Year: 2015

Why I Reject Calvinism

Daniel Uncategorized

These are the reasons I reject Calvinism’s TULIP doctrines:

T– “Total Depravity”: I reject Total Depravity because I believe it to be unscriptural, after reading Romans 2:13-16; Acts 10:2-4; Acts 10:34-35; Acts 17:27-29.

U– “Unconditional Election”: I reject Unconditional Election because I believe it to be unscriptural, after reading John 12:31-32; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9.

L– “Limited Atonement”: I reject Limited Atonement because I believe it to be unscriptural, after reading 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:6.

I– “Irresistible Grace”: I reject Irresistible Grace because I believe it to be unscriptural, after reading Acts 7:51; Matthew 23:37; Romans 2:4-5; Ezekiel chapter 18.

I don’t have any real problems with the “P”— Perseverance of the Saints. I do believe this can be supported from the Bible.

I also reject Calvinism’s claim that God ordains or takes pleasure in evil, after reading James 1:13 and Ezekiel 33:11.

Calvinism portrays God as a Monster

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Free Will vs Predestination

Calvinism, or Reformed Theology, also known as the doctrines of TULIP, portrays God as a monster who takes delight in the pain, suffering, torture, misery, and death of human beings He made in His image.

Calvinism stands in direct contradiction to what the Bible says about God, His character, and His views on morality, justice, and love.

The Sovereignty of an Insecure God

In the simplest terms, Calvinism claims that in order for God to remain sovereign over all things at all times, God was required to predestine / foreordain every single event and every single thought that has ever taken place and that ever will take place. Anything that happens only happens because God has predestined it to occur.

A God Responsible for All Evil in the World

This means that the actions of Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Adam & Eve, and Satan the Devil, were all planned and predestined to occur by God before He ever created the universe.
This God made Satan turn evil and this God made Adam and Eve eat the fruit, all for some kind of weird plan so God could show off His sovereignty, manipulation, power, and control.

To me, this is a God who is very insecure about His own power and His own authority.

Billions Born Doomed to Hell

Not only this, but God, according to the doctrines of Calvinism, predestined that billions of human beings would never believe the Gospel of salvation, and would be doomed to eternal torment in a fiery Hell. There is simply nothing these doomed people can do to escape this. They were born damned and doomed because God planned it. This includes many children too.

A God who Takes Pleasure in Torturing People

Furthermore, Calvinism says that God takes pleasure in the deaths and eternal torment of the wicked, and that every evil thought a person has, has been predestined by God. Nothing takes place outside of God’s plan, since otherwise, this would mean God is no longer sovereign.

A Double-Minded God

Finally, Calvinism portrays God as having two competing desires, two wills which are diametrically opposed to each other– one will to save everyone and one will to doom billions to torture in Hell for eternity. 

Calvinists say that God’s public will is to tell everyone He wants to save them, but His hidden will is to damn sinners to Hell.

Somehow, one of His wills is stronger than the other will, so His hidden will wins out, and He chooses to damn sinners to Hell instead of saving everyone.

No One Can Resist God’s Will

Along these same lines, Reformed Theology (Calvinism) also states that no human being has the power to resist God’s Holy Spirit when He chooses to save someone.

God Only Wants to Save the Few Elect

This results in the TULIP belief system that says God has only chosen to save a select few people over the ages, and that Jesus only died to save these few, and that secretly, God and Jesus were planning to doom everyone else to Hell.

The Bible vs. Calvinism

James, the brother of Jesus, tells us never to say that God is responsible for evil, and also James points out that our Heavenly Father only gives out good gifts. Please read James 1:13-17.

The godly prophet Ezekiel emphatically tells us that God gets absolutely no pleasure from the death of wicked people, and God strongly desires that they repent and choose life instead. Please read Ezekiel 33:11.

Doctor Luke, Paul’s companion, writing the Book of Acts, says that the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Jewish religious leaders were always resisting the Holy Spirit. Please read Acts 7:51.

The Apostle Paul himself said the Jews were rejecting the kindness of God that God wanted to use to save them. Please read Romans 2:4-5.

James says that you’re weak and unstable if you waver between two different thoughts or opinions– he calls it double-minded and shows it to be a sin. I don’t think we should say that God wavers between two opposing wills. Please read James 1:6-7.

The Bible repeatedly says that God wants to save all people and that Jesus died for all people. You can’t get much more clear than that. Please read 1 Timothy 2:1-5, 2 Peter 3:9, Hebrews 2:9, 1 John 2:2.

The spirit moves me

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Rethinking the Trinity, Simplified Scriptures Series

The Hebrew and Greek words for “spirit” have the basic meaning of “invisible force.”

