1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:10,560 You only have one day left, not 365, not 30, one. 2 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,560 But it gets worse. You're not ready to meet God. 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,160 So when your time runs out, where do you actually go? 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:19,960 There are four options, but only one is true. 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,160 And that is why you need to look very closely, because we're 6 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:25,600 putting the first band teaching on trial. 7 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,480 Universalism, imagine this scenario. 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,040 You love Jesus and you are a Christian, but you wake up in 9 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,640 heaven only to be surrounded by people who are totally opposite. 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,760 They laugh at Jesus, they reject him, and they say they don't 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,160 even want to be here. If you thought that sounded 12 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:44,160 insane, it's nothing compared to what you see next. 13 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,800 Also in heaven is Satan and the demons, and they are also going 14 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,360 to live alongside you forever in paradise. 15 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,360 Now according to universalism, that is exactly what heaven will 16 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,080 be like. In plain English, universalism 17 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,720 is the belief that in the end, everyone will be saved and no 18 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,879 one will go to hell because God will forgive everyone. 19 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,440 OK, I could be totally wrong about this, but I do wonder if 20 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,280 there's anyone listening who finds this version of heaven 21 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,000 kind of appealing. So let's ask the big question. 22 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,760 Is universalism biblically accurate? 23 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,480 To answer that question, we need to investigate where did this 24 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,360 idea come from? In the 3rd century, a church 25 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,680 father named Oregon taught something called apocastasis, 26 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,480 which is just just a big Greek word meaning restoration of all 27 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,240 things. He believed that eventually 28 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,280 God's love was so strong it would restore everything, even 29 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,960 the Prince of Darkness himself. I'm not going to lie to you, I 30 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:44,200 think Oregon was reaching way too far here, but come on guys, 31 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,720 let's be neutral to Texas here and let's test the Bible verses 32 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,840 he used to back up his position. All right, check this out. 33 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:55,600 One Timothy 2 verse 4 says God desires all people to be saved 34 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,960 and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 35 00:01:58,280 --> 00:01:59,920 Sounds pretty universalist, right? 36 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,720 God wants everyone to be saved, no exceptions. 37 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,480 But hey now Paul in Colossians 120 takes even further and says 38 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,000 and by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, 39 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,920 whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made 40 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:14,880 peace through the blood of his cross. 41 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,120 I'm just curious, what do you think? 42 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,280 Does that mean God wants everyone saved? 43 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,360 I personally do believe that the Bible teaches that God does want 44 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,040 everyone in heaven, but he will not push anyone into heaven 45 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,520 against their will because for love to be true love it must be 46 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,160 totally free. Am I talking to any hopeless 47 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,200 romantics here today? Because I for one do not want my 48 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,040 wife to love me because I made her or pushed a button that said 49 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,480 you will fall in love with me. No, I want her to have the 50 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,320 choice to love me or the choice to reject me so that we can have 51 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,600 a meaningful relationship that is real and authentic. 52 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,520 And so likewise, Jesus Christ holds his hands out to humanity 53 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,160 and says, come to me and I'll save you and I'll wash away your 54 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,320 your sins. But at the same time, he will 55 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,040 respect your choice to reject him and he will not pull anyone 56 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,640 up to heaven who does not want to be there. 57 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,880 Guys, I can't sugarcoat this. Jesus Christ was crystal clear 58 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,720 in the Gospel of Matthew. Enter by the narrow gate. 59 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,400 For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to 60 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,920 destruction. And there are many who go by it 61 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,400 because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads 62 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,960 to life. And there are only a few who 63 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:28,640 find find it. Only a few. 64 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:32,520 Hmm, that doesn't sound like everyone's getting in, does it? 65 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,120 May I go deeper? Revelation 20 verse 15 says. 66 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,840 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into 67 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:42,680 the lake of fire. See what I mean? 68 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,920 Some verses, they might pull you one way, but then other verses 69 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,200 slam the brakes. On which path is the Bible 70 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,040 really pointing to? And what is the Lake of Fire? 71 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,640 Is it eternal conscious, or is it something else? 72 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,160 We're going to come to that a little later, but right now, 73 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,360 let's go back in time again. Because Oregon wasn't alone. 