Why The Christians Invented The Devil and Hell
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth . . . And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:3-9)
Many Christians believe that the Devil, also known as Satan or Lucifer, to be a fallen angel who attempted to overthrow God and was expelled from heaven, along with the rest of the fallen angels. They credit them with being able to tempt mankind towards sin, have the power possess the minds and bodies of humans, and inflict physical and mental illness. He rules over Hell and uses the other demonic angels to assist him in corrupting humanity. He's also oversees the eternal torment of sinners who have been condemned by God to Hell.
Unfortunatly for hard-line evangelical Christians this entire fabrication is exclusive to the New Testament and cannot be based on any factial evidence in any of the Old Testament scriptures.
They've adapted their Devil from that of the Jews who were acquainted with the demonology of the surrounding nations such as Babylon and who adopted the notions regarding the power of these demons. The existence of these demons, who had the power of possessing and influencing human beings, was recognized among the Jews,
Some of the demons which were combined to create the Christian Devil
1) Beelzebub ~ Baal-zebub, Lord of the Flies, a derivation of the Hebrew's 'Baal-Zevuv'. The term is a deliberate mocking perversion of the Canaanite Baal-Zebul ("Prince Baal"), one of the standard titles of the god Baal.
A Baal ~lord or master ~ was worshipped by the Philistines and Canaanites. Beelzebub is a derivation Baal-Zebul, which translates 'Prince Baal.' He was the god of the Philistine city Ekron, plagued by God, according to 1 Samuel,with hemorrhoids, and is mentioned in the OT at 2 Kings 1:2-16, where God condemns Ahaziah for consulting with the god of the Philistines.
1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
1:4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.
1:5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?
1:6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
1:7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?
1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
1:9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
1:11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
1:12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
1:13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
1:14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
1:15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.
1:16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
There is no mention of a demonic nature about Baal-Zebub, just Ahaziah's sin of consulting with a Philistine god rather than with his own Jewish god. "No other Gods before Me", and all that.
2) Asmodeus, the prince of revengeful demons. Hebrew myth identifies him as the prince of revengeful devils and eldest son of the mother of all demons, Lilith.
3) Abaddon, or Apollyon the Destroyer, who ruled in Sheol or the Pit, which was merely a residing place for all the dead and involved neither punishment nor reward for conduct while alive.
4) Pythian Apollo, prince of liars,
5)Belial,supposedly the prince of mischief makers,
6) Meresin, prince of aerial devils, who is credited in causing thunderstorms and plagues,
7)Diabolus, who drives to despair.
8)Mammon, prince of the tempters.
9) Satan and Lucifer, both of whom are combined to create one Devil with two names. There are two references to Satan and in only one single verse is the name "Lucifer" mentioned in the Old Testament.
Satan
Consider the following passage from Job 2:
2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.
2:2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
This concerns the bet about Job between God and Satan and they are on very friendly terms. In no way does this indicate that Satan has any power over or direct control of Job. If you read the rest of the story it transpires that God is the cause of all the nasty stuff that happens to "a perfect and upright man".
Satan has to ask for God's permission about trying to destroy Job and has to have God's specific permission each separate time before the many tempts and torments of Job take place.
Satan is shown to be a respected and welcome member of the Heavenly Court serving God as a sounding board, agent provocateur or adversary against man and even though after many years Job comes through, he, who is considered by God to be "a perfect and upright man" is throughout the innocent victim of a debate between the two divines.
Christians ever are keen to promote their God as the embodiment of love, justice, understanding and mercy but why would a just, merciful deity allow the torment carry on for so many years merely on the basis of a philosophical arguement between Him and His servant, Satan?
Could any person reading the full story of Job with an open mind not come to the conclusion that Satan requires God's permission to interfer in the affairs of man?
Zech. 3:1: "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you! is not this a brand plucked from the fire?"
This clearly places Satan in Heaven at the right hand of God, being criticized by God concerning an accusation Satan had brought against a high priest named Joshua. In no way does it indicate or even hint that Satan was a demon or a fallen angel or the king of Hell. It establishes the fact that Satan was actually a member of the Heavenly Court and in the direct service of God, acting as a spy and prosecutor of humans. God allows him to act as an adversary against man. It does not indicate that Satan has any animosity towards God.
