Hell Is Not the Issue

By Andrew Doughty

Have any of these questions bothered you?
1. How can a loving, merciful God send millions of people to Hell forever without hope?
2. How can God be good, when there is so much suffering and sorrow in this world?
3. Am I going to go to Hell when I die?
If you have been looking for answers to these and other similar questions, then this book is for you.

The premise of the book is that if God is God, then He must be good and He must be glorious. Can the One who created the universe really be defeated by the enemy He created? Or is all of this suffering and sorrow in this life meant to amplify the incredible plan that God has mysteriously woven throughout the world's most controversial and powerful book, the Bible? In Hell Is Not the Issue, you will see that it is God who has put limits on Himself to get us to believe that He is vulnerable to Satan and mankind's choices. But nothing could be further from the truth! God's amazing plan is designed to not only create a win for everyone--even Satan, but in doing so God is going to write the most incredible story of the ages.

And you can discover this marvelous story about a Savior who allows people to go to Hell, not to be punished, but to be pardoned. Within these pages you will see that there are passages of Scripture that almost nobody talks about that give clues to this amazing redemption story. A story like you've never heard it told before, anywhere. God is good, and you will benefit from His goodness. See for yourself what the Bible actually says about Hell and the plan that God has for it.

If you're like most people, you've never really studied this topic on your own before. Do you really want to leave the matter of Heaven and Hell unsettled in your mind until you're face-to-face with death? If you only ever read one book about Hell, Hell Is Not the Issue should be the book that you read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrew Doughty
• Release date: Dec 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311851710

Andrew Doughty

Andrew Doughty is a committed truth-seeker. His life was forever changed as a five-year old boy when his father made a decision to follow the way of Jesus. The transformation witnessed by that young boy convinced him that he wanted whatever it was that changed his dad. His life was profoundly changed again by information brought to light regarding the 9/11 attacks while serving as an associate pastor at an evangelical church. Andrew has earned a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Cairn University and has spent most of his professional career as a professional educator in Christian education settings. Andrew is married with three adult daughters. He has lived in four different Canadian provinces, five American states, and in the country of Brazil.

Book preview

Hell Is Not the Issue:

How God ultimately creates a win-win for everyone.

By Andrew Caleb Doughty

Copyright 2013 by Truth Simplified, LLC. All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

Unless otherwise noted, all biblical quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE,

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987

by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

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Dedication and Fair Use Policy

As this is my first book, and since I owe not only the ideas but my ability to write to the One who gives all good gifts, this book is offered as a first-fruits offering to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As such, you are welcome to share it. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete, original form.

About This Book in Print

Hell Is Not the Issue is a stand-alone book which has a companion manuscript, Heaven Is Not the Issue. Hell Is Not the Issue was meant to be freely distributed electronically. The intention is that together, as Heaven and Hell Are Not the Issue, both books will be put into paper form as a book for public sale. Expect Heaven and Hell Are Not the Issue to be available in print by early 2015.

Heaven Is Not the Issue continues where Hell Is Not the Issue leaves off as the author continues to ponder fresh ideas and deal with misinformation about Heaven, particularly the concept that Heaven will be a place where all will be equal. If in Hell Is Not the Issue God creates a win-win, then in Heaven Is Not the Issue we’ll see that some wins are much bigger than others. The book concludes with the answer to the question, What then is the issue?

Outline

Introduction

Section One: Could We All Be Wrong About Hell?

Chapter One: Satan’s Greatest Fear

Chapter Two: How Do We Know What We Know About Hell?

Section Two: The Character of God

Chapter Three: What God Says Must Agree With Who God Is

Chapter Four: God the Father

Section Three: The Fate of the Unrighteous

Chapter Five: The Reality of Hell

Chapter Six: Predestination and Election

Chapter Seven: Roles and Responsibilities

Section Four: The Great Escape

Chapter Eight: Proof of an Escape from Hell

Jesus Preaches to the Spirits

The Least and the Greatest

The Unpardonable Sin

Dogs Outside the City

I Will Go to Him, But He Will Not Return to Me

The Inclusiveness of All

Chapter Nine: The Kindness of Hell

Chapter Ten: The Smoking Gun

Section Five: Everybody Wins! (Sort of)

Chapter Eleven: Limits of Glory

Chapter Twelve: Perfect Love Doesn’t Put Second Best on the Table

Conclusion

Appendix A: Answers to Questions Arising From This Book

Appendix B: Basic Views of Heaven and Hell

Appendix C: A Brief Timeline of End Time Events

Bibliography

Introduction

Is God really good?

For centuries people have agonized over whether or not they or their loved ones would be found in Heaven one day, or if they would be forced to go to an eternal state of damnation apart from the goodness of God. Many theologians have tackled the issue and yet the confusion and arguing over the afterlife rages on.

