A number of videos ang kumakalat ngayon na nanggagaling sa Faith In Jesus City Church (hereafter, FIJ City Church) at kay Pastor Jeric Soriano na isang Hypergrace¹ proponent at dating pastor ng isang kilalang simbahan sa Alabang. And one of these videos is about the doctrine of hell.² Maraming nagulat sa kaniyang mga niyakap na turo na kapag pinakinggan mo siya ay para bang siya mismo ay nagugulat sa kaniyang sarili kung bakit ngayon lang daw niya ito napakinggan. Actually, matagal na itong katuruang kaniyang niyakap. This is no longer new because these twisted teachings has been started already by some people like Luis Alcaraz, a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest who first introduced his partial preterism. Yung unang interpretation ng book of Revelation ng paring ito ay lumabas noong 1614 sa Antwerp, Belgium.³ Ang doctrine naman ng Universalism ay unang itinuro ni Origen noong mga 3rd century pero naging popular ng husto noong mga 18th century sa United States among Unitarian Universalist cults na pawang hindi naniniwala sa pagiging Diyos ni Jesus Christ. Ang ganitong klaseng belief nila ay tumuloy-tuloy sa isang paniniwalang lahat ng tao ay pawang ligtas at makakapiling ng Diyos sapagka’t ang Diyos ay mapagmahal. If this is true then wala talagang impiyerno.⁴             

Naniniwala ang mga full preterist na wala na daw propesiya na matutupad sa panahon natin dahil daw sa natupad na ang lahat ng ito hanggang AD 70. Pero mahirap itong panghawakan dahil sa marami kang babanggain na mga verses sa Old and New Testament para lamang masuportahan ang teaching na ito. Halimbawa na lamang iyong patungkol sa Temple ng Jerusalem. Pinipilit nilang ituro na hindi na daw itatayo ang Templo sa Jerusalem dahil sa natupad na daw ito at giniba din noong AD 70. Pero ang ayaw nilang paniwalaan ay meron pa ring sinasabi sa propesiya na itatayong Templo sa pangatlong pagkakataon. At ito ay binabanggit sa sulat ni Paul sa mga taga-Thessalonians na sinasabing,

³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4    

Maaaring sabihin nila na ito ay natupad na noong sakupin ng mga Roman army ang Jerusalem at gibain ang Templo noong AD 70. But this will not make sense because the prophecy says, “the man of lawlessness… takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” Alam ko na tinatawag na divine ang Roman emperor pero meron ba sa history na this same person takes his seat in the temple of God sa loob mismo ng Jewish Temple proclaiming himself to be God? Actually, dito mahina ang argument ng mga preterist kasi hindi nila masabi kung sino talaga ang tinutukoy ng man of lawlessness na ito. According to some preterist si Titus daw, or si Nero daw, or yung mga religious leaders daw. Sige, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Kung itong man of lawlessness ay tumutukoy kay Nero, then he tama naman na proclaimed himself as divine or “God” kaso he did not sat in the temple. Kung ito naman ay any Jewish religious leader, yes, totoo naman na he may have sat in the temple, but never did he proclaim himself to be God kasi labag ito sa belief nila as Jews. Kung si Titus naman, yes, he may be a Roman general kaso he neither sat in the temple nor proclaim Himself to be “God.” So we are left wondering kung sino nga ba ito. Ibig sabihin, matutupad pa ito sa pangkasalukuyan or sa future. At ito ay kapag nagawa na ang pangatlong Temple ng Jerusalem. And besides, itong argument nila na natupad na ang lahat noong AD 70 ay hindi papanigan kahit ng mga early church fathers tulad nina Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Hippolytus, at ang mga iba pang early church fathers na nagturo na ang libro ng Daniel, Revelation, at Matthew 24 ay matutupad pa sa end of this age bago pa man pumasok yung view ni Origen tungkol sa preterism. Sabi nga ng isang respetadong German church historian na si Johann Lorenz von Mosheim, “The prevailing opinion that Christ was to come and reign a thousand years among men before the final dissolution of the world, had met with no opposition previous to the time of Origen.”⁵ 