It's also worth mentioning that if the snake in the Garden of Eden was Satan, as many Christians profess to believe, it must mean that he had God's permission to tempt Adam and Eve ~ remember he was still on good terms with, and a servant of God, as demonstrated in the verses of Isaiah and Job which were written after the Fall.
Lucifer
St. Jerome, also called Eusebius Hieronymous, translated the Bible into Latin in the late 4th and early 5th centuries. Jerome decided that Lucifer was a fallen angel and that Satan and Lucifer are indeed the same individual.
He then combined both of them into the Christian Devil which was adopted as dogma throughout the early Church. The underlined passage is the one that has helped cause so much trouble.
Isaiah14:2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
14:3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
14:4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
14:5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
14:6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
14:7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.
14:8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
14:9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
14:10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
14:11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
14:12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
14:17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
14:18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
14:19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
14:20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
14:21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
14:22 For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.
14:23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.
Jerome's opinion relied on a single in Isaiah 14:4-22, but anyone reading the entire section would conclude that Lucifer, called the "Day Star, Son of Dawn" in the RSV, was an evil human king who was cast into the already existing Hell. In other versions of the bible the the word hell is rendered as sheol, pit or grave.
Isaiah is the only place in the entire Bible where the name Lucifer appears, but it has through the centuries become the basis for the Christian Devil even though it clearly refers to an evil human king of Babylon. He is not presented here as the king of Hell or a demon of any kind, but instead is presented as a human who believes himself to be superior to God and wishes to ascend to Heaven from Earth where he clearly abides. According to most legitimate scholars, "Lucifer" refers to the Babylonian King Helel (Hebrew: "Heyleyl"), which translates "Morning Star, son of Dawn" as related in the RSV version of the above KJV account. Other scholars believe it refers to the despised King Nebuchadnezzar, others as an evil king named Tiglath-pileser, and others as a king of Tyre.
The Catholic Encyclopedia says unambiguously that Lucifer is not the name of the Devil but that throughout history Lucifer was the common name for the morning star. Venus is the name for the same heavenly body at night. Venus the Evening Star, Lucifer the Day Star, bringer of light.
If the Christians are correct in their belief that Lucifer was cast out of Heaven and into Hell for attempting to rebel against God, why does God then allow him to leave Hell and come to Earth and bring misfortune upon mankind.
Why, if he loves us, would he subject us to demonic temptation to commit sin? Doesn't God want us to succeed? Is it fair to add to this a demon who will by some kind of insidious manipulation cause us to give in to sin?
If the Devil's punishment for rebelling against God was to br thrown out of Heaven, why did God give him so many extensive powers over humanity.
If God could create the entire universe in six days, he could surely destroy one unruly angel in a split second and not even need to rest after doing it. Also, if Lucifer was thrown out of Heaven for attempted revolution, why was he then renamed Satan and made welcome at the throne of God and allowed to advise God about anything or anybody? Why would God engage this "evil rebel" in what was obviously amiable discourse?
Sheol
This piece of Christian pornograpy was penned by English Baptist clergyman by the name of Spurgeon:
When thou diest thy soul will be tormented alone; . . . but at the Day of Judgement thy body will join thy soul and thou wilt have twin hells; thy soul sweating drops of blood, and thy body suffused with agony. In fierce fire. . . thy body will be, asbestos-like, forever unconsumed, all thy veins roads for the feet of pain to travel on; every nerve a string on which the devil shall for ever play his diabolical tune of hell's unutterable lament.
In the Old Testament, there was no "place of eternal damnation." There was Sheol, where everybody, good or bad went after they died.
When the Hebrew text was translated into Greek, "Sheol" was replaced by "Hades." Then, when evolving Jewish and Christian beliefs began to emphasize resurrection, Hades became a place where only the "unsaved" went.
The word "Sheol" does not occur in the King James Version. Instead, words like: grave, pit,or hell are used, however, is used extensively in both the American Standard Version and the New World Translation.
