The Consequences of having Itching Ears - Download PDF Article

Christ, through Paul, warned Timothy that "...there will be a season––when, the healthful teaching, they will not endure, but, according to their own covetings, will, unto themselves, heap up teachers, because they have an itching ear, And, from the truth, indeed, their ear, will they turn away, while, unto stories, they will turn themselves aside" (2 Ti. 4:3-4). Good people have a tendency to want to tweak what Yahweh has spoken, while the adversary dreams of eradicating it. These two unlikely beings form an unholy partnership, without the former realizing that such has been done. People write best selling books on what readers want the Bible to say, fulfilling their covetings. These good people do not realize that by tweaking Yahweh's words in order to create the world they wish to live in, they, as Dr. Frankenstein, have unknowingly created a monster.

Our Creator, Yahweh, knows how to create. He sees the big picture and doesn't have unintended consequences as human creators do. Yahweh has told us in his Word that when people die (go to sleep) they go to Sheol. In Sheol, they are asleep, awaiting their awakening. Many people don't like this scenario, which lead them to create their own scenario, which is much more to their liking. Their creation states that upon death, the righteous go directly to Heaven to be with the Lord. Well, this is fine when the person who dies is 90 years old and has lived a good life. All is good! The unintended consequence of this creation is that we don't feel the same way when the person who dies is 2 years old or maybe 10, 25 or 35 years old. Maybe this person has left behind a dependent wife and children; children who never knew their father. This scenario has a tendency to turn people bitter against Yahweh and their loved one who went to Heaven, leaving them to support themselves emotionally and financially.

In addition, this creation, which was concocted for itching ears, now has first hand observers who are going to Heaven to write about it. These writers, as the prophets of old, now tell us things the Word of Yahweh never revealed. Unbeknownst to us is that Yahweh's book was not complete; new information is constantly being added. More revelations on Heaven and Hell are streaming in daily. For example, a book that has sold 3 million copies, has presented a new revelation to the Word of Yahweh, from a boy who was four years old at the time. This book is called, "Heaven is for Real;" "a true story of a boy's (Colton's) trip to heaven and back." Colton says he saw his sister in Heaven. His sister was never born, being miscarried by his mother. Well, this new revelation tells us that all miscarried babies, which includes all aborted babies, must go straight to Heaven or otherwise his aborted sister would not have been alive in Heaven. This is good news because innocent babies, who were never born, have avoided all the sorrows we have upon earth by going straight to Heaven upon their death. Their abortion sends them immediately to be with their Savior in Heaven. Abortion providers must be sending people straight to Heaven. Could we now say that abortion, whether natural or unnatural is a blessing? Death is our friend, right? Long life is a curse because it keeps us from Heaven, right?

I believe you see my point. This creation, which was meant to make us feel better has now lead me to believe that abortion is good; premature death is good; all death is good if you go straight to Heaven! Christian suicide would also be a one way ticket to Heaven. Itching ears have created a hideous Frankenstein. Yahweh's revelation, as recorded in his Word, now looks very good because dying, according to his Word, does not join us to the Lord. Premature death does not benefit me in any way. Death is still our enemy and not our friend. Long life is good, making a short life, sad. (For more information on dying, read the article, "What Happens when a Person Dies? (Death, Hell and Greek Mythology), Vol. 2)

Yahweh taught us that men are mortal not immortal (not liable or subject to death; deathless, undying; living for ever). Yahweh did not say, "Dying, ye do not die" (Gen. 3:4), but rather, "...For, dust, thou art, And, unto dust, shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19). Men do not like this truth so they created a man that never dies but rather changes addresses when his body dissolves. This teaching requires a destiny for the good and the bad, since they never die; Heaven and Hell. Maybe men thought people needed a little more motivation, so they created a world called, Hell; maybe they thought dying was too easy for a murderer so an everlasting torture chamber was needed. Who knows? Their itching ears gave them teachers who created a new world for them. These teachers preach that men either live forever in a place called Heaven or live forever in a place called Hell, no other options are available. Their creation of Hell, they believe will motivate people to do good in order to avoid being tortured.

Could this creation produce a group of people who only bow their knees to Christ because they do not want option B (going to Hell). They could believe that once they get to Heaven, (option A) saved from Hell, they could then run amok in Heaven. Holding a gun to someone's head does not gain you the most trustworthy subjects. In our legal system this is called, being under duress, making any commitment invalid. This creation, that man is immortal, necessitates that man must be existing somewhere, in some form for an everlasting period of time. For a man to perish (be destroyed) is not an option. Their creation of the immortal man and Hell has created many unintended consequence.

It is very difficult to love and respect a God that would torture people everlastingly. This torture, we are told, could occur for a person who obeyed the laws of the land, one who did not intentionally hurt anyone, such as it appears was Mahatma Gandhi, but rejected Christ's Lordship over their life. This torture could also occur to a person, such as Adolph Hitler, who had millions of people murdered. According to tradition, the duration of torture for each of the above people would be the same; it would last forever. Does this cause us a problem? Does this seem just? We are told to be imitators of Yahweh. If this behavior is an attribute of Yahweh, should we imitate him in this way? This creation, that says man is immortal, has caused two Christian men to write best selling Christian books, which are contrary to each other and contrary to the Word of Yahweh. Rob Bell wrote against Hell in his book "Love Wins,' while Francis Chan wrote for Hell in his book, 'Erasing Hell.' Both men never even consider what our Father's Word says about men perishing (apollumi) because the itching ears of men have ruled that scenario out, their creation saying, 'Men are immortal beings.'

In the Word of Yahweh, the question has never been Heaven or Hell but rather Life or Death; Life Age-Abiding or Destruction Age-Abiding; the Second Death. Yahweh never told Adam and Eve that their disobedience could lead them into an existence where they would be tortured, age-abidingly. Yahweh did not say, if you eat the fruit you could be tortured forever but rather he said, "dying thou shalt die." Man's creation of Hell, which has been attributed to Yahweh, has cause great harm to the believers and unbelievers.

Jonathan Edwards wrote concerning Hell, "It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: For "who knows the power of God's anger?" This creation of men has severe unintended consequences. (For more information, read the article, "Does Hell Exist in the Word of Yahweh?" Vol. 2)

Itching ears have also created a monster that from a distance, appears to look like a Savior. This creation is that 'God is in Control.' Doesn't this sound wonderful? If this were true, we would be safe and secure all the days of our lives but as we know, this is not the case. Pastor's say, 'God is in Control,' but when my daughter is raped and murdered or my son is dying of cancer and the pastor says, 'God is in Control,' I become outraged. This is just another unintended consequence of the creation of men. (For more information, read the article, "God is not in Control," Vol. 1)

The itching ears of men will produce a teacher to teach what the itching ears want to hear. Have you every been to a funeral where the pastor preaches that the person is in Sheol, asleep, awaiting his awakening from the dead by the trumpet of the Lord to eventually live with Christ on the 'New Earth?' Or maybe the person who died rejected the Son of Yahweh. The pastor could then preach that he also is asleep, in Sheol, awaiting the resurrection of the unjust; to be judged and thrown into the Lake of Fire, which is the Second Death, which is to perish, be destroyed. Most believers do not want to hear these truths so the preacher proclaims, to the itching ears, the creations of men; that the person did not die, only his body died. He is now in Heaven with all of his dead relatives who are also alive, fellowshipping with the Lord in a beautiful kingdom that will last forever. Don't you just want to die today so you can be with your family members, Christ and our Heavenly Father in a place so much more superior to earth? Is there something perverse about this statement? Maybe, Yahweh's number one enemy, who is perverse, is also involved in these creations of men.

The serpent is the first one to state the lie that Adam and Eve were indeed, immortal; "Dying, ye do not die." (Yahweh must have been hiding this truth from them.) The serpent told them that they were not only immortal but by eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil "...then shall your eyes be opened,––and ye shall become like Elohim [or elohims], knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). Did Eve have itching ears? Did the preacher tell her what she wanted to hear? Did this new world, created by the serpent, have unintended consequences for Eve, Adam and the rest of mankind?

Yahweh knows what he is doing. Men, acting as little gods, also want to create their own little worlds, just like Yahweh did, just a little better. Their worlds will have Yahweh in total control so they are not responsible for their own actions. In their worlds, all men are immortal beings going to Heaven or Hell immediately upon death, because we don't want to wait. Let us erase Sheol from the Word of Yahweh. Also, this 'New Earth' place, that Yahweh talks about, sounds like work to us so maybe we prefer Heaven to a 'New Earth.' Let us also erase the New Earth from the Word of Yahweh. Also, in our new world, for those who die early or before birth (aborted), we will have all of them going straight to Heaven. It's only fair, right! And for those who have near death experiences, who go to Heaven and/or Hell and come back to earth to tell us all about it, keep writing your books, presenting us with new revelations because, quite frankly, you have opened our eyes to the fact that Yahweh's book, is not complete. Thank you Joseph Smith (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and little Colton (Heaven is for Real) for adding to the Word of Yahweh! Thank you for giving to our itching ears, wonderfully and fearfully made, new and revealing truths.

The Revelation to the prophet Timothy was:

Proclaim the Word,
take thy position––in season, out of season,
Convince, Rebuke, Encourage,
with all long–suffering and teaching.

For there will be a season
when, the healthful teaching, they will not endure,
but, according to their own covetings,
will, unto themselves, heap up teachers,
because they have an itching ear,
And, from the truth, indeed, their ear, will they turn away,
while, unto stories, they will turn themselves aside.

But, thou,––be sober in all things,
suffer hardship, do, the work, of an evangelist,
thy ministry, completely fulfill.(2 Ti. 4:2-5)

Let us also heed this divine counsel. While others may turn their ears from the truth, we are to convince, rebuke and encourage all by proclaiming, only, the Word of Yahweh. Those who have itching ears will call for teachers who will then prepare exquisite buffets according to the covetings of those who have itching ears. As children feeding upon ice cream and candy, which for the moment is very pleasurable, but the unintended consequences for those who have itching ears will be malnutrition, tooth decay and the incessant craving of more to fulfill their own unending covetings. Let us feed upon truth, which only comes from the Word of Yahweh (Hebrew & Greek Text); truth that brings health and vigor, resulting in Life to the hearers and doers. Be sober, suffer hardship by turning away from their unholy buffet and turning to our Father's table, as did the prophet Jeremiah. He proclaimed, "Thy words, were found, and I did eat them, Then became thy words unto me, the joy and gladness of my heart..." (Jer. 15:16).

(When quoting scriptures, from the Rotherham Emphasized Bible New Testament, I will substitute the Hebrew words Yahshua for Jesus, Yahweh and Elohim for God and the LORD and ruah for pneuma (spirit).)