Does a good God really send people to Hell? And if he does, does he really allow them to suffer there forever…and ever…and ever? That doesn’t sound like a good God to many. But on the other hand, does a good God not punish a Hitler or a Stalin or the guy who steals from little old ladies, leaving them destitute while living the high life? Surely God doesn’t just let the rascals of earth go unpunished. And what of the people in remote villages that have never heard about God, or Jesus, whose ancestors long, long ago decided that such information was not worth handing down to the generations that followed them? Are they really doomed to spend eternity in torment? Surely a good God doesn’t do that, does He?

Intrinsically, we know that for God to be God then He must be good. We see the beauty of the world around us, even in its fallen and cursed condition, and we are forced to come to the conclusion that whoever made this is pretty spectacular. In fact, I would go so far as to say that most people, in Western cultures at least, recognize God to be good, loving, and generous. But then we hear the words of the Bible:

If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (Matthew 7:13)

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matthew 25:46)

When we read these and other similar verses it makes many say to themselves, How can God be good, but send people to Hell to suffer for all of eternity? This concern is made worse when we discover that God pre-destines us, or chose those who would accept His Son. Even though we understand that we have free will, the connection between a good God and one who chooses people to spend an eternity of suffering in Hell is difficult to come to terms with.

Clark H. Pinnock says what I believe many of us are thinking but don’t want to go on record as saying.

How can one reconcile this doctrine [of Hell] with the revelation of God in Jesus Christ? Is he not a God of boundless mercy? How then can we project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness? Torturing people without end is not the sort of thing the Abba Father of Jesus would do. Would God who tells us to love our enemies be intending to wreak vengeance on his enemies for all eternity? (Four Views on Hell p. 140)

The question of whether God is really good or not is, in my opinion, the proverbial elephant in the room. Only, the room for this elephant is the entire universe. Until anyone comes to the conclusion that God is truly good they cannot give themselves completely to him. Every act of devotion will be with reservations of some kind. And as far as I’m concerned, that’s a perfectly acceptable approach to take. There are some who are able to blindly give themselves to God to be used as an instrument in His service. But I would argue that anyone who can do that without knowing first that God is good, could probably also do the same thing for a cult leader who would have that person sign over his life savings and drink the poisoned beverages as well. God claims to want a relationship with us, but relationships are built on trust. Trust comes from experience and knowledge, and I believe that when it comes to the afterlife, since we cannot yet experience it, we learn to trust as we see that the plan all works together for good in a logical, rational way.

We were made to think. We are expected to consider our actions and to make decisions based on what we know. God claims to have made us, and thus He is the one who made us this way. I don’t believe that it is sacrilegious to question God’s goodness. Under God’s inspiration David wrote in Psalm 34:8, Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Taste… see… these are words that we understand. God apparently wants us to experience His goodness. He expects us to put this goodness of His to the test. I have decided to take him up on this offer and to share what I’ve learned with you.

I have been studying the Bible for nearly forty years. In that time I have learned a great many truths from men and women of faith who have studied for themselves and learned from others. I am eternally grateful for what I have been taught by my fellow-man. However, the key teachings of this book have not come from any other human. What I am sharing in the pages of this manuscript comes from the revelation of the Holy Spirit as I have read the scriptures on my own. I do not claim that the ideas expressed here are necessarily original with me; only that I have not been able to find these ideas anywhere else. I humbly submit the information upon these pages with the utmost reverence and fear. The last thing that I wish to do is to lead anyone astray or to cause confusion. For this reason, I am being as careful and as thorough as I can to defend what I say with the words of Scripture. Do not accept what I say until you can honestly conclude that the matter has been settled in your heart and mind. In doing so, I understand that faith must be part of the equation, but I want reason to be a major part of the equation as well. Since God expects us to think, I expect the reader to seriously consider the merits of each argument.

The major ideas of this book can be summed up as follows:

1. While traditional Western theology teaches that God and Satan are enemies in a cosmic struggle between good and evil, this book suggests that perhaps Satan works for God as the enemy of mankind, not God, and that God’s plan for Satan is not as harsh as we have assumed it to be.

2. While evangelical theology teaches that God punishes mankind for rejecting His Son, Jesus, by sending them to Hell for all of eternity, this book suggests that Jesus not only offers payment for sin to those who accept it, but it considers that He might also offer pardons to those in Hell who repent, setting them free from the Lake of Fire.

3. That perhaps the purpose of Hell is to break down our resistance to God’s love and to get us to bow our knee to Jesus so that he can pardon us of our rebellion and rescue us from Hell. In this way, Hell is actually an expression of God’s kindness and love, designed to correct us so that the relationship between mankind and God can be restored.

These concepts as outlined here are understandably difficult to accept, since they reach into some of our most core beliefs about God and us. Of course, I might be wrong about everything, but my research and study convinces me otherwise.

