Our World: hell

Showing posts with label hell. Show all posts

Thursday, 28 January 2021

Internal or external devil

On our ecclesial contact form Anthony Buzzard wrote:

Can you please explain how the Devil can be internal when in Matthew 4 he is said to approach Jesus from the outside? How can the tempter there mean a temptation from within when he is expressly said to come from the outside? Thanks for your answer.

It seems this questioning person has, like several others, a misunderstanding of our understanding or sight on satan, devil, seduction or temptation.

The Satan is according us and the Bible not a figure from a place underneath the earth where people are terrorised or tortured for ever (in hell).

Jesus called at a certain point the apostle Peter "Satan". Peter is a living being and as such the other satans are also real existing beings. Any adversary, but in particular the adversary of God is called a Satan.

When we are confronted with a satan we are confronted by a figure outside us. For us Christadelphians, it is not like for Catholics and Muslims that a good angel would be seating at our right shoulder and a bad angel on our left shoulder. The temptations come from outside, brought to us by circumstance outside us and by people outside us. But how we react onto the temptation is something which comes from inside us. It is our own will which shall either go in or go against the temptation which comes over us. It is our own decision which shall allow the evil to go deeper into us or to weapon us against the evil around us.

The Satan can be any adversary of God, being a woman or a man. But we, too, can be a satan or adversary of God. That is stated by our attitude against God. The stipulation of our attitude to God is determinating if we can be a lover and follower of god, but at the same time it also can determine that we are going against God's Laws. When we allow our thoughts go astray and away from God it is possible that temptation can come from within when we follow our wrong thoughts. That is what is meant by "coming from within".

Do you not think that we ourselves can have different thoughts and have to choose from those thoughts which ones to follow? The right half from the brain, which designates our emotions, whilst left activates the action we undertake, and it is the relation or the strength of the bridge between those two. When you want to come closer to someone it is the right half of the brain which can put on the brakes. Emotion and behaviour have to be balanced. The behaviour is greatly designated by the function of our brain and as such is it something from within us. When the Bible speaks about demons in people it is the disease or the impossibility of the human being to control oneself. In ancient times it was a way to describe ill or mentally sick people.

Those demons and devils naturally can be people around us, and as such are being outside us and have nothing to do with something inside us, except that we shall have to react to them when we are meeting them. That interaction shall demand reactions from us, and those reactions shall be triggered by the brain function in us; It shall be us ourselves who shall have to make decisions and choices how to react.

Remember:

There was a lovely harmony in the Garden of Eden. Man was free to walk around and live nicely. He also was free to think and to make choices. There it went wrong. The woman let her mind wander and got tempted by her thoughts, willing to know more.
We have seen that the yielding to the tempter or man’s mind doubting God‘s honesty is treated allegorically in the Edenic covenant as the serpent in the flesh. First man was full of life but now death had come to him. Temptation had taken over and evil had entered his mind. This evil is the “devil” or diabolos of the New Testament, which term is defined as “that which has the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14), elsewhere described as “the law of sin and death”, “sin that dwelleth in me”, “sin in the flesh” (Romans 7:20; Romans 8:2-3).

Please find also to read:

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

In Coronatime thinking about death

None of us likes thinking about death, but there are times when we have little choice. For weeks now we did not hear anything else that so many died. Everywhere in the world lives are lost.

The unseen enemy has reached every corner of society, being rich does not help you to avoid the death toll. The so-called most rich, developed and greatest nation in the world shows its very weak position and how capital gain has become more important there than human lives of ethical values.

We could notice an increase at certain websites and received more letters and phone calls from worried people, asking why God allows this to happen or what mankind has done wrong. The corona crisis has unexpectedly raised the specter of death itself, our constant companion even if, most of the time, we do our best to ignore it.

This month Time Magazine has taken the opportunity to write about death, heaven and hell.

