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Articles

Old Testament Symbolism:
Old Testament Symbolism
David and Solomon
Battle of Jehoshaphat

Dangerous Delusions:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

Famous Quotes:
John Gavazzoni
T. Austin Sparks
Arthur Custance
A.W. Tozer
Robert Capon
Hans Denck
A.P. Adams

Welcome

Welcome to the new online home of Glad Tidings Chapel of Decatur Arkansas. We are a small country church in a small town in Northwest Arkansas, but if you look real close, you can see us from space. (No, really, you can!)

This website is dedicated to extending the ministry of Glad Tidings Chapel into the online community. We invite you to take part in our effort. We will be posting articles here in an effort to broadcast, to promote and otherwise promulgate the message of the Victorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. And any who wish to do so are welcome to participate.

Know this if you receive nothing else from your visit here: God is going to vindicate His truth. He did not send His Son to be a failure. Or a loser. Or to bring home anything less than what He was sent into the world for. (For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved. John 3:17) God intends to bring all things back to finding their one true head in Him.

When that happens, the naysayers and the pinheads, and the others who stagger in unbelief at the Unfailing Grace of God will have plenty to repent of. They will loathe themselves for the words that they have said against Him thinking that they were telling the truth. But in the repenting of these indictments, they will find Him with a loving smile on His face, and arms of open welcome to greet them with.

And that, in a nutshell, is the official public statement of this website. Hopefully, you will like it here and become a member and be a part of this ministry.

God richly bless you!


Comments: 1
Posted by Gerry on Tuesday 29 April 2008 - 09:32:09 |

Remember This:

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced -- more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer

AND...
Lazarus was dead!

Now! No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.


Comments: 0
Posted by Gerry on Sunday 31 August 2008 - 00:20:22 |

So Say The Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:21-26
Jonathan Mitchell Translation

21. For since through a man [came] death, through a Man, also, [comes] resurrection of dead ones.

22. For just as within Adam all keep on (everyone continues) dying, in the same way, also, within the Christ all (everyone) will be made alive

23. – yet each person within his (her) own class or division (or: ordered rank; place or appointed position [in line]; arranged [time] or order of succession): Christ a Firstfruit, next after that, those belonging to the Christ (or: the ones who have their source and origin in Christ; those who are [a part] of the Christ) within the midst of His presence,

24. thereafter, the goal (the finished work; the embodiment of maturity and perfection; the fulfillment; the result; the outcome; the end attained; the realization of the perfect discharge; or: the end; the closing act; the consummation), when He can proceed handing over (or: may progressively pass along and entrust; should by habit give over) the reign (or: kingdom) to God, even [the] Father (or: in [His] God and Father), at the time that He should bring down to idleness (make unemployed and ineffective; nullify; abolish; render useless and unproductive) every rulership of government (all headship and sovereignty), even all (or: every) authority and power!

25. For it is binding (necessary) for Him to be continuously reigning (ruling as King) until which [time] (or: until where) He should (may) put (place) all the enemies under His feet.

26. [The] last enemy being progressively brought dow
Comments: 1
Posted by Gerry on Tuesday 29 April 2008 - 09:28:58 |

15 Questions for Teachers of the Doctrine of Eternal Torment

This is an adaptation of a similar article called: '30 Questions for Teachers of Eternal Torment' which can be found on the Harvest Herald Website, and was to be used in a formal debate on the scriptural validity of Universalism. That debate never happened. My opponent bowed out as I prepared my opening statements.

However, I invite any teacher of Eternal Torment to view these questions, and to give me any intelligent response they can come up with (to these questions).

(1):Could you please explain why none of the twelve New Testament references to Gehenna mention physical torment of any kind?


(2):Are you aware of the fact that Gehenna is a proper noun and the title of a literal place which exists on earth to this day?


(3):Please tell me why Hades and Gehenna, although two very different things, both are translated as ‘hell’ in the King James Bible?

(4):When you quote Jesus’ words that ‘the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched’ (Mark 9) in reference to hell, do you also make clear that Jesus was quoting Isaiah 66:24, where in that passage the fire and worms feed on dead bodies and not immortal souls for all eternity?

