I was the first to point out that Obama may be a “secret” Muslim. I went on record on the “Tim and Al Show” that if he were to be elected as president, at some point, he would reveal his Muslim roots and have a reconversion to Islam. Obama has taken two steps in that direction this week.

In his interview with a French Cable TV show, he boasted that there were seven million Muslims in the US and that makes “American the largest Muslim county in the world.”

Of course, he lied on both counts. There are only 1.3 million Muslims in the US according to the Pew Research and, if America cannot be called a “Christian” county, on what grounds does he call it a Muslim Country?

He also openly boasted of his Muslim experience in three countries and his devout Muslim relatives. Interestingly, in his autobiography he stated that his father was an atheist. Now he says that his father was a devout Muslim!

In his long-winded “Message to the Muslim World,” he went out of his way to emphasize his name Hussein and his Muslim heritage. Then he rewrote history by claiming that the religion of Islam invented algebra and other things. The Arabs found it in the works of the Greek philosophers.

My response to both the interview and the speech is as follows:

First, when is he going to… (Read the rest at biblicalthought.com)

Four African-American Muslims:  James Cromitie , a.k.a. Adul Rahman, David Williams, a.k.a. Daoud, Laguerre Payen, a.k.a. Amin, and Onta Williams were trained and given money to put a car bomb with plastic explosives outside a Jewish Center  in the Bronx and to shoot down a military plane at the New York’s  Stewart Airport in Newburgh with a Stinger surface-to-air guided missile.

Where did these four ghetto-poor Black Muslims get the money to buy the plastic explosives and stinger missile? Do you think they had the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to stage a major terrorist attack? I don’t think so!

“Follow the money” and it will lead back to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are the ones flooding the prisons with Muslim literatures, CDs, and chaplains. I documented that the literature is printed by the Saudi Embassy!

But, brothers and sisters, the Government will not say anything about the Saudi connection. Most of Congress has been bought by Saudi money. They will remain silent on the Saudi connection.

This is why Faith Defenders is always on the cutting edge of news about Muslim terrorism. Help us to send literature and CDs into the prison systems of America that refutes Islam. Sponsor a prisoner by sending in a special offering earmarked “prison ministry.”  We are presently overwhelmed with requests from prisoners who want FD to send them materials that refute Islam. Remember, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem! We need your gift of $100 today.

Dr. Robert Morey
Jude 3

Special thanks to those that donated a dollar a book. I forget the exact number, but the total came out to somewhere around 25,000 books shipped to Africa. The delivery process was extensive as you can imagine (hauling them on pallets, shipping in container over seas, etc.), but here’s the story of what happened once they arrived!

—–(from Dr. Peter Hammond)—–

Dear Dr. Morey

Greetings in the precious Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Thank you so very much for the greatly appreciated and much needed shipment of your excellent books.

By God’s grace, they arrived last week Wednesday 11 March at 5PM.  The huge container was placed on a massive oversized trailer which could not fit down our driveway and so we needed to offload it in the street and ferry it to the back of our mission property where our storage has recently been expanded to accommodate this anticipated shipment.

The agent had been keeping us in false anticipation of many delivery dates from 30 January on.  They finally assured us that it would be delivered 10AM that Wednesday morning.  Unfortunately, by the time it actually arrived most of our staff had left, and our various volunteers whom we had placed on alert to assist with the offloading and sorting were no longer available.  Even our Field Director was overseas.  So friends from KwaSizabantu Mission, 40 miles away, and my family, raced over to help offload in the dark.  We finally offloaded everything by 10PM.

Thursday and Friday were spend sorting through various treasure troves of boxes.  We wish that you could have seen it.  There was much praise and thanksgiving to the Lord and deep gratitude for your generosity in making your outstanding books available for our ministry here in Africa.

As I have told many people, Fearing God is one of the very best books I’ve ever read.  Numerous of our people have already reported back on how greatly they have appreciated studying it in the last few days.  Your Practical Encyclopedia has already been entrusted to numerous key pastors amidst much thanksgiving.  Your two books on Islam, the books on witnessing to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Battle of the Gods, and the book on Worship are all greatly appreciated.

May God abundantly bless and reward you for your labour of love in producing these vital resources, and in your generosity and thoughtfulness in making them available to our mission in Africa.

Numerous of your books are being incorporated as textbooks in the William Carey Bible Institute.  We will be preparing boxes of book donations to various Bible Colleges, first in Cape Town, and then Bible Colleges, Christian Schools and missions that we are in contact with in Zululand, Zimbabwe, Zambia and as far afield as Sudan and Nigeria.

Some of them will be prizes for winners of Bible exams, and those who excel at various aspects of our leadership training courses, such as the Biblical Worldview Summit.  Your books are going to keep us very busy for a long time to come ensuring that they are carefully, prayerfully and strategically distributed to those who will most appreciate them, thoroughly study them, and put them into practice.

Please pass on my warm greetings and deep appreciation to all at Faith Defenders.

Yours for the fulfillment of the Great Commission

Dr. Peter Hammond
Director, Frontline Fellowship

—–(end)—–

May God be pleased to grant future opportunities as these!

The “gap theory” was invented by G. H. Pember (1837-1910) and was based entirely on the failure to see that Gen. 1:1-2 was one sentence in the Hebrew text. He attempted to accommodate the evolutionists demand for millions of years by making a “gap” of millions of years between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2. Once he dug a ditch between verses one and two of Genesis, he claimed two things.

First, millions of years transpired from Gen. 1:1 to Gen 1:2. We can throw all the dinosaurs, cave men, etc. into that gap and thus accommodate the evolutionists demand for millions of years.

Second, the Book of Genesis does not actually describe the original Creation but a “recreation” of the world that happened millions of years after Satan had destroyed the world.  Genesis only describes the rebuilding of the earth, not the original Creation.

That such nonsense ever became popular was due to the influence of C. I. Scofield. It was a convenient and cheap trick that provided a way to wiggle out of being embarrassed by aggressive evolutionists. Anything they threw against us, we simple threw into the “gap” between verse one and two.

The idea that Genesis did not describe the original Creation of the universe was a complete surprise to the Jews and the Christian scholars. It meant that everyone in the history of biblical studies, both Jewish and Christian, were wrong in their understanding of Genesis. The only one who got it right was Pember!

This alone should make you hesitate to buy into Pember’s ideas. His claim that ALL the rabbis and All the theologians throughout All then ages were wrong and he alone was right is enough to question the sanity of anyone idiotic enough to believe Pember. The “faith once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) means the church was not waiting for Pember, Joseph Smith, Charles Russell,  Ellen G. White or Scofield, etc. to show up and give new truths that no one ever heard of in the history of the world.

Prayer: Thank you, LORD, for giving us what to believe and how to live in the Bible alone. Thank you that if something is true, then it will not be new but it can be traced down through the centuries as part of Christian Theology. Thank you, that if a doctrine has no historical pedigree, then we can reject it. Keep me, O Lord, from being novel or new in my theology. May I never create a new “truth” but defend the old truths that were revealed for all of time in the Scriptures.

Critical remarks:  Gen. 1:1 is not a completed sentence and should not have been given a period by the KJV translators. The grammar and syntax of the Hebrew text has verses 1 &2 as one sentence. The vaw consecutives ["and"] that follow Gen. 1:1 explain the condition of the planet after God spoke it into being.

Several things are clear from the grammar of the original text.

1. God alone existed before the Beginning. This is why Open Theism and all other theologies that teach that Time was not created but is eternal are heresies. It is blasphemous to claim that Time or anything else existed alongside of God from all eternity. After all, Genesis does not begin by saying, “In the beginning God and Time…” but “In the beginning God…”

2. God alone is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Nothing existed along side of God from all eternity. He alone is the First and the Last in Creation, Providence, Salvation, and Judgment.

3. Defective theologies deny that God alone is the First and the Last of these things. They whine that we “must leave room for man.” But Moses did not leave any room for man in Gen. 1:1-2. God alone is to receive all the glory because He is the beginning and end of everything.

Prayer: Oh God! I acknowledge that you alone are the First and the Last in all things. You alone are eternal, without beginning or end. I am a mere creature of dust that appears for a short season and then my body will return to the dust from whence it came and I will appear before you in heaven for judgment. Today I affirm that You alone are “first place” in all I do and say.

The following material is to be used in conjunction with Robert Morey’s book The Islamic Invasion (Espanol,  La Invasion Islamica). These supporting documents are taken from the Qur’an and the Hadith, which are viewed by Muslim authorities as the “first” and “second” inspiration.

According to Muslim traditions, Allah wrote the Qur’an in pure Arabic in heaven on a large stone table. The angel Gabriel took the table of the Qur’an and made Muhammad recite it. His recitations were memorized or written down by others on whatever objects were on hand such as sticks, stones, bones, palm leaves, etc.

After Muhammad died, various conflicting Qur’ans were produced. It was the Caliph Uthman who made his own version of the Qur’an the official one (see Bukhari’s Hadith, Vol. 1, pg. 56, No. 63). He later burned all the other conflicting Qur’ans. The Qur’an sold today is the Uthman version.

The Hadith is the record of the teachings and examples of Muhammad not found in the Qur’an and are thus authoritative for all Muslims. To deny the Hadith is to be guilty of apostasy under Islamic Law. The greatest of all Hadith scholars was Bukhari.

Since most people do not have access to the Qur’an or the Hadith, we have supplied some of the material here. It would be impossible to supply all the supporting documents as this would run into hundreds of pages. For more details on the history of the Qur’an and the Hadith, see the book Islamic Invasion.

The Challenge
Surah 2:23: And if you are in doubt as to what we have revealed from time to time to our servants, then produce a Sura like unto it.

The Doctrine of Abrogation
Surah 2:106: None of our revelations do we abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but we substitute something better or similar.

Muslim Terms Before Islam
Surah 2:127-128: And remember Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (with this prayer) … “Our Lord! Make of us Muslims…”
Surah 2:132: And this is the legacy that Abraham left to his sons, and so did Jacob; “Allah has chosen the Faith for you; then die not except in the Faith of Islam.”