There are over two billion Christians in the world, the vast majority of whom believe in heaven and hell. According to many Christian when people die they would have one part, which they call the soul going either to everlasting bliss or torment (or purgatory en route). Strangely enough, most Christians believe in a loving heavenly Father, but do not ask a question about such a father when he would have his children being tortured for ages and ages in a fire! Can you imagine yourself doing that to your children, even when they would have hurt yourself a lot?

Americans continue to anticipate a version of the alternatives portrayed in The Good Place: regardless of religious persuasion, 72% believe in a literal heaven, 58% in a literal hell.

Do they never went or go looking in the Bible to see what the Word of God really says?

The vast majority of these people assume also Jesus himself taught such read. But that is not true. Neither Jesus, nor the Hebrew Bible he interpreted, endorsed the view that departed souls go to paradise or everlasting pain. Though there were Roman and Greek philosophers who talked about split personalities or two or more elements in a human being that could separate from the physical human being. Only many centuries later those who agreed with the Roman rulers to go for a three-headed god, also were eager to integrate the thought of separate units in the human body with a soul going to one or another place.

Unlike most Greeks, ancient Jews traditionally did not believe the soul could exist at all apart from the body. On the contrary, for them, the soul was more like the “breath.” In particular for them it was the Breath of God Which brought the breath in man, making him able to breathe and to live. Without breathing or without breath there would be no life in man.

It is good that Time magazine in these times when so many are confronted with death, brings an article to clarify the misreading of so many books and in particular the reading of the Book of books, the Bible.
Bart D. Ehrman in his article of 2020 May the 8th is willing to look at the first human God created, Adam, who began as a lump of clay; then God “breathed” life into him (Genesis 2: 7). Adam remained alive until he stopped breathing. Then it was dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Ancient Jews thought that was true of us all. When we stop breathing, our breath doesn’t go anywhere. It just stops. So too the “soul” doesn’t continue on outside the body, subject to postmortem pleasure or pain. It doesn’t exist any longer.

In the article, you shall be able to read that it was not only by the Christians that opinions changed. In several Jewish communities infiltrated the false teachings. Problem with lots of human beings is that it is very difficult to cope with the idea that we just can die and that everything would be finished with us. Not many people love the idea that when we die we can not do anything any more. Though the scriptures are very clear about it.

“For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.” (Ec 9:5 NAS)

“Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” (Ec 9:10 NAS)

For many it is unacceptable that we would just be like plants and animals and not having something better after this life. But the Bible tells us:

“19 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. 20 All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.” (Ec 3:19-20 NAS)

It must be said also God’s own people Israel continually were by their confrontation of difficulties in life oblidged to think about life and death.

The article writer questions

If God loves his people and is sovereign over all the world why do his people experience so much tragedy?

And remarks

Contrary to what other Jewish leaders taught, Jesus preached that no one will inherit the glorious future kingdom by stringently observing all the Jewish laws in their most intimate details; or by meticulously following the rules of worship involving sacrifice, prayer, and observance of holy days; or by pursuing one’s own purity through escaping the vile world and the tainting influence of sinful others. Instead, for Jesus, the earthly utopia will come to those who are fully dedicated to the most pervasive and dominant teachings of God’s law. Put most simply, that involves loving God above all things despite personal hardship, and working diligently for the welfare of others, even when it is exceedingly difficult. People who have not been living lives of complete unselfish love need to repent and return to the two “greatest commandments” of Jewish Scripture: deep love of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-6) and committed love of neighbor (Leviticus 19:18).

Please find the Time magazine to read: What Jesus Really Said About Heaven and Hell

Find more articles about the "soul"

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Articles about hell

Monday, 20 May 2019

Indulgence still offered by roman Catholic Church

Centuries ago Luther opposed the rulings about indulgences, but today they are still going strong by the Roman Catholics.

No, Pope Francis won’t get you out of Hell for following him on Twitter.

The Vatican “jumped” on the heretical bandwagon in 2013 by offering “indulgences” to reduce time in “purgatory”, to those who follow Pope Francis on “Twitter” during World Youth Day.

Also in 2019 Pope Francis has granted a "plenary indulgence" for those taking partat the World Meeting of Families in August. Even those following events on TV and radio could achieve a partial indulgence as long as they recited the Our Father, the Creed and other devout prayers.

The Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican body dealing with forgiveness of sins, said pilgrims would have to attend confession and Mass, pray for the Pope's intentions and participate in some function during the five-day event.

As foolish as this sounds to “intelligent” people, we must wonder if Catholics will ever “wake up” and realize their religion teaches a “false and fatal” gospel that leads them on the broad “road to destruction?”

is said by many protestants.

How many more “blatantly” false teachings must come out of the Vatican before Catholics realize they have been “deceived” about life’s most critical issue, the “salvation of their soul?”

Catholics, who believe a “purifying” fire will purge away their sins, are “deluded” victims of a “fatal” fabrication.

The “diabolical” invention of a place for the purification of sins called “Purgatory” is not only a flagrant “denial” of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, but also a “blasphemous” rejection of his precious blood as the only “purification” for sin. furthermore it continues thinking in the line that God would be a horrible tirrant wishing or loving to have His children tortured in hellfire or purgatory fire.

The “concept” of Purgatory became a Catholic “doctrine” around 600 C.E. due to the “fanaticism” of Pope Gregory the Great.

He “developed” the doctrine through “visions” of a purifying fire.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Pope Gregory said Catholics

“will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames,”

and

“the pain is more intolerable than anyone can suffer in this life.”

Centuries later, at the Council of Florence in 1431, Purgatory was pronounced an “infallible dogma.”

Over the centuries, “billions” of dollars have been paid to Roman Catholic priests to obtain “relief” from sufferings in Purgatory’s fire.

The Catholic clergy has taught that purchasing “indulgences, novenas and Mass cards” can shorten the period of “suffering” in Purgatory.

There have been Catholics who have “willed” their entire “estates” to their religion so that “perpetual masses” could be offered for them “after” they die.

It is no “wonder” that the Catholic religion has become the “richest” institution in the world.

The “buying and selling” of God’s forgiveness has been a very “lucrative” business for the Vatican.

In 2014, the pope mentioned hell when calling the Mafia to conversion. In 2016, he said that people who do not open their hearts to Christ will end up condemning themselves to hell. The same year, he referred to hell as "the truth" and described it as being

"far away from the Lord for eternity."

In 2018 social media went crazy with reports that Pope Francis had denied the existence of hell.

The most extensive papal explanation of hell came in response to a 2015 question from a female scout who asked,

"If God forgives everyone, why does hell exist?"

Francis acknowledged that this was a "good and difficult question."
The pope spoke of a very proud angel who was envious of God, reports Catholic News Service.

"He wanted God's place,"

said Francis.

"And God wanted to forgive him, but he said, 'I don't need your forgiveness. I am good enough!'"

"This is hell,"

explained the pope.

"It is telling God, 'You take care of yourself because I'll take care of myself.' They don't send you to hell, you go there because you choose to be there. Hell is wanting to be distant from God because I do not want God's love. This is hell."

Most contemporary theologians would agree with the pope. Hell is not about fire and brimstone; it is about our freedom to say no to God, our freedom to reject love and choose loneliness. If you believe in freedom, you have to believe in hell.

When we close our hearts and tell the world to go to hell, we are in fact choosing hell for ourselves. Hell is the absence of love, companionship, communion. We are not sent there; we choose it.
God did not create hell; we did.

Find also to read

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Heaven and hell still high on the believers list showing a religion gender gap

Typological groups according to the Pew Research Center. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A new Pew Research Center analysis of international census and survey data finds that there is a religion gender gap: Women generally are more religious than men by several key measures of religious commitment, although this pattern is not universal and can vary by religious tradition.

In some countries and faiths, men are more religious than women, at least by some measures. For instance, among Muslims and Orthodox Jews, men are more likely than women to attend worship services at least weekly, the new study finds.

