Josephus Records Doctrine of Immorality of the Soul and Punishment

Nineveh

Merely Christian
Originally posted by logos_x

If,

Is that the best you have? "If"? What if you are wrong?

as the Bible declares, it is the will of God that all men be saved

I see why you had to us that "if". It's God desire all men come to Him. He never makes a promise to force the issue however.

and come to the knowledge of truth,

Those that do not fear God have little hope of that, recall: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

that God always accomplishes His will,

Yes, He does. But He isn't obligated to accomplish yours.

that in the end every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord...

Once again, that's not what the text says. It says every tongue will give an account.

Look:

If a man hates God his whole life, then on Judgement Day he is forced to acknowledge this God he has hated his whole life is actually the Supreme Being who is in control, that isn't going to inspire love. It's going to make this man hate God more. Especailly when he has to give an account of his life using his own righteousness being judged by God's scale of Righteousness. He isn't going to get away with saying "I didn't know". He is going to be forced to see what he refused to see when he was here on earth throughout his life: He isn't good enough and falls short of the Glory of God. So that is a double whammy you believe will magically instill love in a hateful person. In reality, it will make them hate this Just Righteous and Holy God all the more.

which cannot be done without the Holy Spirit,

Here's another reason to reject your understanding. The Holy Spirit does not dwell with an unbeliever, how on earth will a person removed from God's presence have access to His Spirit?

and God will be all in all when its all finished...

At least you dropped the first "is" off that.

Anyway... that would include Righteous Judge.

and death is dead, hell is emptied, and sin is no more...

Spiritual death is seperation from God. IE: Being apart from God. Like in the Lake of Fire. Where physical death, hell and sin along with the unrepentant people who committed it will be. And the demons, and the unholy trinity.

every tear wiped away, no more pain, sorrow, or unrighteousness,

Which will be what is left over once God gets rid of the garbage and tosses it all into the garbage heap where the worm never dies (Lake of Fire).

(universally) all things under His subjection, and the problem of evil finally resolved then....

Just not the way you want it to be.

The Lake of fire and brimstone is a place that facilitates that end, and therefore, MUST be part of the cure of evil, not its continuence under conditions of burning and torture forever and ever.

That's a pretty thought. But Jesus speaks of this place in terms of eternity, whether you like it or not.

Because this is all a part of Gods purpose.
We are not in a plan "B" situation.

No, God doesn't make the promises you want Him to make. And no, we aren't on "Plan logos_x".

Christ was slain "before the foundation of the world".
The creation was for Him from the beginning. It was God's intention to redeem the world BEFORE He even started making it...As an expression of His glory, and His power to not only create...but preserve and save to the uttermost.

Whatcha gunna do with satan in this view?

Everything that happens happens for a purpose in God's economy...and this present evil age, indeed ALL ages are no exception. God is able to accomplish what He intends to. And this whole world, and all ages from the beginning revolve around the cross of Christ and His resurrection...His redeeming Grace.

Not only do you make God out to be a kidnapper, you make Him out to be the author of evil, too. No, men have free will and your theology tries to make God into things He never claims to be and do things He never promised or claimed to do.

All happens in God's time...not ours

And God's Way...
 

logos_x

New member
Originally posted by Nineveh

Is that the best you have? "If"? What if you are wrong?

What if you are wrong?


I see why you had to us that "if". It's God desire all men come to Him. He never makes a promise to force the issue however.

Nope. It is His WILL, not just His desire.


Those that do not fear God have little hope of that, recall: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

I have never said otherwise concerning the fear of the Lord.

Yes, He does. But He isn't obligated to accomplish yours.

nor yours

Once again, that's not what the text says. It says every tongue will give an account.

It does say every tongue will confess. It also says no man CAN confess without the Holy Spirit.

Look:

If a man hates God his whole life, then on Judgement Day he is forced to acknowledge this God he has hated his whole life is actually the Supreme Being who is in control, that isn't going to inspire love. It's going to make this man hate God more. Especailly when he has to give an account of his life using his own righteousness being judged by God's scale of Righteousness. He isn't going to get away with saying "I didn't know". He is going to be forced to see what he refused to see when he was here on earth throughout his life: He isn't good enough and falls short of the Glory of God. So that is a double whammy you believe will magically instill love in a hateful person. In reality, it will make them hate this Just Righteous and Holy God all the more.

