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1    If you are DEAD, then how can you be alive.  Romans 6:23 (en# 1.1) tells us the wages of sin are death, while the alternative is LIFE eternal.  If you sin and die, where do you go?  Many people have an illusion that they goto hell and are tormented  forever, or some variation thereof.  Regardless of the variation, the premise that they are dead and being tormented is an oxymoron.  Both can not be true at the same time.  You can not both be dead and be tormented.  Tomenting requires you to be alive.

2    In Ezekiel 18:4 & 20 (en# 4).  Scripture clearly tells us a soul that sins shall die.  Whether you are referring to carnal death or spiritual death, the ultimate end is commonly referred to as going to hell.  But if you exist someplace, whether it is called hell or something else, you must be alive.  So, if you are alive you are not dead and maybe did not sin.

3    The result is simple, if you are dead you are not alive - anywhere.  The eternal end is to be alive or not.  If you are alive you are with Yah, and if you are dead you do not exist.

4    Having settled that, let us now determine what Heaven and Hell are.

5    The word hell is a composite of several ancient words that translators made all mean the same thing – hell.  At the risk of over simplifying the matter, Heaven and hell (in the eternal sense) are not places, but rather states-of-existence-or-not.  What a shock!!!!

6    Heaven is with Yah and hell is not with Yah.  Romans 6 tells us of disobedience and sin and obedience and life, ending with 6:23 (en# 1.2) telling us that the wages of sin are death and the gift of Yah (for following his commandments) is eternal life.  If you are dead you are not with Yah.  Many try to say that Hell is separation from God, and that is true.  If you are dead you do not have life and Yah is life and those with him are alive.  Other lessons of Yahshua explain obedience and consequences.  The lesson of the virgins shows that those who do as Yah directs us to do, then we will be rewarded (in this case, be in the wedding) and if we do not do as he direct us, he will say “I know you not” (Matthew 25:12 & Luke 13:25-27) (en# 2 & en# 3).

7    So if you “sin”, you will die.  It might be said that death is a condition in which even Yahshua does not know you, being that you are separated from him.  Surely Yah, who knows every hair on your head, would know you even if you were registered in hotel Hell.  But when you die you cease to exist.  Hell is non-existence.

8    And, if you do as Yah wants, you will have eternal life with him, under his rule.  This has always been his promise.  What awaits us is eternal life or … not.  Life with Yah eternally, or you never existed.

9    If hell were a place, then Milton, in “Paradise Lost”, made a profound claim.  In “Paradise Lost” Satan claims to have taken himself out of any supposed hierarchy, choosing to rule in Hell rather than serve in Heaven, yet how can he truly consider himself out of the influence of an omnipotent, omniscient God.  This shows an acceptable value to hell.  At least you would be alive, with the hope of being high in its hierarchy (chain of command).

	Luke	Acts	2 Peter	Matthew	Mark	Psalms	Psalms	Matthew
Bible	16:23	2:31	2:4	5:22	9:43	6:5	16:10	7:13
========	========	========	========	========	========	========	========	========
NWTV	Hades	Hades	Tartarus	Gehenna	Gehenna	Sheol	Sheol	Destruction
KJV	Hell	Hell	Hell	Hell	Hell	Grave	Hell	Destruction
NKJV	Hades	Hades	Hell	Hell	Hell	Grave	Sheol	Destruction
ASV	Hades	Hades	Hell	Hell	Hell	Sheol	Sheol	Destruction
NASBV	Hades	Hades	Hell	Hell	Hell	Sheol	Sheol	Destruction
RSV	Hades	Hades	Hell	Hell	Hell	Sheol	Sheol	Destruction
NIV	Hell	Grave	Hell	Hell	Hell	Grave	Grave	Destruction
NRSV	Hades	Hades	Hell	Hell	Hell	Sheol	Sheol	Destruction
Amplified	Hades Rod	Hades	Hell	Gehenna Hell	Gehenna Hell	Sheol	Sheol	Destruction

What is Gehenna?

10    Catholic periodical Commonweal:  "The final place of punishment, evidently, is Gehenna, the Valley of Hinno[m], which at one time had been a place where human sacrifice was offered to pagan gods, but in biblical times had already become the city dump, a refuse heap on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Here the stench and smoke and fire were a constant reminder to the inhabitants of what happened to things that had served their purpose-they were destroyed."

11    Simply put, Gehenna is a garbage dump - See Phillips "Jewish Views of the Afterlife," by Dr. Simcah Paull Raphael (1994).

12    Any doctrine of eternal torment or suffering in the afterlife depends on the doctrine of soul immortality. According to Dr. Raphael, this doctrine did not develop until "the apocryphal period," and was "a radically new idea that did not exist in biblical times." (p. 83)

13    Further, it is only "with the First Book of Enoch [that] another new conception enters Jewish postmortem philosophy -- the notion of Gehenna as a place of eternal damnation," thus sometime between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE. (p. 88) It is with the apocryphal book of Enoch that "tours of hell," describing with vivid detail the torments and punishments of the underworld, begin. Interestingly, for some time into the Christian century and beyond, Jewish scholars argued over whether the torments of Gehenna were temporary and purgative, or eternal. (pp. 140-149)

14    It is unfortunate that it is a rare Bible version that will translate Gehenna properly, even though it is a PROPER NAME. Most Bibles will do so elsewhere, as in *Valley of Ben Hinnom* in 2 Chronicles 28:3 and *Hinnom Valley* in Joshua 18:6, (which is actually Gehenna). The reason this is not done so is because the O.T. Gehenna does not have the ability to carry the same theological connotations as those in Matthew 5:22.