The inspired prophet Isaiah said that God’s “spirit” would rest upon the future Servant-Messiah, and that this “spirit” would be a “spirit” of wisdom, understanding, counsel, mightiness, knowledge, and deep respect for God. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

In that context, “spirit” means “attitude,” “disposition,” “deepest thoughts,” or “inclination.” The Apostle Paul used “spirit” in the same way several times in his inspired letters to the early congregations.

For example, Romans 8:15 says “You did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons.” 1 Corinthians 4:21 says “Shall I come to you with…mildness of spirit?”

The best example I can think of is 1 Corinthians 2:11-12, where Paul says that God’s “spirit” is just like a human’s “spirit” inside, and that it is by this inner “spirit” that a person examines his own thoughts. This “spirit” is not a separate person but is a part of yourself, your deepest thoughts or attitude.

Paul uses “spirit” in a different way in 1 Corinthians 14:14-16, where he uses that word to mean either his deepest feelings and emotions or the invisible “soul” that resides inside.

James, the brother of the Lord Jesus, said that “the body without the spirit is dead.” (James 2:26) Here, James is using the word “spirit” just like Solomon did in Ecclesiastes 12:7, referring to the invisible inner “breath of life” or “soul” (Genesis 2:7) that God has placed inside living beings which keeps them alive.

Over and over again in the entire Bible, we can see the word “spirit” referring either to (1) the deepest thoughts/attitude of a person, (2) the inner emotions, or (3) the “breath of life” that God uses to keep us alive.

The word “spirit” also can mean the nature of existence or the nature of a body which is different from humans (i.e., invisible, has no flesh and blood, etc.) This is why demons and angels, God, and Jesus are all called “spirit” in the Bible.

Tradition within Christianity causes many Bible translators to overlook or ignore the context of a verse, and render the vast majority of “spirit” references as being “The Holy Spirit,” “the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.” But, as you can clearly see, we should always look closely at the context to get our beliefs correct.

Matthew 5:17-19 — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Basic Doctrine, For Skeptics, Fusion Theism Movement, Obsolete Laws, Progressive Christianity, Simplified Scriptures Series

The most-often misinterpreted Scripture I see on Twitter, is Matthew 5:17-19, where atheists twist this passage out of context in order to have a pretext to claim the Bible contradicts itself, and provide a reason for atheists to focus 95% of their attacks on the Old Testament instead of the New.

But it’s not just atheists misinterpreting this passage, it’s also Christians who use this as support for keeping the Old Law of Moses.

Here is Matthew 5:17-19 in the NIV Bible:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Correct Interpretation of Matthew 5:17-19, In Context:

We can find the correct interpretation by comparing Luke’s account of the words Jesus spoke at Matthew 5:17-19:

LUKE 16:16-17 (NET): “The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter in the law to become void.”

Jesus’ words are clearer and easier to understand in Luke’s Gospel than in Matthew’s, on this particular topic. When compared together, we can see Jesus teaching us that (in God’s eyes) the Law of Moses was only in force until John the Baptist (compare Matthew 3:15), and since the time of John, Jesus the Author of the New Covenant, is able to change, edit, remove, or keep any parts of the Law He chooses. That is why we see Jesus editing, updating, and removing the Laws of Moses in Matthew 5:21-41, 19:7-9, and Mark 7:19.

Jesus did NOT say “heaven and earth would be destroyed before the Law is abolished,” no, rather, what He actually said is that it is easier for heaven and earth to be destroyed than for the Old Law to be abolished WITHOUT being fulfilled. Reading comprehension is very important when studying the Bible; equally important is reading in-context.

Jesus is promising to preserve the written words of the Old Testament until every prophecy and allegorical foreshadowing is fulfilled (brought to completion). He came to earth to fulfill the written words and bring them to completion. In Matthew 5, Jesus nullifies some of the Laws of Moses, edits others, and keeps some in force, while giving the true, original, deeper meaning of them.

Jesus did keep many of the Laws of Moses in force (albeit, in somewhat different forms) up until His death and Resurrection, at which time the entire written Law of Moses was “nailed to the Cross,” “taken out of the way,” and “made obsolete.” (Colossians 2:14; Ephesians 2:14-16; Hebrews 8:13)

The Law of Moses was never intended to be permanent, but was always just a temporary stopgap until the Messiah arrived (Galatians 3:23-26; Jeremiah 31:31-33), and it contained things which were NOT God’s ideal standards (Matthew 19:7-9; Hebrews 8:7-8).

The Apostle Paul forcefully and repeatedly drove home the point that Christians are NOT obligated to obey the Law of Moses (Romans 4:13-14; Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:1-14; Galatians 4:8-12).

I’ll wrap this up by quoting Paul’s words from Galatians 5:1-6 (NET):

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery. Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace! For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight—the only thing that matters is faith working through love.“

The Living Word of God — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Basic Doctrine, Simplified Scriptures Series

Many people see a contradiction when they read Psalm 19 or 119, which seem to say that God’s “Law” or “Word” is eternal, and then compare that to Hebrews chapter 8 or the epistle of Galatians in the New Testament, which says that God’s Law from the Old Testament has expired. Upon closer examination, this is not a contradiction at all.

There is a misunderstanding in too many churches today, where they teach that the “Word of God” refers just to the written Scriptures or the Law of Moses.
Let’s look at what the Holy Bible actually has to say about what “God’s Word” really is:
The Living Word of God
  • The Apostle Peter wrote that the “Word of God” created the world, brought the Great Flood, and will one day bring about the Great Tribulation. (2 Peter 3:5-7) The epistle to the Hebrews also says that God’s Word created the universe and that the powerful Word of Jesus sustains the universe. (Hebrews 11:3; Hebrews 1:3)
  • The Psalms in the Old Testament proclaim the same thing: The universe was created by “The Word of God.” (Psalm 33:6)
  • In addition, according to John the Apostle, Jesus Christ’s name in heaven was “The Word of God.” (John 1:1-3; Revelation 19:13)
  • Hebrews 4:12-13 declares that “the Word of God” is alive and powerful, and that we will stand before Him to explain our actions.
So we can see that the phrase “Word of God” or “God’s Word” can have different meanings in different contexts.
In some contexts, “The Word of God” means God’s creative power or dynamic energy to accomplish His purpose, or to His principles and commands He gives us in our consciences. Sometimes it is the intuition or leading of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. In other contexts, the phrase refers to Jesus Christ. In still other places, “the Word” does refer to the written Bible. But none of the verses above make any sense if they are referring only to the written Scriptures or to the Law of Moses. This is why “context is king.”
Now we’ll check out Psalm 19 and 119 to determine what is meant by “the Word of God” in those contexts:
Psalm 19:1-4 (NET): “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon.”
MY COMMENTS: Here is a beautiful and poetical way of expressing the idea that God’s creation reveals His glory. In this context, God’s “Word” is being “spoken” without actual audible words by nature itself. This is not speaking of the written Scriptures. So “God’s Word” can refer to God’s created universe revealing His majesty and power to us.

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Psalm 19:4-7 (NET):“In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun. Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber; like a strong man it enjoys running its course. It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other; nothing can escape its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the Lord are reliable  and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.”

MY COMMENTS: But now the imagery shifts and “God’s Word” or “law” is referring to the laws of nature God established by His Holy Spirit. These natural laws control the rotation of the earth, bringing about the rising and setting of the sun. This same “law” of God’s Spirit also breathes life and imparts wisdom into human beings. This is not speaking of the written Scriptures. So “God’s Word” can refer to the power of the Holy Spirit in establishing the natural laws, giving life to humans, or imparting wisdom to us (for example, through our consciences).
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Psalm 19:8-11 (NET):“The Lord’s precepts are fair and make one joyful. The Lord’s commands are pure and give insight for life. The commands to fear the Lord are right and endure forever. The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy and absolutely just. They are of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold; they bring greater delight than honey, than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb. Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; those who obey them receive a rich reward.”

MY COMMENTS: The meaning of “God’s Word” shifts again here. Now the discussion changes to focus on the “Word of God” speaking moral guidance into your conscience through the Holy Spirit. This can refer to God’s written Scriptures, but more likely, in this context, is speaking of the human conscience being enlightened by the Holy Spirit (compare also Psalm 19:12-14).
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Psalm 119:89-96 (NET): “O Lord, your instructions endure; they stand secure in heaven. You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations. You established the earth and it stood firm. Today they stand firm by your decrees, for all things are your servants. If I had not found encouragement in your law, I would have died in my sorrow. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have revived me. I belong to you. Deliver me! For I seek your precepts. The wicked prepare to kill me, yet I concentrate on your rules. I realize that everything has its limits, but your commands are beyond full comprehension.”

MY COMMENTS: In this context, “God’s Word” or “Instruction,” is speaking of the natural laws which govern the universe and by which God formed the earth. God established these natural laws by His command. The psalmist here expresses his desire to follow and obey the commands of God, which, as we will see below, include God giving a special message and promise to the psalmist.
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Psalm 119:114-117 (NET): “You are my hiding place and my shield. I find hope in your word. Turn away from me, you evil men, so that I can observe the commands of my God. Sustain me as you promised, so that I will live. Do not disappoint me! Support me, so that I will be delivered. Then I will focus on your statutes continually.”
 
MY COMMENTS: Here, “God’s Word” refers to a special promise which God made to this psalmist, to save his life. So the “Word,” “law,” “statutes,” and “commands” in this passage are God’s messages and promises given directly to this psalmist. This is not speaking of the written Scriptures.
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Psalm 119:122-123 (NET): “Guarantee the welfare of your servant! Do not let the arrogant oppress me! My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, for your reliable promise to be fulfilled.”
MY COMMENTS: Again, in this passage, “God’s Word” is a special promise of deliverance given to this psalmist. This is not referring to the written Scriptures.
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In summary:
Don’t assume that the expression “Word of God” or “God’s Word” refers to the written Scriptures. Instead, examine the context to see what it actually means.

God’s Predestination — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel Free Will vs Predestination, Prophecy, Simplified Scriptures Series

This is crazy, I know! But I am going to agree with Calvinists (to some degree) — God did use predestination to select certain elect people to believe in Jesus!

The thing Calvinists (and many other Christians) don’t understand, is that the Bible says that God only predestined the FIRST Jewish believers in Christ and/or the FIRST generation of disciples, not all believers for all time.
Look at what the Scriptures say on this:
Ephesians 1:4-5, 11-12 (ESV) “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”
Notice — and this is very important! — the Bible here says that God predestined those who were the first to hope in Christ, that is, the first Jewish Christians, including the Apostles.
The very next verse (Ephesians 1:13) makes a clear distinction between the predestined first Jewish Christian believers, and the Gentiles who believed in Jesus later on. The Bible does NOT use the word “predestined” or the word “foreknew” in reference to the later generations of Gentile believers, but always for the Jews chosen by God, or perhaps also for the first generation of Gentile believers. (See Romans 11:1-2; Romans 8:23-30)
This by itself may not seem convincing enough for you, however, just take a look at the following verses:
2 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV) “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
James 1:18 (ESV) “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
James 1:1 says that his letter was written to the Jewish Christians, so James 1:18 means the Jews who believed in Jesus are the “firstfruits.” 
The Apostle Peter drives home this point, preaching that God had pre-selected those early Jewish believers whom would be the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection:
Acts 10:41 (NIV): He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Paul says something similar, that God had chosen him to be His servant before Paul was even born:
Galatians 1:15-16 (NIV): But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
At 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul was either referring to the Jewish believers in Thessalonica as “the firstfruits,” or he was using that term to describe the first generation of all believers in the city of Thessalonica.
In addition, Romans 8:23-30 and Romans 11:1-2 appears to be saying that Jewish people are the ones whom God “foreknew” and “predestined,” and 8:23 shows that these believers who were predestined are the “firstfruits” because they have the “firstfruits of the Holy Spirit” inside of them.

In Romans, Paul repeatedly points out that Jewish Christians are “first,” then Gentile Christians:
Romans 1:16 (NIV): “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

Romans 2:10 (NIV): “but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
 
This agrees with the New Testament calling Jewish disciples of Christ “the firstfruits.“

Revelation 14:4 also says “the firstfruits” are Jews who believe in Jesus. This is a consistent message throughout the New Testament.
Our Lord Jesus said that only certain of the Jewish people were drawn by God to become the early disciples of Christ:
John 6:44-45 (NIV): “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.
John 6:64-65 (NIV): Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
This harmonizes perfectly with what Paul said regarding God only selecting a certain remnant of Jewish believers to become disciples and be saved:
Romans 11:1-6 (NIV): I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
So we can see that God predestined and foreknew certain of the original Jewish disciples and the first generation of Christians, but what did Jesus say about future believers?
John 12:32 (ESV) “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.“
Revelation 22:17 (HCSB): Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.

Who is Babylon the Great Whore? — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel Simplified Scriptures Series

I just re-read Revelation again (in the New Century Version this time), and this time, it clicked in my head that “Mystery Babylon the Great, the Great Harlot” sounds an awful lot like the Sadducees and Pharisees who killed Jesus and persecuted the Apostles, and tried to suck up to Rome.

Paul spoke about a Jerusalem Below and a Jerusalem Above, in Galatians. Jerusalem Below are the fleshly and evil Jews (such as the Sadducees and Pharisees who plotted to have Jesus killed) and Jerusalem Above is the Church made up of Christian Jews and Gentiles, the Seed of Abraham in Christ, along with the holy angels, Jesus, and God. (Galatians 4:22-31; Hebrews 12:22-23)

Revelation also picks up on this theme by declaring there is a New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2; Revelation 3:12), while also declaring that the earthly city of Jerusalem, which killed Jesus, is called Sodom and Egypt in a symbolic way. (Revelation 11:8) So it would make good logical sense for Revelation to continue using this symbolic language to refer to sinful earthly Jerusalem as “Babylon,” to go with “Sodom” and “Egypt.”

Furthermore, Revelation repeatedly describes Babylon as being an unfaithful adulteress and Harlot. Usually in the New Testament, these phrases are figuratively used to refer to God’s people who have become worldly and unfaithful. This would fit in with the Jerusalem Below Paul spoke of in Galatians, but I don’t know how this would fit with the belief some people have that Babylon was Rome. Plus, Babylon is said to be riding the Beast, which was Rome, therefore, Babylon logically would have to be a different entity from Rome.

The Old Testament prophets of God consistently referred to Jerusalem and Israel as an unfaithful harlot:

Isaiah 1:21 NIV: “See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her— but now murderers!”

Jeremiah 2:20 NIV: ““Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, ‘I will not serve you!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute.”

Finally, what Revelation says about Babylon being responsible for all the blood of the prophets and apostles matches what Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 23:31-38.

Revelation‬ ‭18:24‬ ‭NIV‬: “In her [Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.””

Matthew 23:34-38 NIV: Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.”

The Jewish leaders’ “house” being abandoned refers to the destruction of the Temple by the Roman armies, and this would harmonize perfectly with the Roman Beast turning and attacking its rider (Babylon), and destroying her with fire.

Revelation 17:16-17 NIV: The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled.

With that said, it is possible that Mystery Babylon represents all wicked apostate religious leaders from the 1st Century all the way until our day, and it referred to the Sadducees and Pharisees in the first application since they were the main religious leaders of that time.

I’d love to see your thoughts on this.

[Photo is in the Public Domain]

What the… Hell?

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Basic Doctrine, Progressive Christianity

 I think that the widespread Christian doctrine of literal eternal torment in Hell-fire has caused more people to stumble than perhaps any other teaching.

Why I Object to this Doctrine

  1. I object to this doctrine first and foremost because I don’t believe it is supported by the Bible. 
  2. Secondly, I object because it makes God out to be someone who gets pleasure from torturing and causing suffering to billions of human beings for all of eternity. What kind of parent would torture their unruly children in fire?
  3. Thirdly, it is not logical or just to torture someone for all of eternity who only sinned for 70-100 years.

Below we will be examining the Scriptures to see what they have to say on the topic of Hell. 

Before we start, keep in mind that in the Hebrew and Greek, the word “Hell” is never used in the entire Bible. Instead, the words Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus are used, and these words do not all describe the same place. 

The King James Version and other translations have caused much confusion by translating all of these words as “HeIl.”

Eye for an Eye

God told us His standard of justice in Exodus 21:23-25: If someone injures a person’s eye, the offender’s eye must be injured. If someone injures a person’s tooth, the offender’s tooth must be injured. If someone kills someone, the offender’s life must be taken. The punishment must be equal to the crime, in each case.

How would torturing someone for eternity in fire possibly harmonize with God’s standard of justice described in Exodus 21:23-25?

The Thought Never Entered God’s Mind

God told Jeremiah that the disgusting thought of burning children at “Gehenna” (“Valley of Hinnom“) never entered into His mind, and He was outraged to see Israelites doing this abomination.

Jeremiah 32:35 (NET): “They built places of worship for the god Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. Such a disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do! It never even entered my mind to command them to do such a thing! So Judah is certainly liable for punishment.'”

If God viewed it as a “disgusting practice” to burn humans in fire now for a moment, how could God possibly get pleasure from, or declare it to be righteous, to burn humans in fire for all of eternity?

The Soul will be Totally Destroyed

Both Jesus and Paul used a Greek word meaning “total destruction” or “annihilation,” to describe God’s future punishment on the evildoers.

“Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy [totally destroy; annihilate] both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Matthew 10:28, WEB)

“when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction [“total destruction; annihilation”] from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, WEB)

Notice, Jesus said both body AND soul will be totally destroyed in Gehenna (“Hell“) at some point, and Paul said the punishment for the evildoers when Jesus returns will be eternal annihilation, not eternal torment and pain.

“Gehenna” means Trash Dump

In the New Testament, the Greek word which is most often translated as “Hell” in modern English Bible translations, is actually the word “Gehenna,” which refers to “The Valley of the Son of Hinnom,” that, in Jesus’ day, was used as a Trash Dump where they would throw the dead bodies of unrepentant evildoers to totally destroy their bodies with fire.

The Jews had developed certain ideas of punishment from God in the afterlife as well, but these were usually limited in nature and not eternal torment– similar to the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory.

I personally can see how it would be just and fair to punish Adolf Hitler 70-100 years for each life that he took and to punish him with the same torture he used on others.

Revelation and Daniel are Symbolic

The book of Revelation does actually speak of God punishing certain evildoers in a Lake of Fire forever, eternally tormenting them. These include a 7-headed dragon, a fiery red beast, a beast that looks like a lamb, and all of their followers.

Right in the first chapter, Revelation announces that it is a book of “signs” and “symbols.”

If you interpret the Lake of Fire literally, why don’t you interpret that Jesus is literally a lamb and a lion or that Satan is literally a 7-headed dragon and a snake?

Daniel is also a book full of symbols and apocalyptic stories, with visions of beasts and horns and giant trees. At first, Daniel 12:2 seems to speak of eternal punishment in the afterlife for the wicked.

Other parts of the Bible speak about the annihilation of wicked cities as being “eternal punishment” because they are destroyed forever and will never return. This doesn’t mean that God is still eternally tormenting buildings or houses, but instead, that the destruction will last for all eternity. Those cities won’t be rebuilt. (Jude 1:7)

Daniel 12:2 may be using this same terminology to describe wicked people. They will receive “everlasting punishment” in the sense that their punishment is final and lasts forever, since they’ll be destroyed and will never return. (Compare 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus told a parable about a rich man who refused to help the poor, going down into the fires of Hades, and suffering thirst in the fire as punishment for his evil. (Luke 16:19-31)

A parable, by definition, is a fictional story used to teach moral or spiritual lessons. Notice there are many things that don’t sound literal in this parable, but instead are symbolic or hyperbolic, such as Lazarus being placed in the bosom of Abraham, or people refusing to believe after witnessing a resurrection.

Given the context in Luke 16, the main point of this parable appears to be that in the new Christian Kingdom of God, the rich and proud Pharisees would be brought down while the poor and humble people would be elevated.

I leave it up to you to decide how much of this parable is literal and how much is symbolic or hyperbole– But notice this story does not say the torment is eternal (never-ending).

In summary, I believe there will be a time of punishment after death for some of the wicked, but I do not believe it will be eternal in a literal fire.

Evolution of the Devil

Daniel Basic Doctrine, Progressive Christianity

In Old Testament times, I think it’s safe to say that people did not have the same understanding or viewpoint on Satan the Devil (Serpent) as people in New Testament times did.

Take Job and his 4 companions for example: In the book of Job they all 4 say that Yahweh is the One responsible for all the bad things that happen. None of them say anything about a “satan” or a “devil.”

But, the narrator of the story tells us about a “satan” who instigated the torments upon Job as part of a challenge or test.

The 5 books of Moses don’t really, as far as I know, speak of Satan or a Devil, except for the Serpent in the Garden of Eden.

Then we come to the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 24, which claims Yahweh incited King David to do a gross sin (which would be a violation of James 1:13).

Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” (‭2 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬ NIV)

However, the book of 1 Chronicles, written at a later time period, has come to view this event as being caused by Satan not Yahweh.

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. (‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬ NIV)

So, we can see that the idea of Satan developed over a period of time, or became clearer, in Old Testament times.

At the beginning of the nation of Israel, or in Job’s time, people gave Yahweh credit for everything good or bad that happened.

But later in Israel’s development, they began to ascribe evil things as being incited by Satan instead of God.

Could this be a possible explanation for some of the things in the Old Testament we find morally bad? Such as slaughtering children in war? Could it be possible that early Jewish writers were simply attributing EVERYTHING that happened to Yahweh instead of knowing anything about Satan?

In the New Testament times, God and Satan are portrayed as opposites with nothing in common at all and with no harmony between them:

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭15‬ NIV)

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ NIV)

Some Christians view the Devil as merely the poetic personification of the evil thoughts inside of us and not a real person.

This is a valid interpretation. I can definitely see why people hold this view.

For me personally, I lean toward the belief that Satan is an actual spirit person because it seems to make more logical sense in figuring out why God allowed evil — to answer challenges raised by this rebellious fallen angel.

God Loves Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender People

Daniel Obsolete Laws, Progressive Christianity, Stop Judging

Why should anyone care what I have to say on this topic? I am not a priest. I am not a pastor, nor am I a deacon, televangelist, a mega-church preacher, or a rabbi. Heck, I didn’t even go to college. My sexual orientation is also heterosexual, not homosexual. I am just a humble servant of God, and I am absolutely not inspired or infallible. So, your first thoughts may be, ‘Why on earth should I listen to this guy speaking on the topic of homosexuality and the Bible?‘

To be blunt, you shouldn’t listen to me, except when I make appeal to common sense, logic, reason, science, and Scripture which you agree with in your heart and in your mind. After all, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist or have a college degree in order to know what is right and wrong, and to have good morals. In fact, you don’t even need to be religious to be a good, moral person.

I just want to appeal to your inner morals, ethics, and sense of justice. If you consider what I have to say, and you don’t agree, you’re free to reject it. That’s the beauty of God’s gift of free will, and the Founding Fathers’ providential Bill of Rights for all Americans.

What I am going to say may offend or stumble many of my fellow Christians, but that is not my intention or goal. My aim here is solely to promote the use of common sense, reasoning, and logic, along with glorifying the teachings and commands of our Lord Jesus Christ found in the Holy Word of God.

Gay and Lesbian Equality in the Bible

First off, the Scriptures are clear that God doesn’t view homosexuals any differently than any other human beings on earth–

“there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23, ESV)

“what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality“ (Galatians 2:6, ESV)

“Show no partiality as you hold the faith … But if you show partiality, you are committing sin“(James 2:1, 9, ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)

Note: None of those verses say “Except for gays and lesbians.”

How did Jesus view Gays and Lesbians? 

We have zero written records of anything Jesus said specifically regarding gays or lesbians, unless you count what He said about eunuchs (which was positive, at Matthew 19:12). But, we have many records of Jesus teaching how much God loves all people, with no clauses excluding homosexuals. Here is just one example:

Luke 6:31-42 (ESV): “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
  
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; […] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?...”

Jesus sternly commands us Christians to never judge or condemn others, and to never hypocritically speak about someone else’s sin without addressing our own sins first. Then He gave the toughest commandment in the entire Bible: “Love your enemies, and do good to them.” Usually gays and lesbians should not even be viewed as our “enemies,” but here, Jesus says that you must love even those people who are your enemies and who hate you. Well, it’s not rocket science to see that we must also love gays and lesbians, who are not even our enemies.

Even if you (or your church) strongly view homosexuals as “evil,” notice Luke 6:35-36 where Jesus commands us to love those who are evil, just as God loves them too.

Now let’s look at another story from the life of Jesus:

John 8:3-11 (ESV):  The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” … 

Jesus … stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” … But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

This is one of the most powerful moral lessons in the entire Bible. What we learn here is that, even if homosexuality is a sin, and even if you think you’ve “caught them in the act,” Jesus declares that the only people who have a right to condemn them are people who have never committed a sin. There has only been One Person who never sinned, and that was Jesus.

Then, very powerfully, Christ says that He, the sinless One, chooses not to condemn sinners either, even though He has the right to!

As Paul so bluntly put it:

“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls,” and “What have I to do with judging outsiders? … God judges those outside.” (Romans 14:4; 1 Corinthians 5:12-13)

James, the brother of Jesus, also added:

 “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:12)

So, if you’re focusing on bashing gays or speaking against homosexuality, isn’t it time to do some soul-searching after reading the Scriptures above?

The Argument Based on Liberty and Law

Almost all Christians strongly support the Constitutional liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, including freedom to worship any gods any way you desire. This actually allows the freedom to commit idolatry and blasphemy against the Christian God. But Christians support this because they recognize it also guarantees their own rights to worship as they please. It also respects the God-given free will each of us is born with.

But, if Christians strongly support the legal right to commit idolatry and blasphemy, why do so many Christians vehemently oppose the legal right to have freedom to marry someone of the same sex? It is the height of hypocrisy, and also is very illogical, to support the freedom of idolatry while opposing the freedom of gay marriage.

The Argument Based on Harming Your Neighbor

The New Testament appears to teach that the only things which are actually sins in God’s eyes are things which harm your neighbor. For example, Paul, James, and John all say that the only commandments are to love God, love others, and do no harm to your neighbor. (See Romans 13:8-10; James 2:8; 1 John 3:23)

Paul even goes so far as to declare that nothing is sinful in itself, but it becomes sinful if you hurt others by your actions:

Romans 14:20-22 (ESV):  “…Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble…“

Romans 14:13-14 (ESV):  “…I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.”

Titus 1:15 (ESV): “To the pure, all things are pure, …”

1 Timothy 4:3-5 (ESV): “…For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.“

A couple very important, thought-provoking questions to ask yourself, are: How is gay marriage or homosexuality harming other people? If gay marriage or homosexuality is doing no harm to anyone else, then why do you focus on attacking it so often and so strongly? 

Why do so many Christians condemn gays and lesbians?

Sodom and Gomorrah

A large number of Christians believe the Bible teaches that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for homosexuality. This is actually taught nowhere in the Bible. The actual sins of Sodom listed in the Scriptures are:

  1. Attempted rape of angels (Genesis 19:5)
  2. Pride (Ezekiel 16:49)
  3. Excess of food without sharing (Ezekiel 16:49)
  4. Living in prosperous ease without helping the poor (Ezekiel 16:49)
  5. Haughtiness before God (Ezekiel 16:50)
  6. Buying, selling, planting, and building while paying no attention to God (Luke 17:28-29)
  7. Being ungodly (2 Peter 2:6)
  8. Sexual immorality and lusting after strange flesh [angels?] (Jude 1:7)

So, as you can see, the sin of Sodom was not primarily (or perhaps, even at all) homosexuality.

Jude 1:7 is the only verse which could be interpreted as referring to homosexuality, but more likely, it refers to the gang attempting to rape the angels in Genesis 19:5.

An entire false tradition has arisen among many Christians that God destroyed Sodom because of their homosexuality, when, as you can see, is not taught in the Bible. There may have been many homosexuals living in Sodom, but that is not the reason God destroyed the city.

(The sin of Sodom actually appears to have been much closer to the current behavior of the rich and powerful Republicans and Tea Party in the United States.)

