Danger! The Tom Hughes Report Episode 101

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[00:00:00]There's some truths in the Bible that people don't want to talk about. Truths that feel uncomfortable, unsettling, and even offensive to modern thinking. And yet, the very truths we are most tempted to soften are the ones that we most urgently need to understand. And today, one of those truths is being questioned again. Not by critics outside of the church, but by voices from within the church. And with something as serious as eternity is on the line, what we believe and what we are willing to say matters more than ever.

[00:00:36]We're going to take a clear, honest look at what the Bible actually teaches and why changing that truth, even with good intentions, can have eternal consequences. Welcome to the Tom Hughes report.

[00:01:03]This year, the the well-known Christian actor Kirk Cameron began teaching something controversial about what is already one of the most controversial topics in the Bible.

[00:01:13]Hell.

[00:01:14]It's not a topic most of us want to think about, but Jesus thought about it.

[00:01:19]He gave more warnings about hell than anyone else in the Bible, and he clearly intends for us to warn people as well.

[00:01:27]The Bible teaches that the last days will be a time of deception and of departure from sound doctrine. And today, voices of deception can be heard from all directions.

[00:01:38]Don't think deception can't happen to me. Instead, hide his word in your heart. Prayerfully center your thoughts on God and the Bible. Deception can come from unexpected places. Bad doctrine can be made to sound reasonable and even kind. In fact, it usually does when it comes across. And that is exactly why believers have to be so discerning in a time like this.

[00:02:06]Well, let's move through this and the first point I want to look at is this.

[00:02:11]Deception often arrives wearing a friendly face. It's not going to be offensive.

[00:02:18]It's going to be wearing a friendly face, which makes this present controversy all the more sobering.

[00:02:25]But truth is the ultimate kindness.

[00:02:29]And Kirk Cameron became a national treasure the day that he debuted as Mike Seaver on the hit sitcom Growing Pains.

[00:02:37]And then at the height of his celebrity as a full-blown teen idol, he announced that he had turned his life over to Jesus Christ. And ever since then, he has been bold and unwavering in his witness for Jesus, never hesitating to stand publicly for righteousness, for children, and for the gospel.

[00:02:57]But the controversy began on Cameron's podcast when he and his son discussed whether hell lasts forever.

[00:03:04]And in the podcast, Kirk leaned toward the idea of a final annihilation of the soul, but he was not fully convinced.

[00:03:13]His position has firmed up since then.

[00:03:16]And since the early days of Christianity, there have always been a few who have believed that hell would not last forever. They are called annihilationists.

[00:03:26]They have remained a small minority because, as I'm about to show you, the Bible is completely unambiguous for this point. For instance, in Matthew chapter 25:41, Jesus spoke of sending people into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And Kirk has changed his mind on a lot of things through the years. For instance, he starred in two Left Behind movies, but later renounced the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture.

[00:04:00]And we all know wonderful Christians who disagree about the timing of the rapture.

[00:04:05]So when he changed on that, it didn't cause a major stir. But saying that hell is not everlasting created a major backlash among Christians. And in defending himself, Kirk pointed out that this is not an essential issue. At least that's what he said. He said it wasn't like he had questioned the resurrection of Jesus.

[00:04:26]But it is a big issue, and here's why.

[00:04:29]Because this is not a side discussion about terminology, but a truth that reaches to the very heart of the gospel itself, which takes us to point number two. If hell is temporary, then the cross is diminished.

[00:04:46]And the reason becomes clear the moment we think through what sin actually costs.

[00:04:53]When the Bible says the wages of sin is death, it is a reference to eternal death, to hell. If hell is payment for our sins, and if it only lasts a matter of years, then we could pay the price ourselves and then leave.

[00:05:09]The unbelieving sinner could go to hell until his debt is paid, and then join the saints in heaven.

[00:05:18]That's not possible because of the nature of sin. We have sinned against the infinite God. We owe an infinite price.

