The Blackness of Utter Darkness

By M. Franklin Vance

What most people believe about hell is rooted in ancient legends as
found in pagan religions and Greek mythology. The Blackness
Of Utter Darkness compares the legend with the truth of Scripture.
The legend says that man is immortal.
Scripture says that immortality is conditional.
The legend says the wicked suffer torment forever.
Scripture says the wicked will perish.
The legend says that good deeds must exceed bad deeds
to avoid eternal torment.
Scripture says that only those in Christ have eternal life.
The Blackness Of Utter Darkness separates myth from reality
regarding life, death, and the afterlife and is a must read for all who
have been confused about the traditional view of hell as portrayed by
Dantes Inferno.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462872060

M. Franklin Vance

M. Franklin Vance (B.S., M.A.) is a retired high school science teacher and university adjunct instructor. He is a lay speaker, Sunday school teacher, and Bible study leader. He and wife Lois live on a small farm near Waynetown, Indiana. They are the parents of three grown children and have six grandchildren

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by M. Franklin Vance.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2011907740

ISBN:         Hardcover                            978-1-4628-7205-3

                   Softcover                              978-1-4628-7204-6

                   Ebook                                   978-1-4628-7206-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system-except for brief quotes in critical reviews or as a reference in related works- without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Notice of Copyright Credits

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, (ESV®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publications. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJ are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Hebrew and Greek words are from Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old And New Testament Words, © 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

CHAPTER 1

After this Life

CHAPTER 2

The Essence of Man

CHAPTER 3

A Brief History of Hell

CHAPTER 4

Hell in the Present

CHAPTER 5

Hell in the Bible

CHAPTER 6

Eternal Life

CHAPTER 7

Eternal Death

CHAPTER 8

The Book of Life

CHAPTER 9

Immortality Is Conditional

CHAPTER 10

Proof Texts That

Do Not Prove

CHAPTER 11

Preponderance of Evidence

APPENDIX I

An Overview of the

Book of Revelation

APPENDIX II

New Testament

Eternal Life Verses

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Voluminous books are a daunting task for busy people. This book has been intentionally kept short in order to encourage readers to explore this important theological issue that has caused confusion and generated debate among Christians. Only the most important elements of church history, secular history, and pagan mythology deemed to be germane to the subject have been included. Anyone interested in conducting a more detailed, indepth analysis of how mythology and various cultural philosophies have influenced the theology of hell will benefit from the footnotes included in each chapter. The most important Scriptures relating to our subject are quoted while all related verses are referenced within the body of the text or in the chapter’s footnotes. Readers will notice that some concepts and some Scriptures are repeated throughout the entire text. Repetition is a way of learning and retaining information. While some commentary may, at first, seem unrelated—for example, what it means to be born-again, the remarks about the historical record of Genesis, and the physiology of the human body—all of these are important to our subject. Even though much is said about the Church of Rome’s theology of hell, it is not my intent to disparage Catholics, as many are numbered among family and friends. And besides, many of the reformers are not without major theological errors.

Abbreviations used for various Bible translations

ESV—English Standard Version, NRSV—New Revised Standard Version, KJV—King James Version, NKJ—New King James, AMP—

Amplified Bible, NASB—New American Standard Bible, and NIV—New International Version.

Abbreviations used for Bible books

Genesis—Gen.

Romans—Rom.

Exodus—Ex.

1 Corinthians—1 Cor.

Leviticus—Lev.

2 Corinthians—2 Cor.

Deuteronomy—Deut.

Galatians—Gal.

1 Kings—1 Kg.

Ephesians—Eph.

2 Kings—2 Kg.

Philippians—Phil.

1 Chronicles—1 Chr.

Colossians—Col.

2 Chronicles—2 Chr.

1 Thessalonians—1 Thess.

Psalms—Ps.

2 Thessalonians—2 Thess.

Proverbs—Prov.

1 Timothy—1 Tim.

Ecclesiastes—Ecc.

2 Timothy—2 Tim.

Isaiah—Isa.

Hebrews—Heb.

Jeremiah—Jer.

1 Peter—1 Pet.

Matthew—Matt.

2 Peter—2 Pet.

Mark—Mk.

1 John—1 Jh.

Luke—Lk.

Revelation—Rev.

John—Jh.

Ezekiel—Ezk.

Zechariah—Zech.

CHAPTER 1

After this Life

The soul who sins shall die. (Ezek. 18:4)

Nearly everyone is familiar with the old adage that says there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes. The Bible tells us, It is appointed for man to die once (Heb. 9:27). The Bible also tells us that some are likely to miss their appointment with death at the next coming of Christ because believers at that time will not die, but will be changed in the blink of an eye (1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:13-17). As for taxes, there are some situations where some people, for some reason or another, are able to go through life without ever paying any taxes. Yet the reality is that the specter of death is always on our minds, and taxes of one kind or another are nearly impossible to evade. We will let the Internal Revenue Service deal with the very complex questions of Form 1040 while we ponder the destiny of man, which is even more complex. The intricacies of the nature of death and IRS Form 1040 notwithstanding, there is a huge difference between the two realities. While Form 1040 is an aggravation and a bothersome task, it need not be a fearful ordeal as long as we obey the rules. Concerning death, the Bible says that for those who continue to sin after having received the Gospel, there is a fearful expectation of judgment (Heb. 10:26, 27). From the beginning of recorded history, we know that men in every society have pondered the question of what happens when this earthly existence ends. The age-old question has always been what happens when we die? Is there life after death? A better question might be is there life after life?

From a purely physical point of view, the question of what happens when we die is simple. The heart, breathing, and circulation of life-giving oxygen come to a stop and soon the brain and all other body organs cease to function. Unless special measures such as freezing or embalming of the body are quickly put into place, the body will in a matter of only a few days decompose beyond recognition and return to dust. From an ontological perspective[1], the answers to the question of what happens when we die are many and varied, depending upon a person’s worldview. Arguably, the oldest book of the Bible is Job. In chapter 14 verse 14, Job asks this question, If a man dies, shall he live again?

In the written records of nearly every ancient culture, there is evidence of this question. Not only have ancient cultures been occupied with the nature of death, but also their writings, artifacts, and burial procedures indicate that most of these cultures believed that man is immortal. In later chapters, we will examine the biblical evidence for immortality and discuss the legends of Greek and Egyptian mythologies concerning the afterlife. Even in the modern age, there are isolated indigenous people in remote areas of the tropics who share essentially the same beliefs regarding the afterlife as do the cultures comprising the well-known civilizations of the past. This is somewhat phenomenal considering these isolated people of the present have developed ideas about life and death without the benefit of outside influence. Because man is made in the image of God, it is only natural that he has the ability to ask questions and to formulate a philosophy on the nature of life and death.

So what are the possible answers to the question of what happens when we die? What a person believes about the nature of death and existence of life after this life depends upon one’s personal philosophy or worldview and religion. For example, an atheist would say that nothing happens and would agree with the late astronomer Carl Sagon, who said, The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.[2] For Hindus, Buddhists, and other Eastern religions and many New Agers, the answer is reincarnation. To be reincarnated is to have a rebirth in a new body or perhaps some life-form other than human. Reincarnation is a never-ending cycle of death and rebirth with the idea that the state of a person’s future life is dependent upon the good or bad deeds performed in the present life. Reincarnation is a complex subject entailing many contradictions, and the particulars vary among its adherents. Reincarnation is completely contrary to the biblical concept of life and death. Since this book is about the afterlife from the Christian perspective, there will be little discussion of reincarnation. For those interested in the reasons why reincarnation is nonsense there are numerous references.[3]

In the Universe Next Door, author James Sire says, Christian theism clearly teaches a transformed existence in heaven or hell.[4] While the official dogma of Catholics and of most Protestants would agree with Dr. Sire, many theologians and serious students of the Bible believe that the matter is not exactly clear, especially with regard to what happens to those people who refuse to accept the Gospel. The focus of this book will deal with the fate of the lost by examining the nature of hell and by determining if man’s immortality is guaranteed or conditional. The doctrine of hell is the branch of theology whose concern is the fate of those who refuse to accept the Gospel. Over the years, four views have emerged regarding the nature of hell.

First is the literal view that teaches punishment for the lost is a never-ending conscious existence of unimaginable physical pain for the purpose of retribution. Those who support this view believe the unrepentant wicked will be fitted with new bodies suitable to endure such extreme physical pain as burning, being eaten by worms, and various other forms of morbid and horrific tortures. This belief has long been the majority view, especially of Catholics and conservative Protestants, but has declined somewhat in recent years. It is becoming more difficult to find an evangelical theologian to defend this view. The teaching that torment for the lost is endless physical anguish is also referred to as the traditional view primarily because it was the view of many of the church fathers. Their writings from the second through the fourth century greatly influenced the dogma of the Catholic Church in a number of areas, including the doctrine of hell.

Second is the metaphorical view that also teaches that hell is a place of endless conscious torment but of a different kind than the literal view. The metaphorical view attempts to soften the punishment by substituting emotional distress and mental anguish in place of harsh physical pain. Some who hold this view believe the lost will suffer their worst nightmare for eternity. An example of this line of thinking is the unsaved English teacher who is condemned to teach an overcrowded classroom of seventh graders the conjugation of verbs forever. Evangelist Billy Graham gives another example of the metaphorical view when he writes, I have often wondered if hell is a terrible burning within our hearts for God, to fellowship with God, a fire that we can never quench.[5] Dave Hunt says much the same when he writes, The lake of fire will be the torment of a burning spiritual thirst beyond description and will never end. [6] Some nonorthodox religions believe that those not found worthy of paradise will continue to exist into eternity in the same way as they exist in the here and now. In other words, their eternal existence will be one of strife, envy, and contention, knowing only the fleeting sensual pleasure of the moment. These lost souls