Word Of Life Church – wolc.com

[David]

Apokatastasis (alternately apocatastasis from Greek: ἀποκατάστασις; literally, "restoration"
or "return") is the teaching that everyone will, in the end, be saved. It looks toward the
ultimate reconciliation of good and evil; all creatures endowed with reason, angels
and humans, will eventually come to a harmony in God's kingdom. It is based on,
among other things, St. Peter's speech in Acts 3.21 ("Christ Jesus who must
remain in heaven until the time of the final restoration of all things
χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων") and St. Paul's letter 
to Timothy in which he says that it is God's will 
for all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2.4).
Excerpted, Adapted and Abridged

"For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final
[restoration] of all things, as God promised long ago
through his holy prophets." Acts 3:21
New Living Translation

Word Of Life Church
3902 NE Riverside Road,
St. Joseph, Missouri 64505

https://wolc.com

“What we believe has been handed down to us from Christians
who lived long ago. We believe what the church has believed
from the beginning. The simplest summation of these beliefs
can be found in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.”

https://wolc.com/who-we-are/what-we-believe/

Way Maker
Passion 2020 Live
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David

[David]

Brian Zahnd, Pastor

"Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word Of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. As the lead pastor he is the primary preacher during our weekend services, and he oversees the direction of the church. Pastor Brian is a passionate reader of theology and philosophy, an avid hiker and mountain climber, and authority on all things Bob Dylan. He and his wife, Peri, have three adult sons and seven grandchildren. He is the author of several books, including Unconditional?, Beauty Will Save the World, A Farewell To Mars, Water To Wine, Sinners In The Hands Of A Loving God, and Postcards From Babylon.”

Sinners In The Hands Of A Loving God

Book description from Amazon:

Pastor Brian Zahnd began "to question the theology of a wrathful God who delights in punishing sinners, and has started to explore the real nature of Jesus and His Father. The book isn’t only an interesting look at the context of some modern theological ideas; it’s also offers some profound insight into God’s love and eternal plan." —Relevant Magazine (Named one of the Top 10 Books of 2017)

God is wrath? Or God is Love?

In his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Puritan revivalist Jonathan Edwards shaped predominating American theology with a vision of God as angry, violent, and retributive. Three centuries later, Brian Zahnd was both mesmerized and terrified by Edwards’s wrathful God. Haunted by fear that crippled his relationship with God, Zahnd spent years praying for a divine experience of hell.
 
What Zahnd experienced instead was the Father’s love—revealed perfectly through Jesus Christ—for all prodigal sons and daughters.

In Sinners In The Hands Of A Loving God, Zahnd asks important questions like: Is seeing God primarily as wrathful towards sinners true or biblical? Is fearing God a normal expected behavior? And where might the natural implications of this theological framework lead us?
 
Thoughtfully wrestling with subjects like Old Testament genocide, the crucifixion of Jesus, eternal punishment in hell, and the final judgment in Revelation, Zanhd maintains that the summit of divine revelation for sinners is not God is wrath, but God is Love.

Read more here.
https://brianzahnd.com/2015/07/sinners-in-the-hands-of-a-loving-god/

Buy on Amazon here.
https://www.amazon.com/Sinners-Hands-Loving-God-Scandalous/dp/1601429517

Follow his blog at.
https://brianzahnd.com/

David

[David]

 

ORDINARY TIME 2023: FALLING SPARROWS,
NUMBERED HAIRS, AND THE
DREAD OF GEHENNA

Description:

Jesus says that we should not fear those who revile us or even those who can only kill the body. Jesus says that the Father's care for us is so deep that we need not fear. But Jesus also says we should fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. What does this mean and who is Jesus talking about?

Cory Asbury - Sparrows
(Lyric Video)

David

[David]

Valley of Hinnom, Gehenna

Gehenna, Hell on Earth

Dr Andrew Corbett looks at Gehenna, Hell on Earth.
This is part 16 in a 200 part series on the
book and prophet Jeremiah:
Click Here For The Video

What is the Fire of Gehenna?

Many Christians do not know that a place called "hell fire" does not exist
at all but is merely a false translation of the Bible. Understanding
the Fire of Gehenna is big step toward understanding
God's plan of salvation for all mankind.
Click Here For The Video

Discover the Historical Site of Hell

Premiered Jul 15, 2020 – “GEY BEN HINNOM PARK”. Deep in the Biblical Valley,
at the lowest point in Jerusalem, lies the ancient Valley of Hinnom –
the historical site of hell. Are you brave enough to go down? 
Join Doron and James as they journey into the
depths and emerge into the light.
Click Here For The Video

Graves Into Gardens
Elevation Worship Live
Click Here For The Video

David

[David]

Jesus Did NOT Preach More About Hell Than Anything Else

By Keith Giles

You hear it all the time: “No one spoke more about Hell than Jesus!”