[00:05:26]For a finite being to pay an infinite price would take an eternity. Jesus on the other hand paid it all on the cross.

[00:05:36]He was able to finish that work in a finite amount of time because he is both man and God. As a man, he could pay man's debt. As God, he could pay the infinite debt in an instant.

[00:05:51]On a follow-up podcast, Cameron responded to critics of his position on the temporary nature of hell, and this is where his statements became especially dangerous. Let me quote.

[00:06:03]"Let me ask you a question," he said.

[00:06:05]"And I want you to imagine that this question is not coming from me on a podcast, but from someone you love. What if your son or your daughter came in and looked you in the eye and said, 'Dad, Mom, I know you believe in hell.

[00:06:19]I know you believe that God is just. I know that you believe that sin is serious, and I know that Jesus is the only way to heaven. So, when an unrepentant person who doesn't turn to Jesus dies, what does the Bible actually say happens to them?

[00:06:35]Are they preserved forever and kept alive by God in a place of endless conscious torment, suffering forever, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth with no end?

[00:06:44]Or is the judgment the scriptures describe as something different? Is it still real, still just, still severe, but culminating in what the Bible calls death, destruction, or the second death, which is the lake of fire?'

[00:06:59]And then he said, 'What would your answer be?'

[00:07:03]Do you see what's happening? So, he places you in front of your own child, uh raised in a good home, but also raised in a world of growing hostility toward God, uh toward God and the Bible.

[00:07:16]Uh we desperately want our children to know and to trust Jesus, uh to see him as loving and fair. The natural reaction would be to shape our message, to change it in order to make Jesus and his gospel more palatable uh to someone that's so precious to us.

[00:07:35]So, why does Kirk think it matters whether you are talking to your own child or to a stranger, except for the feelings and emotions involved. It doesn't matter. The truth is the truth.

[00:07:48]You're being tempted here to change your belief from what the Bible says to something else based on your emotions.

[00:07:55]And by the way, I want to mention this.

[00:07:59]If you're talking to your own child, wouldn't you want your own child to know what the Bible says more than anyone else in the world?

[00:08:08]So, this is a dangerous place to be, a most dangerous place of temptations that any Christian can face.

[00:08:17]Which takes us to point number three. A truth must never be rewritten to suit human emotion. Think about that. It must never be rewritten to suit human emotion because once emotion is allowed to redefine truth, the authority of scripture itself begins to give way. In other words, the the authority of scripture ends up being submitted to the emotions of people.

[00:08:45]Wow.

[00:08:46]Even as a new Christian, Kirk Cameron was an ardent evangelist. He worked on ways to present the gospel to this generation. He longs for people to know Jesus, but it is wrong to alter the truth even if we think it makes Jesus more appealing to our audience and their prejudices.

[00:09:05]We can shape our presentation of the truth, but the truth itself does not change. When we alter truth, we become liars. Truth does not change no matter who asks the question.

[00:09:20]Be it son or stranger. Truth does not bend to emotion. Even if the person we are telling it to will not like it. The eternal nature of hell is not an area where the Bible is iffy. In fact, Jesus taught about hell and its eternal nature more than anyone else in the Bible. A trying to conform the Bible to society's moral fashions is deadly, not only to believe in the Bible, but also to the health of society. It is not our job to change God's word so that it will be more palatable in the 21st century. To do so is not only a grave sin, but also a grave tactical error. Which churches Excuse me, which churches are dying and which ones are thriving?

[00:10:07]And many churches and denominations now say that God advocates same-sex marriage. But by and large, those churches are dying. The churches that are growing for the most part are the ones that teach the Bible. They tell the truth and trust God to transform people by the renewing of their minds. Listen, you will find exceptions to that. You will find some woke churches that are growing because they're just pleasing the masses of the people. But overall, as I look around, it's the churches that are teaching the truth that are definitely becoming stronger as people's faith, even if it's just individually not a larger church per person that is now sitting in those chairs, the people themselves are becoming stronger in their faith and their commitment to the Lord because they are being taught the truth of this word.

[00:10:58]But notice how Kirk Cameron spins the biblical position. He says an eternal hell would mean that those who reject Jesus would be kept alive by God in a place of endless conscious torment. And this makes God sound like a skilled torturer, keeping his victim alive and conscious so that he is able to feel the full measure of pain. Here's the problem with Kirk's picture of God as a torturer. I mean, think of that. God made us in his image. We have souls that will never die.

[00:11:32]It's not a matter of God keeping them alive. He gave us souls that cannot be extinguished, and I think that's what we forget.

[00:11:40]Every person will experience eternity, every single one. Jesus even says in John chapter 5 that everybody will be raised, some to life and some to death. And that death that Jesus is speaking of is some to life and some to judgment, and that judgment he's speaking of is eternal death.

[00:11:58]Eternal judgment.

[00:12:00]Every single person will experience eternity. That eternity can't be extinguished.

[00:12:07]How we experience it is not up to God.

[00:12:11]It's up to us. It's all about the choice that we make regarding Jesus. Kirk Cameron believes that people go to hell for a time of punishment, and then hell ends.

[00:12:23]He says it happens in Revelation chapter 20 verse 14, "Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

[00:12:32]He makes the false assumption that the lake of fire equals annihilation.

[00:12:37]But the Bible says just the opposite. At the beginning of the millennium, according to Revelation chapter 19 verse 20, the beast was captured and with him the false prophet. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. We see the lake of fire again at the end of the millennium. Revelation chapter 20 verse 10 says, "The devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are."

[00:13:05]At that point, how long will they have been there?

[00:13:09]A thousand years. Were their souls annihilated? No, they are still there, still suffering, and will go on suffering forever. The rest of that verse says, "And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." This verse clearly shows that rather than a place of annihilation, the lake of fire is a place of eternal torment. Sinning against God is a bigger deal than we can imagine. We are not neutral. We are on a battlefield.

[00:13:40]Until we come to Christ, we stand on the side of evil in a war of rebellion against all that is right and good. And when we sin against the infinite God, the results are eternal.

[00:13:53]So, Cameron says, "Death for those rejecting Christ means total annihilation." But if death in scripture means total annihilation, how does he explain the second death in Revelation chapter 2:11, Revelation chapter 20:6, Revelation chapter 20:14 or 21:8?

[00:14:14]How is anyone around for a second death if if they've already been annihilated? Our souls don't disappear. Therefore, death as wages for sin never ends.

[00:14:27]The confusion comes from Kirk's misunderstanding of the way the Bible uses the words life and death.

[00:14:34]The Bible connects life and eternal life not to bare existence, but to eternal joy in Christ. In John chapter 5, verse 24, Jesus said, "Simply I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." That's 1 John chapter 5:24.

[00:15:04]On a follow-up podcast, Cameron said, "I'm not asking for what you've always believed or been taught, but what do you believe the scriptures actually teach?"

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[00:16:19]What do the scriptures actually teach?

[00:16:23]Because when we let the Bible speak for itself, the message is not vague, it's not symbolic, nor is it uncertain, which takes us to point number four.

[00:16:38]The Bible speaks with unmistakable clarity about eternal judgment.

[00:16:46]That is why the words of Jesus and the rest of scripture must be heard with full seriousness.

[00:16:53]And Jesus said in Mark chapter 9 beginning at verse 47, "If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into hellfire where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."

[00:17:14]That is a severe warning. He was quoting another Old Testament reference to hell's eternal nature, Isaiah chapter 66 verse 24. Speaking of those who transgressed against God says, "For their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched." Listen, a a worm eats a dead body. "Their worm does not die" means death just keeps going. The worm keeps consuming the flesh because the fire's never quenched. There's always more. This is a picture of eternal death. Second Thessalonians uh chapter 1 beginning in verse 9 says, "They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he comes. Everlasting destruction means death that does not end."

[00:18:01]Revelation chapter 14 verse 11 says, "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name."