Jihad
Surah 2:190-194: Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you … and kill them wherever you catch them … if they fight you, kill them. Such is the reward of those who suppress the Faith…. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.
Surah 2:216: Fighting is prescribed for you.
Surah 2:244: Fight in the cause of Allah.
Surah 4:74: Let those who fight in the cause of Allah, who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter, to him who fighteth in the cause of Allah…. Soon shall We give him a reward of great value.
Surah 4:89: If they turn apostates, seize them and kill them wherever you find them.
Surah 4:91: Seize them and kill them wherever you get them.
Surah 5:33: The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his apostle … they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off alternately, or they shall be banished from the land.
Surah 5:51: O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends.

On Jesus
Surah 5:72-73: They do blaspheme who say: Allah is Christ the son of Mary…. They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three (gods) … Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle.

Ask No Questions
Surah 5:101: Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you may cause you trouble…. Some people before you did ask such questions, and on account lost their faith (in Islam).

The Greatest Deceiver
Surah 3:54: The greatest Deceiver (Makara) of them all is Allah.

Beating Wives
Surah 4:34: Men are the managers of the affairs of women … those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them.

People Turning Into Monkeys, Rats and Pigs
The Qur’an
Surah 2:65: And you know well those among you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: “Become apes! Despised and rejected.”
Surah 7:163-166: Ask them about the town which stood by the sea shore. Behold! They sinned in regard to the Sabbath. On their Sabbath day, the fish swam up to them and stuck their heads out of the water [to tempt the people to catch them]. But the fish did not do this on the day that was not the Sabbath. In this way We tempted them because they were devoted to sinning. When some of them said, “Why do you bother preaching to people whom Allah will destroy or inflict with a terrible punishment?” The preachers responded, “To fulfill our obligation to their Lord and they might yet fear Him.” When they ignored the warnings given to them, We saved those who avoided evil, but We punished the evil-doers with a grievous punishment because they were devoted to sinning. When in their insolence they transgressed the warnings, We said to them, “Become monkeys! Despised and rejected.”

The Hadith
Bukhari, Vol. IV, chapter 32, p. 415: The statement of Allah: And ask them (O Muhammad) about the town that was by the sea, when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (1) when their fish came to them only on the Sabbath day and did not come… “Become monkeys! Despised and rejected.”
Bukhari, Vol. IV, No. 524, pg. 333: The Prophet said, “A group of Israelites were lost. Nobody knows what they did. But I do not see them except that they were cursed and transformed into rats, for if you put the milk of a she-camel in front of a rat, it will not drink it, but if the milk of a sheep is put in front of it, it will drink it.

(1) It was illegal for the Israelites to eat the meat or drink the milk of camels, while they were allowed to eat the meat and drink the milk of sheep. The prophet inferred from the rat’s habit that some of the Israelites had been transformed into rats.

(2) Later on the prophet was informed through Inspiration about the fate of those Israelites: They were transformed into pigs and monkeys.

Mohammed’s Inspiration
The Hadith

Mohammed would hear ringing in his ears; his heart would beat rapidly; his face turn red; his breathing would become labored; he would fall to the ground or lie down; he would shake; his eyes would open wide; his lips tremble; spit drool from the corners of his mouth; he would sweat profusely; he saw and heard things no one else ever saw or heard; he would sometimes make a snoring noise like that of a camel; and he would be covered with a sheet.
Vol I, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4
Vol. II, chapter 16 (pg. 354), 544
Vol. III, Nos. 17, 829
Vol. IV, Nos. 95, 438, 458, 461
Vol. V, Nos. 170, 462, 618, 659
Vol. VI, Nos. 447, 448, 468, 478, 481, 508

A Test of Prophethood
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. IV, No 546: When Abdullah bin Salam heard of the arrival of the Prophet at Medina, he came to him and said, “I am going to ask you about three things which nobody knows except a prophet:
1.    What is the first sign of the Hour (i.e. the end of the world)?
2.    What will be the first meal taken by the people of Paradise?
3.    Why does a child resemble its father and why does it resemble its maternal uncle?”
Allah’s Apostle said, “Gabriel just now told me of their answers.”
Abdullah said, “He (i.e. Gabriel), from amongst all the angels, is the enemy of the Jews.”
Allah’s Apostle said, “The first sign of the Hour will be a fire that will bring together the people from the East to the West; the first meal of the people of Paradise will be extralobe of fish-liver. As for the resemblance of the child to its parents: If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife and gets his discharge first, the child will resemble the father, and if the woman gets her discharge first, the child will resemble her.”

The Seal of Prophethood
The Qur’an
Surah 33:40: Mohammed is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Apostle of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets (rests upon him).

The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. I, No. 189; No. 741: Narrated As-Sa’ib Yazid: … I stood behind him (i.e. Allah’s Apostle) and saw the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulders, and it was like the “zir-al-Hijla” (the size of a button on a small tent or a partridge egg.

Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 741: Narrated As Sab’ib bin Yazid: … standing behind him (i.e. Allah’s Apostle) I saw the Seal (of the Prophets) between his shoulders.

Muslim Vol. IV, No. 5790-5793; Chapter CMLXXIX: The Fact Pertaining to the Seal of His Prophethood, Its Characteristic Feature and Its Location on His Body.
Jabir b. Samura reported: “I saw the Seal on his back as if it were a pigeon’s egg.” This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Simak with the same chain of transmitters.
As-Sa’ib b. Yazid reported: My mother’s sister took me to Allah’s Messenger and … I stood behind him and I saw the Seal between his shoulders.
Abdullah b. Sarjis reported: I saw Allah’s Apostle and ate with him bread and meat…. I then went after him and saw the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulders on the left side of this shoulder having spots on it like moles.

The Story of a Giant She-Camel Prophet

The Qur’an
Surah VII:73: To the Thamud people…. This she-camel of Allah is a sign unto you: So let her graze on Allah’s earth and do not let her come to any harm, or you will be seized by a terrible punishment.
Surah VII:77: Then they ham-strung the she-camel and insolently defied the order of their Lord … so the earthquake took them unawares and they lay prostrate in their homes in the morning.
Surah LIV:23: The Thamud rejected their Warners.
Surah LIV:27: For We sent the she-camel as a trial for them.
Surah LIV:29: But they called to their companion and he took a sword in his hand and ham-strung her.
Surah LIV:30-31: Ah! How terrible was my penalty and my warning! For We sent against them a single mighty blast and they became like the dry stubble used by one who pens cattle.
Surah XCI:11: The Thamud people rejected their prophets through their inordinate wrong-doing.
Surah XCI:13-14: But the apostle of Allah said to them, “It is a she-camel of Allah! Do not hinder her from drinking.” But they rejected him and ham-strung her. So their Lord, on account of this crime, destroyed the traces of them and made them all suffer equally.

The Companions of the Cave
The Qur’an
Surah XVIII:9-25: Do you understand that the Companions of the Cave and of the Inscription were wonders among our signs? Behold, the youths entered the Cave and said, “Our Lord, bestow upon us your mercy and deal with us in the right way.” We drew a veil over their ears for a number of years in the Cave. Then we awakened them in order to test which of the two parties was best at calculating the number of years they had stayed in the Cave. We relate to you their story in truth…. So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years and some add nine more years to that.

The Man Who Died for a Hundred Years
The Qur’an
Surah II:259: Or take the similitude of one who passed by a village in ruins to its roofs. He said, “Oh! How shall Allah restore it to life after its death?” But Allah caused him to die for 100 years. The he raised him up and said, “How long have you stayed here?” He said, “A day or a part of a day.” He said, “No, you have been here for 100 years! But look at your food and your drink, they show no signs of age. And look at your donkey! We have made you a sign unto the people. Look further at the bones (of your body) how We clothed them with flesh.”

A 90 Foot Adam
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 543: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall.”

No Dogs or Cats Allowed!
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 539: Narrated Abu Talha: The Prophet said, “Angels do not enter a house which has either a dog or a picture in it.”
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 540: Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: Allah’s Apostle ordered that the dogs should be killed.
Muslim Vol. I, No. 551: Ibn Mughaffal reported: The Messenger of Allah ordered killing of the dogs, and then said: “What about them, i.e. other dogs?” and then granted concession to keep the dog for hunting and the dog for the herd and said: “When the dog licks the utensil, wash it seven times and rub it with dirt the eighth time.”
Muslim Vol. I, No. 552: A hadith like this has been narrated from Shu’ba with the same chain of transmitters except for the fact that in the hadith transmitted by Yahya those words are: “He (the Holy Prophet) gave concession in the case of the dog for looking after the herd, for hunting and for watching the cultivated land,” and there is no mention of this addition (i.e. concession in case of watching the cultivated lands) except in the hadith transmitted by Yahya.
Footnote No. 486: The dog is one of the unclean beasts according to Islam and eating its flesh is forbidden and its keeping in the house as a pet is also prohibited for the Muslims. They have, however, been permitted to keep dogs for hunting, herding and watching.

Chapter DCXVIII: The Price of a Dog … and the Selling of a Cat Forbidden
Muslim Vol. III, No. 3803: Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari reported that Allah’s Messenger forbade the charging of price of the dog.
Muslim Vol. III, No. 3806: Khadji reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: “The price of a dog is evil.”
Muslim Vol. III, No. 3808: Abu Zubair said: I asked Jabir about the price of a dog and a cat; he said, “Allah’s Messenger disapproved of that.”
Muslim Vol. III, No. 3809: Ibn ‘Umar reported Allah’s Messenger giving command for killing dogs.
Muslim Vol. III, No. 3810: Ibn ‘Umar reported: Allah’s Messenger ordered us to kill dogs and he sent men to the corners of Medina that they (i.e. the dogs) should be killed.
Muslim Vol. III, No. 3813: Abu Zubair heard Jabir b. Abdullah saying: Allah’s Messenger ordered us to kill dogs and we carried out this order so much that we also killed the dog coming with a woman from the desert…. He said, “It is your duty to kill the jet-black dog having two spots, for it is the devil.”
(See also Muslim Vol. III, Nos. 3814-3829)

Satan in the Nose Overnight
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 516: “Satan stays in the upper part of the nose all night.”
Footnote (1) We should believe that Satan actually stays in the upper part of one’s nose, though we cannot perceive how, for this is related to the unseen world of which we know nothing except what Allah tells us through his Apostle Mohammed.
Muslim Vol. I, No. 462: Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah said, “When any one of you awakes from sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his nose three times, for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose.”

