeshua".
One of the second beast's roles is to deceive the people into creating an image of the first beast: "…it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain"
(Revelation 13:14–15).
The False Prophet will give the image of the first beast breath so that it can enforce mandatory worship of an "image". The people will be forced to worship the image of the first beast and receive its mark on their foreheads or hands in order to buy or sell goods.
Those who do not worship the image of the first beast will be killed.
SO WHAT IS THE MARK? IT'S REALLY SIMPLE. SCRIPTURE SAYS IT'S THE NUMBER OF HIS NAME
Scripture has three different symbols which characterize "666".
They are "CHI" "XI" and "STIGMA". How do you pronounce this?
John wrote down the word arthimos in Greek meaning number or symbol.
It was the translators who mistranslated the word.
They translated it to numerals instead of symbols which it should have been as you can see by the illustration below. He wrote the Greek letters chi, xi and *stigma*, meaning in Greek symbols. It would sound like the way the mainstream word for "jesus" is pronounced.
This is important because these symbols break down into the name of "Jesus" and not the true Christ and Messiah who's name is "Yeshua"
Do you see this? Let's say that again. The symbols John use to signify '666" if pronounced sound like the name "Jesus".
Lets break it down:
Chi sounds like ‘chee’
Xi sounds like ‘z’
Stigma sounds like ‘s' = chee-z-s = cheezs (chee-Zeus) and (jesus)
The accepted "image" of "Jesus" more closely resembles the pagan god Zeus (hail Zeus) than it does to Yeshua of scripture.
Another way of saying this phonetically is "HEY-ZEUS"
Here's a short video on this exact point:
It appears that the future New World Order Antichrist is not yet on the scene as of right now but the World is getting prepared for it by worshipping an "Image".
It also appears that this image will be put in the "temple".
So by letting Scripture interpret Scripture, we find that a reasonable answer to the question of "What is the abomination of desolation?" is that it will be the Antichrist, three and a half years into his reign, taking a place in God's rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and saying to the world that he is God and must be worshipped as God. Okay, that seems to be something that is literal and will take place sometime in the future.
But, could this be something more broadly accepted and symbolic of something else that is happening right now to once again prepare people by worshipping an "image" in current day temples?
To start with, at the moment of Yeshua's death on the cross, the "temple" was destroyed so to speak by ripping apart the veil.
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth shook, the rocks split,” Matthew 27:51
Matthew, Mark, and Luke documented the tearing of the veil in the temple after Jesus’ death on the cross.
“The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom,” Mark 15:38 reads.
Luke wrote, “for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Luke 23:45).
John simply records Jesus’ last words, “It is finished,” and “with that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit”
(John 19:30).
That's right, God doesn't do business from here:
Or here:
AND HOW DO WE KNOW GOD DOESN'T DEAL WITH THESE "CHURCHES" ANY LONGER?
Did you know the Catholic church teaches that in communion, the priest literally changes the "host" and wine into the literal body and blood of the "Jesus" they worship?
What does that mean when the people eat the 'host"? It can only mean one thing...cannibalism, which is a big ritual in the occult. There is NOTHING in the Bible about praying to statues.
There is NOTHING in the Bible about not eating meat on Fridays.
There is NOTHING in the Bible about worshipping the dead. There is NOTHING in the Bible about digesting Jesus' flesh and blood.
JESUS WAS OBVIOUSLY TALKING IN SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNION NOT LITERALLY EATING HIS BODY AND DRINKING BLOOD! COMMON SENSE SHOULD TELL YOU THIS!!!!
BELOW: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HONORING THE "SUN GOD" BAAL.
Okay, so here we see that God is done with Temples!
He does not reside in temples any longer and now resides as the Holy Spirit "IN" people and not in brick and mortar buildings. But here's the problem.
WE STLL HAVE TEMPLES!
Yes, all "churches" are modern day houses of worship that the Almighty does not reside in any longer. All churches in the (US) are 501c3. Meaning, licensed and approved by the government.
