There are many cults today that deny the doctrine of the eternality of hell. Some of these groups (such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists) instead claim that God will merely annihilate those have not turned from their sins.
However, the Scriptures describe hell as a place of conscious torment, where sinners will undergo “eternal punishment” (Mat.25:46), being “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev.20:10). Hell is a place of “eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thes.1:9), “unquenchable fire” (Mat.3:12; Mark 9:43), a place of “utter darkness” (Jude 13) where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth (Luke 13:28).
For more information on the biblical evidence of an eternal hell, please see:
Christian Apologetics Research Ministry: Is Hell Eternal?
A common objection by those who deny the eternality of hell—or the existence of a place called hell altogether—is that it doesn’t seem logical or fair that God would punish sinners for all eternity for having sinned against Him in time. If we have committed a finite number of sins, they ask, how can we deserve an infinite punishment?
Sixthly, I believe that: those sermons which are fullest of Christ are the most likely to be blessed to the conversion of the hearers. Let your sermons be full of Christ, from beginning to end crammed full of the gospel. As for myself, brethren, I cannot preach anything else but Christ and His cross, for I know nothing else, and long ago, like the apostle Paul, I determined not to know anything else save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. People have often asked me, "What is the secret of your success?" I always answer that I have no other secret but this, that I have preached the gospel, not about the gospel, but the gospel, the full, free, glorious gospel of the living Christ who is the incarnation of the good news. Preach Jesus Christ, brethren, always and everywhere; and every time you preach be sure to have much of Jesus Christ in the sermon. You remember the story of the old minister who heard a sermon by a young man, and when he was asked by the preacher what he thought of it he was rather slow to answer, but at last he said, "If I must tell you, I did not like it at all; there was no Christ in your sermon." "No," answered the young man, "because I did not see that Christ was in the text." "Oh!" said the old minister, "but do you not know that from every little town and village and tiny hamlet in England there is a road leading to London? Whenever I get hold of a text, I say to myself, 'There is a road from here to Jesus Christ, and I mean to keep on His track till I get to Him.'" "Well," said the young man, "but suppose you are preaching from a text that says nothing about Christ?" "Then I will go over hedge and ditch but what I will get at Him." So must we do, brethren; we must have Christ in all our discourses, whatever else is in or not in them. There ought to be enough of the gospel in every sermon to save a soul. Take care that it is so when you are called to preach before Her Majesty the Queen, and if you have to preach to charwomen or chairmen, still always take care that there is the real gospel in every sermon.
Yet another exhortation from brother Paul to believe the promises of God. Brethren, missionary friends, the Lord will provide for your needs--just trust in Him!
This is a VERY ENCOURAGING sermon. May this stir us up to be like Jonathan and his armor-bearer, valiantly charging into the enemy's terrirory, full of faith in the LIVING GOD. If God can use two men to defeat an entire garrison of Philistines, He can use you to further the Gospel and accomplish His purposes. A minority is a majority if the LORD of Hosts is on your side! Trust in Christ, cling to His promises, and charge!
"Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God."
-William Carey
Jonathan's Battle as a Picture of New Testament Missionaries by Matt Haney
Oneness Pentecostalism is very prevalent in this city, although here they are known as the Apostolics. The Oneness Pentecostal movement embraces the ancient heresy of Modalism—namely, a denial of the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Modalism maintains that God is not three distinct Persons in one God, but instead one person manifested in three different modes throughout history. In the Old Testament God manifested Himself as the Father; in the incarnation, God manifested Himself as the Son; and after the ascension of Christ God manifested Himself as the Holy Spirit. But the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never existed simultaneously. In other words, God, being only one person, merely put on different masks throughout history. This heresy originated in the 3rd Century A.D. and, sadly, continues on to this day.
The Modalist heresy is so preposterous that a simple reading of the New Testament will reveal its error. There are a multitude of passages that easily refute this false teaching, such as:
- John 1:1, which states that the Word was with God and God at the same time. Some Oneness Pentecostals maintain that this Word was a mere idea or thought that existed in the Father’s mind. However, the Word was with God from the beginning (Jn.1:2), created everything (Jn.1:3), was life and light itself (Jn.1:4-5, 9), and was made flesh and came to its own creation (Jn.1:10-14). Far from being only an “idea”, this passage clearly describes Jesus Christ as a person, existing for all eternity with the Father. Moreover, you cannot be with another person and be that person at the same time. The clear and logical explanation is that Jesus was with God and was God simultaneously because there are three Persons that make up the Godhead.
-Colossians 1:16-17, 1 Corinthians 8:6, and Hebrews 1:2–10, which also make it clear that Jesus the Son created the universe. These are extremely difficult verses for Oneness Pentecostals.
-John 17, Matthew 11:25, Luke 5:16, etc. in which Christ prays to the Father. To get around this, Oneness Pentecostals say that Jesus’ humanity was praying to the divine nature of who He was. Though they will deny this, they in essence are saying that Jesus was praying to Himself. However, we see in Scripture that Christ had a will that was distinct from that of the Father. This is especially evident when in Gethsemane He prays, “not as I will, but as You will” (Mat.26:39; see also: Mark 14:36, Luk.22:42). The above passages undoubtedly speak of two persons with two wills.
Furthermore, if God is only one person and Jesus was praying to the Father, then two modes of God are manifested at the same time, which is impossible according to Modalists. This is a flagrant contradiction in their theology.
-Matthew 3:16-17, John 12:28-30, Matthew 17:5, etc., which further reinforce the above point, as the Father in these passages speaks to the Son. Again, that there are two Persons here is clear. Matthew 3:16-17 is especially great because it shows all three members of Trinity together at the same time.
When talking to Apostolics here, they will hardly admit straight away that they are Modalists. If you ask them if they believe in the Trinity they will likely give you an unclear, long-worded reply that will include, “I believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”, or something to that effect. But you really have to press them in order to get them to outright deny that God is a Trinity. Most of those I have talked with have called me brother, and have wanted me to recognize them as brothers in the faith.
But are they really brethren in the Lord? Can you really deny the essential nature of God and still be saved? The below video answers this very question:
