Bible Doctrine

There is one voice that has been raised on this earth to which we had better listen moreso than any other voice that has ever spoken in a human language of any kind at any time to anyone.  That is, of course, the voice of Jesus Christ.  One of the few times the Father’s voice was ever heard by human beings was when He spoke and said, “This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.”  Even His mother Mary said, “Whatever he says unto you, do it.”  It takes an awfully clever and powerful Satan the devil to deceive millions of professing Christians and their pastors to turn a deaf ear to Jesus Christ again and again.  No apostle ever contradicted Jesus Christ in anything they ever wrote.

The prophet Malachi informs us that Jesus Christ was the Messenger of the New Covenant, writing “Behold, I (the Lord) will send my messenger (John the Baptist), and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, EVEN THE MESSENGER OF THE (NEW) COVENANT, whom you delight in, behold, he shall come, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1). 

Every utterance that Jesus Christ spoke was New Covenant teaching and doctrine.  When Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery'” He was making reference to Old Covenant doctrine, but when He said in His next breath, “But I say unto you that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart,” He was establishing New Covenant doctrine. (See Matthew 5:25-28).  Rather than doing away with God’s commandments, in actuality He was making them all the more binding.  The Old Covenant said, “Don’t commit the act.”  The New Covenant says, “Don’t even think the thought.”  Jesus warned that not one iota of the Ten Commandments could be altered or changed in the slightest degree.  He said heaven and earth would have to pass away before such a thing could happen.  Yet millions of believers think God authorized the apostles to change completely one entire commandment, setting it aside totally and establishing another day in its’ place as a holy day!  The absurdity of such a thought is mind staggering.

So what are we to do?  Are we to heed the Father and listen to our Lord or go along with the long established teaching of the majority opinion and insist the apostle Paul’s letters nullify Jesus’ words regarding the sacredness of the Ten Commandments?  I think the theologians might do well to rethink their stand in this matter.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

“And the devil that deceived them (the nations of earth)  was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10).

Surely that clinches it, doesn’t it?  Hell is forever, in fact, for ever and ever!  Many have no idea why some words in the King James Version of the bible are italicized.  (An italicized word looks like this).  Any word that is in italics in the KJV has been added to the text by the translators, hopefully to make the meaning of a verse a bit clearer and more understandable.  In most instances they serve that purpose quite well, but in a few instances they cloud the meaning of the verse sometimes changing the meaning entirely.  This is true regarding Revelation 20, verse 10.  The italicized word are in that verse should have been the word were or were cast, causing that verse to read: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were cast, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”  Revelation 19:20 reveals that the beast and the false prophet had been cast into this lake of fire and brimstone one thousand years previously.  “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.  These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”  Verses 6 through 10 of Revelation 20 reveal that the one thousand year millennial reign of Jesus Christ begins after the beast and false prophet are cast in the lake of fire.  It is at the conclusion of the thousand years that the devil is cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet had been cast one thousand years previously.  Like all other unredeemed Christ-rejecters the beast and false prophet were reduced to ashes in the lake of fire.  “Then shall he (the Lord) say unto them on the left hand (the wicked unredeemed), ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.'” (Matthew 25:41).  Note well that this everlasting fire has been prepared for the devil and his angels, not for human beings.  Those human beings that warrant the death penalty “shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal” (See Matthew 25:46).  The everlasting punishment the wicked deserve is the second death, a death from which there will never be a resurrection.  They will never live again!  THAT is their everlasting punishment. The Greek term translated as “everlasting” can also mean “perpetual” or “age” and can be indeterminate as to duration.

“And there shall in no wise enter into it (the holy city) any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or MAKES A LIE, but they which are written in he Lamb’s book of life.  (See Revelation 21:27).  “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the (holy) city, for without are dogs, and sorcerors, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolators, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” (Revelation 22:14-15).  A liar is as unlike God as ever he can be.  To be untruthful is one of the surest proofs of a fallen state.  (See Revelation 22:14-15).  The name of no liar is penned in the Lamb’s book of life! (See Revelation 21:27).  John wrote that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (See i John 3:15).  He said the same thing about liars. (See Revelation 21:8).

