There are literally scores of Bible translations which do NOT contain the word "Hell" even ONCE! What's going on? The answer is really obvious, except to those who insist on hanging onto "traditions of men." (Matt. 15:6-9) The scholarship of the Reformation period was just a few steps out of the Dark Ages.
The Bible translations from this era were simply bad from the point of view of today's understanding of the original languages of the Bible. Our greater understanding of the manners and customs of the peoples living during the Biblical period have also given us greater understanding of the meaning of many obscure passages of scriptures. Light is coming to what has been "traditionally" still in darkness.
Listed below are some reference books and articles which highlight one of the key doctrines which modern scholarship is shedding some incredible light upon...the subject of Hell and the doctrine of Everlasting Punishment. These works deal with the subjects of the Greek words behind our English word Hell, the concept of eternity in the Bible, the teachings of the early church on these subjects and the teaching of universalism, that is, the salvation of all mankind through Jesus Christ.
Some links are to brief articles. Others are to full and well-documented reference books. In addition, at the bottom of the page is a link to Bibles and concordances for the individual to do their own searches and also two links to Internet sites full of more books and articles on these most important subjects.
Truly the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth even as the waters cover the seas. Open your minds and hearts and let the Glory of God, our Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, shine upon you! The first few entries on this list deal with Hell and the Bible. The next few deal primarily with the mistranslation of the key words "olam," "aion," and "aionios," and a few other key Greek words followed by several works that show that the early believers closest to the original languages believed in the salvation of all mankind through Jesus Christ.
These works show/prove that this teaching is perfectly consistent with the original Greek and Hebrew AND more importantly with the nature of the God of the Bible. Furthermore, the evidence found in writings of the early church fathers reveals that this teaching was cherished and taught by the most emminent of them for the first 500 years of the church. The link to "Universalism in the First 500 Years of the Christian Church" bears this out. Now then, study to show yourself approved!
- Universalism and the Bible by Professor Keith DeRose from Yale University. In the tradition of Tom Talbott, former professor of philosophy from Williamette University, DeRose defends the teaching of universal salvation through Jesus Christ from a philosophical and moral point of view along with proving many scripture proof texts.
- Christ Triumphant or Universalism Asserted by Thomas Allin. An excellent old book proving scripturally and historically that Christ will indeed save all mankind despite what modern denominations teach.
- Mercy and Judgment by Canon and Doctor F.W. Farrar. One of the most scholarly treatments of the subject of universal salvation by a highly esteemed leader of the Anglican Church. Filled with references from many church leaders throughout the centuries who have embraced the universalism found in the Scriptures that have not been mistranslated.
- Comparative Concordance of Aion/aionios in various Bibles An excellent comparison of how several Bible translations translated the Greek word aion and its adjective aionios. A careful and prayerful study of this word aion and its mistranslation in leading English Bible translations will go a long way towards correcting major errors in traditional Christian doctrines.
- Hope Beyond Hell by Gerry Beauchemin. An excellent contemporary English apolegetic for the Biblical teaching of universal salvation and the dismantling of the false teaching of a Hell of everlasting punishment in PDF format. Available in book form at Tentmaker Resources
- Adam Succeeded, Will Christ by Gary Amirault. A nice PDF tract proving Christ triumphs over Adam's fall which plunged the whole world into death. Download it and pass it around.
- Hanson's Four Enlightening Works Four of Dr. John Wesley Hanson's works on the subjects of Universal Salvation versus Hell in PDF format
The Spirit of the Word By A.P. Adams. A collection of many article written by A.P. Adams during 1885-86 on a variety of subjects including Universal Salvation, the atonement, redemption, the Cross of Christ, why did Jesus die, word studies on aion, kosmos, etc.- Believers and Supports of Universal Salvation (Universalism, Ultimate Reconciliation, Universal Reconciliation, Universal Restoration, The Larger Hope, The Larger Faith, Apokatastasis, Doctrine of Inclusion, etc.)
