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Heaven & Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?
Most people believe the Bible teaches that we will go to either heaven or hell at death. They might be surprised at what it really says!
-- Inside this booklet:
-- The Biblical Truth About the Immortal Soul
-- The History of the Immortal-Soul Teaching
-- The Spirit in Man
-- Will a Loving God Punish People Forever in Hell?
-- Lazarus and the Rich Man: Proof of Heaven and Hell?
-- Are Some Tortured Forever in a Lake of Fire?
-- Will the Torment of the Wicked Last Forever?
-- Does the Bible Speak of Hellfire That Lasts Forever?
-- Is Heaven God's Reward for the Righteous?
-- Ancient Pagan Belief in Heaven
-- Paul's Desire to "Depart and Be With Christ"
-- Did Elijah Go to Heaven?
-- Was Enoch Taken to Heaven?
-- The Thief on the Cross
-- Are There Saved Human Beings in Heaven?
-- The Resurrection: God's Promise of Life After Death
-- Your Awesome Future
-- Inside this booklet:
-- The Biblical Truth About the Immortal Soul
-- The History of the Immortal-Soul Teaching
-- The Spirit in Man
-- Will a Loving God Punish People Forever in Hell?
-- Lazarus and the Rich Man: Proof of Heaven and Hell?
-- Are Some Tortured Forever in a Lake of Fire?
-- Will the Torment of the Wicked Last Forever?
-- Does the Bible Speak of Hellfire That Lasts Forever?
-- Is Heaven God's Reward for the Righteous?
-- Ancient Pagan Belief in Heaven
-- Paul's Desire to "Depart and Be With Christ"
-- Did Elijah Go to Heaven?
-- Was Enoch Taken to Heaven?
-- The Thief on the Cross
-- Are There Saved Human Beings in Heaven?
-- The Resurrection: God's Promise of Life After Death
-- Your Awesome Future
81 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 16, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 14, 2026
This is a short book (or a long pamphlet depending on how you define them) arguing for conditional immortality. This is the doctrine that human souls are not naturally immortal, but rather receive immortality as a reward for their faithfulness to Jesus Christ. If you want a quick overview, I guess this book is ok, but for a deep dive I would recommend *The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment*, by Edward Fudge (a book referenced in this pamphlet/book) or, even better, *The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers*, by Leroy Froom.
The book begins well enough by pointing out verses which teach that disobedient souls will be destroyed in Gehenna, most notably Matthew 10.28: "Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]." Bart Ehrman agrees that in this verse Jesus is teaching annihilationism: the doctrine that wicked souls are annihilated, not tortured in Gehenna. But Luke says something rather different: "Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell [Gehenna]." I am unsure why Ehrman believes Matthew has preserved the more original form of the saying.
The reality is that the Bible says contradictory things about the fate of the wicked. This book argues over and over that passages that appear to teach ECT should be interpreted "in light of" the supposedly clearer passages which depict the wicked as being destroyed. I find most of these arguments unconvincing. For example in expositing Mark 9.47-48 (their worm shall not die and their fire is not quenched), the book notes the parallel to Isaiah 66.24 and claims that Jesus noted that the bodies afflicted by the worms are dead. But this is untrue. Just because the bodies are dead in Isaiah does not mean that they are dead in Mark. The N.T. often takes passages from the O.T. and repurposes them. Jesus certainly held the view then current among the Pharisees that Gehenna was a place of eternal punishment for the wicked in the afterlife. The idea that for Jesus, Gehenna was a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem where fire was always burning cannot be sustained. That view only goes back to a commentary on the book of Psalms written by Rabbi David Kimhi in the early thirteenth century CE.
Another passage difficult for proponents of conditional immortality is Luke 16.19-31, which this book claims (and many others claim) that it is apparent that the story is an allegory. Not so apparent to me! The book cites the Victor Bible Background Commentary, New Testament that the literal reality of this situation was affirmed by many Jews of this period. Many have also noted the similarity to 1 Enoch 22.1-4, where this situation is presented as a genuine geographical feature on Enoch's tour of the earth, not as an allegory.
Perhaps one of the stranger teachings of the book is that there are currently no people in heaven. So when Paul in Philippians 1.23-24 says that to die is to be present with the Lord, he doesn’t mean instantaneously. It will only seem instantaneous because there will be a waiting period between death and resurrection during which the soul will "sleep" unconsciously.
Similarly Elijah did not go to heaven. He took a trip through the heaven through which birds fly and then was removed to another place on earth. They offer as evidence Elijah's letter in 2 Chronicles 21.12-15, which they date to 845 BC, which supposedly postdated his relocation. Prior to this, Elijah's last dated act was 850 BC, during Ahaziah's reign.
What about Luke 23.43? Should it read, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" or Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise"? This book argues that the phrase "Truly I tell you today" should be set off, noting that this phrase was often used by ancient Jewish speakers to add solemnity or emphasis to a promise (e.g., Deuteronomy 30:15). On the other hand, Jesus used the introductory phrase "Truly I tell you" (or "Verily I say unto you") approximately 76–100 times in the Gospels. In every other instance, it stands apart from the statement that follows.
Speaking of the penitent thief being in paradise, the book seems to contradict itself on whether the saved will be going to heaven or be on earth. This is not surprising, since the Bible itself offers conflicting views on the matter. 1 Thessalonians seems to affirm that the saints will be caught up in the air (presumably they don’t stay there but continue on up to heaven) but Revelation says that the New Jerusalem will descend to earth. This book affirms that the paradise which Jesus promises the penitent thief is in heaven, but also says that the kingdom of heaven mentioned so many times in the book of Matthew is on earth.
