Trouble With Hell
Thank you for your patience with me.
I’m having problems with the issue of hell burning for ever, everlasting destruction, and the comparison of it with the destruction of Sodom.
I haven’t listened to videos on the rapture; is it seen as separate from the second coming?
And where the Bible compares the rapture with Noah’s day, it looks like those taken at that time were taken by the flood.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: First, we will cover some “hell” questions in our podcast over the last part of Revelation 14 which is coming in a few weeks. Jesus is the one who taught about hell and the nature of hell more than any other Bible writer. Eternal punishment does not imply non-existence or annihilation. It requires consciousness.
The thing the Bible begins to correct is that sin is not just bad choices that break the law; we are literally born spiritually dead in sin, “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). We are born with the wrath of God resting on us, and if we do not believe, the wrath of God remains on us (Jn. 3:18, 36).
Our sin is against the eternal, holy God. It is so much bigger than our actions. We are born dead in sin; our sins are the inevitable fruit of our dead natures. The need of all of us is not to become good but to be made alive. If we do not believe, we remain dead in our sin. Jesus came and took the wrath of God in our place, and He thus broke the curse of death. When we trust Him, His blood cleanses us from all our sin. We are made spiritually alive and sealed with His own Spirit. We literally pass from death to life (Jn. 5:24).
The rapture is simply the catching up of the saints. The timing of the rapture is a more debatable subject; the Bible is not explicit in any one text about the exact timing of the rapture, but there are passages and texts that suggest the church is caught up at a different time before the tribulation. We do not undergo the wrath of God; Jesus took that on the cross for us.
The issue of the “rapture” in Noah’s day is actually more connected to Noah and his family being put in the ark so they did not have to endure the flood itself. Enoch, who lived before the flood, is an example of one who was raptured. He lived for 300 years, and then he “was not because God took him”. The Bible does not say he died, but that God simply “took him”.
The Bible actually never teaches an unconscious hell nor a temporary hell. Furthermore, the Old Testament does not give us the detail that the New Testament gives us because, as 2 Timothy 1:10 says, life and immortality have been brought to light by the gospel. Before Jesus came the questions about eternity and death and hell were less clear because Jesus had not yet paid the price for sin and broken its curse.
Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Recipe Needed!
I was recently listening to the Thanksgiving podcast from a couple of years ago and heard you talking about your bacon wrapped turkey tradition. Would you mind at all if you shared your recipe with me? I actually thought to myself that although I was a little late at the time to make the recipe for Thanksgiving day, I would love to make it for Christmas dinner. If you do mind sharing the recipe for any reason, then no worries at all. I just thought it’d be extra special to make your recipe since I kid you not, my mom and I both listen to the podcast almost every day. We love listening the new ones and re-listening to older ones. You and Nikki are both so dear to us. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you two, and the whole gang at FAF. Y’all have been used to bless us so richly. What a joy it is to stand securely in the freedom that Christ, and He alone provides, never to be shaken.
Also, would you and Nikki possibly consider and pray about doing a AMA? If you don’t feel led to do one, I totally understand. But I wanted to ask since I think an Ask Me Anything episode would be incredibly insightful and engaging. I know the FAF audience would love to hear y’all’s biblically-rooted opinions and thoughts regarding our questions. Just an idea that came to mind.
Personally, my question would be, what portions of Scripture are some of the most relevant to be praying over our Adventist loved ones? I know it’s only the Holy Spirit who can ultimately convict them. As you and Nikki have said, praying Scripture is powerful and is a sure way to ask God to move in the hearts of those we’re praying for.
—VIAL EMAIL
Response: Thank you so much for writing!
First, yes. I believe we could do an AMA—we would actually enjoy that! We can ask for questions from the audience. Thank you for the suggestion.
Second, I don’t think you can go wrong praying any Scripture for your Adventist loved ones. One passage that comes to my mind is 2 Timothy 2:25, 26:
…with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses [and escape] from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
You can also pray that these words (as well as many others!) will become true for them:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to [obtain] an inheritance [which is] imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1Pe 1:3-5).
Third, I’ll gladly share my bacon-wrapped “recipe”. I leaned to do this from my DIL—the wife of our older son.
It’s very simple: for a 20–22 lb turkey, I get three to four pounds of regular bacon. It (surprisingly) sticks to the turkey, and I just lay the bacon on the bird and press it down. I overlap the pieces so all the exposed skin is covered.
I also put fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, and sage) under the breast skin and also put herbs and onions and celery and butter in the cavity. I also pat olive oil and seasoning salt over the skin before adding the bacon. I’ll attach a picture of the bird BEFORE baking so you get an idea of how the bacon overlaps and covers the turkey. It’s delicious! Oh, I put a foil tent over the bird, put a meat thermometer into the fattest part of the breast, and then put it in the oven overnight at 300°. It takes about 10 or 10 1/2 hours to cook a big bird at that temperature. I do have a convection fan in my oven…that MIGHT cut the cooking time down a bit.
Here is a picture.
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