Religiousness also can be measured by asking people how important religion is to them personally. In more than half of the 84 countries surveyed (46), roughly equal shares of men and women say that religion is “very important” to them. However, in 36 other countries, more women than men say religion is important in their lives – and usually by wide margins. As a result, across all 84 countries, women surpass men in this aspect of religious commitment by an average of 5 percentage points (65% vs. 60%). Only in Mozambique and Israel do men say that religion is very important to them more often than women do.

The biggest exception to the general pattern of women being more religious than men occurs in weekly attendance at worship services. Across the 81 countries where Pew Research Center data are available for this measure, more men than women attend worship at least once a week (48% vs. 42%).

This attendance gap is largely driven by 27 countries in the survey with large Muslim populations. In many Islamic societies, men are expected to attend communal Friday worship services in the mosque, while women can fulfill this obligation either inside or outside the mosque. There are similar religious norms regarding worship attendance among Orthodox Jews in Israel. As a result, men in these 28 countries report far greater rates of attendance than women, often by margins of at least 20 percentage points.

By contrast, in countries that have large Christian populations (30 of the 81 studied on this measure), women are more likely to report attending services weekly. And in 23 other countries, men and women report attending about equally.

According to an other Pew Research Center published last month, surveys in 63 countries have asked Muslims and Christians about belief in heaven, hell and angels and showed that lots of people are still convinced that they might be tortured for ever after they die or that they go to heaven when they are finished here on earth.

In 47 of the 63 countries (75%), men and women are about equally likely to profess a belief in heaven. Women are more likely to believe in heaven in 15 countries, often by margins of 5 percentage points or more.

Men and women in 52 of 63 countries (83%) are about equally likely to say they believe in hell. Women hold this belief more than men in 10 countries, while men surpass women in this belief in Lebanon. Overall, when the 63 countries are taken together, an average of 81% of women and 80% of men believe in hell.

Across all 63 countries, a greater share of women than men believe in angels by an average gap of 3 percentage points.

Looking at Christians only, there are just a handful of countries where the genders differ significantly in their beliefs in these concepts. A larger share of Christian men believe in heaven in only one country (Lebanon); Christian men are more likely than Christian women to believe in hell in two countries (the United States and Lebanon) and to believe in angels in one country (Zambia). On the other hand, more Christian women than Christian men profess belief in heaven in five countries (Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Botswana and the United States), in hell in four countries (Kazakhstan, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Chile) and in angels in nine countries (Kazakhstan, Russia, Uruguay, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Uganda and Guatemala).

Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Jewish and Christian traditions of elders

How can a Christian book possibly write":

"nowhere in the old testament is there one single word about 'GOD, THE FATHER,' and yet, that phrase dominates the New Testament and Christs teachings."

Also strange to find written

Christ also, according to scientists who were finally able to extract blood from the shroud of Turin, had AB negative blood which is stated to be the original blood of humans, on the planet.

Michael A. Hoffman II was educated at the University of New York and is a former reporter for the New York Bureau of the Associated Press. He is the author of several books, including the well known, Judaism's Strange in which we may find very strange remarks.
According to but being based on the "Oral Law.".
He says

The New Testament speaks of this as the "traditions of the elders." Jesus Christ denounced and condemned the "traditions of the elders" in the Gospel of John Chapter 5 and in the Gospel of Mark Chapter 7.

It is known that the rabbis teach that the revelation granted to Moses had been delivered in two forms, a smaller revelation in writing, and the larger one kept oral.

The rabbis claim that the so-called "oral revelation" had been transmitted by the leaders of each generation to their successors — by Moses to Joshua; and then to the elders; to the prophets; to the men of the Sanhedrin; to the leaders of the Pharisees; and finally to the earliest rabbis who saw themselves as heirs of the Pharisees.

It is because having so much accent been given to the oral tradition that lots of human doctrines entered mankind's teaching. Also in Christendom we can find such an evolution, having lots of people preferring to follow the human doctrines instead of the Biblical doctrines.

