The Penalty for Lack of Success in Making the Grade: Hell or Annihilation?

Discovering the truth about hell requires thinking outside the box. If, after looking at the evidence, you are still not convinced, you have the option of going back into the box.

“For what know you, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? Or how know you, O man, whether you shall save your wife?” (1 Corinthians 7:16).

For some, it may come as great comfort to realize that their mate, if they die unconverted, will not go to an ever-burning torturing hell fire to be tormented for eternity. Why would God, unless he is a sadist, be wanting your mate to be writhing in an ever-burning hell fire for eternity?

There are two main points of view on the subject of hell. On one hand there is the belief that bad people go to an underground torture chamber filled with fire to endure pain for eternity. On the other hand there is the belief that God is a God of mercy who will reward the good with eternal life (John 3:16) and punish the evil by destroying them in the lake of fire so that they cease to exist except as ashes under the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:3).

What phrase is repeated in scripture/the Bible over and over?

“…his mercy endures forever.” The scripture occurs over 40 times between 1 Chronicles 16:34 and Jeremiah 33:11. David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) repeated it 33 times. We either believe God’s mercy endures forever or we don’t.

If we don’t believe the mercy of God endures forever, then we believe in the traditional hell.

There is no doubt that professing Christianity, for the greater part, is built on the fear of hell. It is fear religion at its worse.

&ldquoThere is no fear in love but perfect love throws out fear because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love&rdquo (1 John 4:18).

Traditional evangelists have made a good living scaring people into conversions by describing the traditional ever-burning hell. This type of preacher is supposedly a counter balance to the opposite extreme that preaches that there is no punishment for the wicked (which is also a lie).

What is the punishment for being wicked? The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), not eternal life in hell fire. The deceptions about hell dovetail against each other to the extent that lots of people are pre-programmed to reject the truth of the matter before they even start digging to get to the truth of the issue. It requires a breaking of set patterns of thinking and realizing that all scriptures fit together to expose a perfect picture of what to expect after our lives are over.

Of course, to get to the truth of the word issue requires us to go to the original Hebrew of the Old Testament and the original Greek of the New Testament.

What is the scripture?

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Is the scripture the King James Version Bible?

No.

Is the scripture the NIV?

No.

Scripture is the original Hebrew and Chaldee Old Testament plus the Greek New Testament.

English translations exist as simply translations. In most cases this is not a huge issue. However, on the subject of hell it is a huge issue because the King James Bible is peppered with the word “hell”.

In the King James Version of the Old Testament the word translated into the English word “hell” is the Hebrew word “sheol”, which means “the unseen”, in essence, “the grave”. The equivalent of this in the King James Version of the New Testament is the Greek word “hades”, which also means “the unseen”, in essence, “the grave”. There are also two other Greek words that the King James translators translated into the English word “hell”.

One of the Greek words is “ge-enna”, which is a trash pit just outside Jerusalem. There is no trash there at this time. It is a tourist attraction. Tour guides advertise that they can take you to hell and back. Hell is a popular tourist site.

Ge-enna was the place where mothers used to sacrifice their babies to the god Molock. This was centuries ago. After the altar of Molock was destroyed it became a place to put trash. Also criminals who did not deserve to be buried were put into ge-enna, the trash pit. Christ referred to it in a metaphor for the lake of fire, “…where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched.” The worm is a maggot. The maggot does not die. It becomes a fly. The fly eventually dies, of course. The fire is not quenched. In both cases, the ge-enna trash pit, and the lake of fire, there is no quenching of the fires. They die out when there is no more material to feed the flame.

Last, but not least, the Greek word “tartaroo” is translated into the English word “hell”. It occurs only once in 2 Peter 2:4. It is a condition of restraint. It is not for people. It is for fallen angels only.

It is no wonder that there is such confusion about the subject of hell. After being told as children that &ldquobad people go to hell when they die&rdquo, the conditioning is completed by looking into the King James Bible and seeing the word hell occurring many times, not knowing that 4 words of 3 diverse meanings are translated into the English word &ldquohell&rdquo. This certainly takes a lot getting used to. And simply knowing the meanings of the original words is usually not enough to extinguish the confusion.

For more information go to Hell-Fire.

Conditioning received from the traditional hell-fire preachers cannot easily be transcended. For example, there is an analogy of the “soul” being the real you and the body being like an old overcoat that you can shed when you die. The idea of an immortal soul comes from Greek philosophy, not scripture.

Type the words &ldquoimmortal soul&rdquo in an electronic Bible. You will find no occurrences of such an idea. The soul is not immortal. The soul that sins will die (Ezekiel 18:4 and Ezekiel 18:20). How many souls have sinned? All have sinned (Romans 3:23). Therefore all souls die.

The soul dies. It does not receive eternal life in an ever-burning hell-fire.

What does the word “soul” really mean? If you want the Bible meaning of the word you will need to go to the original languages of the Bible and retrieve the meaning.