Ang diyablo ay hindi titigil na linlangin ang maraming mga tao kasama na ang mga ibang mananampalataya upang ma-misinterpret nila ang Salita ng Diyos. Sabi nga sa Matthew 24:24, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” So hindi nakakapagtaka kung kahit itong mga believers na ito ay malinlang ng mga kaaway. Nakakalungkot lang kasi ang kanilang mga teachings ay kumakalat na parang gangrene o bulok na sugat sa katawan ni Cristo that upsets or sabotage the faith of some immature believers.⁶ Hayaan ninyong mag-respond ako sa turo ni Pastor Jeric sa nakaraang video niya noong December 2020 tungkol sa hell or impiyerno. Ilalatag ko muna dito yung kaniyang paniniwala para magkaroon kayo ng idea sa kaniyang overall belief about hell. Saan ba siya nanggagaling dito sa paniniwalang ito? Sa pinaka-ending ng kaniyang video ay mapapakinggan siyang nagsasabi na “I am not here to challenge anybody.” Pero dahil sa kaniyang ginagawang pagtuturo ay tunay na hinahamon niya ang katuruang Kristiyanismo na ipinasa sa atin for many centuries. Ganiyan lang ba kadali na gibain ang pananampalatayang ipinasa sa atin ng mga apostol down to the early church fathers hanggang sa makarating sa ating panahon? This pastor is barking at the wrong tree noong kaniyang sinasabi na ang doktrina daw ng hell ay nagdudulot ng fear at guilt resulting to control. Hindi naman ito practice ng Protestants or Evangelical Christians. Ang sabi pa niya ay ang simbahan daw ang kumukontrol sa mga tao dahil sa pananampalatayang ito. Ayaw niyang diretsuhin kung anong simbahan ang tinutukoy niya. Most probably ang kaniyang nire-refer ay ang Roman Catholic Church. Pero, alam naman nating lahat na mali ang ganitong aksiyon ng mga Spanish friars noon when they came to our country under the guise of religion while trying to put fear and guilt sa mga taong hindi nakakabasa ng Salita ng Diyos. Sa katunayan ay naipasa nila ang ganitong klaseng thinking sa mga maraming Pilipino kaya nga kapag may ginawa na mali ang mga bata, ang panakot agad ng mga parents ay “Hala, pupunta ka sa hell pag hindi ka sumunod sa amin ng tatay mo!” Tama ba itong ganitong klase ng pananalita? Of course, hindi. Pero, ang ginagawa ni Pastor Jeric ay pinalalaki niya ito na para bang sapat na ito para baguhin ang paniniwala sa impiyerno. Biruin mo ang mga examples na ginamit niya ay “If you want your house to be bless then bless the house of the Lord first.” Maaaring nakuha niya ang ganitong mga maling pananaw sa mga preachers na mali ang pagkakaintindi sa blessing. Pero huwag naman sana niyang gagamiting dahilan ito para sabihin na ang doctrine ng literal hell ang nagtutulak sa mga taong ito para sabihin ang mga bagay na ito. I would say, its their wrong interpretation and understanding about hell that led them to say these things. Ano ba ang doctrine ni Pastor Jeric patungkol sa hell? Allow me to explain this by giving you his interpretation and understanding of John 3:16.  

According to him Jesus Christ came only to the “world” of the Jewish people. This is how he understands the term “world” in this passage referring to the Jewish unbelievers only not the people of this world. Jesus died for these Jeiwsh people prior to AD 70 so they will not perish when the Roman invasion happens. The word “perish” was interpreted by this pastor as a literal “physical death” (not spiritual death) that could happen to them who have not believed. If they refuse to believed then kasama sila sa mga mamamatay sa lugar ng Jerusalem due to the besieging and ransacking of their city and destruction of the Temple by the Roman army led by General Titus. Dagdag pa niya na sinabi daw ni Jesus, “If you believe in me, then get out of this place.” If only they will believe what He is saying by fleeing to the mountains, this time, citing Matthew 24:16-18 in connection with the destruction and burning of city. If they run away, then they will have “eternal life” which he believes is not really talking about enjoying God in heaven but more on knowing and understanding Jesus and God outside of the city of Jerusalem getting his support from John 17:3. This is what “eternal life” really means, explains Pastor Jeric which is a “beautiful relationship” in order for the Jewish people to know why they are existing in this world. Now, he reinforces his misinterpretation by citing Revelations 7:4 that around 144,000 Jewish people followed and believed in Jesus fulfilling the prophecy in Revelations before AD 70. He said, 

“If you make it out of Jerusalem, you will continue to know me and understand who I am. And what is is you are here for and why is it you are here for. It becomes a beautiful relationship. I hope you are getting that!” 

