Tartaros and Demons – Part 2

In Tartaros and Demons – Part 1, we learned that the demon prison of tartaros is not so much a tahum under or within the depths of the earth as it is a dimensional region farthest away from the third heavens, the abode of father Yahweh.

We will now address the sinning angels, the Watchers, and their grievous sin of mating with human women and producing children who became giants.

Sinning Angels
The angels that sinned became known in Scriptures as demons and those angels who sinned most egregiously were placed in the prison of tartaros. For example, besides the act of setting themselves up to be worshiped,67 another blatant sin committed by the rebellious angels in the days prior to Noah’s Flood was adultery with human women.

The book of Genesis informs us: Continue reading “Tartaros and Demons – Part 2”

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”

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”

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”

Do You Really Want To Go To Heaven?

Now that you have looked over our two previous posts “Do I have A Soul” and “Immortal Soul Unmasked” we will now continue on to the final act of the “Heaven Trilogy” so to speak.

In other words, this is where we actually find out what going to heaven is all about.

So, if you’re ready let’s proceed onward, you just might discover some rather surprising facts along the way.

Continue reading “Do You Really Want To Go To Heaven?”

Immortal Soul Unmasked

In our last post, “Do I Have A Soul?”,  the issue of whether or not humans possess an immortal soul was addressed.

As we continue to search out the facts concerning this subject, we should realize that the first great deception was told by the serpent (the satan) to Eve when he advised her that if she ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil “you will not die (Gen. 3:1-5).”

Continue reading “Immortal Soul Unmasked”

Do We Have A Soul?

It is recognized that most of us have been taught from our early years that we all have an immortal soul. Then upon death, our soul would ultimately end up spending eternity in either heaven or hell, depending on what Saint Peter decided at the Pearly Gates.

Unbeknownst to many, Scriptures give an entirely different scenario.

Continue reading “Do We Have A Soul?”