Review of Movie: Hellbound

When we first discovered that the documentary movie Hellbound was showing in a theatre near us, and the Director Kevin Miller, would be there, we were quite excited about going.  I had checked the web site to find out more about it, and discovered that some well-known names had been interviewed and were part of the movie.  They were people like Ray Comfort, Bob Larson, Brad Jersak, William Paul Young (author of The Shack), and Chad Holtz (more about him later), and others I had heard about, but didn’t know that much about.  So we thought the movie would present a balanced and Biblical view of hell, as it seemed to indicate on their webpage, sprinkled with other trains of thought that might disagree with the Bible.  We were so wrong. 

The movie began with an attention grabber, interviewing members from Westboro Baptist Church, who are picketing at Ground Zero in New York, with their “hate” propaganda.  Of course, you couldn’t take anything they said seriously (since most of what they said was confusing to begin with), and also since many believe they are an extremist group, and some claim they are a cult.  Then when it got to Ray Comfort, it showed him asking a young man questions about ever lying, cheating, and so on, but important parts of the significance of admitting those sins, had been omitted.  In other words, when Ray Comfort asks people these questions, he does it to point out that we have all sinned in some way (and that no one is good enough on their own), and we are all in need of a Savior if we want to make it into heaven.  This part was omitted.

Most of the men and women interviewed took the view that there is no such thing as eternal torment, and that hell, as we know it, does not exist.  Very few, if any Scriptures were used, and most of the comments were based on their personal and emotional feelings, and what they personally thought, rather than what the Bible had to say.  One of the people interviewed tried to explain hell away by saying whatever mention of hell there is in the Bible is a place on earth called Gehenna.  The name means “valley of Hinnom,” a form of the Hebrew word GE-HINNOM found in Joshua 18:16.  It is supposedly a valley found to the west and south of ancient Jerusalem (see Joshua 15:8; 18:16; Jeremiah 19:2,6).  It had been the place where humans were sacrificed by fire for the idolatrous worship of the pagan god Molech (see 2 Chr. 28:3; 2 Chr. 33:6).  The Universalists (most, not all, of the people being interviewed) believe that ANY mention of Gehenna in the Bible, including Jesus reference to it in the New Testament, refers to this geographical place mentioned in the Old Testament, and that it was a past event.  But according to trusted Biblical scholars, when Jesus made reference to hell (Gehenna), He used it 11 times in reference to a FUTURE time.  Therefore, the Universalists are wrong because they omit the important fact that it is also a FUTURE place of torment (hell) for all those who do not believe in Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation.  Also, the big problem with this argument that Gehenna is a place on earth and does not refer to a FUTURE place of torment, is that they don’t explain the many mentions of hell in the Book of Revelation, a FUTURE time in the history of the world, and a time we have yet to experience.  Therefore, if they had taken this one reference to hell and simply said it was used metaphorically based on a past historical series of events, you would have to question everything else they said from that point on. 

Another interesting  thing to note was that little mention was made of salvation and the great price Jesus paid for our sins so that we could be saved, and spared from eternal separation from God.  In other words, if the gospel was discussed at all, it was a minimal part of the documentary, and not presented as anything really significant.  I began to wonder what was the real point of the film, but as it neared the end, it became crystal clear that the stance of the movie, was to try and convince people not to worry, they wouldn’t be going to hell, and what a ridiculous belief to begin with.  In other words, if you believe in a literal hell, and that it is a place of torment, then you are sadly mistaken, a good and loving God would never “send” anyone there.  And such is their misguided human logic. 

After the movie, the Director showed up, and wanted people to ask questions about the movie.  My husband and I knew we had to share, since we have been lovingly contending with the Universalists for months now, trying to shed some Biblical light on their mistaken anti-Biblical views about hell.  Out of all the people in the audience, we were the only ones that challenged him with Scripture, and he was not able to answer us, but quickly moved on to answer the questions of others.  We had also pointed out that Chad Holtz, one of the people being interviewed who once denied that hell is real, had undergone a complete change of mind and heart.  We said that he no longer believes that hell is not real, but emphatically and publicly states that he was wrong, and that he believes it is real.

What was alarming to me, is that since my husband and I were the only ones that actually quoted the Bible from the audience in the theatre, is that perhaps people no longer really know what they believe because they are not reading the Bible and asking God for revelation to reveal His truths to them.  I also wondered if maybe the audience were not Bible-believing Christians, or they did not have a grasp of the Bible, and therefore, would not know what to ask, or perhaps were afraid to speak up.  This is one of the biggest issues I have been writing about for months now in my blogs:  READ YOUR BIBLE so that you will not be led astray by false doctrines.  I mentioned it in yesterday’s blogs and I talked about freedom of speech and how long do we have until we can no longer proclaim the Gospel message?  I can see that if someone in that audience who did not know their Bible or perhaps wasn’t sure about what Scripture means when it talks about hell, they could easily be led astray by the deluge of “feelings” and “personal thoughts” (biased at best and highly subjective), by so-called learned men who may have written a book, could quite easily be convinced that maybe these Universalists are right.

Who are we going to believe?  The Lord, or the confused opinions of a few men who perhaps have fallen away from the truth, or one wonders if they ever really knew the God of the Hebrew Bible in the first place?  That is Chad Holtz’s testimony.  He knew that a year ago when he was a pastor of a church and asked to step down because he no longer believed in hell, that at that time, he never really knew the Lord.  But the Lord had great mercy on him and his eyes were opened to the truth, and now he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt – he is forgiven and saved, and yes, there is a literal hell.  Read Chad’s testimony here.

I feel that the verses I quoted in yesterday’s blog bear repeating here:

2Ti 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort  with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2Ti 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The task to proclaim God’s Word feels enormous, especially when someone has released such a movie, hoping to change people’s minds about the Truth of the Bible.  I do not recommend this movie, since although it is entertaining, is laced with anti-Biblical notions that only serve to confuse the unsuspecting and anyone not well-versed in the Bible as the Holy Spirit reveals His Word. 

I also encourage you to download my recent book, NO FEAR OF HELL.  In it are many references to hell as an actual and literal place, and it will challenge you to search God’s Word and find out for yourself the truth about hell. 

Freedom: How much time do we have?

Recently, I was reading the news online, and discovered a story about a newly appointed Chief of Police in our city who believes in prayer.  A former chaplain, he said that he believed prayer would decrease the crime rates in the city. A couple of university professors responded to the effect that they didn’t think “religion” should have anything to do with politics.  Most people who commented responded favourably and I would assume most of them were dedicated Christian believers.  In fact, the naysayers were far outnumbered.  I went back to the article a couple of hours later, and noticed that the online newspaper had completely changed the article, and seemed to be trying to capitalize on just the religious aspects of the article.  In fact, they had deleted all the previous comments, most of them being from the believers who were pleased with the new Chief’s stance on prayer.  In this second article, the naysayers were trying to take over the comment forum, and were making typically snide, insulting, disrespectful comments about the new Chief of Police’s stance on prayer.

All of this brought to mind our current freedom of speech in Canada.  The Chief of Police, or anyone else for that matter, currently has the right and freedom to speak their beliefs.   But alarmingly, for Christians, the door seems to be narrowing more and more, and we know where this is coming from.  Satan is on the rampage and wants us to keep our mouths shut!  For this reason, I believe we need to be more and more vocal, and get the Word of God out there any way we can.  There are several ways to do this:  directly from our mouth, tracts, online forums, books, articles, blogs, wherever media is involved.  In addition, many believe we are in the last days, and false prophets and false doctrines will be more common, and they will try to lead as many astray as possible from the Truth of God’s Word.  Notice verse 3 and 4 in the following: 

2Ti 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort  with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2Ti 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

It’s time to speak up, and not shrink back!  The time is so short, and we must take every opportunity, and not get too busy or too tired to do the Lord’s work. 

Mar 8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

 

And when we speak, we need to speak the powerful Word of God, and it will not return void.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Let’s remember we are not of this world, and we are only here temporarily on special assignment for the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

2Co 5:18  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

2Co 5:19  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

2Co 5:20  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.  NIV

Today, may we seek to be faithful to this important calling while we can still do so with freedom of speech.

The Purposes of Pain

Today I know there are many people who are suffering with pain and illness.  They may be praying believers, but still, their pain and illness persists.  They may have gone to the doctor, but not even the doctor is able to help.  Many times we wonder why we have to suffer, especially if we feel we have been trying to do a good work with our lives, and now this pain and illness has come along, and is so persistent, we can hardly make it through the day.  In the past couple of weeks the Lord has allowed me to also go through a trying time with my physical health, which is something quite rare for me.  I came down with a cold that lasted far longer than I thought it would.  At around the same time a very strange sore appeared in my mouth.  Just before the sore appeared, I could feel the left side of my mouth and jaw stiffen up as if I had been struck by something.  I wondered if one of my teeth was in trouble, and this would not be good news since all my insurance has run out!  Normally I would have seen a doctor or a dentist, but this time I waited.  I kept praying about what to do and the Lord responded to me immediately.   

One of the first things he told me was that it was nothing to worry about and it would go away on its own.  I was at peace with that.  But as time wore on and the days began to number, the sore did not go away, and I began to wonder if I had heard from God.  Every time I'd look at the sore on my gums, I'd feel a sense of panic as many things crossed my mind.  So the Lord told me that each time I looked at the sore, I was to pray for someone else.  One day I did this every time I looked at it.  Many people were prayed for that day, and I was not focusing on the sore, which wouldn't have helped things anyway. 

The other thing the Lord was teaching me is the importance of continuing to do HIS WORK in spite of my own discomfort and fears.  So each day I busied myself preparing or doing something for someone else.  All the while, I was struggling with the cold as well, and feeling quite run down.  But it is really true; the Lord gave me strength for the day because I was working for Him.  The verse, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9), went through my mind over and over again.  The other verse that came to me is My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness, (2 Corinthians 12:9).  God wants to show His power through us, and He can only do this when we are empty of our own strength.  That is why in the next verse (10), Paul says Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  Every time I allowed myself to fret and fear about my physical ailments, God was not getting the glory.  God must get the glory in everything, even when and especially when we are weak, frail, afraid and in need.  Later on, Paul says in Galatians 6:14, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God gets the glory instead of Paul (especially if he had a problem-free life and tried to take credit for it).    

I learned through this that even though Satan will use our weaknesses to try and get us to focus on them instead of our great Lord, the Lord also allows us to go through things to teach us His amazing and awesome ways.  Many times it is exactly what I was going through - to learn to keep doing His will even when I'd rather wallow in my pain and focus on my fears (or any other besetting problem as far as that goes).  I also learned that God uses our weaknesses to grow us.  Do we really think that growing comes without pain?  And do we really believe that our service to Him begins only when all of our problems disappear?   

To sum it up, when it was well into the second week the sore seemed to be getting worse, and one day I ended up in a dreaded state of fear after noticing how big the sore had gotten.  I decided to go and see a doctor the following day.   My mother and my husband prayed very hard for me that night.  I went to bed and thought how strange I should feel so completely peaceful.  I went to sleep and woke up rested (a rare thing).  In the morning there was the sore as big as it had been the night before.  I got up and as I started to get ready for the day, I thought I'd pray a different way - I thought of the time Jesus cursed the fig tree and it died, so I thought I'd try that - I cursed the sore in my mouth and then said, "Help me Jesus."  I no sooner turned around, and felt the sore, then looked at it and it had already shrunk.  What a miracle!  I got in to see a doctor and was able to get in within the hour (another miracle).  He looked at it and said it was nothing to worry about.   

The lesson I learned above all is that God has promised to heal and provide, but we must continue to do His work and His will in order to live victorious above and beyond all our troubles and woes.  We shouldn't wait for things to be perfect before we do the Lord's work and will (this has to do with helping and thinking of and loving others).  It is the only way we can rise above our own flesh and its many demands. 

The other verse that meant a lot to me during those difficult 14 or 15 days is this: 

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

For me the "ALL THESE THINGS" was healing.  Praise be to God! I am so thankful for what I learned during this difficult time, and so pleased to be able to pass it on to you so that you can take heart and feel encouraged as you go through your own particular trials.