My Favorite Church.

In my last post, I wrote that I had studied different religions and that I had left my church, which was the Seventh-Day-Adventist Church. I still believe in the teachings of the SDA Church. I believe they follow the teachings of the Bible more closely than any other church.

The reason I left was because the church I was going to was... well, it was a very personal reason and perhaps wouldn't be nice of me to write about here. It was not because of what they believe.

I thought it would be nice to cite a few of the main differences between the SDA Church and other churches.

1. They do not believe in a hell that goes on forever and ever.  Jesus said those who have done little evil will receive few "stripes" but those who caused great evil will suffer many "stripes."  Some people will suffer longer than others, but their suffering will stop. God is not a monster who makes people suffer forever and ever.

In the Old Testament God said,
"For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head."  He will punish people according to what they have done to others.  Obadiah 1:15

"The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy."  Psalm 145:20  Destroy means obliterate.

"And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts." Malachi 4:3

"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." Rev. 20:13,14

"The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:41,42

"Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.  John 5:28,29

"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”  Revelation 21:8

"And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them."  Revelation 20:9  If people are alive in hell, they are not devoured.

"For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun."  Ecclesiastes 9:5,6

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."  1Thessalonians 4:16,17  The dead in Christ are in their graves now and so are the wicked. There will be two resurrections.

If you want to study this or any other belief of the Seventh-Day-Adventists, you can go to www.amazingfacts.com  Click on Bible Study and then Bible Study Guides.  I'll write about some other different beliefs next time.

Can the Soul Die?

Last night, I listened to a sermon online about hell. This preacher said he didn't believe the fire that describes hell was a literal fire but was symbolic of how a person would feel inside forever. They would be full of horror etc. forever, because the soul cannot die.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say the wicked will live forever. Nowhere.

Jesus himself said, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

Destroy. What does that mean? Living forever in torment? No.

"The soul who sins shall die." Ezekiel 18:20

God does say the smoke of their death will go on forever. Smoke is all that is left after something is burned up. It is the result of a fire, not the fire itself. We will not forget the result of sin forever. This will keep the universe safe forever since we will never be tempted to experiment with sin. We will always remember the result of living a life apart from God.

"And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Revelation 14:11

"And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves molten images, Idols skillfully made from their silver, All of them the work of craftsmen. They say of them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves! Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window. Hosea 13:2,3

"But the wicked will perish: Though the LORD's enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke." Psalm 37:20

"Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever.And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch." Isaiah 34:9,10

"And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts." Malachi 4:3

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." Malachi 4:1

Writing of Babylon, which represents the wicked and confusion of the world at the end of time, the Bible says after she is destroyed by God, "The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” Rev. 19:3

And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades (hell) gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Revelation 20:13,14

This verse says plainly that death and hell (one's punishment) will be destroyed in the lake of fire at the time of judgement.

Does God want to punish people? No.

"Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?' Ezekiel 33:11

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Revelation 20:12

There is nothing fairer than being judged on what you have done. If you have used people and hurt them, you will be judged for that. "When I select an appointed time, It is I who judge with equity." Psalm 75:2 Equity means:
 eq·ui·ty  

1. The state, quality, or ideal of being just, impartial, and fair.

2. Something that is just, impartial, and fair.

Is God reasonable? Is God sane? Is God full of love and compssion? If this is true, he will not punish people forever and ever keeping them alive in torment.

Is God a Torturer?

I watched Joyce Meyer preach this morning, and I must comment on what she said about sinners burning in hell forever.

I do not believe this teaching. I could not worship or love a God who would do such a thing to people. I could not say to people, "God is love," if I believed he would torture human beings.

I wrote a post a while ago about this subject. I am posting it again. I have said many times how Joyce Meyer has helped me in my Christian walk, and that is true. I love her and I believe she is sincere and a beautiful Christian. But at times I disagree with some of her statements and this is one of those times.


"If God tortured his enemies in a fiery horror chamber throughout eternity, he would be more vicious and heartless than men have ever been in the worst of war atrocities. An eternal hell of torment would be hell for God also, who loves even the vilest sinner."
Amazing Facts Study Guide.

"Rightness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Mercy and truth go before you."
Psalm 89:14

If God made people suffer forever he would not be just, righteous or merciful.

Psalm 37:20 says, "But the wicked will perish...they vanish - like smoke they vanish away.

Hosea 13:3 says, "The wicked will be like a morning cloud and like dew that soon disappears, like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney."

Malachi 4:1 says, "...every evildoer will be chaff...it will leave them neither root nor branch." Verse 3 goes on to say, "they will be ashes under the soles of your feet."

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.