- Truth is in Jesus
- Nov 29, 2015
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What Does God Think About Burning People Alive
In this article we’ll investigate what God, our creator feels about burning people alive in fire. The doctrine of hell fire is taught by mainstream Christianity and other religions. Is it myth or biblical?
Good stuff. He even touched a little about God burning people for the rest of their lives.
When I think of a God who will burn people forever, I think of a completely different God than the one Jesus made known. Jesus spoke of a God of Love, Mercy and Grace. So how is it then, that God will burn people forever?
Is it in God’s heart to burn people?
Is physically burning people with literal fire even something that is in God’s heart? Is there anywhere in the Holy Scriptures we can look to that tells us God does not approve of burning people in literal fire?
Not in Heart, arouses anger, is detestable, an abomination
Take a look at the verses below for confirmation on the fact that God hates it when his children are burned in fire.
Jeremiah 7:31 New Living Translation “They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!”
It never crossed God’s mind to burn people in literal fire.
Jeremiah 19:5 Young’s Literal Translation “and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire, burnt-offerings to Baal, that I commanded not, nor spake of, nor did it come up on My heart.”
It never came into the heart of God to burn people in fire.
Jeremiah 32:35 American Standard Version “And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”
God said it was an abomination to burn children in fire.
2 Chronicles 28:3 New International Version “He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.”
It is detestable to burn children in fire, it was a practice the LORD had driven out.
2 Chronicles 33:6 New Living Translation “Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the LORD’s sight, arousing his anger.”
It arouses God’s anger when children are sacrificed in fire. It’s evil in the LORD’s sight.
The valley of Ben-Hinnom and Molech
The valley of Ben-Hinnom spoken of in Jeremiah and 2 Chronicles is a valley just outside of ancient Jerusalem. In Hebrew it is called Gehinnom and transliterated into Greek as Gehenna. In that valley was the city garbage dump where dead bodies of criminals and the carcasses of animals were thrown in. Fire was kept burning to consume the waste. The worms had a constant food source. Jesus spoke of it in Mark 9:48, “where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.” NLT
In this Gehenna valley, followers of Baalim and Canaanite gods would bring their sons and daughters of very young age to be sacrificed in the fire to Molech. This was a detestable thing to the LORD.
We clearly see from the above scriptures in Jeremiah and 2 Chronicles that God disapproves of burning children in fire. Are we to believe He will do the very same thing to His children in a place called Hell that lasts forever and where His mercy isn’t found?
The brass idol of Tophet (Molech)
A historical account of this practice states “Tophet is Moloch, which was made of brass; and they heated him from his lower parts; and his hands being stretched out, and made hot, they put the child between his hands, and it was burnt; when it vehemently cried out; but the priests beat a drum, that the father might not hear the voice of his son, and his heart might not be moved:” – John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible – Jer 7:31.
God hates it, profanes His name
Let’s look at some more verses in Deuteronomy and Leviticus that tell us what God thinks about burning children in fire.
Deuteronomy 12:31 New International Version “You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.”
The LORD hates the detestable practice of burning children in fire.
Leviticus 18:21 GOD’S WORD® Translation “Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech [by burning them alive]. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your God. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 18:21 New International Version “Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.”
Burning children in fire dishonors and profanes God’s name.
If something as detestable as sacrificing children in the fire to Molech didn’t even come up into the mind and heart of God as written in Jeremiah, and is something that he hates as written in Deuteronomy, and is something he told them not to do because it would profane His name, then why would God burn people in a literal fire forever in a place called Hell? Would that not make God himself a hypocrite for doing something he commanded them not to do? And would that not contradict the statement made in Deuteronomy that it’s something God hates? And would it not be profaning His own name?
Preachers of Hell Fire are profaning the name of God when they say He will burn his children in a literal fire forever because of being unrepentant non-believers of Christ. The scriptures are clear that burning children alive is something He hates, is not in His heart, profanes His name, and arouses his anger.
So if God isn’t going to burn his children with literal fire, what must we conclude about Hell Fire that is spoken of in the Bible?
Hell Fire (Gehenna Fire) must be misunderstood
If it isn’t what we think, then what exactly is it? And what does the Bible actually say about it in the original Greek texts?
Find out in upcoming articles.