In a pamphlet entitled Hades and Eternal Punishment the author, A.J. Pollock, says:

"If any reader can, after verifying this evidence, still state that sheol and hades mean the grave, then I

charge him with deliberate deception".

After reading the evidence, the writer of these pages does most emphatically state that sheol and hades

mean the grave, and so stands charged by Mr. Pollock as a deceiver. This is serious because the truth is at

stake, and it therefore behoves us to sift the evidence on which the charge is based. Does Mr. Pollock

quote the testimony of Ecclesiastes? Oh no, he says of Ecclesiastes 9:10 :

"This is NOT (the author's own emphasis) revelation, but the inspired record of what Solomon

summed up as to his knowledge of things "under the sun"".

We cannot, however, let this pass without demanding a more explicit statement from Mr. Pollock. Does

he believe Ecclesiastes 9:10 to be a true revelation? No, he does not, but considers it to be false. He does

quote Ecclesiastes with approval once, however:

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it"

On this passage he says:

"That Solomon himself contradicts such an interpretation of Ecclesiastes 9:5 as that of soul-sleep is

But how does Mr. Pollock know that Ecclesiastes 12 is not as much the mere personal opinion of erring

Solomon as all the rest of the book? And is Mr. Pollock qualified to criticise when he uses a passage that

speaks of the spirit to refute a doctrine that speaks of the soul?

Perhaps we have been a little unfortunate in commencing with Solomon. Maybe Mr. Pollock, in what he

refers to as "this evidence", has given a fair hearing to Job. But no, he has no more room for Job's

testimony on sheol, than the Modernist has for Job's testimony concerning his Redeemer!

His quotations from the Psalms are 116:3 (which is only half quoted), 16:10, and 86:13, where he

assumes what Scripture does not teach, namely, the separate entity of the soul. Sheol is, to use his own

words, "disembodied soul condition". The more we search into Mr. Pollock's evidence, upon which he

charges us with deception, the more it becomes apparent that he appeals to those who do not bother to test

his evidence. According to this writer sheol is never used of the body, but only of the soul. For evidence

he refers to two or three passages, puts a prejudice in the mind against Job and Ecclesiastes, and then,

with this carefully selected evidence (that would be condemned in a court of justice) he has the audacity

to say that "after verifying this evidence" all are deceivers who still state that sheol and hades mean the

Possibly Solomon should be allowed to speak for himself, at least Gamaliel would have given him the

opportunity. The former says:

"The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and THAT WHICH WAS WRITTEN WAS UPRIGHT,

EVEN WORDS OF TRUTH ... given from one shepherd" (Eccles. 12:10,11).

Does not the charge of "deliberate deception" come back on Mr. Pollock? We are not so much concerned

about Mr. Pollock and his charges, as we are about this tinkering up evidence so calculated to mislead

those who have not the "Berean" spirit to search and see. For the truth's sake we must sift this charge

against certain Old Testament teaching a little more.

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