The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

II. Fagal-210-Station Telecasts Include Conditionalism

Faith for Today is the oldest continuous, denominationally sponsored, religious TV program in North America, launched in May, 1950. It remains in the forefront of religious telecasting, at the close of 1962 going out weekly over 210 stations, with a vast viewing audience. These outlets cover every section of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as various other countries, large and smallAustralia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Guam, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. It was the first religious telecast to be shown in Australia, Brazil, and Nigeria. CFF2 979.5

During 1962, for greater appeal it added color, and was the first religious telecast to do so. Its half-hour format is slanted so as to appeal to the nonreligious viewer. In this it has been highly successful. It has had more than one million applications for its accompanying Bible correspondence school courses, with more than four million lessons sent out. Its records show some seventy thousand graduates of courses by the close of 1962. CFF2 979.6

The speaker, WILLIAM A. FAGAL (1919-), of New York State, focuses his program on God’s Word as the complete answer to every human problem. After graduating in theology from Atlantic Union College, and further work at the Seventhday Adventist Theological Seminary, Fagal served as pastor in Buffalo, then in New York City. There for seven years he had a concurrent radio program. In May of 1950 he began his telecast venture over station WJZ in New York City. This has grown steadily until, as stated, it is now released over 210 stations. It is really a team program, Mrs. Fagal appearing by his side in every telecast. CFF2 980.1

In his approach Fagal has endeavored to follow the Master’s parabolic method-a dramatized story followed by satisfying Bible answers to life’s great problems, in the form of a sixminute sermonette. This format has reached people in all levels of society-all the way from Sing Sing’s death row to high circles of influence. CFF2 980.2

Since Faith for Today seeks to present Christ’s answer to every human problem, this, of course, includes the perennial question of man’s origin, nature, and destiny. In his Biblebuttressed sermonettes Pastor Fagal presents such topics as “What Happens at Death?” “Hope Beyond the Grave,” “Waiting for the Resurrection,” “Will God Punish Sinners?” “Heaven Is My Home,” “I Will Soon Travel in Space,” “Can God Eliminate Evil?” and others. Here are representative excerpts from three of Fagal’s sermonettes, taken from his television scripts. CFF2 980.3

1. WAITING IN HOPE FOR THE RESURRECTION

Alluding to Benjamin Franklin’s epitaph on the stone marker in an old cemetery in Philadelphia, which declares that Franklin’s hope after death lay in the resurrection, Fagal declares: CFF2 980.4

“The resurrection, with its subsequent hope of eternal life, brings order and reason out of what might otherwise seem to be chaotic and unreasonable. Death was not God’s original plan for man.... Man, by disobedience, has brought death upon himself as a natural consequence of his wrongdoing. But someday death will be no more: ‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’ (1 Corinthians 15:26.) Then man will once again be restored to the ‘first dominion.’ (Micah 4:8.) God’s beautiful plans, hopes, and dreams for us, His beloved children, will then be carried out eternally.” CFF2 981.1

The resurrection, he says, is the focal point of human history:
“The Bible points to the resurrection of the dead at the second coming of Christ as the great moment when this change will come. Bible writers have all looked forward to that moment of the focal point of human history. ‘If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.’ (Job 14:14.) Job knew that in the normal course of events death would finally claim him, just as it has all others down through history. After that he pictures himself as waiting for the resurrection. And where would he spend this waiting time? ‘If I wait, the grave is mine house.’ (Job 17:13.)” CFF2 981.2

Asserting that man sleeps during this “waiting time,” Fagal continues:
“How did job picture the condition of the waiting ones? ‘So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.’ (Job 14:12.) He pictures death as a dreamless sleep, the same as every other Bible writer does, and the same as Jesus Christ Himself pictured it. Jesus said, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.... Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.’ (John 11:11-13.) The Bible record very plainly brings out that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.” CFF2 981.3

2. MAN TOTALLY UNCONSCIOUS DURING DEATH-SLEEP

Despite popular misconceptions, the Bible’s positive declaration is that man is totally unconscious during death:
“How much conscious thought goes on during this waiting period of deep sleep? None! The Bible’s teachings are absolutely unmistakable on this point: ‘His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Psalm 146:4.) ‘For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing.... Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.’ (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.) The Bible even states that a man who has died knows nothing about the subsequent activities of his children. ‘His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.’ (Job 14:21.) And yet despite these clear teachings of God’s Word, this is not what many believe and teach in Christendom today.” CFF2 981.4

Man must seek for, and put on, immortality:
“The Scriptures definitely declare that God ‘only hath immortality’ (1 Timothy 6:16) and that men, ‘by patient continuance in well doing seek for... immortality, eternal life.’ (Romans 2:7.) And, according to the Scriptures, we will receive this immortality at the resurrection when ‘this mortal must put on immortality.’ (1 Corinthians 15:53.) Why should Christians preach an un-Biblical doctrine first presented by Satan in the Garden of Eden when he contradicted God and lied to Eve in the words, ‘Ye shall not surely die’?” CFF2 982.1

3. CHRISTIAN HOPE IS IN PLEDGE OF RESURRECTION

Fagal then declares:
“How much better is God’s plan, which simply allows him to sleep, not knowing anything of his family or the needs and grief of his dear companions. Someday they will have a happy reunion and meet Jesus together, being made perfect at one and the same time in His presence. Read thoughtfully the tremendous words written by the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians. (1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14, 16-18.) CFF2 982.2

“A few years ago a submarine sank off Cape Cod. When divers descended to the sunken wreck, they walked around the disabled ship, endeavored to find some signs of life within. At last they heard faint tapping and recognized it to be the dots and dashes of the Morse Code. The words spelled out were, ‘Is there hope?’ This is the constant cry of humanity. Everyone wants to know, Is there hope for us to escape? The Christian answer is, Yes, there is hope, because Jesus died and rose again. He paid the price for every sinner. He broke the power of the tomb by rising the third day and ascending to heaven, where He lives and dwells at the right hand of God.” CFF2 982.3

4. SPIRIT NOT ENTITY CAPABLE OF SEPARATE EXISTENCE

Discussing the common concept that there is “something” that returns to God, Fagal observes, in “What Happens at Death?“: CFF2 982.4

“Does not the Bible say that something ‘goes back to God’? Yes, it does. ‘Then shall the dust return to the,earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.’ (Ecclesiastes 12:7.) But here is where many people read something into the Scriptures that simply is not there. Great care must be exercised that we do not give to this word ‘spirit’ a meaning which the Scriptures do not give to it. CFF2 982.5

“The Hebrew word here translated ‘spirit’ is ruach. This word appears 379 times in the Old Testament and is translated in a number of ways, such as ‘breath,’ ‘wind,’ ‘courage,’ and ‘anger.’ It is also used to denote the life principle, the seat of the emotions, the mind, the heart, and even the moral character. The almost amazing thing, in view of the popular misconception of our day, is that this word ruach in all of its 379 times of use is never used to note an intelligent entity capable of existence apart from a physical body so far as man is concerned. Such a concept is entirely without foundation in the Bible.” CFF2 983.1

5. SPIRIT IS SPARK OR PRINCIPLE OF LIFE

Analyzing the Hebrew word ruach for “spirit,” Fagal explains:
“Note how this word ruach is used elsewhere in this same book: ‘For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [roach]; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.... Who knoweth the spirit [roach] of man that goeth upward, and the spirit (roach) of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?’ (Ecclesiastes 3:19, 21.) CFF2 983.2

“According to this verse both men and animals each have a ruach, with no difference seen between them. If then the ruach, or ‘spirit,’ of man were to become a disembodied, conscious entity at death, the ruach of beasts must do the same thing. But the Bible nowhere claims such for man, and no Christian, to my knowledge, claims this for animals.” CFF2 983.3

The “spark of life,” Fagal adds, will be kept safe until the resurrection morn:
“The ruach, which goes back to the God who gave it, is the life principle, the spark of life, which God breathed into man’s nostrils at his creation. This life from God-which no man, incidentally, has been able to duplicate-at death goes back to the God who gave it. He keeps it safe with Him until the resurrection morning when He will return it to man. CFF2 983.4

“We who have Christ Jesus in our hearts have hope in the face of the finality of death. We are able to look through our tears beyond present darkness and see future brightness in Christ’s second coming and reunion which will be a part of the resurrection day.” CFF2 983.5

6. FIRES OF HELL NOT BURNING AT PRESENT

Turning to the question “Will God punish sinners?” and will that punishment be everlasting torment, Fagal introduces the problem with these words: CFF2 983.6

“How will God punish the wicked, and for how long? The ancient pagans conceived of an underground place where evildoers went after death for a period of regeneration. Everyone knows that the early Christian church rather quickly drifted into apostasy and adopted many of the teachings and outlooks of paganism. This idea of the fate of the wicked drifted into the Christian church in the early centuries, and out of it come the concepts of limbo, purgatory, and an ever-burning hell.” CFF2 984.1

No soul, Fagal declares, is at present burning in the fires of hell:
“Now let me perhaps startle you with what might appear to be a bold and even brash statement. According to the Bible there is not a single, solitary soul burning in the fires of hell at present. Here is a scriptural reference to prove it, in the words of Jesus Himself: ‘As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 13:40-42.)” CFF2 984.2

7. PUNISHED WITH DESTRUCTION AT END OF WORLD

Asserting that the resurrection of the wicked must take place before their punishment, Fagal says:
“The wicked, then, will be punished at the end of this world.... Peter teaches that the wicked are being reserved until the day of judgment to be punished. ‘The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.’ (2 Peter 2:9.) And that makes sense. Surely God would not punish a man before he went to judgment. CFF2 984.3

“The Bible also teaches that the wicked will be raised from the dead before they are punished. ‘But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.’ (Revelation 21:8.) It should be clear that if this punishment of hell-fire results in the second death, the wicked must have been raised from their first death.” CFF2 984.4

8. AFTER PUNISHMENT WICKED CEASE TO EXIST

This destruction of the wicked will take place on this earth at the close of the thousand years of Revelation 20, when the resurrected wicked will attempt to capture the Holy City, and fire comes down “from God out of heaven” and devours them (v. 9); that is “hell-fire.” And as to the results: CFF2 984.5

“What will this fire do to the wicked? Read these plain teachings from God’s Word: ‘For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.... And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Malachi 4:1-3.) How can these words be misunderstood? Plainly they tell us that the wicked will be reduced to ashes. For them this will be the ‘second death.’” CFF2 984.6

Fagal expressly denies an eternally burning hell:
“The psalmist also makes the matter very clear in the words, ‘For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.’ ‘But the wicked shall perish... : they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.’ (Psalm 37:10, 20.) These words do not teach an ever-burning hell; they do not teach that the wicked will be tortured eternally.” CFF2 985.1

The wicked will ultimately cease to exist:
“The Scriptures teach that the time will come when the wicked will no longer exist. They state that even diligent searching for the place of the wicked-hell-will reveal only that it exists no more. The fires will have done their work and gone out. All through the Bible we find words and expressions like these applied to the wicked: ‘shall die,’ ‘perish,’ ‘melt away,’ ‘fade away,’ ‘wither,’ ‘be as nothing,’ ‘be no more,’ ‘be destroyed,’ ‘consumed utterly,’ ‘cut asunder.’ And there are others equally strong. CFF2 985.2

“The Bible teaches that ‘the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ The contrast is between eternal death and eternal life, not eternal life in both cases with suffering for the one and bliss for the other.... Only the righteous, those who accept Jesus Christ, are to have everlasting life. The fate of the wicked is to ‘perish.’” CFF2 985.3

9. MERCIFULLY DESTROYS SPURNERS OF PROFFERED LIFE

Summing up his presentation, Fagal stresses the marvelous blending of God’s justice and mercy:
“God, then, will punish the wicked, but He will punish them in keeping with His own justice and love. He calls it His ‘strange act,’ because it is so contrary to the long-suffering and mercy which He has always bestowed on the human family. He will mercifully destroy those who would not want to live.eternally in the presence of God and the redeemed.” CFF2 985.4

Such are samples of the Faith for Today witness to Conditionalism. CFF2 985.5