This book argues for soul sleep, the ideas that souls "sleep" unconsciously until the resurrection. So when the souls under the altar cry out "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" in Revelation 6.10 this is not to be taken literally, but is somehow a metaphor. In Revelation 19.1, the great multitude that cries out is angels, not people.
Soul sleep is considered a heresy by most Christian’s denominations, and the discussion of soul sleep in this book reminded me of John Calvin's book Psychpannychia, which I read a few years back. I decided to reread it in light of this book. I don’t have much to say about it here, other than Calvin discusses some passages brought up in this book (such as Luke 16.19-31), but he also brings up other passages that this book does not discuss; both passages which seem to speak against soul sleep and passages that advocates of soul sleep use.
The book begins well enough by pointing out verses which teach that disobedient souls will be destroyed in Gehenna, most notably Matthew 10.28: "Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]." Bart Ehrman agrees that in this verse Jesus is teaching annihilationism: the doctrine that wicked souls are annihilated, not tortured in Gehenna. But Luke says something rather different: "Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell [Gehenna]." I am unsure why Ehrman believes Matthew has preserved the more original form of the saying.
The reality is that the Bible says contradictory things about the fate of the wicked. This book argues over and over that passages that appear to teach ECT should be interpreted "in light of" the supposedly clearer passages which depict the wicked as being destroyed. I find most of these arguments unconvincing. For example in expositing Mark 9.47-48 (their worm shall not die and their fire is not quenched), the book notes the parallel to Isaiah 66.24 and claims that Jesus noted that the bodies afflicted by the worms are dead. But this is untrue. Just because the bodies are dead in Isaiah does not mean that they are dead in Mark. The N.T. often takes passages from the O.T. and repurposes them. Jesus certainly held the view then current among the Pharisees that Gehenna was a place of eternal punishment for the wicked in the afterlife. The idea that for Jesus, Gehenna was a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem where fire was always burning cannot be sustained. That view only goes back to a commentary on the book of Psalms written by Rabbi David Kimhi in the early thirteenth century CE.
Another passage difficult for proponents of conditional immortality is Luke 16.19-31, which this book claims (and many others claim) that it is apparent that the story is an allegory. Not so apparent to me! The book cites the Victor Bible Background Commentary, New Testament that the literal reality of this situation was affirmed by many Jews of this period. Many have also noted the similarity to 1 Enoch 22.1-4, where this situation is presented as a genuine geographical feature on Enoch's tour of the earth, not as an allegory.
Perhaps one of the stranger teachings of the book is that there are currently no people in heaven. So when Paul in Philippians 1.23-24 says that to die is to be present with the Lord, he doesn’t mean instantaneously. It will only seem instantaneous because there will be a waiting period between death and resurrection during which the soul will "sleep" unconsciously.
Similarly Elijah did not go to heaven. He took a trip through the heaven through which birds fly and then was removed to another place on earth. They offer as evidence Elijah's letter in 2 Chronicles 21.12-15, which they date to 845 BC, which supposedly postdated his relocation. Prior to this, Elijah's last dated act was 850 BC, during Ahaziah's reign.
What about Luke 23.43? Should it read, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" or Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise"? This book argues that the phrase "Truly I tell you today" should be set off, noting that this phrase was often used by ancient Jewish speakers to add solemnity or emphasis to a promise (e.g., Deuteronomy 30:15). On the other hand, Jesus used the introductory phrase "Truly I tell you" (or "Verily I say unto you") approximately 76–100 times in the Gospels. In every other instance, it stands apart from the statement that follows.
Speaking of the penitent thief being in paradise, the book seems to contradict itself on whether the saved will be going to heaven or be on earth. This is not surprising, since the Bible itself offers conflicting views on the matter. 1 Thessalonians seems to affirm that the saints will be caught up in the air (presumably they don’t stay there but continue on up to heaven) but Revelation says that the New Jerusalem will descend to earth. This book affirms that the paradise which Jesus promises the penitent thief is in heaven, but also says that the kingdom of heaven mentioned so many times in the book of Matthew is on earth.
This book argues for soul sleep, the ideas that souls "sleep" unconsciously until the resurrection. So when the souls under the altar cry out "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" in Revelation 6.10 this is not to be taken literally, but is somehow a metaphor. In Revelation 19.1, the great multitude that cries out is angels, not people.
Soul sleep is considered a heresy by most Christian’s denominations, and the discussion of soul sleep in this book reminded me of John Calvin's book Psychpannychia, which I read a few years back. I decided to reread it in light of this book. I don’t have much to say about it here, other than Calvin discusses some passages brought up in this book (such as Luke 16.19-31), but he also brings up other passages that this book does not discuss; both passages which seem to speak against soul sleep and passages that advocates of soul sleep use.
January 2, 2019
An excellent booklet showing the Bible's view of what happens after death. When people die they don't go to either Heaven or Hell; but to the grave waiting for the resurrection. The first resurrection will take place when Jesus Christ returns to the earth. The second resurrection takes place 1000 years later. The booklet also covers what most Christians believe today and how other pagan religions spread their influence over early Christianity causing it to change many doctrines.
The booklet also gives biblical proof that humans aren't born with an immortal soul and that the soul that sins will die. Jesus will resurrect the righteous with a spirit body that will then not die, or as He says 'will not suffer a second death'.
Maybe it is worth your reading.
The booklet also gives biblical proof that humans aren't born with an immortal soul and that the soul that sins will die. Jesus will resurrect the righteous with a spirit body that will then not die, or as He says 'will not suffer a second death'.
Maybe it is worth your reading.
August 2, 2015
Very dry. A lot of "this religion believes this" and "the pope says that"
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews