Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Exposing a 1,500-Year-Old Myth About Hell!

 “Evangelicals congratulate themselves on their willingness to submit to the final authority of scripture.  Yet they also have cherished beliefs that they defend to the hilt . . . Quite rightly, George Sarris insists that even these beliefs should be subjected to the test of scripture.   In this work he engages in detailed and challenging scrutiny of the biblical teachings on hell, eternal punishment and condemnation.  Even those who do not agree with his conclusions need to pay attention to his arguments.”
 - Nigel G. Wright, Principal of Spurgeon’s College, London
   Council Member of the Evangelical Alliance, UK

Heaven’s Doors . . . Wider Than You Ever Believed!  is a book about unlimited power and unfailing love working together to accomplish the greatest plan ever conceived.  It’s a book about God’s plan to ultimately get each and every person through heaven’s doors.

The Myth

For the first 500 years after Christ, most Christians believed that God would ultimately redeem all of His creation.  Hell was real, but it didn’t last forever, and it had a positive purpose.

Then beliefs changed.  For the last 1,500 years, most Christians have been told that the majority of the billions of people who have lived on this earth will remain separated from the love and mercy of God for all eternity.  The moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, sons and daughters, relatives and friends who have not exhibited the “right kind” of faith here in this life will be shut up in a place called hell to suffer forever.

But is that really true?  Will most of the people God created in His image never walk through heaven’s doors?

That was a question I wrestled with after God's love captured my heart and transformed my life when I was a student in college.  After graduating, I served on the staff of a large campus missionary organization and later attended one of the finest seminaries in the country – a school the Rev. Billy Graham helped found.  I wanted to tell others about this wonderful Being who had done such marvelous things in my life.  But a voice deep inside kept saying something was wrong with the prevailing teaching about hell within the Christian Church. 

Endless, conscious torment for anyone didn’t seem consistent with what I knew about God's character.  It didn’t seem consistent with what I knew about real love.

As a result, I decided to address the issue with extensive research to find out for sure what the Bible actually teaches about hell. What I discovered was that hell, as a place of never-ending suffering, is not a Biblical concept.  And it has not always been taught by the Christian Church throughout its history. 

It’s a myth that was forced on the Christian Church by a power-hungry Roman emperor, was supported by a highly respected but misinformed cleric, and has endured for centuries because it became the status quo.

How Wide Are Heaven’s Doors?

Why would an all-powerful, all-loving, all-wise God allow billions of people to suffer forever in hell?  Maybe He doesn’t! 

David Konstan, Professor of Classics, New York University; Professor Emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature, Brown University wrote,

George Sarris has performed a splendid service in tracing the Christian view of universal salvation, which has deep roots in the Bible and in the Church Fathers. . . . Sarris’ book is gracefully written, deeply thoughtful, and based on careful scholarship; it deserves the widest audience.

Perry G. Phillips, Author/Lecturer; MA Institute in Holy Land Studies; MDiv Biblical Theological Seminary; PhD Cornell University added,

My view has changed.  I find ultimate restoration as a reasonable position . . .  I thank you deeply for opening my mind on eternal punishment/ultimate restoration.

I invite you to read what history and the Bible really say about God’s ultimate plan for you and for those you love. 

Heaven’s doors may be wider than you ever believed!


Heaven’s Doors will be released on March 15.  Pre-release orders are currently available on Amazon.com.

For more information and a free preview, go to HeavensDoors.net

2 comments:

Destiny said...

I listened to your Bible audio tapes over 20 years ago when I was a kid.
Loved them.
I'm glad you researched all of this. I have a very different point of view theologically than the evangelical way I grew up. I really don't know where I stand on all of it...but I'm glad people are starting to challenge the "hell, fire, and brimstone" that 95% of the population will face just because they didn't "pray the sinner's prayer"... I would get angry growing up at the thought of it because surely, the tribes in the Himalayan mountains had not heard of the "western version of the Gospel"...which is why we need to send missionaries...but I always thought with the amount of unreached people's groups out there, how many have already died in the last 2000 years? Missionaries aren't getting there fast enough! It would irritate me...
So because of that, I believe so much in the grace and mercy of God that I hope God has so much grace on people who simply do not know any better...

Still don't know where I exactly stand, but I refuse to just believe doctrine because that's what was the standard teaching.

Thanks!
Destiny

George W. Sarris said...

Destiny, thanks for your comment, and for sharing some of your story. May I encourage you to read my book? I think it will be a great encouragement to you. If you have any specific questions, you can email me at George@HeavensDoors.net.

By the way, are you the Destiny who used to go to homeschool conventions with your father?

God bless you.