Playing Chess Forbidden
The Hadith
Muslim Vol. IV, No. 5612, Chapter CMXLVI: It Is Prohibited to Play Chess
Allah’s Apostle said, “He who played chess is like one who dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine.”

Non-Muslims Have Seven Intestines!
The Hadith
Muslim Vol. III, Nos. 5113, Chapter DCCCLXII: A Believer Eats in One Intestine Whereas a Non-Believer Eats in Seven Intestines.
Ibn Umar reported Allah’s Messenger as saying that a non-Muslim eats in seven intestines while a Muslim eats in one intestine.
(See also Nos. 5114-5120)

Don’t Pray Looking Up
The Hadith
Muslim Vol. I, Nos. 863, Chapter CLXXIII: It Is Forbidden to Lift One’s Eyes Toward the Sky in Prayer
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle saying: “People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes would be snatched away.”

The Wondrous Wings of a Fly
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 537: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “If a house fly falls into the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (into the drink) because one of its wings has a disease and the other wing has the cure (for that disease).
Bukhari Vol. VII, No. 673: Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it into the vessel and then throw it away, for in one of its wings there is a disease and in the other wing there is healing.”

The Qur’an Forgotten by the Prophet
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. VI, No. 558: Narrated Aisha: Allah’s Apostle heard a man reciting the Qur’an at night, and said, “May Allah bestow His mercy on him, as he has reminded me of such and such verses of such and such Suras, which I was caused to forget.”
Bukhari Vol. VI, No. 562: Narrated Aisha: The Prophet heard a reciter reciting the Qur’an in the mosque one night. The Prophet said, “May Allah bestow his mercy on him, as he has reminded me of such and such verses of such and such Suras, which I missed.”

The Setting of the Sun
The Qur’an
Surah 18:86: When he (i.e. Zul-qarnain) reached the setting of the sun, he found that it set in a pond of murky water.

Mohammed Bewitched!
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. VII, No. 658: Narrated Aisha: A man called Labid bin al-A’sam from the tribe of Bani Zaraiq worked magic on Allah’s Apostle until Allah’s Apostle started imagining that he had done a thing that he had not really done.
Bukhari Vol. VII, No. 660: Narrated Aisha: Magic was worked on Allah’s Apostle so that he used to think that he had had sexual relations with his wives while he actually had not…. “He is under the effect of magic.”
Bukhari Vol, VII, No. 661: Narrated Aisha: Magic was worked on Allah’s Apostle so that he began to imagine that he had done something although he had not.

The Prophet Had Lice
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. IX, No. 130: One day the Prophet visited her (i.e. the wife of Ubada bin As-Samit) and she provided him with food and started looking for lice in his head.

Drinking Camel Urine
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. I, No. 234: The Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of camels and to drink their milk and urine.

The Crying Palm Tree
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. II, No. 41: Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: The Prophet used to stand by a stem of a date-palm tree. When the pulpit was placed for him we heard the stem crying like a pregnant she-camel till the Prophet got down from the pulpit and placed his hand over it.
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 783: Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet used to deliver his sermons while standing beside the trunk of a date-palm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying).

The Fingers of Life
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. I, No. 170: He put his hand in that pot and ordered the people to perform ablution from it. I saw the water springing out from underneath his fingers.
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 773: I saw water flowing from underneath his fingers.
Bukhari Vol IV, No. 776: So he placed his hand in that pot and the water started flowing among his fingers like springs.

Shouting Food
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 779: … no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by Allah’s Apostle).

600 Wings
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. VI, No. 380: Mohammed has seen Gabriel with six hundred wings.

The Devil Urinates Into the Ear
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. II, No. 245: If one sleeps and does not offer the prayer, Satan urinates in his ears. Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet said, “Satan urinated in his ears.”

No Garlic or Onions Allowed
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. I, No. 812: What has been said about uncooked garlic or onion. And the statement of the Prophet: “Whoever has eaten garlic or onion because of hunger or otherwise should not come near our mosque” (see also Nos. 813-815).
Bukhari Vol. VII, No. 362: Narrated Abdul Aziz: It was said to Anas, “What did you hear the Prophet saying about garlic?” Anas replied, “Whoever has eaten garlic should not approach our mosque.”
Bukhari Vol. VII, No. 363: Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: The Prophet said, “Whoever has eaten garlic or onion should keep away from us.”

Yawning Comes From Hell
The Hadith
Vol. IV, No. 509: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Yawning is from Satan.”

Hell-Fire for Women
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. I, No. 28: The Prophet said, “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.”
Bukhari Vol. I, No. 301: Allah’s Apostle … said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you women…. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.”
Bukhari Vol. II, No. 161: The Prophet then said … “I also saw the Hell-fire and I had never seen such a horrible sight. I saw that most of the inhabitants were women.”

No Assurance of Salvation
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. V, No. 266: The Prophet said, “By Allah, even though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me.”

What Made the Prophet Afraid?
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. II, No. 167: The sun eclipsed and the Prophet jumped up terrified that it might be the Hour [of Judgment].

Healing Palm Leaves
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. II, No. 443: The Prophet passed by two graves and those persons (in the graves) were being tortured…. He then took a green leaf of a date-palm tree, split it into two pieces and fixed one on each grave. The people said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Why have you done so?” He replied, “I hope that their punishment may be lessened until they (i.e. the palm leaves) became dry.”

What Color was Mohammed?
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. 1, No. 63: While we were sitting with the Prophet in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel down in the mosque, tied its foreleg and then said, “Who among you is Mohammed?” At that time the Prophet was sitting among us leaning on his arm. We replied, “The white man reclining on his arm.”
Bukhari Vol. II, No. 122: Mohammed is described as “a white person.”
Bukhari Vol. II, No. 141: When the Prophet raised his arms in prayer “the whiteness of his armpits became visible.”
Bukhari Vol. IV, No. 744: Narrated Ismasil bin Abi Khalid: I heard Abu Juhaifa saying, “I saw the Prophet and Al-Hasan bin Ali resembled him.” I said to Abu Juhaifa, “Describe him (i.e. Allah’s Apostle) for me.” He said, “He was white and his beard was black with some white hair in it. He promised to give us 13 young she-camels, but he died before we got them.”

What Color Was the Apostle’s Hair?
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. I, No. 167: About the dyeing of hair with henna. Without a doubt I saw Allah’s Prophet dyeing his hair with it and that is why I like to dye my hair with it (see also Vol. IV, No. 747 and Vol. VII, No. 785).

A Child Bride
The Hadith
Bukhari Vol. V, No. 234: Narrated Aisha: The Prophet was engaged to me when I was a girl six years old…. I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends…. Unexpectedly Allah’s Apostle came to me in the afternoon and my mother handed me over to him. At that time I was a girl of nine years of age.
Bukhari Vol. V, No. 236: The Prophet … married Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age and consummated that marriage when she was nine years old.

No. 1. Is it “Christian” because the teacher is a Christian? If so, the public school system is Christian education because it has teachers who are Christians.

No. 2. Is it “Christian” because a moral message is given with the lessons (Be good; Don’t fornicate; Say “No” to drugs; etc.)? If so, the public schools and the private schools of Jews, Mormons, Catholics, etc., are giving “Christian” education.

No. 3. Is it “Christian” because the class is begun in prayer? While praying at the beginning of class is good, it does not mean that the teacher is giving his students a Christian education.

No. 4. Is it “Christian” because it is evangelistic? While evangelism is good and is one of the duties of all believers, it does not mean that Christian education is going on. Being saved and getting educated are two different things.

No. 5. Is it “Christian” because it has a chapel service? Chapels are good, but what is said in chapel may have nothing to do with what is said in the classroom. Great chapels do not necessarily mean great Christian education.

No. 6. Is it “Christian” because it is funded by Christian parents? No, the parents could fund a school that fails to give a Christian education.

No. 7. Is it “Christian” because it is a church school? No, just because a school is owned by a church does not mean the students will be getting a Christian education.

What Makes ‘Christian’ Education Christian?

Christian education takes place when academic subjects are taught from the unique perspective of the Christian world and life view. This includes every subject, because the Christian world and life view encompasses all of life.
Just as a humanist teaches from the humanistic worldview, a Christian should teach from the Christian worldview. Thus, a Christian who teaches math should give his students a totally different view of the nature and function of math than what a humanist would give. For example, New Age teachers in the public school system use such books as The Dancing Wu Li Masters as textbooks for physics because it teaches quantum mechanics from the perspective of Eastern religions. The world is an illusion and does not really exist. All is ONE.

This means that Christian teachers must develop a unique Christian view of their class materials. Too many Christian teachers have taken a humanistic college education (often obtained from a so-called “Christian” college) and used it as the basis of their class material in the Christian school. They have naively assumed that academic subjects are neutral and thus free from personal value judgments and an a priori worldview.

The goal of Christian education is to apply the Lordship of Christ to all of life. It strives to reclaim every inch of this world for Jesus Christ. It has as its grand motto: “That in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).

The “all things” includes all academic subjects. For example, when teaching psychology, someone will have the preeminence in that subject. Will it be Freud, Rogers, Glasser or Jesus Christ? Whose worldview will dominate? Whose ideas will form the basis of that subject? Who will have the preeminence?

If it is Christian education, the teacher should not teach psychology from a Freudian perspective but from the Christian perspective. It will be Bible-based psychology instead of humanistic-based psychology.

What does this require of the Christian teacher? The teacher must understand that:

1. The world through its wisdom, i.e., its world and life view, cannot know God. and thus ends in foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18-29). Teachers must avoid the “enticing words of man’s wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:4).

2. Christianity is a distinct system of thought in which a unique view of the world and human life is given. It is a worldview and not just a “soul saving” experience.

3. God wants to transform our minds-not just save our souls. Our minds need to be renewed (Rom. 12:2). We need to love God with all our minds (Mk. 12:30).

4. The Christian should have his own wisdom, i.e., world and life view, which is based on the Word of God (1 Cor. 2:4-10).

5. The teacher must have a comprehensive understanding of the Christian world and life view. If he doesn’t, how will he teach it to his students?