Oo naman. Naiintindihan ko ang mga sinasabi niya pero hindi ko nakikita na ito ang sinasabi ng Bible. At pagkatapos daw niyan ay doon na ipinako si Jesus sa cross. At noong ipinako Siya sa krus ay “he took sin away” kaya lahat ng mga tao ay pawang ligtas na. Sobrang audacious pa niyang sinab na, “Everybody becomes a believer. I say this with all my heart. I say this with passion. I say this because I believe it. For the longest time I did not want to believe it. But I saw it. And it’s good. It’s so good. Jesus Christ died for all. All humanity! If there are people who are acting like sinners today, it’s because they do not know who they are in Jesus Christ. And we cannot condemn them. We cannot judge them.” So para sa kaniya, ang impiyerno ay hindi literal and not existing, kasi nga it promotes fear, guilt, and control in the lives of the people. Sa kaniyang pagtatapos sa video ay sinabi niyang, 

“When I understood this, I can breath. I don’t have to be scared of it. Hell never existed. That’s amazing! It’s like a chain broken from my body. Those chains that held me down to hell. When you get that, you are a freeman. Your speech. Everything about you. You will be happy as well. For sure. And I am happy because grace wins!”        

Refuting the Teachings of Pastor Jeric and the FIJ City Church

1. “The abomination that causes desolation has been fulfilled in  AD70, therefore, no future Temple would be rebuilt.” 

Tama naman na ang Jerusalem ay nilusob ng mga Roman soldiers sa pamumuno ng isang Roman general na si Titus. At dahil dito ay winasak nila ang Temple noong mga panahong iyon around AD 70. Sa katunayan, the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied about this in Matthew 24:2 saying, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”⁷ At totoong natupad ito. Kasi noong nagiba ang Temple ay pinagbabaligtad ng mga Roman soldiers ang lahat ng bato ng naguhong Templo para kunin ang mga gintong nakadikit dito. Ang nangyari lamang dito ay desolation at walang desecration. Ito ang pagkakasabi ni Jesus sa Matt. 23:38 saying, “See, your house is left to you desolate.” The ransacked and demolished Temple will be abandoned by the Jews. The disciples thought Jesus is connecting this second Temple destruction to the Messiah’s second advent or coming. And He now proceed to explain in Matt. 24:4-14 kung ano muna ang mga mangyayari bago maitayo ang pangatlong Templo na tinutukoy niya sa Matt. 24:15.   

Ang problema sa paliwanag nina Pastor Jeric at ng FIJ City Church ay hindi nila sinundan ang chronology ng nakasulat sa Matthew 24 where it also says in verses 15-16, “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Ibig sabihin nito ay meron uling mangyayaring abomination (an object of repulsion or disgust) of desolation by the end of the last days in the future when the third Temple is rebuilt as prophesied in Daniel 12:11 and Matt. 24:15.⁸ When this happens, then the Jews had to save themselves by fleeing that place to the mountains. Akala nina Pastor Jeric ay natupad na ang Matthew 24:15-16 when the Jews left the place. Ang sabi po rito ay “flee to the mountains” not “flee to a town.” Ang sabi ng isang church historian na si Eusebius ay “the church at Jerusalem… left the city, and moved to a town called Pella.”⁹ Totoo naman talagang mapapaalis ka sa lugar na iyon kapag nilusob kayo ng mga kaaway. Pero specific ang prophecy kasi ang sinabi ni Jesus ay pupunta sila sa mga mountains dahil sa puwedeng ang rulership ng anti-Christ ay naka-focus lang sa mga progressive cities and towns. This is one reason why they have to flee to the mountains where he can’t reach them. This will happen during the seven year of great tribulation according to Daniel 9:27. At pagkatapos nito ay darating ang Panginoong Hesus where he explained further in Matthew 24:29-30,

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Kung magiging detalye ka lamang ay makikita mong maling-mali ang pagkakaunawa ni Pastor Jeric at ng FIJ City Church. They fully miss out the details in the prophecy. Una, hindi puwedeng maging abomination that causes desolation ang nangyari sa AD 70 dahil ang nangyari lamang doon ay ang pagkagiba ng Temple ng mga Hudyo dahil sa pag-alsa ng mga Hudyo against sa mga Roman armies. I understand that there are a number of sincere Christians who may disagree with this stand like those who embrace a post-millenialist view, amillenialist view, and partial preterist view. At dahil dito ay we choose to agree to disagree. Unfortunately, hindi yata alam ng mga pastors sa FIJ City Church na they are reflecting the cultic eschatological misinterpretation of the full-preterist position. Mag-ingat tayo sa kanilang mga paliwanag.   

2. “The term ‘Gehenna’ is not literal hell fire.”