I suggest that you take it slow through the chapters of this book. Most people who read the pre-published version took weeks and even months to finish it. At times, you’re likely to get very angry and frustrated with what you’re reading. Questions like, How is it possible that I/we could have missed this? and Why is this information coming to light now when the Bible has been around for many hundreds of years? I don’t have answers to these questions; all I can offer you is the truth that I have dug from the same book that many of you have been familiar with for years—the Bible.

This book is the first half of a two-volume set. The companion book to this one deals with the Kingdom of Heaven and what the Bible says about the afterlife for those who have been chosen to rule and reign with Christ as spoken of by Jesus and the Apostles. The combined book will be titled: Heaven and Hell Are Not the Issue.

~~~~~

Section One:

Could We All Be Wrong About Hell?

Chapter One

Satan’s Greatest Fear

Satan. Most people in the West try to think of him and what he does as little as possible. But our understanding of the Devil could unlock the truth about the fate of every human being who was ever conceived. By understanding Satan’s mission, I believe that we can discover his greatest fear. Once we know what Satan fears, then we can understand how Satan will be tormented in Hell. If we know how Satan is tormented in Hell, we can see what God has in store for the humans who may ultimately find themselves in the same place with Satan, and it may not be at all what you expect.

Is Satan God’s equal?

There are important details that we do know about God’s arch rival. According to the Bible, he is not the most-high God. In fact, he earned the reputation for becoming God’s adversary by trying to claim God’s throne for himself (You said in your heart, I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. Isaiah 14:13). Since he had to try to usurp the throne, he is a created being of God. Originally, God created him as an angel who shines as the morning star, commonly referred to as Lucifer. (How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! Isaiah 14:12) Lucifer’s problem was one of pride. It is pride that motivated him to rebel against God in the first place, and it is pride that motivates him to defeat God on earth today. (He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil." 1 Timothy 3:6) However, despite the fact that Satan is God’s most worthy foe, he is no match for God as even Jesus in his weakened humanity had no trouble overcoming Satan. This power over the Devil is demonstrated in Matthew 4 as Satan himself tries three times to tempt Jesus after Jesus had gone without food for forty days. Thinking that Jesus may be vulnerable to give in to his humanity, Satan makes his move, but Jesus never flinched in his triumph over Satan and easily sent the devil away defeated.

The fate of the devil has been predicted and his future is clearly set for us to view in the Bible. It is prophesied that he will have his heyday during the second half of the tribulation period (a seven year period predicted in the Book of Revelation where God allows Satan to pretty much have his way on the earth.) At the halfway point of the seven years, Antichrist (Satan’s counterfeit Messiah) exalts himself in the rebuilt Jewish Temple which ultimately leads to a great war known as the Battle of Armageddon. But that battle will be lost to Jesus and his Saints. After this loss, Satan will be bound for one thousand years and at the end of that time he will seduce the nations of earth in one final battle against God which will get nowhere. Having been completely defeated in battle, Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10) (See Appendix C for a brief outline of end-times events)

Is Satan Afraid of Hell?

Knowing Satan’s fate has lured many to assume that the torment mentioned in Revelation 20:10 must be associated with being cast into the Lake of Fire and that Satan will be in some sort of physical anguish in Hell. However, Satan is not physical, he is a spiritual, angelic being and to assume that the Lake of Fire will be problematic for Satan is contrary to nearly every pop-culture image any of us has ever seen of Hell. Perhaps your experience has been different from mine, but I can’t remember an image of Satan in Hell where he isn’t powerful, dominant, healthy and in some sort of control. Healthy, powerful and in control is not consistent with the image of torment mentioned in Revelation 20:10. In fact, the Bible is definitive in pointing out that the Lake of Fire was created for the Devil and his angels. (Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41) In all of my study and observation about Satan and Hell, the only reference to Satan in Hell that does not depict him thoroughly enjoying his stay there is the reference from Revelation 20:10. Could there be a different type of torment awaiting Satan?

In common parlance, when one says that they made something for someone, it means that they have done something good on their behalf. In Matthew 25:41 there is a stern warning given to humans who are being sent to the eternal fire. It is a place not prepared for them. Instead, the Lake of Fire will be a place of great suffering for the humans who are sent there. This is evidenced by the use of the term, cursed. But could the Lake of Fire, in a sense, be the retirement community for the Devil and his team? After all, while Satan is God’s enemy, and his deeds are sinful (The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 1 John 3:8) he does what God wants him to do in providing an alternative to God’s love. We understand that since Satan and some of the angels have chosen to attempt to defeat God, their fate is sealed. They have some autonomy, but not the same as what humans have in free will. (Actually, when you really consider it, does anybody really have free will since we all make choices based on the circumstances in front of us, and God claims to control circumstances? But that’s a conversation for another time and place.) If Satan is not exactly free to do as he pleases, but offers people an alternative to God’s love, then he appears to offer a service for God. Maybe one day Satan will be given a nice retirement package, since God will no longer require his services. Consider for a moment, that the Lake of Fire is