Whatever Happened to Hell?

Rating:
Summary: Awsome book
Review: Blanchard's book is a great antidote to the liars who claim that Christ and his apostles didn't teach the doctrine of the eternal punishment of the wicked. Denial will not change what Our Lord taught. How could Christ destroy both body and soul in hell if we dont have an immaterial soul?

I dont know which book the last reviewer read but it must not have been blanchard's. No scripture references? Actually Blanchard has over 600 scripture references and quotations. This is the level that conditional immortalitists sink to. Lies and character assasination. Because Blanchard is such a well respected scholar our former reviewer didn't dare to refute him with any sort of an argument(on ANY point!!), he must resort to slandering the entire book. This is a true mark of desperation because he is trying so hard to believe what is so obviously unbiblical. The entire early church except for Arnobius believed in eternal punishment and yet the C.I. crowd tries to get you to believe that they didnt believe what they taught. The best book on the subject of hell and eternal punishment is Robert Morey's "Death and the Afterlife." Strange that after 15 years his book has not had any serious scholar challange its accuracy. The answer is because Morey is right and the conditional immortalitists are wrong

Here is an excelent article by a theologian of a few years ago (James Orr)

New Testament Teaching: In the New Testament, the strongest language is used by Jesus and the apostolic writers on the certainty and severity of the punishment of sin in the future state, and always in a manner which suggests that the doom is final. (1) "Eternal."-- The word "eternal" (aionios) is repeatedly applied to the punishment of sin, or to the fire which is its symbol. A principal example is , "eternal fire," "eternal punishment" (kolasis aionios . Here precisely the same word is applied to the punishment of the wicked as to the blessedness of the righteous. Other instances are ; Jude verse 7; compare . In <2 Thes 1:9>, we have, "eternal destruction." The kindred word aidios, "everlasting," is in Jude verse 6 applied to the punishment of the fallen angels. The reply made that aionios in such passages denotes quality, not duration, cannot be sustained. Whatever else the term includes, it connotes duration. More pertinent is the criticism of other writers that aionios does not necessarily mean "eternal" (according to Cox it does not mean this at all), but is strictly "age-long," is therefore compatible with, if it does not directly suggest, a terminable period. Cox allows that the term is "saturated through and through with the element of time" (p. 100,), but he denies its equivalence with "everlasting." The sense, no doubt, is to be determined by the context, but it can hardly be questioned that "the aeons of the aeons" and similar phrases are the practical New Testament equivalents for eternity, and that aionios in its application to God and to life ("eternal life") includes the idea of unending duration (compare for express assertion of this). When, therefore, the term is applied in the same context to punishment and to life , and no hint is given anywhere of limitation, the only reasonable exegesis is to take the word in its full sense of "eternal."

(2) Equivalent expressions.-- The meaning "eternal" is confirmed by the use of equivalent expressions and of forms of speech which convey in the strongest manner the idea of finality. Such are the expressions, "the unquenchable fire," the "worm" that "dieth not" (; compare ), with those numerous references to "death," "destruction," "second death," on which the advocates of conditional immortality build their arguments for final extinction. Such is the dictum of Jesus: "He that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him" (; the opposite of "life" is "perishing," verse 16); or that in , "He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still: and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still." Finality is the note in all Christ's warnings-- "the outer darkness" ; "The door was shut .... I know you not" (; compare <7:23>), as in those of the Epistles (e.g. ). Jesus speaks of the blasphemy against the Spirit as a sin which shall not be forgiven, "neither in this world, nor in that which is to come" (; not as implying that other sins, unforgiven in this life, may be forgiven in the next), a passage which Mark gives in the remarkable form, "hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" . The Rich Man in Hades found an impassable gulf fixed between himself and Lazarus . See GULF. It adds to the terribleness of these sayings that, as before remarked, there is nothing to put against them; no hint or indication of a termination of the doom. Why did Jesus not safeguard His words from misapprehension, if behind them there lay an assurance of restoration and mercy? One may ask with Oxenham, in a reply to Jukes, "whether if Christ had intended to teach the doctrine of eternal punishment, He could possibly have taught it in plainer terms."

(3) The last judgment.-- The New Testament doctrine of the last judgment leads to the same conclusion. Two things seem plainly taught about this judgment: the first, that it proceeds on the matter of the present life-- "the things done in the body" ; and the second, that it is decisive in its issues. Not a single suggestion is given of a reversal of its decisions in any future age. Such silence is inexplicable if the Scriptures meant to teach what the opponents of this doctrine so confidently maintain.