Romans 1:21-28 (ESV):  “…they did not honor him as God … and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts … because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, … 

God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” 

A close look at the first chapter of Romans will reveal that the Apostle Paul is condemning the different practices and rituals connected to the pagan worship of idols, including the burning lust involved in temple sex and orgies. Paul isn’t speaking of monogamous, loving, committed relationships between two gay men or two lesbian women. Since Paul is focusing on the sins of idolatry and lust here, I don’t see how it is proper to try to use this chapter to condemn all homosexuality.

Christians don’t say that all heterosexual sex is sinful just because Jesus condemned lustfully looking at women, so why should we say that all homosexual sex is sinful when Paul condemns “burning with passion/lust” in Romans 1. I believe that would be “going beyond what is written.” (1 Corinthians 4:6)

In addition, even though Paul seemingly wrote that lesbianism was “contrary to nature,” Paul said the same thing in 1 Corinthians 11:14-16 regarding women having short hair. So it’s possible Paul used this term regarding things which were looked down upon by the local community. The Apostles often wrote about forsaking certain things because people in the immediate area condemned those things. (Acts 15:19-21; 1 Corinthians 9:22)

Leviticus 20:13 (ESV): “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”

First off, as Christians, we can safely set aside the statements on homosexuality in the book of Leviticus or other Old Testament Laws of Moses, because (1) these were only given to the Jewish people, (2) they were only temporary, and (3) they have expired. (See Hebrews chapter 8) In addition, if we are going to follow Leviticus, then Paul and James, the brother of Jesus, both say that we must follow the entire Law of Moses. (Galatians 5:3; James 2:10)

Look at some of the commands in Leviticus before and after the homosexuality command:

Leviticus 19:19 (ESV): “You shall keep my statutes. … You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.”

Leviticus 19:27 (ESV): “You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.”

Leviticus 20:18 (ESV): “If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.”

So if Christians must condemn homosexuality based on Leviticus, Christian men must also have beards and you must never sleep next to your wife during her period. In addition, Christians would never be able to wear modern clothing made of different materials.

A lot of Christians make a big deal about the fact that Leviticus refers to homosexual intercourse as an “abomination.” However, the Law of Moses also says eating pork, rabbit, or lobster is an “abomination” too. (Deuteronomy chapter 14) If you’re going to follow the homosexuality commands of the Mosaic Law, then you should follow the rules against eating pork and lobster. Otherwise, you are being a hypocrite.

The book of Leviticus, in the very same chapter as the command against gay sex, explains why all these commands were given:

“And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. … I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. 

You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” (Leviticus 20:23-26, ESV)

These commandments were primarily given by Yahweh to show a distinction, a separation in the eyes of the world, of God’s chosen nation, to make them different and unique compared to all other nations on earth at that time. God was also banning things which the pagan nations associated with worshiping idols, such as orgies, temple sex, and prostitution. The Law of Moses was never intended to be permanent requirements for all people at all times, as Paul writes so eloquently in Galatians:

“So then, the law was our [the Jews’] guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:24-28, ESV)

But what about 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10?

Context is king. We must examine the surrounding passage instead of basing our doctrines on isolated verses.

1 Corinthians 6:8-12 (ESV): “But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. 

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.“

First off, there is some dispute among scholars and experts on the meaning of the Greek word [arsenokoitai] rendered in the ESV as “men who practice homosexuality.” The King James Version rendered it as “abusers of themselves with mankind.” The word literally translated is “man-beds.”

Some interpret this word to refer to male prostitutes involved in pagan temple worship, or to pimps, pedophiles, or rapists. The context is very clear that it refers to something that is harming your fellow Christians, and is listed together with thieves, greedy, and swindlers.Obviously there is more involved here than merely a private monogamous loving relationship between two gay men.

For further research on this Greek word, I refer you to ReligiousTolerance.org, Our Spirit, and this article.

For the sake of argument, lets say this Greek word does refer to all homosexuality. Immediately after Paul listed these sins, he then declares, in 1 Corinthians 6:12, that “all things are lawful” for Christians, but not all things are beneficial. He is declaring that none of these things are sin, UNLESS they are not beneficial or are harmful. So that is the key thing to consider: Does this action harm my neighbor or myself? Is this action beneficial to my neighbor or to myself?

1 Timothy 1:10 (ESV):  “the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,“

Again, the context shows that this is referring to some action which is harmful to others, in the same category as slave-traders, liars, and perjurers. It would make more sense for this to be male prostitution in temple worship or pedophilia, not monogamous homosexual relationships. Please see what I wrote above regarding the Greek word which is rendered “homosexuality” in many modern Bibles.

In conclusion, even if all homosexual sex were a sin in God’s eyes, homosexuals can freely receive the same forgiveness and mercy from Jesus that all of us other sinners receive:

“I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2, ESV)

Picture Credit: “Rainbow flag and blue skies” by Ludovic Bertron from New York City, Usa – https://www.flickr.com/photos/23912576@N05/2942525739. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg#/media/File:Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg