[Teachldsseminary] Teach: Kingdoms - There is no hell!

[GRIZGRANNY@aol.com]

I thought you might like to have this article that was in our newspaper  Dec. 
16, 2006.  It goes along with some of the subjects that we've been  
discussing on the list and for future reference for 2 Nephi 28:22 - "And behold,  
others he (Satan) flattereth away, and telleth them there is no  hell; and he saith 
unto them: I am no devil, for there is none -- and  thus he whispereth in 
their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains,  from whence there is no 
deliverance."
 
Prophesy fulfilled.
 
Karen Johnson, EMS Seeley Lake, MT
 
 
The Adventures of Clothman  - Joy to the world! There is no hell
BY GLEN MOYER of the Missoulian       
I used to believe  in Santa Claus, but not anymore.

Despite the alleged fact that he  annually enters every home in the world, I’
ve seen fewer pictures of Santa than  I have of UFOs. Satellites surround the 
globe yet they’ve never spotted him or  his home in the North Pole. But what 
clinched it for me was when my older  brother placed the tag on Santa’s present 
next to a note my mother had written.  The handwriting was an exact match.    
 

I used to believe in a literal, eternal hell, but not any  more.

Some years ago I started to look for hell in earnest because things  weren’t 
adding up. Much of Scripture seemed to contradict a literal hell. Hell  caused 
Christianity to be based upon fear more than faith. And I never could  
reconcile how a loving God could send most humans to an eternal torment. Talk  about 
putting a damper on Christmas. It’s hard to celebrate when most people are  
still doomed.

Imagine my shock and indeed delight when I found that hell  isn’t anymore 
real than Santa Claus. It is impossible to distill years of study  into a couple 
of paragraphs but here are some highlights.

My first  discovery was that the English word “hell” is used 54 times in the 
King James  Version Bible but only 14 in the New International Version. Get 
this, in the Old  Testament hell appears 31 times in the KJV but not even once 
in the NIV. “Where  in the hell is hell?” I barked out loud.

For centuries English Bibles  mistranslated the Hebrew word “Sheol” as hell 
when it simply meant the grave or  place of the dead n a place where everyone 
goes. New translations like the NIV  have corrected this awful blunder. And 
after exploring the verses related to  God’s wrath and anger, I found that hell 
is nowhere in the Old Testament. Hello,  that’s like three-fourths of the 
Christian Bible!

Of the 14 places where  hell is used in the NIV, 12 are translating the New 
Testament word Gehenna.  Gehenna is the Greek name for the Valley of Hinnom 
just outside the southwest  gate of Jerusalem. It has an evil history. There, 
under King Ahaz, Israelites  worshiped the god Molech and burned little children 
as sacrifices to him. King  Josiah ended this evil and cursed the place. From 
then on, including in the days  of Jesus, it became an ever-burning garbage 
dump for the city of  Jerusalem.

All but one of the uses of Gehenna are when Jesus is referring  to this nasty 
dump to shock his listeners into paying attention. For example,  when he said 
(tongue in cheek), “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It  is better 
for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell  (Gehenna), 
where the fire never goes out” (Mark 9:43-44).

So when Jesus  said Gehenna (or Hinnom) his listeners instantly visualized 
this burning valley  with its constant haze of dank smoke lingering over it. Our 
concept of hell  would never have occurred to them.

If hell didn’t occur to them, then why  does it occur to us? Like Sheol, 
English Bibles have wrongly changed Gehenna to  Hell n a concept from Greek 
mythology. I predict that future translations will  correct this, too, and not 
contain any use of the word hell. Why? Because hell  is not in the Bible.

Yes, I’ve studied the other New Testament passages  that speak about 
judgment, wrath, weeping and gnashing of teeth, etc., yet I  still didn’t find hell. I’
ve concluded that hell is a terrible, terrible  myth.

For many of you this comes as a huge relief and confirmation. For  others 
this has made you stare at my words in total shock. And for still others,  this 
has really made you mad. As one who believed in and taught hell for more  than 
two decades, I’ve been in all three places. I suggest you study hell for  
yourself.

The Santa Claus myth is basically harmless, despite retailers  shamelessly 
using him to hawk their wares. Hell is not. It creates fear, doubt,  exclusion, 
anger and a false view of God. It wasn’t until I realized hell was a  myth 
that the dark cloud that hung over Christmas was finally removed. Now  Christmas 
is about Jesus being born to save all people. Joy to the world, the  Lord has 
come.

Glen Moyer, pastor of High Point Adventures in  Missoula, will host a one-day 
seminar called “The Good News About Hell” on Jan.  13. For information visit 
www.Clothman.com. or write to P.O. Box 3561, Missoula,  MT 59806.   
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