"Love Wins"...unless you are Rob Bell. Ever since the release of his new book, Rob Bell has seen praise from the New York Times and backlash from the evangelical church. It seems there has been no end to the opinions expressed by those that have not even read the book. So, in an effort to find out if "Love Wins" for me, I have bought a copy and will be blogging my reflections through it as I read. My hope is that I will be affirmed, edified and enlightened in the truth of the Gospel message, but if not, then the $24 I spent on the brand new hard cover edition can just be my early birthday present for Rob...
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Chapter 3
Hell on earth. Bell describes it as a state of suffering caused by abandoning the truths and boundaries of God.
People live in it every day. Many don't recognize it, but we all feel it. It causes me to ask, what am I doing to destroy it?
That's the conviction I walk away with from this chapter...
Bell begins with a thorough discussion of Sheol, Gehenna, Tartarus, and Hades in order to attack the inherited, distorted, societal definition of hell - trashing the pitchfork, red tights, and all!
Sheol is an Old Testament Hebrew word for the place of the dead. Whether righteous or
wicked, all people went there. Learn more here.
Gehenna is a New Testament Greek word that Jesus used to describe hell. A burning pile of
garbage outside of Jerusalem, Gehenna commonly housed stray dogs that could be heard gnashing
their teeth as they fought over scraps. Trash. Scraps of refuse. Stray dogs. This was no place meant
for people.
Tartarus was a word used in Greek mythology to describe the dark, murky, underworld very similar
to Sheol. Peter uses this word in 2 Peter 2 to describe hell.
Hades was used in Greek mythology to describe the place of the dead. Like Sheol, it is the place
where all the dead exist. It was also the Greek god of the underworld. Learn more here.
What's striking about each of these definitions is the absence of our societal definitions of hell: no punishments, no demons poking and prodding, no screaming...just darkness, murkiness, and death. Also, these places, particularly Sheol, contain all the dead, whether righteous or unrighteous. Jesus' use of the word Hades, and Peter's use of Tartarus all reveal that the best word for hell is whatever word works for that culture, regardless of context.
Bell goes on to describe hell as a literal place after we pass on, but also a present reality. He provides several blunt examples to wake up the reader: genocide, mutilation, wrath, and molestation.
He devotes time to the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The great tragedy of the rich man is that even in death, he wants Lazarus to serve him. In fact, the rich man is the slave; bound to a fallen mindset, while Lazarus is free at Abraham's side.
Bell reflects, [The rich man] is alive in death, but in profound torment, because he's living with the realities of not properly dying the kind of death that actually leads a person into the only life that's worth living.
Reflect on that. People are alive in hell, not being tormented by demons, but being tormented by the life they should have lived.
Bell describes our time on earth as being a purging and refining we experience. Trials, challenges, and corrections are all designed to make us more like Jesus. Even this idea of being "handed...over to Satan" is an example of this process.
Bell places believers into two camps: Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells right now seem the least concerned about hell after death.
Which one am I?
Which one are you?
People live in it every day. Many don't recognize it, but we all feel it. It causes me to ask, what am I doing to destroy it?
That's the conviction I walk away with from this chapter...
Bell begins with a thorough discussion of Sheol, Gehenna, Tartarus, and Hades in order to attack the inherited, distorted, societal definition of hell - trashing the pitchfork, red tights, and all!
Sheol is an Old Testament Hebrew word for the place of the dead. Whether righteous or
wicked, all people went there. Learn more here.
Gehenna is a New Testament Greek word that Jesus used to describe hell. A burning pile of
garbage outside of Jerusalem, Gehenna commonly housed stray dogs that could be heard gnashing
their teeth as they fought over scraps. Trash. Scraps of refuse. Stray dogs. This was no place meant
for people.
Tartarus was a word used in Greek mythology to describe the dark, murky, underworld very similar
to Sheol. Peter uses this word in 2 Peter 2 to describe hell.
Hades was used in Greek mythology to describe the place of the dead. Like Sheol, it is the place
where all the dead exist. It was also the Greek god of the underworld. Learn more here.
What's striking about each of these definitions is the absence of our societal definitions of hell: no punishments, no demons poking and prodding, no screaming...just darkness, murkiness, and death. Also, these places, particularly Sheol, contain all the dead, whether righteous or unrighteous. Jesus' use of the word Hades, and Peter's use of Tartarus all reveal that the best word for hell is whatever word works for that culture, regardless of context.
Bell goes on to describe hell as a literal place after we pass on, but also a present reality. He provides several blunt examples to wake up the reader: genocide, mutilation, wrath, and molestation.
He devotes time to the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The great tragedy of the rich man is that even in death, he wants Lazarus to serve him. In fact, the rich man is the slave; bound to a fallen mindset, while Lazarus is free at Abraham's side.
Bell reflects, [The rich man] is alive in death, but in profound torment, because he's living with the realities of not properly dying the kind of death that actually leads a person into the only life that's worth living.
Reflect on that. People are alive in hell, not being tormented by demons, but being tormented by the life they should have lived.
Bell describes our time on earth as being a purging and refining we experience. Trials, challenges, and corrections are all designed to make us more like Jesus. Even this idea of being "handed...over to Satan" is an example of this process.
Bell places believers into two camps: Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells right now seem the least concerned about hell after death.
Which one am I?
Which one are you?
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