That is merely your opinion, and it is not backed by scripture.



Here's another reason to reject your understanding. The Holy Spirit does not dwell with an unbeliever, how on earth will a person removed from God's presence have access to His Spirit?

There was a time when you were not saved and the Spirit did not dwell in you...yet by His grace you recieved His Spirit.
Everyone once removed will return.



At least you dropped the first "is" off that.

I said "in the end, God is all in all". That is the destiny of God's creation

Anyway... that would include Righteous Judge.

Absolutely!



Spiritual death is seperation from God. IE: Being apart from God. Like in the Lake of Fire. Where physical death, hell and sin along with the unrepentant people who committed it will be. And the demons, and the unholy trinity.

From which everyone will be saved.

Which will be what is left over once God gets rid of the garbage and tosses it all into the garbage heap where the worm never dies (Lake of Fire).

The garbage is the sin...not the sinner.


Just not the way you want it to be.

The way God wants it to be.



That's a pretty thought. But Jesus speaks of this place in terms of eternity, whether you like it or not.

Actually..He spoke of it in terms on ages.

No, God doesn't make the promises you want Him to make. And no, we aren't on "Plan logos_x".

It isn't "plan logos_x" I'm describing.
It is the plan of the ages..Gods plan, not any man's.

Whatcha gunna do with satan in this view?

Redeem him

Not only do you make God out to be a kidnapper, you make Him out to be the author of evil, too. No, men have free will and your theology tries to make God into things He never claims to be and do things He never promised or claimed to do.

On the contrary..it is your view that makes God out to be intending to save only a few..and confine the majority of mankind to burning torture for all eternity. You assign to God that He designed things that way. You say that He cannot..or will not...save everyone.

You...who paint the picture that God cannot save everyone without being a kidnapper or the author of evil.

You...say that Christ's work cannot save everyone because man's will triumphs over God's will forever.



And God's Way...

God's ways are not our ways.
 

freelight

Eclectic Theosophist
The Triumph of Love

The Triumph of Love

O glory to the ONE
whose Love never fails.

O glory to the Father
whose Love is Almighty.

O glory to the Son
whose Love ever liveth.

O glory to the Spirit
who sheds abroad this divine love
in the heart.

It is time to acknowledge the Omnificence and Majesty of the Living Divine....the eternal Love triumphant.

Let us consider the Magnitude and Power of divine Will.

Gods Will will ultimately be realized/satisfied.....for His Will is Supreme....all-powerful, all-glorious.

Love is Eternal.

This is truth. Adding amendments, qualifiers, disclaimers, addendums to this original Constitution of the Father...is unnecessary and does not nullify, modify or change the Fathers original Will and supreme endeavor for universal salvation and restoration of Harmony.

Either God is omnipotent and His Will is Supreme...or it is not.
God Now,.........IS the OMNI, all-pervading ONE....who is wholly SUPREME. This Love is eternally potent and dynamic...eternally inspired by divine Will. This is the Love that sustains all beings at this present moment...and that which does so for all eternity.

"For You created all things/(beings)
And by Your will they
exist and were created"

-Rev. 4:11


The divine Will upholds, sustains and is the underlying influence behind all creation, all existence.....the very creative intentive power that sustains the very existence of every thing and every being. Consider the Glory of God...which is the beauty, power, holiness, majesty, true nature unfolded....of the Father of lights, the God and Father of all.......whose Will ultimately triumphs because it is Almighty. The Esse of Love forever reigns...and Love ultimately TRIUMPHS. For this is the power of divine Will....the manifest intent of God...whose power none can totally or finally resist.


paul
 

Nineveh

Merely Christian
Originally posted by logos_x

What if you are wrong?

I'd rather be wrong believing what Christ says than be wrong because of a cherished theology. I guess it's all in where you place your trust.

Nope. It is His WILL, not just His desire.

So let's look at what the Bible says about it:

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

That says "wants" not "wills".

I have never said otherwise concerning the fear of the Lord.

True, but obviously you don't seem to realize some don't fear the Lord. So handing them knowledge just because you will them to have it doesn't mean they do.

nor yours

Nope, and I never claimed He did. It's easier to just believe God will do as He says, even when you don't agree with it.

It does say every tongue will confess. It also says no man CAN confess without the Holy Spirit.

Yes.... every tongue will confess.

The difference is what they confess. Those who are saved confess Jesus is Lord. What those who hate God will be confessing is: "every tongue will confess to God.’ ”So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."

There is a big difference there. They will be confessing their sins, not that Jesus is Lord. They will be forced to acknowledge God's supreme power, but that is not going to make their hearts humble, nor accept Christ's righteousness.

That is merely your opinion, and it is not backed by scripture.

Only in La La Land does a man begin to love someone who utterly proves him wrong. Don't you just see instances of this all over TOL every day?

C'mon.

People become defensive when they are proven wrong. To believe a man's heart is magically going to change because you want it to is more unBiblical than just accepting the way men's hearts work. For crying out loud, haven't you read the Bible? Aren't there enough examples that jive with modern reality for you?

There was a time when you were not saved and the Spirit did not dwell in you...yet by His grace you recieved His Spirit.

Why?

Because my heart was humbled. I feared the Lord and repented of my sin. Not everyone wants to do that. They have their own choice to make in the matter.

Everyone once removed will return.

Don't you have to be somewhere to be removed from to return?

I said "in the end, God is all in all". That is the destiny of God's creation

Nope, God is not "isallinall". Every time you try to force God to be evil now or in the future, you sound like a pagan. To recap.... the Bibles says "all in all".

Absolutely!

Which means those who reject Him will be condemned. Why be a judge if there is nothing to judge?

From which everyone will be saved.

Only in your theology. The part about getting pardons doesn't appear after the part about the smoke of their torment raising forever and ever.

The garbage is the sin...not the sinner.

The Bible doesn't say, and those sins not written in The Book of Life of The Lamb are thrown into the Lake of Fire, it says those whose names. Who = a person.

The way God wants it to be.

Except your words and God's Words aren't the same.


Actually..He spoke of it in terms on ages.

Yeah, like never and forever and ever. How much closer to eternity do you need to get?

It isn't "plan logos_x" I'm describing.
It is the plan of the ages..Gods plan, not any man's.

I don't see your plan laid out in Scripture. Your docrtine is your own.

Redeem him

And you found this tid bit where?

Scripture says he will burn forever with the rest.

On the contrary..it is your view that makes God out to be intending to save only a few..and confine the majority of mankind to burning torture for all eternity. You assign to God that He designed things that way. You say that He cannot..or will not...save everyone.

You must have missed the part where God Himself said few find Him. So what is contrary is what you believe when compared to the Bible.

You...who paint the picture that God cannot save everyone without being a kidnapper or the author of evil.

I didn't say can't. I said He didn't make that promise. Which we can see from the first part of my reply is the case. Wanting all men to come to Him does not = forcing all men to come to Him. He promises those who call on His Name will be saved. You add the rest.

You...say that Christ's work cannot save everyone because man's will triumphs over God's will forever.

Christ's work has the power to save everyone. But, once again, you go against Scripture when you try to force all men (and demons?) to accept Christ with their hearts.

God is big enough to let each person choose whom they will serve.

God's ways are not our ways.

They aren't?

Shouldn't they be?

"But we have the mind of Christ"

And if they aren't, who's ways are you after?
 

Nineveh

Merely Christian
Re: The Triumph of Love

Re: The Triumph of Love

Originally posted by freelight

O glory to the ONE
whose Love never fails.

O glory to the Father
whose Love is Almighty.

O glory to the Son
whose Love ever liveth.

O glory to the Spirit
who sheds abroad this divine love
in the heart.

It is time to acknowledge the Omnificence and Majesty of the Living Divine....the eternal Love triumphant.

Let us consider the Magnitude and Power of divine Will.

Gods Will will ultimately be realized/satisfied.....for His Will is Supreme....all-powerful, all-glorious.

Love is Eternal.

This is truth. Adding amendments, qualifiers, disclaimers, addendums to this original Constitution of the Father...is unnecessary and does not nullify, modify or change the Fathers original Will and supreme endeavor for universal salvation and restoration of Harmony.

Either God is omnipotent and His Will is Supreme...or it is not.
God Now,.........IS the OMNI, all-pervading ONE....who is wholly SUPREME. This Love is eternally potent and dynamic...eternally inspired by divine Will. This is the Love that sustains all beings at this present moment...and that which does so for all eternity.

"For You created all things/(beings)
And by Your will they
exist and were created"

-Rev. 4:11


The divine Will upholds, sustains and is the underlying influence behind all creation, all existence.....the very creative intentive power that sustains the very existence of every thing and every being. Consider the Glory of God...which is the beauty, power, holiness, majesty, true nature unfolded....of the Father of lights, the God and Father of all.......whose Will ultimately triumphs because it is Almighty. The Esse of Love forever reigns...and Love ultimately TRIUMPHS. For this is the power of divine Will....the manifest intent of God...whose power none can totally or finally resist.


Be honest with me here for a moment:

Are you a Christian? In that I mean, did you repent and accept Christ as your Savior in your heart?
 

logos_x

New member
Originally posted by Nineveh

I'd rather be wrong believing what Christ says than be wrong because of a cherished theology. I guess it's all in where you place your trust.

Yeah...I would rather believe in Christ than the traditions of men.




So let's look at what the Bible says about it:

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

That says "wants" not "wills".

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

You are somewhat correct..the word translated "will have' is a word that means "to strongly desire" and "delights in"

The Word also says the following:

Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Psa 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:


True, but obviously you don't seem to realize some don't fear the Lord. So handing them knowledge just because you will them to have it doesn't mean they do.

No..I do realize some don't fear the Lord.
I just find no reason to believe they will ALWAYS be that way. People change, especially when they learn something they never knew before.



Nope, and I never claimed He did. It's easier to just believe God will do as He says, even when you don't agree with it.

Indeed!

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe.



Yes.... every tongue will confess.

The difference is what they confess. Those who are saved confess Jesus is Lord. What those who hate God will be confessing is: "every tongue will confess to God.’ ”So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."

You really think that is what that means?
Every tongue will confess to the glory of God..that is what it says. Not your veiw at all!

There is a big difference there. They will be confessing their sins, not that Jesus is Lord. They will be forced to acknowledge God's supreme power, but that is not going to make their hearts humble, nor accept Christ's righteousness.

They will be forced?
Hmmmm.
Now who makes God out to be a kidnapper?



Only in La La Land does a man begin to love someone who utterly proves him wrong. Don't you just see instances of this all over TOL every day?

C'mon.

People become defensive when they are proven wrong. To believe a man's heart is magically going to change because you want it to is more unBiblical than just accepting the way men's hearts work. For crying out loud, haven't you read the Bible? Aren't there enough examples that jive with modern reality for you?

We are talking about God here..the creator of all things...the one for which NOTHING is impossible as regards our salvation.
He CAN save anyone and everyone...just as easily as He saved you, me, or anyone else.

You keep wanting to define God's abilities as "magic"?

What is lacking that remains to be done?
Only that all men come to know and accept, and all men be set free of the things that hinder them from knowing and accepting.

All that remains is the revelation...and that WILL be done in due time.



Why?

Because my heart was humbled. I feared the Lord and repented of my sin. Not everyone wants to do that. They have their own choice to make in the matter.

Not all men right now...but we are talking about forever...for all time.
We are also talking about things being in place now that hinders a man's will. Bondages, darkness, lusts...these ALL contribute to IMPAIRED judgement...not a true and right determination of the image of God in man.

What you are failing to see is that there are "ages" in the Bible. And each of these ages accomplishes something in God's plan.

In the end...which is still thousands of years away...all things will be in subjection to Him.



Don't you have to be somewhere to be removed from to return?

Yes.
But they DO return.



Nope, God is not "isallinall". Every time you try to force God to be evil now or in the future, you sound like a pagan. To recap.... the Bibles says "all in all".

In the END God is all in all!

That means all evil is DONE AWAY!

Are you really that thick?

I'm not forcing God into evil...I'm saying all things are redeemed FROM evil.