"For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him." Genesis 37:35
But if Jehovah make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then ye shall understand that these men have despised Jehovah. And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them; and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. Numbers 16:30-33
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, And burneth unto the lowest Sheol, And devoureth the earth with its increase, And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains. Dueteronomy. 32:22 God speaking about how angry He is. It would seem by this that Sheol is a hell much akin to Dante's "Inferno".
Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. 1 Samuel 2:6 It would seem that Sheol is not completely hopeless.
The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me. In my distress I called upon Jehovah; Yea, I called unto my God: And he heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry [came] into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled, The foundations of heaven quaked And were shaken, because he was wroth. 2 Samuel 2:6-8
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to Sheol in peace. 1 Kings 2:6 I
And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I sware to him by Jehovah, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to Sheol with blood. 1 Kings 2:8-9
Sheol is naked before him, and destruction has no covering. Job 26:6
For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption." Ps. 16:10 "For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.Isaiah. 38:18
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Hosea 13:14
Genesis shows it as a sanctuary. Numbers presents it as a place beneath the earth. Jehovah presents it as a place of burning.But He would, being fond of death and destruction. David seems to think you can take either the peace or distress of your dieing with you into the grave. Psalms indicates death is not necessarily inevitable. Samuel and Hosea tell us that death is not final. Isaiah sees it as a place without hope.
None of the Old Testament verses mention Hell as it is promoted by Christians ~ as a place ruled by Satan and his demons nor does it say that had any power to punish people after death. There is no mention of infinite punishment for finite sins.
Folklore of the time said they could inhabit the bodies of people and cause them physical and mental harm or even cause them to act sinfully when they were possessed, but they had no power to tempt humans to sin resulting in their eternal damnation. They were merely demonic entities most of whom descended from Adam's first wife Lilith as described in ancient Hebrew tradition or were borrowed from other popular religions of that time.
The early Christians also "borrowed" from other religions or pagan traditions such festivals as Easter and Christmas.
Hades
Many people believe Hades is hell and for some, Hades is a euphemism for hell. Hades and hell are two different words. Hades has not been translated, only transliterated. Hades is found eleven times in the Greek New Testament. Out of the eleven occurrences, Hades is translated "grave" once and "hell" ten times in the King James Version. Geenna is found twelve times and is consistently translated "hell" in most translations.
To see how different versions of the bible translate hell, hades and sheol, there is a very well researched site here
Hades is from Greek mythology and is the lord of the dead and ruler of the nether world, which is referred to as the domain of Hades or, by transference, as Hades alone. He is the son of Cronusand Rhea. When the three sons of Cronus divided the world among each other, Hades was given the underworld, while his brothers Zeusand Poseidon took the upperworld and the sea respectively.
He ruled the underworld together with Persephone, whom he abducted from the upperworld. Zeus ordered him to release Persephone back into the care of her mother Demeter, but before she left he gave her a pomegranate. When she ate some of the fruit it bound her to the underworld for four months of the year.
Gehenna
Originally Ge bene Hinnom; i.e."the valley of the sons of Hinnom" a deep, narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where some offered human sacrifice to Molech (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31; 19:2-6) This valley afterwards became the common receptacle for all the refuse of the city. Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds of filth, were cast and consumed by fire kept always burning. The early Christians were quick to seize on this as a punishment for not believing in their god and in the process of time became the image of the place of everlasting destruction. In this sense it is used in Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5. In these passages, and also in James 3:6, the word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version placing "Gehenna" in the margin. |
Gehenna is a Greek word used in the New Testament and often rendered as Hell. It signifies an abode of punishment beyond the grave. It is the place of CHOICE for those who fail to love God. The greatest tragedy of Hell is the deprivation of seeing God for whom we were created. Like puzzles incomplete, the lost souls have opted to reject the one who could make them whole and fulfilled. As a distraction against their serious loss of God, they also suffer a pain of the senses - the agony of hell-fire. The depths to which each soul is afflicted is determined by the degree of one's depravity. Who has been lost? We do not know. We can but pray that the devil is lonely. When the trumpet of the Last Judgment sounds, the bodies of the damned will be restored to their souls and they will endure eternal punishment. |
| Some facts about Gehenna | Quoted from a typical Christian site |
Jeremiah 19
And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee,
19:3
And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.
