You get it everywhere in the writings of the prophets in Amos and Isaiah, etc. And so I really believe that, and I'll probably always believe it. And Samuel comes up and is really upset that she's called him up from the grave, and he gets upset with Saul for doing this, and he predicts that Saul is going to die the next day in battle, which he does. It would be the resurrection of the nation. Dont be deceived, but turn to Christ and accept the salvation He offers you today. It was where, according to the Old Testament, ancient Israelites practiced child sacrifice to foreign gods. Today we will tackle the question: does hell have levels of different punishment? New York: Penguin Classics, 2012. The Easter story is a story of hope that - in the Easter story, death is not the final word, that there's something that comes after death. GROSS: You've talked about how belief in the end times led in a circuitous way to belief in heaven and hell. The Christian belief in hell has developed over the centuries, influenced by both Jewish and Greek ideas of the afterlife. Topics: Hell. What ends up happening is that, over time, this expectation that the kingdom was coming soon began to be questioned because it was supposed to come soon and it didn't come soon, and it's still not coming, and when is it going to come? He taught - his main teaching is that the kingdom of God is coming. Death isn't the end; when we die, we will enter eternity either with God in heaven, or separated from Him forever in the place the Bible calls Hell. In this video lecture, Professor Cargill starts off describing all the various religious descriptions about the heavensand youll discover how varied and confusing this can be! GROSS: So a lot of the imagery of hell comes from the Book of Revelation. In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. GROSS: So what do you believe about death now, about what happens after you die? And so this is what the later Paul has to say, and this is the beginning of the Christian idea of heaven and hell, that you can exist - even though your physical remains are dead, you can exist in the presence of God in heaven. None of those deeds change the destiny of a soul that is not in the book of life, according to this passage. And I still think that Socrates is the one who probably put it best. It was also the view he himself embraced and proclaimed. There are people who are terrified of dying because they're afraid - they are literally afraid that they will be tormented for trillions of years, just as the beginning. They were gentiles. But there's still the issue of death, so it's just simply become more pronounced. Sometimes Sheol is translated by the word hell, and it absolutely is not what people think of as hell. Yes, youre right up to a point; God is a God of love. A detail from Hieronymous Bosch 's depiction of Hell (16th century) In Christian theology, Hell is the place or state into which, by God's definitive judgment, unrepentant sinners pass in the general judgment, or, as some Christians believe, immediately after death ( particular judgment ). I hope you'll join us. The Lord expresses that He does not want anyone to be separated from Him; He created humanity to have a unique relationship with them. But when Jesus summarizes his point, he explains that the contrasting fates are eternal life and eternal punishment. They are not eternal pleasure and eternal pain. The opposite of life is death, not torture. The (good) sheep are those who have helped those in need the hungry, the sick, the poor, the foreigner. What was his vision of what happens after death? The terrifying images of hell are often influenced as much by church tradition and pop culture as it is by Biblical truth. It's not going to be something awful. EHRMAN: Well, I - you know, I've read about death and thought about death and the afterlife for many, many years now and what - you know, what philosophers say and theologians say and biblical scholars say and, you know, what people generally say. GROSS: So this was all dependent on, like, the Messiah coming on the end of days, which some Jewish prophets predicted would be soon. As believers, the calling is to let everyone know that freedom in Christ, and eternity with God, is available. We have to self-isolate. Even revolting. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR. It has to do with the apocalypse, the revelation of God. Webster's Dictionary explains that "hell" comes from middle English, old English, and old high German, ( hel, helle, helan) and arose during the Anglo-Saxon pagan period (A.D. 400 - 1100). (SOUNDBITE OF STEFANO BOLLANI'S "ALOBAR E KUDRA"). The age-old human question of Where do I go when I die? is an everlasting oneand its not simply an answer based on being a saint or a sinner. Its a complex topic, and an authoritative online video lecture by a renowned Biblical scholar is in order here, to help you become an expert on the origins and meanings of heaven and hell. It just isn't going to happen. Do you honestly believe God will overlook the evils and injustices that ravage our world? By Billy Graham And in most gnostic religions, the idea is to get out of the shell, to escape the shell. These people began to think that the reason there is suffering in the world is not what the prophets had said, that it - because people sin and God is punishing them; it's because there are forces of evil in the world that are aligned against God and his people who are creating suffering. Youre certain to discover new aspects of this topic that youve never heard before. These are welcomed into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. The (wicked) goats, however, have refused to help those in need, and so are sent to eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. At first blush, that certainly sounds like the hell of popular imagination. Or the kingdom is like a person who gathers up the plants that have grown in his field (Matthew 13:36-43). But the main thing is that I think that, in fact, it imposes emotional damage. They take it very seriously. For Paul, Jesus was going to come back from heaven and bring in God's kingdom here on Earth, and people would be raised from the dead for glorious eternity. He's a distinguished professor of religious studies at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I've heard a lot of joking lately about how it's the end times. That too would be good, even better. For Gnostics, the idea of being raised in your body was repulsive. On the other hand, there may be more yet to come, a happier place, a good place. And so, traditional Israelites did not believe in life after death, only death after death. Let's face it - the pandemic has made death a presence on a scale most of us aren't used to. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com. But it's not a place where you continue to exist afterwards. EHRMAN: Well, the same advice everybody's getting who's listening to the right news sources, which is that you need to self-isolate. People aren't talking about nuclear weapons anymore, but they probably should be because that's another way this whole thing might end. Youll learn how heaven and hell came to exist so prominently in Jewish and Christian literature in the first place. There is hope in moments of complete despair. This, though, is not a book that describes what's going to happen to individuals when they die and go to heaven or hell; it's a description of the final judgment of God that somehow is going to be coming to Earth. While there are a variety of sources that portray hell as a place of levels, where different sin is punished according to its nature, the most influential and prominent one comes from Divinia Commedia, or the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Dig into more than 7,000 articles in the Biblical Archaeology Societys vast archive with a Library Explorer pass. I know you're on sabbatical right now. His books such as "Misquoting Jesus" and "How Jesus Became God" challenge a lot of beliefs and common wisdom. Our view is that we - you've got two things going on in the human parts. So let's do that, and then we'll talk some more. He examines the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, as well as writings from the Greek and Roman era. These continue to be two of the common explanations today. Learn all about the what, how, and why of heaven and hell. Of course, I'm not going to - I mean, there's no reason to shatter somebody's beliefs, especially if they simply are providing them with hope. The Christian doctrine of hell derives from passages in the New Testament. The end of time is coming soon. Ehrmans new book, from which this essay is adapted, is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. He's a distinguished professor of Religious Studies at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and is one of America's most widely read scholars of early Christianity and the New Testament. In the ancient world (whether Greek, Roman, or Jewish), the worst punishment a person could experience after death was to be denied a decent burial. FAQ: In The Apostle Creed, What Is Ment By He Descended Into Hell? And you have that group. But other than that, no. Your forthcoming book that you're working on now is going to be called "Expecting Armageddon." EHRMAN: That's a really good question. For those who confessed and repented before they died, their souls labor in purgatory to be freed of their sins eventually. I mean, you know, a lot of people aren't joking. " Hell " is the place where those who reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ will experience the wrath and justice of God for all of eternity. If I'm brought into the presence of Christ at the resurrection, and, you know, there's a gap between the time I die and - what happens to me during that gap? And more questionswith answers from Professor Cargill! And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). Walvoord, John, Zachary Hayes, and Clark H. Pinnock. Socrates himself expressed the idea most memorably when on trial before an Athenian jury on capital charges. GROSS: Are there things in the Hebrew Bible that still support the idea of heaven and hell as people came to understand it, things that you can extract from the Old Testament that might not literally mention heaven and hell but still support the vision that emerged of it? At age 15, he became a born-again fundamentalist evangelical Christian. GROSS: Are there specific passages in the Hebrew Bible that support the notion of an afterlife? When you join as a BAS All-Access member, you'll get 22 online video lectures, including "The Origin of Heaven and Hell" by Robert R. Cargillthe popular University of Iowa religion professor who is a probing and entertaining presenter as well as a Biblical archaeologist.. The soul was immortal and would live forever in Greek thinking. He doesn't think the soul is going to live on in heaven. And so it appears that the ancient Israelites simply thought that when you died, your body got buried someplace. He will raise the dead. His earlier books include "Misquoting Jesus" and "How Jesus Became God.". I mean, when you die, you stop breathing. - Violence: Those who committed violence against others, property, themselves, as well as con artists; immersed in boiling blood. He wasn't one of the disciples. Where did the idea of hell originate? And Professor Cargill will help you connect the dots about varyingand sometimes conflictingdepictions of heaven and hell. Since your neighbor is anyone you know, see, or hear about, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan, true love means helping everyone in need, not just those in your preferred social circles. Site of Julius Caesars Assassination Opened. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. And so he came up with the idea that he would have a temporary residence up with Christ in God's realm, in heaven, until the end came. Answer (1 of 15): Hell is the place God sends those that reject him at his core. 6 Valuable Lessons from the Life of Samuel, 10 Verses from James to Deepen Your Faith. The most one could hope for was a good and particularly long life here and now. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Amy Salit, Phyllis Myers, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, Heidi Saman, Therese Madden, Mooj Zadie, Thea Chaloner and Seth Kelley. God is soon to intervene in earthly affairs to destroy everything and everyone that opposes him and to bring in a new realm for his true followers, a Kingdom of God, a paradise on earth. Paul was not a follower of Jesus during his lifetime, during Jesus' lifetime. (SOUNDBITE OF PETROS KLAMPANIS' "EASY COME EASY GO"). Some are said to be sheep, and the others goats. And many more22 total video lectures for your viewing, whenever you want. This view of the coming resurrection dominated the view of Jewish thought in the days of Jesus. Some are said to be sheep, and the . Yes, you're right up to a point; God is a . Paul, in his earliest letters, affirms that view of the imminent resurrection. GROSS: So you were saying there really isn't an explicit description of heaven and hell in the Hebrew Bible or even in the New Testament, but that Paul is important in understanding the history of heaven and hell. Christians should care about the lost because their Savior does, and He wants those who were lost to come to Him. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. And in fact, it's not right. His new book is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. He's a distinguished professor of religious studies at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Magazines, Digital But the pandemic, for me, is simply making it crystal clear why these are issues for so many people. Most important, this new earthly kingdom will come not only to those alive at the time, but also to those who have died. His new memoir is called "War Doctor: Surgery On The Front Line." When we stop breathing, our breath doesnt go anywhere. I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem (Jeremiah 19:4-5, 7a). Proud member Most people today would be surprised to learn that Jesus believed in a bodily eternal life here on earth, instead of eternal bliss for souls, but even more that he did not believe in hell as a place of eternal torment. Speaking to those He is sending away from His presence, Jesus acknowledges they will go to an eternal life, referred to in prophetic texts as the lake of fire. Jesus stress on the absolute annihilation of sinners appears throughout his teachings. It is the mission of the church, and part of the purpose of the Christian life. So how does that shift happen? With The Origin of Heaven and Hell online video lecture, you get a detailed, illuminating, and engrossing look at heaven and hellhosted by Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) Editor Robert R. Cargill, a recognized Biblical archaeologist and professor of religious studies at the University of Iowa. Eventually, Jewish thinkers began to reason that it didn't make much sense because there were times when they would be doing what God told them to do, or at least they'd be doing their level best to do what God told them to do, and they'd still be suffering these plagues. Alighieri, Dante. GROSS: I'm wondering what you think about when you think about how the number of people who are contracting COVID 19 and how the number of people who are dying keeps growing as we get closer to Passover and Easter, which are very holy times in Judaism and Christianity. EHRMAN: Well, thank you for having me. Those who enter this kingdom will enjoy a utopian existence for all time. It's why