15    What does the Bible actually say about Gehenna?  Jeremiah 7:31: "They have built shrines of Topeth in the valley of Benhinnom [Gehenna], at which to burn their sons and daughters. That was no command of mine; indeed it never entered my mine."

What is Tartarus?

16    Their being cast into "Tartarus" refers to their being debased, cut off from God's favor and all enlightenment. This is evident from the fact that the expression 'throwing into Tartarus' in the original Greek is a verb. So it refers to an act of debasement and not to a literal place. The idea conveyed is similar to the English word "debase," which uses the noun "base" but does not in itself suggest the existence of a literal base. The Bible here uses symbolic language that the Greeks would understand with Homer's Iliad. See Jude 6.

What is Hades and Sheol?

17    As we see from the above, Hades and Sheol are simply the grave. That is why the Rotherham Bible says, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do> < with thy might> do, for there is no work nor calculation nor knowledge nor wisdom, in hades, whither thou art going." (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  Checking the marginal references in the 1611 Edition of the King James Version at Psalms 55:15; Psalms 86:13; Isaiah 14:9; and Jonah 2:2, you will see that "Hell" is indeed the "Grave."

The churchcraft also know this

"There are in fact so many strong biblical, doctrinal, and logical arguments against the existence of a literal hell that this question naturally arises: Why do the churches teach it and why do people often believe it?" The minister, Robert Short, suggests that the answer lies in the churches' "faithless fear of giving up 'the gospel at gunpoint.'" He said: "The churches tend to believe, consciously or unconsciously, that fear-rather than love-conquers all."  The clergyman asserted that the "most powerful argument against the existence of a literal hell is . . . that we can know a thing by its fruits. (Matt. 7:16, 20)" Using this test, he observed: "It has become painfully apparent that the 'Christian' doctrine which has yielded the most poisonous fruits is the teaching of a literal hell. For not only can it be proven that this doctrine has produced cruel, self-righteous 'Christians' throughout Western history, Christians who have felt justified in hating and even killing since it can be argued that any action is justified if it saves more people from hell, but a literal hell's more modern and even deadlier fruit has been atheism."  In conclusion, Short declared: "Only if the teaching of hell were true would the churches be justified in retaining it. And a growing number of theologians-both Catholic and Protestant-are now saying it is not true. If it is not true, then the churches have no time to lose in loudly and clearly saying this to the world."  Jehovah's Witnesses had a hundred-year head start in "clearly saying this to the world."
---  U.S. Catholic, April 1980, pp. 37-40.

19    Therefore, if “heaven and “hell” are merely tools of man to coerce compliance with doctrine and dogma, they must be in error, otherwise Yah and Yahshua would be liars.

It probably would be a little helpful to discern what happens after death.  But we should know there are 2 deaths and 1 resurrection (Revelation 20:5, 6, 14 en# 6 & Revelation 2:11 en# 7 & Revelation 21:8 en# 8) .  Some people choose to ignore the fact that it is appointed that all men should die once (Hebrews 9:27 en# 5).

So everyone shall die once and this is the death of the flesh.  The second death is of the spirit.  We are spirits with bodies, so when the body dies, the spirit still exists.  There is a resurrection and those so resurrected will not experience more death (of the spirit).  But those not resurrected, could experience the death of the spirit (Revelation 20:6 supra).

The soul is not eternal.  It can die.Ezekiel 18:3 en# 9 & Ezekiel 18:20 en# 10.1.  If the soul was eternal, then it could not die.

At this point it would be appropriate to show that forgivenss is not new with Yahshua, but has always been available.  Many teach that we are no longer under law but under grace and forgiveness.  But, Ezekiel 18:20-21 en# 10.2 shows that in Ezekiel's time forgiveness was afforded.
 
 

    No one is promised to "goto heaven".  The only promise is to inherit the kindom of heaven.

    Many folk often declare they are "Going to Heaven" or some such reference.  There is no evidence in Scripture that any of us are going to Heaven.  In fact, John 3:13 tells us that no man has gone to Heaven.  Yes, Yah resides in Heaven, but we have no promise or offering for going to Heaven.  We are offered and
promised (conditionally) to "Inherit" the "Kingdom" of "Heaven".  The Kingdom of something is different than the thing of which the kingdom is part.

    A kindom has 4 elements, which are --

--  A soveriegn
--  Subjects
--  Territory
--  Laws

[to be continued]
 
 

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Romans 6:19  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

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Luke 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

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 Ezekiel 18:1  The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,
 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?
 3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
 5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
 6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,
 7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
 8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
 9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
 10  If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
 11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
 12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
 13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
 14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
 15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife,
 16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
 17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
 18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
 19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
 20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
 21  But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
 24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
 25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
 26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
 27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
 29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
 30  Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

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Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

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Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

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Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

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Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
 9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

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Ezekiel 18:3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

-10-  <return to link, link 2>
Ezekiel 18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
 
 
 
 

Tribble
1st writing date missing
revised: May 2003
revised January 2004 (for new website)

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