Ang mga salitang Gehenna, Sheol, Hades, and Tartarus ay ginamit upang mabigyan tayo ng whole picture kung ano nga ba itong place of torment. Ang Gehenna ay tumutukoy sa Valley of Hinnom west and south of Jerusalem. Dito sinusunog ng mga Ammonites ang mga batang kanilang sina-sacrifice noon. Itinuloy ang practice na ito sa panahon ni king Solomon noong mga 10th century BC at king Mannaseh noong 7th century BC at nagpatuloy hanggang sa pagsakop ng mga taga-Babylonia noong 6th BC. Pero eventually sa katagalan ay naging garbage dump na lang ito para i-discourage ang pagpapatuloy ng maling paraan ng pag-sacrifice. Ito ang naging imagery ng pagtapon sa mga tao sa isang sinusunog na lugar para sa mga Jews and Christians.¹⁰ Mahirap ipaliwanag ang hell or place of torment kaya kailangang gumamit sina Lord Jesus at ng mga writers ng Old and New Testament ng mga imagery para tulungan tayong maintindihan kahit papaano ang lugar na ito.  

Ang Hades, or Sheol sa Hebrew, ay isang lugar para sa mga patay. Puwede din itong ipakahulugan na isang lugar na gathering of people.¹¹ Ito din ay isang lugar kung saan conscious ang mga tao. Kaya nga ang mga tao sa Old Testament ay may paniniwalang puwede silang makipag-usap sa mga patay na hindi sinasang-ayunan ng Diyos.¹² Dito pa lang ay mali na din ang mga taga-Seventh-day Adventist at mga Jehovah’s Witnesses sa kanilang paliwanag tungkol sa soul-sleep.       

Ang salitang Tartarus naman ay nangangahulugan na ang lugar na kanilang pupuntahan ay isang place of torment. Katulad na lamang noong sinulat ni Peter na “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell (tartarus) and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;”¹³

Ngayon, sabi ni Pastor Jeric ay yung Gehenna daw ay tumutukoy lamang sa umaapoy na Jerusalem dahil sa paglusob ng mga Roman armies. Mali po siya! Ang totoo, kung pagsasama-samahin natin ang kabuuang description ng hell ay lalabas na ito ay isang lugar ng conscious everlasting torment para sa mga taong hindi nanampalataya sa Panginoong Hesus. Mahirap lang talagang ma-imagine na ang isang taong hindi nanampalataya kay Jesus ay magdurusa for all eternity sa lugar na ito. No wonder kung bakit mas marami ang turo ni Jesus about sa hell compared sa heaven. Maraming hindi makatanggap ng katotohanang ito kasama na si Pastor Jeric dahil sa hindi niya lubos na maunawaan kung bakit merong ganitong klaseng lugar. Kahit nga si Dr. R.C. Sproul noong siya ay tinanong kung anong doctrine ang tunay na struggle sa kaniya. Ang sagot: “Hell.”  

Ang napupunta sa hell ay ang mga taong makasalanan. Sino ba ang hindi makasalanan sa atin? Lahat tayo ay makasalanan. Sabi nga ng Bible sa Rom. 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” At kung ito ang sinabi ng Bible sa atin ay talagang pupunta talaga ang lahat ng tao sa impiyerno upang doon ay makaranas ang lahat ng everlasting torment. But the Lord provided a way out for us when Paul explained in Rom. 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Yung death dito ay hindi lang physical death but spiritual death as well. Baka naman sabihin pa nina Pastor Jeric na sa mga Hudyo lang ito kasi kung sasakyan ko ang paliwanag nila tungkol sa eternal life, ito daw ay ang pagigng ligtas sa gagawing pag-atake ng mga Roman soldiers na mangyayari pa lang sa AD 70. Again, this is too far from the truth. Hindi totoo na ang doctrine ng hell ay man-made but it is a teaching from God’s word to warn us of a place where no one can experience His love, mercy, presence, and grace. A person will only feel the guilt, the shame, and the condemnation of what he did kapag hindi niya tinanggap si Jesus sa buhay niya. Kaya sa story of the rich man and Lazarus ay ipinakita doon kung ano ang nararamdaman ng isang taong nasa lugar ng impiyerno. Sino ang mas paniniwalaan mo patungkol sa turo ng impiyerno?¹⁴ Ang katuruan nina Pastor Jeric at ng FIJ City Churcy o ang turo ni Jesus Christ at ng mga apostol?    