But, is that true? Is Jesus really our primary source for the doctrine of Hell?

No.

And yes.

It’s complicated.

On the one hand, yes, Jesus is where those who teach the Doctrine of Eternal Torment go to most often for verses that support their view. That is true. So, in one sense one could affirm that “No one spoke more about Hell than Jesus!” in as much as the verses used to prove that view are taken from the mouth of Jesus.

However….

When Jesus talks about places where “the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched”, and when he describes that place where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” where “the smoke rises forever and ever,” what Jesus is talking about is NOT about what happens to anyone after they die.

How do I know this? Because the Bible tells me so.

Just look at Old Testament prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and others and you’ll see them using the exact same language that Jesus does. But, here’s the thing: None of those prophets are using those phrases to describe what happens to anyone after they die.

So, what ARE they describing? In every single case, those Old Testament prophets used that exact language – known as “Apocalyptic Hyperbole” – to warn people of an imminent attack of an invading army that would destroy their city and take them captive into slavery.

For example:

“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the
men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not
die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
(Isaiah 66:24)

This is about an actual, literal destruction. It does not describe a spiritual judgement. It describes, in very poetic terms, what would happen when those armies invaded and destroyed the people in that land.

So, when Jesus uses that same language [in Mark 9:43-48] to warn the Jewish people of his day about the coming invasion of Jerusalem by the Roman armies [which he did in the Olivet Discourse and which happened about 40 years later in AD 70, exactly as he warned them it would], he is not speaking about what happens to anyone after they are dead.

This language is always reserved for warning real people about real-world destruction that will take place in their lifetime.

Not only that, but the context of Isaiah chapters 60-66 (where this verse above is found), references the coming of the Messiah, the destruction of the temple, and the inauguration of the New Covenant—all of which have already been fulfilled.

As author and New Testament scholar Steve Gregg demonstrates:

“That these events have a first-century fulfillment was the view of the New Testament writers, who often quoted from this section, invariably applying its statements to their own times.” [See “All You Want to Know About Hell” by Steve Gregg].

He then goes on to provide examples:
• Isaiah 61:1-2 fulfilled in Luke 4:18
• Isaiah 61:11 fulfilled in Mark 4:28
• Isaiah 65:1-2 fulfilled in Romans 10:20-21
• Isaiah 65:13-14 fulfilled in Luke 6:20-25
• Isaiah 66:1-2 fulfilled in Acts 7:49-50
• Isaiah 66:20 fulfilled in Romans 15:169

So, this passage in Isaiah 66:24 that Jesus quotes in Mark 9:43-48 is about an event which has already taken place in 70 AD, when the Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Romans. It’s not about what happens to anyone’s soul after they are dead.

Every other reference Jesus seems to be making about a place of Eternal Torment can be traced back to this same misunderstanding of Apocalyptic Hyperbole. Jesus is not describing what happens to anyone after they die. Jesus is describing the fate of people alive at the time if they did not repent of their desire to rebel against the Romans and bring about the Kingdom of God by force.

So, the truth is this: No one spoke more about the coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 than Jesus. And no one in the New Testament is more misquoted on the topic of Eternal Torment than Jesus who never actually had anything at all to say about such a thing.

Why? Because not only did Jesus not believe it, he knew that this was not taught anywhere in the Old Covenant scriptures and that the idea had crept into Judaism from pagan sources and corrupted the Jewish people’s idea of who God was and what God was like.

**

Keith’s book, “Jesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment” released in Nov. 9, 2019 on Amazon and features a Foreword by author Brad Jersak.

Keith Giles was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church [more than] 11 years ago, to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today, He and his wife [live in] El Paso, TX after 25 years, as part of their next adventure. [Updated]

David

[David]

“You must learn to accept your weakness, your own poverty, and your own limitations, especially when the going gets rough. It is just through your weakness that our Savior can do his work (2Cor.12:9). He can manage what you cannot!... It’s often better not to get too involved in other people’s affairs, wanting to have a say in everything, because most of the time we don’t really know what the right step is. In the end, only God can work things out. Especially where there is sickness, poverty, or strongholds of temptation, you will have to realize your helplessness. You don’t need to be a knight in shining armor who is all set to kill the devil – no, we must learn to step back in faith and hope and keep the power of Jesus firmly in the center.” by Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (1842–1919) from the book, Everyone Belongs to God.

“This provocative book, based on a recently uncovered collection of 100-year-old letters from a famous pastor to his son-in-law, a missionary in China, will upend pretty much everyone’s assumptions about what it means to give witness to Christ. Blumhardt challenges us to find something of God in every person, to befriend people and lead them to faith without expecting them to become like us, and to discover where Christ is already at work in the world. This is truly good news: No one on the planet is outside the love of God.” Description Excerpt

I Speak Jesus
Charity Gayle Live
Click Here For The Video

David

[David]

The Mark Of The Beast: Revealed!

By Keith Giles

When it comes to the book of Revelation there are ultimately two camps: Futurists (who believe the book tells us something about future events that have not happened yet) and Preterists (who believe the book told First Century Christians about events that would “soon come to pass” in their lifetime).

I am not a Futurist. As such, I read the book of Revelation as a prophecy about events that have already taken place (from our perspective) and were fulfilled soon after John wrote them during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Because of my perspective, I do not believe that the “Mark of the Beast” has anything to do with current or future events. So, when friends of mine post links to Facebook about a new computer chip that allows people to store their medical records, or purchase products by placing the chip under a scanner, I do not equate this with the end of the world, the rise of the Anti-Christ, or the Mark of the Beast.

Since people seem to be very interested in this topic, I wanted to at least provide a different perspective to help balance things out a bit.

The Mark of the Beast

When John wrote the epistle of Revelation to the seven churches, he made it very clear – on numerous occasions – that the prophecies contained in his letter were to take place “soon”.

For example: In verse 1, John says: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place….”

In verse 3 he says: “…. and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

John uses specific words in the Greek throughout his epistle which mean: “Shortly”, “Without delay”, “Soon”, “In a short time”, “Near”, “About to”, etc.

There can be little doubt, therefore, that the First Century Christians who received and read John’s letter understood at least one thing: They were reading about events that were about to happen very, very soon.

Keeping this in mind, let’s see if we can identify “The Beast” from Revelation. First, since John is writing to First Century Christians about events that were about to happen quickly, then we can be sure that “The Beast” was a contemporary of John.

Secondly, John describes this as either a person (Rev. 13:18), or as several people (Rev. 17:10), or as a government or kingdom (Rev. 17:9).

First Century Christians would have been very familiar with Old Testament references in Daniel to the Four Beasts (Dan. 7:17) which corresponded to Four Kingdoms or Empires. Therefore those readers would have known that John’s references to “The Beast” in his letters pointed to the Empire of their own day – The Roman Empire.

But what about the person who is referred to as “The Beast”?

Since the Apostle John was writing this letter from captivity on the Island of Patmos, he reverted to code which his readers (Jewish Christians) would understand easily but his captors (The Romans) would not. Note also that, as a prisoner of Rome, he wouldn’t want to come right out and write anything negative about the Emperor or the Government that held him captive – for obvious reasons. This is why, when he wants to let Christians know that “The Beast” is the Emperor Nero, he would say:

“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Rev. 13:18)

The Hebrew spelling of “Nero Caesar” was NRWN QSR. Since Hebrew letters doubled as numbers it was a simple thing to take that name and add them together which adds up exactly to 666. [Example: N = 50 R = 200 W = 6 N =50 Q = 100 S = 60 R = 200]

One fascinating variant of this same passage notes that “Some manuscripts read: 616” rather than 666. Why? Because when Revelation was later copied into Latin the name Nero Caesar didn’t add up to 666, it added up to 616. So, to make it easier for those later Latin-speaking (non Hebrew reading) Christians to arrive at the same conclusion the number was changed to 616 in certain translations.

Want more proof? Ok. In Revelation 17:9-10 John tells us:

“Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.”

You’ve probably heard that the “seven mountains” correspond to the seven hills of Rome. However, did you know that the seven kings also point to Nero as “The Beast”? They do. Because John tells us that: “Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come and when he comes, he must remain a little while.”

According to Josephus, the Roman historian, Julius Caesar was the first king, followed by August, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius. The sixth king? That was Nero. So, he is the “one (who) is”.

The seventh king – the one who followed Nero – was Galba, and as John prophesied, he reigned for a short time (about seven months).

Nero, as the sixth king of Rome, was the first to persecute Christians in the First Century. He started persecuting them in November of 64 AD and ended on June 8, 68 AD when he killed himself. That was 42 months of persecution. Notice what John says about “The Beast”:

“And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty-two months was given him.” (Rev. 13:5)

Coincidence? I think not. Clearly John is going out of his way to let his readers know that “The Beast” had a name that, in the Hebrew, added up to a number (666) and that he was the sixth, and current king of Rome, and that his persecution would last exactly 42 months. What could be more clear than this?

Extra-Biblical Proof

Nero was also called “The Beast” by contemporary pagan writer Apollinius of Tyana, who said of Nero:

“In my travels…I have seen many wild beasts of Arabia and India; but this beast, that is commonly called a Tyrant, I know not how many heads it has, nor if it be crooked of claw, and armed with horrible fangs…. And of wild beasts you cannot say that they were ever known to eat their own mother, but Nero gorged himself on this diet.”

Note that Nero murdered his own parents, and his brother, and his pregnant wife, in addition to several other family members.

