Jesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment Kindle Edition
by Giles, Keith, (Author), Jersak, Brad, (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 122 ratings
What if God is better than you think and hell isn't an eternal torture chamber?
Many Christians are unaware that Universal Reconciliation was the dominant view of the church for the first 500 years, with Annihilation and Eternal Torment as minority positions. Jesus Undefeated is an eye-opening examination of all three views of the afterlife and a God who is even more loving than we dare imagine. Discover the Gospel that is not merely “Good News,” but fantastically “Great News.”
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Paul Froehlich
5.0 out of 5 stars Faith is not fire insurance
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2019
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We like to think of ourselves as open-minded, even if we rarely revise our long-held beliefs. One such long-held Christian belief is that most of humanity is doomed to endless torture in the afterlife.
In his new book, Keith Giles challenges the standard Christian belief about Hell. He makes a compelling case for an alternative view of the afterlife, grounded in scripture, that is more consistent with God's boundless love and mercy and his will that none should perish.
Most Christians don't realize that the doctrine of Hell has changed over the centuries. The dogma about eternal suffering was not embraced by the early church. On the contrary, for the first 500 years, the church espoused Universalism or Ultimate Reconciliation. It is embedded in the words of Jesus and Paul, as well as by early theologians such as Clement, Origen, the Gregories, and Basil the Great.
None of the early Christian creeds, including the Nicene Creed, contained the doctrine about Eternal Suffering. Early Chriatians recognized that scripture was unclear about the afterlife, with conflicting verses, as opposed to clearly teaching one view. Giles contends that the scriptural support is weaker for eternal suffering than for the other two views. It's notable that The Old Testament contains not a single verse describing hell as a lake of eternal fire. It's a strange omission if eternal torment were the divine plan all along. If Jesus taught the eternal torment doctrine, then it's curious that his disciples did not preach it, since it's not mentioned in Acts.
Historically there have been three competing Christian vews of Hell based upon different Bible verses:
• Eternal Suffering or Infernalism, which is the most popular belief currently.
• Universalism or Ultimate Reconciliation under which those who die without Christ will pass through the fire before being reconciled.
• Annihilation or Conditional Immortality where the unsaved suffer in Hell until their sins are paid for, and then they will be destroyed forever.
All of these views agree that those who die without Christ will suffer in the afterlife; the disagreement is about the duration and purpose of that suffering.
There are several verses supporting Universal Reconciliation. God is the savior of "all men," according to 1Tim 4:10, which states, "for this we labor and strive, that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe."
"All will be made alive in Christ," per 1Cor 15:21-22. "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."
The same sentiment is found in Romans 5:18. "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men."
Eventually everyone will gladly confess Jesus Christ as Lord, according to Phil. 2:10-11. "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue gladly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
Paul says in Romans 10:9, that those who confess the Lord Jesus "will be saved." Since everyone will so confess, then everyone will be saved.
Everyone passes through the fire, which is used to reveal and refine, not to torture and destroy. Even those with worthless works will be saved, "only as one escaping through rhe flames," per 1 Cor. 3:13-15. "It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."
Hebrews 12: 6-11 tells us that God disciplines all of us, and does so "for our own profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness." In other words, God disciplines for the good of his children, not to punish for its own sake.
The doctrine of eternal torment crept into Jewish thought during the 400 years between the end of the Old Testament scriptures and the coming of Christ. The notion came from Greek and pagan sources.
There are six main verses in the New Testament with references to eternal suffering. Perhaps the best known is in Matthew 25:41, 46. "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels...And these will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
The first verse tells us the fire is eternal, not that mortals will be there eternally. The second verse uses the word eternal that comes from a Greek word (aionius) that can also mean a very long time.
Mark 9:43-44, 47-48 states, "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out...It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"
Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 66:24, where the prophet was warning about what would happen to dead bodies, not a place of torment. When Jeremiah used similar language, he was speaking in a literal place called Gehena that subsequently did have dead bodies stacked and burned.
Jesus was actually warning about the destruction of the temple. It is more lilely that Jesus was referring to Gehena in the same sense as the prophets, rather than in the sense of the Pharisees. The prophets were using apocalyptic hyperbole, which they often did in their warnings of destruction. Hyperbole is figurative and poetic, not literal. It is also found in Revelations.
The words "eternal destruction" are used in 2 Thess. 1:9. “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might…”
Destruction does not equate to endless torment. This verse supports the notion of annihilation rather than endless suffering.
Revelations has two verses referring to torment with burning sulfur (Rev. 14:10-11, 19:20-12). The first refers specifically to those who worship the Beast during his reign, not to everyone who dies apart from Christ. The second says the specific persons thrown into the lake of fire are the Beast and his prophet. The rest were killed, not sent to eternal torture.