74 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,760 Another respected teacher, Gregory of Nysa, also leaned 75 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:09,280 towards universalist ideas. But in 553 AD, at the Second 76 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:14,120 Council of Costanopa, apocotasis was officially condemned as 77 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,360 heresy. The church effectively stamped 78 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,560 it as case closed until it was reopened. 79 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,240 In the 1800s, Universalism reemerged with an entire 80 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:27,160 denomination formed in America called the Universalist Church 81 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,120 of America. This later merged into what's 82 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,880 now called Unitarian Universalism, a religion that 83 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:37,920 openly denies hell. In 2011, it really made a 84 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,320 comeback. A mega church pastor called Rob 85 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:44,040 Bell reignited the debate with his book Love Wins. 86 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:48,920 He simply asks, will all people be saved or will God not get 87 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,000 what he wants? That question went viral. 88 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,440 Bell went from a mega church celebrity to a blacklisted 89 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:58,400 pastor who must be avoided. But over to you now. 90 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:00,240 I want you to think about something. 91 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,400 Should we open all of the prisons right now? 92 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,960 I'll ask you again. Should we open every single 93 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,440 prison right now and let all of the prisoners walk free on the 94 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,320 streets? I for one, am glad that there 95 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,720 are prisons. I am glad that there is justice 96 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,400 for those who have done evil. But let's take the question even 97 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,040 further. Imagine we do open all the 98 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,000 prisons right now. Would you let those evil men, 99 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,240 those evil women, come and live in your house, share your 100 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,120 property? Would you trust them to be left 101 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,640 alone with your family? I think the vast majority of us 102 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,600 would say no way would I let those unrepentant men and women 103 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:36,800 live in my house. So if you've got rules about 104 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,800 who's allowed to enter into your house, why can't the God of the 105 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,720 universe have rules? Who enters his house and his 106 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:46,320 rules are you have to be covered by the blood of his Son, the 107 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:48,800 Lord Jesus Christ. Through Jesus death on the 108 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,840 cross, God the Father can meet both of his attributes. 109 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,040 He is a just God, but he is also a merciful God. 110 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:59,920 He demonstrates his justice by substituting Jesus in our place 111 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:03,480 for our sins, so that that huge debt of sin is paid for. 112 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,280 But at the same time, he is a merciful Father, extending 113 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:10,520 unmerited forgiveness to us, though we don't deserve it, 114 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,560 though we can never earn it. He can wash us clean and give us 115 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,560 a new beginning and promise us heaven if we trust in the 116 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,840 Saviour. I suppose what I'm really trying 117 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:22,920 to say here is the problem with universalism is it confuses love 118 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,920 with permissiveness. But God's love is holy, and true 119 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,960 love doesn't just brush justice under the carpet, it provides it 120 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:34,680 through the cross of Christ. So I think it's safe to say that 121 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,400 universalism did not pass the test when we compared it to the 122 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,240 teachings of the Bible. But where does that leave us 123 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:45,520 when we look at the remaining 3 In our case, before we meet the 124 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,680 second band teaching, I just want to check how observant are 125 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:51,400 you? Did you notice that there were 126 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,840 no adverts before the video? The reason is this, back when I 127 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,560 started this channel nearly 10 years ago, I made the difficult 128 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,920 decision not to run on helpful adverts on the channel because I 129 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,840 didn't want you to be distracted from the message. 130 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,960 So if you're not against seeing ad free content in the future 131 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:10,960 and you're enjoying this video so far, please do subscribe. 132 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,600 OK, Strap on your seatbelts because we're about to open our 133 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,000 second case file. Purgatory. 134 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,400 What is purgatory? In simple terms, Roman Catholics 135 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:25,000 believe purgatory is a place or state where souls go after death 136 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,480 to be purified before entering heaven. 137 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:29,400 Just a minute. Catholics don't believe this 138 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:31,240 purification takes place in hell. 139 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:33,880 It doesn't happen on earth, and it doesn't happen in paradise. 140 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:37,040 They believe it happens somewhere in between, in a 141 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,320 source of limbo. This concept really started to 142 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,320 take shape in the early Middle Ages. 143 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,920 Catholic theologians like Saint Augustine hinted at the idea 144 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,960 that sins not fully punished in life could be purified after 145 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:51,720 death. By the 12th century, the 146 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,760 teaching was formalized. Later, the Council of Florence 147 00:07:54,760 --> 00:08:01,240 in 1439 and the Council of Trent from 1545 to 1563 codified it as 148 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,760 official church doctrine. Oh, and I nearly forgot to tell 149 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:07,840 you about indulgences, too. You see, in medieval times the 150 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,720 Church taught that prayers, good works, or even donations could 151 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:13,840 reduce a soul's time in purgatory. 