19:4
Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;
19:5
They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:
19:6
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.
19:7
And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
19:8
And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.
19:9
And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.
Jeremiah 19 God seems to be using Gehenna as a comparative symbol of, and a warning about, the desolation of Jerusalem because some were worshiping another god and not Him. Gehenna is employed in the way of comparison to set forth the utter overthrow of Jerusalem; as we may say of a place, "It is barren as a desert," or "It is silent as the grave".
Isaiah 65:23-24 says, "They shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."
Here the unquenchable fire and the undying worm of Gehenna, later incorporated by the early Christians into their concept of hell, is used as a figure of speech to show what will happen on the earth, where there are carcasses etc.
Gehenna, with its accompaniments, was an object of utmost loathing to the Jews, and came to be employed as a symbol of any great judgment or woe and akin to when we say of a great military or political overthrow, "It was a Waterloo defeat."
So the Jews described a great desolation by a like use of the word Gehenna - "It was a Gehenna judgment;" that is, a very terrible and destructive judgment.
The Christian Carrot and Stick
Christianity is based on fear. Throughout almost its entire history, the driving force behind Christianity has been the fear of death, fear of the devil and fear of hell.
Today, even with the slow but steady rise of Atheism, science and rational thinking there are still many fundamentalist preachers openly resorting to terrorizing their followers with lurid, sadistic portraits of the suffering of nonbelievers after death.
Reading the following from the New Testament leaves no doubt that not believing that Jesus is the only way to God is a transgression.
Mark 16:16(Jesus apparently speaking but later proven to be a forgery) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
1 John 2:22-23 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Since fundamentalist Christians claim these verses are God's word, they represent the absolute "truth". So, we see that if someone doesn't accept Jesus as their personal "savior" and believe that he was the expected Messiah, they are liars and stand condemned by God to Hell.
Why Invent Hell?
Historians have estimated that by the year 200 CE, less than one percent of the population of the central provinces of the Roman Empire were Christians and these were almost all confined to dwellers in the cities and town. The rural folk held so strongly to their old beliefs that the Latin term for peasants, pagani, became for Christians the generic term for adherents of the old religions.
Christianity was not doing well at all even after coming under the imperial favour of the emporor Constantine in the early fourth century. Even after the conversion of Constantine the growth of the religion had stagnated and it is a historical fact that by the beginning of the fourth century the Christian church was already on its death throes; partly due to the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian (245-313) and due to the intense competition for converts by the rival religion, Mithraism.
Even after the council of Nicaea, in 325CE, decided that Jesus was divine, and the heretics who said otherwise had all been slaughted, more was needed to win converts. It didn't offer a superior theology or morality, so why not play on one of humankind’s most basic fears: death, the dissolution of the individual ego.
Promise people eternal life, even though there is absolutely no evidence to support this belief, because most people are so terrified of death that they cling to this promise, insisting that it must be true.
Offer them personal immortality if they accept Christian dogma and faith but tell them that they will burn in Hell for eternity if they don't.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
Make sure that those who teach or believes anything to the contrary is vilified:
Galations 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Prov 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Making sure that the consequences of not following instructions are dire:
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.Make sure to equate those who don't believe with wickedness:
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness.Insist that non-believers who do not follow the prescribed instructions or have the courage not to conform will be punished by God.
2 Corinthians 10:5-6: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Revelations 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.
Christianity gives mankind an ultimatum based on a foundation of fear ~ believe and you will live forever. Disbelieve and burn in hell.
Another question raised by the Christian theology of hell is: how could those who go to heaven ever be happy when they knew of the terrible atrocities being inflicted on these whom their loving God has damned in hell?
The early Christian theologian Tertullian had no problem with the Christians being in Heaven while horrendous pain and punishment was being inflicted on non-believers. He said that he actually looked forward to the day when, after joining the elect in heaven, he would see all those who had opposed Christianity burning in the flames of hell. He wrote:
"How shall I admire, how laugh, how rejoice, how exult, when I behold so many kings and false gods, together with Jove himself, groaning in the lowest abyss of darkness! so many magistrates who persecuted the name of the Lord, liquefying in fiercer flames than they ever kindled against Christians; so many sage philosophers, with their deluded scholars, blushing in raging fire!" What a fine example of Christian love and charity!