But, that leaves a void, right? Well, since God "Yahweh" does not reside in the temple any more, then who does?
They call the Messiah by a different name (the transliterated excuse).
They change His appearance.
They twist and distort His teaching.
They go off on their own missions, behaving more like the Pharisees.
And they set up their own churches, pretending to be His.
All the while many of them are simply promoting themselves, not the Messiah.
YEP, SATAN RESIDES IN CURRENT DAY TEMPLES (CHURCHES) WITH HIS FALSE PROPHETS (ABOVE AND BELOW):
SO WHAT IS THE "IMAGE" OF THE ANTICHRIST THAT WE HAVE SEEN ALL OF OUR LIVES AND DIDN'T THINK ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY REPRESENTS? HERE IT IS:
AND HERE IT IS AGAIN:
That's right, we have all seen it. It's the false "image" of Christ known as "Jesus" in all the modern "churches" and not the true Christ whose name is "Yeshua".
You have also seen the false Antichrist image depicted holding up the blasphemous Luciferion two finger "Baphomet" sign here.
AND HERE
AND HERE AGAIN
NOTICE THE SAME THEME TO ALL OF THEM?
This is the exact same pose and sign Satanists embrace and it's also what you will see their "god" Baphomet do as well:
"AS ABOVE SO BELOW" IS THE SATANIC BAPHOMET MANTRA
Yes, all those buildings with crosses on top or stained glass windows or mega churches you see on TV are NOT the "house of God".
But they represent "the god of this World's (beast) system"...which is Satan! And what 'Image" do we see inside? Yes, The European looking "Jesus" not of middle eastern ethnicity (like Yeshua was).
It's that "Jesus" that controls and influences all mainstream Christianity.
That is the image of the Antichrist! Remember, we told you there were two Christs?
The real and true Christ or Messiah who's name is Yeshua and Yahweh is his Father and the false "image" of Christ who's name is wrongly known as "Jesus" and has a false image represented in almost all modern day temples or "Churches".
The future antichrist (the man) is also associated interchanging with the beast system which the dragon or Satan gives power to:
And here it is again. People bowing down and worshipping an "image" in addition to the literal person of the antichrist:
When did Christ become a European?
YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE IN THESE FALSE IMAGES OF THE CHRIST, THEY ARE MOSTLY VERY TRANSGENDER LOOKING AND INTERTWINED IN OCCULT IMAGES :
HALOS ALSO HAVE AN ANTICHRIST ORIGIN
The halo was in use long before the Christian era.
It was an invention of the Hellenists in 300 B.C. and is not found anywhere in the Scriptures. In fact, the Bible gives us no example for the bestowal of a halo upon anyone.
If anything, the halo has been derived from the profane art forms of ancient secular art traditions rooted in the worship of the antichrist. It also represents the Occultic "Sun god" Ra.
It's best antichrist reference today is carried on by the Illuminati and is exactly why they are called "illuminists", meaning "enlightened ones".
Once again, the Illuminati and their very existence is based on their belief in the one they worship who is in fact the antichrist himself.
Even the "sacred heart" you see in nearly everyone one of these counterfeit "jesus" pictures is straight out of the occult pits of hell and satanism as it has to do with ritual human sacrifice.
THIS IMAGE WILL BE THE ONE LIKELY USED IN PROJECT "BLUE BEAM."
MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, THE BEAST SYSTEM WILL BE TIED INTO THE ALIEN DECEPTION!
Take a look here at David Mayer de Rothschild. Now, we are not in any way saying he is the Antichrist. All we want to point out is that the most powerful illuminati family on earth that controls the entire monetary system has one of it's members intentionally looking or mocking the image of the false Christ or Antichrist and we don't think it's a coincidence.
SO WHO IS YAHUSHA AND HOW IS HE TIED TO THE FATHER YAHUAH/ YHWH?