(5):Scripturally speaking, is an 'unquenchable fire' one that never goes out; or do you teach that Hell is an ‘unquenchable fire’ without making reference to Jeremiah 7:20, 17:27, Ezekiel 20:47-48 to show the Biblical use of this phrase?


(6):

"Revelation 14:10-11" wrote ...
and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Does this apply to mankind in general or to a specific class of people ?


(7):Does Revelation 14:10-11 say that the torment of these goes on forever, or that the ‘smoke’ of this torment arises forever?


(8):The language in Revelation 14 is taken from the description of the destruction of Edom (Idumea) in Isaiah 34:10 where the smoke is also to arise ‘forever’. In that passage it is the land which burns with fire and brimstone, and it is the burning of the land which 'shall not be quenched' and from which the smoke would arise 'forever and ever'. Why is it that when this language is quoted in Revelation 14, all these passages are applied to 'hell' when the passage and language they are taken from clearly refers to an earthly condition and earthly judgments?

(9):If the warning of Revelation 14:10-11 is a reference to torment in the ‘Lake of Fire’ then why in Revelation 19:20-21 when the lake of fire appears are those who were thus warned not cast there but simply killed?


(10):Throughout the book of Revelation symbols are explained in a consistent manner; fine linen IS the righteousness of the saints, the candlesticks ARE the churches, the ten horns ARE ten kings. Why is it that when we are told ‘the lake of fire IS the second death’ this logic is reversed to mean ‘the second death IS the lake of fire’?

(11):Can you please provide one verse of scripture which states that Hell is a lake of fire?

(12):Can you please provide one verse of scripture which states that Jesus died to save mankind from hell?

(13):Could you please provide one verse of scripture which states that ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ takes place in hell?

(14):Can you please provide one verse of scripture which states that ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ is an eternal condition for the unsaved?

(15):If you cannot provide scripture for the four previous questions are you at least willing to admit that these are based only upon your own assumptions and not on the Word of God, and then stop preaching these things altogether?

For more information, and further reading, please visit The Harvest Herald Website.


Thank You!
Comments: 1
Posted by Gerry on Monday 21 April 2008 - 21:30:56 |

The Language of Eternal Suffering

Many have taught that the Lord Jesus Christ taught that the lost would suffer eternal torment. Three times in Mark 9 Christ spoke of hell as "the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched..." Mark. 9:43-48. They think this is the language of eternal suffering.

No. This is not the language of eternal suffering. Let us take a look at the scriptures and let them speak for themselves, giving us the benefit of context and usage in the case of the terms in question here. Especially when it comes to an ¨unquenchable fire.¨

Jeremiah 7:20 wrote ...
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

Jerusalem and the Temple were to be burned with a fire that shall not be quenched. Is Jerusalem still on fire? No. This fact alone should be sufficient to accurately define the term "unquenchable fire."

Jeremiah 17:27 wrote ...
But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

Same as above. The answer is still the same. There is no fire that still burns there.

Isaiah 34:9-10 wrote ...
(9)And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. (10) It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever.

Edom was to become a stream of burning pitch that shall not be quenched. Is there a stream of pitch that is still on fire in Edom? No.

Ezekiel 20:47 wrote ...
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

Once again, same thing applies. I could go on and on.

A fire that is not quenched, or an unquenchable fire, is not one that will burn unto the outermost limits of eternity. If that were true, Jerusalem would still be on fire, and uninhabitable. Edom would be a stream of burning pitch that has been on fire for about 2500 years. Some of what we take for granted as being truth is quickly disclosed to be something else when carefully considered in its intended context.

Considering what I have just brought before you to consider, we who want to rightly divide the word of truth are only left with two viable options. One of those options would be to conclude that God cannot be trusted to do what He says He will do. The other option would be for us to conclude that what we have been taught was the truth, may not necessarily be such. The choice is yours which option you go with. But as for me, I am absolutely convinced that He can be trusted with what He tells me.

wrote ...
This is the language of eternal suffering.

We really need to be careful when making statements like this. The weak among us, and the unlearned may take our words to be the truth.

