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Hell
 TIME VS. ETERNITY
L. Ray Smith
Picture yourself being burned and tortured without relief and without any hope for trillions of centuries. Well, of course, we humanly cannot imagine such torture or such a long period of time-our minds and our emotions are incapable of it. If any sane Christian could witness, even for a few hours or a few days, the kind of hideous torture presented by Christian doctrine, I believe he would seriously reconsider whether a loving God is capable of such sadistic punishment. But consider a trillion centuries of such torture? For WHAT? Who is appreciating or benefiting from the specter of such a hell hole of misery, pain, sorrow, and total despair? God the Father? Christ Jesus? The Saints? The heavenly Host?
Next, try to imagine this torture for most of the human race, continuing for trillions upon trillions of centuries. Try this: A grain of sand contains millions and millions of atoms. Imagine that every atom in the known physical universe represents a trillion centuries of torture in Hell. It would thus take billions of trillions of centuries just to complete the atoms in a single grain of sand. Now imagine going to the second grain of sand, the third, the seven hundred and eighty ninth billion grain of sand, then all the atoms in the Earth, our Milky Way Galaxy, the next closest galaxy, the next billion closest galaxies, etc., etc., ONE ATOM (a trillion centuries) AT A TIME! Why don't you put down this paper and think about that length of torture. I'm sorry if it interferes with you afternoon cookies and tea, DO IT ANYWAY!
How far into eternity do you suppose such a mind-warping number of centuries would take us? It would take us NOWHERE into eternity! Victims of such a heretical teaching as eternal torment would be NO closer to the end of their ordeal after all these trillions upon trillions of centuries than when they began. They would not be ONE SECOND closer to the end of their suffering.
NO AMOUNT OF TIME CONCEIVABLE CAN DIMINISH AUGHT FROM ETERNITY!
Yet, the world of Christendom is teaching all nations, that this is the God of the Holy Scriptures. Dr. Kennedy says: "Hell is fair." You say: "Hell is justice."
I say, "you can't recognize THE DEPTH OF SATAN when it's staring you in the face"!
This may be the god of Christendom, but I assure you it is NOT the All Wise, All Knowing, All Merciful, All Loving, All Saving, ALMIGHTY GOD, of the Holy Scriptures! Christendom is fast becoming the dominant religion of the world. We only need to consult God's Word to see who is "the god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4), and we will know who it is that rules over these world-deceiving religions. " ... the ancient serpent called Adversary and Satan, who is deceiving the WHOLE INHABITED EARTH" (Rev. 12:9). "For such are FALSE APOSTLES, fraudulent workers, being transfigured into APOSTLES OF CHRIST. And no marvel, for Satan himself is being transfigured into a MESSENGER OF LIGHT [not a red, hoofed monster with horns and a pitchfork]. It is no great thing, then, if his servants also are being transfigured as DISPENSERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS-whose consummation shall be according to their acts" (II Cor. 11:13-15)!
These fraudulent apostles even confess that Jesus Christ is the Christ, yet they are deceivers: "Beware that no one should be deceiving you. For MANY shall be coming IN MY NAME, saying, 'I [Jesus] AM the Christ!' and shall be DECEIVING MANY" (Matt. 24:4-5). Jesus didn't say the many would be deceived by those coming in the name of Satan, but by those coming in His name and teaching that He (Jesus) IS the Christ!
I apologize for highly understating my feelings on this despicable teaching.
Had you ever considered the real horrors of this teaching at any length, it would have driven you to the Word of God to search these things out as never before. Had you not been so eager to teach these traditions of men, but rather really studied the Greek words in question, you could have easily and quickly discovered that the "exact" words that God inspired do in no way support such a damnable doctrine as "eternal torment!"
If engineers and scientists handled dangerous chemicals and explosives with the same lawless, reckless abandonment with which theologians handle the Word of God, all of the laboratories of the world would have exploded long ago.
I have now shown you from very Scriptures that "aion" does not mean "endlessness." God made the eons. Some were in the past, we are living in one of the eons, there is coming another eon after this one and another eon after that. Past eons have ended. This eon will end. The next eon will end. The eon after that will end. All eons had a beginning and all eons have an end. And I have shown you the Scriptures that say these eons have beginnings and they have ends. So there it is.