FURTHER STUDIES ON THE NAME OF "GOD"
AND WHAT DID YESHUA REALLY LOOK LIKE?
=============
NOW ON TO ANOTHER ISSUE OF IMPORTANCE ESSENTIAL TO BRINING IN THE "BEAST" SYSTEM.
THE RIGGED VOTING SYSYEM:
CULT OF THE "LEFT/RIGHT" VOTING PARADIGM:
WHAT REALLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU VOTE AND HOW DOES THAT PROPAGATE THE BEAST SYSTEM?
ALWAYS REMEMBER: BOTH PARTIES ARE CONTROLLED.
BOTH PARTIES ARE CORRUPT.
WHEN YOU PICK BETWEEN THE "LEFT" AND "RIGHT", THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE ALIGNING YOURSELF WITH:
BOTH ARE DESIGNED TO IMPLODE IN THE END.
BOTH ARE DESIGNED TO TAKE DOWN AMERICA AND MOVE IT INTO THE NEW WORLD ORDER!
If elections really mattered and made a difference for the people, they wouldn't let you do it. Now, on to what the Globalists have planned.
WHEN YOU VOTE YOU UNKNOWINGLY GIVE YOUR POWER TO THE "BEAST SYSTEM".
Before we get started, let's dispel a popular myth.
That is if you "exercise your right to vote, that will insure your rights and freedoms.
That's about as wrong as it can be.
Remember, the World doesn't work the way most people think it does. Have you ever wondered why there are so many "GET OUT AND VOTE" campaigns?
That's all you hear every year about this time.
If you don't vote, you are almost shamed...right?
Why do you think that is? Why would the politicians, who are all in it together, be concerned if you vote or not? Voting does NOT preserve your rights.
You already have "inalienable" rights given to you by your Creator.
Our Constitution and Bill of Rights is also what is supposed to preserve your rights as an American.
So why is the popular theme to get out and vote?
We'll tell you why. Because when you vote, you actually give away your authority and your rights to the evil and corrupt politicians you are voting for! Think about it! Y
ou really know nothing about these people running for office other than what they tell you on TV. That's right, when you vote, the person you cast your ballot for is under no obligation to do whats in your best interest.
What you have done is given them the authority to the Beast system to do what THEY want to do and not what YOU want them to do!
You voluntarily give up your personal sovereignty and authority to someone who as far as you know could be a pedophile and abuser and believe us, most of them are.
You have said that you no longer are under your own power and authority when you "vote" but have surrendered it to that man or woman who you cast your vote for.
You have in a sense given that person the right and authority to rule over you!
Politicians today are just modern day Sadducees and Pharisees who Yeshua (Jesus) called "Snakes, hypocrites and broods of vipers".
The same concept is true today.
When you vote, you essentially give up your rights and freedoms and put it in the hands of someone else.
That's right!
THE REASON THE POLITICIANS ARE SO OBSESSED WITH HAVING PEOPLE VOTE IS THEY WANT THE GOD GIVEN RIGHTS, POWER AND FREEDOMS YOU ALREADY POSSESS TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THEM AND ON A SPIRITUAL LEVEL THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT "VOTING" ACCOMPLISHES!
In other words, voting does just the opposite of what you have been conditioned to believe it does. There might be some issues in your local area you may want to get involved in, but forget about it on the National "Presidential" farce.
We are not telling anyone what to do or what not to do, just want to give you food for thought.
Keep in mind, America is not a capitalist system, it is a fascist system where the mega wealthy corporations and the politicians are in bed together.
You need to ask the right questions to get the correct conclusions. We have all heard that we are spending 450 million dollars a day in the war in Iraq. But the real question is...
WHO IS MAKING THAT MONEY?
You don't have to look too far. It's the defense contractors.
It's corporations like Halliburton and Dyncorp along with the politicians who get kickbacks for starting these illegal wars. People suffering and dying is profitable to these sociopaths than run these companies. Our troops are NOT fighting for your freedoms but are fighting for the profits of the defense contractors. Our occupation of Iraq is against our Constitution.
