WHY Does Jeff A. Benner Contradict SCRIPTURES on HELL ?

or . . .  YET Another Hebrew Roots Writer

Who Overlays Scripture with Hebrew Roots

Doctrines and Definitions

In the Old Testament ( First Covenant ) , the Hebrew word for Hell is she'ol, Strong’s 7585.

In his writings, Mr. Benner disassociates FIRE from Hell, regardless of The LORD'S and His+ Apostles' teachings on it throughout the New Testament .

From Mr. Benner's The Living Words -- Volume 1:

" The idea of a “fire” being associated with she’ol

is unique to the New Testament and

 no such reference will be found

 in the Old Testament.

"Apparently, the fires of hell is a concept introduced into the Hebrew culture from an outside source, possibly while Israel was in Babylon during their captivity."

 from page 27, The Living Words -- Volume 1, Jeff A. Benner

However, Mr. Benner contradicts Scripture, as found in Deuteronomy 32:22.

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell [ she’ol ] , and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Deuteronomy 32:22

Deuteronomy 32:22 was written by Moses, who was definitely IN the Hebrew culture.  Deuteronomy was written LONG before Israel was taken captive and moved to Babylon for its sin.

What WAS the sin that angered The LORD so much . . . so much that HE had Jerusalem destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC ? Its destruction was followed by 3 different deportations of the Jewish people over a 16-year period.

Jeremiah informs us about this horrendous sin of Judah's in several chapters: The men of Judah were burning their babies and children to Moloch in sacrifice. 

This was done in a ravine, a valley , a gorge just outside of Jerusalem proper, the Valley of the son of Hinnom.

In the New Covenant ( New Testament ), we know this place as Gehenna, in the transliteration of it from Hebrew to Greek and then into English. [ Valley, in Hebrew = Gai and Hinnom, a proper name = henna, hence "Gehenna." ]

In English Bibles, Gehenna [ Strong's 1067 ] is translated as "hell" and used in 11 places throughout the New Covenant, with 10 of those in the Gospels, spoken by The Mouth of The LORD.

In the Valley of Hinnom, Gehenna,  was the place of sacrifice called TOPHET. This is recorded in 2 Kings 23:10 as well as in 7 verses in Jeremiah. TOPHET then is the same place as "Gehenna", the Valley of Hinnom.

 Jeremiah 7: 30-32

For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD:

they have set their abominations in the house which is

called by My Name, to pollute it.

7:31

And

they have built the high places of TOPHET, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom,

to burn their sons and their daughters

in the fire;

which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

7:32

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom,

but the valley of slaughter:

for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.

See also Jeremiah 19. Toph-- is said to refer to the DRUMS which were pounded to drown out the screams of the burning, living babies.  See Jaimieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary, Volume 2, Part 2, page 67, notes on Jeremiah 19: 6.

Some accounts affirm that children who could walk were made to "pass through the fire" to Moloch barefoot.

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary includes the information that "tophet" was originally the king's music grove which was defiled by Baal and idols and regarded as the gate of hell. See JFB Volume 2, part 1, page 659, notes on Isaiah 30:33.

Isaiah also records the fire and brimstone of The LORD in dealing with the worshippers of Ba'al / Moloch.

Since BOTH the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah wrote BEFORE the Babylonian Captivity, it seems Mr. Benner is mistaken in his dis-association of FIRE with HELL, historically.

Isaiah 30:33

For Tophet is ordained of old;

 yea, for the king it is prepared;

he hath made it deep and large:

the pile thereof is fire and much wood;

the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

Mr. Benner states , again on page 27:

"The Greek word geenna is a  transliteration of two Hebrew words,  gai [H:1516],meaning “valley” and hinnom [H:2011], a place name of uncertain meaning. Gai hinnom or “Valley of Hinnom” is the name of a valley outside Jerusalem.

"In the days of Yeshua the “Valley of Hinnom” burned continually with fires that consumed the garbage and dead animals dumped there by the inhabitants of the city.

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell (geenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Mark 9:43 (KJV)

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[ Ed. note: Let us remember that these are the Words of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, i.e., YESHUA+ in Hebrew; Y’SHU+ in Aramaic.]

The ever-burning fires which burned dead bodies of animals, criminals, and Jerusalem's  garbage did occur during The LORD'S time on earth, but it was started LONG before HE+ walked this earth Incarnate as a man, according to Scriptures in Jeremiah.

That GEHENNA refers to a fire and brimstone HELL is confirmed by the Scripture in Isaiah 30:33, above.  It was a well-known, well-established horror and destruction to be thrown into Gehenna because the fire was never quenched.

It was thus used as a VISIBLE, OBJECT LESSON to teach the populace about the eternal FIRE prepared for the devil and his angels and for those who serve the satan in this short life. 

Was there FIRE in SHE'OL ?

What does Scripture tell us ?

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell [ she’ol ] , and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Deuteronomy 32:22

Yes. SHE'OL is the ONLY word for "hell" used in the Hebrew Old Covenent ( Old Testament) .  The book of Moses, Deuteronomy, clearly connects SHE'OL with FIRE.  

Mr. Benner then states, on pages 27- 28:

"The second word translated as “hell” in the New Testament is hades [G:86]. This is the Greek word used in the Greek Septuagint for the Hebrew word she’ol.

" Hades is used in the New Testament in the same sense as the Hebrew she’ol,  the place of the dead, the underworld.

" However, in the New Testament hades / she’ol  is first  described as a place of torment.

And in hell (hades) he lift up his eyes, being in

torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and

Lazarus in his bosom.

Luke 16:23 KJV

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[ Ed. note: Again, let us remember WHO+ is speaking here. These are the Words of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, i.e., YESHUA+ in Hebrew; Y’SHU+ in Aramaic.]

