General Doctrine of Hellfire
- Thread starter Lori Jane
- Start date
I understand that questions about hellfire still haunt people. As far as I'm concerned it's settled: Hellfire or everlasting conscious torment (ECT) is false and unChristian, or more appropriately, anti-Christian, and should be rejected. This is how I currently feel about it after much study and thought. Two lucidly written books and other scholarly works have helped me to put this question behind me.
Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, And The Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell is one. The other one is The End of the Unrepentant: A Study of the Biblical Themes of Fire and Being Consumed by J. Webb Mealy.
Apart from these two books I know, no doubt there are many others. Perhaps it's worth noting that no serious biblical scholar affirms this (unbiblical) doctrine!
Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, And The Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell is one. The other one is The End of the Unrepentant: A Study of the Biblical Themes of Fire and Being Consumed by J. Webb Mealy.
Apart from these two books I know, no doubt there are many others. Perhaps it's worth noting that no serious biblical scholar affirms this (unbiblical) doctrine!
What religions subscribe to this doctrine? I was never in another religion before JWs so it was initially shocking to find out others believe this when I first woke up and started exploring things.
The law is not and evil thing. Romans 7:12-13. Galatians 3:24. The law was to show us our sins, and we must realize that we can’t keep this law which then should produce Godly sorrow that leads us to repentance and finally to Christ. This is why King David said, “how love I thy law.” David was a converted man with the Holy Spirit, Pslam 51:11. This means David was a Christian and part of the root of the church, a man after Gods own heart. The Church did not begin on the day of Pentecost. The people mentioned in Hebrews 11 were all members of the church in the wilderness. They believed what we do after Christ but before Christ. Faith is timeless and it matters not when you have it. Paul taught the Philippians that the law did not produce righteousness but self righteousness Philippians 3:8-9. God imputes His own righteousness to those of faith. Romans 3:20-22. Gods law brought me to Christ and I love the law for doing that. Once in Christ it is time to say goodbye to Moses and hello to Jesus. The law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, John 1:17. We no longer work in the law to achieve righteousness but yield to the Spirit of God to work in us, this is why Jesus is our Sabbath rest and the fulfillment of the shadow Sabbath of the law. While yet in the flesh we will always need Gods righteous covering until we are in the kingdom of God having been changed from mortal to immortal and sinner needing grace to impeccable. In the kingdom we will have our own righteousness and immortal life no longer needing faith and grace. This is when Gods word will be fulfilled, “let us make man after our image and according to our likenes.” The first Adam was only a physical shadow of this but the second Adam was a great light in the world.
Another thing to consider. The heaven hell teaching makes each person's judgement on the day they die but God has appointed a day called the Great white throne at the second resurrection for judgement of all. The church is being judged now but the world later, each group in total at their appointed time. This knowledge also proves the immortal soul teaching is a lie too. All people in either resurrection are dead prior to being raised. The only exception are those who are alive at the return of Jesus.
Apparently a large majority of Christians, especially traditional and Evangelical Christians.
If it's Edward William Fudge, he has written two important books on the topic: "The Fire that Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment" and "Hell: A Final Word". Just in case anyone wants to look into it.
I think this topic may be expanded to include divine fire and similar interactions. There was a video from World’s Last Chance, regarding the selectiveness of God’s fire. It seems to only consume the wicked, and everything else is left intact.