Our occupation in Afghanistan is against our Constitution. Our occupation in Libya is against our Constitution...and the list goes on and on.
WHERE DID THE TWO PARTY SYSTEM ORIGINATE.....AND WHY?
The origins of the (divide and conquer), two party system goes back to Rome with the Sadducees and Pharisees.
The Sadducees would have been the Democrats (Liberals) of Yeshua' day and the Pharisees... the Republicans (Conservatives). Today, the Religious right have been fooled and deceived into thinking somehow the Republican ideals are closer to what Christianity is all about than what the Democrats believe. Lets see what Yeshua had to say about BOTH sides:
Matthew 3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Matthew 16:6 "Be careful," Yeshua said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."Matthew 16:11
How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Hummmmm, doesn't look like Yeshua thought too highly of either and warned the people against following either party. The same would still hold true today.
ALL U.S. PRESIDENTS ARE CREATED TO SPLIT AMERICA INTO TWO FACTIONS (DIVIDE AND CONQUER). ALL U.S. PRESIDENTS ARE NOTHING BUT CULT LEADERS. THE CULT FOLLOWERS ARE CALLED DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.
THE ANTICHRIST AND HIS FALSE PROPHETS INCLUDE ALL U.S. PRESIDENTS:
We have it on good authority that even to be considered for the office of President you have to be an MK-ULTRA programmer/handler. U.S. presidents all have MK-ULTRA slaves referred to a "Presidential Models".
Also be aware that most Occultists in this position are heavily involved in the ritual partaking of Adrenochrome.
"For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."
Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22
RONALD REAGAN ANOTHER DEMONIC PUPPET WHO MADE DECISIONS BASED ON ASTROLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT:
In case you didn't know, in 1986 it was Ronald Reagan who signed into law that vaccine companies can't be held liable for any injury or death caused by vaccines.
He basically sold your children down the river and instead of protecting them from potentially deadly vaccines, protected big Pharma.
Occultists like this have throughout history sold out children and sacrificed them to one of their many gods like Bohemian Grove and Egyptian god Moloch. Remember, all these people including U.S. Presidents are all heavily involved in the occult and Babylonian mystery religions.
T
TRUMP, GRAHAM, OSTEEN AND THE POPE:
ALL IN ON THE GRAND DECEPTION.
Just like scripture says in Matthew says in 24:5: "For many will come in my name".
BILLY GRAHAM
BILLY GRAHAM WAS A FREEMASON AND PROMOTER OF THE PRESIDENTS
Most of these kinds of people that have mainstream Christianity fooled are false prophets pushing the false Jesus as well as followers of the false messiah embracing them.
That includes most if not all of the mega churches, including Joel Osteen.
Donald Trump is a degenerate that has had the religious right bamboozled for four years.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT TRUMP IS JUST A ZIONIST SHILL!!
HERE'S ANOTHER GOOD VIDEO ON HOW THE WORLD REALLY WORKS:
THIS IS A VIDEO CALLED "TRUMP IS A PRO WRESTLER" WE'VE CUED IT UP ON WHERE TO START AT 24:16 and watch to 37:00. IT SHOWS YOU HOW POLITICS REALLY WORKS.
I'VE NEVER SEEN IT EXPLAINED ANY BETTER!
I'VE NEVER SEEN IT EXPLAINED ANY BETTER!
The religious right are just followers of the false Christ and mainstream Christianity.
ALL THESE PREACHERS ARE FREEMASONS! You'll never see any of these "preachers" exposing Freemasonry.
Ronald Reagan is another hero of the worshippers of the false Christ.
Reagan was full on into the Occult and Occult practices like all these people are. He made decisions while in the White House based on Astrology.
JOE BIDEN: THE LATEST ILLUMINATI PERVERT:
The latest creep the Globalists have put in the White House is another pervert.