we experience so much pain and suffering because we live in these material shells. We absolutely may do it to ourselves this time, but it won't be a prediction - a fulfillment of predictions of a prophecy; it'll be because of human stupidity and refusal to act in the face of crisis. This is the big surprise of the book, and it's the one thing people probably wouldn't expect because, you know, when I was growing up, I just assumed. In hell, there will be a lake of fire and torment. I mean, my view is that, you know, people have always been concerned about death, about what happens to them when they die, and so that's why I took on this book in the first place. Well, if we're being rewarded, they're going to be punished. Most people, of course, are more concerned about the process of dying right now or getting sick or the economics of that. Where did hell come from in the Bible? But he was also, like Jesus, an apocalypticist who thought that at the end of the age, there would be a resurrection of the dead. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. And in vivid detail (some of which is just simply horrifying), youll learn about the specific punishments for specific behavior as described in the Apocalypse of Petermurderers will be set in worms like clouds of darkness; women who adorn themselves for adultery will be hanged by their hair above boiling mire; women who conceive out of wedlock will be up to their necks in discharge and stench; and those who bear false witness will suffer gnawing their tongues and having flaming fire in their mouths.. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. GROSS: Thank you. And so it's either a deep sleep, or it's a good outcome, and either way it's going to be fine. Instead, for Jesus, the earthly utopia will come to those who are fully dedicated to the most pervasive and dominant teachings of Gods law. The Bible does talk about this place Sheol, especially in poetry, especially in Psalms. But then people started thinking, well, wait - is that fair? People who had been on the side of God throughout history would be personally raised from the dead and individually would be brought into this new era, this new kingdom that God would rule here on Earth. Instead, all sin is punishable by death and destruction in the face of a holy God. Do you honestly believe God will overlook the horrors committed by a Hitler or Stalin? Once they are shocked and filled with regret but too late they will permanently be wiped out of existence. After the millennial reign, the Lord will finally deal with Satan, putting an end to his deceit. Adam remained alive until he stopped breathing. The Apostle Peter wrote, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Here, Isaiah sees the extent of his sin compared to the perfection of a holy God, and despairs, because in his own power, he cannot make himself worthy. Jesus spoke briefly about why hell was created, and its origins. GROSS: Is it fair to say you're an atheist now? And that's when they developed the idea that, in fact, it's the forces of evil causing these disasters. Heaven - What is it Like and Where is it. The earliest parts of the Hebrew Bible, around . And then youll hear Professor Cargill explain the seven heavens and what all that means. And people generally point to these passages in the Book of Psalms that talk about Sheol, or Sheol. And I think that, you know, psychologically, that was very bad. And so in the Old Testament, there's no idea that your soul goes one place or another because the soul doesn't exist apart from the body. Contact Us. Christians go to Heaven when . When contemplating the supernatural plane, the mind conjures images of angels or demons, of streets of gold or burning flames. In traditional English versions, he does occasionally seem to speak of Hell for example, in his warnings in the Sermon on the Mount: anyone who calls another a fool, or who allows their right eye or hand to sin, will be cast into hell (Matthew 5:22, 29-30). By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Most people probably don't subscribe to either one. There are over two billion Christians in the world, the vast majority of whom believe in heaven and hell. Heaven And Hell Are 'Not What Jesus Preached,' Religion Scholar Says Professor Cargill walks you through, with specific examples, how all of this evolved. In fact, youll have unlimited access to everything in the BAS Library when you join nowover 29,000 searchable articles, online videos, photos, and maps all just a few clicks away for you and available 24-hours-a-day, plus upcoming issues of Biblical Archaeology Reviewonly for BAS All-Access members! It made me a rather obnoxious fundamentalist Christian because I thought that everybody else was going to go to hell, and so I had to go out of my way to convert them all (laughter). But I personally think, probably, this life is all there is. Related: Heaven - What is it Like and Where is it?How Do I Get to Heaven?Do Babies Go to Heaven When They Die? If you actually look at what the Psalms say about Sheol, they always equate it to the grave or to the pit. - Wrath and Sullenness: Those who were always angry or gloomy; the wrathful must engage in eternal fights while the sullen