6. The teacher must apply the Christian world and life view to whatever subject he is teaching.

7. The method used is deductive reasoning. For example, Gen. 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” From this statement we can deduce many things:
a.    Since the universe had a beginning, it is not eternal.
b.    Since it is not eternal, it is not infinite but finite.
c.    Since it is finite, it is not self-existent.
d.    Since it is not self-existent, it is not self-renewing.
e.    Since it is not self-renewing, it will end one day. etc.
This means that when a Christian and a pagan look at the same tree, they do not interpret it the same way. While the pagan sees a tree produced by a meaningless chance-driven evolutionary process, the Christian sees a tree created by God with meaning, significance, and purpose.

8. God has revealed to us in Scripture the beginning principles or a priori concepts that form the basis of the Christian world and life view.

9. The first principle of humanism is that man is the measure of all things. This means that man starting only with himself by himself can come to a true interpretation of the meaning of his own existence and the world around him. He does not need any revelation from God. He can do it all by himself.

10. The first principle of Christianity is that God is the measure of all things. If we begin with God we can come to a true interpretation of the meaning of our existence and of the world around us. Without the God of the Bible, all is vanity and everything ends in ultimate meaninglessness.

11. The Christian world and life view is based on three pillars:

CREATION - FALL - REDEMPTION

12. Creation, Fall and Redemption form the basis of the biblical world and life view.

13. We develop a Christian view of something by seeing it from the perspective of Creation, Fall, and Redemption. These three a priori concepts are the glasses through which we view all things in life.

For example, when we look at a tree, what do we see? We see a tree CREATED by God, which is now suffering from the effects of man’s FALL and which will be REDEEMED one day when Christ returns.

Conclusion

Christian educators must apply the Christian worldview to every subject they teach, because nothing in life is neutral. Since all things are to be done to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), all of life is sacred, i.e., religious. Since all of life is religious, everything in life is either apostate or biblical. There is no neutral or secular realm. There are no brute facts. Either God or man is the measure of all things.

1. A person’s beliefs, values and morals will always be reflected in the way that person lives. His life style will reflect his beliefs.

This law of life is taught in the Scriptures in such places as Pro. 23:7 and Matt. 12:33-37. Those who believe that they are only animals will generally live like one. Those who believe that they are the children of God and are called upon by God to take dominion over the earth will live in accordance with that idea.

2. The Scriptures command us to judge people on the basis of how they live.
When Jesus said in Matt. 7:1, “Judge not lest you be judged,” He was referring to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who condemned people for doing certain sins that they themselves were actually doing (Matt. 7:5). When Jesus was speaking to His own disciples He told them to “judge righteous judgement” (John 7:24). We are called upon in Scripture to identify and to reject false prophets (Deut. 18:21, 22; Matt. 7:15-23). Paul warns us concerning those who would claim to be Christians but their lifestyle refutes that claim (Gal. 5:19-21). John tells us to identify people who live in disobedience to God’s Word as “liars” if they claim to be Christians (I John 2:4).

3. The culture of a nation reflects the life style of those who are involved in the culture-forming process.
The philosophers, artists, teachers, politicians, lawyers, judges, doctors, wealthy people, the clergy, media people, etc., will lead a nation either into wickedness or righteousness. The cutting edge of a culture always sets the standard for morality and justice. This cutting edge is generally composed of the professional people of that society. Their influence far exceeds their numbers.

4. We have the biblical responsibility to judge a culture on the basis of its laws because these laws are simply codified life styles.
It was on this basis that the Egyptian, Canaanite and Philistine cultures were judged worthy of destruction. Paul could condemn the Cretian culture as decadent (Tit. 1:10-13). We can condemn such modern cultures as Hitler’s Third Reich or the Soviet Union.
The concept of cultural relativism in which all cultures are to be viewed as good is condemned by Scripture. The people who usually teach the idea of cultural relativism are hypocrites because they also teach that Western or American culture is decadent and evil. They never seem to realize the contradiction between the two ideas. If all cultures are good, then how can they condemn American culture? How can they condemn Christian missionaries for spreading their culture in the Third World? Isn’t their culture good?

5. Pre-Christian, Greek, and Roman pagan cultures codified laws supporting abortion, infanticide, child abuse, rape, suicide, incest, murder for entertainment, etc., because these things were a part of their life style.

6. When enough Christians became involved in the culture forming process of the Roman Empire, they became the cutting edge of that culture. Their beliefs, values and morals led them to repeal pagan laws and to legislate biblical laws. Thus the state ended up forbidding the very things which the previous pagan culture had honored.

7. Western history, in term of its culture, was basically Christian because its laws reflected the beliefs, values and morals of the Scriptures.
Even to this day, there are many laws still on the books which reflect biblical morality. Those people who say, “You cannot legislate morality,” are absurd. Every law ever legislated was instituting somebody’s morality.

8. Christians in the United States during the 1920’s fell into a pietistic focus on one’s personal devotion to Christ that led them to abandon the culture-forming process.
It was assumed that it would be unspiritual for Christians to be involved in law, medicine, education, entertainment, government, art, etc. Their only concern was “soul winning.” This led them to abandon any attempt to influence their society for the good. This extreme separationism was in clear violation of Paul’s explicit statements in I Cor. 5:9-13.

9. Because Christians abandoned the culture-forming process, a vacuum was created in the United States and the humanists moved into this vacuum.
Instead of there being Christian lawyers, judges, politicians, teachers, artists, etc., Christians were only involved in evangelism or missions. The idea of “full time Christian service” meant only the clergy or missionary profession.

The vacuum created by the retreat of the Christians was filled by the humanists. Since they were now in control of the government, public education and the media, they have begun to reinstate the laws which reflect their pagan life style. This is why the laws are changing on such issues as abortion, infanticide, mercy killing, etc. Modern humanists are putting into law what they believe.

The historic understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is now being overthrown. Modern humanists do not believe in the historic meaning of the freedom of religion. If the humanists have their way, the freedom of religion will be limited to believing what you want but not the freedom to practice it!

As we document in The New Atheism and the Erosion of Freedom, modern humanists do not believe that Christians have the “freedom” to teach their religion to their children, witness, pass out tracts or show any public signs of religion. The only “freedom” they will allow is freedom from religion.
Modern laws which legalize such things as abortion come from humanists who are legislating their view of morality. They are legalizing their pagan life style while trying to criminalize Christian education, church camps and orphanages, personal evangelism, Christian TV and radio programs, etc. Their understanding of religious freedom is the same as found in the Soviet Union!

10. The only hope for Western culture is for Christians once again to take over the culture-forming process. Then when they are in control, to repeal the pagan laws and to reinstitute Christian laws. If they do not do this, modern pagans will soon be in a position to begin the same kind of persecution against the Church that their forefathers in the Roman Empire had done to the Christians earlier.

Since it took a full generation for Christians to lose control of the culture, it will probably take another generation to win it back. So, do not be fooled by those who look for easy answers and a “quick fix.” It won’t work! If God does not send us another mighty Reformation, Western culture will die.

Summary

Those of you who are students will have to be the generation that takes over our culture by becoming politicians, media people, artists, lawyers and judges. The survival of Western civilization falls on your shoulders. Only you can gain control of our culture and once again institute biblical laws which make up a just and orderly society.

Questions for Discussion

1.    How is a culture formed?
2.    How did our culture become so pagan?
3.    Who allowed the humanists to take over?
4.    What is the “cutting edge” of a culture?
5.    Where do laws come from?
6.    Can you legislate morality or immorality?

Taken From How To Keep Your Faith While In College, Ch. 7

SHEOL

The Hebrew word Sheol is found 66 times in the Old Testament. While the Old Testament consistently refers to the body as going to the grave, it always refers to the soul or spirit of man as going to Sheol. The nature of Sheol and the condition of those in it is crucial to our understanding of what the Bible teaches about what happens to man after death.

The Lexicographical Material

The first step in understanding any ancient or foreign word is to check the lexicons, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc., which deal with that language. Brown, Driver and Briggs based their A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament on the work of Gesenius, one of the greatest Hebrew scholars who ever lived. They define Sheol as: “the underworldÖwhither man descends at death” (p. 982.). They trace the origin of Sheol to either sha-al, which means the spirit world to which mediums directed their questions to the departed, or sha-al, which refers to the hollow place in the earth where the souls of men went at death. Langenscheidt’s Hebrew/English Dictionary to the Old Testament (p. 337) defines Sheol as: “netherworld, realm of the dead, Hades.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia in Vol. IV, p. 2761, defines Sheol as: “the unseen world, the state or abode of the dead, and is the equivalent of the Greek: Hades.” Keil and Delitzsch state that “Sheol denotes the place where departed souls are gathered after death; it is an infinitive form from sha-al, to demand, the demanding, applied to the place which inexorably summons all men into its shade.”1

The lexicographical evidence is so clear that the great Princeton scholar, B. B. Warfield; stated that with modern Hebrew scholars, there is no “hesitation to allow with all heartiness that Israel from the beginning of its recorded history cherished the most settled conviction of the persistence of the soul in life after death.ÖThe body is laid in the grave and the soul departs to Sheol.”2 George Eldon Ladd in The New Bible Dictionary (p. 380), comments:
In the Old Testament, man does not cease to exist at death, but his soul descends to Sheol.

Modern scholarship understands the word Sheol to refer to the place where the soul or spirit of man goes at death.3 None of the lexicographical literature defines Sheol as referring to the grave or to passing into nonexistence.

Comparative Studies

In order to understand what a certain word meant in an ancient language, it is sometimes helpful to find any parallel words in the other languages of that time. Thus comparative studies of Sheol have been done which demonstrate that Sheol’s parallels in other languages meant the place where the soul of man goes at death. No research has found a place where Sheol’s parallel means the grave or nonexistence. For example, The Ugaritic ars and Accadian su alu clearly refer to the netherworld.4 The Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, and Greek parallels to Sheol clearly meant the place of departed spirits.5 The Ethiopian Si’ol cannot mean anything other than the netherworld, the place of conscious life after death.6

The Historical Context

What is important about comparative studies is that they place biblical words in their historical context. The word Sheol should thus be understood in terms of what it meant in the Hebrew language and by its parallel in the other languages of that time. Why?

When God wanted Israel to believe something which was unique and contrary to what the surrounding cultures believed, He always clearly condemned and forbade the pagan beliefs and then stressed the uniqueness of the new concept. For example, in order to establish monotheism, God repeatedly and clearly condemned the pagan concept of polytheism and stressed monotheism.

While God clearly condemned polytheism in the Old Testament, at no time did He ever condemn belief in a conscious afterlife. At no time did God ever put forth the concept of annihilation or nonexistence as the fate of man’s soul at death.

Also, when Israel had a unique and contrary belief, the pagan societies around Israel would use this belief as the grounds to persecute the Jews. Thus the Jews were persecuted for rejecting polytheism and believing in monotheism. Daniel’s three friends who were thrown into a fiery furnace are an excellent example of such persecution.

Yet, where in recorded history did pagan religions or societies persecute the Jews because they denied a conscious afterlife? To think that the Jews could go against the universally held concept of a conscious afterlife and that the pagans would not seize upon this as a pretense for persecution is absurd.
Since the universality of belief in a conscious afterlife is irrefutable, and there is no evidence that Israel deviated from this belief, we must assume that the Old Testament taught a conscious afterlife in Sheol as the fate of man’s soul or spirit.

The Rabbinic Literature

It is universally recognized by modern Talmudic scholars that Sheol never meant the grave or unconsciousness in rabbinic literature. Ginzburg states that in rabbinic writings one finds a consistent conviction that”there exists after this world a condition of happiness or unhappiness for an individual.”7 Guttman adds, “The Talmud, like the Apocryphal literature, knows of a kind of intermediate state of the soul between death and resurrection; true retribution will be dispensed only after the resurrection of the body. But along with this, we also find the fate in a retribution coming immediately after death and in a life of blessedness for the soul in the beyond.”8

The rabbinic tradition before, during, and after the time of Christ describes the soul departing the body and descending into Sheol at death.9 The rabbis consistently pictured both the righteous and the wicked as conscious after death.10 The evidence is so overwhelming that the classic Princeton theologian, Charles Hodge, stated, “That the Jews believed in a conscious life after death is beyond dispute.11

The annihilationists have never discovered any evidence that the majority of Jews believed that the soul was extinguished at death. There is no conflict in the rabbinic literature over this issue.12

Sheol and the Grave

The KJV translates Sheol as “hell” 31 times, “grave” 31 times, and “pit” three times. Because of this inconsistency of translation, such groups as the Adventists, Armstrongites, and Jehovah’s Witnesses have taught that Sheol means the grave. All the conditional immortalitists have traditionally capitalized on the KJV’s translation of Sheol as the “grave.” For example, in The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers (Vol. I, pp. 162 and 298), Froom emphatically stated that both Sheol and Hades meant the grave. It is to be regretted that even some modern versions have carried on the tradition of translating Sheol as grave.

Since the conditional immortalitists stress that Sheol means the grave, we will pause at this point to demonstrate that Sheol cannot mean the grave.
First, exegetically speaking, the initial occurrence of Sheol in the Old Testament cannot mean the grave. The word Sheol is first found in Gen.  37:35. After the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, they informed their father that Joseph had been killed and devoured by a savage beast. As Jacob held the bloodied and tattered remains of Joseph’s coat in his hands, he declared:

“A wild beast has devoured him: Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” (v. 33)

As a result of the shock of the death of Joseph, Jacob cried:
“Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” (v. 35, lit. Heb.)
There are several things about this first occurrence of Sheol which should be pointed out.

1. Jacob assumed that his son was still alive and conscious after death and that he would eventually reunite with his son after his own death. The German commentator Lange comments:
One thing is clear: [Joseph's death] was not a state of nonbeingÖJacob was going to be with his son; he was still his son; there was yet a tie between him and his son; he was still spoken of as a personality; he is still regarded as having a being somehow and somewhere.13

2. Whatever else Sheol may mean, in this passage it cannot mean Joseph’s grave, for Jacob believed that Joseph had been devoured by an animal and had no grave. Since Joseph had no grave, it is impossible for Jacob to be referring to being buried in a common grave with his son.14

3. According to the context, Jacob is clearly speaking of reuniting with his favorite son in the underworld, here called Sheol. He even speaks of “going down” to reunite with his son, because it was assumed that Sheol was the place of departed spirits, probably a hollow place in the center of the earth.

The second reason for not identifying Sheol as the grave is that when the biblical authors wanted to speak of the grave, they used the word kever. That they did not view kever and Sheol as synonymous is clear from the way these words are used throughout the Old Testament. For example, in Isa.  14:19, the king is cast out of his grave (kever) in order to be thrown into Sheol where the departed spirits can rebuke him (vv. 9, 10). In this passage, Sheol and kever are opposites, not synonyms.

Third, in the Septuagint, Sheol is never translated as mneema, which is the Greek word for grave. It is always translated as Hades which meant the underworld. Kever is translated as mneema 36 times and as taphos 45 times. But kever is never translated as Hades just as Sheol is never translated as mneema.

Fourth, kever and Sheol are never used in Hebrew poetic parallelism as equivalents. They are always contrasted and never equated. Kever is the fate of the body, while Sheol is the fate of the soul (Ps.  16:8-11).

Fifth, Sheol is “under the earth,” or “the underworld,” while graves were built as sepulchres above the earth, or caves, or holes in the earth. Sheol is called the underworld in Isa.  14:9. It is also called “the lower parts of the earth” (KJV) in Ps.  63:9; Isa.  44:23; Ezek.  26:20; 31:14, 16, 18; 32:18, 24. Sheol is the opposite of heaven (Ps.  139:8). One must go “down” to get to Sheol (Gen.  37:35).

Sixth, while bodies are unconscious in the grave, those in Sheol are viewed as being conscious (Isa.  14:4-7; 44:23; Ezek.  31:16; 32:21). Seventh, an examination of the usages of kever and Sheol reveals that Sheol cannot mean the grave. The following twenty contrasts between kever and Sheol demonstrates this point:

1. While the kabar (to bury) is used in connection with kever, it is never used in connection with Sheol. We can bury someone in a grave but we cannot bury anyone in Sheol (Gen.  23:4, 6, 9, 19, 20; 49:30, 31, etc.).

2. While kever is found in its plural form “graves” (Ex.  14:11), the word Sheol is never pluralized.

3. While a grave is located at a specific site (Ex.  14:11), Sheol is never localized, because it is everywhere accessible at death no matter where the death takes place. No grave is necessary in order to go to Sheol.

4. While we can purchase or sell a grave (Gen.  23:4-20), Scripture never speaks of Sheol being purchased or sold.

5. While we can own a grave as personal property (Gen.  23:4-20), nowhere in Scripture is Sheol owned by man.

6. While we can discriminate between graves and pick the “choicest site” (Gen.  23:6), nowhere in Scripture is a “choice” Sheol pitted against a “poor” Sheol.

7. While we can drop a dead body into a grave (Gen.  50:13), no one can drop anyone into Sheol.

8. While we can erect a monument over a grave (Gen.  35:20). Sheol is never spoken of as having monuments.

9. While we can, with ease, open or close a grave (2  Kings  23:16), Sheol is never opened or closed by man.

10. While we can touch a grave (Num.  19:18), no one is ever said in Scripture to touch Sheol.

11. While touching a grave brings ceremonial defilement (Num.  19:16), the Scriptures never speak of anyone being defiled by Sheol.

12. While we can enter and leave a tomb or grave (2  Kings  23:16), no one is ever said to enter and then leave Sheol.

13. While we can choose the site of our own grave (Gen.  23:4-9), Sheol is never spoken of as something we can pick and choose.

14. While we can remove or uncover the bodies or bones in a grave (2  Kings  23:16), the Scriptures never speak of man removing or uncovering anything in Sheol.

15. While we can beautify a grave with ornate carvings or pictures (Gen.  35:20), Sheol is never beautified by man.

16. While graves can be robbed or defiled (Jer.  8:1, 2), Sheol is never spoken of as being robbed or defiled by man.

17. While a grave can be destroyed by man (Jer.  8:1, 2), nowhere in Scripture is man said to be able to destroy Sheol.

18. While a grave can be full, Sheol is never full (Prov.  27:20).

19. While we can see a grave, Sheol is always invisible.

20. While we can visit the graves of loved ones, nowhere in Scripture is man said to visit Sheol.

Sheol and Its Inhabitants

Given the Principle of progressive revelation, it is no surprise that the Old Testament is vague in its description of Sheol and the condition of those in it. While the Old Testament prophets stated many things about Sheol, they did not expound in any measure of depth on this subject. Another reason for this vagueness is that a conscious afterlife was so universally accepted that it was assumed by the biblical authors to be the belief of anyone who read the Scriptures. Since it was not a point of conflict, no great attention was given to it.

The following things are stated about Sheol with the caution that figurative language was used by biblical authors in their description of Sheol and the conditions of those in it. Much harm has been done by literalizing what was intended to be figurative.

First, Sheol is said to have “gates” by which one enters and “bars” which keep one in (Job  17:16; Isa.  38:10). Such figurative language conveys the idea that Sheol is a realm from which no escape is possible.

Second, the Old Testament describes Sheol in the following ways:

1. Sheol is a shadowy place or place of darkness (Job  10:21, 22; Ps.  143:3). Evidently, it is another dimension which is not exposed to the rays of the sun.

2. It is viewed as being “down,” “beneath the earth,” or in “the lower parts of the earth” (Job  11:8; Isa.  44:23; 57:9; Ezek.  26:20; Amos  9:2). These figures of speech should not be literalized into an absurd cosmology. They merely indicate that Sheol is not a part of this world but has an existence of its own in another dimension.

3. It is a place where one can reunite with his ancestors, tribe or people (Gen.  15:15; 25:8; 35:29; 37:35; 49:33; Num.  20:24, 28; 31:2; Deut.  32:50; 34:5; 2  Sam.  12:23). This cannot refer to one common mass grave where everyone was buried. No such graves ever existed in recorded history. Sheol is the place where the souls of all men go at death. That is why Jacob looked forward to reuniting with Joseph in Sheol. While death meant separation from the living, the Old Testament prophets clearly understood that it also meant reunion with the departed.