Joe Biden who can't seem to keep his hands off anybody. Biden is the next man up to do the bidding of the Illuminati and further establish a One World Government.
Billy Graham was a Freemason and spiritual guide to all Freemason U.S. Presidents. Popes and all churches that teach any kind of "eternal torment" are in this group.
HILLARY CLINTON
Hillary Clinton is considered a Grande Dame in occult circles and as far as occult power goes, she outranks Bill Clinton.
She is also a known Lesbian who has taken male hormones which she thinks will put her on a even keel with her "male" competition, pictured here with her most recent lover, Mossad Agent Huma Abedin: (pictured below)
In short, absolutely none of these people who are guiding World events are to be trusted. They are all in this together and all part of the Luceiferion occult world.
Here is the satanic goats head which is what followers of the occult and Aleister Crowley wear to symbolize their allegiance to Lucifer. Note: 2 points up 1 point down.
Here is how the stars are supposed to be on the U.S. flag. Note: 1 point up, 2 points down.
Now, lets look at the most disgusting satanist that ever lived, Anton LaVey, Look at the Pentagram behind him which is the same as Hillary Clinton had arranged her stars. Look at him making the goats head salute with his left hand. 
Interesting that Hillary's illuminati staged boyfriend, Slick Willie has no trouble with the goats head salute.
THE BEAST SYSTEM AND THE MILITARY
Have you ever wondered why most "religious people" are constantly saying "pray for our troops" and none of them are saying "Let's pray for all of the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis, Kuwaitis and civilians from Afghanistan along with other middle eastern nations that America's troops have slaughtered"?
It's because most of America is deceived by the beast system!
"Hummmm, don't see any 'terrorists" here in Afghanistan, but there are miles of these cool poppy flowers though."
This deception pretty much has the entire mainstream "right" fooled and deceived along with most of America in general. Somehow, the BEAST system has fooled most of mainstream Christianity into believing their "Jesus" was somehow an American nationalist or a republican or democrat and that somehow "God, Country, Flag and Military" are all the same thing and are intertwined.
How many times have you seen the below image and then watch people salute it? We can absolutely guarantee you, that the real Messiah (Yeshua), has nothing to do with the United States "flag", or it's "military", or it's "troops".
Also, don't be naive and think that the troops are "fighting for our freedoms', because even a child using just a little discernment would know that is not why the troops are deployed.
It's a deception from the "Beast" system to make you think going into the Middle East and slaughtering innocent families in Iraq (for oil) and in Afghanistan (for control of the opium drug trade) is somehow all approved by God and is somehow noble and has God's okay on it.
Yeshua said his Kingdom is NOT of this World's evil and corrupt system so don't be fooled into the belief that God is somehow "blessing our troops", because he is not!
It's the Beast system controlled by the spirit of the antichrist that is behind this megalomaniacal inspired deception.
You may be interested in this speech from Mike Prysner who was part of this beast system and how he was once deceived into killing innocent people in the middle east.
He is now speaking out against the travesties. Remember, the "Beast" system is really what he is exposing in this short video.
Instead of constantly parroting the "God Bless America" mantra, people should really be wondering why God's judgement hasn't taken America down yet for all it's innumerable sins and transgressions. Although we my be starting to see that happen now.
If you want to learn more about the eternal torment heresy and false teaching, read our article:
Also, if you want to know if we can prove Yeshua actually is who he said he was and actually rose from the dead, visit:
So there you have it.
The Antichrist or false Christ and his image has been hiding in plain sight for centuries and most people have bought into it without even thinking about it. It is a false image, (the Baphomet image), a false name (Jesus), and false teachings, (eternal torment and burning forever). h1.
There has also been a lot of speculation about who the coming "antichrist" is going to be. People are still arguing about it being a U.S. President.
Let's take a look at the last two American Presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump and see exactly the powers behind all U.S. Presidents.