152 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,640 So wealthy patrons could give money to fund cathedrals, 153 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:21,160 monasteries, or crusades, and in return received certificates 154 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:25,160 promising their own soul or loved ones a shorter stay in the 155 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,400 flames. This made salvation feel, well, 156 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:32,640 like it could be bought, and it sparked major opposition. 157 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,520 For instance, Martin Luther, the passionate reformer, famously 158 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,440 railed against it. Today, indulgences do still 159 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,799 exist in Catholic teaching, but money has nothing to do with 160 00:08:42,799 --> 00:08:44,600 them. They're earned through prayer, 161 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,680 charity, or spiritual acts, not coins. 162 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:50,760 I wonder whether I should tell you this, but I was very, very 163 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,560 unsure about covering this teaching of purgatory. 164 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,840 In my last video on Christian denominations, many Roman 165 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,080 Catholics said I misrepresented them. 166 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:02,280 And I want to say right now, that was never my intention. 167 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,080 And so when I came to this one, I didn't know whether to talk 168 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,480 about Roman Catholic teaching. But here's the thing. 169 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,760 It really is the big elephant in the room. 170 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,720 So if you aren't Roman Catholic and you are watching right now, 171 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,920 please know my aim here is certainly not to belittle 172 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,680 anyone's beliefs, but to uncover biblical truth. 173 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:21,160 And so I do. I welcome your corrections, 174 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,480 insights, or clarifications in the comments section as I just 175 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,320 want this to be 1 big conversation. 176 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:29,240 With that being said, let's dive in. 177 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,480 Here's the answer we all want to know. 178 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,480 Does the Bible talk about purgatory? 179 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,280 Well, you will never actually find the word purgatory in the 180 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:39,640 Bible. However, Catholics still insist 181 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:43,160 the concept is very biblical. You may already know that I 182 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:47,120 firmly believe the Bible is complete and we do not need any 183 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,440 extra text to uncover the truth of the Word of God. 184 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:52,760 Why? Because everything we need is 185 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,240 written in the 66 books of the Bible. 186 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:57,600 However, Catholics would disagree. 187 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:02,680 They often point to Two Maccabees 1244 to 46, an 188 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:05,720 apocryphal book which they say proves their teaching on 189 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,000 purgatory. Here, a priest called Judas 190 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,360 Maccabees prays for soldiers who died with sin on their 191 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:13,800 conscience. And according to Catholics, this 192 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:17,120 suggests that the dead can benefit from prayers of the 193 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:20,680 living. Interestingly, in Matthew 1232, 194 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,760 Jesus does say some sins will not be forgiven in the age to 195 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:26,640 come. People could argue that this 196 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:28,960 implies a post death purification. 197 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,360 But wait a second, just to reiterate, Protestant Bibles 198 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,000 don't include Maccabees, and Jesus never gives instructions 199 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,680 about a purification chamber, which would you not argue is a 200 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:43,120 massive thing that does need describing in detail if it's 201 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,240 true, instead of us just being left a guess in the dark what it 202 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,720 really looks like. Before we dismiss purgatory 203 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,280 completely, here's another piece Catholics often point to. 204 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:57,000 In One Corinthians 3, verses 12 to 15, Paul talks about building 205 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,120 on the foundation of Christ. Some will build with gold, 206 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:04,800 silver and costly stones, but others will build with wood, hay 207 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,160 or straw. When the day comes, fire will 208 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,200 test everyone's work. If it survives, there's a 209 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:14,440 reward. If it burns up, the builder will 210 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,640 still be saved, but only as one who is escaping through the 211 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:20,840 flames. Catholics see this as a hint 212 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:24,920 towards purgatory, a place where imperfect parts of life are 213 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,880 purified before entering heaven. I am going to choose my words 214 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:33,360 carefully now, but is Paul describing post death cleansing 215 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:37,600 or is he talking about refining trials we already face in this 216 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,000 life? If fire is now, not later, 217 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,320 wouldn't Paul's audience have understood it that way? 218 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,480 And does this saved but through flames line really fit with 219 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,560 Paul's other letter to the Ephesians where he emphatically 220 00:11:49,560 --> 00:11:53,960 emphasizes that salvation is by grace, not works? 221 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,840 It is essential to also remember Jesus words to the man beside 222 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,480 him on the cross who recognized his own sin and asked Jesus to 223 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:03,960 remember him when he came into his Kingdom. 