Immortality or Resurrection (Updated) by William West (reading strategies book .TXT) 📖

make no sense. Do
unconditional immoralists believe Christ is saying it is better for an immortal soul to
enter life in Heaven a “crippled” soul; “it is good for you to enter into life halt, rather
then having your two feet to be cast into hell [Greek-Gehenna]”? If Christ were
speaking of immortal souls entering life in Heaven or being cast into Hell, would there be
any way to say there will not be crippled souls in Heaven? These are symbolic words
teaching that if there is anything in our lives that would be in the way of entering into the
kingdom of Heaven we need to remove them; a person who uses drugs needs to repent, a
person who is a thief needs to repent.
THE FOURTH OCCASION
IN A SERMON TO THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES
Gehenna is used two times in a sermon to the Scribes and Pharisees warning them of
God's rejection of Israel. In Matthew 23 and 24 Christ speaks of the destruction of Israel.
"All these things shall come upon this generation" [Matthew 23:36]. The context of
these two uses of Gehenna are clearly an in time judgment of Israel, a judgment that
has now passed, not of anything that will be after the judgment at the coming of
Christ. THEY HAVE NO REFERENCE TO "HELL." The "damnation of Hell" as
it is preached today did not come on that "generation," but the judgment and
destruction of Israel did. "Damnation" is from krisis which means judgment, not
damnation as it is mistranslated in the King James Version, the "judgment of Gehenna,"
not the "damnation of Hell."
ISRAEL THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN Matthew 21:33-46: Before looking at this
use of Gehenna it may help understand it to first look at the parable of the wicked
husbandman that comes just before it and is a part of the same sermon spoken to the
Scribes and Pharisees. "When; therefore, the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he
do unto these husbandman? They say unto him, HE WILL MISERABLY DESTROY
THESE MISERABLE MEN, AND WILL LET OUT THE VINEYARD UNTO OTHER
HUSBANDMEN, who will render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus said unto them,
did you never read in the scriptures, the stone, which the builders rejected, the same was
made the head of the corner; this was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
THEREFORE SAY I UNTO YOU, THE KINGDOM OF GOD SHALL BE TAKEN
AWAY FROM YOU, AND SHALL BE GIVEN TO A NATION BRINGING FORTH THE
FRUITS THEREOF. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on
whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. AND WHEN THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND
PHARISEES HEARD HIS PARABLES, THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT HE WAS
SPEAKING ABOUT THEM." How is it that today most do not understand these
parables to be about Israel? Many parables deal with the rejection of Christ by Israel and
its destruction. See chapter 8, part 1, and part 2.
[1] SON OF GEHENNA: Matthew 23:15 "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become
so, you make him twofold more a son of hell [Greek-Gehenna] then yourselves." In
speaking to the Pharisees, Christ said, "For you are like unto whitewashed tombs, which
outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead man's bones, and of all
uncleanness" [Matthew 23:27]. The Scribes and Pharisees made their proselytes twofold
more a son of Gehenna than them selves [Matthew 23:15]. A place cannot give birth to a
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person. No one, not even those who believe in Hell believe Hell is literally the father or
mother of anyone. To call a person a son of a place is not to say that place is literally the
person’s mother, but is to say a part of his or her character is similar to the place.
Gehenna was a place of filth and uncleanness. To use the metaphors "son of Gehenna" is
to say they were unclean like the filthy city dump. To be a "son of Gehenna" means to be
like Gehenna and the things in it: to be filthy and contemptible fit only to be destroyed.
The proselytes were made twofold more unclean then the Pharisees. Because Gehenna
does not literally have sons, this is a figure of speech and not intended to be taken
literally not in this life or after death. James and John are called "sons of thunder" [Mark
3:17]. Thunder did not give birth to them, but a part of their character is similar to
thunder. "And if a son of peace be there" [Luke 10:6], "Son of exhortation" [Acts 4:36],
"Sons of disobedience" [Ephesians 2:2], "The son of destruction" [2 Thessalonians 2:3].
"The child of anything in Hebrew phraseology expressed the idea of special property which one
has in the thing specified, as, for instance, children of disobedience [Eph. ii. 2]" J W McGarvey,
Matthew 8:11, The Fourfold Gospel, Standard Publishing Company, 1914.
This metaphor is taken from the filth and uncleanness of Gehenna. Although this
passage is repeatedly used to prove eternal torment after death, there is nothing
about any torment in it, not in this lifetime or after death.
In the same address to the Scribes and Pharisees Christ gives two more examples of
their uncleanness.
1. They washed the outside of the cup to make it clean "but within they are full from
extortion and excess. You blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of
the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also" [Matthew 23:25-26].
2. They were like whitewashed graves "which appear beautiful, but inwardly are
full of dead man's bones, and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear
righteous unto men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" [Matthew
23:27-28]. Matthew 23:13-39 is a list of seven woes to the Scribes and Pharisees.
"Twofold more a son of Gehenna"
Matthew 23:15 is the second of the seven woes on the Scribes and Pharisees [Matthew
23:13-39].
