Is There No Hell?

From: Gospel Light: Volume 4 (1914)

• 6 min. read • grade level: 6

"IT IS profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell" (Matt. 5:29²⁹And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:29)). MAT 5:25²⁵Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. (Matthew 5:25)

"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. 23:33³³Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33)). MAT 23:33³³Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33)

“But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, Fear Him" (Luke 12:5⁵But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. (Luke 12:5)). 1JO 1:

“Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."... "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment" (Matt. 25:41, 46⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)
⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)). MAT 25:41, 46⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)
⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)

“These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20²⁰And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)). REV 19:20²⁰And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)

“And the devil... was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,... and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10¹⁰And 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. (Revelation 20:10)). REV 20:10¹⁰And 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. (Revelation 20:10)

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)). REV 20:15¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

“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 of fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8⁸But 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. (Revelation 21:8)). REV 21:8⁸But 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. (Revelation 21:8)

The first four texts were spoken by the Lord Jesus on earth.

In the next three John sees, in vision, the coming execution of these awful threatenings.

The last is the final, solemn warning of Him who sits on the throne. It is the Lord speaking from heaven.

Now, reader, a word with you about these texts. Read them first in Martin Luther's German Bible; then read them in the Douay (Roman Catholic) version; then read them in our common English Bible; then read them in the Revised Version (1881), both English and American; then read them in Dean Alford's version; and, last of all, in Mr. J. N.

Darby's translation.

One thing will strike you: those awful words have passed unchanged through the hands of all those translators! And they were the picked scholars of Christendom. The English Revision of 1881 occupied twenty-seven men for ten and a half years. Favored by royalty, they had access, as men never had before, to all, the old manuscripts. Every verse in the Bible was carefully examined by these men, several of whom died before the mighty task was done. It was their deliberate judgment that these passages are unquestionable. They have stood for centuries, like great black rocks on a storm-beaten shore.

Honestly now reader, what does the Lord teach in these texts?

IS THERE A HELL?

Will the body suffer in it, as well as the soul?

Will it be everlasting?

Do not His solemn words compel us to say “Yes" to all these questions?

Bear in mind that the Greek word for hell, in ALL THESE TEXTS, is GEHENNA, the full, final, awful word, meaning the utterly hopeless and eternal misery of the wicked, body and soul.

In HADES the body does not suffer, for it means the state between death and resurrection, and will come to an end at the resurrection of the wicked (Rev. 20:5, 12⁵But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)
¹²And 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. (Revelation 20:12)). REV 20:5-12⁵But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed 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. ⁷And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, ⁸And 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. ⁹And 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. ¹⁰And 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. ¹¹And 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. ¹²And 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. (Revelation 20:5‑12)

SHEOL is the Old Testament Hebrew word, meaning the same as Hades.

TARTARUS is a word worth studying.

It is the heathen word for hell. It shows that in the minds of millions, outside of both Judaism and Christianity, God has planted deep the solemn sanction of punishment for the wicked after death. It is far too deep for “Pastor" Russell to overthrow, though he may work havoc with you, my reader, if you are not careful! Many an unconverted man believes in hell, and for such there is hope, but there is no salvation without it.

What! Is a belief in hell necessary to salvation? IT CERTAINLY IS!

Why? Because the Saviour has told us there is a hell. Can you have for a Saviour,

Him whose Word you dispute? “He that believeth not is condemned already" (John 3:18¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)). JOH 3:18¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)

The Lord Jesus Christ was God manifest in flesh. There is divine dignity and majesty in every word that came from those sacred human lips. If we refuse to believe. Him, we make Him a liar! Is that honoring Him even as we honor the Father? Is that bowing to Him as your Lord? He spoke the equivalent of these words in the first three verses at the head of this paper, and no one can deny them and be saved. No denier of eternal punishment is a converted man, nor can be, till he abandons that ground. He denies the teaching of the Son of God. He may be at the communion table, or in the pulpit; only to receive the greater condemnation. Remember what C. H. Spurgeon wrote years ago, about the "Down-Grade." Remember, too, the apostle's words in 2 Tim. 4:3³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (2 Timothy 4:3) 2TI 4:3³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (2 Timothy 4:3) "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.”

O reader, "beware of false prophets"!

“Ye shall know them by their fruits.”

"Pastor" Russell stands, perhaps, at the head of present-clay deniers of hell. His portrait is scattered all over the country— (is that a mark of Christ?)—a saintly looking white head. Is it found in the way of righteousness? The plain, simple, damning fact is, “Pastor"' Russell CONTRADICTS THE LORD!

What if you should follow Russell, and find, when eternally too late, that Russell did not know, and that the LORD, who does know, spoke the truth?

But you need not perish. There is a way of escape. if you give due weight to our Lord's soul-humbling words about coming judgment, you are ready for His tender and gracious words in John 5:24²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24), JOH 5:24²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment], but is passed from death unto life.”

Hear and believe, and your soul shall live.

I fear that you do not care to come to Christ that you might have life. You little consider that Scripture says, "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36³⁶He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)). JOH 3:36³⁶He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36) Oh, Christless soul! remember that the wrath of God abideth you. You may lie down on your bed this night, and sleep; but, alas! the wrath of God abideth on you. You may go to your business or pleasure on the morrow with a smiling countenance; but the wrath of God abideth you. Time may roll over you, and you may find yourself on a sick bed, with kind friends indeed to wait upon you, and smooth your dying pillow; but you have no consolation; the wrath of God abideth on you. Your weakness increases, your limbs rapidly emaciate, your breathing becomes more and more difficult, and, solemn to assert, when the vital chord is snapped by the chilly hand of death, then you will awfully and eternally prove that the wrath of God abideth on you. Oh! that you may now take warning, and "flee from the wrath to come" (Matt. 3:7⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7)). MAT 3:7⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7)

H. H. S.

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