But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! – Luke 12:5  

3. “The words ‘world’ ‘believed’ ‘perish,’ and ‘eternal life’ in John 3:16 have different meanings”

Ang lahat ng paliwanag ni Pastor Jeric tungkol sa John 3:16 ay pawang kamalian. Hindi na niya binigyan ng consideration ang mga Greek words at context ng kaniyang binabasa. Imagine for him to explain na ang ibig sabihin daw ng “world” dito ay ang Jewish world kasi daw si Jesus ay pinapunta sa lost sheep of Israel.¹⁵ Kung magkagayon, ay bakit pa natin paniniwalaan na si Jesus ay kailangan nating panampalatayanan kung Siya rin lang naman ay pumunta lamang sa mundo ng mga Hudyo.¹⁶ Biruin mo, ang salitang “world” ay pinalitan niya ng ibang meaning para lang masabing lahat ng propesiya ay natupad na noong AD 70.¹⁷ At para mabura sa isipan ng mga tao ang tunay na ibig sabihin ng believed, perish, at eternal life ay pilit niyang ipinasok dito ang kaniyang full-preterist interpretation.  

Actually, this verse in John is not a prophecy but a narrative where Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus how to be spiritually reborn. Ang problema ay ginawa nilang prophetic itong statement ni Jesus samantalang very plain lang naman ang ibig sabihin nito in relation to the whole context. Wala naman siyang pinapaliwanag diyan tungkol sa AD 70 but the context is all about spiritual rebirth and salvation once a person believes in Him. Kung sisimulan lang natin sa John 3:3 ay makikita nating kausap ni Jesus si Nicodemus at pinapaliwanag Niya kung papaanong pumasok sa kaharian ng langit. Ang sabi ni Jesus ay kailangan ng isang taong ma-born again. At para ma-born again ay kinakailangan niyang manampalataya kay Jesus where He said in John 3:14-15, “¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” 

So kung mapapansin ninyo na ang layo ng paliwanag ni Pastor Jeric sa John 3:16 na hindi man lamang naging faithful sa context. Paano niyang sasabihin na ang ibig sabihin dito ni Jesus sa “believed” ay maniwala sa Kaniya na kailangan nilang umalis sa lugar ng Jerusalem dahil sa lulusubin sila ng mga Roman armies? Makikita niyo naman kung papaano siyang humugot ng mga verses out of context at pilit na pinagdidikit-dikit na akala mo ay sa isang chapter nanggaling ang lahat. Nakakagulat dahil sa ang kaniyang paliwanag ng “perish” ay kinuha pa niya sa isang Thesaurus instead of understanding it’s Greek word which in context refers to spiritual death.¹⁸ Alam naman natin na ang context ng John 3:16 refers to spiritual death because of the spiritual rebirth in John 3:3. If this is the case, then “eternal life” also refers to spiritual life not saving one’s physical body from the attack that is going to happen in Jerusalem. Sobrang stretch ang ginawa ni Pastor Jeric dito sa kaniyang pagpapaliwanag ng John 3:16. Hindi niya binigyan ng justice ang interpretation ng passage.

Sabi pa niya, ang naligtas daw sa atake ng mga Roman armies ay 144,000 na mga Jewish believers na naniwala kay Jesus Christ sa John 3:16. They were able to escape daw the fires in Jerusalem. Walang koneksiyon ang 144,000 dito sa John 3:16. What he did was to pit the two different passages together to come up with a misinterpretation. Ang bilis niyang humugot ng talata without any warrant para gamitin lang kung saan siya comfortable.  

4. “Unconditional love is to love without condition, judgment, and condemnation therefore there should be no hell.”

Naniniwala tayong God’s love is unconditional, that is a love without condition. Pero, ilagay naman natin ito sa konsteksto. Ang ibig sabihin nito ay wala ka nang kailangang gawin to receive his love. Hindi mo kailangang gumawa ng good works para lang ma-win mo ang Kaniyang pagmamahal. But this is not at the expense of erasing the doctrine of hell just for anybody to feel good about himself. Sa katunayan sabi nga sa 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” At ang sabi din sa Romans 5:8 ay ganito, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”            

Tama naman na ang Diyos natin ay unconditional sa Kaniyang pagmamahal pero it doesn’t mean that He will compromise His standards of justice. Tandaan natin na si God ay isa ding Judge na huhusga sa lahat ng taong namatay. He will reward the believers in the way they followed Him as stated by the Lord Himself sa Revelations 22:12, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” On the otherhand, He will condemn those unbelievers who did not believed Him even while they were still living. Sabi nga sa John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” 