Yes, God is the creator of "evil" (Isa. 45:7). It is not our duty to shield God from evil, but to understand its grand purpose and temporary existence. The true saints can justify God in all His doings, through faith. Why water down and pervert God's grand declarations? Pray for wisdom and understanding, and then teach all of God's word without timidity.
THE REAL GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD
"Yet even if we have known Christ according to flesh, nevertheless now we know Him so no longer. So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive passed by. Lo! there has come new! Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation, how that God was in Christ conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation" (II Cor. 5:16-19).
"For Christ, then, are we ambassadors, as of God entreating through us. We are beseeching for Christ's sake, 'be conciliated to God!' For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may be becoming God's righteousness in him" (II Cor. 5:20:21).
Unfortunately, most have never heard this verse correctly translated, most do not teach it, most do not believe it: " ... yet God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes. Much rather, then, being now justified in His blood, we shall be saved from indignation, through Him. For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God through the death of His son, much rather, being conciliated, we shall be saved in His life" (Rom. 5:8-11).
For reconciliation to take place, one party must be conciliated to a second party and the second party must be conciliated back to the first party. Then, and only then, is there reconciliation. God is now conciliated [Gk: katalla'sso = DOWN-CHANGE] to the world because of His Son's sacrifice, and the world will one day be reconciled [Gk: apokatalla'sso = FROM-DOWN-CHANGE] to God! Conciliation has to do with one side only in an estrangement, whereas reconciliation has to do with both sides of an estrangement. The Authorized Version does not make this vital distinction in the Greek Text!
Here is how God does it:
"Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just award for all mankind for life's justifying For even as, through the disobedience of the one man [Adam], the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One [Christ], the many shall be constituted just" (Rom. 5:18-19).
That verse summarizes the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the Gospel.
Although God is now conciliated to mankind because of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary, will mankind ever be conciliated to God, thus bringing about full reconciliation? Absolutely:
"For He is our Peace, Who makes both one [Jews and Gentiles-that's all the people there are in the whole world], and razes the central wall of the barrier (the enmity in His flesh), nullifying the law of precepts in decrees, that He should be creating the two [both Jews and Gentiles], in Himself, into one new humanity, making peace; and should be reconciling both in one body to God, through the cross, killing the enmity in it" (Eph. 2:14-16).
Second witness: Christ
"Who is the Image of the invisible God, Firstborn of every creature, for in Him is all created, that in the heavens and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or sovereignties, or authorities, all is created through Him and for Him, and He is before all, and all has it cohesion in Him. And He is the Head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is Sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first, for in Him the entire complement delights to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross, through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens" (Col. 1:14-20).
Read it again! "makes both one," "creating the two," "killing the enmity," "every creature," "all created," "in the heaven," "on the earth," "the visible," "the invisible," "all is created," "before all," "all," "in all," "the entire," "to reconcile all," "on the earth," "in the heavens."
Where, pray tell, are the billion of people that you think are left out of this Scripture and are going to burn in Hell Fire for all eternity?
Christ created all and will reconcile all-not only on earth, but also the whole heavenly host!
Do you honesty doubt that Christ "created all?" Do you? How then can you doubt that He will reconcile the same "ALL?" " ... in Him is all created ... and through Him to reconcile all to Him ... "(Col. 1:16-20). The phrase "all things" is not in the original Greek Text. It should simply read: "all," not "all things. It is "faith" that you lack in believing these simple Scriptures!
MORE SCRIPTURAL PROOF FOR THE SALVATION OF ALL
After all of God's punishments and chastisements are meted out, all will be reconciled to God. Death will be abolished (I Cor. 15:26), and all will be vivified and given immortality never to be subject to pain, heartache, or death again. The Scriptures fully substantiate this grand truth.
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is One God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave Himself a ransom for ALL to be testified in due time" (I Tim. 2:3-4).
"I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL [Gk. "the" all] men unto me" (John 12:32).
"That in the name of Jesus every knee should be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, and every tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).
Comment: It wouldn't be "to the glory of God" if it were a forced acclimation. Besides I Cor. 12:3 plainly says, " ... no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the holy spirit." To "acclaim" carries the connotation of an heartfelt, voluntary expression.
"For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified" (I Cor. 15:22).
Comment: "vivified" is from the Greek: Zoopoieo = LIVE-DO, "giving life beyond the reach of death, conferring immortality." The same "all" who are dying in Adam (which includes everyone) is the same "all" who are vivified in Christ (which of necessity includes everyone). Also notice that the "all" are vivified "in" Christ not "out" of Christ, and it's not, "all in Christ are vivified," but rather, "in Christ ... ALL are vivified." The order of words makes a giant difference.
"Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just award for all mankind for life's justifying. For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just" (Rom. 5:19).
Comment: This is not a difficult verse to understand. One offense brought condemnation on all mankind and all are constituted sinners. In the same manner ("thus also") through the obedience of the One [Christ] the same "many" are constituted just!
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus [sorry, no trinity here-or anywhere] who gave Himself a ransom for ALL to be testified in due time" (I Tim. 2:5-6).
"For in Him [Christ] the entire complement delights to dwell, and through Him to reconcile ALL to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens" (Col. 1:20).
"If anyone's work shall be burned up, he will forfeit it, yet he shall be saved, yet thus, as through fire" (I Cor. 3:15).
" ... we rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially [but not exclusively] believers. These things be charging and teaching" (I Tim. 4:11).
"For God does not dispatch His Son into the world that He should be judging the world, but that the world may be saved through Him" (John 3:17).
" ... God, Who saves us and calls us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian [before the world began-Authorized]" (I Tim. 1:9).
Comment: Man's salvation was assured before God ever created him. He knew all men would sin. That's why He provided a Saviour. We are saved by "grace" not by anything we do.
"No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him. And I shall be raising him in the last day" (John 6:44).
Comment: It is not up to us or anyone to come to Christ. God does the choosing, calling, drawing, etc. " ... the kindness of God is leading you to repentance" (Rom. 2:4).
" ... having this same confidence, that He Who undertakes a good work among you, will be performing it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).
"Now to Him Who is ABLE to guard you from tripping, and to stand you flawless in sight of His glory ... " (Jude 24).
" ... if One died for the sake of all, consequently all died" (II Cor. 5:14).
Comment: God applies Christ's death and sacrifice to "all men." "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for EVERY man" (Heb. 2:9).
"And he [Christ] is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD" (I John 2:2).
Comment: Christ IS the propitiation for the sins of the whole world! How can you doubt it? How can you teach contrary to it? He isn't "potentially" the propitiation for the sins of the world. He IS the propitiation for the sins of the world.
"Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation, how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation" (II Cor. 5:18-19).
Comment: This Scripture is clear. God through Christ's sacrifice (Christ's sacrifice carries a whole lot more weight than you ever give Him credit for) is conciliating the whole world to Himself. Do you know what that means? God is "at peace" with mankind. Yes, there are future chastisements and punishments, but the end result has already been accomplished. What the world must yet go through is for their good. But God already knows the end result. All will be saved! However, only "we" have been given this word of reconciliation (that is any of us "we" who believe it).
Notice that God is "not reckoning their offenses to them." Then who is God "reckoning offenses" to? It is to Jesus Christ His Son that He is reckoning the sins of the world. Ver. 21: "For He [God] hath made Him [Christ] to be SIN for us ... "
Pardon me for just a moment, but I want to share with you the emotion that I am feeling at this moment. I cannot believe that I am trying my best to explain the meaning of a verse of Scripture that is so simple, so clear, and so profound to two theologians with Doctors degrees who teach on international television and who do not understand it. This verse is in your Bibles. What do you think this Scripture means if it doesn't mean what it says? I feel like someone trying to convince an astronomer that there really are stars in the heavens and that he should stop denying it and start believing it or get another job.
Look at this again. This is the Word of God. God is "NOT reckoning their [the whole world] offenses to them" (Ver. 19)! He is not doing that. But He IS making His Son Jesus Christ "to BE sin for us." How could God consign the vast majority of humanity to the eternal flames of torture in Hell if He no longer reckons that they have any sins? Of what value is Christ's sacrifice FOR them if they still have to pay their own penalty for all eternity? This verse is talking about the WHOLE WORLD. The sins of the WHOLE WORLD.
