A Better Place

 Here is an extract from A Better Place  from the Latest From Death to Life Magazine published by the Conditional Immortality Association.

"The world needs honest Christians. It needs people who do not hide behind fairy tales, and deny the existence of death.  It needs people who will tell them that death is real, but that Jesus is real too.  The world needs hope that extends beyond the cemetery.  Believers can offer that hope, but we have to do so with integrity. It is wrong to say that death is a friend when the Bible calls it an enemy.¹⁵  It is wrong to imply that the blessed hope is a better place at death when the Bible says Christ’s second coming is the blessed hope.¹⁶

When the Thessalonians wanted to know about their loved ones who had fallen asleep in death, Paul told them not to “grieve as others do who have no hope”.¹⁷ His instructions for them to teach each other were as follows:

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.  ”¹⁸

That is all the encouragement we need.  Our hope is not in some mythical place that believers supposedly go when they die.  Our hope is Jesus. He will not forget us. Death is real, but so is he."

Check out more of the magazine on the Afterlife Website

How Christians Talk About Death

One of the simplest descriptions of death given in all of Scripture comes from Jesus as he explains his plans to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus.  He tells his disciples “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him” (John 11:11).
Sleep is the most widely used metaphor for death in the Bible.
Some Christians talk about death using language that the Bible never uses, and Jesus never endorsed. Here are some examples....

Jesus came to the tomb of his friend that day to give us all a visual demonstration of the resurrection at the last day.  His friend had fallen asleep and he purposely waited until that happened. Some Christians talk about death using language that the Bible never uses, and Jesus never endorsed...  Jesus shouted his friend’s name. “Lazarus, come out.”  He didn’t say “come down” because his friend had not gone anywhere.  He had simply fallen asleep.  The shout from Jesus is all it took to wake him. Someday, you and I will fall asleep. Do not fear. All it will take is a shout from our friend, Jesus, to wake us up again.

Read the whole article on the article on Afterlife's  Conditional Immortality website. 

Review of Erasing Hell by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle

The title is a bit misleading – since the authors have no intention of actually erasing hell – or letting their readers forget it.  Instead, the title speaks to the almost universal reluctance that modern humanity has of even thinking about the possibility of divine punishment.  Most of us “would love to erase hell from the pages of Scripture” , but the references to final punishment are there, nonetheless.

Read the full review of Erasing Hell

Solving the problem of hell

The hell of tradition is a different matter. Rather than teaching that hell is a place where sin is dealt with ultimately by God, tradition teaches a hell that is a sort of repository where God puts all those pesky sinners that he could not cure. It is a place of punishment and confinement, but not destruction. Having bought into the Greek concept of the immortality of the human soul, tradition is not in a place where it can accept what Jesus literally says about Gehenna. For Jesus, the judgment will take place not during the intermediate state (between death and the resurrection), but “on the last day.” That “last day” will be truly the last day for all sinners, because they will be raised not for life but for condemnation,6 punishment (including torment) appropriate for each of their personal sins, and then destruction. Yes, destruction. God has not created anything that he cannot destroy. Jesus said that he “can destroy both soul and body in hell.”8 Jesus compared the Day of Judgment to the day the world was destroyed by Noah’s flood, and the day the people of Sodom were destroyed by fire. In calling people to himself, he urged them to take the narrow gate which leads to life, not the broad gate, which leads to destruction.

from http://www.afterlife.co.nz/2011/theology/annihilationism/solving-the-problem-of-hell-by-jefferson-vann/ you may like to read the full article.

We should question the traditional view of hell (that of unending torment), because it is wrong.  But suggesting that God is not serious when he warns people of their impending destruction is also wrong.  Those who know about God’s grace, and his limited time offer of eternal life through Christshould be finding fresh new ways of proclaiming that truth to this generation on its way to hell.  The gospel is the only solution to the problem of hell.

 

Conditional Immortality makes the most sense

 From theway21stcentury.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/hell-and-rob-bell/

The middle view, often called ‘conditional immortality’, seems to me to make most sense of the Biblical evidence. In particular, it recognises that Jesus spoke of ‘destruction’ (which implies an end), and that ‘eternal’ means ‘in the age to come’, not ‘unending’. It is more realistic than universalism and more compassionate than the traditional view.

I agree! 

We have a couple of new polls that you could fill out on Conditional Immortality and can I commend you an article from our latest magazine : Hell is Permanent by Rev. Jefferson Vann.