We also have evidence from the Romans that Nero enjoyed dressing up as a wild beast and raping male and female prisoners.

Still not convinced? Consider that all of the earliest Church Fathers from Irenaeus in the First Century, all the way through to St. Beatus in the 8th century agreed that “The Beast” was Nero.

Buying and Selling?

Roman citizens were required to publicly claim allegiance to Caesar by burning incense in his honor and proclaiming that “Caesar is Lord”. Those who did this received a document that allowed them to buy and sell in the marketplace. Without it, no one could purchase anything. Therefore, the “Mark of the Beast” – or the document that showed your allegiance to Nero as Lord – was required to buy and sell if you lived during the time when John wrote his epistle to the seven churches.

None of those Christians who read Revelation were confused about what John meant by this. It was already happening to them.

In Conclusion: The Mark of the Beast is not a microchip. It is not a barcode. It is not your credit card. The Beast was Emperor Nero. The Mark of the Beast was “the number of his name” which added up to 666. We’re told that The Beast would reign in terror for 42 months and Nero’s persecution of the Church lasted exactly 42 months.

**

Keith’s book, “Jesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment” released in Nov. 9, 2019 on Amazon and features a Foreword by author Brad Jersak.

Keith Giles was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church [more than] 11 years ago, to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today, He and his wife [live in] El Paso, TX after 25 years, as part of their next adventure. [Updated]

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment. But he who fears
has not been made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18 NKJV

Fear Is A Liar
Zach Williams Live
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David

[David]

What Does The Bible Teach About Hell?

The Number Of Times "Hell" Appears In These English Bible Translations

                    Bible Translations                             Old Testament      New Testament     Total

1. King James Version *                                                    31                           23                    54

2. New King James Version *                                            19                           13                    32

3. New International Version                                                                          14                     14           

4. American Standard Version                                                                         13                     13

5. New American Standard Bible                                                                     13                     13

6. Revised English Bible                                                                                   13                     13

7. New Living Translation                                                                                 13                    13

8. Amplified                                                                                                     13                     13

9. Revised Standard Version                                                                            12                     12

10. New Revised Standard Version                                                                   12                     12

11. Darby                                                                                                           12                     12

12. New Century Version                                                                                    12                     12

"Hell" Does NOT Appear In These English Bible Translations

13. Young's Literal Translation (1891)   

14. Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (reprinted, 1902)   

15. Fenton's Holy Bible in Modern English (1903)   

16. New American Bible (1970)      

17. Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible (1976)   

18. Christian Bible (1991)      

19. World English Bible (2022 Update)    

20. The New Testament, A Translation (Dr. David Bently Hart, 2017 & 2023)   

21. Wesley's New Testament (1755)      

22. Scarlett's New Testament (1798)      

23. The New Testament in Greek and English (Kneeland, 1823)      

24. Twentieth Century New Testament (1900)      

25. Weymouth's New Testament in Modern Speech (1903)      

26. Panin's Numeric English New Testament (1914)      

27. The People's New Covenant (Overbury, 1925)      

28. Hanson's New Covenant (1884)      

29. Western New Testament (1926)      

30. New Testament of our Lord and Savior Anointed (Tomanek, 1958)      

31. Concordant Literal New Testament (1983)      

32. The New Testament, A Translation (Clementson, 1938)      

33. Emphatic Diaglott, Greek/English Interlinear (Wilson, 1942)      

34. The New Testament, A New Translation (Greber, 1980)      

35. Orthodox Jewish Brit Chadasha [New Testament only]      

36. Zondervan Parallel New Testament in Greek and English (1975)**      

37. Interlinear NASB-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English (1993)**      

38. Interlinear Greek-English New Testament (Berry,1897)**      

39. Jewish Publication Society Bible Old Testament (1917)         

40. Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, Old Testament (1985)   
      

* The KJV and the NKJV are the only two translations in the list above to use "hell" in the Old Testament. Even the NKJV, which was only supposed to modernize the English words of the traditional "King James Version," took many "hell" references out. The use of the word "hell" is decreasing. The NKJV, RSV, ASV, NRSV, and NASB are all technically revisions of the original KJV. From 54 times to 32 and then to 12 or 13 times. Maybe the next revision will bring it in line with the many Bibles which have eliminated the pagan word "hell" all together. 

** A note about the Parallel Interlinears. This is referring to the word-for-word translations beneath the Greek in these works, NOT the English versions which are also in these reference works. Obviously the versions in these books (NIV, NASB, and KJV) contain the word "hell" as many times as they normally would. (Excerpted, Adapted and Abridged)

Click Here For The Answer

David

[David]

Is "Hell" Biblical?
(Eternal Conscious Torment)

Click Here For The Answer

14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all,
then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer
for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NKJV

Jesus,
Savior of All
By Bobby Marz
Click Here For The Video

David