Soul comes from the Hebrew word “nephesh”, meaning self or creature. Most of the time it simply refers to a living creature, man or animal. But it can also refer to a dead creature. In Numbers 19:13 the Hebrew “nephesh” is translated as “body” and it is mentioning a body (a “nephesh”, a soul) that is dead. In the New Testament the word “soul” comes from the Greek word “psuche”, meaning a vital force with the affections and desires. It usually refers to living souls. However, it too can refer to dead souls. In Revelation there is reference to a time in the future when “…every living soul died in the sea” (Revelation 16:3). Every soul (“psuche”) died. You do not have a soul. You are a soul.

There is something that is worse than dying. What is worse than dying? It is the experience of the second death, of course, when unrepentant sinners are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8), burning to a crisp to become ashes under the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:3), the Merciful God allowing them to cease to exist.

As mentioned before, the Hebrew “sheol” is translated into the Old Testament as the English word “hell”. “Hell” occurs 31 times in the Old Testament, translated from the word “sheol”. However, “sheol” occurs more than 50 times in the Old Testament. What other word is it translated into? It is also translated into the word “grave” and into the word “pit”. It was at the discretion of the individual translator as to whether it was translated as “hell”, “grave”, or “pit”. Many of the Bible translators believed in the traditional hell. This is the reason they used the word “hell” liberally.

What is the punishment of the wicked? Their end is destruction (Philippians 3:18-19) not eternal life in hell. Their fate is to become ashes under the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:3).

Wily Elder, CBA, CMI

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Forex Trading Tips That Would Make You Trade Like A Pro

Most of the people who think that they are well-versed in all aspects of forex trading - what it is, how it should be done, what the advantages and disadvantages of it are, etc. - more or less at one point in time, even to this very second, thought or is thinking that has something to do with dealing with bonds and stocks.

Forex trading is way different from bonds and stocks. With forex trading, you deal with currency pairs. The currency pairs involved in forex trading are usually currencies that are stable in the forex market and are of greater value than other currencies.

Forex traders, especially beginners who are trying to get lucky in the forex market, should know the different facets of forex trading and should put these to heart. Here are some forex trading tips that would help all forex traders be more successful, beginner or otherwise:

1. Forex trading tip number 1: Forex traders should protect themselves from any type of fraud. To avoid being a victim of fraud, a trader should avoid trading opportunities that seem too good to be true, like get-rich-quick schemes. Since the forex market provides a lot of opportunities for all types of individuals, scams are unavoidable. To avoid becoming a victim, get the services of legitimate forex trading companies.

2. Forex trading tip number 2: Make sure that you select a forex trading firm that is accredited by the government. This is because the government has the power to regulate such firms and choosing them prevents any big misfortunes in the future. A thorough background check on the company is a must before anything else. If a company is not transparent enough for you, chances are, they will not really be very helpful and, worse, can get you into trouble.

3. Forex trading tip number 3: Do all the research you need to do to find out all the facets of forex trading that you need to know. Make sure that you do your homework. Jot down notes about all the transactions that you will be participating in to keep track of things.

4. Forex trading tip number 4: Avoid doing transactions via snail mail or via the internet. Your transactions can fall in the wrong hands or can be hacked. Forex trading success is centered on a trader’s ability to buy currencies at a lesser price and to be able to sell it more than it was bought. The proper precautionary measures is a must for a trader to become successful in the forex market.

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Tracking your business finances

One of the biggest benefits of operating a home-based business is that it doesn’t require any formal training or experience. After all, some of the most successful individuals never attended a single business-related class or workshop.

The only drawback to having a lack of experience and/or business education is that it can make tracking your company’s finances difficult. Even accountants who spend their lives working with numbers often find bookkeeping a tedious chore.

The accounting programs like QuickBooks 2008 can handle a wide array of business related tasks, such as tracking expenses, creating invoices, handling payroll, and printing checks. The more of these tasks a program can do, the more expensive it will be.

For that reason, you should know exactly what you are going to use it for. That way you can get a program that meets your needs without paying for features you′ll never use.

Before you buy any software, you need to know your computer’s current statistics, such as what operating system you use, how much hard drive is available, and how much RAM your system contains.

If you buy a program that won’t work on your system, you won’t be able to return it and get your money back once it’s been opened. Checking in advance will protect you from getting stuck with software you can’t use.

Any type of business-related purchase requires careful consideration, so be sure to investigate before you buy. Explore all of the software programs available and find out what other people are saying about them.

Pay attention to mentions of difficulty levels since you want a program that is easy for you to learn and to use. Also, take advantage of software demos. Nothing beats a hands-on preview. You should do some research into the companies’ technical support and customer service as well. If you ever need help, you want to know it’s readily available.

Another thing you need to know is how much you can afford to spend on the program. The costs for accounting software run from $30 to $600 or more depending on the features included.

Knowing what you need and can afford in advance will prevent you from paying too much. Shopping around for a particular program won’t do much good, however. Whether you buy a program online, from an electronics store, or from a retail outlet, you′ll pay about the same price. Watch for rebates or special offers, however, because they can cut your costs considerably.

No accountant? No problem! Enjoy our free online accounting service atquickbook 2008.

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