According to Michael A. Hoffman the oral tradition of the Jews is not consonant with the Old Testament. He says

The spurious claim of an "oral tradition of the elders" bequeathed by God to Moses is anti-Biblical, just as Jesus asserted. Christ very simply illuminated the fact that if the Pharisees' tradition had indeed been from Moses, then they would have become Christians. For Christ rebuked them saying, "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?"

Here Jesus annihilated in one stroke the basis for the religion of Judaism and its conceit of an oral tradition given to it by Moses. For had such a tradition existed it would have testified of Jesus the Messiah. Instead, Christ tells them point blank that they don't follow Moses!

We must be aware that in Judaism as in Christendom we do have the same problem that many do not know their Holy Scriptures. Michael A. Hoffman says:

When presenting Old Testament proofs of the Messiahship of Jesus to the rabbis and their followers - one must penetrate the iron-clad grid of the Talmudic mind-set which according to Christ’s assertion makes the Scriptures "of none effect."

From the outset, the Christian must realize that the rabbis and their followers do not know their own Scriptures, and for that matter, do not care to know them. For they view the Talmud as superceding the Scriptures. Much patience is required when bringing the Gospel message to them, and perhaps at times, stern reproofs are necessary.

The same as we do have to have much patience to try to convince those who call themselves Christian we do need lots of time to bring Jews to come to see what it is about the Messiah and why Jesus really can be seen as that promised sent one from God.

We do not agree with those people who say Jews have their own God and Muslims have their own God. It is very easy to come with such accusation as excuse for promoting their own teachings which are often also based more on human or church doctrines instead of Biblical doctrines.

Unlike the writer of the boos says, the main tenet of Judaism is not Jewish self-worship. Judaism has not as its "god," another God than the one of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We can more say that lots of Christians do have an other god than the God Who is worshipped by the Jewish people. The People of God never worshipped a trintiarian god. They all knew and know very well that there is only One true God of gods according to the infallible Word of God.

for the author Jewish self-worship is at the core of the Talmud.

The secularist amongst them shares in this self-worship. For the Talmud teaches that the Gentile is a lower form of humanity.

Michael A. Hoffman says.
He also finds that the Talmud blasphemes Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Tractate Sanhedrin 106a says that Jesus’ mother was a harlot: "She who was a descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters." Also in Tractate Shabbath 104b of the Talmud, it is stated: "Miriam the hairdresser had sex with many men."

As regard the Talmud's treatment of Jesus Christ, Tractates Sanhedrin 107b and Sotah 47a say: "Jesus was sexually immoral, worshipped statues of stone and brick, was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness, and refused to repent." And even a more vile blasphemy is written in Tractate Gitten 57: "Jesus is in hell, being boiled in hot excrement."

The Jews know that in the Scriptures is written that Jesus was three days in hell, something lots of Christians do seem to overlook. But naturally the sheol or hell from the bible is not such a place of torment as many Christians and Muslims understand it. there does not exist a place of hellfire where people would be tortured for ever. The Creator God is not such an awful sadistic Being which would enjoy such torment for His creatures. For Him when a person dies he or she has paid for his or her sins and everything ends with it.

Michael A. Hoffman is totally wrong in saying:

Christians must understand that the religion of Judaism is anti-Biblical. The true religion of the God of Israel is Christianity not Judaism. Judaism is simply a perversion of God’s original revelation to the Hebrew nation. It is the very religion of nullification of the Old Testament.

All Christians should know that the Jews are God His chosen people. They always shall have a preferred place in God's Plan. The heathen or gentiles may not expect that they would get a higher place than the Jews. they should be happy that , when they agree to follow Christ Jesus, have their sins washed away by baptism, can also enter the Kingdom of God, when from their conversion onwards they are willing to follow the commandments of Christ and the commandments of God.

