Questioner: Nihal
Private: no
Subject: Salvation & Hell Question:Dear Friend
John 16:8 - When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:
Yet many churches do not touch about Hell in their Sermons.
Isn't it right to say that "Salvation is not a necessity if there is no Hell?"Blessings
Nihal
Hi Nihal,
I'm not sure which translation you are using for this verse. In the KJV it reads:
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:While the Complete Jewish Bible has it this way:
John 16:8 "When he comes, he will show that the world is wrong about sin, about righteousness and about judgment -The word "reprove" in the KJV is elegcho in the Greek and means, according to Strong's (G1651): "to confute, admonish: - convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove." Or as the CJB has it, he will show or demonstrate to them.
In every generation (not just in the first one with Adam and Havah/Eve) the world has chosen to join with Heylel (Lucifer) in rebellion against God. Now that we are nearing the end of the age the evidence is being prepared for the verdict. Once the Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24) are completed Moshiach will come (return) and restore the Earth. In this way He will vindicate the Name of God, as David foretold:
Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. Adonai said unto my adon [master], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
110:2 Adonai shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
110:4 Adonai hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
110:5 Adonai at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
110:6 He shall judge among the Goy [Gentiles], he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.This will happen (personally I am convinced we are quickly approaching that event). Adon Y'shua our Rebbe has been "sitting at the right hand of HaShem" exercising his earned office of Cohen Gadol (High Priest and Mediator: Psalms 110:4, I Timothy 2:5) for 2000 years. In due course he will triumphantly take up the mantle of Moshiach (Messiah) as David describes here and Isaiah says at Isaiah 11:1. This will not be the gentile babe of in a manger! This will not be the bloodied and tragic figure hanging on a stake! No! Y'shua HaMoshiach (Y'shua the Moshiach) will be the most powerful and most righteous Jew the universe has ever known. Jews will not be converting to Christianity (may HaShem forbid!)! They and the Goy (Gentiles) will be embracing the King of Israel as the Tanakh says:
Zechariah 8:20 Thus saith Adonai-Tzva'ot; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people [i.e. am or from all peoples], and the inhabitants of many cities:
8:21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before Adonai, and to seek Adonai-Tzva'ot: I will go also.
8:22 Yea, many people and strong nations [i.e. goy: Gentiles] shall come to seek Adonai-Tzva'ot in Jerusalem, and to pray before Adonai.
8:23 Thus saith Adonai-Tzva'ot: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men [i.e. "the Ten Lost Houses of Israel"] shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew [i.e. of the House of Judah/Benjamin who were not "divorced": those we know as "Jews" today], saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God [i.e. elohiym] is with you.The existence and/or non-existence of a literal place called Hell where the God of Love and Justice supposedly torture people for all eternity is beside the point -- beside this point anyway.
Why we are to worship Adonai
We are not instructed to worship the God of Avraham, Isaac and Israel out of fear of what He might do to us if we don't submit. Were that the case we would be like the Pagan descendants of Ishmael. Muslims are terrified of their god (Hubal-Sin: Allah) and so they spread their false religion through fear, deceit (taqiyya) and force.
May HaShem have mercy!
The revealed Torah message of Judaism, Rebbe Y'shua and the New Testament is that God is LOVE (I John 4:8). HaShem is our Father. He is the Rock of our salvation and faith. We serve Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19), not because we fear the tortures of the Greek underworld (Hades)! Of course we deeply respect HaShem and His authority. We stand of awe of His glory, even as the child of a godly home honors his father and is loath to experience his displeasure. We are not however afraid of HaShem because we know that He is just and merciful toward all who love Him.
Whether the Bible teaches the existence of such a dreadful place as Hell can be debated. Even if such a place does exist, it is only for those in rebellion against Him. If a person is "saved" out of fear of Hell I think that person needs to question whether he/she is saved at all frankly! We are not "saved" FROM something terrifying. We are liberated TO something truly wonderful: a life of Shalom and the coming Kingdom.
Salvation is not about not going to Hell!
Spiritual liberation or salvation is about acknowledging our sinful nature -- what we Jews call the yetser ha-ra -- the "negative urges" or "evil inclinations" we all experience at times. Its about asking our High Priest, Cohen Gadol Y'shua to help us and to mediate (I Timothy 2:5) between us and God by virtue of his purity and service.
Salvation is necessary because our freedom comes from and exists in God alone. Once Y'shua declares us free we are free indeed (John 8:36)! We are adopted into Am Israel (People Israel) and liberated from the law of sin and death. That freedom comes through unmerited Grace of Torah but ultimately it comes from HaShem alone.
And to this we say, Amain!
Fear not. There is no such place as Hell. For more information on Hell and the afterlife see my study: Hell, Gilgul Neshamot and Ibbur: What Happens When We Die?
Shalom!
- Know Peace.
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