I got a weird snippet of scripture stuck in my windshield a few weeks ago. It had an odd quote, italicized strangely. I read the blog. It's totally heretical.
When someone tells you Hell is just the place in the ground where your body goes, and your soul is snuffed out.. That the world will be restored to a Paradise like Eden.. and uses one scripture to just each of these things.. something is wrong.
1) The story of the rich man and Lazarus, in which the rich man's soul is cast into Hell, contradicts the "snuffed out souls" doctrine. There are many other parts of scripture that indicate Hell is a real place, like Heaven, a spiritual realm for the unbelieving soul to be punished until the great white throne judgment in Revelation.
Jesus talks about getting rid of things that cause you to sin, no matter how important, "good" they may seem, for they will cost you your soul.
Matthew 18:9
"And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."
The same for your right hand if it causes you to sin. Where will the lost go?
"Where their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched,"
That doesn't sound like getting buried and having our souls annihilated.
2) God is not going to fully restore this creation. He will destroy the heavens and earth with an intense cosmic fire. Then, He will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. And to say it's like Eden? It will be so much better than Eden.
"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea" Revelation 21:1
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has understood what God has in store for those who love Him," 1 Cor 2:9
We can imagine Eden. What comes after this earth and Heaven for believers? Will be wonderful beyond anything we can grasp with our minds here.
3) The Kingdom only on Earth? No. Jesus said," In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you so. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and bring You to Myself" John 14:2-3
"The dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who believe will be caught up in the air with the Lord. And so we will ever be with the Lord," 1 Thess 4:17
4) Only 144,000 saved or in Heaven? No. "I saw a multitude from every nation and tribe who no man could number.." Rev. 7:9a
144,000 can be numbered. The Church and the Remnant of Israel standing before the throne of God? Innumerable.
In short? Know the Truth. Because only by knowing the Truth can you discern between truth and error.
Finally, the Jehovah's Witness bible has twisted God's Word in the gospel of John 1st chapter. Their New World version reads, "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was a god," (NWT 1:1)
I emphasized the “a” but that’s it. One little word. But it’s an addition to the Scripture that results in a lie about the nature of God and Jesus.
Where the orthodox translations read something along the line of "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God,"
And this is important because if you don't believe Jesus is God, who He claims to be over and over in the gospels, supported by Old and New Testament, then You will not make it.
"And He was saying to them, 'You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.'" John 8:32-24
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:58
Jesus says,"I am," over and over. "I am the Good Shepherd," "I am the Gate" "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," It's not a figure of speech. In this he is identifying himself with the great "I am" Jesus IS God. And any contrary doctrine is heresy.
Is this heresy the problem? Yes, but it’s part of a bigger problem. We as Christians are not sharing the Truth, Jesus. Many people are hungry for Jesus, the Bread of Life. But because they are not being “fed” Jesus, they are eating the “cardboard” of not Jesus.
Part of the problem is that people who have access to the Bible don’t read it. If they read it, guided by the Holy Spirit, they would know how to live, how to share the Gospel.
And I admit that I often feel stumped on how to share the gospel, one because most here in the West are satisfied with the bread and circuses this world has to offer. Now, in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia? They are coming in droves to Christ in spite of tremendous hardship and persecution! And there is a remnant being saved in The United States, Canada, Central and South America. We have to pray that God would send workers into His harvest. But can I speculate and say something small? We should pray in faith, as our heart’s desire “Lord, send me,”
We should repent and pray God would heal us of our waywardness and be about the Father’s business.
Hope that helps.