A Fate Worse than Death :: The Burial of an Ass

From time to time the expression is heard, "A fate worse than death." And while the expression most often is uttered as a witticism, the Scripture does speak of a fate which truly is worse than death.

I. Talmudic Myth :: Everlasting Torture, Hell, the Devil & Fallen Angels

Much to the disappointment of the Protestant, the Wicked are not destined to unending torture for evermore in a place called "Hell". Some of the entities which are fundamental to the Protestant Faith -- entities including Hell, fallen angels, and the Devil, together with the concept of everlasting torture -- exist only in the imagination. They have their origin in the myth of the Talmudic Jew. A company of men engaged in forgery, aided by unfaithful translators and hirelings standing in the Pulpits, have woven an elaborate and convoluted tapestry portraying an absurd but fanciful legend of a prehistoric rebellion of angels, the subsequent interaction of these "fallen" angelic creatures with mankind, and the retribution to be exacted of the rebels in a yet-future era. And though the Protestant Pulpit constantly teaches that the Lord God practices torture, the allegation is false and constitutes blasphemy. A hallmark of the Lord God is his abundant and unfailing mercy. The Wicked are destined not for everlasting torture, but simply for annihilation.

II. The Translator Creates a Character

The Protestant Pulpit cultivates belief in "fallen" angels and a supposedly fallen archangel whose titles are "Lucifer", "Satan", or "the Devil". This, however, is a fiction created by a clever stratagem on the part of the translator of the English Bible.

In speaking of wicked men, the Scripture often uses two Greek terms. The first is "satanas", which means adversary or accuser. The second is "diabolos", which means slanderer. If these terms always are translated, the passages in which they appear would not support the Protestant teaching concerning an archangel titled "Satan" or "the Devil" who supposedly fomented rebellion among the angels, leading a third of the angels in an attempt to overthrow the Lord God.

However, instead of translating "satanas" and "diabolos", the English Bible transliterates the terms, thereby creating a fictional character whose titles are "Satan" and "the Devil".

III. The Plan of God

According to the Scripture, the present life is a course of training, the purpose of which is to qualify for a position of authority in the government of the Lord God. Inasmuch as the government implemented by the Lord is everlasting, those who qualify are promised resurrection to Life Everlasting. Contrary to the general expectation of the populace and the teaching of the Protestant Pulpit, the Plan of God calls for the Earth to remain populated with mortal men for an indefinite number of future generations.

The history of man from Adam to the present day is a demonstration of the fact that mortal man cannot rightly govern. Under the Kingdom of God, governance shall be just and free of oppression; there shall be no incompetence and no corruption. The Kingdom shall bring to an end the absurd pipe dream of "government of the People, by the People, and for the People".

i. The Nature of Man

The Protestant Faith teaches that man is a being of the Spirit Realm. Supposedly, the essence of man is an "Immortal Soul" which has temporary residence in a perishable body of flesh, but is capable of existence independent of the body. Protestants are divided in opinion as to the point at which the Soul takes up residence in the body, which, supposedly, is the point at which life begins. Some argue that life begins at conception, others say life begins at the point of viability, still others reason that life begins at the moment of birth. According to the Protestant Pulpit, upon death of the body, the Soul goes immediately to Heaven or else to a place of torment.

However, according to the Scripture, man is a chemical organism, animated at birth by a non-sentient animating spirit imparted by the Lord God. Not until the first inhale at birth does man become a living being. At death, the animating spirit returns to the Lord, and the chemical organism begins to decompose. There is no "afterlife". Apart from the Resurrection, the conscious existence of the individual is terminated by death.

ii. Salvation

There is only one authentic Gospel; that is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel is the glad tidings that the King has been seated upon his everlasting throne, and the Kingdom of God now is a reality -- the Reign of the Christ has commenced. Christ Jesus was seated upon the revived Throne of David shortly after his ascension into Heaven.

The Salvation of the Scripture is resurrection to Life Everlasting. It is "salvation" in that it is deliverance from the captivity which overtakes all mortals, the captivity of Death. In addition to Life Everlasting, the benefits of Salvation include citizenship in the Kingdom of God, birth into the Family of God, and a position in the government of God.

iii. The Resurrection

Though the King reigns today, the implementation of the Kingdom shall not be complete until the yet-future Resurrection Out From the Dead. This is because the many offices of the Kingdom are populated exclusively with the Sons of God.

On the one hand, the Resurrection is a transformation, in which the corruptible mortal being of the Natural Realm is raised an incorruptible immortal being of the Spirit Realm. On the other hand, the Resurrection is a process of birth, in which the Justified is born into the Family of God as a mature Son.

Contrary to the teaching of the Protestant Pulpit, the Resurrection encompasses all of the Justified of every age of history, beginning with Adam and the Woman in the Garden.

iv. The Way of Life :: Recruitment, Training, & Perseverance

Throughout history, the Lord has been calling men to enter the Way of Life. The Way of Life leads to Salvation. Entrance into the Way is by Justification, which is by faith, apart from the "works of the Law".

The Way of Life is comprised of repetitive cycles. The cycles consist of instruction, testing, failure, repentance, and correction. The goal of the Way of Life is Sanctification. The Scripture describes Sanctification as a "renewing of the mind".

Not everyone is called by the Lord. Of those who are called, not all respond. Many are indifferent to the call, being occupied with the affairs of the present life. Others are resentful at the very thought that the Lord should make demands upon them.

