D. Barry
I am Jewish and I have been a believer in Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) for over 20+ years. I have done undergraduate and graduate studies at very conservative Biblical Institutes. I had always believed the “Traditional” view of the lost until I did a major study.
Now, like me, a growing number of evangelicals are also studying this and seeing that eternal torture is not what the scripture teaches. The Greeks, led by Plato, believed in and taught about the “immortal soul,” however, that phrase never occurs in all of scripture.
I urge you to read ALL of the articles on this site to get a fair and balanced view. Do not assume anything–read at least the first two articles. You may enjoy my other website: www.jewishnotgreek.com
Years ago, I did the same with the scriptures that pointed to Jesus (Yeshua). After much study, I was convinced that the Jewish Bible and the New Testament were correct and that Jewish tradition was wrong. Jesus (Yeshua) was/is the Messiah and is Deity and is fully God incarnate.
In the same way, I urge you to consider the scriptural position of this very important information.
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A brief word to any unbelievers in Yeshua (Jesus) If you are not a believer and have happened to stumble onto this site, I would urge you to first of all realize that God is Holy. The angels cry “Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh.” “Holy, holy, holy.” (Isaiah 6:3) All will stand before Him to give an account one day. All will be guilty for all have sinned. “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9) The answer is obviously, no one can. Today is the day of salvation. Only Jesus (Yeshua) saves. He died for your sins and rose again from the dead. Turn from sin and call upon Him in simple prayer right now: “God have mercy upon me, a sinner” and you will be saved and have everlasting life. |
Dirk Waren
Dirk Waren is the director of Fountain of Life Teaching Ministry and author of several books. Fountain of Life is devoted to sharing the great news of the full gospel and serving believers throughout the Church.
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Dirk’s book HELL KNOW is available in book form! You can purchase it here for a low price (353 pages); or you can get the Kindle eBook for only $2.99. Both links allow you to “Look inside” the book. A new Condensed Version of HELL KNOW is now available! It cuts out all the “fat” and is freshly edited to boot. This version is geared for people who just want the main facts without the excessive details and makes for a perfect gift. You can order copies here for only $6.72 (153 pages) or get the eBook for only 99 cents! Both links allow you to “Look inside” the book.
Here’s a 9-minute video presentation of the basic content of HELL KNOW (click the pic):
A book version of SHEOL KNOW with loads of extra material is also available! You can purchase a low-priced copy here (340 pages); or get the eBook for only $2.99. Both links allow you to “Look inside” the book. A new Condensed Version of SHEOL KNOW (2019) is now available! It cuts out all the “fat” and is freshly edited to boot. This version is geared for people who just want the main facts without the excessive details and makes for a perfect gift. You can order copies here for only $6.72 (153 pages) or get the eBook for just 99 cents! Both links allow you to “Look inside” the book.
You may contact Dirk at dawaren@msn.com or at:
Fountain of Life
PO Box 737
Vienna, OH 44473
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Angelo Guerra
You missed that part in revelations that says that people who followed the beast will be tormented forever. It’s a shame that you threw away your knowledge for false doctrine. All you’ve done is dance around scripture to try to prove your point instead of just taking it as is.
Dirk Waren
Hi Angelo.
Nice to hear from you and thanks for the interest.
Revelation 14:9-11 says that “the smoke of their torment rises forever.” “Smoke” indicates they will be burned up and “torment” refers to the anguish experienced while being burned up. This coincides with Psalm 37:20: “But the wicked shall PERISH… Into smoke they shall VANISH AWAY.” It also corresponds to John the Baptists emphasis that the “chaff”, the unrepentant, would be burned up (Matthew 3:12 & Luke 3:17). Furthermore, the SAME TERMINOLOGY is used in Isaiah 34:9-10 in regards to Edom where the rest of that chapter shows that Edom will be a desolate desert and the people “totally destroyed.”
The SAME TERMINOLOGY is also used in reference to ‘Babylon’ in Revelation 18-19. Chapter 18 speaks of “the smoke of her burning” (vv. 9 & 18) and of “her torment” (verses 10 & 15), and 19:3 says, “The smoke from her goes up forever.” Yet 18:8 makes it clear that “She will be CONSUMED BY FIRE” just as this entire earth will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-11).