[00:18:15]The smoke from their torment ascends forever and ever because their torment continues forever and ever.

[00:18:24]They have no rest because they remain conscious. Annihilation would be rest.

[00:18:32]Look again at Matthew chapter 25 verse 46. Jesus said, "These will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." And here we see a direct correlation between punishment that never ends and a life that never ends. And I want you to think about this.

[00:18:51]Who would want people to think that hell is not an eternal judgment? The devil himself would. The father of lies.

[00:19:00]So, why is the church silent?

[00:19:03]Jesus spoke of hell and described it in the most sober ways. He took it seriously. How seriously? He died on the cross so that human beings could avoid hell. Uh the one who knows more about hell than anyone else also warned against it more than everyone else in the Bible combined.

[00:19:21]Jesus treated hell as one of the most important of all topics.

[00:19:25]We should also. Why don't we? How many times in the last 10 years have you heard a sermon on hell or uh that even mentioned hell?

[00:19:36]Uh pastors don't talk about hell because it's an unpleasant subject.

[00:19:41]We want church to be full of joy.

[00:19:43]But for most people of our time, that means rarely even mentioning heaven, much less hell.

[00:19:50]Uh we don't talk about heaven because heaven reminds us of death, something negative when we want to be nothing but positive.

[00:19:58]Uh but an honest picture contains both light and shadow. And by the way, if a person gets the right understanding of heaven, it brings incredible joy and incredible comfort to anybody who's lost a a loved one in Christ or to anybody who is dying in Christ or just anyone who knows where who wants to know where they are going. It's like when you learn about heaven what the Bible says about heaven, it's like looking at the travel guide ahead of time and going, "Hey, look where we are going." If for example, if you're going to Italy, wouldn't you want to know what it's going to be about? If you're going to Israel, if you're going to Mexico, wherever you might be traveling, you want to look ahead and go, "What can I expect there?

[00:20:38]What is the food like there? Uh what what are the roads like? What's this like? What's that like? What's the landscape like? What's the people like?"

[00:20:46]Listen, you'd want to do that. How much more as a believer we get to know where we are going that we are going to heaven. If we find out what is the atmosphere like, what are the people like? The Lord is going to be there. The road that's the street of heaven that's paved with gold that's so pure it's like transparent glass. You you have the tree of life. You have the the crystal sea.

[00:21:06]you Oh, it is amazing. Why don't pastors teach on that?

[00:21:12]Maybe it's because if you have a heaven, you have to have a hell. If you have eternal life in heaven, you have eternal judgment, too.

[00:21:20]Maybe that's why.

[00:21:21]In fact, the devil himself, when it comes to heaven, wants you to think that if you go to heaven, you're going to be sitting on a cloud playing a harp forever and ever and ever. That's a lie of the devil. The devil doesn't want you know the glories about heaven nor the destruction of hell.

[00:21:38]Churches don't talk about hell because they would rather talk about God's love.

[00:21:43]But, God's love is directly related to hell.

[00:21:46]In Matthew chapter 22 verse 35 through 40, Jesus explained that love, loving God and loving people is our highest command and therefore our greatest purpose. But, love is only possible if choice is real and if choice is only real if there are real consequences.

[00:22:05]Without consequence, choice loses meaning. It works like this. The consequence of choosing God is fellowship with him.

[00:22:14]But, what if someone chooses against God? What if that person wants nothing to do with God? Should God force such a person into eternal fellowship? If I choose against God, but I'm forced into eternal fellowship with him despite my choice, such choice has been rendered meaningless by removal of the consequence.

[00:22:35]Jesus said, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." When Jesus used the word sinner, he wasn't just talking about killers and rapists and thieves.

[00:22:48]He was talking about everyone. In Psalm 14, beginning in verse two, the Bible says, "The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. they have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt, there is none who does good, no, not one.

[00:23:12]That doesn't mean that helping the needy, for instance, is not good. It means that by itself it doesn't rise to God's perfect standard of goodness.