- The Inventors and Perpetrators of Hell by Gary Amirault. A list of ancient philosophers and statement who invented the myth and a list of famous Christian theologians who continued the dirty work of perpetuating this hideous false teaching which has perverted the entire Western world. (PDF format)
- How Many Is Whosover? by John Gavazzoni
- The Savior of the World Series by J. Preston Eby
- Figures of Speech by E.W. Bullinger
- The Real Meaning of the Rich Man and Lazarus by Ernest Martin, PhD
- Universalism is NOT in the Bible! A great collection of Scriptures for the apologist.
- Every Knee Shall Bow by Mark T. Chamberlain (an excerpt of a book based on portions of "Christ Triumphant" by Thomas Allin)
- Jesus' Teaching on Hell: by Samuel G. Dawson. Most of what we believe about hell comes from Catholicism and ignorance of the Old Testament, not from the Bible. This study will cause you to re-examine current teaching on hell and urge you to further study on what happens to the wicked after death.
- The Outcome of Infinite Grace by Dr. Loyal Hurley
- The Case Against Hell by Mercy Aiken (with Gary Amirault)
An article that asks some very important questions about the history of the doctrine of Hell. Contrary to popular belief, this doctrine is not found in the Bible. Read this article for proof.- 150 Reasons for Believing in the Final Salvation of All Mankind By Erasmus Manford. 150 Scripturally-based reasons, proving that God is not the eternal tormenter of most of of His creation.
- The Lake of Fire
By J. Preston Eby. Taken from the "Savior of the World Series" in which Preston Eby takes a closer look at many of the words and terms that are regularly used in Church and examines them in the light of the original Greek, as well as the light of the rest of scripture. What is the Lake of Fire? Take a look at this most enlightening article and find out!- Hell is Leaving the Bible "Forever."
The word "Hell" is disappearing from the pages of English Bible translations and HAS already completely disappeared from many of them. Even those leading selling translations which contain the word usually don't use the word more that a dozen times or so? Why so few times if indeed salvation is FROM such a terrible fate? Was God absent minded? Or is it NOT found in the original languages at all? Scholars are beginning to see that a few key ancient words should NEVER have been translated to mean eternal.Bibles That Do Not Teach Eternal Punishment (Also entitled "The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail). This article is a comparison and list prepared by Gary Amirault showing that there are major differences among English translations regarding the teaching of Hell. Many Bible translations do NOT contain the word Hell nor the concept of everlasting punishment.
The Bible Hell
An excellent short book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson detailing the history of the English word "Hell." He also goes into thorough detail discussing the Greek and Hebrew words, Sheol, Gehenna, Hades and Tartarus.
- The Origin and History of the Doctrine of Endless Punishment
An excellent well-documented full-length book by Thomas Thayer proving the teaching of Hell and Everlasting Punishment was added to Christianity centuries after Jesus walked this earth.
Hell Charts
In-depth statistics and charts showing how all the Greek and Hebrew "hell" words have been translated by many different Bible translations. (This is the chart that's in the Hell's Encyclopedia) http://www.what-the-hell-is-hell.com/HellStudy/HellCharts.htm and
http://www.what-the-hell-is-hell.com/HellStats/hell.htm- Analytical Study of Words
Louis Abbott spent 50 years combing the Greek of the Bible and related reference works. Once believing in Hell, his studies turned him away from such a concept because he could not find it in the original languages of the Bible. He quotes many outstanding scholars who have come to a similar conclusion...Jesus is indeed Savior of the whole world.- "The Greek Word Aion--Aionios Translated Everlasting--Eternal in the Holy Bible" by Dr. John Wesley Hanson
Description: Surely, the Greek word aion and its adjective aionios have been mistranslated in most Bible translations leading to grave misrepresentations regarding the length of punishment and Hell in the Bible. This book is probably the best one on this most important subject.
The Power of Life and Death in a Greek Four-Letter Word
A short article by Gary Amirault that shows how important the correct translation of a single Greek word can be in truly understanding the God of the Bible. There is a REAL problem with how some leading selling English Bible translations have translated the word "aion" and its adjective "aionios."- Does "ForeverS AND EverS" Make sense to you?