“Scripture interprets Scripture” is a hermeneutical rule for good reason. Those of us who teach & preach the God-breathed Scriptures are obligated to “rightly divide” them, which means to correctly handle them and thus correctly interpret them (2 Timothy 2:15).
For details on Revelation 14:9-11 go to this chapter of HELL KNOW and scroll down to the section titled “The Smoke of their Torment Rises Forever.”
For scriptural details on the topic of human damnation in general, start with the opening chapter of HELL KNOW. We examine hundreds of pertinent verses and not just the few that are often milked for details to support never-ending roasting torment.
That’s what this site is all about, brother — taking Holy Scripture for what it plainly says on the topic. For instance, Christ declared that God would destroy both body and soul in the lake of fire (Matthew 10:28), because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
The Bible clearly says that, apart from the good news of the message of Christ, human beings do NOT have immortality (2 Timothy 1:10 & Romans 2:7). Thus the unrepentant will be consumed by raging fire on Judgment Day (Hebrews 10:26-27). This corresponds to the many crystal clear EXAMPLES of literal destruction the Lord gave, such as Matthew 13:40 and Luke 19:27. Tell me, what happens to weeds cast into fire, as Christ said? Do they burn forever and ever without ever quite burning up or do they burn for a bit but eventually BURN UP?
All of this explains why God’s word proclaims: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36), which is also obvious in the most popular verse of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The basis for correct doctrine, brother, is not dubious religious tradition, but rather the God-breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17 & 1 Corinthians 4:6). As Jesus Christ said, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).
God Bless You as You Seek & Serve.
Your Servant,
Mark Thomas
To Dirk: I have to respectfully disagree with you that ALL angels possess immortality. Luke 20:36 says that the children of the resurrection will no longer die, for they will be like the angels. However, if you look at Matthew 22:30, the meaning is more clear. In this verse, Jesus said that at the resurrection the children of the resurrection will be like the angels of God in heaven.
Matthew 22:30
At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
And in Mark 12:25 Jesus said that they will be like the angels in heaven.
Mark 12:25
When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
So all three of these verses talking about the resurrection of God’s children only mean “God’s angels.” And notice here, what this evil spirit had exclaimed to Jesus Christ. He was afraid that he had already come to eliminate them.
Mark 1:23,24
Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
And I have much more biblical evidence than this. Much more! Can I send can send you a PDF file of the BIBLICAL PROOF that I have at this email address? >> dawaren@msn.com
Dirk Waren
Hi Mark.
Yes, you’re welcome to write me & send material to that email address.
As to your point about comparing Luke 20:36 with the parallel accounts of Matthew 22:30 and Mark 12:25, it’s nevertheless notable that God allowed one of these three accounts in the Holy Scriptures to not include the addition of “in heaven.” Furthermore, Christ plainly called satan’s filthy minions “angels” in Matthew 25:41. This shows that, while they’re decidedly fallen, they are still angels just like a fallen person is still a human being created in God’s image & likeness.
Even more, these fallen angels yet function in the heavenly realms, which explains the Bible’s description of them as “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Of course this is a lower heavenly realm than the one where’s God’s throne is located, but it’s still technically a heavenly realm; it’s the dark heavenlies or “underworld,” the spiritual dimension that parallels or underpins the earth & universe. You can read details about the ‘three heavens’ here.
In addition, the Scriptures show that at least some fallen angels are obligated to visit God’s heaven from time to time, like satan reporting to the Sovereign LORD along with the other archangels, aka chief angels (Job 1:6 & 2:1). Another example would be 2 Chronicles 18:18-22 wherein the “deceiving spirit” amidst the other angels in God’s throne room in heaven is obviously a fallen angel.
