What Does the Bible Say?
You may be surprised to find that the Bible doesn't contain the word "Hell" -- or indeed any Greek or Hebrew word that really has the same meaning as the English word! In fact, most of what the average Christian believes about Hell owes more to Greek mythology than it does to the Bible.
Author, speaker, and filmmaker Rev. John Jackman takes a look at the strange and checkered history of Hell in his upcoming book A Brief History of Hell. What he uncovers in his research will surprise even educated Bible students! Did you know:
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That Jesus' parables reference a real place outside of Jerusalem that was used a town dump? - That the apostles believed that God would ultimately restore all creation to a proper relationship with Him?
- That variations of this idea were creatively discussed among church leaders of the second and third centuries -- but it was declared a heresy and abolished in the Middle Ages -- over 500 years after Jesus?
- That most of the theology of Hell preached by the Reformers comes from the Middle Ages?
This site provides a bit of a preview of the book, and includes video from a special workshop as well as class handouts Reverend Jackman has used for discussion.