Outer Darkness and Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth is Not Hell?
Tony Evans taught in his article "Rewards For Christians," that the punishment Jesus promised for the unprofitable servant in Matthew 25: 14-30 is not about hell:
But those Christians who are unfaithful (Matt. 25:28-30) will have their rewards taken from them and given to those who were faithful, and, and they will be cast into "outer darkness," the place where there shall be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." The "outer darkness" described in this passage is not a description of hell, but is likely a lesser status in God's kingdom. Unfaithful Christians will see more diligent Christians rule and reign with Christ. Seeing that they could have had much greater reward and prominence in God's kingdom, these unfaithful stewards will weep and gnash their teeth in deep remorse and regret." (p 1234)
Tony Evans stated that part of heaven is hellish!
Just like in the phony "two books of life" teaching, the unconditional eternal security teaching is being forced onto scripture to the point of even taking verses that are obviously about the judgment of hell for unfaithful Christians and turning them inside out to make them mean the opposite of what they actually say.
Hell is not only a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, and tormenting flames, but it is also a place of blackness of darkness. (See Jude 1:6, 13) God created hell for the devil and his angels, and he had no problem making a place of fire and brimstone be a place of blackness and darkness too.
Even though hell was created specifically for the devil and his angels (demons) many, many more people will go there than will go to heaven because they will not repent and believe the gospel and thus be reconciled to God. Satan hates God with a passion, and also hates man, who is made in the image of God, and thus wants to deceive as many as possible into going to hell too.
What is really sobering is that he knows the Bible means exactly what it says it means, and so one of his strategies is to beguile God's people into thinking that God does not really mean what is written in his word. Is it any wonder he works so hard to get Christians to follow Eve's example and say, "Yea, hath God said?"
Weeping and gnashing of teeth has absolutely no other meaning than what the Bible makes it out to be: weeping and being in such excruciating pain that one's teeth are clenched (gnashed) together! The place where this goes on is in hell, NOT heaven. (Please check the five verses in the King James Bible where the phrase, "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is used. None of these places refers to heaven or any part of heaven: Matt. 8:12, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30, Lk 13:28)
There is no blackness in heaven and in fact, it is so light that no candle or sun is needed: "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." Rev. 22:5
I think it is blasphemous to take a verse with phrases that clearly show it is referring to hell and to say that "this is not a description of hell but is likely a description of a lesser status in God's kingdom." Blasphemy is attributing to God that which is not agreeable to his nature. Tony Evan's article attributes to God's kingdom that which is not agreeable to its nature! Darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth are being attributed to God's holy heaven where the Lord God himself giveth them light, and where God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more pain. (Rev. 21:4)
This will be for another article, but over and over in the Holy Bible, believers are warned about what sins they can partake in that will ensure they will not inherit the kingdom of God. Eternal life is a hope as well as a present possession. We must endure to the end to be saved.
Satan wants you to believe that you do not have to obey Jesus Christ-- that as a son of God, you are as sure of heaven as if you are already there! God's Word says "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom. 8:14 Jesus Christ is not a minister of sin, although Satan and his teachers would like you to believe that.
Christians will be cut off if they do not continue in his goodness. (See Rom. 11:22) Believers are commanded to behold both the goodness and the severity of God. This parable of the unprofitable servant is a perfect example of the severity of God because the servant (the believer) did not "continue is his goodness;" instead, he buried his talent (did not serve God with the grace he was given) and was cast into outer darkness.
In these perilous times of outright apostasy we must be all the more diligent to take God at his Word. Satan wants us to be deceived into thinking we cannot understand the Bible and we must have some spiritual "authority" tell us what the Bible really means. Whoever tells you the Bible does not mean what it says is not a spiritual authority figure. The Bible is for you and for me to read and believe. We will answer for how we have lived in light of God's Word, and we will not be permitted to hide under the excuse that someone misled us, and expect God to not execute the judgment he promised in His Holy Word. God will perform his Word, regardless of whether we believe it or not. He is holding you and I responsible to read and obey his written word.
We must not fall for today's oft-repeated lie that the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us from all sin even if we do not walk in the light. God's Word is clear: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John. 1:7
Tim LaHaye Says the Unprofitable Servant is Not a True Disciple
P.S. Tim LaHaye has a different comment on the the parable about the unprofitable servant: "The fact that the latter man is called "wicked and slothful" and an "unprofitable servant" (v. 30), who is cast into "outer darkness," indicates that he is not a true disciple of his master. (p 1042)
Tim LaHaye did not try to turn hell into heaven, but he still forced upon scripture what is not there (he said the servant was not a genuine disciple) in order to maintain consistency with the unconditional eternal security doctrine. The lord called the servant "wicked and slothful" because he did not obey. There is no reason to believe that this servant was not a genuine servant. He was a servant who was disobedient. We must not refuse to believe scripture as written because it contradicts some doctrine we have been taught. This is the way to be hardened to the truth.
I used to believe the unconditional eternal security doctrine because when I was saved I was immediately put under this teaching, as well as the pre-trib rapture teaching as well. It took some time (and some shock) for me to come to terms with the fact that I must take God at his Word and just believe what is written. I had no internet at the time, and God was leading me through the scriptures to see just what was written. I could see that conditional eternal security is taught in scripture, but not unconditional eternal security.
I could also see that you cannot work your way to heaven, but you can definitely work your way into hell. Paul called these works "works of the flesh" and he told believers that if they do these things they will not inherit the kingdom of God. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Gal. 5:19-21
"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." Gal. 5:18 I do not want to be under the law, do you? For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. That unprofitable servant was not led of the Spirit (he would not, by the grace of God, use the talent he was given) and so he was put back under the law and he was judged in accordance with the law. God's word is plain.
Gary and Lisa Ruby
Feb. 15, 2002
edited 3/18/02
Tony Evans taught in his article "Rewards For Christians," that the punishment Jesus promised for the unprofitable servant in Matthew 25: 14-30 is not about hell:
But those Christians who are unfaithful (Matt. 25:28-30) will have their rewards taken from them and given to those who were faithful, and, and they will be cast into "outer darkness," the place where there shall be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." The "outer darkness" described in this passage is not a description of hell, but is likely a lesser status in God's kingdom. Unfaithful Christians will see more diligent Christians rule and reign with Christ. Seeing that they could have had much greater reward and prominence in God's kingdom, these unfaithful stewards will weep and gnash their teeth in deep remorse and regret." (p 1234)
Tony Evans stated that part of heaven is hellish!
Just like in the phony "two books of life" teaching, the unconditional eternal security teaching is being forced onto scripture to the point of even taking verses that are obviously about the judgment of hell for unfaithful Christians and turning them inside out to make them mean the opposite of what they actually say.
Hell is not only a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, and tormenting flames, but it is also a place of blackness of darkness. (See Jude 1:6, 13) God created hell for the devil and his angels, and he had no problem making a place of fire and brimstone be a place of blackness and darkness too.
Even though hell was created specifically for the devil and his angels (demons) many, many more people will go there than will go to heaven because they will not repent and believe the gospel and thus be reconciled to God. Satan hates God with a passion, and also hates man, who is made in the image of God, and thus wants to deceive as many as possible into going to hell too.
What is really sobering is that he knows the Bible means exactly what it says it means, and so one of his strategies is to beguile God's people into thinking that God does not really mean what is written in his word. Is it any wonder he works so hard to get Christians to follow Eve's example and say, "Yea, hath God said?"