But what if all these sinners of the world reject Christ? Of course most people do reject Christ, but they won't always do so. God has not given them belief yet. Remember "every knee will bow and every tongue will acclaim ... to the Glory of God." Of course most don't will to believe God now, but they all will later. " ... for it is GOD Who is operating in you to WILL as well as to work for the sake of His delight" (Phil. 2:13).
"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the savior of all men" (I Tim. 4:10).
Comment: God is not the "potential" or "possible" saviour of all men. He is the saviour of all men! I believe Him. I think you should too.
Ver. 11, "These things command and teach."
I think the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God damages your pride. I heard you say: "I'm not saved because my grandmother believed ... I am saved because I found Him by myself.."
Mr. Hagee, didn't I hear you say that "pride is a greater sin than adultery or homosexuality?" You did not find Christ "by yourself." That's boasting and unscriptural.. Look at a few Scriptures:
"Not one [not even Pastor Hagee] is seeking out God" (Rom. 3:11).
"Now what have you which you did not obtain? Now if you obtained it also, why are you BOASTING as though NOT obtaining?" (I Cor. 4::7).
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you ... " (John 15:16).
"No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him" (John 6:44).
"He [God] chooses us in Him [Christ] ... " (Eph. 1:4).
When you boast, Mr. Hagee, saying that you found Christ all by yourself, you are telling your international audience that everyone else is, therefore, responsible for finding Christ "all by themselves." Charles Darwin taught "survival of the fittest," and you teach "salvation of the wisest." According to you, one must be wise enough to find Christ, accept Christ, and then qualify on his own to be saved.
This "bootstrap" mentality of self-qualification for salvation is nonsense, Mr. Hagee. But let me be more Scripturally "exact." Paul said he had many more reasons to have "confidence in his own flesh" than anyone. But when Christ called Paul (yes, Mr. Hagee, Christ called Paul - Paul did not find Christ "all by himself"), he said:
"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but DUNG, that I may win Christ" (Phil. 3:8), King James Version.
There is a parallel between your teachings and the teachings of atheistic evolutionists. Those learned men who promulgate the hypothesis of evolution (I say "hypothesis," because there isn't any scientific proof that would elevate it to a "theory"), use the same authoritative language in their writings to prove the unprovable as you do. Surely (non-thinking people reason) since hundreds and thousands of learned scientists point to nature and science for their proof, then what they teach concerning evolution, must be true. And, surely (non-thinking Christians reason) since hundreds and thousands of learned clergymen point to the Holy Scriptures for their proof, then what they teach concerning Christ, must be true.
Mr. Hagee, you have about as much Scriptural proof that man must find God and qualify for salvation all on his own, as evolutionists have scientific proof that all the species evolved from the same ancestor, all on their own-NONE! You have about as much Scriptural proof that God is going to torture most of His children in the fires of a Hell for eternity, as evolutionists have scientific proof that life spontaneously generated itself from dead sea slime - NONE!
"Proof" is evidence that something is true. Just saying something isn't proof of its validity. One can say that since outdoor dogs grow longer hair during extended periods of cold weather, that they are "evolving long hair." Is that true? No. The ingenious mechanism that enables a dog to grow long hair in cold weather is already built into the dog's physiology - it is "evolving" nowhere.
One can say that animals "reproduce by evolving through thousands of stages of mutations." But, is that true? No. The laws of science prove and have proven, millions and billions of times, that animals reproduce just as the Scripture states: "after their kind." Yet millions believe these intellectual falsehoods, just as millions believe the theological falsehoods I have countered in this letter.
And just like evolutionists, Mr. Hagee, you say things that you claim are Scriptural, but are not. You teach that a man's soul has immortality. But is that true? No. There is NO scientific proof that man has an immortal soul. And the Scriptures plainly tell us that "Christ ONLY has immortality," and that "man is MORTAL."