Of those who respond to the call, not everyone counts the cost before setting out. The Way of Life is demanding. The cost of perseverance in the Way can include of loss possessions, loss of family, loss of friends, and even loss of life itself. Not everyone who sets out in the Way of Life endures in the Way unto the end (the end of life). Confronted with the cost, some find themselves unwilling to continue, and turn back.

Those who respond to the call, enter the Way of Life, and persevere in the Way unto the end die with the promise and confidence of resurrection to Life Everlasting as a Son of God. These are the Saved.

IV. The Measure of a Man

The uncertainty of the attainment of Salvation explains why the Scripture places greater importance upon death than upon birth:

"A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth." – Ecclesiastes 7:1

i. Salvation Misconstrued

According to Protestant Theology and the Protestant "Gospel of Personal Salvation", Salvation consists of deliverance from the fate of everlasting torture in Hell. This Salvation is obtained in a momentary transaction, much as one purchases a ticket for passage on an airplane, a train, or a bus. The transaction is offered without discrimination, and makes no demands upon the recipient. Finally, the transaction is irreversible. Accordingly, the Protestant confidently boasts, "Once Saved, Always Saved". But the concept of Salvation held by the Protestant is not the Salvation taught by the Scripture.

While it may be argued that the boast, "Once Saved, Always Saved", technically is correct, it is misconstrued by the Protestant. To begin with, Salvation is a process, the final stage of which is the Resurrection Out From the Dead. Stated more precisely, the boast would be, "Once resurrected, always resurrected". Those who enter the Way of Life but fail to persevere unto the end do not attain to the Resurrection Out From the Dead. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul:

"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

"Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." -- Philippians 3:1--15

V. Gehenna Portrays Utter Destruction

The Greek word "geenna", typically transliterated "Gehenna", is the common name of the valley of the Son of Hinnom. The valley was used as a municipal dump by residents of the city of Jerusalem.

Jesus used Gehenna as a metaphor; but Protestants generally have misunderstood the metaphor. The metaphor portrays nothing other than sure and utter destruction. In the valley, fires burned continuously and never were quenched, the flames serving the beneficial purpose of reducing to ash all sort of combustible waste. Also in the valley there always were to be found maggots (Greek, skolex, which the English Bible translates "worm"), feeding upon decaying carcasses which were cast into the valley. Not only the carcasses of dead animals, but also the bodies of criminals were cast into Gehenna.

i. The Myth of the Immortal Worm & the Eternal Flame

The Protestant Pulpit typically makes the assertion that the "worms" of Gehenna are immortal creatures which have been created expressly for the purpose of torture. This absurd assertion is based upon the reading of Mark 9:44,46,48 in the English Bible, "where the worm dieth not". The phrase "dieth not" translates the Greek word "teleutao" with the negative "ou". But "teleutao" means simply "to come to an end". Moreover, the verb applies to maggots categorically, rather than to individual maggots.

The maggots of Gehenna never "come to an end" in the sense that they never become extinct: flies always are laying eggs, new maggots always are hatching, and glutted maggots always are being metamorphosed into flies, in a cycle which never ends.

Curiously, in the Greek of Mark 9:43-48, the repeated phrase which the English Bible translates "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched", actually appears only once, in Mark 9:48. The repetition is an unwarranted insertion of the translator. Properly translated, the phrase reads "Where the maggot (skolex) of it has no end (teleutao) and the fire, no extinction."

Jesus is not speaking of a supernatural, immortal species of "worm"; rather, he is calling attention to the fact that maggots are in abundance in the valley, hatching and feeding upon whatever dead flesh is present. Nor is Jesus speaking of supernatural, eternal flames; rather, he is calling attention to the fact that the city fire brigade never made a run to Gehenna in order to quench the flames. It would have been contrary to the purpose of the municipal dump for the maggots to die out or for the flames to be quenched.

The point of the portrayal made by Jesus simply is this: that which is cast into Gehenna is destined for destruction. Whatever is not consumed by the flame is consumed by the maggot; and whatever is not consumed by the maggot is consumed by the flame. An unending population of maggots, together with flames which never were quenched, means that the destruction is sure. The punishment is everlasting not in the sense that it is a process which continues for ever; it is everlasting because, once executed, the destruction is irreversible.

Gehenna represents a judgment from which there is no possibility of reprieve, and no possibility of escape. The judgment portrayed by Gehenna is certain, utter, and irreversible; it is the complete extinction of one's very existence, not unending torment.

VI. The Burial of an Ass

Even when a society is in decline, it retains to a degree the ability to distinguish between men who are honourable and men who are reprobate. Accordingly, when an honourable man dies, society mourns and ensures that he receives an honourable burial. But when the reprobate dies, no one mourns at his death, and no one is concerned for his burial.

"If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he." – Ecclesiastes 6:3

The wicked king Joakim (also spelled Jehoiakim, also called Coniah), son of Josias (also spelled Josaiah and Josiah), king of Judah, received the "burial of an ass," his dead body being dragged outside the city (to Gehenna) and left to be consumed by wild animals and maggots:

"Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost." – Jeremiah 36:30

"Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Joakim son of Josias, king of Juda, even concerning this man; they shall not bewail him, saying, Ah brother! neither shall they at all weep for him, saying, Alas Lord. He shall be buried with the burial of an ass; he shall be dragged roughly along and cast outside the gate of Jerusalem." -- Jeremiah 22:18-19 (LXX)

The Burial of an Ass is a Fate worse than Death.

FINIS

2026.04.04 2255gmt