Let us leave you with three Scriptures:
2 Thessalonians 2:11
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
"Let no man deceive you by any means"
HERE IS A GOOD VIDEO YOU'LL WANT TO WATCH TO TIE UP JESUS vs YESHUA
YOU'LL BE INTERESTED IN THIS VIDEO ON THE BOOK OF ENOCH:
NOTE: WE ARE NOT ENDORSING OTHER VIDEOS THEY ARE PROMOTING BUT THIS ONE IS FACTUAL:
EPH 5:11:DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE UNFRUITFUL DEEDS OF DARKNESS, BUT INSTEAD EXPOSE THEM; --
NOW TO THE QUESTION EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW!!!!!!
SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
IT'S ALL TIED IN!!!!
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Probably the biggest question most people have is what happens to us upon death. We wonder what have happened to relatives and loved ones that have passed before us and we wonder what will happen to us when it's now our turn.
We'll give you some things to think about from a Biblical point of view and we'll show you that nearly all "religions" get this question wrong.
WHAT DOESN'T HAPPEN
To start with, let's address what doesn't happen.
The concept of "eternal conscious torment" is taught by most religions and it's the biggest heresy ever invented and is rooted in the occult. So let us put your mind at ease.
No one is burned in some mythological never ending fire forever for not "accepting" Jesus. It's the biggest lie ever cooked up and it was originally thrust upon people as a means on control by World religions. People who are in fear are easy to control and it's to most churches financial advantage to keep you afraid of "going to hell".
FEAR!
It's what makes people want to "tithe and donate" to their "religion" as kind of a "fire insurance".
We have dedicated a whole article on this falsehood and you may want to reference it as you read along.
KNOWING THAT THERE IS NO "ETERNAL TORMENT" IN SOME NEVER ENDING FIRE FOR ANYONE IS ESSENTIAL IN KNOWING THE TRUTH!!!
CLICK ON THE BOTTOM LINK FOR MORE!
ANOTHER LIE IS REINCARNATION:
The Bible tells us "It's appointed man once to die". The concept of coming back again and again and again in different people is a lie that is also rooted in the occult and false religions based on the occult and doctrines of Demons:
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SO WHAT DOES HAPPEN? DO WE GO RIGHT TO HEAVEN?
Well, not exactly. I know most of you have heard that people think upon death that their deceased loved one go right to "Heaven" and are in heavenly bliss right now and are dancing on streets of gold and having a big party as we speak.
Although there will be a time for that as well as living again forever......BUT NOT YET! IT'S COMING!
Remember, when God first created Adam back in the book of Genesis he formed man out of the dust of the ground.
So let's break this down. God formed man out of the dust of the ground. So at first, man was just a body without life.
Man didn't become a living being (SOUL), until God himself breathed life into him and then he became a living being or living soul. So, to live, Adam needed two things. He needed a "body" from the ground and he needed the "breath of life" by God's Spirit from above to become a living being.
SO, HERE'S THE EQUATION:
BODY + SPIRIT = LIVING SOUL
TO LIVE WE NEED BOTH!!! A BODY AND THE SPIRIT FROM GOD'S BREATH OF LIFE!!!
Now stay with us.
Upon death, the Bible says "To Dust You Shall Return".
Okay, so upon death, the body goes where?
To "Dust" where it came from.
And so where does the "Spirit" go?
Back to "God" where it came from.
WHEN GOD GAVE MAN THE "BREATH OF LIFE", HE "EXHALED"LIFE INTO THE BODY, SO TO SPEAK. AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL. WHEN HE CALLS US HOME, HE "INHALES" SO TO SPEAK AND TAKES THE SPIRIT BACK TO HIM.
How do we know? Because when Jesus died he said:
"INTO YOUR HANDS, I COMMIT MY SPIRIT."
So the "body" goes back to the earth and the "Spirit" goes back to the Father God.
THE PERSON'S SPIRIT THAT GOES BACK TO GOD IS LIKENED TO BEING "ASLEEP".
SO WHERE ARE THE DECEASED?