Weeping and gnashing of teeth has absolutely no other meaning than what the Bible makes it out to be: weeping and being in such excruciating pain that one's teeth are clenched (gnashed) together! The place where this goes on is in hell, NOT heaven. (Please check the five verses in the King James Bible where the phrase, "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is used. None of these places refers to heaven or any part of heaven: Matt. 8:12, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30, Lk 13:28)
There is no blackness in heaven and in fact, it is so light that no candle or sun is needed: "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." Rev. 22:5
I think it is blasphemous to take a verse with phrases that clearly show it is referring to hell and to say that "this is not a description of hell but is likely a description of a lesser status in God's kingdom." Blasphemy is attributing to God that which is not agreeable to his nature. Tony Evan's article attributes to God's kingdom that which is not agreeable to its nature! Darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth are being attributed to God's holy heaven where the Lord God himself giveth them light, and where God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more pain. (Rev. 21:4)
This will be for another article, but over and over in the Holy Bible, believers are warned about what sins they can partake in that will ensure they will not inherit the kingdom of God. Eternal life is a hope as well as a present possession. We must endure to the end to be saved.
Satan wants you to believe that you do not have to obey Jesus Christ-- that as a son of God, you are as sure of heaven as if you are already there! God's Word says "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom. 8:14 Jesus Christ is not a minister of sin, although Satan and his teachers would like you to believe that.
Christians will be cut off if they do not continue in his goodness. (See Rom. 11:22) Believers are commanded to behold both the goodness and the severity of God. This parable of the unprofitable servant is a perfect example of the severity of God because the servant (the believer) did not "continue is his goodness;" instead, he buried his talent (did not serve God with the grace he was given) and was cast into outer darkness.
In these perilous times of outright apostasy we must be all the more diligent to take God at his Word. Satan wants us to be deceived into thinking we cannot understand the Bible and we must have some spiritual "authority" tell us what the Bible really means. Whoever tells you the Bible does not mean what it says is not a spiritual authority figure. The Bible is for you and for me to read and believe. We will answer for how we have lived in light of God's Word, and we will not be permitted to hide under the excuse that someone misled us, and expect God to not execute the judgment he promised in His Holy Word. God will perform his Word, regardless of whether we believe it or not. He is holding you and I responsible to read and obey his written word.
We must not fall for today's oft-repeated lie that the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us from all sin even if we do not walk in the light. God's Word is clear: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John. 1:7
Tim LaHaye Says the Unprofitable Servant is Not a True Disciple
P.S. Tim LaHaye has a different comment on the the parable about the unprofitable servant: "The fact that the latter man is called "wicked and slothful" and an "unprofitable servant" (v. 30), who is cast into "outer darkness," indicates that he is not a true disciple of his master. (p 1042)
Tim LaHaye did not try to turn hell into heaven, but he still forced upon scripture what is not there (he said the servant was not a genuine disciple) in order to maintain consistency with the unconditional eternal security doctrine. The lord called the servant "wicked and slothful" because he did not obey. There is no reason to believe that this servant was not a genuine servant. He was a servant who was disobedient. We must not refuse to believe scripture as written because it contradicts some doctrine we have been taught. This is the way to be hardened to the truth.
I used to believe the unconditional eternal security doctrine because when I was saved I was immediately put under this teaching, as well as the pre-trib rapture teaching as well. It took some time (and some shock) for me to come to terms with the fact that I must take God at his Word and just believe what is written. I had no internet at the time, and God was leading me through the scriptures to see just what was written. I could see that conditional eternal security is taught in scripture, but not unconditional eternal security.
I could also see that you cannot work your way to heaven, but you can definitely work your way into hell. Paul called these works "works of the flesh" and he told believers that if they do these things they will not inherit the kingdom of God. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Gal. 5:19-21
"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." Gal. 5:18 I do not want to be under the law, do you? For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. That unprofitable servant was not led of the Spirit (he would not, by the grace of God, use the talent he was given) and so he was put back under the law and he was judged in accordance with the law. God's word is plain.
Gary and Lisa Ruby
Feb. 15, 2002
edited 3/18/02
