What does John 3:16 mean?
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Sure, some elements of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus are literal such as temporary consciousness in hell, where the rich man was. Did you notice how nowhere in that parable, or story if you prefer, that it doesn’t say the rich man is in torment forever?
The rich man was either destroyed:
Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Or the rich man either was or will be allowed out after paying the penalty for his sin:
Matthew 5:26
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
God bless
The rich man was either destroyed:
Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Or the rich man either was or will be allowed out after paying the penalty for his sin:
Matthew 5:26
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
God bless
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You are wrong in saying that the unregenerate spirit will be destroyed. Death is not the end of existence. Adam and Eve were dead the moment they ate from the tree of knowledge. Obviously they still existed. While a person is naturally alive, there is hope of salvation. When this life is over, judgement follows. Some continue in eternal life. Others are consigned to eternal death, the second death. As is clear from God's word, death is not the end of existence. It is the end of any hope of salvation.
Most of what you said is actually correct as far as I can tell, but you aren’t allowing death to be death. You take death and make it mean eternal life because if someone never dies then they live forever. Jesus said that only those who believe in Him can live forever.
This is actually a common cognitive dissonance among those who espouse the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. I don’t mean that crassly, but if no one tells you maybe you’ll never know.
God bless
This is actually a common cognitive dissonance among those who espouse the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. I don’t mean that crassly, but if no one tells you maybe you’ll never know.
God bless
O
Scripture can be interpreted and reinterpreted until the cows come home. With any number of conclusions.
If the Lord, who knows the end from the beginning, and can do anything, would still go ahead and create billions of people, with the foreknowledge that they would suffer pure agony for eternity, He would be worse than all the devils, dictators, and psychopaths put together.
I know my Father...He is not like that. He could've destroyed everything and started over...but He didn't.
Eternal torment is man's teaching, not the Lord's. In my opinion.
If the Lord, who knows the end from the beginning, and can do anything, would still go ahead and create billions of people, with the foreknowledge that they would suffer pure agony for eternity, He would be worse than all the devils, dictators, and psychopaths put together.
I know my Father...He is not like that. He could've destroyed everything and started over...but He didn't.
Eternal torment is man's teaching, not the Lord's. In my opinion.
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Immortality is put on only through Christ. I suppose some must think that for God to say He is making all things new, what He really means is He is making all things new except for this area over here where we have the leftovers from the previous age who refused to acknowledge Who I am and so I have them burning forever in eternal conscious torment because it pleases me to do so. Meanwhile, a plethora of Scriptures from beginning to end attest to the fact that the wicked perish, being destroyed to the uttermost.
I do not find it vague or ambiguous enough that there is any confusion on the issue, especially given the number of verses that outright say the end of the wicked is they are no more. Rightly dividing line by line, precept by precept, we know their end is the second death. People who are confused say dead means alive and sleep is a metaphor for wakeful awareness, and all manner of nonsense. What they bring to the table, including denying that Jesus taught in parables, is scant compared to the numerous verses that refute what they believe. Some even say man is born with an immortal soul, which directly contradicts what Scripture explicitly states... but they still think they are right 
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I do not find it vague or ambiguous enough that there is any confusion on the issue, especially given the number of verses that outright say the end of the wicked is they are no more. Rightly dividing line by line, precept by precept, we know their end is the second death. People who are confused say dead means alive and sleep is a metaphor for wakeful awareness, and all manner of nonsense. What they bring to the table, including denying that Jesus taught in parables, is scant compared to the numerous verses that refute what they believe. Some even say man is born with an immortal soul, which directly contradicts what Scripture explicitly states... but they still think they are right
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The lord is spirit, and the true law is spiritual. The Lord gave Moses fleshly commands to give us to act as schoolmasters, helping us obey the true law.
When Christ came, the Holy Ghost was give, the law was put in our hearts. That law is within us, it is eternal. Mose's law is no more.
Christ gave instructions about what we are to do about the law. Christ said we are to want to keep every bit of it--to repent. We are human, unable to be perfect so Christ forgives us and makes us perfect through Him, we have only to want to be perfect. We can't both want to obey and willingly disobey.
When Christ came, the Holy Ghost was give, the law was put in our hearts. That law is within us, it is eternal. Mose's law is no more.
Christ gave instructions about what we are to do about the law. Christ said we are to want to keep every bit of it--to repent. We are human, unable to be perfect so Christ forgives us and makes us perfect through Him, we have only to want to be perfect. We can't both want to obey and willingly disobey.
This is Salvation 101 and this part is plain, prophesied and fulfilled.
God only has one begotten son in heaven and earth, Jesus.
Everything and all else in heaven & earth have been created. We are blessed to be up for adoption by this precious promise of salvation .
Love like no other nor can we display, is why God came in the flesh of humanity as Jesus.
All that is required of us is our signature of faith,belief & a willingness to be adopted as daughter's and sons of God!
God only has one begotten son in heaven and earth, Jesus.
Everything and all else in heaven & earth have been created. We are blessed to be up for adoption by this precious promise of salvation .
Love like no other nor can we display, is why God came in the flesh of humanity as Jesus.
All that is required of us is our signature of faith,belief & a willingness to be adopted as daughter's and sons of God!
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People have been telling me for 50 years. I don't agree. Death is not the end of existence. How can it be when we are born dead in trespass and sin? In Adam, all die. Except the human race still exists. Your concept of death is incorrect.
Death is separation from God. That is exactly what happened in Eden. Adam and Eve hid from God. Mankind has been running away ever since.
Death is separation from God. That is exactly what happened in Eden. Adam and Eve hid from God. Mankind has been running away ever since.
I don't agree that our opinions trump scripture, that's how cults form.
Was Jesus born dead in trespass and sin as a human? No? Then why would anyone else be?
This isn't talking about physical death.
This is evident because they didn't physically die the day of their eating the fruit:
Gen. 2:17
17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Their soul died:
Ezekiel 18:20
20The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
God continued interacting with humanity after the fall of Adam and Eve. So what you just said is clearly false.
Was Jesus born dead in trespass and sin as a human? No? Then why would anyone else be?
This isn't talking about physical death.
This is evident because they didn't physically die the day of their eating the fruit:
Gen. 2:17
17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Their soul died:
Ezekiel 18:20
20The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
God continued interacting with humanity after the fall of Adam and Eve. So what you just said is clearly false.