224 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:09,560 So Jesus, recognizing this man's faith, said today you will be 225 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:13,280 with me in paradise. Now, unless you and I overthink 226 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:16,560 this sentence, I think it has a very basic reading. 227 00:12:16,680 --> 00:12:20,080 It proves to us there is no purification stop, just 228 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:23,240 immediate fellowship with Christ when we die. 229 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,680 But our next banned church teaching may offer a very 230 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:30,160 different viewpoint to what I've just said. 231 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,920 Or at the very least, we'll make you question everything you ever 232 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,760 learned at Sunday school before we go there. 233 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,200 We are in a kind of limbo on this whole purgatory issue. 234 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,080 So between you and me guys, I can assure you of one thing. 235 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:45,920 I am certainly not the authority on anything. 236 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,280 But when I think of purgatory, it reminds me of a student who 237 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:53,160 aced their final exam but was then told they still had to redo 238 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,880 old homework or they weren't allowed to graduate. 239 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:58,600 Would that be fair? Would that even make sense? 240 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:00,680 Well, that's what purgatory implies. 241 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,640 Jesus work gets you most of the way, but you still need an extra 242 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,520 little bit of credit or God pays your bill, but then the 243 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:11,080 restaurant owner says you must also contribute something too. 244 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:14,320 OK, I want to make this clear. Once again, my goal is not to 245 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,320 disrespect Roman Catholics, but I simply want to raise these 246 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,440 questions so that we can find the truth. 247 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:23,280 So why does purgatory, in my opinion, feel so invisible in 248 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,680 the Bible? If it is real, where are the 249 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:29,000 scriptural warnings, the instructions, or the stories of 250 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,160 souls passing through? Yes, Matthew 12 and Paul's fire 251 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,680 are Roman Catholic friends argue are hints, But are they enough 252 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:39,520 to build a system that shapes centuries and centuries of 253 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,360 Christian practice? All right, if you thought 254 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:46,120 purgatory stirred the pot, wait until we test our next band 255 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,320 teaching. Without further ado, let's 256 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,320 investigate our third case file annihilationism. 257 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,720 I am embarrassed to admit to this, but the first time I heard 258 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:58,720 this teaching presented by a pastor at a church I used to 259 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,360 attend, I dismissed it automatically as unbiblical. 260 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,520 But to quote this same pastor, he said this isn't a doctrine we 261 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,600 can be arrogant about thinking we don't need to consider it as 262 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,200 many godly Christians and theologians down through the 263 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,400 ages held this view. And the Bible has a whole heap 264 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,520 of verses that you could also argue support it. 265 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,120 And no, before anyone jumps to conclusions, this isn't a 266 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:25,000 Jehovah's Witness thing. Yes they hold it, but they 267 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,600 didn't invent it and you don't become AJW just by considering 268 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:30,520 it. Otherwise, I guess I'm a vegan 269 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:34,080 because I eat salad sometimes. But come on now, you and me need 270 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,040 to talk about this. What is annihilationism and is 271 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:41,160 it even biblical annihilationism Effectively asked the question, 272 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,000 what if hell doesn't last forever? 273 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:46,560 It's also famously been called conditional immortality, and 274 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,840 it's the idea that the wicked face real, serious consequences 275 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:53,920 for rejecting Christ. But it doesn't go on forever. 276 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,200 Eventually it ends in destruction. 277 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,080 In other words, they cease to exist. 278 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,080 Proponents of this teaching prefer the term conditional 279 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,680 immortality. See, because immortality, to 280 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:08,280 live forever, is a gift given only to those in Christ. 281 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,600 Now, later, I'm going to share which of these four band 282 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,400 teachings I personally think is true. 283 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,840 But right now I can see that some of you might be raising 284 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:19,960 your eyebrows. Because let's be honest, for 285 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:23,440 many of us, the idea of eternal conscious torment is so 286 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:27,320 ingrained upon us that we cannot imagine any other biblical 287 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:29,480 option. But what does the Scripture 288 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:33,360 actually say over and over? The language used about the fate 289 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:38,360 of the unbeliever sounds final words like destruction, perish, 290 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:43,200 death, end, corruption. Matthew 7 verse 13 warns us of 291 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,920 the road leading to destruction. John 316 says those who don't 292 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,520 believe perish. Romans 6 verse 23 talks about 293 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:53,920 the wage of sin being death. And perhaps the most convincing 294 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:59,000 verse is Matthew 10, verse 28, where Jesus warns us not to be 295 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,320 afraid of Him who can destroy your body, but fear the one who 296 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:06,160 can destroy both your body and soul and cast you into hell. 297 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,400 I am confident those of you who read your Bibles remember these 298 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,120 images in Scripture about God's judgement. 299 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:14,080 You've got the chaff getting burned up. 300 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,960 We see fruitless trees cut down and thrown into the flames, then 301 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:22,040 weeds pulled up and burned. There's bad fish who get caught 302 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,960 in the net and thrown away. There's the house that's built 303 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,920 on sand collapses into ruin. The world gets swept away in the 304 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,520 days of Noah. And we also see the wicked 305 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:36,160 reduced to ashes on the feet of the righteous in Malachi 4 verse 306 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,920 3. Again and again Scripture says 307 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,160 they'll be cut off. It says in Psalm 37 they'll 308 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,000 vanish like smoke. It says they will wither like 309 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,600 branches thrown into the fire in John 15. 310 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,400 It says in Nahum 1 they will be consumed like stubble in the 311 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,720 fire. It says they will perish like 312 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:57,040 wax melting before the flame in Psalm 68. 313 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,440 It says their names will be blotted out of the book of life 314 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,480 in Psalm 69. The fact is, they this we cannot 315 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:06,400 escape it. This imagery returns over and 316 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,240 over again. And yet historical voices also 317 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,240 remind us that conditional immortality has had long 318 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,160 standing credibility. John Stott, one of the 20th 319 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,319 century's most respected evangelical theologians, 320 00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:21,599 considered the annihilation view a serious, scripturally 321 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:25,079 defensible option. Have you heard of Anna Bias, a 322 00:17:25,079 --> 00:17:27,599 Christian writer from the early 4th century? 323 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:30,800 Well, he noted that destruction of the wicked, not endless 324 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,000 torment, was compatible with God's justice. 325 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,480 This isn't just some new idea, it's actually been part of the 326 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,080 conversation throughout church history. 327 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,920 Hey, this next part's a little bit important, so you might just 328 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,440 want to catch it. You see, I personally cannot 329 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,120 pretend this isn't a very difficult question to answer. 330 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:53,160 Is eternal despair for a lifetime of 70 years on earth 331 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,720 proportional? It has made me think, is hell 332 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:59,120 sinless? I think the obvious answer is 333 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:00,880 no. And so therefore it's very 334 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,280 likely that the Sinner will keep on sinning and sinning for all 335 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,440 of eternity. I've even heard some preachers 336 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,920 say that the unbeliever will continue to sin but will find no 337 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,120 happiness in it because they compare it to what they could 338 00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:16,240 have had with Christ in heaven. And moreover, they will not have 339 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,320 any power to stop their sin even if they wanted to. 340 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,720 Am I the only one who thinks that that actually kind of 341 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,200 changes everything? Let me put it another way to 342 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,640 you. Is there anyone here right now 343 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,280 who would think that a prisoner who reoffends whilst in prison 344 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,000 keeps doing wrong whilst they're in jail? 345 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:36,120 Does that person deserve to be let free? 346 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:38,880 Of course not. That person should receive a 347 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,040 longer sentence, and I could be way off on this one. 348 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:46,920 But is God's judgement like that a sentence that grows endlessly 349 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:50,480 because the prisoner keeps on rebelling and rebelling and 350 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:54,400 rebelling for all of eternity? What goes through your mind when 351 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:57,280 I say these things? Because I also really want to 352 00:18:57,280 --> 00:18:59,440 know. The unbeliever even want to go 353 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,360 to heaven. Why would they want to spend 354 00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:03,800 eternity with a God they refuse to worship? 355 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,240 And some theologians take it even further when they claim 356 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,120 that the gnashing of teeth described in hell means that 357 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:13,920 those who occupy the lower realm grow more and more angry and 358 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,120 loathsome to God as eternity continues. 359 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:20,720 CS Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia, famously 360 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,600 said the doors of hell are locked from the inside. 361 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,080 So the unavoidable conclusion is this. 362 00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:30,480 We can't really just dismiss all of this language of destruction, 363 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:32,920 perish, death, and burned up branches. 364 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,920 The story of Lot is nothing more than just interpretive 365 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,400 gymnastics. But at the same time, there are 366 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,080 arguably even more verses and biblical answers that God's 367 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:45,680 judgement lasts forever and not just for a period of time. 368 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:49,440 So, ready or not, it's time to confront one of Scripture's most 369 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,960 challenging themes. Is hell eternal? 370 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:55,760 As you know, this is our last banned church teaching. 371 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,400 Before I tell you which of these I believed to be true, but let's 372 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,680 put the doctrine of hell to the test. 373 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:04,600 Did you know the Bible doesn't just have one word for hell? 374 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,920 There are several, each showing a different side of what happens 375 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,240 after death. Take the Old Testament's word 376 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,680 Sheol. It basically means the grave, 377 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:16,640 the place everyone goes to when they die, saved or unsaved. 378 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:18,520 But it's more than a hole in the ground. 379 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:23,160 In the book of Genesis chapter 37, we see Jacob say I will go 380 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,200 down to Sheol in mourning for my son. 381 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:29,280 I won't go into this too much. Because I have made an entire 382 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:33,240 video on what I think the Bible teaches really happens in this 383 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:35,000 shadowy realm. I'll leave a link in the 384 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,160 description if you'd like to check out that video. 385 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:38,920 But I do want to say this right now. 386 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:43,240 Sheol was seen as the unseen world of the dead, a kind of 387 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,560 holding place for souls, like a sort of waiting room. 388 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,480 Now you may already know this, but in case you didn't, when the 389 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,640 Old Testament talks about Sheol, the New Testament usually 390 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,800 translates that word into Hades. But here's the key difference. 391 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,280 Hades is isn't just the grave, it's a place of conscious 392 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:06,040 torment, a realm where the soul experiences real anguish. 393 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:10,080 An unforgettable example of this is the parable of the rich man 394 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,320 and Lazarus. Now perhaps you disagree with 395 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,400 this, but I personally think this is probably the only 396 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:19,560 parable where Jesus describes something that actually happens. 397 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,480 Not just a story to illustrate a point, but this is something 398 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:24,240 real. You will probably remember the 399 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:26,440 story right? Lazarus was a poor beggar who 400 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:30,040 struggled in life and goes to Abrahams bosom, a place of rest, 401 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,640 comfort and peace. Meanwhile, the rich man who saw 402 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,960 Lazarus struggle every day, when he dies, well he finds himself 403 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:43,120 in a place called Hades. Flames lick around him, he's 404 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:47,080 thirsty, he's desperate and he longs that his family won't end 405 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:50,480 up in Hades too. OK, this is something that has 406 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:54,440 me very curious. Whilst in Hades, the rich man 407 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,400 can see Lazarus across the divide. 408 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:02,240 He can see peace, comfort and life, and yet he can't reach it. 409 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:05,160 He can't attain it. He can't even warn his family. 410 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,040 He can't turn back the clock and he can never escape. 411 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,720 And the way I've always thought about it is hell will be exactly 412 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,080 the same. You see, I think if this parable 413 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,960 proves anything, it proves that there will be no memory loss in 414 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,320 hell. When the rich man reaches out to 415 00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:24,840 Abraham from Hades, Abraham says one chilling word. 416 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,040 Remember. I believe every single soul in 417 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,120 hell will remember. They'll remember all the times 418 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:34,560 they quietly laughed at the street preacher in their city 419 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,640 who was crying out to them to repent before it's too late. 420 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,080 They'll remember. Every time they walk past the 421 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,320 church, every Bible verse they ignored, every moment they 422 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,000 dismissed the words of eternal life, they will remember videos 423 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,480 like this about the gospel. They'll remember. 424 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:52,560 When their Christian friends and family members tried to tell 425 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:56,520 them about Jesus Christ, they will remember every time they 426 00:22:56,520 --> 00:23:00,040 heard the gospel preached the good news about the Saviour who 427 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,920 took their hell upon the cross, who bore all of that wrath, all 428 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:07,240 of that fire, who turned it away from sinners and placed it upon 429 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,920 himself so that the Sinner has the opportunity to be forgiven 430 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:15,280 and to flee from that wrath and spend eternity in heaven. 431 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:19,360 They'll remember all of these doors that were open for them on 432 00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:23,400 earth, but now these doors are shut forever in hell. 433 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,320 And it doesn't matter how much they knock, it doesn't matter 434 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:30,920 how powerfully they push, these doors will never open again. 435 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:34,640 Before we talk about the place, the fallen angels, it would be 436 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,720 so wrong of me not to simply ask you, have you gone through that 437 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,520 door today whilst the door is open? 438 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,840 Have you gone through it? Because the plot twist is this. 439 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,760 That door is Jesus Christ himself. 