3. Teaching of Analogy: In corroboration of this Scriptural view analogy might be pleaded. How constantly even in this life is the law illustrated of the tendency of character to fixity! The present is the season of grace <2 Cor 6:2>, yet what powers of resistance to God and goodness are seen to lie in human nature, and how effectually, often, does it harden itself under the influences that seem most fitted to break down its rebellion! What likelihood is there that eternity will alter this tendency, or make conversion more easy? Eternity can hardly be thought of as more really a scene of grace than time is for those to whom the gospel has already come. Its characteristic mark is said to be "judgment" . Like the photographer's bath, may its effect not be to develop and fix existing character, rather than to change it? If so, the state in which judgment finds the soul may be presumed to be one that will remain.

III. Difficulties and Objections-- Rival Hypotheses.-- What, it will now be asked, of the tremendous difficulties which inhere in this doctrine, with their undeniable effect in alienating many generous minds from it and from Christianity? The lurid rhetorical picturings of the sufferings of the lost, too frequent in the teaching of the past, may be discounted; it is not necessary to go beyond the inexpressibly solemn words of Christ Himself and His apostles. But even with this limitation, does it not seem as if, by this doctrine, a reflection was cast on the righteousness and mercy of God in creating such multitudes of the human race, as, on any showing, are outside the pale of Christ's salvation-- the countless generations of the heathen, with the masses even in Christian lands who have not received or do not obey the light-- only to doom them to endless misery? Before attempting a positive answer, it is proper that a glance be taken at the rival theories put forth in alleviation of the difficulty.

1. Universal Salvation: The most comprehensive solution propounded is that of universal salvation-- of a final restitution of all souls to God's favor and to blessedness. This tempting speculation-- for it is no more-- advocated by Origen in the early church, by Schleiermacher in the last century, has been urged by many writers in modern times. One of its best known advocates was Samuel Cox, in his book Salvator Mundi. It is noticeable that not a few who favor this theory (e.g. Maurice, Farrar) decline to commit themselves to it as more than a "hope," and admit the possibility of human souls continuing to resist God endlessly (Maurice, Theological Essays, 476; Farrar, Eternal Hope, Pref., xv, xvi; Mercy and Judgment, I, 485, "In this sense there may be for some souls an endless hell"). It must, however, be evident that, be the number greater or smaller-- and who shall give assurance of its smallness?-- if there are

Rating:
Summary: Scholarly, but not Biblical
Review: He put alot of work into his research. He has a long list of theologians with impressive credentials. However, this book is not Biblical. He has so few Scriptures to support his belief, that he is very selective and repetitive about the Bible verses he talks about. Perhaps this explains why he spends so much time quoting theologians. He claims to refute conditional immortality, but he does not even touch it. It is clear that he does not even understand conditional immortality. How can he refute what he does not understand?

Rating:
Summary: An accurate representation of the Traditional Hellish View
Review: Over the past few years, I have read a number of books on the topic of salvation, judgement and hell, as part of an extensive research project. This book does the best job of describing who, according to the traditional view of hell will go to hell and what, according to the traditional view, hell is like. Unfortunately, while he makes extensive scriptural references, these scriptures are incomplete and he ignores the broader purpose of the Gospel, which is the salvation of mankind.

I found this book very depressing, because according to the author, the vast majority of humankind will spend eternity suffering indescribable misery. Contrary to the author's objective, this book convinced me that the traditional view of hell is incompatible with the Love of God and, in fact, is unscriptural.

If one reads this book, I also recommend that they read, "The Inescapable Love of God" to get the other side of the picture. I have also written a report on salvation and judgement which I will be glad to email anyone who requests it free of charge.

Rating:
Summary: An accurate representation of the Traditional Hellish View
Review: Over the past few years, I have read a number of books on the topic of salvation, judgement and hell, as part of an extensive research project. This book does the best job of describing who, according to the traditional view of hell will go to hell and what, according to the traditional view, hell is like. Unfortunately, while he makes extensive scriptural references, these scriptures are incomplete and he ignores the broader purpose of the Gospel, which is the salvation of mankind.

I found this book very depressing, because according to the author, the vast majority of humankind will spend eternity suffering indescribable misery. Contrary to the author's objective, this book convinced me that the traditional view of hell is incompatible with the Love of God and, in fact, is unscriptural.

If one reads this book, I also recommend that they read, "The Inescapable Love of God" to get the other side of the picture. I have also written a report on salvation and judgement which I will be glad to email anyone who requests it free of charge.