As to your point about Mark 1:24, this is covered in HELL KNOW Chapter Four (the print version), in the section Apollumi Used in Reference to the Damnation of Fallen Angels. Here’s what it says:
Also in the section in Chapter Four What about the Devil and his Angels I end with this relevant statement:
In regards to your additional evidence, please don’t share Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:12-19 to support the position that the devil will be literally destroyed. Those passages parallel satan with the kings of Babylon and Tyre respectively, which corresponds to the prophetic law of double reference. As such, parts of those verses apply to the king in question or to the devil; and some to both. It’s the reader’s responsibility to discern which. The prophecies of destruction apply specifically to the human kings, as verified in this article.
As I conveyed in my previous post, it helps to grasp the proverbial big picture of what’s going on in a universal/heavenly scope, which you can read about here.
Lastly, with detail-oriented topics like this, it’s preferable that you write me at my email address. It’s just an easier format for somewhat complex issues like this. Thanks!
Your Servant,
Mark Thomas
To Dirk Waren: What do you think about the ultimate destruction of Satan and the fallen angels? After all, the Bible says that God alone has immortality. If you believe that, what Scriptures do you think actually support that?
In Christ, Mark Thomas
Dirk Waren
Hi Mark.
Nice to hear from you. Those are good questions.
It’s not an issue of what I believe, but rather of what the Holy Scriptures teach abiding by obvious hermeneutical guidelines, like “Scripture interprets Scripture,” “Context is king” and so on.
Yes, the Bible plainly teaches that God alone is immortal (1 Timothy 6:16), but this obviously refers to immortality in the absolute sense — no beginning and no ending. After all, if it meant that no other being can attain immortality then that would mean that believers in Christ wouldn’t be able to acquire immortality and eternal life, which we know is false in light of many glaring passages (e.g. Romans 2:7 & 2 Timothy 1:10).
That verse in 2 Timothy says Christ “has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” It’s talking about mortal humans having the privilege to receive immortality and eternal life through the message of Christ, which is one of the reason it’s “Good News.” As it is written: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36).
The Bible actually doesn’t say that the devil & his filthy angels will be destroyed (Revelation 20:10) because angelic beings possess intrinsic immortality (Luke 20:34-36), which explains why the lake of fire was prepared for — created for — fallen angels as their eternal habitation (Matthew 25:41). Human beings, by contrast, do not possess immortality apart from Christ, as detailed above.
This truth can be plainly observed in God’s statement after Adam fell into sin: “He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, AND LIVE FOREVER” (Genesis 3:22-24). In other words, the LORD had to banish Adam & Eve from the Garden of Eden so they would not eat of the tree of life and live forever in a fallen state, like the devil & his angels. Read that again. Only the redeemed in Christ will be allowed to partake of the tree of life and live forever (Revelation 2:7 & 22:14). Thus, from that point on (the fall & banishment of Adam & Eve), God’s purpose was to provide redemption for fallen humanity in order that they might be reconciled to their Creator and obtain eternal life. That’s what the gospel of Christ is all about (John 3:16,36).
Foolish people who refuse reconciliation through Christ will be discarded in the lake of fire — God’s garbage dump — and destroyed, soul and body, because they don’t have immortality (Matthew 10:28, Hebrews 10:26-27 & Luke 19:27). As it is written: “the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
For those who argue that Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:12-19 support the position that the devil will be literally destroyed, they don’t. Those passages parallel satan with the kings of Babylon and Tyre respectively, which corresponds to the prophetic law of double reference. As such, parts of those verses apply to the king in question or to the devil; and some to both. It’s the reader’s responsibility to discern which. The prophecies of destruction apply specifically to the human kings, as verified in this article.
These issues are covered in more detail in both HELL KNOW and SHEOL KNOW. For instance, see Chapter 4 of the former and scroll down to the section What about the Devil and his Angels?
For insights on the proverbial big picture of what’s going on with God, angelic beings, humans and the earth & universe see this article.
Your Servant,
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Dirk Waren
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Jeff LaFortune
Hello.
I’m looking to start a podcast covering the less talked about topics of faith like the one covered on this website. I was wondering if I would be able to read segments from your site on the show? If so we would mention this website and put in the show notes how to find you.
Thank you for your time.
Dirk Waren
Sure, Jeff.
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