are always sunk beneath the river Styx. And they get that from several passages in the Book of Revelation. Edwards, Jonathan. Permissions It's about how people have misused the Book of Revelation to talk about how the end is coming and how it always seems like it's going to be coming in our own time. Jeremiah 31:3 even says, "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.". GROSS: Why don't we take a short break here? There are lots of different religions that people have called gnostic. The virus spreads, hospitals fill, and systems become overwhelmed. In this online video lecture, follow along with Professor Cargill as he tackles some initial questions about heaven and hell, including: This online video lecture will keep you captivated all the way to the endso you can learn all about the origin of heaven and hell. He doesnt torture them. This image may have some overlap with the Biblical description of hell, but much of it comes from mans imagination. The earthly Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15). This is FRESH AIR. COPYRIGHT 2023 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY 5614 Connecticut Ave NW #343, Washington DC 20015-2604, Explore the worlds most intriguing Biblical scholarship. Salem Media Group. On the contrary, he is rather energized by the idea of passing on from this life. Your beliefs about what happens after death or if anything happens might shape how you're dealing with your fears and anxieties. Existence is entirely bodily. Where did hell come from? | Prophecy Reformation Institute What Bible Debates Inspired Martin Luther's 95 Theses? Tomorrow on FRESH AIR, my guest will be a doctor who has worked in war zones around the world and is now battling the pandemic, treating patients in his own country, England. And so I think that hell is something we need to fight against; heaven, I'm all for. The BAS Library is full of other online videos about Biblical archaeology and historyworld-renowned master teachers present video lectures on the latest key issues in archaeology and the Bible, including The Archaeology of Jewish Christianity and Isaiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In addition, BAS founder Hershel Shanks hosts a series of informal interviews with five prominent Dead Sea Scrolls scholars, all in online videos. But will people be there? In either scenario, there will be no more pain. Without hope in Christ, eternity is dark, but in Christ, there is eternal rejoicing. Who goes to heaven according to the Bible? Jesus developed this view into a repugnant scenario: corpses of those excluded from the kingdom would be unceremoniously tossed into the most desecrated dumping ground on the planet. While the Bible does not support the circular, layered version of hell seen in Inferno, there are several distinct areas the Bible does mention. And so he talked about living in the last days because he assumed that everybody else now was going to be raised to follow suit. They'll be in bodies. Local: 704-401-2432 The book of life contains all the names of the redeemed, those who put their faith in God. God will soon destroy everything and everyone opposed to him and establish a new order on earth. In the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples introduce a new term for hell, the Hebrew word Gehenna. Contrary to what other Jewish leaders taught, Jesus preached that no one will inherit the glorious future kingdom by stringently observing all the Jewish laws in their most intimate details; or by meticulously following the rules of worship involving sacrifice, prayer, and observance of holy days; or by pursuing ones own purity through escaping the vile world and the tainting influence of sinful others. There is a small valley called the Valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, thought to be cursed because some of the kings of Judah offendedGod by burning their children as sacrifices to false gods in that place. When Jesus Christ died His soul went into hell.And in Matthew 12:40, Jesus Christ says: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the HEART OF THE EARTH. (SOUNDBITE OF MICHAEL NYMAN'S "HOW DO I KNOW YOU KNOW?". Our greatest concerns, personal and national, are for survival. We have climate change and extreme weather and earthquakes and volcanoes. And once Paul started saying that, his followers really latched onto it because most of Paul's converts were from Greek circles. I'll occasionally walk around the block if nobody's around. He was raised Jewish. Dante emphasized this by having the journey through hell being the only journey downwards; after the ninth circle, the other two climb upwards. And so Paul thought he would be alive when the end came. Revealing. You get both of those explanations. And so in some of his later letters, he ponders the possibility of death, and he wonders, well, what happens to me, then? That is not a view that was held by ancient Israelites and then Jews, and it's not even taught in the Old Testament. Photo credit:Getty Images/SIphotography. Our view that you die and your soul goes to heaven or hell is not found anywhere in the Old Testament, and it's not what Jesus preached.

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