440 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,400 He once said, I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he 441 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,320 will be saved. So if you haven't, please, 442 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:59,000 please today walk through that door by asking Jesus to be your 443 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,040 Lord and Savior because he died for your sins on the cross to 444 00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,840 rescue you from hell and he rose from the dead to give you an 445 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,560 opportunity to have an endless life in heaven with him if you 446 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:11,840 want it. But that's the big question, do 447 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:14,520 you want it? So what's all this about fallen 448 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:16,720 angels and demons? Where do they go? 449 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,280 Well, have you ever heard of Tartarus? 450 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:21,760 It pops up only once in the New Testament. 451 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:26,320 In Second Peter chapter 2 verse 4, it says God did not spare the 452 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:29,960 angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell. 453 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,600 Or to be more accurate, Tartarus, placing them in chains 454 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,440 of darkness to be held for judgment. 455 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,120 In a nutshell, Tartarus is a special holding cell for 456 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:43,280 rebellious angels. Think of it like a spiritual 457 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:47,480 maximum security prison, but eternal and chained in darkness 458 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,520 whilst you await judgement. Just a little diversion. 459 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,120 But there is another word, abyss, which reoccurs throughout 460 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:58,840 the Bible and it literally means bottomless or immeasurable pits. 461 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:01,720 In the Bible it is often depicted as a place of 462 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:05,800 confinement for evil spirits. The most famous example is found 463 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:09,920 in Luke 8 verse 31 when the demons begged Jesus not to send 464 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,800 them into the abyss, showing that it is is a dreaded place 465 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,200 that even the darkest beings fear. 466 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:19,000 Revelation describes the abyss multiple times as the bottomless 467 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,400 pit from which locusts emerge, the place from which the beast 468 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,920 rises, and where Satan is bound for 1000 years. 469 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,280 Many Bible scholars believe the abyss is the same place as 470 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,800 Tartarus, but even if it isn't, they both prove from scripture 471 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:37,280 that God maintains ultimate authority over all evil spirits. 472 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,120 Some confined in the abyss and others roam in the earth, but 473 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:45,400 ultimately, ultimately all will face final judgements by him who 474 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:47,800 is on the throne. Another name for hell in the 475 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,160 Bible is what Jesus calls Gehenna. 476 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,800 Surprisingly, it turns out it's also a real place on earth. 477 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,880 Gehenna comes from the valley of Hinnon, right beside Jerusalem, 478 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,880 and archaeology backs it up. Back in the days of King Ahaz, 479 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,680 the Israelites actually performed a very evil idolatry 480 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,440 here. So years later, a good king, 481 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:11,400 King Josiah, put a stop to it and the valley became a burning 482 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,240 God garbage dump, which the fires were always smoldering and 483 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,840 there was a stench there that was very overwhelming. 484 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:21,000 So when Jesus talks about Gehenna as a place of final 485 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:25,000 consequence, he's pointing to something concretes A10 486 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,400 manageable image that his listeners would have known well 487 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,320 so that they would know exactly what to expect the eternal 488 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,360 judgment to be like for those who reject the gospel. 489 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:36,280 Hey, check this out. Because archaeological digs in 490 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,760 the valley of Hymnon have uncovered layers of ash and 491 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,680 evidence of continual fires. But I guess the strongest image 492 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:46,600 of hell that has evoked all of the paintings, all of the 493 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:51,280 movies, all of the literature is that image of the lake of fire. 494 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,800 So this is the part of the video where things get very intense. 495 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:56,880 Why? Because some say, Oh well, it's 496 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,160 just a metaphor. But is it really? 497 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,960 The Apostle John in the Book of Revelation describes fire, 498 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:07,000 torment, separation, and honestly, I'm not sure our human 499 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,160 language can even capture it fully. 500 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:13,400 It's like there's a vast sea of flames and sulphur, and as Jesus 501 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:17,680 said, it is a place where the worm does not die, which doesn't 502 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,000 make sense if you believe in annihilationism. 503 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:24,040 So over to you. I'll ask you again, if hell is 504 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,480 just a metaphor or if the unbeliever just suddenly ceases 505 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:31,240 to exist, why is the Bible full of descriptions? 506 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:35,000 Like it says hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. 507 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,160 It's a fiery furnace. It even says that it's an 508 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,560 unquenchable fire because the fuel of that fire, could it be, 509 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:44,240 is Chrysler Souls? And then the one that really 510 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:48,320 gets me is it says it's a place where there is no rest day or 511 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,200 night, which doesn't add up if the wicked do one day get 512 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:55,000 completely destroyed. But I can hear exactly what some 513 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,600 of you are saying. Many Christians who believe in 514 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,760 the doctrine of annihilationism, they can argue against those 515 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,640 verses above, but they really struggle to build a case against 516 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,880 this next one. Matthew 25, verse 46. 