Category: Death

Tartaros and Demons – Part 1

The word τάρταρος (tartaros), under its verbal form ταρταρώσας (tartarosas; to thrust down into tartaros), is found only once in all of the Scriptures, at 2 Peter 2:4, “the deity did not spare the angels who sinned, but ταρταρώσας (tartarosas; thrust them into tartaros), keeping them in chains of darkness unto a κρίσιν (krisin; judgment; decision made by tribunal).”1 As James Orr writes, here tartaros “stands for the place of punishment of the angels.”2

S. D. F. Salmond similarly concludes, “the word is applied to the intermediate scene and condition of penalty in which those offenders are detained, held in chains of darkness, in reserve for the final judgment.”3

In neo-Christianity, the concept of tartaros, a word which primarily means “to incarcerate,” i.e., a place of incarceration in the deepest abyss,4 has been purposely blended with the following two concepts:

1. The pagan Greek notion of hades (the underworld of wicked immortal souls of the deceased).

2. A twisted interpretation of the scriptural concept of gehenna fire (the final punishment for the wicked). Continue reading “Tartaros and Demons – Part 1” →

Rapture Revisited

YRR has released an audio Mini-Pod titled “Rapture Revisited”

Our first Rapture Podcast, “016. Rapture – Shortcut to Paradise?” dealt with the possibility of a Rapture from an Old Testament viewpoint. Unfortunately, for the Rapture advocates, the Old Testament did not produce any evidence demonstrating that one could bypass death and then proceed to Paradise or the third heavens.

We will continue our quest to see if we can find that ever-so-elusive “Shortcut to Paradise” by next delving into the New Testament.

This audio presentation can be accessed and listened to at the following link:

M017. Rapture Revisited – (16:26)

It can also be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean, among others.

Rapture – Shortcut to Paradise?

YRR has released an audio Mini-Pod titled “Rapture – Shortcut to Paradise?”

Needless to say there are a number of people that want to circumvent the rules by avoiding scriptural truth and the reality that all must suffer death at least once.

There is a popular saying that you might have heard which goes something like this, “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.”

First, the truth is that no person is going to heaven regardless of dying. The one exception is the person whose name and title is Yahushua the messiah. As all would know, his circumstances differed from the average person’s. (Another topic to be addressed at a later time.)

Second, all persons will, in fact, die before the Millennial Judgment Day whether they believe so or not. Even Yahushua had to submit to this reality.

Is there any merit to the idea that some select group of believers can actually take a shortcut to paradise by avoiding death?

This audio presentation can be accessed and listened to at the following link:

M016. Rapture – Shortcut to Paradise? – (15:34)

It can also be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean, among others.

The Resurrections in Scriptures

We should be aware that Yahweh has predetermined much more for mankind than a simple existence as mortal, flesh-and-blood creatures. However, few are cognizant that his plan for mankind’s afterlife is predicated upon a resurrection from the dead. Indeed, in the book of Hebrews, the “resurrection of the dead” is declared to be one of the fundamental doctrines of Scriptures,1 one which is strongly proclaimed throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

Basic Doctrine
As previously stated, the doctrine of the resurrection of mankind from the dead is one of the fundamental themes found in Scriptures. To begin with, we are the work of Yahweh’s hands. Isaiah remarks:

And now Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay and you are the maker, and we are the work of your hands. (Isaiah 64:7-8)

Yahweh’s intent for the work of his hands extends far beyond sheol (the state of death), even though the deceased person resting in sheol has reached a state of temporary nonexistence. Continue reading “The Resurrections in Scriptures” →

Why Did Yahushua the Messiah Have to Die?

Why did Yahushua the messiah have to die for our sins in order for us to attain salvation and eternal life?

Many believe they know the answer and point to various passages in Scriptures to demonstrate their understanding of Yahweh’s truth.

For instance, a common answer given is that Yahushua, by shedding his blood as the perfect sacrifice, forgives and redeems us from our sins. The messiah now gives us grace or free gift of salvation and eternal life.

The frequently referenced passage of Scriptures is from the book of John, which states:

For the deity so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

So it would seem that it is merely sufficient to have faith to be saved.

At this point, we still do not have an answer to why the messiah had to die for our personal sins. Several questions are now prompted: Continue reading “Why Did Yahushua the Messiah Have to Die?” →

Three Heavens in Scriptures

We will examine the fact that in Scriptures, there are three regions of רקיע (raqiya; open expanse),1 i.e., different realms, each called “heavens.”

Father Yahweh dwells in what is defined as the “third heavens,” the sun, moon, and stars occupy the “second heavens,” and flying birds and clouds are contained in the “first heavens” (i.e., in the atmosphere surrounding the earth).

The evidence will prove that no man—with only the exception of Yahushua the messiah, and then only in those periods before and after his fleshly, earthly existence as a human—has ever dwelt in the third heavens with father Yahweh.

The fundamental error made by those who would have mortal humans go off to heaven to be with father Yahweh before death, resurrection, and quickening is their confounding of the three different realms called “heavens.” Continue reading “Three Heavens in Scriptures” →

Does Hell Exist? – Part 2

Quite opposite to the pagan notion of a conscious existence in a mythical underworld for immortal souls (whether Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, etc.), there is no life or conscious existence in the sheol of Scriptures.

No Thought in Sheol
The following scriptural verses fully demonstrate the complete absence of thought in sheol:

Return Yahweh, rescue my nephesh; save me for your mercy’s sake; for there is no memory in death, in sheol who will give thanks to you? (Psalm 6:5)

What profit is in my blood in going down to the שוח (shuch; pit, grave); will you thank the ‘aphar? Will it (the ‘aphar) thank you? Will it declare your truth?(Psalm 30:9)

The above Psalms refer to the fact that after returning to the ‘aphar a dead person has no ability to thank anyone or receive thanks, for they are unable to speak or understand the speech of someone living. A parallel thought is expressed in the rhetorical question asked by Heman the Ezrahite. He notes that nothing can come from sheol, the land of נשיה (neshyah; oblivion)49 and the dark state of death. Continue reading “Does Hell Exist? – Part 2” →

Does Hell Exist? – Part 1

What happens to a person when they die? Is it possible for one to be condemned to suffer for eternity in an underworld of fiery torment called hell? To answer, we must address the Yahwehist concept of the Hebrew word sheol, translated into Greek as “hades.”

The term sheol is found 65 times in the Old Testament and 10 times in the New Testament under the Greek form hades. Unfortunately, these two terms are commonly rendered as “hell” in the English translations.

Sheol is not, as popularly construed, a place where after death, the wicked dwell as conscious, thinking, disembodied immortal souls. Rather, it is a “state of being” for the deceased person (nephesh) of every human, whether just or unjust—a circumstance equated with darkness. It is not so much the “grave” where the remains of the nephesh lie, but rather the “state of the remains” within the grave. Continue reading “Does Hell Exist? – Part 1” →