People's Spirit that have died are with God and in a "sleep state" with God The Father, awaiting the resurrection to where they will be awakened at a future time when the spirit is "breathed" back and is reunited with a new body...
But the difference is it will be a perfect immortal body this time!
Jesus spoke of death as "sleep" many times.
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So you see where most religions are wrong. They ask the wrong question. They ask if a person dies do they go to "heaven" or "hell"?
Well we know they don't go to any "hell" or any kind of "eternal torment".
That concept is rooted in Satanism and the occult.
But they don't go to "Heaven" yet either.
But rather their "Spirit" (THE ESSENCE OF WHO THEY ARE) is with God in a peaceful "sleep state".
So, the question in JOB was not "where a man goes" when he dies, the question is:
IF A MAN DIES "WILL HE LIVE AGAIN"?
THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING YES!!!! THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS!!!
And we'll show you why it's important that when we die we go into a sleep state and await our resurrection and why we are not awake in our "Spirit Sleep State" with God but await for our Spirit to be reunited with our "New Body" in the future which will never die!
This is why the Bible forbids any kind of trying to communicate with those who have passed on.
Because you can't speak with them...YET, but we will later.
ONCE AGAIN! YOU CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH DECEASED LOVED ONES UNTIL THE RESURRECTION!!!!
BECAUSE TO LIVE, WE NEED A BODY AND SPIRIT! RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE RESURRECTION, THE DECEASED ARE ONLY "SPIRIT" WITH GOD IN A SLEEP STATE!!
Anyone involved with spiritism and trying to communicate with those who have passed on are not going to be talking with their deceased loved ones like they think, but will be open to deception because demonic entities will attempt to have access into your life if you are trying to communicate with the dead.
So do not get involved with seances or Ouija boards or any of these kinds of practices!
Okay, so we know our deceased loved ones are in a "Sleep State" and are not "looking down and smiling on us" or anything else like people have been led to believe.
ONLY GOD HIMSELF LOOKS ON US FROM ABOVE AND DEAD RELATIVES DO NOT AND CANNOT!!
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS!!!!
DON'T WORRY, YOU WILL SEE YOUR LOVED ONES AGAIN IN THE RESURRECTION LATER!
And you'll see why you wouldn't want them "Looking down from heaven" onto our happenings on the earth below.
Now, since the dead are with God and in a sleep state, remember they will not experience any passage of time. So if a person dies, today or 1000 years ago, when they are resurrected, from their perspective, they will live again instantaneously from the time they passed away!
ON TO THE RESURRECTION!
NOT ONLY THE BEST DAY IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY, BUT THE BIGGEST EVENT IN ALL OF GOD'S CREATION!
Okay, stay with me. If we could talk with our loved ones before they are resurrected and if they had any knowledge of what's going on here on earth, they they wouldn't have really died...right?
They would have been alive the whole time to watch what's happening on earth. And if that was true, what's the point of being "resurrected" if they were't really dead in the first place?
Here's what's fantastic!
In the the day of the resurrection, we will all be resurrected at the same time! in other words....
WE WILL ALL AWAKE FROM OUR SLEEP AT THE SAME TIME AND THUS THE RESURRECTION WILL TAKE PLACE WITH US ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!
REMEMBER, THERE IS NO CONSCIOUSNESS BETWEEN DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION SO IT WILLL SEEM INSTANTANEOUS FROM THE TIME WE DIE TO THE INSTANT WE ARE RESURRECTED!
WHY YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH LOVED ONES WHO HAVE PASSED BEFORE THE RESURRECTION:
So you see it's somewhat like a wedding. We don't want the bride and groom to see each other and talk and communicate all day on the day of the wedding. They want to see each other for the first time on the day where they will spend the rest of their lives together!
ALL THINGS WILL BE MADE NEW!!!
It's the same concept here. We want our first interaction with loved ones to be when we are all resurrected in our perfect bodies which will never die when we will live forever on a New Heaven And New Earth were death and sorrow has forever been abolished!!!