You teach that "the dead" are actually "alive" in a different geographical location. Is that true? No. There is NO scientific evidence that dead people or dead animals are alive at a different geographical location. And the Scriptures plainly tell us that "death is sleep," with "no knowledge, no thoughts, not anything." This is in full agreement with what science knows about death. And yet, millions believe these theological lies So who are we to believe? Evolutionists or True Science? John Hagee or the Word of God?
Evolutionists deny the very scientific evidence that they study to supposedly prove their hypothesis. And you, Mr. Hagee, deny the very Scriptures you preach from in trying to persuade others of your theories. Most people do not know, actually, factually, and scientifically, what the hypothesis of evolution is based on, and most people have little knowledge of the Scriptures or how to study the Hebrew and Greek from which they were translated.
Give me just ninety minutes with any open-mined person of normal intelligence, and I will prove to him (scientifically), the fallacy of both spontaneous generation and evolution of the species from common ancestors. Give me ninety minutes with that same person and I will prove to him (Scripturally), the fallacy of your theories on Hell and all your false expressions that go with it.
Colin Patterson, a senior paleontologist at the British Natural History Museum, asked his audience of evolution experts a most telling question. He later posed the same question to the geology staff at the Field Museum of Natural History, and again to The Evolutionary Morphology Seminar at the University of Chicago. All evolution experts. Here was his question:
"Can you tell me anything you know about evolution, ANY ONE THING. . . that is TRUE?"
All he got was silence!
So, I likewise, Mr. Hagee, after going into the Hebrew and Greek meanings of many words, plus a mountain of Scriptural references, including the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich man, will now ask you: "Can you tell me anything about God's failure to save all humanity, or about most of God's children being tortured in a Hell fire for all eternity, that is TRUE? ... I'm waiting.
You teach a Godless Hell for the majority of mankind for all eternity. Do you even begin to understand the damage you cause by such unscriptural (not to mention anti Scriptural) teachings? This doctrine of eternal torment is now and has been, blaspheming the very name of God among the nations for hundreds of years!
Everywhere one turns today, he finds atheistic, Godless, evolution being taught. In the finest magazines like National Geographic. On all scientific and educational channels. The Learning Channel, the Discovery Channel. In virtually all public schools in America, Europe, and around the world. All major colleges and universities. Not as a theory, but as the FACT of evolution it is taught. Why? Where did this teaching come from? Who is condoning it?
Charles Darwin is the "father of evolution." Little improvement or changes have been made to his original premises regarding survival of the fittest or the origin of species. Darwin is the main man when it comes to evolution. Now, why did Charles Darwin reject God and start this global rebellion against God and His Word which continues unabated to this very day? Was it really "God" that Mr. Darwin was rebelling against, or the "Godless doctrines" of depraved men?
According to Gertrude Himmelfarb's biography of Darwin, "One of the passages which was deleted from the autobiography explained why Charles not only could not believe in Christianity but would not wish to believe in it. Citing the 'DAMNABLE DOCTRINE' that would condemn ALL DISBELIEVERS TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, he protested that 'this would include my Father, Brother, and almost ALL MY BEST FRIENDS' - which made it an unthinkable, to say nothing of thoroughly IMMORAL, idea. There may be more sophisticated reasons for disbelief, but there could hardly have been a more persuasive emotional one." (p. 22) (Emphasis mine).
The damnable unscriptural teaching of eternal torment (which you enthusiastically shout from your pulpit) has probably done more to cause the name of God to be blasphemed among the nations than any other false teaching on Earth, including the teaching of evolution.
CONCLUSION
God is sovereign. God is all wise and all knowing. He is all powerful and almighty. And God is LOVE. He has a plan, a purpose, a will. He is carrying out that plan. He has set man against His own will while He carries out His intentions which absolutely no one can withstand. To know good, one must have an experience of evil. God created evil (Isa. 45:7). It is only temporary. He has given an experience of evil to mankind to humble him thereby (Ecc. 3:10). It will be completely successful. God has called a privileged few to understand His plan now. He will call and enlighten everyone else later. Death cannot separate God from His love for them. There is coming a resurrection of the dead. All of the dead. They will be taught the truths of God and God will be their saviour.
