Eternal Hell, Annihilationism, or Universalism?
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annihilationism is a concept formed out of human reasoning. The teaching of Annihilationism is not supported by those who spoke and taught us about the Eternal Hell:
1. Jesus
Jesus did not use the eternal punishment of hell in the context of annihilation. Those who hold to this false doctrine always deflect from what The Lord Jesus said on this topic. They know better than Jesus. it is a pride and frankly a humanistic approach to bible interpretation. they quote Old Testament prophets who speak in the destruction of a human by God yet have no understanding of the eternal place of Hell. That is why when Jesus is speaking he is the supreme Authority on the Subject biblically; we cannot dismiss HIS words because of what an Old Testament prophet spoke about in an earthly context of death as being no more. The Grave is not the end
1. Jesus
Jesus did not use the eternal punishment of hell in the context of annihilation. Those who hold to this false doctrine always deflect from what The Lord Jesus said on this topic. They know better than Jesus. it is a pride and frankly a humanistic approach to bible interpretation. they quote Old Testament prophets who speak in the destruction of a human by God yet have no understanding of the eternal place of Hell. That is why when Jesus is speaking he is the supreme Authority on the Subject biblically; we cannot dismiss HIS words because of what an Old Testament prophet spoke about in an earthly context of death as being no more. The Grave is not the end
Hello GdaxBbb!
Two of the words in scripture that are translated as Hell and which are in separate locations, is Hades, which is a temporary holding place for the unrighteous dead and which is located under the earth. The other is Gehenna which is the final place of punishment, which represents the lake of fire, the location of which is not given.
Lazarus of the rich man and Lazarus event, was in the comfort area of Hades, along with Abraham and the rest of the OT saints. It was the rich man who was on the other side of the chasm from Lazarus who was in torment in flame and who is still there.
The reason that the spirit of the rich man went to Hades after he died was because he died without faith. Consequently, anyone who dies without faith, their spirit goes to the same place at the time of death. And yes, the duration is forever. However, when it is time for that great white throne judgment to take place, those unrighteous dead in Hades will be resurrected out and will stand before God to be judged and then when their names are not found in the book of life, they will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will remain forever in separation from God. This is what the word of God teaches.
Once a person dies in their sins, their record is sealed. There is no longer any hope of salvation for them, only condemning judgment.
I've been in Death Valley when it was 127 and came back home. That is not a correct comparison for those whose spirits who go down into Hades and that because God created it for the unfaithful until judgment. Those that go there cannot just get in their cars and leave. As you will read the rest of the rich man and Lazarus, when the rich man asked Abraham to have Lazarus go back up on the earth to his father's house to warn his brothers, he couldn't, but instead said that they have Moses and the prophets (the word of God) to warn them.
Torment in flame and separation from God, is not temporary, but is permanent, with a brief transition from Hades for judgment and then the lake of fire. The reason that people are there is because they died in their sins. It is only while we are alive that salvation is available. After the death of the body it is too late.
Those who are in Hades will also be resurrected in physical bodies, albeit mete for their punishment in the lake of fire, which will be eternal. There is no scripture that would suggest that Hades of the lake of fire is temporary.
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Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.
And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Two of the words in scripture that are translated as Hell and which are in separate locations, is Hades, which is a temporary holding place for the unrighteous dead and which is located under the earth. The other is Gehenna which is the final place of punishment, which represents the lake of fire, the location of which is not given.
Lazarus of the rich man and Lazarus event, was in the comfort area of Hades, along with Abraham and the rest of the OT saints. It was the rich man who was on the other side of the chasm from Lazarus who was in torment in flame and who is still there.
The reason that the spirit of the rich man went to Hades after he died was because he died without faith. Consequently, anyone who dies without faith, their spirit goes to the same place at the time of death. And yes, the duration is forever. However, when it is time for that great white throne judgment to take place, those unrighteous dead in Hades will be resurrected out and will stand before God to be judged and then when their names are not found in the book of life, they will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will remain forever in separation from God. This is what the word of God teaches.
Once a person dies in their sins, their record is sealed. There is no longer any hope of salvation for them, only condemning judgment.
I've been in Death Valley when it was 127 and came back home. That is not a correct comparison for those whose spirits who go down into Hades and that because God created it for the unfaithful until judgment. Those that go there cannot just get in their cars and leave. As you will read the rest of the rich man and Lazarus, when the rich man asked Abraham to have Lazarus go back up on the earth to his father's house to warn his brothers, he couldn't, but instead said that they have Moses and the prophets (the word of God) to warn them.
Torment in flame and separation from God, is not temporary, but is permanent, with a brief transition from Hades for judgment and then the lake of fire. The reason that people are there is because they died in their sins. It is only while we are alive that salvation is available. After the death of the body it is too late.
Those who are in Hades will also be resurrected in physical bodies, albeit mete for their punishment in the lake of fire, which will be eternal. There is no scripture that would suggest that Hades of the lake of fire is temporary.
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Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.
And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
See earlier posts about "Eternal" and "forever and ever" as relating to time and God. The word eternal everlasting without end and beginning can only be applied to God's nature, not when it applies to anything else such as time.
When it applies to anything outside of God himself, the meaning becomes a period of time as translated "Of Ages of Ages" meaning a finite duration, however long that duration may be.
The early church was split almost 50/50 for Universalism / Never ending Hell, annihilationism is the least supported.
When it applies to anything outside of God himself, the meaning becomes a period of time as translated "Of Ages of Ages" meaning a finite duration, however long that duration may be.
The early church was split almost 50/50 for Universalism / Never ending Hell, annihilationism is the least supported.
The word of God is very clear on this subject.
"And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The word "aionios' can mean a cycle of time and age or having no beginning or ending. In the verse above, this word is used to describe the final state of both the righteous and the wicked and therefore must carry the same meaning for both. Since we know that eternal life for the righteous is never ending, conscious existence, then it must mean the same for the wicked, i.e. never ending conscious punishment. Whatever meaning you apply to one has to have the same meaning for the other.
Therefore, when it states that the righteous will go into never-ending life, then the punishment for the wicked must also be never ending, because the same word is being used for both. You can't have one meaning never ending and the other meaning temporary.
"And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The word "aionios' can mean a cycle of time and age or having no beginning or ending. In the verse above, this word is used to describe the final state of both the righteous and the wicked and therefore must carry the same meaning for both. Since we know that eternal life for the righteous is never ending, conscious existence, then it must mean the same for the wicked, i.e. never ending conscious punishment. Whatever meaning you apply to one has to have the same meaning for the other.
Therefore, when it states that the righteous will go into never-ending life, then the punishment for the wicked must also be never ending, because the same word is being used for both. You can't have one meaning never ending and the other meaning temporary.
Trying to peg the belief that the early church fathers believed anything else is not scriptural, that has never been the orthodox view of the early church, one just needs to read what Jesus and the apostles said.
Also the RCC view of purgatory is not biblical at all, just one heresy among their many corruptions.
Also the RCC view of purgatory is not biblical at all, just one heresy among their many corruptions.
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