PART 1
It is important to understand what death, hades, gehenna, hell, spirit, soul, body, and resurrection are, because in truly understanding these things do you begin understanding the work of God and can understand other things. First and foremost, lets explore scripture concerning Hades,
Here we see indicated that it is the SOUL that goes to Hades. And Hades in this scripture is associated with DEATH, therefore he WHO DIES goes to HADES. What dies when you die? Your BODY. Your SOUL is then taken INTO HADES. So, AT DEATH, YOUR BODY DIES AND YOUR SOUL IS TAKEN TO HADES. So what exactly is the soul? There are many philosophical teachings that can confuse many on what is scripturally conveyed as the soul. Its what makes you, YOU. The SOUL HOUSES EVERYTHING THAT COMPOSES YOUR INWARD SELF, and it is LAYERED GOING DEEPER INTO THAT WHICH MAKES UP YOUR BEING. THE SOUL INCLUDES THE MIND AND THE HEART. THE SOUL ALSO HAS EMOTIONS,
The mind has knowledge, it has wisdom, and CENTERED IN YOUR MIND IS YOUR HEART, WHICH CENTERS AROUND YOUR DESIRES, YOUR WILL, YOUR INTENTIONS. The HEART IS THE VERY DEEPEST PART OF YOUR MIND AND YOUR SOUL. And stemming from YOUR MIND AND YOUR HEART COME THOUGHTS AND REASONINGS. All these things compose what the SOUL is. The soul is YOUR BEING that has all these things. Throughout scripture we see these words used interchangeably and convey these things,
Bless his soul and what else? All the other things inside him, the mind, the heart, everything deeper composing the soul. We also have these other scriptures,
THE SOUL IS YOUR ENTIRE BEING WHICH IS MADE UP OF VARIOUS PARTS, WHICH ARE YOUR MIND AND HEART.
So going further, what else happens at death?
The SPIRIT that was in you GOES BACK TO GOD. The spirit is synonymous with "breath", "wind", even "air", in scripture, this "breath", or this "spirit" of life, was imparted to man in Genesis,
Look what it says.... as a consequence of God "breathing", or giving his "spirit of life", or rather, his "breath of life", man became a LIVING SOUL. Not just a soul, a LIVING SOUL. The BREATH of life is what MAKES YOUR SOUL ALIVE. The soul in itself is not ALIVE unless it has the spirit, or rather, the "BREATH OF LIFE" to GIVE IT LIFE. So when the scripture says, the spirit goes back to God who gave it, it is now saying you are NO LONGER ALIVE, YOU ARE DEAD, BECAUSE THAT BREATH IS NO LONGER IN YOU TO KEEP YOU ALIVE. So if the soul goes down to Hades WITHOUT the spirit (breath) because it went back to God who gave it, what is this indicating? That you ARE NO LONGER ALIVE, AND THUS NO LONGER AWARE, BECAUSE IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE, AND AWARE. In this passage pertaining to Jesus, we see that in losing the Spirit, death occured,
Right after Jesus gave up his spirit, his death occured. So how do we know that you are no longer AWARE when you are in Hades? Look at these scriptures,
In DEATH there is no remebering God, and in HADES no one makes ackowledgment to God. No one is Hades can remember God or make acknowledgment, why? Because they are NOT AWARE.
No one in Hades can praise God, nor anyone dying and going there bless God, nor anyone there hope on God's charity. Why? Because they are NOT AWARE.
Why are there NO ACTIONS, NO KNOWLEDGE, NO WISDOM IN HADES? BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT AWARE. YOU ARE NOT ALIVE TO DO ANYTHING, OR TO EVEN THINK. THE SPIRIT IS WHAT BRINGS YOU TO LIFE AND AWARENESS. THE SOUL IS NOT ALIVE WITHOUT THE SPIRIT (BREATH) OF GOD. WHAT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE WHEN THEY STOP BREATHING? THEY DIE. NOT HAVING THE SPIRIT (BREATH) OF GOD IS DEATH. JUST THE VERY FACT YOU ARE BREATHING RIGHT NOW IS AN INDICATOR THAT YOUR ARE DEPENDENT ON THIS BREATH OF LIFE TO KEEP YOU ALIVE.
