Bible Study Lessons
Have you ever heard something about someone that you knew couldn’t be true? If someone told me that they saw my wife doing daredevil stunts in our car, I wouldn’t believe it. From all the years we’ve known each other, that wouldn’t make any sense.[i] Likewise, the traditional view of hell presents a divine character … Read more
The previous chapter offered an historical overview of Christian universalism. This chapter will focus on the biblical data. Separation If you’re ready to refute Christian universalism with a litany of verses, let me quickly concede that two outcomes, involving a separation between the righteous and the wicked, appear to be clearly expressed in certain passages. … Read more
To some extent my ignorance of other views of postmortem judgment makes sense. Since the time of Augustine, eternal conscious torment has been the dominate view of the Catholic Church. And John Calvin gave this view his stamp of approval for the Protestant world.[i] A Third View After I began thinking about annihilationism, I found … Read more
A friend who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy invited me to attend a service at his church. I knew that Eastern Orthodoxy, along with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, comprised the three main branches of Christianity. I also knew that Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism separated in AD 1054 due in part to different views of the … Read more
You have probably noticed by now that I like making lists. When I’m unsure of something, sometimes I make a list of what I know, or what I think I know. Our study of Gehenna has led to the following key insights. In the Old Testament the Valley of Hinnom referred to a physical valley … Read more