The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-23
NO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.
Rev. Russell Says Doctrine is q
Heritage From the Dark Aces.

Rev. Russell Says Doctrine Is a
Heritage From the Bark Ages.
Rev. Charles T. Russell of the Bible
House Chapel of Allegheny, Pa, re-
Gently preached on He'll and Back.
Who Are There? Hope for the Re-
turn of Many" MIR. Russell is the
leader of sect which hold no dis
tinction between churches, but COM
bines all into the one church, Of
Christ This sect took it's rise in the
early seventies in Allegheny. where
MIR. Russell began his preaching, and
now numbers about 100000 followers
scattered all over the world. The Of
fetal publication of the church is
called The Watch Tower" of which
Mr.. Russell is the editor. The SER
mon that he delivered yesterday he
has given in most of the prominent
cities Of America, and 1t has aroused
no little interest in the ethical and
religious justification or lack of justi-
ftcation for the traditional conception
of hell as place of eternal torment
On this subject he says in part:
1t is the very best people who have
trouble with this doctrine of eternal
torment. know how to sympathize
with them because once l had similar
obliged to say, if believe this doc
trine and mediate upon it. it will sure
ly make ME crazy, as it has done nun
dreds and thousands of Others Such
loving hearts have found a palliation
h,,x s>S
the thought that somehow, perhaps.
somewhere. at some time, Gods char
acter would be cleared of the dreadful
stain cast upon it by this doctrine.
which we belived to be the teaching
OF Gods book the Bible
But l am here to prove to you that
this doctrine is not the teaching of the
Bible. but that it has come down to us
from the Dark Ages in the hymns and
catechisms and creeds and that it is
not only contrary to reason. but that
it is also contrary to the word of God
1t was in the Dark Ages that people
thought it perfectly proper and pleas
ing to God that they should tear each
others limb from limb and burn one
another at the stake. Indeed the in
Quisitors of old justified the tortures
of their fellow creatures with the very
claim that they were thus copying God,
and that their victims would receive
still worse treatment when after
death they should come into the hands
of the Almighty.
Intelligent people everywhere are
very generally discarding the doctrine
of eternal torment as being contrary
to reason. But, alas, thinking that it
is taught in the Scriptures these
same intelligent people are rejecting
the Bible, losing faith in it, drifting
into unbeliefs in general-into Chris
tian Science, spiritism, theosophy, etc.
The hell of the Bible is not place
of torment at all. The Scriptures
teach that good and bad alike shall go
10 the tomb. the Biblical hell, and
their hope of salvation is a resur-
rection hope.
You are all aware that the Old
Testament portion of the Bible was
written in the Hebrew language and
the New Testament in the Greek. We
will commence with the Old Testa-
ment. We find that the word hell
everywhere throughout the Old Test
ament is translation of the Hebrew
word 'sheol,' which occures altogether
IS times, and is translated three diff
ferent ways in our common version;
80 times grave, 81 times hell and three
times pit. 1t should have been trans
lated grave or pit or tomb in every
instance. Indeed, in two instances.
where it is rendered hell in the COM
mon version. the marginal reading
says, Hebrew, the grave
One of Solomon's inspired proverbs
much quoted is. DO with thy might
what they hand findest to do but very
rarely do We ever hear the remainder
of the quotation. namely, because
there is neither wisdom nor knowl-
edge nor device in sheol (the gravel
whittier thou goest.' (Eccl. tx: 1O.)
How reasonable is this statement,
rightly understood-there is no wis
dom nor knowledge nor work in the
hell to which the good and the bad,
all mankind. have been going for the
past six thousand years. The dead
are really dead. extinct, except as God
has provided for them resurrection
from the dead. re-awakening to
sentient being.
I'VE now call your attention to- the
fact that the word sheol in the Old
Testament, which we have shown
means merely tomb, the death state,
is the exact equivalent of the word
hades in the New Testament Greek,
which likewise means the tomb, the
state Of death. For instance, in
Psalm xvi:10 We read. Thou wilt not
leave my soul in sheol' (hell, the
tomb, and we find in St. Peter quot
ing this on the day of Pentecost (Acts
ii:27-3D. Thou wilt not leave my
soul in hades,' hell, the grave. st.
Peter proceeds to explain that David
spoke this not respecting his own
soul, but the soul of Jesus, and thus
foretold our Lords resurrection from
the dead on the third day. How SIM
pie. how plain the entire matter is
from this the Scriptural standpoint.
Our topic inquiries who are in hell.
The Scriptures answer that all go to
hell, the tomb, the death state, as Sol
ONION says, There is no wisdom nor
knowledge nor device in the grave
lsheoD. whittier thou goest.' In this
vast prinson-house it has been estlma-
ted that something like 10000, 900 900
of Adams children are prisoners. But
the very word prison implies that they
are not extinct. that it is in the divine
power and purpose to bring them
forth. as Job expressed It. Thou shalt