517 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,760 These will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous 518 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,360 into eternal life. How do we untangle this verse 519 00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:20,040 when in one breath it states the unsaved will go away to eternal 520 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,320 punishment and in the next breath it states the righteous, 521 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,760 the saved, will go away to eternal life? 522 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:29,200 Do you see what I'm saying here? Because the Greek, the exact 523 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:32,960 same word for eternal life, is the same word used for eternal 524 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,320 punishment. And even more astonishing, it's 525 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:39,280 the same word used in the Bible to describe God's infinite 526 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:43,360 eternal nature. In Hebrew it's olam, in Greek 527 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:46,560 it's aeon. And these words don't just mean 528 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:50,400 a really long time, they mean beginningless, perpetual, 529 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,040 endless. So this verse is describing 530 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:57,440 something as real and unending as God's own eternal existence. 531 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,920 And if we are to be consistent here, if we say that unbelievers 532 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,400 are not receiving punishment in hell eternally, we've also got 533 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,200 to say that heaven is also going to end one day. 534 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:10,600 And to take it even further, you would have to say that God 535 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:14,360 Himself is not eternal, which I hope none of us would dare say, 536 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:17,640 especially when Scripture is so crystal clear that the Lord has 537 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:21,360 no beginning and He has no end. Before we draw a line under this 538 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:25,400 case and decide on a verdict of which of these four options is 539 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:29,360 really true, there's one final piece of evidence worth noting. 540 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:33,560 What did the early Christian writers consistently affirm? 541 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:36,800 Well, let's meet some of them. Ignatius of Antioch, Second 542 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,720 Clement and Justin Martyr all spoke of unquenchable fire for 543 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:45,280 those who reject God, whilst Polycarp and Mathias emphasize 544 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:48,200 that even the earthly problems that we may face, they are 545 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,680 nothing compared to eternal torment. 546 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,920 Athena, Goris, Theophyllus and Irenaeus stressed that the 547 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:59,240 wicked will face everlasting fire, not annihilation, and 548 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:03,160 Tertilian and Hippolytus highlighted its unending and 549 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:07,000 inescapable nature. And lastly, Cyril of Jerusalem 550 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:11,440 reinforced that the consequences of the unsaved of both spiritual 551 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:15,240 and bodily, with eternal consequences tailored to each 552 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:19,200 person's deeds, whilst the righteous receive immortality 553 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,400 and life of God across these early voices. 554 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:26,080 And some of them knew the first apostles, they knew the Apostle 555 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,320 John, they knew the disciples of Jesus. 556 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:30,280 The message is clear from these guys. 557 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:34,520 Eternal separation from God is real, deliberate and 558 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:38,000 irreversible. I am sorry, but I do feel that a 559 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:41,360 whole heap of this video has really just appealed to your 560 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:43,760 mind. So if I may, can I talk to your 561 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:47,000 heart for a moment as I want to share with you one of the most 562 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,880 powerful poems that was ever written? 563 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:54,560 You live next door to me. For years we shared our dreams, 564 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:57,640 our joys and tears. A friend to me. 565 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:01,680 You were indeed a friend who helped me when in need. 566 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,960 What sadness then, my friend, to find that after all, you weren't 567 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,000 so kind. The day my life on earth did 568 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,320 end, I found you weren't a faithful friend. 569 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,440 For all those years we spent on earth, you never spoke of second 570 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:20,760 birth. You never spoke of my lost soul 571 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:23,400 and of the Christ who'd make me whole. 572 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:29,320 So I plead today from Hell's cruel fire, and tell you now my 573 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:32,920 last desire, you cannot do a thing for me. 574 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:38,840 No words today will set me free. But do not err, my friend again. 575 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,160 Do all you can for the souls of men. 576 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:47,440 Plead with them now, quite earnestly, lest they be cast in 577 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:52,680 hell with me. So as I close this case file, is 578 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:56,400 my verdict not obvious? If you're a believer, I pray you 579 00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,720 will warn your neighbors that an eternal conscious hell exists. 580 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:04,840 But there is also grace, because God gives an escape route 581 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:07,800 through Jesus Christ. And if you're not a believer, 582 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,560 you've heard me tell you in this very video the message of Jesus 583 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:13,600 Christ. And so I only have one more 584 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:16,600 thing to say to you, my dear friend. 585 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:22,280 Go anywhere in this world, but do not go to hell.