As a retired fireman, I know that the human body cannot withstand flame. I’ve seen victims completely incinerated. So, for us to burn in hell for eternity, God would have to use Divine Intervention to keep us alive. Now what kind of God would keep you alive so you can be tortured in hell? A sadistic one, that is for sure. And if that is the true character of God, why would anyone want to live with Him in Heaven for eternity?
So folks, I don’t believe there is a hell. There is no eternally burning pit “down”, wherever that is, and Lucifer isn’t a red skinned man wearing leotards, holding a trident, with horns growing out of his head.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.
Yes, those who are wicked will perish by what we humans describe as fire, but it won’t be an eternal burning. You will burn and then die, never to live again, while the righteous will have eternal life in Heaven.
And as for literal fire, I don’t even believe it is that. I believe the “fire” is the Glory of God which the righteous will not be able to withstand. Take Moses for example. He was on the mountain in the presence of God but never looked upon the face of God.
“Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So, when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.” – Exodus 34: 29-35
Moses’ face shined with the Glory of God, that even those who looked on him were afraid, and he had to cover his face with a veil so he could talk to the children of Israel. And listen to what God had to say about it.
“So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” – Exodus 33:17-20
“No man shall see Me, and live.” That is how bright God’s Glory is. And for us to be able to withstand His Glory, we have to learn to be righteous, we must draw ourselves closer to God, so we are worthy of seeing His Glory, and to keep from being consumed by it, which many believe, as the authors describe, as “fire”.
Aaron’s son, Nadab and Abihu, lit an unlawful incense, and Moses writes, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.” – Leviticus 10:1-2
Wow, what a vengeful God Moses writes about. Nadab and Abihu did something as innocent as lighting the incense, and God sends fire to devour, punish, and kill them! Or is it? Read on.
“Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from [a]before the sanctuary out of the camp.” So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.” – Leviticus 10:4-5.
Wait! What? They carried them out of the camp “by their tunics”? As I’ve said, as a fireman, I’ve seen people incinerated by fire. But their clothing did not endure, it burned up as well. So how is it that fire came down and consumed Nadab and Abihu, yet their tunics survived?
It may have appeared to Moses as “fire”, but I’m guessing it was the Glory of God that consumed them. Their clothes were unaffected, but because they could not withstand God’s Glory, they perished by it. All God had to do was show His face and they would have died. But I don’t even believe God killed them, that is not His nature. I believe that because of the burning incense, it summoned God to appear. Who knows? Nadab and Abihu may even have been in the most Holy Place of the tabernacle when they did this. I just don’t believe that God would pardon King David for murder yet kill Nadab and Abihu for lighting an illegal incense.
And when we die, I don’t believe we go to Heaven, and we don’t go to the Hell that I don’t believe in. We simply go to sleep in our grave and wait for the Second Coming of Christ. Scripture says that at that time, there will be a resurrection of the righteous, and the living and the dead in Christ will return to Heaven with Jesus. After 1,000 years, when Satan is chained up in the pit and the earth is desolate, Jesus will return with the New Jerusalem, at which time the wicked are resurrected. Then I believe God will show Himself to them, and they will all die because they are not able to withstand His Glory. They have separated themselves too much from God to know Him.
I know my beliefs about dying and going to Heaven will ruffle some feathers. But what does scripture say about Heaven? There is no more sadness, no more tears, only joy and rejoicing. Do you believe your father or mother can be in Heaven and looking down upon us, and be joyous with the troubles we have in our life? What if we succumb to cancer and are suffering, will your parents be rejoicing in Heaven as they look down on our suffering? Do you think they will have no tears when they look down and, for example, see us critically injured in a car accident?
Now, it will seem as if we die and go to Heaven, but only because we lose consciousness and sleep in our grave, pretty much the same as when we go to sleep at night. Those of us that are lucky enough to get 8 hours, a third of a day passes while we’re in bed, but when we wake up, it seems as if only a moment has passed. The same is true for death. When Adam is resurrected from his grave, it will seem as though just a minute has passed, even though it has been thousands of years. We have no thought’s when we’re asleep, and neither do the dead. As scripture says, “The dead know nothing”.
Some say the myth about hell was create by the philosopher Plato, who was reportedly a Greek pagan who was an atheist. And others, like the 19th Century pastor, may continue to use it to “fill the pews”. Whatever, it is a scare tactic to try to keep you inline, not for a love of God, but for a fear of God. And God should not be feared.
The Real Meaning of Life 