4. It seems that Sheol has different sections. There is the contrast between “the lowest part” and “the highest part” of Sheol (Deut.  32:22). This figurative language implies that there are divisions or distinctions within Sheol. Perhaps the Old Testament’s emphatic distinction between the righteous and the wicked in this life indicates that this distinction continues on in the afterlife. Thus the wicked are said to be in “the lowest part,” while the righteous are in “the higher part” of Sheol. While this is not clearly stated in the Old Testament, there seems to be some kind of distinction within Sheol. Later rabbinic writers clearly taught that Sheol had two sections. The righteous were in bliss in one section while the wicked were in torment in the other.

Third, the condition of those in Sheol is described in the following ways:

1. At death man becomes a rephaim, i.e., a “ghost,” “shade,” or “disembodied spirit” according to Job  26:5; Ps.  88:10; Prov.  2:18; 9:18; 21:16; Isa.  14:9; 26:14, 19. Instead of describing man as passing into nonexistence, the Old Testament states that man becomes a disembodied spirit. The usage of the word rephaim irrefutably establishes this truth. Langenscheidt’s Hebrew-English Dictionary to the Old Testament (p. 324) defines rephaim as referring to the “departed spirits, shades.” Brown, Driver and Briggs (p. 952) define rephaim as “shades, ghostsÖname of dead in Sheol.” Keil and Delitzsch define rephaim as referring to “those who are bodiless in the state after death.”15

From the meaning of rephaim, it is clear that when the body dies, man enters a new kind of existence and experience. He now exists as a spirit creature and experiences what angels and other disincarnate spirits experience. Just as angels are disincarnate energy beings composed only of “mind” or mental energy and are capable of supra-dimensional activity and such things as thought and speech without the need of a physical body, even so once man dies, he too becomes a disembodied supra-dimensional energy being and is capable of thought and speech without the need of a body. This is why the dead are described as “spirits” and “ghosts” throughout the Scriptures.
This concept is carried on into the New Testament in such places as Luke 24:37-39. A belief in “ghosts” necessarily entails a belief that man survives the death of the body.

2. Those in Sheol are pictured as conversing with each other and even making moral judgments on the lifestyle of new arrivals (Isa.  14:9-20; 44:23; Ezek.  32:21). They are thus conscious entities while in Sheol.

3. Once in Sheol, all experiences related exclusively to physical life are no longer possible. Those in Sheol do not marry and procreate children because they do not have bodies. Neither do they plan and execute business transactions. Once in Sheol, they cannot attend public worship in the temple and give sacrifices or praise. There are no bodily pleasures such as eating or drinking. Those in Sheol do not have any wisdom or knowledge about what is happening in the land of the living. They are cut off from the living. They have entered a new dimension of reality with its own kind of existence (Ps.  6:5; Eccles.  9:10, etc.).

4. God’s judgment upon the wicked does not cease when the wicked die in their sins. Thus some of the spirits in Sheol experience the following:
a. God’s anger (Deut.  32:22): According to Moses, the wicked experience the fire of YHWH’s anger in the “lowest part of Sheol.” This passage would make no sense if the wicked are nonexistent and Sheol is the grave.
b. Distress (Ps.  116:3): The Hebrew word matzar refers to the distress that is felt when in the straits of a difficulty.16 It is found in this sense in Ps.  118:5. Also, the word chevel, which is the poetic parallel for matzar, means “cords of distress” (2  Sam.  22:6; Ps.  18:6).17
c. Writhing in pain (Job  26:5): The Hebrew word chool means to twist and turn in pain like a woman giving birth.18

It is obvious that nonexistence can hardly experience anger, distress, or pain. Thus, there are hints in the above passages that not everyone experiences blessedness in the afterlife. Beyond these three passages, the Old Testament does not speak of torment in the intermediate state. While it speaks of the “everlasting humiliation and contempt” which awaits the wicked after the resurrection (Dan.  12:2), the Old Testament tells us very little about the intermediate suffering of the wicked in Sheol.

5. In the Old Testament, the righteous as well as the wicked went to Sheol at death (Gen.  37:35). Although this is true, the Old Testament saints did not have a clear understanding of what to expect in Sheol. They were constantly torn by mixed emotions when they contemplated their death. They did not experience the same joy and bold confidence that New Testament saints express (Acts  7:59). While New Testament saints think of death as a “gain” (Phil.  1:21), the Old Testament saints thought of it as “loss.”

Given the principle of progressive revelation, Old Testament saints simply did not have all the information which was needed to approach death with peace and joy. Just as the lack of New Testament revelation prevented them from obtaining a clear conscience and full assurance of faith (Heb.  10:1-14), even so they could not approach death with joy. That this is true can be established upon several lines of reasoning.

First, the writer to the book of Hebrews tells us that the Old Testament saints were in bondage to the fear of death and that Satan used this to oppress them.

Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Heb.  2:14, 15)
Only after the Messiah came and wrested the keys of death and Hades from the Evil One would God’s people experience freedom from the fear of death (Rev.  1:18).

The bondage of fear which gripped the Old Testament saints expressed itself in different ways. They had a fear of being separated from their living loved ones. They were afraid of being severed from the joys of life (Ps.  6). They begged to be delivered from death and Sheol because they did not look forward to death (Ps.  13). This is why they spoke of the “sorrows” (KJV) and “terrors” of death (Ps.  18:4; 55:4; 116:3) instead of the triumph in death which New Testament saints express (2  Tim.  4:6-8).

Second, while the overall picture of death was somewhat gloomy in the Old Testament, yet God had begun to reveal to His people that they would be ushered into His joyous presence after death. To be sure, these were only hints of glory, but hints they were. The ascension of Enoch and Elijah to heaven indicated that the righteous could be taken into God’s presence (Gen.  5:24, cf. Heb.  11:5; 2  Kings  2:11). The verb which described Enoch’s and Elijah’s ascension (laqach) was later used to describe the passage of the righteous out of Sheol into heaven (Ps.  49:15; cf. 73:24). Asaph expressed the hope that he would go to dwell at the throne of glory at death. Later rabbinic writers consistently spoke of the righteous going to the throne of glory at death.
Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. (Ps.  73:23-25)

The Old Testament saints looked forward to reuniting with their departed loved ones (Gen.  37:35). This must have afforded them some comfort.
Also, the Old Testament believers knew that Sheol was open to God’s sight (Job  26:6) and that they would still be in God’s presence and protection (Ps.  139:8).

While the patriarchs went in mourning to Sheol, by the time of the Wisdom literature, a more optimistic note was beginning to be sounded. The progress from Gen.  37:35 to Ps.  73:24 indicates a gradual change of attitude toward death which progressive revelation made possible. While Old Testament saints knew that they were going to Sheol at death, there were hints that they might be taken to heaven to be at God’s throne after death.

HADES

The second key term in the biblical understanding of death and the afterlife is the Greek word Hades. This word forms a linguistic bridge which takes us from the Old Testament view of death to the New Testament position. The importance of a proper interpretation of this word cannot be overstressed.
In the Septuagint, Hades is found 71 times. It is the Greek equivalent for Sheol 64 times. The other seven times it is found in the Septuagint, it is the translation of other Hebrew words, some of which shed significant light on what Hades meant to the translators of the Septuagint.

In Job  33:22, Hades is the translation of the Hebrew word memeteim, or “destroying angels [KJV]Öthe angels who are commissioned by God to slay the man.”19 In this sense it refers to disincarnate spirit creatures.

It is also used in Job  38:17 as the translation for the Hebrew, “the realm of ghosts or shades” (KJV).20

It is used for “the shades of the underworld” in Prov.  2:18.21 This refers to the spirits of the departed in Sheol who are viewed as “the dwellers in the Kingdom of the dead as in Homer and Virgil and like the Latin word Inferi, it stands for the realm of disembodied souls.”22

Not once is Hades the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for grave (kever). Not once does it mean nonexistence or unconsciousness. The times it is used for words other than Sheol, it clearly means the world of spirits. There is, therefore, no way to escape the conclusion that the translators of the Septuagint clearly understood that Hades referred to the realm of disembodied souls or spirits; and, we must also emphasize, that the translators of the Septuagint did not obtain this concept from Platonic Greek thought but from the Hebrew concept of Sheol itself.

The Lexicographical Evidence

When we turn to the lexicographical material, we find that the authors of the Septuagint were correct in their usage of Hades as the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew Sheol.

Arndt and Gingrich based their A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament on the work of W. Bauer, one of the greatest Greek scholars who ever lived. They define Hades as “the underworldÖthe place of the dead” (p. 16). Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (p. 11) states that Hades comes from two words which joined together mean “invisible,” or “unseen.” Thus it refers to “the common receptacle of disembodied spirits.”

The lexicographical material is so unanimous in defining Hades as the world of disembodied souls that the Princeton theologian, A. A. Hodge, stated:
Modern Hebrew and Greek scholarsÖunite with near unanimity in maintaining that these words (Sheol and Hades) never on a single occasion in the Bible mean either “hell” or “the grave,” but always and only the invisible spirit world.23

Modern commentators do not hesitate to define Hades as the place of disembodied souls.24 This is why no Hebrew or Greek scholar defines Hades as “the grave” or the “state of unconsciousness or nonexistence.”

The historical context of Hades and comparative studies or parallel words in other languages have so firmly established that Hades refers to the place of disembodied souls that there is no controversy on this point among biblical scholars. The conditional immortalitists, whether cultic or neo-orthodox, simply ignore this linguistic and lexicographical material.

Hades and Its Inhabitants

The KJV mistranslated the word Hades in every occurrence just as it did with the word Sheol. It is found ten times in the Greek New Testament. The Greek text underlying the KJV has it an eleventh time in 1  Cor.  15:55, but this is a corrupt reading.

Perhaps the best way to clarify what the New Testament teaches about Hades is to first of all state what Hades does not mean. Once we have cleared away any misconceptions of this word, then we can present its meaning in the New Testament.

First, Hades does not mean death, because the Greek word thanatos is the word for death in the New Testament. Also, Hades and death appear together in such passages as Rev.  1:18 where they cannot be viewed as synonyms.