[00:23:20]Isaiah chapter 64 verse 6 says, "But we are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags."

[00:23:29]We do righteous things and that's good.

[00:23:32]Filthy rags can be useful.

[00:23:35]But God requires that we come before him in the perfect garments of his own perfect righteousness. He offers his righteousness as a gift to anyone who will receive it.

[00:23:47]But that happens only here in this life.

[00:23:49]2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 2 says, "Behold, now is the accepted time.

[00:23:55]Behold, now is the day of salvation."

[00:23:57]Not later, not someday, now.

[00:24:02]As sobering as this subject is, the message of hell is not given to drive people away from God. It is given to lead people to him. Every warning in scripture is ultimately an expression of God's mercy calling us to see the seriousness of sin and the reality of eternity.

[00:24:20]Because the same Bible that speaks clearly about judgment also speaks just as clearly about rescue.

[00:24:27]Jesus did not come into the world to leave us under condemnation, but to provide a way out. In fact, he said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life." And then, in John chapter 3 verse 17, the very next verse, one that is often skipped, Jesus said, "For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that through but that the world through him might be saved.

[00:25:02]That promise is the heartbeat of the gospel. It tells us that no one has to face eternal separation from God. The very judgment we deserve has already been dealt with at the cross.

[00:25:15]The Apostle Paul reinforces that truth in Romans chapter 5 verse 8 by reminding us what God has done on our behalf.

[00:25:22]Where there the Bible says, "But God demonstrates his own love toward us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." That means the issue is no longer whether God is willing to save. It is whether we are willing to receive what he has already provided.

[00:25:41]Acts chapter 16 verse 31 makes that invitation unmistakably clear. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." This is why the message matters so much. Hell is real, but so is salvation. Judg- Judgment is certain, but so is the grace of God for all who will come to him.

[00:26:00]So, we don't ignore the warning and we don't soften the truth. Instead, we respond to it the way God intends, with urgency, humility, and faith.

[00:26:12]Because the same Jesus who warned about hell also opened the door to heaven, and that door is still open.

[00:26:20]Imagine being in Israel as the sun is rising over the [music] Sea of Galilee or walking on the streets of Jerusalem, visiting the city of Nazareth, [snorts] or having a [music] Bible study in Capernaum at the Apostle Peter's house.

[00:26:34]Pastor Tom Hughes [music] will be leading a tour to the land of Jesus. We will explore Israel together and bring the Bible to life before your very eyes.

[00:26:44]We will visit Caesarea by the sea and Joppa, where Jonah caught [music] a boat going in the wrong direction.

[00:26:51]We'll take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee just as Peter [music] did when he walked on water.

[00:26:57]We will walk on the Mount of Olives and through the Garden of Gethsemane.

[00:27:01]You will have the opportunity to explore [music] the Temple Mount and visit at the Western Wall and even go underneath the Temple Mount.

[00:27:09]You'll be able to visit the City of David and Hezekiah's [music] Tunnel.

[00:27:13]And have you ever wanted to float on the Dead Sea or visit the cave where David cut the corner of King Saul's robe?

[00:27:20]Or perhaps spending a morning at Masada.

[00:27:23]These are just some of the once-in-a-lifetime experiences [music] you will have when you join us on our Israel trip.

[00:27:31]Thank you for tuning in to The Tom Hughes Report. We pray today's program was a blessing to you. The purpose of The Tom Hughes Report is to guide individuals toward the hope that can only be found in a personal relationship with Jesus. We encourage you to explore our website at the tomhughesreport.com and reach out to us through the contact page. We value your feedback and would love to hear from you. A special thank you to His Channel for graciously allowing us to utilize their wonderful studios for recording The Tom Hughes Report. Don't forget to explore their website at hischannel.com for an array of Christ-centered programs. Make sure to join us again next week for another insightful episode of The Tom Hughes Report. And always remember to look up and lift up your head because your redemption draws near.

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