Mr Hoffman with so many Christians do seem to forget that whatever happens God shall keep His promises He made centuries ago to Abraham. The seed of Abraham is in first instance the Jewish people and in second instance those who have become the new children of the patriarch Abraham, the reborn people in Christ or the Christians then new sons of Abraham.

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Please also do find to read:

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Welcome

Welcome at this zone created by Marcus Ampe for the Belgian Free Christadelphians, where previous articles from the MSN Groups and Multiply are brought together and made available again to the general public. On 2012 October 26 this site came into development and new articles shall be added next to our main site and to the Christadelphian Ecclesia site: Christadelphian Ecclesia.
You are welcome at that site to find more articles.

All who want to follow Jesus/Jeshua (Yeshua/Yahsua) from Nazareth, the Christ, the Messiah and wants to be united with people who sincerely want to keep to those teachings of this masterteacher are welcome to share their love for Christ and their hope for the coming Kingdom.

The names "Christadelphia" and 'Christadelphian' is compounded of two Greek words: 'christos' and 'adelphoi' and means 'brethren in Christ'.

This site is created by a Free Christadelphian only bounded to Jesus Christ. We are open to anybody who wants to share the brotherly love of Christ. Coming together by a common belief in 'the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ' (Acts 8:12).

In the older Multiply messages links to Multiply shall not always work from 2012 December 1, but you shall be able to find them by copying and pasting the title in the search machine. I have worked on re-editing those links from 2005 onwards, so that they could work in the future, but it became a to much time consuming job, so I stopped doing it after a while. (My apologies for certain links not working any more.)

Thanks for visiting us and hope to see you again.

Welkom

Wij wensen allen welkom die hier op deze pagina's terecht komen en hopen dat zij geïnspireerd mogen geraken om verder de Bijbel ter hand te nemen en zelf op onderzoek te gaan wat er in de Heilige Schrift werkelijk staat.

De namen "Christadelphia" en "Christadelphian" is een samentelling van twee Griekse woorden : "Christos" en "adelphoi" en betekent 'broer in Christus'. De Christadelphians zijn een groep van mensen die samen verbonden zijn door hun gemeenschappelijk geloof betreffende de dingen aangaande het Koninkrijk van God en de naam van Jezus Christus (Jeshua, de Messias) (Handelingen van de Apostelen 8v12).
Christadelphian mensen zouden tot een wereldwijde gemeenschap moeten behoren, wiens doel is zo trouw als mogelijke de leerstelling en voorbeeld van Jezus/Jehsua Christus te volgen, zoals het geregistreerd staat in de Bijbel.
In een wereld die vol is van onzekerheden genieten wij van een eenvoudig, rechtstreeks en logisch geloof, dat nu al vrede en voldoening aanbiedt en de belofte van het nog te komen eeuwigdurende vreugderijk: het Koninkijk van God.

Op deze site, gecreëerd door Marcus Ampe voor de Vrije Belgische Christadelphians, of Broeders in Christus, zijn in oktober 2012 de vroegere berichten uit de MSN Groepen en Multiply samen gebracht en terug zichtbaar gemaakt voor het algemeen publiek.

Meerdere linken in de vroegere artikelen zullen vermoedelijk niet werken, maar u kan de titel dan kopiëren en plakken in het "Zoek" venster om zo bij het juiste artikel te komen. Ik maakte er werk van om de artikelen vanaf 2005 terug te editen en daarin de linken te vernieuwen, zodat zij terug zouden werken. Maar dit vroeg zo veel tijd dat ik het heb opgegeven. Daarom verzoek ik mij te verontschuldigen indien u een link tegen komt die niet meer werkt.

Vanaf 26 oktober 2012 is deze website opengesteld naar het publiek en zullen er in de toekomst nog enkele artikelen bij komen. Maar de meerderheid van de teksten zullen nu geplaatst worden op de site van de Vlaamse Broeders in Christus of Christadelphians en op de kerkgemeenschapssite
Christadelphian Ecclesia.

Graag ontmoeten wij u daar voor meerdere artikelen.

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