Tim Mackie of the Bible Project Denies Literal Hell, Says It’s Something That Humans Created - by Publisher

Found here. Our comments in bold.

---------------

The Doctrinal Police, ever vigilant to defend every jot and tittle of their doctrines, today bring their cannons to bear on Tim Mackie, whom they deem a false teacher. Now, it's certainly possible that this fellow has some bad doctrines. He may even teach some incorrect things. So we're not here to defend him so much as we desire to examine the writer of this article, who cowardly hides behind the moniker "publisher." 

Happily, "publisher" actually quotes a Scripture, an all-to-rare occurrence among these supposed Bible teachers. But he will make several claims without documenting them.

----------------------

Be cautious of a popular and up-and-coming figure in the expanding field of Bible teachers. Tim Mackie, the founder of The Bible Project, is a popular and rising star in the growing landscape of Bible teachers. He began his spiritual journey as a teenager when he attended Skatechurch, a Portland ministry that communicated the stories of the Bible to skateboarders. Despite initially only attending to skate, he became drawn in by the stories he heard about Jesus during his last years of high school.

Tim Mackie and his team produce popular YouTube videos that are graphical depictions of the Bible with summarized narratives and explanations of each book. These short videos are engaging and easy to understand, making them particularly appealing for parents who want to use them to help explain the Bible to their children.

But are they safe (He doesn't answer this question.)

and is Mackie teaching good, sound doctrine? (A better question is, does Mackie's teaching about hell represent a damnable heresy?)

The Bible mentions two eternal destinations for the spirits of those who do not go to Heaven: (Two destinations? What?)

Hades and the lake of fire. Hades is the current location for the spirits of those who have passed away apart from the forgiveness of Christ. ("Current location?" Does "publisher" think there are multiple places where sinners are tormented? Where does the Bible teach such a thing?)

It is described as a place of torment and suffering and the rich man in Luke 16, as he calls out to Father Abraham for mercy, describes the place as being in anguish because of the fire (Luke 16:23-24).

The lake of fire, on the other hand, is the final place of punishment for those who die in their sins. (Waaait. So there are sinners in the first place of torment, Hades, and then are moved to the lake of fire? Or do they stay in Hades while others reside in the lake of fire? Where does the Bible teach such things?

We think "publisher" is missing the point of Lazarus and the rich man. It's a parable. Now, it's certainly acceptable to take elements from the parable as statements of truth, but the actual story here is that Jesus was responding to the sneering of the Pharisees [Lk. 16:14]. The parable concludes with: 

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. Lk. 16:31

Jesus was using the parable to speak of Himself, condemning the Pharisees for their lack of faith.)

This place is also described as a place of torment and suffering, and it is mentioned in several passages in the Bible, including Revelation 20:15, which states that anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire.

According to the Bible, God created Hell as a place of eternal punishment, a place of darkness, fire, and suffering, for Satan and his angels who rebelled against Him (Matthew 25:41). (Let's quote the verse:

Mt. 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

Publisher thinks this is a different place than where the rich man went, but there is no indication of that from this or any Scripture cited to this point.

Further, and this is picking nits, the verse does not tell us that God created hell. It says this fire was prepared, but does not say God created it. Prepared does not mean create.

Publisher is well within propriety to assume that God actually created hell, but there is no explicit statement that tell us He did.) 

However, because man, like Satan, also sinned against God, those who reject God and His Son who came to earth in the form of a man to bear God’s wrath in our place (Jesus was not punished by the Father. The Father did not pour out His wrath on His Son. There is no verse in the Bible that tells us such a thing. None. 

We ask the reader to check it for himself.

We discuss this false teaching in detail here.)

will also be sentenced to Hell as punishment for their rebellion against Him (Revelation 20:15). (Well, no. The verse reads,  

Re. 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

There is no sentencing here. What is described is a simple matter of looking for names. The book of life was empty at first, until the first person was saved and his name written in. Now there are millions or even billions of names written in the book.

There is no sentencing or even judgment rendered. Everyone ever born was born dead because of the sin that brought death into the world [Ro. 5:12]. The default state of dead men is condemnation:

Jn. 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

"Condemned already," i.e., already been sentenced. Dead man walking. Mankind started out in a condemned state, but now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus [Ro. 8:1]. We've been taken from death into life [Ro. 5:18], and our names are now written down.)

And perhaps the most vivid description of Hell in the Bible is in Revelation 14:9-11, which clearly states that Hell is eternal and that it is the wrath of God—not merely the “hell” of the human mind and sin—that will be poured out for all eternity in the presence of the Holy angels:

9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

This is a vivid and disturbing depiction of the eternal punishment that awaits those who remain in rebellion against God. (This passage is about those who receive the mark of the beast or who worship him or his image [Re. 14:9]. "Publisher" would need to explain how this passage means eternal torment for all who reject Jesus. Not that we disagree with him, but he needs to teach accurately and completely.)

However, Tim Mackie seems to have adopted the theological liberal position that Hell is a concept created by humans rather than by God. (Mackie was not terribly clear as to whether the entire concept of hell is an invention of man, or if man simply made up things about hell.)

This false teaching stems from a lack of understanding of the true nature and character of God. Theological liberals often try to argue that God is a loving and merciful God who would never send anyone to Hell (Ezekiel 18:23) and that He wants all people to turn to Him and accept His love and forgiveness (John 3:16). Based on this, they wrongly conclude that Hell is simply a human invention that reflects our own fears and biases about punishment and suffering, rather than a place that God has ordained as punishment for those who reject Him.

Contrary to Mackie’s argument in the clip below that God didn’t create Hell because it wasn’t mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis, the Bible clearly states that God created Hell. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus speaks about the final judgment and states that the cursed will be cast “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” ("Publisher" must have forgotten that he already addressed this point.)

It is unclear whether Tim Mackie is intentionally trying to deceive or mislead people, but it is evident that his tendency to deny the literal existence of a Hell created by God for the eternal punishment of the reprobate raises concerns. If Mackie denies that God’s wrath is being poured out eternally on sinners in Hell, it is not a stretch to suggest that he also denies that the wrath of God was poured out on Jesus at the cross. (We also deny it, because it is false.)

This is hinted at in the clip below, and if this is what he believes, it is a false gospel. (Believing that the Father did not punish Jesus is a false gospel? This is an astounding claim.)

As such, readers should exercise caution when considering Mackie’s teachings.

(Video clip)