Another unjust feature of the traditional Christian hell is that whether we're sent to heaven or hell doesn't depend at all on our actions during our lifes but only on whether we believe in Jesus at the moment we die. This means that non-Christians, even though they may have lived an exemplary altruistic life would they automatically be consigned to the atrocities of hell, while a person who had committed unspeakable crimes but later repented and turned to Jesus, would go to heaven. This means that Hitler, who considered himself to be a good Catholic, and had a deep faith in Jesus, is in heaven but most of his victims are not. This doctrine is partly based on Mark 16:16
'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.'
The rest of the verses:
16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
16:10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
16:11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
16:12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
16:13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
16:15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
The two underlined verses have been a direct, and undirect cause of countless deaths, vast amounts of destruction, "holy" wars, progroms, inquisitions, torture and witch hunts.This is the basis for the Christians' belief that they have mandate from God giving them the obligation and right to convert others to the beliefs.
16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Would a genuine spiritual teacher ever utter such words?
Actually, He didn't because this verse, and all the last 12 verses of the last chapter of Mark are known to be a forgery; they were inserted and are not found in the oldest Greek manuscripts.
Council of Trent and The Word of God
Concerning the genuineness of Mark 16:9-20 the Catholic Encyclopedia states,
The combination of so many peculiar features, not only of vocabulary, but of matter and construction, leaves room for doubt and it is not at all certain that Mark did not write the disputed verses. It may be that he did not; that they are from the pen of another inspired author. Catholics are not bound to hold that the verses were written by St. Mark. But they are canonical Scripture, for the Council of Trent defined that all parts of the Sacred books are to be received as sacred and canonical. Hence, whoever wrote the verses, they are inspired, and must be received as such by every Catholic.
Isn't this remarkable? According to the inspired fathers at the Council of Trent, whoever wrote the disputed verses, they are inspired even though they are fakes.
Theologians and philosophers debate whether Hell is a physical place or a state of mind, and, if a real place, whether souls really burn for eternity or are consumed by the flames. Some say the Bible's references to "eternal destruction" and "the second death" mean a person's soul is destroyed rather than tortured. Evangelical scholar Clark Pinnock asked in the Criswell Theological Review,
"How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness" that He would visit "everlasting torture upon his creatures?"
He says a God who would do that is "more nearly like Satan." Author and clergyman Philip Hughes says the belief in everlasting punishment owes more to pagan Greek notions than the Bible. Others disagree, referring to the Bible's notion of "everlasting punishment," for example.
| Representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church announced the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and Cardinal Edward Cassidy announced Vatican approval of the following statement in 1997: |
| Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part , we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works" |
Neither the Old Testament King James Version nor the Revised Standard Version mention the word "devil" in any chapter or verse. The word "devil" (actually "Diablos") is the word for Adversary in Greek, the language of the New Testament; the name "Satan" is the word for Adversary in the Aramaic/Hebrew language of the Old Testament; both words mean the exact same thing in two different languages. |
The KJV OT doesn't mention the word "demon." The RSV does mention "demon" ~ Deuteronomy 32:17: "They sacrificed to demons which were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come in of late, whom your fathers had never dreaded." Also the RSV in Psalm 106:37: "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood." The RSV references concern unnamed false, unknown gods rather than demonic entities. |
| In a nutshell, the Christian invented the Devil and Hell,
starting with their misrepresentation with the serpent in The
Garden, adding reinterpreted vague references to Satan and
Lucifer in the Old Testament and combining them with ancient
hebrew myths, stealing figures from other religions and tossing
into the pot the such ancient Babylonian storys like Ba'al Marduk
killing a great serpent called Tiamat. Add the passage of time, over which the Christians made the Devil more and more frightning and diabolical and accorded him the power to tempt people to sin. They also combined references to Sheol, Hades and Gehenna, presenting them as Hell, gave the place to their construct Devil and let him have legions of demons at his beck and call, ready, willing and able to assist him in tempting humanity. |