Love Wins! by Rob Bell : Hell is still a hot topic!

The topic of Hell is still hot on the blogsphere, ignited by Love Wins by Rob Bell;-) If you haven’t read it already, check out the Afterlife | Conditional Immortality, Soul Sleep and Annihilationism review of the book: Bell’s Base Cards

Bell wrote a book about a victory. He envisions an eternity in which all sin is forgiven, all wrongs are righted, and love wins. He is absolutely right. Love will win because God will win. God will win because he is God, not because he is love. His love and justice work together to produce a heaven and earth without evil. Our participation in that victory is not a given. Some will not make it. That is what it ultimately means to be lost. In the end, God wins. Reader, where do you stand before God? Don’t take his patience for granted.

Here is one example of writing on Hell from the blogsphere:
 Eternal Suffering or Eternal destruction

Whatever its appeal, the annihilationist position contains substantive problems. One is the biblical assertions that the wicked will suffer an “eternal” fate. Annihilationists argue that the word eternal refers to the permanence of the results of judgment and not to the duration of the act of punishment.

I am going to publish this excellent article : Hell Is-Permanentby Jefferson Vann in the next From Death to Life magazine. It address just the argument above. Well worth reading!

Conditional Immortality : Difficult Passages

A comment posted on this article on Conditional Immortality :
NATURAL IMMORTALITY: Is It Christian Doctrine?

Asks:

Could someone explain exactly what our Lord meant when he promised the dying thief that he would be with him in Paradise that same day?

What did Paul mean when he said that he would rather go to be with Christ which was far better but for the sake of the Philippians he would have to stay? Phil. 1.23

The main thrust of New Testament teaching is opposed to natural immortality and the Christian’s hope is that he will receive a new body, Phil.3.21 and especially 1 Cor. 13, but these texts need some explaining.

Here are some articles that address these issues

The Penitent Thief

Absent from the Body to be with Christ

Depart and be with Christ

This verse says that “to die is gain”, from which it is taught that the “gain” is going to heaven to be with the Lord. But whose gain? Christ’s or Paul’s? Most expositors seem to think it is Paul’s, but this would contradict the very spirit of this context. It would introduce a self-motive which was completely lacking in the Apostle’s mind here. Even if chapter three is remembered with its stress on the “prize of the high calling” (Phil.3:14), we must not assume that this is the only theme that is brought forward in this epistle. Paul has certainly avoided the spirit of Peter when he said “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed Thee, what shall we have therefore?” (Mat.19:27)

Love Wins

Rob Bell's "Love Wins" isn't losing any ground in kicking up comments, reviews and book sales.

  One day after the book's release, the Grand Rapids-area author and Mars Hill pastor is the fifth best seller overall for Amazon.com.

from http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/03/rob_bell_book_reviews_roll_in.html

Afterlife has their own review of the Rob Bell Love Wins book.

Annihiliationism

"

Even some “evangelical” theologians have given up on hell:  1) Annihilation"
 from http://sermons.logos.com/submissions/117853

It is simply not true that annihilationism is giving up on hell.  

The question is what is the nature of hell? Is it a picture of everlasting destruction or of everlasting torment? Is God a God of love and justice and is it just to torment someone for eternity for sins committed over a finite period of time?

God’s final victory – Will God ever be able to rid the universe of sin and evil or will there always be some corner of the universe (Hell) where sin and evil exists in rebellion against God’s ultimate will?
I believe Scripture puts forth Salvation as the offer of “life” or “death”. We mortal creatures of dust have sinned. The wages of sin is death. Death effects the whole person.  We die body and soul, not just body.  Christ by his death paid the penalty for our sin. Now even if we die before Jesus comes God will make us alive as whole persons. We will be given the gift of life in immortality when Jesus comes again. Then we will live forever in the Kingdom of God. The wicked will be judged only when Jesus comes again. Hell will be a place of everlasting destruction for the unrepentant wicked. God is a God of love and justice and will not torment someone for eternity for sins committed over a finite period of time. Ultimately God’s victory will be complete. There will not be some corner of the universe (Hell) where sin and evil exists in rebellion against God’s ultimate will. Eventually God will be all in all.

You may wish to explore more about annihilationism on the www.afterlife.co.nz website.