Hindi naman ipipilit ng Diyos ang Kaniyang pagmamahal sa iyo. May freedom ka pa rin naman na tanggihan ang Kaniyang ino-offer na pagmamahal. Pero, tandaan mo na ang bawat desisiyon na ating gagawin ay may consequence. Kaya lang naman natatakot ang mga tao sa impiyerno ay dahil sa hindi nila naiintindihan ang konsepto ng grace ng Pangnoon at ng Kaniyang kaligtasan. So, I think Pastor Jeric has a wrong understanding of grace and salvation kaya hindi niya matanggap ang tinuturo ng Bible tungkol sa hell. Hindi napupunta ang tao sa impiyerno dahil sa kanilang mga maling nagawa o nagagawa. Pumupunta ang tao sa impiyerno matapos silang mamatay dahil sa sila ay makasalanan. Sabi nga nga ni Paul sa Rom. 3:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”     

Sabi pa nga Pastor Jeric, there is no literal hell because God’s love is unconditional. He also reasons how this doctrine of God’s unconditional love will square with the doctrine of a literal hell. He explains “unconditional love” as  “to care about the happiness of the other person…. And will do anything to help that person feel happiness without expecting anything in return.” His understanding of God’s “unconditional love” is so perverted that will surely tolerate the actions of the most wicked of all wicked for their own happiness. This is how the heresy of universalism works in the minds of some people. Again, beware of the heretical doctrine of universalism.

5. “The Book of Life is the Jewish Book of Life.”

What he did was to quote Rev. 20:12 then point on to some words like “book of life,” “books,” and “according to what they have done.” Ang paliwanag niya ay ganito, na ang “book of life” daw ay ang Jewish book of life. Kaya ang hamon niya sa mga Kristiyano ngayon ay “Are you Jewish?” Since hindi ka Hudyo, this Book of Life is not meant for you. He tried to connect the Book of Life in Rev. 20:12 sa literal na Book of Life (Rosh Hashanan) ng mga Jewish people sa Dan. 12:1. Pero ang pagkakasabi dito ng angel sa Dan. 12:1 ng “whose names are written in God’s book will be saved” ay figurative meant for the Jewish nation. Hindi naman ito literal na libro sa langit. This concept was used I think he forgot that the apostle John was a former Jew who became a believer. It will surely be surprising for him to still refer to his former Jewish faith in explaining the judgment day in the presence of God as the Judge of all people. In Pastor Jeric’s eagerness to rule out “good works” in the salvation of a person while living on planet earth, he misinterpreted the phrase “according to what they have done” as “law.” Kaya ang tanong niya ay kailangan ba nating gumawa ng batas ng mga Jews? Ang totoo, hindi naman talaga tungkol sa “law” ang tinutukoy dito sa Rev. 20:12 as if this passage refers to salvation but the works done after one is saved. 

No wonder, Paul said in 1 Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” So notice, ang sabi ni Paul, all believers including him, will appear before Christ’s judgment seat to received what is due for the works they have done whether good or evil. Napansin mo ba ang sinabi niya diyan na whether good or evil? Kasi may mga believers na hindi sumusunod sa kalooban ng Diyos. Sa kaligtasan ay pare-parehong ligtas ang mga mananampalataya, pero magkakaiba ang ating matatanggap na heavenly rewards when the day finally comes. Again, this is not about being saved but it’s all about heavenly rewards. Kaya nga sabi ni Paul diyan “so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done.” One day, we hope to hear Christ’s words in Rev 22:12 na nagsasabing, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense (Gk. misthis, reward) with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” 

6. “There is no more Second Coming of Jesus!”

Kaya nila nasasabing ganito kasi nga dahil sa ang lahat ng prophecy ay natupad na sa kanila. Dumating na si Jesus noong nandito Siya sa lupa. Of course, they will say the book of Revelation was written in AD 68 to give grounds or excuse for their poetic or prophetic symbols sa Matt. 24 and the book of Revelation.¹⁹ The truth is that the book of Revelation was written around AD 95 or AD 96. If this is the case then this pastor’s interpretation will surely fall like a house of cards. Ang totoo, naiinip na sila kasi parang hindi dumadating si Jesus. Imagine, it has already been more than two thousand years pero hindi pa rin Siya dumarating. Ang hindi rin nila matanggap ay yung timeline ni Lord kung kelan Siya darating na hindi na natin puwedeng saklawan siyempre. Kahit nga noon may naiinip na din sabay sabi sa 2 Pet. 3:4 na, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” Pero may dahilan pala kung bakit pinapatagal pa ni Lord ang Kaniyang pagdating kasi gusto Niya na ma-saved pa ang mga taong ito sa destruction. Sabi nga sa 2 Pet. 3:9,  “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” If this is the case then hell is truly literal at talagang darating Siya one day. It may not be in our generation but it could be in someone else’s generation. After all, sabi nga sa 2 Pet. 3:8, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Although this should not be taken as literal, parang akala natin ay matagal na ang 2,000 years pero mabilis lang pala ito kay Lord. Ang totoo, kapag nag-e-enjoy or busy ka sa ginagawa mo para kay Lord ay hindi mo mapapansin ang mga araw, buwan, at taon na dumadaan. No wonder, sa langit hindi mo mapapansin ang tagal ng panahon kasi nag-e-enjoy sila doon sa piling ni Lord. 

Let us give ourselves always to the work of the Lord para hindi natin napapansin ang dumadaang panahon. Kung ang mga divisive believers na ito ay abala lang kay Lord sa Kaniyang pinapagawa dito sa lupa, I’m sure hindi sila makakaisip ng ganitong klaseng mga misinterpretation ng Scripture. No wonder ang mga bagay na ginagawa nila para sa Panginoon ay palagi naiiisip na legalism kasama na pati ang evangelism and discipleship. Kaya to escape this responsibility ay tinuturo nila na lahat ay nasa kingdom na ni Lord pati yung mga “unbelievers” today. Sabi nga ni Pastor Jeric, ang mga unbelievers daw ay yun lang mga taong nasa Old Covenant bago pa mag-resurrect si Jesus. Sila daw yung mga “hard hearted” people prior to the crucifixion who “refused to believe,” “refused to give their life to Him,” and “refused to listen to His words.” Kaya ang salitang unbelievers ay hindi na appropriate sa panahong ito kasi lahat ng tao ay ligtas na. Makikita mo talaga kung paano niyang binabaluktot ang truth ng Salita ng Diyos. 

7. “The fiery lake of burning sulphur in Revelations 21:8 is the fire that happened in Jerusalem in AD 70.” 

Tama ba itong paliwanag ni Pastor Jeric? Sabi niya, ang verse na ito ay hindi tumutukoy sa mga tao ngayon. Yung mga “faithless” or “unbelievers” daw ay mga Jews na hindi sumunod kay Jesus na umalis ng Jerusalem para hindi sila makasama sa mga mamamatay kapag nilusob, sinunog, o tinupok ng mga Roman soldiers ang kanilang siyudad. Ito daw ang second death. Ito daw ang “lake of fire that has something to do with the opening of the Book of Life” sa Rev. 20:14. Ito daw ang “final end of the Old Covenant.” Ibang klase din siyang mag-interpret ano? Kaya nga sa video ay hirap siyang banggitin ang mga salitang, “cowardly, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars.” Kasi siguradong babangga ito sa kaniyang paniniwala na mga “unbelievers” lang daw ang tinutukoy dito samantalang isa lang ang “unbelievers” sa mga klase ng taong nabanggit na mabubulid sa lake that burns with fire and sulfur. 

Ang totoo, ang mga taong tinutukoy dito ay pare-parehong mga makasalanan (sinners) na walang relasyon kay Hesus. Ang mga makasalanang ito ay mapupunta sa dagat-dagatang apoy ng impiyerno. Pero aminin natin na may mga believers din na may struggle sa immorality, lying, and others. Kaya nga sabi ni Paul huwag na nating gagayahin ang ginagawa ng mga taong ito. Sabi niya sa kaniyang sulat sa mga taga-Corinthians, 

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV

Again, Revelations 21:8 never refers to the burning city of Jerusalem. The full-preterist people are having a hard time fitting this verse into their theology to the point of twisting several facts.        

Conclusion

Marami pang mga katuruan si Pastor Jeric at ang FIJ City Church na hindi napasama dito pero sapat na ang article na ito para maipakita ko sa inyon kung saan sila nagkakamali sa kanilang Bible interpretation. Delikado ba ang teaching na ito nina Pastor Jeric at FIJ City Church? Oo! Napakadelikado ng kanilang tinuturo. Dahil they are no longer sharing the gospel of salvation to those people who need to know Jesus Christ. Ang thinking nila ay kaya mo lang ibabahagi ang gospel ay kung gusto mo silang makaranas ng magandang klase ng buhay. It is no longer about salvation but having a better life. Komento pa nga ni Pastor Jeric, 

“Seriously, when I go to the funeral, I look at the guy. I look at the family. And they do not know. Is he in heaven? Is he in hell? Where is this guy? 

“I go into funeral today, without a shadow of doubt, I can tell you that guy is in a dimension so much beautiful than our place, than our dimension. 

“Folks, it’s beautiful! Jesus Christ died for all humanity! 

“And the reason why some people don’t see? It is because they are not awake! Jesus Christ just have to wake you up! 

“Open your mind! Open your heart! And receive this goodness of God in your life!”     

I will also say the same thing to Pastor Jeric and the FIJ City Church, open your mind and open your heart to the truth of God’s word. Well, in my study of their teachings, I can see that they are spreading the cultic teachings of the full-preterist and the heretical teachings of universalism. Isipin mo na hindi na kinakailangan pa daw na mag-share ng gospel. I believed this is a full attack from the pits of hell because I cannot imagine how many souls will be going to eternal damnation if they will not spread the good news of God’s saving grace. The Lord Jesus Himself said in Matt. 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

It is my hope that we will continue to believe and follow the Lord rather than these full-preterist and hypergrace teachers.

¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. – 1 Peter 3:15-16

For feedback, please email the writer at justyn@thebereans.net

Disclaimer: The term “cultic” or “cult” is only use here in the theological sense.

Footnotes:

1 The “Hypergrace” doctrine is a spiritually dangerous doctrine that leads to spiritual callousness of the heart because of their view that there is no need to confess their sins anymore to the Lord. For more thorough refutation of the Hypergrace doctrine, read Dr. Michael Brown’s book Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message.  

2 The Truth Abouth Hell Part 4. Accessed April 11, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/606011042765270/videos/190252132739407.

3 See Tim Lahaye and Thomas Ice, “The End Times Controversy” (2003). 

4 This also led Charles Taze Russell to deny the doctrine of a literal hell because he cannot fully comprehend how a God of love can throw people into eternal hell.   

5 John Mosheim, Institutes of Ecclesiastical History (1844), 1:89.  

6 See 2 Tim. 2:16-18.

7 See Mk. 13:1-2; Lk. 21:5-6.

8 The first mention of the abomination was in Daniel 9:26-27 and 11:30-32 wherein a prince will destroy a city (Jerusalem) desolate its Temple and sacrifices. This was fulfilled during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes IV, the Seleucid king who reigned during 175-64 BC in Palestine sent his general Apollonius with 22,000 soldiers then attacked and plundered the city of Jerusalem. He also ordered a swine to be offered in the temple on the 25th of each month by apostate Jews as a sacrifice to celebrate his birthday, that cause the desecration of the Jewish Temple. And another abomination as a fulfillment in what was stated in Daniel 12:11 and Matt. 24:15 (cf. Mk. 13:14)  where everything will happen when the third Temple is rebuilt.     

9 Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, trans. Christian Cruse (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1955), 86-87.

10 See Matt. 5:22, 29, 30.

11 See Gen. 37:35; 1 Sam. 2:6; Job 7:9; Gen. 15:15; 25:8.

12 See 1 Sam. 28:11-15.

13 See 2 Pet. 2:4.

14 See Lk. 16:19-31.

15 See Matt. 15:24. No reputable and prominent Greek scholar who knows proper exegesis will connect John 3:16 with Matt. 15:24 by saying Jesus Christ was only sent to the Jewish world. We all know these verses shows the two different cases of Jesus’ coming that not only was He sent to the lost sheep of Israel but to the world as well. And besides if Jesus truly meant “Israel” in John 3:16 then He could have said, “For God so loved the lost sheep of Israel, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”   

16 See 1 Tim. 1:15.

17 The term “world” in the Greek is kosmos, that can be translated and interpreted depending on the context of the passage. According to the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament the word kosmos can also be understood as “approximation to the sense of ‘humanity’ in phrases like ‘to come into the world’ (e.g. Jn. 1:9; 3:19; 11:27; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Jn. 4:1; 2 Jn. 7), and ‘to go out of the world’ (1 Cor. 5:10; Jn. 13:1).” If this is the case, then it will surely make sense if we understand the word “world” in John 3:16 as humanity whom God loved so much by sending His Son.   

18 Although the word “perish” can be use in the literal or figurative sense, the context moves us to interpret it based on the latter.  

19 For a thorough refutation of the Preterist view, read Brock David Hollett’s “Debunking Preterism: How Over-Realized Eschatology Misses the “Not Yet” of Bible Prophecy.” This book is endorsed by two prominent scholars and theologians like Dr. Walter Kaiser and Dr. Michael Brown.