This article by Gary Amirault deals with the various double construct forms of the Greek word "aion" found in the Greek New Testament. The author shows that many leading selling English Bible translations have translated these constructs after the traditions of their denominations, NOT according to the Greek or correct English grammar.- Eternal Death, One Step Out of Hell, One Step Short of Glory
This work by Gary Amirault deals with the concepts sometimes called "Conditional Mortality," "Eternal Death," or "Annihilationism." The leading visible figure espousing this view is Dr. Edward Fudge. Many small groups of Christians hold such a view: The Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, many Bible Student Movement groups, etc. This work shows that the original languages of the Bible do not allow for such a view. This view would still make God out to be an utter failure, which He is not.- Olethron Aionian (Eternal Destruction)
An excellent short note from "Word Studies in the New Testament" by Dr. Marvin R. Vincent. There are a few key passages in leading selling English translations of the Bible which have been mistranslated causing the God of the Bible to appear to be double-minded. This brief note examines one of those key passages.
Etymology of the Word "Damned."
Most modern English translations no longer use that word. Why? Because this word has been changed by theologians to such an extend that it no longer even remotely means what it did when it was first used in the original King James Bible. Discover what it originally meant before "theologians" changed its meaning. By Gary Amirault (use attached article) Aion This small book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson is perhaps the complete treatment of a Greek work which has been mistransated by several of the leading selling Bible translations. He proves conclusively the word "aion" and its adjective "aionios" should NEVER have been translated eternal, everlasting, or for ever and ever. It's clearly a timely word.
Time and Eternity
An excellent short book by G. T. Stevens examining the Greek, Hebrew, Latin words behind our English concepts of time and eternity. It traces how Hebrew words denoting time were changed to the idea of eternity through Jerome's Latin Vulgate.- Bible Threatenings Explained
Some leading selling English Bible translations seem to teach both the concept of everlasting punishment AND universalism, that is, the salvation of all mankind. This book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson shows that those passages in SOME translations that teach Hell have been mistranslated or misinterpreted. Dr. Hanson analyzes each of those passages of Scripture which appear to teach endless punishment proving the original Greek and Hebrew taught something entirely different.- Early Christian View of the Savior
Many Orthodox scholars acknowledge that the early Church did NOT primarily believe in Hell, but believed in the salvation of all mankind. They termed their belief in Greek "apocatastasis," that is, the restoration of all things back to God. This work by Gary Amirault quotes some of those Orthodox historians as well as some of the early church leaders who taught universalism though Jesus Christ.- Universalism in the First 500 Years of the Christian Church
A well-referenced full length book by Dr. John Wesley Hanson proving that the message of Universalism, that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the entire world, was the majority view of the early Church and its leaders.- The Doctrine of Scriptural Retribution
Brother of the famous Henry Ward Beecher, Dr. Edward Beecher traces the teachings of punishment after death to their original sources. He discovered this teaching does NOT originate from the original texts of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
One Hundred Scriptural Proofs that Jesus is the Savior of All Mankind
A list of scores of Scriptures by Thomas Whittemore proving that Jesus Christ is indeed Savior of the whole world, not just a part of it.- The Salvation Conspiracy: How Hell Became Eternal A brief article by Dr. Ken Vincent tracing the teaching of Universal Salvation through history pointing out how it morphed into the modern Hell.
Arguments in Favor of Biblical Universalism
The twentieth chapter of E. E. Guild's book "Universalist's Book of Reference. The Scriptures implore us to "reason together" with God. This chapter reveals the reasonableness of Jesus Christ truly being the Savior of all instead of a few.- Bible Proofs of Universal Salvation
Another fine work by Dr. J.W. Hanson showing both the reasonableness of the Doctrine of the Salvation of all mankind through Jesus Christ, but also it's scriptural foundation.- Just What do You Mean by "The Judgment"
Christians have been brainwashed to believe in a false and unbiblical concept of God's judgments. This book by J. Preston Eby brings God's judgments and punishments back into their proper Biblical places.- Bible Search Tools
Lots of Bible Translations and search tools. Compare your favorite translation with Young's Literal Translation or Weymouth's NT and see some MAJOR differences regarding Hell.
There are many other well-researched articles on the subjects of Hell, everlasting punishment, and Universalism (Salvation of all mankind through Jesus Christ at the following urls. Try the provided search engines on these sites to help you find specific persons, events, or passages of Scripture.
http://www.tentmaker.org
http://what-the-hell-is-hell.com
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