What’s Hell? No, seriously – what is it and why doesn’t it show up in the Old Testament? Is it different than Hades? Sheol? Gehenna? OT scholar Dr. John Walton is back to talk about everyone’s favorite place of eternal torment. This week on the podcast!
Listen to the episode | Download the episode | Find this episode on iTunes
HAHAH I knew Singapore would be referenced when the topic of punishment came up! Lollll
But anyway, Thanks for the really eye opening (or should I say ear opening??) and honest discussion on the topic of ‘hell’! And so glad to see Dr John Walton back!
Wow! The throwback episode with Dr. John Walton on The Lost World of Adam and Eve, your three Tricky Question Blogs on God, and yesterday Dr. Walton on what God tells us the Bible says, and what it doesn’t say, about hell—my cup runneth over! I sure picked a good couple of days to see how I can connect further with God’s revelation in you.
To hear God’s Word on Sheol and Gehenna as never before, to see that revelation as cultural evolution, is to understand the inseparability of James 2: 12-13 from James 2:14-18. Without freedom, mercy, faith and works enjoined, our revulsion over Dallas and lives lost everywhere to inhumanity and violence leads only to ever-tightening circles of despair and distrust. No more. Simply accepting God’s love is not enough; the time is now to step out with that love and celebrate its Messianic promise. The time is now to secure a new, long-awaited level of cultural evolution that has been wanting for half a millennium.
I trust Dr. Walton can confirm the following understanding. God’s impartial law given to His chosen people is inseparably incorporated by Him (through us) into one Holy Bible, which Christian reformer John Calvin emphasized throughout his lifelong writing on The Institutes of the Christian Religion: “Distinguish, but do not separate.” But the Christianity-originating Roman Church (assembly, synagogue in Hebrew) was then unable to listen. Instead of binding Christians in mercy, they abandoned them in ignorance. Claiming human authority over God’s Word, Roman Catholic religionists sinned; they missed the mark; they acted without being present; they further violated God’s covenant with the Hebrews, piling on to earlier, culturally immature Council decisions that separated the Synagogue, the assembly renamed Church, the priesthood of all believers, from Jewish and Gnostic dialogue alike.
Now comes, in 1759, Adam Smith with a Theory of Moral Sentiments that all human beings as created by God are of equal value, created and morally gifted to love and serve each other. Now comes, in 1776, Smith’s The Wealth of Nations to describe how freedom, mercy, faith and works are to be enjoined. Now comes, in our time, Saint John Paul II, Vatican II, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell and a communications technology revolution born of free market human enterprise.
Now comes, today, Pope Francis, the now eternal lives of John Calvin, Adam Smith, Saint John Paul II, Dr. King and Milton Friedman—along with the wisdom communications of modern prophets as diverse as Peter Diamandis and Dan Sullivan, Brendon Burchard and Mike Dooley, Bill Hybels and Phil Vischer, John Cusick and Tom Hurley—now comes the cultural evolution that will deconstruct the institutional evil of our time and submit all political discourse, not just its worldwide demagoguery, to the one God and economic truth of us all.
Fact or opinion? God only knows, but cultural evolution will tell. God bless your great work to secure a solid step up to what is our only right as human beings: eternal life.
“Talk about everyone’s favourite place of eternal torment”… I might be overly sensitive, but come on Phil- Regardless of our theological perspective on Hell- it’s not a joke. If there is a literal hell, I believe that it would grieve God deeply that people would perish (Peter 3:9) – therefore should grieve us. Anyway… thanks for creating space to talk about this topic, getting Dr John Walton to share his expertise. Blessings- Ben.
*(2 Peter 3:9)- sorry, I don’t normally proof text.
Point taken. I was trying to come across as more ironic, since Hell is so unpopular a topic of discussion. But you’re probably right – inappropriate attempt at humor.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
??Psalm? ?23:6? ?NIV??
Sounds like Heaven to me. 🙂
http://bible.com/111/psa.23.6.niv
For some reason I cannot find you on the Stitcher App. Any thoughts?
We just recently added the podcast to Stitcher … or at least attempted to. Check again and see if it’s there.
Pre and post Saul. Melchze…..