THIS IS WHERE WE ARE GOING IN THE RESURRECTION TO BE REUNITED WITH OUT LOVED ONES!!!
So apparently on that day, there will be some people on earth still alive. But God awakens those who have died first and the rest who are still alive will be caught up together!
It's at this time all things will be made anew! The old curse of death and sorrow will have passed away and there will be a New Heaven and Earth where we will all live again with God and our loved ones......
FOREVER!!!!
At this time we get new bodies that never die!
Think of it like getting your "SUPERMODEL BODY" that you've always wanted! Yes, you will have your likeness that you had before, but only perfected this time.
No more death, no more blemishes, you will no longer get tired or sad or depressed or have want for anything...in short....
YOU WILL NOW LIVE AGAIN AND BE PERFECTED ALONG WITH OUR LOVED ONES WHO PASSED BEFORE US!!!!
Now here's a little speculation on our new bodies. Jesus was resurrected in the same body he died in.
So his body never saw "decay".
Our bodies will have seen "decay", so we will have no need for the actual bodies we have now. I know some of you are saying "THANK GOD FOR THAT!"
OUR RESURRECTION BODY: PERFECTED, IMMORTAL AND INCORRUPTIBLE!!!
Rather our new bodies will be from the dust of the ground of the "New Earth" which is free from the curse isn't clear, but one way or the other, our "Spirit" which has been "Asleep" with God, will be put into a NEW PERFECT BODY that is without sin or death or corruption!!!
MOST LIKELY, OUR RESURRECTED BODY WILL BE OF DIVINE ORIGIN AND NOT DUST FROM THE GROUND LIKE OUR CURRENT BODIES.
SO NOW WE HAVE A NEW BODY WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER!!!
If there are mirrors around in our new life with God, you probably wouldn't be able to stop looking at yourself you'll be so breathtakingly beautiful!!!
Corinthians 15:35 - 58
Our Resurrection Body
35But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
40There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
42It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
45The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”h But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be likei the heavenly man.
50What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,j this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.k
55O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?l”
56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD;
Picture this, those same angelic beings that were around when God created the world will be in the stands so to speak when the resurrection happens when we all live again!
WE WILL BE CENTER STAGE WITH THE ANGELS LOOKING ON WHEN WE AND OUR LOVED ONES LIVE AGAIN!!!
In Job, the Bible tells us that the Angelic beings sang and shouted for joy when God created the earth.
Now, God's prized creation, mankind, is on center stage. That day we all live again and when we are reunited with our loved ones all the angels will be sitting in the stands once again, so to speak and will be shouting for joy once again when we are resurrected and we LIVE AGAIN!!!!
It will be a million trillion times more joyful than the most exciting sporting event you have ever witnessed. Nothing has compared to the resurrection of man before and never will it happen again.
THIS WILL BE THE MOST JOY FULL DAY THAT THERE HAS EVER BEEN!!!
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS ACTED, I BELIEVE IS DIRECTLY TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE RESURRECTION OF MANKIND!!!
YES! THIS CURSED WORLD HAS FINALLY COME TO AN END AND WE WILL LIVE FOREVER WITH OUR LOVED ONES AND OUR CREATOR!!!!
"HEAVEN" ISN'T GOING TO BE SOMEWHERE ELSE...HEAVEN WILL BE WHEN THE EARTH IS MADE ANEW AND THE CURSE OF DEATH IS REMOVED ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME AT THE RESURRECTION!!
THE EARTH WILL BE MADE NEW WITH NO MORE DEATH NO MORE TEARS NO MORE SADNESS AND WE WILL FINALLY BE REUNITED WITH OUR LOVED ONES!!!
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
JOHN 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if not I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
JESUS/YESHUA'S RESURRECTION PAVED THE WAY FOR THE RESURRECTION FOR US TO HAPPEN!
We'll leave you with a good video that expands upon what we talked about in this article :
BY JOE MONOCO
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