1. Shut the kingdom of heaven against men and enter not in [Matthew 23:13-14].
2. Made their proselytes twofold more a son of Gehenna than them selves
[Matthew 23:15].
3. To swear by the temple is nothing [Matthew 23:16-22].
4. Left undone the weightier matters [Matthew 23: 23-24].
5. Within they are full of hypocrisy and iniquity, cleaned only the outside of the cup
[Matthew 23:25-26].
6. Are whitewashed tombs full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness [Matthew
23:17-28].
7. Are sons and partakers with their fathers that slew the prophets. "How shall
you escape the judgment of Gehenna"? [Matthew 23:29-39].
[2] JUDGMENT OF GEHENNA: Matthew 23:33-36 "Fill you up then the measure
of your fathers. You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how shall you escape the
judgment of hell [Greek-Gehenna]? Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and
wise men, and Scribes: some of them shall you kill and crucify; and some of them shall
you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: that upon you may come
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all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the
blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you slew between the sanctuary and the
altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation." Christ
had just told the Scribes and Pharisees they made their proselytes more a "SON of
Gehenna" more unclean than themselves; then He calls them "offspring [SONS of]
vipers," and "all these things (all the righteous blood from Abel to Zechariah) shall
come upon this generation." Matthew 23 is a discourse about the Scribes and the
Pharisees; many take one word of this discourse out of it context, then change one noun
to another noun, which is not in the Bible.
The Scribes and Pharisees knew the law, but did not keep it. Outwardly they were as
beautiful as white sepulchers, but inwardly were full of dead man's bones. They would
not escape the judgment to come. "Verily I say unto you, all these things SHALL
COME UPON THIS GENERATION" [Matthew 23:36]. Matthew 24 is a discourse to
His disciples about the destruction of Israel of which He had spoken of to the Pharisees in
the chapter before. That generation would not escape the judgment of Gehenna. It
came in A. D. 70 when some historians say Gehenna was filled with the dead bodies of
Jews from the destruction of Jerusalem [See Jeremiah 19]. To the Jews, to be left
unburied, to be judged as not being fit to be buried and thrown into the city dump just as
they were doing to those they judged as being unfit to be buried was the worse of all
insult. It was the most severe judgment of contempt upon a criminal known to the Jews.
In the judgment soon to come upon them Josephus said six hundred thousand dead bodies
of the Jews were carried out of Jerusalem and lift unburied.
"Condemnation," "damnation," and "damned"
Of the King James Version
The seventh woe of this lecture and warning to the Scribes and Pharisees is about the
judgment coming to them and on Israel. Why did the King James translators change
“THE JUDGMENT [krisis] OF GEHENNA” INTO “THE DAMNATION [krisis] OF
HELL” [Matthew 23:33]?
1. “Judgment of Gehenna” for Israel is changed to:
2. “Damnation of Hell” for all that “shall come upon this generation” [Matthew 23:36].
Krisis is used in the New Testament 48 times and translated "judgment" 41 times,
"damnation" 3 times, condemnation 2 times, accusation 2 times in the King James
Version. Did they think that if they put damnation with Hell that it would make the threat
of Hell stronger? Krisis should have never been translated damnation or condemnation.
In the American Standard Version Krisis is translated "judgment" 47 times, and "sin" one
time in Mark 3:29.
THE RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION [krisis] (KJV), JUDGMENT [krisis]
(ASV). "The resurrection of judgment (krisis)" [John 5:29] says nothing about an eternal
life of torment in Hell after the judgment although this passage is continually used to
prove eternal torment. The verdict of the judgment, if it be death, eternal life with
torment, or what ever it maybe, the verdict of the judgment is not in this passage. In an
attempt to put Hell in the Bible, the translators of the King James Version changed the
judgment and made it be the verdict of the judgment and made the verdict be what they
needed it to be.
John 5:29
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• "Unto the resurrection of damnation [krisis]" King James Version, New King
James Version.
• "Unto the resurrection of judgment [krisis]" American Standard Version
John 5:24
• "Shall not come into condemnation [krisis]" King James Version
• "Shall not come into judgment [krisis]" New King James Version, American
Standard Version
Matthew 23:33
• "Escape the damnation [krisis]" King James Version, New King James Version
• "Escape the judgment [krisis]" American Standard Version
John 3:19
• "And this is the condemnation [krisis]" King James Version, New King James
Version
• "And this is the judgment [krisis]" American Standard Version
If "krisis" means "damnation" then we are all in trouble for "It is appointed unto men
once to die, and after this comes damnation judgment (krisis)" [Hebrews 9:27]; judgment
will come to all, both the saved and the lost, but not damnation. When it is applied only
to the lost the King James translators translated "krisis" condemnation, but when it is
applied to all [Hebrews 9:27] they translated "krisis" judgment. Just one more example of
how they were willing to mistranslate to put "Hell" into the Bible. The American
Standard Version and most others do not translate "krisis" into condemnation or
damnation. TWO WORDS HAD TO BE CHANGED IN MATTHEW 23:33 TO PUT
TODAY'S HELL IN THE BIBLE. "JUDGMENT" HAD TO BE CHANGED TO
"DAMNATION" AND "GEHENNA"