Louis Abbott was born in 1915. In 1928, he received Christ. One day, while pastoring a church, a man challenged Louis regarding his teaching about eternal torment. Louis accepted the challenge.
For three years Louis searched the Scriptures, searched the Greek and Hebrew words behind the English words "Hell," "eternal punishment," "everlasting destruction," etc. At the end of those three years, he realized he had been taught error regarding the ultimate fate of mankind. Feeling he could not longer preach the doctrines of his denomination, Louis gave up the pastorate, but he never gave up studying.
Taking Greek courses from Moody, Loyola University, and other places, he finally came to the place where, in order to get further, he had to teach himself. At the present day, his personal library consisting of thousands of Bible references books, probably has more reference books on the New Testament Greek than many Bible Colleges and Seminaries.
For almost 50 years now, Louis has been spending many of his evening hours and weekends studying the subject matter of this book. There would be few in the world today who would have spent as much time studying these words as Louis has.
Louis has given me some of the books in his personal library. On the inside cover, he would put the date he finished the book and note the pages on which he made notations. I am amazed at how many reference books he has read. Most people, including scholars usually use these kind of books to look up a subject when needed. They usually do not read these kinds of books from cover to cover making notes along the way. But that is how Louis read many of these very difficult books.
Louis gathered manny quotes from dozens of different sources and authors on the subject of this book. He put these writings into a paper which we expanded into a book.
Among the early believers were both literalists and allegoricists both coming to the conclusions contained in this book regarding the fate of mankind. Diodore, from the school of Antioch was of the literalist persuasion, Origen was of the allegorical persuasion. Louis Abbott would have sided with Diodore. I, the editor, would have found myself probably in Origen's school. Bringing this work to book length has allowed me to add here and there thoughts which reflect the allegorical side of the subject Louis has spent many years looking from the literalist point of view. I hope the blend becomes a pleasant mixture which will bring crystal clear vision to the reader.
Whether the reader will be given the grace to see the wonderful truths contained in this work, is up to the Holy Spirit. I only want to make it clear in this introduction to Louis Abbott, that the research contained in this book comes from over 50 years of thorough, dedicated years of "searching to see if these things be so." Louis Abbott has come to the conclusions in this book, not because of his religious background, but because he was willing to test his traditions. May the reader be given the grace to put "fear of God" above "fear of man and his traditions" and read this book with an open mind and willing heart.
Gary Amirault, editor