Second, Hades is not the grave, because the Greek word mneema is the word for grave in the New Testament. Also, all the arguments which demonstrated that Sheol cannot mean the grave apply equally to Hades seeing that Hades is the equivalent for the Hebrew word Sheol. The New Testament’s dependence upon the Septuagint demonstrates this point.

Third, Hades is not “hell,” i.e., the place of final punishment for the wicked, because the Greek word Gehenna is the word for “hell” in the New Testament.

Fourth, Hades is not “heaven,” i.e., the place where the soul of the righteous goes at death to await the coming resurrection, because the Greek word ouranos is the word for heaven in the New Testament.

Fifth, Hades is not the place of eternal bliss for the righteous after the resurrection, because the new heavens and the new earth or the everlasting kingdom refer to this place (Matt.  25:34; Rev.  21:1).

Having clarified what Hades does not mean, we can now state the New Testament meaning of this crucial word.

First, we must once again emphasize the importance of the principle of progressive revelation. While Hades was consistently used in the Greek version of the Old Testament as the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word Sheol, this does not mean that Hades should be limited to the Old Testament meaning of Sheol. The New Testament picks up where the Old Testament left off by progressively developing the concept of what happens to the soul of man after death. We should expect that the fuller revelation of Christ and the apostles will clarify what was vague in the Old Testament (Heb.  1:1-3).

During the intertestamental period, the Jewish concept of Sheol had progressed to the stage where it was believed that Sheol had two distinct compartments, or sections. One section was a place of torment to which the wicked went while the other was a place of conscious bliss, often called “Abraham’s bosom” or “paradise,” to which the righteous were carried by angels.25 The rabbis even discussed how many angels it took to carry the righteous to Abraham’s bosom.

The rabbinic understanding of Sheol is the basis for Christ’s illustration in Luke  16:19-31. While only the rich man was directly said to be “in Hades” (v. 23), the phrase “Abraham’s bosom” to which the angels carried Lazarus (vv. 22, 23) must be interpreted as the section of Hades reserved for the righteous. The dialogue between the rich man and Lazarus is an echo of multiple stories in which such dialogues were described. Thus, initially, the first occurrence of Hades in the New Testament refers to a concept of an afterlife which had evolved beyond the Old Testament concept of Sheol and reflected, the progress of understanding which had been accomplished during the period between Malachi and Matthew.

Given the principle of progressive revelation, that Hades would evolve from merely being the equivalent of Sheol into a word which meant more than Sheol is understandable and expected. That Hades would have an intertestamental rabbinic meaning at the beginning of the New Testament and then evolve to mean more than the rabbinic understanding is also expected.

It is on this basis that all attempts to limit New Testament teaching on the afterlife to the gospel materials such as Luke  16 must be rejected as a defective view. This view is built upon the assumption that what Hades meant in the Gospels is what it must mean in the Epistles. This is a failure to observe the principle of the progress of doctrine as well as the principal of progressive revelation as given in the New Testament itself.26

We must also point out that when we state that the Old Testament saints and the intertestamental Jews did not have a clear and precise understanding of what happened after death, this does not mean that their experience was not greater than their understanding. To deny that they understood where they were going at death does not mean that they did not get there!

This also leads us to avoid the unnecessary debate on whether or not the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke  16 should be viewed as a literal account or as a parable.

Many orthodox writers treat Luke  16 as a literal account.27 They deny that it is a parable on the grounds that (1) the beggar must have been a real historical character because his name was given; (2) Abraham was a real historical character; and (3) in parables names are not given. Thus many orthodox writers demand that the story of the rich man and Lazarus be viewed as a literal account.

Other writers usually treat Luke  16:19-31 as a parable and end up denying that it teaches anything about death or the afterlife. They usually give interpretations which are quite wild and farfetched.28

The basic problem is both sides assume that if Christ’s story is a parable, it is meaningless, and if it is not, it must be a literal account. They both fail to recognize that Christ’s teaching was rabbinic in methodology and that rabbinic parables often revolved around real historical characters.

The rabbinic literature before, during, and after the time of Christ is filled with parables which built imaginative stories around real historical characters.29
There are multiple examples in the Talmud and Midrash of parables in which Abraham had dialogues with people such as Nimrod, with whom he could never have spoken literally.30 Everyone understood that these parables and dialogues did not literally take place. It was understood that the rabbis used imaginative stories and dialogues as a teaching method. It was understood by all that these dialogues never took place.

Therefore, it does not bother us in the least to say that Christ used a rabbinic story and dialogue in Luke  16:19-31 which was not “true” or “real” in the sense of being literal. It is obvious that Lazarus did not literally sit in Abraham’s literal bosom. The rich man did not have literal lips which literal water could quench.

What is important for us to grasp is that Christ used the mental images conjured up by this rabbinic parable to teach that, in the hereafter, the wicked experience torment and the righteous bliss. This is clear from the rabbinic sources from which he drew this parable.

Since the dialogue between the rich man and Abraham was a teaching tool used by the rabbis before Christ, it is obvious that Christ was not trying to teach that we will talk with the wicked in the hereafter. He was merely using the dialogue method to get across the concept that there is no escape from torment, no second chance, and we must believe the Scriptures in this life unto salvation.

That the Epistles would further develop what happens to the soul after death and go beyond the gospel material is also expected. The apostles were conscious of the fact that their understanding was clouded during their sojourn with Christ (John  12:16). It was only after Pentecost and the final revelations given to the apostles that they could, at last, speak of death and the afterlife with clarity. It was only after the last pieces of the cosmic puzzle of revelation were given that they could see the whole picture.

Before Christ’s ascension, believers as well as unbelievers were said to enter Sheol or Hades. After Christ’s resurrection, the New Testament pictures believers after death as entering heaven to be with Christ (Phil.  1:23), which is far better than Hades. They are present with the Lord (2  Cor.  5:6-8), worshiping with the angelic hosts of heaven (Heb.  12:22, 23) at the altar of God (Rev.  6:9-11). Thus believers do not now enter Hades but ascend immediately to the throne of God.

In the New Testament, there is, therefore, a development of understanding which took place after Christ’s resurrection. Before Jesus was raised from the dead, the apostles assumed that everyone went to Sheol or Hades. This Hades had two sections, one for the righteous and one for the wicked. But Christ’s resurrection changed this picture. Thus Paul uses the language of transition when he speaks of Christ taking the righteous out of Hades and bringing them into heaven (Eph.  4:8, 9).

That Christ went to Hades, i.e., the world beyond death, is clear from Acts  2:31, While in Hades, Peter pictures Christ as proclaiming to “the spirits now in prison” the completion of His atonement (1 Pet. 3:18-22). Whereas “paradise” in the gospel account (Luke 23:43) referred to the section of Hades reserved for the righteous, by the time Paul wrote 2 Cor. 12:2-4, it was assumed that paradise had been taken out of Hades and was now placed in the third heaven.

According to the post-resurrection teaching in the New Testament, the believer now goes to heaven at death to await the coming resurrection and the eternal state. But, what of the wicked? The wicked at death descend into Hades which is a place of temporary torment while they await the coming resurrection and their eternal punishment.

First, it is clear that the souls of the wicked are in torment during the intermediate state in Hades. The Apostle Peter stated this in language which could not be clearer:

Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of Judgment. (2 Pet. 2:9)

First, Peter says that the wicked are “kept” unto the day of judgment. This word is in the present, active, infinitive form, which means that the wicked are being held captive continuously. If the wicked merely pass into nonexistence at death, there would be nothing left to be “kept” unto the day of judgment. Obviously, Peter is grammatically picturing the wicked as being guarded like prisoners in a jail until the day of final judgment.

Second, Peter says that the wicked are “being tormented.” This word is in the present, passive, participle form and means that the wicked are continuously being tormented as an on-going activity.

If Peter wanted to teach that the wicked receive their full punishment at death by passing into nonexistence, then he would have used the aorist tense.

Instead, he uses those Greek tenses which were the only ones available to him in the Greek language to express conscious, continuous torment. The grammar of the text irrefutably establishes that the wicked are in torment while they await their final day of judgment.

When the day of judgment arrives, Hades will be emptied of its inhabitants, and the wicked will stand before God for their final sentence (Rev. 20:13-15). Thus, we conclude that Hades is the temporary intermediate state between death and the resurrection where the wicked are in conscious torment. Hades will be emptied at the resurrection, and then the wicked will be cast into “hell” (Gehenna).

GEHENNA

The third and last crucial term is the word Gehenna. This word is found twelve times in the New Testament and is correctly translated each time by the KJV as “hell.” It is a word which describes the ultimate fate of the wicked after the general resurrection and judgment. While Sheol and Hades describe the temporary abode of the dead until the resurrection, Gehenna is the place of future punishment in the eternal state.

The Lexicographical Evidence

The word Gehenna is the Greek equivalent for “the valley of Hinnom” (Josh. 15:8; 18:16; Neh. 11:30). It thus originally referred to the Valley of Hinnom, which was just outside the city of Jerusalem. According to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (p. 111), it was the place where idolatrous Jews gave human sacrifices to pagan deities (2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6). Because of these horrible idolatrous practices, the Valley of Hinnom was hated and considered “unclean” by pious Jews. In Christ’s day, this hatred of the Valley of Hinnom caused the valley to become the town dump where all the garbage of Jerusalem could be thrown. Unclean corpses as well as normal garbage were thrown into it. Because garbage was constantly being thrown into the valley, the fires never stopped burning and the worms never stopped eating.

This picture of an unclean garbage dump where the fires and the worms never died out became to the Jewish mind an appropriate description of the ultimate fate of all idol worshipers. Gehenna came to be understood as the final, eternal garbage dump where all idolators would be thrown after the resurrection. The wicked would suffer in Gehenna forever because the fires would never stop burning them and the worms would never stop gnawing them.