Conditional Immortality and Hebrew

http://www.adventchristian.blogspot.com/

"One day in a theology class one of the school’s leading professors was asked if it were really necessary as ministers of the gospel to believe in the eternal hell-fire torment of the lost. I was surprised that the student would dare to ask such a question, and expected a firm, solid, scriptural answer squelching its heretical implications.

But the answer proved more surprising than the question. The gist of the professor’s reply was that, admittedly, there were problems, and the traditional view did seem harsh, but, after all, it was the orthodox view and the most practical one to hold. Suffice to say I left the class with a seed of doubt in my heart; small, yes, but it was there just the same.

The study of Hebrew led to a determination upon graduation to prepare all Old Testament lessons and messages, so much as God enabled me, directly from the Hebrew Scriptures rather than from any English translation. At that time I was conducting a mid-week, verse-by-verse study in Genesis, and following this method of preparation. Needless to say, it did not take long to see that the Hebrew word for soul, nephesh, was used for all other living creatures as well as for man."

To explore further the issue of what is a soul and what happens to a soul at death have a look at  please have a look at Conditional Immortality | Sheol the Old Testament Consesus

 

 

Under the Altar

Atheolous writes about Under the Altar (Rev. 6:9)

UNDER THE ALTAR: The souls that were under the altar were in the grave, under the literal altar of the literal temple. I can hear a chorus of voices exclaiming, "That can't be. Dead souls cannot speak!". Of course, that is true. Souls that sleep the sleep of death while awaiting the resurrection cannot speak. But the souls in John's vision did speak. I believe that pride keeps most Christians from accepting the truth concerning soul sleep (conditional immortality). It is a flat-out stubborn refusal to accept the wages of sin.

The Souls Under The Altar is another article on the Afterlife | Conditional Immortality, Soul Sleep and Annihilationism website which discusses Revelation 6:9.

Many Christians will be familiar with Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, which book contains a graphic account of the persecution of faithful men and women of God down through the centuries. Today Christians are still suffering and dying for their faith, mainly among Muslim and Communist nations and on the Indian sub continent. One of the purposes of John’s Revelation was to remind the suffering church that God has not forgotten his people. In his own time God will act to avenge the faithful, to judge the wicked, and to establish a kingdom of everlasting righteousness upon the earth. To this end John was given a vision whereby after he sees Christ open the fifth of seven seals, he sees “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (v. 9). (emphasis mine)

I look forward to the day when God will establish his kingdom. Come Lord Jesus!

Life, Death and Destiny by Warren Prestidge

 The new 2nd edition is now available.

New Zealand readers

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Life, Death and Destiny

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Soul Sleep | Conditional Immortality

One particular verse seems to refute soul sleep. In Luke 23:43, Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him that day in paradise. Jesus was not going to sleep, and neither was the man on the cross. On the contrary, Jesus preached to the spirits in prison and led the captive to freedom, where the Old Testament believers rose from their tombs and went into Jerusalem, only be to taken up when Christ ascended forty days later. (1st Peter 3:19,Ephesians 4:8, Matthew 27:51-53)

from
http://thetruth-blog.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-soul-sleep.html

"Seems" to refute! A good choice of words because there are other interpretations:
The Penitent Thief | The Thief on the cross

The Spirits in Prison

A new article on the Afterlife | Conditional Immortality, Soul Sleep and Annihilationism website is Sheol the Old Testament Consensus, which deals with the soul in the Old Testament.

Depart and be with Christ | 2 Corinthians 5:8 Does it disprove Conditional Immortality?

from
http://www.invitationtochrist.org/soul_sleep.htm

In the Old Testament the saints were not in an unconscious state while in the "paradise" section of the underworld. In Luke 16:22-31 Abraham was fully alert. Paul said, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better."   In   II Corinthians 5:8 Paul said, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."   Then in Revelation 6:10 the souls of some martyrs cry out and ask God, "...How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

2 Corinthians 5:8 is one of the key passages that is used to prove that conditional immortality or soul sleep is incorrect.

Can I commend the following articles on the Afterlife | Conditional Immortality, Soul Sleep and Annihilationism website to show that there is more than one view to this passage:
To depart and be with Christ : is Death Better by Far?
Absent from the body
Do the Saints Go to Heaven When They Die?: The Question Scripturally Consideredby Elder C. M. Keach
Comments On Philippians 1:20-25 by Dr. John H. Roller

You might also like to look at the following on the importance of Conditional Immortality ( PDF download)
The importance of Conditional Immortality