Be careful that you are not perpetuating a lie in what you believe and urge others to adopt as truth.  You might find the Lord saying to you what He said to Job’s three friends: “You have not spoken of me the thing which is right!” (See Job 42:8).  God help you to understand is my prayer.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Do you know why it is pointless to sentence a convicted criminal to 500 years in prison?  Of course you do!  No one can serve a 500 year prison sentence, because no one can live long enough to do so.  Do you know why an unrepentant Christ-rejecter cannot suffer forever in hell?  He, or she, cannot live forever.  Only the redeemed inherit eternal life.  The lost, or unredeemed, do not possess eternal life nor an immortal soul.  They are not resurrected as immortal spirit beings.  That mind-boggling promise is made only to the redeemed.  The apostle Paul wrote that “this mortal must put on immortality” (See I Corinthians 15:53).  At the very beginning of the sacred record, God states emphatically “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground” (See Genesis 2:7).  Human beings are composed of eleven essential purely chemical elements as well as a dozen trace elements – all found in good old mother earth.  When God said, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” He knew what He was talking about.  (See Genesis 3:19).

The mistranslation of one word in Genesis chapter 2 has led to the erroneous belief that humans are immortal, that they have an immortal “soul” that survives our death and will live on throughout eternity either in heaven or hell.  The verse in question is the 7th verse of Genesis 2: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”  The Hebrew word that is erroneously translated as “living soul” is the word nephesh.  That same Hebrew word is found in Genesis chapter 1 twice, in verses 21 and 24, and is correctly translated as “living creature,” speaking of whales and other sea life as well as the various animal life forms on earth!  Genesis 2:7 should have been translated as “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature.”  Man was not given a soul to reside within him.  He BECAME a living creature when God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s inanimate body.

Some read into a scripture something that scripture is not saying at all.  An excellent example of this is found in Ecclesiastes 12:7, which says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”  The Hebrew word that is translated as “spirit” in that verse is ruwach, which primarily is the Hebrew word for “wind” or “breath,” and that is exactly what God gave Adam the moment He created him, “and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the BREATH of life.  That is what figuratively returns to God when we die – our breath.  Our only hope of living again is if God resurrects us, returning to us the breath of life.  To be continued…..

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

In addressing the issue of hell, Jesus Christ made some very enlightening comments, saying “If your hand offends you (causes you to sin) cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:43).  Notice that Jesus points out that it is the physical person that is in hell, not some disembodied spirit or “soul.”  So, if you look in the coffin of a sinful Christ-rejecter and he is still lying there, he can’t be in hell.  Hell is not a place, per se, but a future event.

And the phrase “the fire that never shall be quenched” is not the same as the phrase “the fire that never shall go out!”  A fire that is never quenched is a fire that none can extinguish.  Those cast into that fire can do nothing to extinguish the flames.  They will continue to burn until nothing remains but the ashes of those consumed therein.  “For, behold, the day comes that shall burn as an oven (future, folks, future), and all the proud, yes, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that comes shall burn them up (yes, then, at that time), says the Lord of hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch….And you shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts” (See Malachi 4:1 and 3).

Notice that ALL the wicked are cast into hell fire simultaneously.  None endure the flames of hell years, even centuries before others.  Adolf Hitler is not in hell right now, neither is Al Capone or the wicked of ages past.  They are all dead, awaiting a resurrection.  Also, notice that scripture says they are left neither root nor branch.  The analogy is that of a tree that is totally destroyed roots and all.  Likewise the wicked shall be utterly and totally consumed, nothing remaining of them save their ashes.

Continuing with Mark 9, verse 44: “Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.”  That word “worm” is a translation of the Greek word skolex (pronounced SKO’ – lakes), meaning “maggot.”  Jesus again using terminology that emphasizes the utter, total destruction of the wicked in hell. 