Judgment using the book of life is briefly described in Rev. 20: 13, 15. "The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books...If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Verse 15 does not reveal what leads to a name not being in the book of life. Nor does it say that nonbelievers suffer forever.
One of the hardest things to do, Giles recognizes, is to convince Christians that the version of Hell they’ve been taught isn’t actually in the Bible. That's because they have never been told anything else and they’re convinced the Bible supports their view. In addition, they’ve been taught that fear is necessary for conversion. Unfortunately, some Christians "are more offended by the idea that God will save everyone than they are that God might burn the majority of peple for eternity."
One premise of the Eternal Suffering doctrine is that is God too holy to tolerate those covered in sin. That assertion isn't in the Bible. The closest verse supporting it is in Habbukuk 1:13a. "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong." But the next verse indicates that God does look upon the sinful: "why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?"
Is it desirable if faith is based upon fear, rather than upon "the good news of the kingdom"? The gospel, asserts Giles, is not "about a God who threatened to torture His children forever if they didn't love Him in return." The gospel is about reconciliation, not retribution, about love, not vengeance.
Our view of the afterlife should be consistent with the character of God as revealed through Christ. "If we see God as the "Abba" that Jesus revealed to us, then we may reject notions of a God who could torture His children for eternity and withhold His mercy from them forever." ###
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37 people found this helpful
Mike Snyder
5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent job by one of the better critical thinkers in our day
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2019
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I admit I was reluctant to start this one because I believed this would be the most challenging book he’s written. I wasn’t wrong, I am left with more questions than before I started but thanks to this well written book I know where to find the answers. I am grateful for voices like Keith Giles because they challenge me to seek answers from God Himself and examine His fingerprints which are all over creation. I may not agree with every single thing he has to say, but he presents his ideas and beliefs in such a way as to leave the decision to the reader. He gives you plenty of solid evidence to dive into, and if you allow yourself to go...he will take you an adventure through the gospel. This is the 4th book I’ve read from Keith. It’s tough to say this one is the best or that one is better because they all take different approaches at putting the Church back on the right path which should always lead straight to Jesus! I read this book in a matter of hours, I will be pondering it for the next weeks (maybe months) to come.
23 people found this helpful
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Daniel C. House
5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus Undefeated, WOW!!!
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2019
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Jesus Undefeated!!! Wow!! Awesome! Thank you for writing this book! My journey from eternal torment through annihlationism (thanks to Greg Boyd) to patristic universal salvation has been a long journey. I had to really search for resources that would provide a picture of the past and the heart of God. I did not have a book to recommend to friends and/or family that could easily be read and used as a resource/spring board for a deeper dive. You have provided the book that makes a compelling argument for Universal Restoration and a beautiful overview of all 3 beliefs of the Church on this issue. This book also supplies the spring board of resources for a deeper dive. THANK YOU!
21 people found this helpful
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Rex Gray
5.0 out of 5 stars What The Hell?
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2019
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Growing up as an fundamental independent baptist I lived with the fear of the fiery pit of hell always lurking around the next corner. My embrace of Christ was initially a fire insurance policy just to make sure that I didn't wind up in the "bad place." Over the course of the past several years, I have been unlearning much of the legalism and "terror" theology that was placed in me. Over the past year, I have been investigating the Scriptural teachings concerning the after life, particularly around the issue of eternal conscious torment (ECT), and have found them to be lacking in material support. Keith Giles new book, Jesus Undefeated has added invaluable information in this effort. If you are interested in examining a different view of hell from the current "traditional" model, this book is well worth the investment. Even if he doesn't convince you of his position, Giles will cause you to search more intently and think through the issues beyond a mere surface level.
22 people found this helpful
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Zac Cannon
5.0 out of 5 stars Abba's loving, restorative justice...
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2019
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I first heard Keith Giles speak on the podcast Heretic Happy Hour. The show features three “cast” members and, while they each bring something unique to the show and the exploration of various topics, Giles’s voice was a consistent echo of pastoral carefulness even when speaking about things in a way that is contrary to Western evangelical consensus (IE “Heresy!”).
I have read all of Giles’s books. They share the same qualities as Jesus Undefeated: careful, well-read, well-researched, concise, pastoral guidance towards a thoughtful illumination of the subject matter. His style is quick with little pontification and easily digestible for the theological novice and expert alike (unlike another book by a certain wordy scholar that came out on this subject earlier this year).