Arndt and Gingrich also point out that the Jewish belief, before Christ, placed the last judgment of the wicked in the Valley of Hinnom. They concluded that it means “the place of judgment.”31 The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Vol. II, p. 1182) states that Gehenna refers to “the place of eternal punishment of the wicked.” McClintock and Strong’s Encyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature defines Gehenna as “the place of eternal punishment.” Both Coon and Mills define Gehenna as referring to “the place of eternal punishment.32

The Intertestamental Literature

The wicked do not descend into Gehenna at death, because it is the final place of punishment for the wicked after the resurrection.33

In that hour the Lord will requite the nations of the world with a great and ceaseless retribution, and hurl them down to the Gehenna, where they will be punished for generation upon generation. (Mid. Gen. 908)

The talmudic literature states that there are two classes of people who descend into Gehenna. The disobedient among Israel descend into Gehenna for “twelve months” in order to be cleansed of their sins in its fire. They then ascend to the throne of glory in paradise where the righteous among Israel had already ascended at death (Bab. Tal. RH64). Idolators and blasphemers remain in Gehenna “to be punished for all generations” (Bab. Tal. RH65).

The figurative language utilized in the rabbinic description of Gehenna, such as “fire” (Mid. Gen. 214), “worms” (Bab. Tal. Shah 777, 778; The Wisdom of Sirach 7:17), “weeping” (Bab. Tal. ER129), “darkness” (Mid. Gen. 257), “judgment” (Bab. Tal. ER126), etc., are all carried over by the teaching of Christ and the apostles into the New Testament itself. The descriptive language of the Jewish apocalyptic literature, such as “fire and torment” (4th Macc. 12:12, 13), “fire and sulfur” (Enoch 67:6), “black recesses of hell” (Sibylline IV, p. 83), etc., are clearly utilized by Peter, Jude and John in their descriptions of the ultimate fate of the wicked after the resurrection.

This intertestamental evidence is so strong and consistent that the great Church historian Phillip Schaff states:

Everlasting punishment of the wicked was and always will be the orthodox theory. It was held by the Jews at the time of Christ, with the exception of the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection.34

After an extensive research of intertestamental literature, the greatest Christian Talmudic scholar, Alfred Edersheim, a noted Hebrew Christian, concluded that Gehenna was understood in Christ’s time to refer to the place of eternal, conscious punishment for the wicked after the resurrection.35 We have placed his discussion of the rabbinic sources in Appendix I for the benefit of the reader.

Christ and Gehenna

The awful mental image of everlasting torment in the fires of Gehenna was conjured up in the minds of the early disciples by the Master himself. Out of its twelve occurrences in the New Testament, Gehenna is found no less than eleven times on the lips of the Lord Jesus himself.

To think that Christ was ignorant of what Gehenna meant to the common people of His day or to assume that He was mistaken in using the rabbinic descriptions of Gehenna is to do great injustice to Him who was the greatest teacher who ever lived. Indeed, the mere fact that Christ utilized the rabbinic language connected with Gehenna, such as “unquenchable fire” and “never-dying worms,” demonstrates beyond all doubt to any reasonable person that He deliberately used the word Gehenna to impress upon His hearers that eternal punishment awaits the wicked after the resurrection. No other conclusion is possible.

The teaching of Christ concerning Gehenna is as follows:

First, Gehenna is the place of judgment (Matt. 23:33). He even used the
rabbinic expression, “the judgment of Gehenna” (Bab. Tal. ER126).

Second, Gehenna is always placed at the end of the world after the resurrection (Matt. 5:22; 23:33). This was expounded by John in Rev. 20:1-15. This was also the rabbinic position (Mid. Gen. 159).

Third, Gehenna is the place where the body as well as the soul is punished (Matt. 5:22; 10:28; Mark 9:43-48). The rabbis saw that the resurrection of the wicked was necessary in order for them to receive their full punishment in the body (Mid. Gen. 159; 211n4).

Fourth, Gehenna was the place of conscious torment. When Christ used the phrases “unquenchable fire” and “never-dying worms” (Mark 9:47, 48, author’s paraphrase), He was utilizing biblical (Isa. 66:24), apocryphal (Judith 16:17), and talmudic (Mid. Gen. 214) images which all meant conscious suffering.

The annihilationists have a counter argument at this point. They point out that, literally speaking, while the worms and the fire in a city dump may destroy a dead carcass, it cannot be said that the dead carcass feels any torment.

Therefore, they conclude that Christ’s language must be interpreted to mean that the wicked will be annihilated, not tormented.

The problem with this interpretation is that it fails to take into account that when Christ spoke of Gehenna in such terms as “worms and fire,” He was clearly using rabbinic phraseology. Thus, it is more crucial to discover how these words were understood in rabbinic literature than by pointing to modern city dumps.

The intertestamental literature is clear that the Jews believed that the departed could feel what was happening to their dead body. Indeed, when the worms start gnawing on the body, “the worms are as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living” (Bab. Tal. Shah. 777, 778).

Since the “gnawing worms” clearly meant conscious torment in rabbinic thought, the annihilationists’ argument is invalid due to their ignorance of the meaning of such rabbinic terminology. That Judith 16:17 also teaches conscious torment is clear.

Fifth, the wicked are cast into Gehenna and will remain there for all eternity (Matt. 5:29, 30). In Gehenna, the wicked are “destroyed” (Matt. 10:28).
That the word “destroyed” (apollumi) does not mean “to annihilate” or “to pass into nonexistence” is clear from the rabbinic meaning of the word, the lexicographical significance of the word, and the way the word is used in the New Testament.

Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines apollumi as “to be delivered up to eternal misery” (p. 36). Since Thayer himself was a Unitarian who did not believe in eternal punishment, his definition could only be the result of his knowledge of the meaning of this Greek word. There is no lexicographical evidence for the annihilationist’s position that apollumi means “to annihilate” or “to pass into nonexistence.”

That this word cannot mean “nonexistence” is clear from the way it is consistently used in the New Testament (Matt. 9:17; Luke 15:4, 6, 8, 9; John 6:12, 27; 2 Cor. 4:9; etc.). Do people pass into nonexistence when they are killed by a sword (Matt. 26:52) or a snake? (1 Cor. 10:9). Do people become nonexistent when they are hungry? (Luke 15:17). Do wineskins pass into nonexistence when they are destroyed by bursting? (Matt. 9:17). Is food annihilated when it spoils? (John 6:27).

In every instance where the word apollumi is found in the New Testament, something other than annihilation is being described. Indeed, there isn’t a single instance in the New Testament where apollumi means annihilation in the strict meaning of the word.

CONCLUSION

Gehenna as a place of final punishment was a clear rabbinic teaching before Christ was ever born. The Midrash, the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, and apocryphal literature refer to Gehenna hundreds of times. The Midrash alone refers to Gehenna over seventy-five times.

The vivid imagery and striking phraseology found in the intertestamental literature, which described Gehenna as the ultimate place of eternal torment for the wicked, was clearly carried over into the New Testament itself by the teaching of Christ and the apostles.

That the ultimate fate of the wicked will be eternal, conscious torment will be further argued in a later chapter, but we have demonstrated in this chapter that Gehenna is the ultimate fate of all impenitent sinners according to rabbinic and New Testament literature. The concept of Universalism, which sees no one going to Gehenna, or Gehenna ultimately being emptied of all sinners, is an ideal which is absolutely foreign to the intertestamental and New Testament literature. The idea of annihilationism, in which the wicked cease to exist, may indeed be found in some of the intertestamental literature, particularly those works which were influenced by the Sadducees or Stoics. But enough has been given in this chapter to demonstrate that the majority view, that of the common man in the street, was of an eternal, conscious torment of the wicked in Gehenna.

From Death And The Afterlife, Ch. 3

Establish the following points:

Step No. 1: Joseph Smith was only one of many 19th century “prophets.” There was nothing unique about his claims.

Step No. 2: He was a part of a movement called “Restorationism” in which many people claimed to be “restoring” a gospel that had been “lost” since the first century: Alexander Campbell, Charles Russell, Ellen G. White, Joseph Smith and many others claimed to be “God’s latter-day prophet.”

Step No. 3: Down through the ages, thousands of people have claimed to be “God’s prophet.” Either they are all false or only one is right. How can we know if someone is a false prophet?

a. Circular reasoning proves nothing:
Mormon: “Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.”
Christian: “How do you know that?”
Mormon: “Because God spoke to him.”
Christian: “But how do you know that?”
Mormon: “Because he was a prophet of God.”

b. Subjective feelings prove nothing:
Mormon: “Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.”
Christian: “How do you know that?”
Mormon: “Because I feel it in my heart.”
Christian: “But do not all religions claim that?”

c. We need a way to find out the truth that is:
1.    objective, not subjective.
2.    neutral, not biased.
3.    based on facts, not circular reasoning.
4.    found in historic documents, not speculation.

Step No. 4: Deut. 18:20-22 gives us the answer.
If someone claims to be a prophet,
Examine his prophecies.
If they failed to happen,
Then he is a false prophet.

Step No. 5: Since Joseph Smith claimed to a prophet, there are only two options:
a.    He was a false prophet. Thus he was either a liar or a nut.
b.    He was a true prophet. Then we must join one of the Mormon denominations. But which one? All of them claim to be the “true” followers of Joseph Smith!

The only way to know is to examine his prophecies.

The following are only five of the many prophecies made by Smith. Just one false prophecy is enough to discredit him. These prophecies come from such Mormon documents as Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, History of the Church, Journal of Discourses, and Mormon newspapers, magazines, sermons, diaries, etc.

1.    Smith prophesied that people live on the moon, dress like Quakers, live to be a thousand years old and are six feet in height. Brigham Young also claimed that people live on the sun!
2.    Smith prophesied that the ten lost tribes of Israel are living in a tropical valley at the North Pole. The Apostle John is still alive and lives with them there.
3.    Smith prophesied that the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world would take place in 1891.
4.    Smith prophesied that a temple would be built on the “temple lot” in Independence, Missouri, within the generation of those living in 1832.
5.    Smith prophesied that he would return from Salem, Massachusetts, with “many people” and “much treasure.”
These are only five of 64 false prophecies given by Smith.

Step No. 6: Be prepared for the following tricks.
1.    ”I do not care what you show me. Smith could not have said these things, because he was a prophet of God.”
2.    ”So what if Smith did say these things! Moses, Jonah and Jesus were ‘false’ prophets, but we still believe in them.”
3.    ”But I have a burning witness in my heart.”

Conclusion
Fact No. 1: Smith claimed to be a prophet.
Fact No. 2: His prophecies were false.
Therefore he was a false prophet.

From The Encyclopedia of Practical Christianity, Ch. 194