Taking this further, how also do we know you are NOT AWARE when you are in Hades? Because DEATH is associated with sleep. When you sleep, are you aware? No. From the moment you fall asleep to the moment you wake up, it is instant. "sleep" foreshadows "death", or more specifically, "your soul being in hades". God created sleep to foreshadow death, even before Adam and Eve had committed their sin against God. God could've easily made man without the need of sleep, but he chose to create sleep to foreshadow the death that was to come unto the world. Here we see the verses using "sleep" to indicate death,
All these verses are making reference to death AS sleep, therefore it is indicating not being AWARE as when you sleep. And why else is it called sleep? Because YOUR SOUL still EXISTS IN HADES, but since it DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO GIVE IT LIFE, it is therefore IN A DORMANT STATE, IN A SLEEP. So then you would ask, why does the soul remain in Hades in this sleep state, what is the purpose? It is because Hades is merely just a place to collect the souls of men, to EVENTUALLY bring them back to LIFE sometime in the FUTURE. If God had not intended for man to be brought back to life again, he would not have collected the souls of man in Hades. In the verses we see the resurrection of the dead from Hades evident,
So in the second coming of Jesus Christ, those in Him will be resurrected first, meaning taken OUT OF HADES and BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE AND TO AWARENESS, AND NEW BODIES, to MEET JESUS CHRIST at his coming. Many false teachings indicate that a man goes to Heaven or Hell right after death, if this were true, what would the point of a resurrection be if you're aleady alive? This resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ is ALSO called the first resurrection,
So if this is the first resurrection and only certain souls will be resurrected here, then what about the rest of the dead, when will they be resurrected? Here is the scripture,
Here, AT THE FINAL JUDGMENT DAY, ALL the rest of the dead in Hades ARE TAKEN OUT OF HADES AND BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE AT THIS SECOND GREAT RESURRECTION. Why are they taken out? TO BE JUDGED ON THE GREAT and FINAL DAY. The FINAL DAY of what? This heaven and earth. The FINAL DAY is the conclusion of this heaven and earth as we know it now before the new heaven and the new earth starts. Each is judged according to their works, and anyone not written into the BOOK OF LIFE is tossed INTO THE LIFE OF FIRE.
This casting into the fire is ALSO called the second death,
Why is it called "second death"? BECAUSE THOSE THAT ARE THROWN INTO IT DIE AGAIN, HENCE "SECOND DEATH". But what is different about this death than the first death? It is the DESTRUCTION, ANNIHILATION, OF NOT JUST THE BODY, BUT THE SOUL AS WELL. Which is why even Jesus says,
This second death is not like the first death, where your soul is collected in Hades right after, but rather, it is the DESTRUCTION of your BOTH YOUR SOUL AND BODY. It is the COMPLETE AND UTTER CEASING TO EXIST, YOU WILL NEVER BE RESURRECTED AGAIN, AND YOUR SOUL WILL NOT BE COLLECTED ANYWHERE BECAUSE IT WILL ALSO BE DESTROYED. YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST ENDLESSLY.
And what else is destroyed in the lake of fire? Death and Hades itself as well. Hades itself WILL ALSO BE DESTROYED, because the collecting of the souls of men will NO LONGER BE NECESSARY, because DEATH WILL EXIST NO MORE. THOSE THINGS WILL END, as it is said,
Going further, so what is Gehenna? Obviously, we saw in scripture that Hades is a place for a great collection of souls that await resurrection, and that Hades is destroyed seperately in a lake of fire, so what is this place of fire that is obviously mentioned in scripture as a real place? Lets look at some references to it,
This last verse is very interesting. Notice how it describes this fiery place as a place where "their worm does not come to an end, and the fire is not extinguished". This verse actually points to an old prophecy in Isaiah,
Notice how this scripture indicates that the those that are tossed in this fire, their CARCASSES WILL BE VISIBLE. You can ONLY HAVE A CARCASS IF YOU DIE. Who will see these people die in this GREAT FIRE mentioned by Jesus AND Isaiah? ALL FLESH. Meaning, ALL PEOPLE THAT ARE ALIVE. All people that are alive where? ON THE EARTH. Therefore, it stands to conclude, that this fire DOES NOT YET EXIST, ESPCIALLY IT BEING THAT NO ONE HAS BEE RESURRECTED YET TO BE TOSSED INTO ANY FIRE. INSTEAD, THIS FIRE WILL EXIST SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE. WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO BE TOSSED INTO THIS FIRE THAT WILL EXIST IN THE FUTURE? The FIRST BEAST AND THE SECOND BEAST (ALSO CALLED THE FALSE PROPHET), SHORTLY AFTER THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST, hence why we have,
Who are the beasts of Revelation? They are governments. But this is another discussion. This scripture is indicating that these beasts WILL BE THE FIRST TO BE DESTROYED IN THE FIRE THAT WILL EXIST ON THE EARTH. THEIR DESTRUCTION IN THIS FIRE WILL BE VISIBLE TO ALL FLESH, MEANING ALL PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING ON THE EARTH.
Going further, this FIRE, is called several things. Its called the "lake of fire". Its also called the "inextinguishable fire", and it is also called the "eternal fire",
It is called these things because this FIRE that will exist when Jesus Christ comes at his second coming, is the SAME FIRE that will continue burning through his 1,000 reign and down to the very final day of judgment, where those resurrected then will be judged according to works, and anyone not found in the Book of Life then, will be tossed IN THIS SAME FIRE THAT HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY BURNING FROM HIS COMING. EVEN DEATH AND HADES WILL BE THROWN INTO THIS SAME FIRE. This is why it is called an "inextinguishable fire", because it won't merely be extinguished after the beasts are thrown into it, but will CONTINUE TO BURN for around 1,000 years UNTIL the very final judgment BEFORE the NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH STARTS. It is also referred to as a place where the "worm does not come to an end". It doesn't mean that there will be immortal worms there that don't die, it means THAT THERE WILL NOT BE AND END TO WORMS THERE, theres a difference. But then you would say, why is it then also called "eternal fire", does that not indicate that it burns endlessly? No, because "eternal" is a mistranslation of the Greek word "aionios", which is an adjective of the Greek word "aion", which means "age", or rather, "eon", or a lengthy time frame with a beginning and an end. So therefore, "aionos" means "eonial", NOT "eternal". "Eonial" indicates a very long length of time, usually in the thousands of years. So when fire is described as an "eonial" fire, it is describing it as a fire that lasts for a VERY LONG TIME. So where do we see an example of this "aion" Greek word being as a timeframe with beginning and end, here are some examples,
CONTINUE TO PART 2
It is important to understand what death, hades, gehenna, hell, spirit, soul, body, and resurrection are, because in truly understanding these things do you begin understanding the work of God and can understand other things. First and foremost, lets explore scripture concerning Hades,
Who is the man who shall live and not see death? Shall he rescue his own soul from out of the hand of Hades? PAUSE. (Psalms 89:48 [ABP])
Here we see indicated that it is the SOUL that goes to Hades. And Hades in this scripture is associated with DEATH, therefore he WHO DIES goes to HADES. What dies when you die? Your BODY. Your SOUL is then taken INTO HADES. So, AT DEATH, YOUR BODY DIES AND YOUR SOUL IS TAKEN TO HADES. So what exactly is the soul? There are many philosophical teachings that can confuse many on what is scripturally conveyed as the soul. Its what makes you, YOU. The SOUL HOUSES EVERYTHING THAT COMPOSES YOUR INWARD SELF, and it is LAYERED GOING DEEPER INTO THAT WHICH MAKES UP YOUR BEING. THE SOUL INCLUDES THE MIND AND THE HEART. THE SOUL ALSO HAS EMOTIONS,
Now my soul has been disturbed, and what should I say? O father, deliver me from this hour! But on account of this I came unto this hour. (John 12:27 [ABP])
Why are you dejected, O my soul? and why do you disturb me? Hope upon God! for I shall acknowledge to him the deliverance of my person, and my God. (Psalms 42:11 [ABP])
The mind has knowledge, it has wisdom, and CENTERED IN YOUR MIND IS YOUR HEART, WHICH CENTERS AROUND YOUR DESIRES, YOUR WILL, YOUR INTENTIONS. The HEART IS THE VERY DEEPEST PART OF YOUR MIND AND YOUR SOUL. And stemming from YOUR MIND AND YOUR HEART COME THOUGHTS AND REASONINGS. All these things compose what the SOUL is. The soul is YOUR BEING that has all these things. Throughout scripture we see these words used interchangeably and convey these things,
Revel in the LORD! that he should give to you the requests of your heart. (Psalms 37:4 [ABP])
May [*2*give *3*to you *1*the LORD] according to your heart, and [*2*all *3*your plans *1*fulfill]. (Psalms 20:4 [ABP])
Bless [*3*O my soul *1*the *2* LORD], and all the things within me, bless [*2*name *1*his holy]! (Psalms 103:1 [ABP])
Bless his soul and what else? All the other things inside him, the mind, the heart, everything deeper composing the soul. We also have these other scriptures,
And the peace of God, the one surpassing every mind, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 [ABP])
And I appeal to you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that [*4*the *5*same thing *1*you should *3*say *2*all], and there should be no [*2*among *3*you *1*splits]; but that you should be readying yourselves with the same mind, and with the same opinion. (I Corinthians 1:10 [ABP])
[*5*were *1*And *2*some *3*of the *4*scribes *7*there *6*sitting down], and reasoning in their hearts, (Mark 2:6 [ABP])
But I see another law in my members, undertaking an expedition against the law of my mind, and captivating me to the law of the sin, to the one being in my members. (Romans 7:23 [ABP])
For from out of the heart come forth [*2*thoughts *1*evil], murders, adulteries, harlotries, frauds, false witnesses, blasphemies. (Matthew 15:19 [ABP])
But if [*4*should say *2*evil *3*servant *1*that] in his heart, [*2*passes time *1*My master] to come; (Matthew 24:48 [ABP])
And to love him from the entire heart, and from the entire understanding, and from the entire soul, and of the entire strength, and to love the neighbor as himself, is more than all the whole burnt-offerings and the sacrifice offerings. (Mark 12:33 [ABP])
THE SOUL IS YOUR ENTIRE BEING WHICH IS MADE UP OF VARIOUS PARTS, WHICH ARE YOUR MIND AND HEART.
So going further, what else happens at death?
then [*3*shall return *1*the *2*dust] upon the earth as it was; and the spirit should return to the God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7 [ABP])
The SPIRIT that was in you GOES BACK TO GOD. The spirit is synonymous with "breath", "wind", even "air", in scripture, this "breath", or this "spirit" of life, was imparted to man in Genesis,
And God shaped the man, [*2*dust *1*taking] from the earth. And he breathed into his face breath of life, and [*2*became *1*man] a [*2*soul *1*living]. (Genesis 2:7 [ABP])
Look what it says.... as a consequence of God "breathing", or giving his "spirit of life", or rather, his "breath of life", man became a LIVING SOUL. Not just a soul, a LIVING SOUL. The BREATH of life is what MAKES YOUR SOUL ALIVE. The soul in itself is not ALIVE unless it has the spirit, or rather, the "BREATH OF LIFE" to GIVE IT LIFE. So when the scripture says, the spirit goes back to God who gave it, it is now saying you are NO LONGER ALIVE, YOU ARE DEAD, BECAUSE THAT BREATH IS NO LONGER IN YOU TO KEEP YOU ALIVE. So if the soul goes down to Hades WITHOUT the spirit (breath) because it went back to God who gave it, what is this indicating? That you ARE NO LONGER ALIVE, AND THUS NO LONGER AWARE, BECAUSE IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE, AND AWARE. In this passage pertaining to Jesus, we see that in losing the Spirit, death occured,
And calling out [*2*voice *1*with a great], Jesus said, Father, into your hands I place my spirit. And these things having said he expired. (Luke 23:46 [ABP])
Right after Jesus gave up his spirit, his death occured. So how do we know that you are no longer AWARE when you are in Hades? Look at these scriptures,
For there is no [*3*in *4*death *1*remembering *2*you]; and in Hades, who shall make acknowledgement to you? (Psalms 6:5 [ABP])
In DEATH there is no remebering God, and in HADES no one makes ackowledgment to God. No one is Hades can remember God or make acknowledgment, why? Because they are NOT AWARE.
[*6*not *1*For *2*the ones *3*in *4*Hades *5*shall] praise you; nor the ones dying shall bless you; nor shall [*4*hope *1*the ones *2*in *3*Hades] on your charity. (Isaiah 38:18 [ABP])
No one in Hades can praise God, nor anyone dying and going there bless God, nor anyone there hope on God's charity. Why? Because they are NOT AWARE.
All as much as [*2*should find *1*your hand] to do, [*2*as *3*is *5*power *4*in your *1*you do]; for there is no action, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in Hades, of where you should go there. (Ecclesiastes 9:10 [ABP])
Why are there NO ACTIONS, NO KNOWLEDGE, NO WISDOM IN HADES? BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT AWARE. YOU ARE NOT ALIVE TO DO ANYTHING, OR TO EVEN THINK. THE SPIRIT IS WHAT BRINGS YOU TO LIFE AND AWARENESS. THE SOUL IS NOT ALIVE WITHOUT THE SPIRIT (BREATH) OF GOD. WHAT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE WHEN THEY STOP BREATHING? THEY DIE. NOT HAVING THE SPIRIT (BREATH) OF GOD IS DEATH. JUST THE VERY FACT YOU ARE BREATHING RIGHT NOW IS AN INDICATOR THAT YOUR ARE DEPENDENT ON THIS BREATH OF LIFE TO KEEP YOU ALIVE.
Taking this further, how also do we know you are NOT AWARE when you are in Hades? Because DEATH is associated with sleep. When you sleep, are you aware? No. From the moment you fall asleep to the moment you wake up, it is instant. "sleep" foreshadows "death", or more specifically, "your soul being in hades". God created sleep to foreshadow death, even before Adam and Eve had committed their sin against God. God could've easily made man without the need of sleep, but he chose to create sleep to foreshadow the death that was to come unto the world. Here we see the verses using "sleep" to indicate death,
And Joash slept with his fathers, and they entombed him in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And [*3*reigned *1*Jeroboam *2*his son] instead of him. (II Kings 14:16 [ABP])
Thereupon he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the most remain until now, but some also are fallen asleep. (I Corinthians 15:6 [ABP])
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, [*2*first-fruit *3*of the ones *4*sleeping *1*he became]. (I Corinthians 15:20 [ABP])
All these verses are making reference to death AS sleep, therefore it is indicating not being AWARE as when you sleep. And why else is it called sleep? Because YOUR SOUL still EXISTS IN HADES, but since it DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO GIVE IT LIFE, it is therefore IN A DORMANT STATE, IN A SLEEP. So then you would ask, why does the soul remain in Hades in this sleep state, what is the purpose? It is because Hades is merely just a place to collect the souls of men, to EVENTUALLY bring them back to LIFE sometime in the FUTURE. If God had not intended for man to be brought back to life again, he would not have collected the souls of man in Hades. In the verses we see the resurrection of the dead from Hades evident,
For [*3*himself *1*the *2*Lord] in a word of command by the voice of an archangel, and with a trumpet of God, shall descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise up first. (I Thessalonians 4:16 [ABP])
So in the second coming of Jesus Christ, those in Him will be resurrected first, meaning taken OUT OF HADES and BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE AND TO AWARENESS, AND NEW BODIES, to MEET JESUS CHRIST at his coming. Many false teachings indicate that a man goes to Heaven or Hell right after death, if this were true, what would the point of a resurrection be if you're aleady alive? This resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ is ALSO called the first resurrection,
Blessed and holy is the one having part in the [*2*resurrection *1*first]; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation of John 20:6 [ABP])
So if this is the first resurrection and only certain souls will be resurrected here, then what about the rest of the dead, when will they be resurrected? Here is the scripture,
And [*3*gave up *1*the *2*sea] the ones [*2*in *3*her *1*dead]; and death and Hades gave up the ones of their dead. And they were judged each according to their works. (Revelation of John 20:13 [ABP])
Here, AT THE FINAL JUDGMENT DAY, ALL the rest of the dead in Hades ARE TAKEN OUT OF HADES AND BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE AT THIS SECOND GREAT RESURRECTION. Why are they taken out? TO BE JUDGED ON THE GREAT and FINAL DAY. The FINAL DAY of what? This heaven and earth. The FINAL DAY is the conclusion of this heaven and earth as we know it now before the new heaven and the new earth starts. Each is judged according to their works, and anyone not written into the BOOK OF LIFE is tossed INTO THE LIFE OF FIRE.
And if any should not be found [*2*in *3*the *4*book *5*of life *1*written] he was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation of John 20:15 [ABP])
This casting into the fire is ALSO called the second death,
And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the [*2*death *1*second] -- the lake of fire. (Revelation of John 20:14 [ABP])
Why is it called "second death"? BECAUSE THOSE THAT ARE THROWN INTO IT DIE AGAIN, HENCE "SECOND DEATH". But what is different about this death than the first death? It is the DESTRUCTION, ANNIHILATION, OF NOT JUST THE BODY, BUT THE SOUL AS WELL. Which is why even Jesus says,
And fear not of the ones killing the body, [*5*the *1*but *6*soul *2*not *3*being able *4*to kill]! But you fear rather the one being able both the soul and body to destroy in Gehenna! (Matthew 10:28 [ABP])
This second death is not like the first death, where your soul is collected in Hades right after, but rather, it is the DESTRUCTION of your BOTH YOUR SOUL AND BODY. It is the COMPLETE AND UTTER CEASING TO EXIST, YOU WILL NEVER BE RESURRECTED AGAIN, AND YOUR SOUL WILL NOT BE COLLECTED ANYWHERE BECAUSE IT WILL ALSO BE DESTROYED. YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST ENDLESSLY.
And what else is destroyed in the lake of fire? Death and Hades itself as well. Hades itself WILL ALSO BE DESTROYED, because the collecting of the souls of men will NO LONGER BE NECESSARY, because DEATH WILL EXIST NO MORE. THOSE THINGS WILL END, as it is said,
And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not be any more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor misery -- it shall not be any more, for the first things departed. (Revelation of John 21:4 [ABP])
Going further, so what is Gehenna? Obviously, we saw in scripture that Hades is a place for a great collection of souls that await resurrection, and that Hades is destroyed seperately in a lake of fire, so what is this place of fire that is obviously mentioned in scripture as a real place? Lets look at some references to it,
But to the timid ones, and unbelieving ones, and sinful ones, and ones being abhorrent, and murderers, and fornicators, and dealers in potions, and idolaters, and to all the liars, their part is in the lake burning with fire and sulphur, which is the [*2*death *1*second]. (Revelation of John 21:8 [ABP])
And they shall throw them into the furnace of the fire; there, there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth. (Matthew 13:42 [ABP])
[43] And if [*2*should cause you to stumble *1*your hand], cut it off! [*2*good *3*to you *1*It is *5*crippled *6*into *7*life *4*to enter], rather than [*2*two *3*hands *1*having] to go forth into Gehenna, into the [*2*fire *1*inextinguishable], [44] where their worm does not come to an end, and the fire is not extinguished.
(Mark 9:43-44 [ABP])
(Mark 9:43-44 [ABP])
This last verse is very interesting. Notice how it describes this fiery place as a place where "their worm does not come to an end, and the fire is not extinguished". This verse actually points to an old prophecy in Isaiah,
And they shall go forth, and shall see the carcasses of men, the ones violating against me. For their worm shall not come to an end, and their fire shall not be extinguished. And they will be for a sight to all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24 [ABP])
Notice how this scripture indicates that the those that are tossed in this fire, their CARCASSES WILL BE VISIBLE. You can ONLY HAVE A CARCASS IF YOU DIE. Who will see these people die in this GREAT FIRE mentioned by Jesus AND Isaiah? ALL FLESH. Meaning, ALL PEOPLE THAT ARE ALIVE. All people that are alive where? ON THE EARTH. Therefore, it stands to conclude, that this fire DOES NOT YET EXIST, ESPCIALLY IT BEING THAT NO ONE HAS BEE RESURRECTED YET TO BE TOSSED INTO ANY FIRE. INSTEAD, THIS FIRE WILL EXIST SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE. WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO BE TOSSED INTO THIS FIRE THAT WILL EXIST IN THE FUTURE? The FIRST BEAST AND THE SECOND BEAST (ALSO CALLED THE FALSE PROPHET), SHORTLY AFTER THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST, hence why we have,
[19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their militaries being gathered together to make war with the one sitting upon the horse, and with his military. [20] And [*3*was laid hold of *1*the *2*beast], and with this one the false prophet, the one performing the signs before him, in which he misled the ones receiving the imprint of the beast, and the ones doing obeisance to his image. [*4*living *3*were thrown *1*The *2*two] into the lake of fire burning with sulphur.
(Revelation of John 19:19-20 [ABP])
(Revelation of John 19:19-20 [ABP])
Who are the beasts of Revelation? They are governments. But this is another discussion. This scripture is indicating that these beasts WILL BE THE FIRST TO BE DESTROYED IN THE FIRE THAT WILL EXIST ON THE EARTH. THEIR DESTRUCTION IN THIS FIRE WILL BE VISIBLE TO ALL FLESH, MEANING ALL PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING ON THE EARTH.
Going further, this FIRE, is called several things. Its called the "lake of fire". Its also called the "inextinguishable fire", and it is also called the "eternal fire",
Then he will say also to the ones on his left, Go from me! O ones being cursed into the [*2*fire *1*eternal], the one having been prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41 [ABP])
It is called these things because this FIRE that will exist when Jesus Christ comes at his second coming, is the SAME FIRE that will continue burning through his 1,000 reign and down to the very final day of judgment, where those resurrected then will be judged according to works, and anyone not found in the Book of Life then, will be tossed IN THIS SAME FIRE THAT HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY BURNING FROM HIS COMING. EVEN DEATH AND HADES WILL BE THROWN INTO THIS SAME FIRE. This is why it is called an "inextinguishable fire", because it won't merely be extinguished after the beasts are thrown into it, but will CONTINUE TO BURN for around 1,000 years UNTIL the very final judgment BEFORE the NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH STARTS. It is also referred to as a place where the "worm does not come to an end". It doesn't mean that there will be immortal worms there that don't die, it means THAT THERE WILL NOT BE AND END TO WORMS THERE, theres a difference. But then you would say, why is it then also called "eternal fire", does that not indicate that it burns endlessly? No, because "eternal" is a mistranslation of the Greek word "aionios", which is an adjective of the Greek word "aion", which means "age", or rather, "eon", or a lengthy time frame with a beginning and an end. So therefore, "aionos" means "eonial", NOT "eternal". "Eonial" indicates a very long length of time, usually in the thousands of years. So when fire is described as an "eonial" fire, it is describing it as a fire that lasts for a VERY LONG TIME. So where do we see an example of this "aion" Greek word being as a timeframe with beginning and end, here are some examples,
CONTINUE TO PART 2