Now here we come to the crux of the matter.

Mr. Benner uses the Septuagint, the LXX.

[Keep in mind, Bereans, that the Septuagint is really the questionable , 4th ( ? ) Century Codex Vaticanus according to the information  printed in the preface of every Septuagint printed today. We DO NOT HAVE the original Septuagint , if there ever was one, supposedly published around the mid-third century,  BC. ]

 The Codex Vaticanus / so-called Septuagint uses the Greek HADES as a translation of the Hebrew SHE'OL. Hades means the place of the unseen, the unknown, as it were. 

So, SHE'OL also means the same thing as the Greek, according to Mr. Benner. 

[ Ed. note: How can the Greek language --- much later than Hebrew ---  determine the meaning of that ANCIENT Hebrew word ? ] 

 Mr. Benner determines that since the Hebrew ROOT of SHE'OL means "asking" or "requesting" about something unknown or unseen like the Greek, that there is NO FIRE connected with it.

Yet, Mr. Benner himself quotes Luke 16 as HADES / SHE'OL being a place of torment.

WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY ? 

Is there ANY fire  in this account of HELL , revealed to us by The LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF+ ? Luke 16: 23-31.

And in HELL he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and

send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue;

for I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

The Words of The LORD

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We can SEE that the rich man in HELL did ask some questions and requested some favors . . .  which of course were NOT granted to him, not even the serious request to keep his brothers from entering into HELL.

So, HELL --- HADES --- SHE'OL indeed is a place of ASKING and REQUESTING but the requests are never granted.

BUT ALSO, a definite FIRE ( flames ) is burning in SHE'OL / HADES and it is indeed unquenchable, it never burns out; plus, the rich man FELT it and it tormented him constantly.

Thus, Mr. Benner is quite in error when he claims NO "FIRE" in SHE'OL .  

Mr. Benner continues on page 28 of The Living Words --- Volume 1  to inform readers about the 3^rd Greek word used in the New Testament translated as “hell.” He states:

"The third word translated as hell is tartaroo [G:5020] and is found only once in the Bible.

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (tartaroo), and delivered them into chains of darkness,

 to be reserved unto judgment

2 Peter 2:4 (KJV)

"The word tartaros comes from Greek Mythology and was a deep abyss and a place of torment where the Greek gods banished their enemies.

"The use of this word in the New Testament is a clear case of a Greek influence on the New Testament  text."

Mr. Benner was ALMOST correct. His conclusion, however, reveals that he did not look any further for documentation of his opinion.  Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker, ( BAGD) 2nd ed 1979, page 805, states:

"Tartarus, thought of by the Greeks as a subterranean place lower than Hades where divine punishment was meted out, was so regarded in JEWISH apocalyptic(s) as well.  "

Here is one Jewish apocalyptic writing which was held in high regard and read by the Pre-Nicene, Early Christian church, the book of (H)ENOCH. Enoch, let us recall, was the 7th from Adam.

We know it was read and considered Scripture because the book of  the Apostle JUDE , the half-brother of the LORD, quoted from Enoch.

 ENOCH, Chapter 20:1-2, 

"And these are the names of the holy angels who watch.

Uriel, one of the holy angels,

who is over the world and over Tartarus. "

 [ The Book of ENOCH, 2nd Ed., compiled and edited by Ronald K. Brown, D. Div., Ph.D., P.E., Guadalupe Baptist Theological Seminary Press, San Antonio, TX, 2000, page 20.]

The Apostle Peter referred to Tartarus by name ( 2 Peter 2:4) and the Apostle Jude referred to it by description ( 1:6).

We recall that the Apostle Peter was an observant Jew and had never eaten ANYTHING considered unclean or common, by Jewish Law. 

It seems more likely that the Apostle Peter would have ALSO been familiar with the Book of ENOCH like his contemporary, the Apostle Jude . . . rather than inserting into his letter a mythological concept adopted from the Greek pagans.

[ It also seems MORE LIKELY that the ancient Greeks, who were knowledgeable and well-read philosophers, who compiled the great library in Alexandria in the ancient times,  picked up the word TARTARUS from the Hebrew writings. ]

Thus, we are left with Mr. Benner teaching errors that contradict Scriptures about HELL, in both Old Testament and New. He stated plainly that:

1) There is NO FIRE in HELL (Hades/ She'oL).

2) SHE'OL only means an unknown place, of asking and requesting, as per its Hebrew language root.

3) Tartarus came from Greek Mythology.    

Mr. Benner seems to have a struggle with the Scriptural doctrine of HELL, specifically, of the FIRE in HELL that brings terrible torments. 

If so, then Mr. Benner is REJECTING the very words of our LORD JESUS CHRIST in His+ teaching on HELL and the unquenchable fire connected with it in SHE'OL and in GEHENNA. 

Although Mr. Benner is quite a capable reader of both  Hebrew and English, it seems he does NOT BELIEVE what is written in Deuteronomy 32:22 and Luke 16:23-31 or Enoch. 

Bereans, can we TRUST that Truth about OTHER Scriptures will come forth from a teacher who does NOT BELIEVE in the plain teachings of Scriptures about HELL ? 

There are other major problems with Mr. Benner's writings; this is just one of them.

Mr. Benner clearly states that he believes JESUS is GOD.

"After many months of study I found my answer, Jesus truly was and is God in the flesh."

The Holy Assembly and the Everlasting Covenant,

Jeff A. Benner, INTRODUCTION, page 10.

If that is SO, then what is the hindrance

to believing His+ Words --- all of them  ?

+  +  +

And JESUS answered and said unto them,

Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in My+ Name,

saying, I+ AM CHRIST;

and shall deceive many.

Matthew 24:4-5.

+  +  +

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