Evil and death will be abolished (I Cor. 15:26, II Tim. 1:10, Rev. 21:4). The culmination of this portion of God's plan is for God to be "All in all." (I Cor. 15:28). Other than this one Scripture, God tells us nothing concerning our future with Him beyond the eons or His plans for eternity. We trust Him in faith that it will be as He says:
"That which the eye did not perceive, and the ear did not hear, and to which the heart of man did not ascend-whatever God makes ready for those who are loving Him" (I Cor. 2:9)
And, of course,
" ... those who are loving Him" will include all humanity and all in the heavens" (Phil. 2:11).
Let me clarify the reason I have written these two rebuttals to Dr. Kennedy and you. It is not specifically because of what you are teaching, as much as it is where you claim to get this teaching. There are hundreds of religions that teach thousands of ridiculous things. I haven't written to any of them. I have written to you, however, because you claim to get your teachings and doctrines from the Hebrew and Greek Holy Scriptures. This makes your teachings particularly offensive to anyone who has their ear tuned to the true teachings of the Scriptures, and is deceptive and even blasphemous to those not knowledgeable of the Scriptures.
There is more than ample proof in this letter of your disregard for the meanings of words-while inserting your own meanings into words of the Scriptures! Adding to God's Word - turning ages into eternities! Taking away from God's Word-reducing the salvation of all to just a few! Diminishing God's grand declarations-teaching they will never be fulfilled. Teaching that the unbelieving dead are not really dead-but rather are suffering in the flames of Hell for ever. Making dozens of statements of gigantic proportions - contradicting hundreds of plain Scriptures to the contrary. Badgering your audience to keep one particular precept of the law - while you disregard most of the very same law that contains that one precept! Teaching that we are saved by the grace of God - then listing dozens of things one must do to qualify for that same grace! Watering down the very will of God - reducing it to little more than a weak wish!
Here, then, is one final reason for this letter. Our Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days there would be a great "apostasy." Heathens are not apostates. Atheists can never be guilty of apostasy unless they once knew the truth. An apostate is one who falls from the truth. Most of what Paul cautioned his own disciples to be aware of were things that were to increase as Christ's return draws nearer. With regards to elders and supervisors in the Church, Paul told Titus:
" ... for the supervisor must be unimpeachable as an administrator of God, not given to self-gratification, not irritable, no toper, not quarrelsome, not avaricious; but hospitable, fond of that which is good, sane, just, benign, self-controlled; upholding the FAITHFUL WORD according to the teaching, that he may be able to entreat with SOUND TEACHING as well as to EXPOSE those who CONTRADICT. For many are insubordinate, vain praters, and imposters ... who must be GAGGED, who are subverting whole households, teaching what they must not, on behalf of sordid gain" (Titus 1:7-11). Concordant Literal New Testament
I pray that some place in this long letter a little ember of light might have started glowing in your spirit regarding the mountain of Scriptural references I have presented. Maybe you have even for an instant entertained the idea that you could have been wrong in many of your teachings. But then, maybe your thoughts turned to yourself, your reputation, your status, your office, your financial support. What would your friends and associates think if you were to admit your error on such major themes?
One loses a lot sometimes when one starts teaching the truths of God, but nothing is more valuable than truth!
Don't let my chiding you dissuade you from meditating and searching all the Scriptures I have given you. Everything I have said was for a purpose. Just because I find much wrong with your teaching, doesn't mean I am attacking your character, or have any ill feelings toward you.
There are three great evils of men on earth today: corrupt government, false science, and deceitful religion. Of these, the Christian doctrine of "Eternal Torment" for the majority of God's children, is by far the single greatest evil and contemptible teaching ever foisted on the human race anywhere on the face of the earth, in the entire history of the world!
As God wills in the years ahead, the truth concerning this and other Christian doctrines will be made known for all Americans to see. People will finally see this evil teaching for what it is: an anti-Scriptural, anti-God, doctrine of demons, and Satan's greatest effort to blaspheme the very name of God among the nations. And those who teach these evil lies, will, like the Naked Emperor, also stand exposed before all!
If you have any questions, or if I can help you in any way, feel free to write or call any time.
Sincerely,
L. Ray Smith
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