I would recommend Jesus Undefeated to anyone interested in an in depth, scriptural study with love laden application for all who are in Christ. ;)
19 people found this helpful
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Rudy
4.0 out of 5 stars Revealing to say the least
Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2020
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I love this book. Lots of church HISTORY to back things up. Well laid out and explained. As I read page #40 I ask myself why didn't I know this, and why is the church still basing its gospel on salvation from hell?
Most pastors nowadays go to a Bible school to study the Bible, and I guess history as well. Why wouldn't they read this?
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Jamie
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Money, Worth the Time to Read!
Reviewed in Germany on October 25, 2020
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I have struggled with should I give this a 3 start or 4 star rating? In the end, I really felt the book was worth the money even though I knew much of what was already in the book from other books. What I found differentiating in this one was the authors story. In the end, I think that is the most important part of any book that seeks to reveal the truth that in the end Jesus is the savior of all! What I find is, the facts are often unable to be changed or manipulated and so anybody that writes about this topic seem to often find a great unity in the information. Yet it is the individual life stories of each author that really then touches your heart accordingly.
Now, I know not everybody is perfect and we all can have our blind spots. The only thing I would say is that the author has an interesting way of trying to bring the salvation of all into the doctrine which is "pretarism" which is found though history as being a view that the book of Revelations happened all in the past up to the destruction of Nero. Personally, I do not find any merit in such a perspective. However, nevertheless, it doesn't negate the rest of the book. It's just, one should be at least open to what "nuggets" the Lord might have you discover through his writings. And I certainly found a few. So other than the authors eschatological view of Revelations being something I do not agree with, the book is top!
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Paul Brauen
5.0 out of 5 stars Love or Fear?
Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2019
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Hell. A creation of God or an invention of man? Is there a literal place of eternal torment created by a "loving" God or the everyday experience of humanity who need to learn to love one another and keep no record of wrongs? God is love and keeps no record of wrongs whereas humanity is full of fear, and is offended by everything that is opposed to their way of thinking, to what they believe. This book, Jesus Unbound, brings forth the proposition that Jesus Christ really was completely successful and that indeed, it - everything - is finished. Hell, what we believe, is no more. So step out of this human invention and live an abundant life in the know-ledge of a love that keeps no records of wrongs Buy the book and gain understanding!
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Arthur7
5.0 out of 5 stars A Milestone!
Reviewed in Germany on November 27, 2019
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Keith Giles has achieved a milestone with this book! As a lecturer and theologian, I have been studying the early Christian (patristic) faith for almost 8 years. Over and over again, I and my colleagues discovered how far our today's faith have moved away from the original beliefs. One focus of my studies was the understanding of judgment and hell in the early church. In the course of time, I have read many sources available, as well as almost all noteworthy specialist publications on the subject, often including very extensive works and dissertations. Again and again, I have wished, also for my own seminars, the possibility of being able to offer a compact, generally understandable, written summary of the current study situation. That is exactly what Keith did excellently with this book.
This book is certainly not the most comprehensive, most scholarly work on the subject - there are enough university literature for it.
This book does not address all early Christian sources, nor any weighty, soteriological, eschatological, or philosophical arguments, which in my view also inevitably speak for a universal expectation of salvation and against eternal torments of hell; but there are also excellent works for this purpose (for example Parry, Talbot and Hart).
This book serves rather a "gap" which was neglected criminally:
It is easy to read even for laymen, but at the same time almost every sentence is based on an immense amount of research and a convincing factual situation.
Some people may not trust this relatively small, inconspicuous book at first glance, but after reading I have to say: It's written absolutely solid and the quality of the content will be a great help and orientation for many. Rash critics, on the other hand, will be in danger of biting their teeth on this book because the foundation is impressively solid; because behind every statement of the core are many other unnamed sources and arguments.
Thank you Keith for this excellent, conscientious work!
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craig r. weir
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful reading!
Reviewed in Australia on July 1, 2020
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book by Keith Giles. This book has challenged the beliefs I was taught, and that I picked up via church culture. The views expressed in this book are all scripturally based and not overly complicated.
Keith has a great ability to simplify and unwrap these concepts of hell, making them easier to see and understand, presented in a way that the reader may come to their own conclusion on this subject.
However, there are aspects of this book that I have found intriguing, both historically and in scripture and has made me want to explore to gain a deeper understanding.
I think it was a highlight that Keith discussed the nature of God the Father, and abiding in Christ in the middle of the book, this really lifts our understanding from just theory to practice and that the relational aspect with God is key, not just knowing a mass of scripture verses.
I find my heart enlarged after reading this book. It also portrays a beautiful story of such a loving God and His creation. There are moments when I think ‘maybe it is all too good to be true’… is it really going to be like this? one can only hope so.
Thank you Keith Giles.
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