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Several years ago (I've forgotten how many) I received a particularly nasty and viscous email. Unfortunately the email has been lost, but I remember it well. Its author accused me of spreading "damnable heresy" for rejecting the doctrine of eternal torment. He suggested that I obviously "know nothing" about what the Bible has to say on the topic. The sender recommended that I study the material written by Bill Weise at soulchoiceministries.org. Bill Weise is the author of "23 Minutes in Hell"where he claims to have died and was literally taken to hell. The writer of my email rudely stated that I ‘might actually learn something’ from studying this material.
My usual response to such emails is to hit the delete button, but checking out the material at soulchoiceministries.org got me stirred up. I began to write a rather lengthy email response to this person; more lengthy and detailed than was probably warranted or deserved. Anyway, I got about 18 PAGES into writing when I stopped and realized the whole exercise was most likely a waste of time and energy. I quietly filed it away thinking maybe it would be of some use later - Then promptly forgot it existed. Recently while sorting through old files, this lengthy, unfinished, never-sent response resurfaced. Perhaps I was "in a mood", having a bad day, or just didn't take kindly to the suggestion that I was spreading "damnable heresy", but boy-oh-boy, it's "really something". While I generally try to avoid writing in the sarcastic, acerbic style in which I began to respond, for whatever reason I believed it was justified that day. Still, I think this pointed (and sometimes humorous) response makes its point, and perhaps although never finished (it still isn't), someone might now find it useful or interesting. So, without further editing or comment I present for your edification, and maybe entertainment: The E-mail Never Sent
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As I was sitting here this evening trying to do some much needed (and way past overdue) formatting cleanup on the site, it occurred to me that it's been twenty-one years since I first published on the web at HARVESTHERALD.COM. A check of the Internet Wayback Machine at archive.org shows that the site was first archived on June 5th, 2002. It just doesn't seem possible.
In 1999 I began writing "Man Became a Living Soul" and placed it on a free personal website. Later that year I purchased the domain harvest-truth.com. But it was in 2001 that I decided to try and expand the reach of the site, finally deciding on The Harvest Herald. I wish I could say that my skills, commitment, and energy have always matched my ambition and hopes for what the site could become. Still, by God's grace The Harvest Herald is still online, and my passion for sharing the truth of God's word is not diminished. The internet and how people use it has changed dramatically since this site first went live and, to be honest, I've struggled to keep up. For many younger people 'social media' just IS 'the internet'. The use of smartphones and portable devices has changed the way we access most of our information, not to mention how web sites must be designed and formatted to display properly on these small screens. This site will be here for as long as God wills, and as long as I have the ability to maintain it. Still, I am looking for ways to change and move forward. To start, I have (finally) completed transferring all of the pages from the old Harvest Herald site into this newer, more modern format, and I am in the process of redirecting many old links to the newer pages. Next, I have reformatted nearly every page on the site to make viewing on smartphones and tablets much easier. Third, I am trying to better communicate over social media. The Harvest Herald now has accounts on both Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HarvestHerald), and Twitter (@HeraldHarvest) and I hope you'll join me there. I am considering whether it might be productive to explore creating YouTube content if there is an interest. Lastly, I am committed to writing new material for this site. I am not a prolific nor gifted writer, and I'm not one who feels it necessary to re-visit topics on which I've already written. Still, I think I have more to say and I hope you'll continue to join me on this journey. God bless everyone who has taken the time to explore this site over the past twenty-one years. May you continue to grow in grace and search for His truth. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance, or if there is any topic you'd like me to address. |
AuthorDavid J. Heintzman Archives
August 2023
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The Harvest Herald is a ministry committed to proclaiming the truth about Jesus Christ and his wonderful purposes for mankind through a fresh and diligent study of the Scriptures. It is not affiliated with any group or denomination.
Online since 2001, The Harvest Herald is maintained by David J. Heintzman The material on this site may be freely copied or distributed provided that this site is referenced as its source. 
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