Many people will read Eternal Torment into the words of Jesus when He uses cryptic language like this. However;
"Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" comes directly from Isaiah 66, where it refers to the dead bodies of those who have transgressed against the Lord. It is not a reference to lost souls in the torment of the afterlife. Read it for yourself. It is a reference to dead bodies going through the natural process of decomposition. Rotting, putrification, maggots, flies, foul stench; all these are part of what Jesus was referring toin this passage in Mark chapter 9.

For us, or anyone else to try to make these passages speak of eternal torment, or to say that it does, is a careless and irresponsible mishandling of the scriptures. We are called to a higher level of scholarship than that.
Comments: 0
Posted by Gerry on Tuesday 15 April 2008 - 21:40:46 |

IS WHAT YOU BELIEVE BASED SOLELY ON SCRIPTURE?

IS WHAT YOU BELIEVE BASED SOLELY ON SCRIPTURE?

THE ANSWERS MAY SURPRISE YOU!
Author Unknown

Did you know:

(1)That the phrase "immortal soul" occurs nowhere in scripture?

(2)That the phrase "eternal torment" occurs nowhere in scripture?

(3)That the word "immortal" occurs only once in scripture (1 Tim 1:17) referring to God only?

(4)That the single word "Hell" in a King James Version is translated from three different Greek words, and one Hebrew word?

(5)That the word translated "Hell" in the Old Testament is always translated from the Hebrew word sheol which is translated 29 other times as "grave", and 3 other times as "pit"?

(6)That the Bible nowhere says that "Hell is a lake of fire"?

(7)That the Bible nowhere says that those in hell "weep and gnash their teeth"?

(8)That the Bible speaks of many "unquenchable fires" in the past which are not currently burning?

(9)That when Jesus spoke of "unquenchable fires" and "undying worms", he was quoting from Isaiah 66:24 in which the fire and worms feed on dead bodies, not immortal souls?

(10)That the Bible says that souls can bleed, souls can be hit with swords, souls hunger, souls thirst, and that souls can die?

(11)That the Bible also calls animals "souls"?

(12)That the Bible nowhere says "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"?

(13)That the apostle Paul never used the word "Hell" one time in all his writings?

(14)That the Bible nowhere says that Jesus died to save us from Hell?


Surprised?
Comments: 0
Posted by Gerry on Tuesday 08 April 2008 - 16:32:14 |

Why I Believe No One Will Stay In Hell

I like these "do you know" kind of things. They always contain lots of food for thought in a condensed form that is easy to digest. I shamelessly stole this one from Debbie Boutwell's website.





I am using the word "Hell" here strictly for the benefit of those of you who do still believe it is a literal place of fire, pain, and torture. When it comes right down to it, not only do I believe no one will stay in Hell, I believe no one will GO to Hell, because "that" Hell doesn't exist, nor has it ever existed.

• God defines Himself as “Love”.
  
• God is sovereign. There is no greater power. He gets what He wants.
  
• He will have ALL MEN to be saved.
  
• He instructs us to pray for ALL MEN.
  
• We were created FOR God
  
• Man nor devil can overthrow His plan.
  
• God planned the fall of man, in Adam. (Lamb was slain before foundation of the world)
  
• God created vessels of honor and dishonor(Judas, Pharaoh) for His plan.
  
• God created all of creation in corruption and futility.
  
• God created all of creation with the hope of being delivered from it.
  
• Our view of Hell does not come from the Bible.
  
• None of the 4 words translated “hell” indicate endlessness.
  
• The Lake of fire appears to be God, Himself. (see interesting words)
  
• If punishment of unbelievers is endless, some scriptures must be ignored.
  
• God commands all men everywhere to repent.
  
• Christ will reign until all are in submission to Him.
  
• Every knee will bow in worship and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord
  
• Jesus is the only way to God. No man comes except through Him.
  
• No man comes to God unless He is drawn by God’s spirit.
  
• Jesus said, if He was crucified that He would “draw” all men to Himself.
  
• The Greek word for “draw” literally means drag.(check it out yourself)
  
• Jesus tasted death for every man.
  
• God has concluded all in unbelief that He may show mercy to all.
  
• God's punishments are corrective.

Comments: 1
Posted by Gerry on Tuesday 08 April 2008 - 16:30:56 |

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