It should also be noted that the word “hell” in the Mark 9 passage is translated from the Greek word geena (pronounced GHEH’ – en – nah), literally meaning “valley of Hinnom.”  Most commentators agree that this valley, which lay to the south of Jerusalem, was a refuse dump where fires perpetually burned, consuming the trash, garbage and cadavers cast therein, and where swarms of flies lay eggs that hatched into maggots that fed on the decaying corpses.  Again, emphasizing the total and complete eventual annihilation of the wicked.

Jesus goes on to speak of one having two feet or two eyes to be cast into hell fire.  Again, alluding to the fact that it is the physical body that is cast into the fire, not a disembodied spirit or soul.  “And if your foot offends you (causes you to sin), cut it off.  It is better for you to enter halt (crippled) into life than having two feet to be cast into hell…And if your eye offends you, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire” (See Mark 9:45 and 47).  To be continued….

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Jesus Christ appeased God’s wrath against sin BY DYING – not by suffering in hell for eternity. (See Romans 8:3). God’s word plainly declares that the worst kind of sinner DESERVES DEATH – not eternal suffering in fire! (See Romans 1:18-32). After enumerating a great, long list of the most depraved sins, Paul under divine inspiration writes, “Those who do such things deserve DEATH!” (verse 32, Romans 1). Romans 4:25 says Jesus “was delivered over to DEATH for our sins.” “The wages of sin IS DEATH!” (Romans 6:23). “Christ DIED FOR OUR SINS, according to the scriptures” (See I Corinthians 15:3). Yes, long before through scripture after scripture penned by the prophets God had plainly and clearly declared that sin warrants THE DEATH PENALTY, not never-ending life in the fires of hell. God decreed death, the cessation of life, as the final just punishment for sin.

Millions believe human beings have immortal souls that live on after the physical body dies and, if lost, will suffer the flames of hell for trillions and trillions of ages – for eternity!  When the premise is wrong, or erroneous, everything that follows is wrong.  If the foundation is improperly laid, everything built on that foundation is askew.  In the first two chapters of the Bible, God states emphatically that man is neither an animal nor an immortal soul.  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground (not of some immortal spirit substance), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man BECAME a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).  The English words “living soul” in that verse are translated from the single Hebrew word nephesh, and that Hebrew word is first used in Genesis 1, verses 21 and 24 and is there correctly translated as “living creature,” and is speaking of birds, fish and animals!  Had the King James Version translators correctly translated Genesis 2:7, that verse would read: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became A LIVING CREATURE!”  No hint would have been given that man was in any sense immortal.

The “parable” of the rich man and Lazarus is probably the most misunderstood of all Christ’s parables.  The main reason that parable is so misunderstood is because religious men and women ignorant of the previous revelation given in the Hebrew scriptures have FOR CENTURIES proclaimed from the pulpit and in their writings that this account is not a parable but an actual glimpse into hell.  Jesus Christ is not teaching His disciples eternal truth in that parable.  He is not even speaking to His disciples.  He is speaking to ungodly, self-righteous, murderous-minded, mocking Pharisees, “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things (that Jesus had just said about ill-gotten gain), and they derided (mocked) him.  AND HE SAID UNTO THEM (notice, Jesus is now addressing His remarks to these truth rejecting mockers)….” (See Luke 16:14-15).  He then paints the most ludicrous, unbelievable picture of this fictional rich man and the beggar Lazarus.  Many overlook what Jesus emphasizes again and again in this parable, “the law (Moses) and the prophets” (verse 16), “Moses and the prophets” (verse 29), and, again, “Moses and the prophets” (verse 31).  Jesus tells these know-it-all Pharisees they need to take heed to the foundational truth God had given us in the writings of Moses and the prophets.  Had they done so they would never have believed that a faithful Pharisee when dying would be welcomed into Abraham’s embrace and that the ungodly’s “soul” would immediately descend into hell and suffer mind-boggling torment.

The Pharisees ignored the fact that long ago the Psalmist under divine inspiration had revealed that when a human dies “his breath goes forth, he returns to his earth, IN THAT VERY DAY HIS THOUGHTS PERISH.” (See Psalm 146:4).  They also ignored the fact that “the dead praise not the Lord, nether any that do down into silence” (Psalm 135:17).  The grave is a very silent place.  The dead do not utter a sound.

“Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear him, for he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14).  The Pharisees forgot that Moses had written long before that God created man from the dust of the ground and that our Creator had told Adam, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken.  For dust thou art , and unto dust shalt thou return” (See Genesis 4:19).  To be continued….

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

Have you ever wondered why there are some scriptures that seem to clearly say that one’s suffering in hell is eternal, unending, without end? Then there are other scriptures that seem to say the opposite, that one’s life is snuffed out in hell, that the wicked are reduced to ashes in the fires of hell and live no more. I wrestled with these apparent contradictions for a long time, asking God to please enlighten me as to what His Word actually said and taught in this matter. I read no commentaries, seeking God’s truth in the matter. I sought no preacher’s input. I looked into the Word of God alone. What follows is what I found within the pages of Holy Writ – the Bible.

Abraham asked a question of God all born human need to consider and weigh carefully, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (See Genesis 18:25). And just shortly before Abraham asked God that question, God Himself asked Abraham a question: “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (See Genesis 18:14). And now I will ask a question, “Can God devise a punishment for sin that is totally just and fair and shows forth unarguably that mercy is dear to the heart of our Creator? Is any thing too hard for the Lord?”

But there is one glaring FACT we all need to consider as we seek the answer to the question, “What is the punishment of the wicked?” That fact is presented to our minds early on – in the second chapter of Genesis. In the 7th verse of Genesis 2, we read these plain and simple, easy-to-understand words: “And the Lord God formed man OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man BECAME a living soul.”

Actually there are three all-important revelations of divine truth that are given in that one verse: 1) Human beings have a purely chemical composition. We were formed from the dust of the ground, or the various chemical elements that are found in the earth itself. 2) We do not possess a “soul” or have a “soul” living somewhere inside us. The text says “man BECAME a living soul.” We ARE souls. And 3) the word “soul” in that verse is the English translation of the Hebrew word nephesh, which merely means “a living, breathing creature.” And, what is even more interesting, is that the term “living creature” found in Genesis 1, verses 21 and 24 is the English translation of this same Hebrew word nephesh. And the living creatures, or nephesh, mentioned in those verses are sea life and animal life created prior to Adam’s creation. ALL of them became “souls,” too. They were all living, breathing creatures.

One term one will not find in the Book of Genesis, or in any other Bible text, is the term “immortal soul.” Nowhere in all the Bible is that term ever used. It is an oxymoron. It is a contradiction in terms. Living, breathing creatures are not immortal. We all die. Wise king Solomon wrote, “I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts, for that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts, even one thing befalls them, as the one dies, so dies the other. Yea, they have all one breath, so that a man has no preeminence above a beast, for all is vanity. All go unto one place. All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”

And bear in mind that the apostle Paul plainly declared that “ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect (complete), thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Many preachers would be well advised to listen to the apostle Paul and Solomon AND GOD! In failing to do so, many will someday hear the same words from God’s mouth spoken to the friends of Job, “You have not spoken of me the thing which is right!” (See Job 42:8). I really do feel badly for them. Most of them mean well. They have zeal, but not according to knowledge. Many of them have placed themselves in positions of leadership over professing Christians. God never placed them there. And someday they will regret deeply the life course they chose

To be continued…….

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

God told His prophet Jeremiah, “He that has (understanding of) my word, let him speak (or write) my word faithfully,” (See Jeremiah 23:28).  “Is not my word like as a fire? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29).  “Behold, I am against them that…cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness, yet I sent them not, nor commanded them….You have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God” (See Jeremiah 23:32, 36).  God continues, “Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you…and cast you out of my presence.  And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten” (See Jeremiah 23:39-40).  

Those who presume to speak for the Lord must be faithful and true to say what God’s Word says.  Do not alter the message, do not hold back the warnings.  Do not tailor the message to soothe the hearer or reader.  This may well be the first, last or only time they will hear or read what God actually says on the subject at hand.  To the sexually deviant say, “That is an abomination in God’s eyes.”  To the one who lies say, “ALL liars shall have their part in that lake which burns with fire and brimstone.”  To the proud heart say, “Pride goes before a fall.’  To the racist mind say, “Has not one God made us all?  Are we not all of one blood, every last one of us sons of Adam, having a common ancestor?”

Few spiritual errors are innocent errors.  They are not mistakes or misunderstandings that have little consequence if accepted or believed.  Most spiritual error is far reaching in its implications and can cost the hearer many blessings from God, many rewards in the hereafter, and even place their eternal inheritance of immortality at stake.  

Brethren, prove all things as commanded by our Lord’s apostle.  (See I Thessalonians 5:21).  Embracing spiritual error can be quite costly.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley  

Paul in his defense before Governor Felix insisted that he “believed ALL THINGS which are written in the law and the prophets” (See Acts 24:14). Therefore Paul, as well as all the other apostles believed the following:

“All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again” (Ecclesiastes 3:20).

“For the living know that they shall die, BUT THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANYTHING” (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

“Put not your trust in princes nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; IN THAT VERY DAY HIS THOUGHTS PERISH” (Psalm 146:3-4)

“The dead praise not the Lord, neither any THAT GO DOWN INTO SILENCE” (Psalm 115:17).

“Will you show wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise you? Selah. Shall your loving kindness be declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in destruction? Shall your wonders be known in the dark? and your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” (Psalm 88:10-12).

“For He (God) remembered that they were but flesh (that’s all, no immortal soul); a wind that passes away, and comes not again (apart from a future resurrection from the dead)” (Psalm 78:39).

“What profit is there in my (shed) blood when I go down to the pit (the grave)? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?” (Psalm 30:9).

“For in death there is no remembrance of you. In the grave who shall give you thanks?” (Psalm 6:5).

And what did God tell the first two humans? “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (See Genesis 3:19).

Paul believed every word of that. The dead aren’t praising God. They aren’t forming any thoughts. They are silent and have no remembrance of God or anything else. They quickly decay and eventually become dust, returning to the ground from whence we came. The redeemed await a resurrection when they will come forth from the dust clothed in immortality never to die again.

Peter agreed with Paul and the prophets of old. Speaking of King David, Peter said, “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day….for David is not ascended into the heavens” (See Acts 2:29, 34). The thief on the cross didn’t ascend there either.

May our Lord give you eyes to see and hearts to understand is my prayer.

Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley

The God who cannot lie says to humanity, “You will seek me, and you will find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” (See Jeremiah 29:13). Many of those who call themselves a “New Testament church” rarely look into the many profound statements of eternal truth found in the prophets or what is commonly called the “Old” Testament. Hence, many pastors of such congregations never explain to their followers that contact and a relationship with the Creator demands whole-hearted commitment. “Only believe” they are told. Presto-chango, they have now made firm contact with the Lord. Live your life as you please. All is well with your soul. Remember, you believed!

The days of our earthly pilgrimage are numbered, folks. And those days grow fewer with each setting sun. How many remain? Ten thousand? A thousand? A hundred? Even less?????

“Come now, and let us reason together,” is the invitation of scripture. Our Creator is a reasonable, super-intelligent Being. “Come to ME, all you who labor and are heavily burdened and I will give you rest.” Are you burdened with a “not knowing” heart? Do you wish you had more satisfying answers to the larger questions of life? I recall a poster I saw on the bedroom wall of a young man that said, “I want to believe!” To such a heart, God says, “You will seek me, and you will find me, when you search for me with all your heart!” I am a believer because I made such a committed search – and I found my Creator and learned that He was there all the time.

“O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” It is appointed unto us all that we must die. Our fleshly pilgrimage must have an end. This is all well and good and as it should be. Our earthly existence is but Phase One of a two phased existence. Phase Two is the eternal phase inaugurated by our resurrection and change from physical to spirit life – a life that has no end, no more pain, nor crying, nor tears, life that is truly life. The sting of death is removed and the grave no longer victorious.

Christ’s Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),

Donald Wiley