Do try to follow along....



Which means those who reject Him will be condemned. Why be a judge if there is nothing to judge?

Yes.
the sentence though is not eternal torment without hope of redemption.

I'm not saying there is no Hell. I'm debating what the NATURE of Hell is.



Only in your theology. The part about getting pardons doesn't appear after the part about the smoke of their torment raising forever and ever.

To.the ages of the ages....and it is the smoke, as a testimonial.



The Bible doesn't say, and those sins not written in The Book of Life of The Lamb are thrown into the Lake of Fire, it says those whose names. Who = a person.

Yes..it does!



Except your words and God's Words aren't the same.

Yes, they are.




Yeah, like never and forever and ever. How much closer to eternity do you need to get?

It never says never...
And "forever and ever" is "ages of ages"



I don't see your plan laid out in Scripture. Your docrtine is your own.

I don't see eternal conscious torment laid out in Scripture. Your doctrine is your own.

And you found this tid bit where?

Scripture says he will burn forever with the rest.

And what does the Fire DO Nin?
What IS the brimstone?

The Fire IS GOD Nin....and the fires for purification.
It is CURATIVE of all evil in the universe and inside them!



You must have missed the part where God Himself said few find Him. So what is contrary is what you believe when compared to the Bible.



I didn't say can't. I said He didn't make that promise. Which we can see from the first part of my reply is the case. Wanting all men to come to Him does not = forcing all men to come to Him. He promises those who call on His Name will be saved. You add the rest.



Christ's work has the power to save everyone. But, once again, you go against Scripture when you try to force all men (and demons?) to accept Christ with their hearts.

God is big enough to let each person choose whom they will serve.

Jesus is the Savior OF the whole world Nin...not just for the whole world.

He actually will succeed...whether you see it or believe it or not!





They aren't?

Shouldn't they be?

"But we have the mind of Christ"

And if they aren't, who's ways are you after?

And who's ways are you after Nin?

God WON'T save everyone...
God can't accomplish His desires?
God will be hated by men FOREVER no matter what He does...
And they will be "forced to confess" but not "forced" to come to faith and accept their acceptance?

That is not what the Bible says the outcome will be Nin.

And...all your rhetorical nonsense is exactly that...rhetorical non-sense.
 

freelight

Eclectic Theosophist
researching the essentials governing soul-destiny

researching the essentials governing soul-destiny

Originally posted by Nineveh

Be honest with me here for a moment:

Are you a Christian? In that I mean, did you repent and accept Christ as your Savior in your heart?


Greetings Nin,

All my writings are honest expressions of soul and spirit....as I perceive the divine. The words speak for themselves. Am I a christian? Lets back up....and meditate upon spiritual realities, principles and wisdom first....before we jump to trying to determine 'qualifications' of what a christian is and all that doctrinal stuff with its trappings. I AM what/who I AM. Now we can debate what qualifies one to be a 'christian' til the cows come home. But I would direct you to examine first the spirtual truth and wisdom that is found in whatever commentary/writings you are reading...before you pre-suppose or super-impose anything into/onto it. This may allow you to glean the logic/spirit/wisdom of what you read(if they be any) without putting your pre-conceived qualifiers or interpretations into it. Just a suggestion.

To answer your pointed question (which has its own conceived notions and qualifiers of course).....YES. I have Accepted Jesus into my heart (more than once over the course of my earlier years while coming into a more orthodox/traditional christian faith experience)...and even moved into a pentecostal/charasmatic dimension of life in God - so I can also attest to the power and charismas of the Holy Spirit - very real indeed. I value all my experiences in God along my spiritual journey which is ever dynamic.

Those represent significant milestones or events along the Path for sure. I am also moving on in Life and have not become stuck in certain belief systems that are no longer logical, sensible or useful in my spiritual journey. Remember...its a 'dynamic' living and journey of the soul. I must remain true to my souls instinct (spiritual leadings) and whatever light I am afforded......as the path is dynamic.

Some thoughts on your present logics on souls not choosing Gods way(Love) and them being condemned for punishment in hellfire/damnation forever. I have already covered many valid points on this and dimensions of possibility - also some questions that cannot be answered..being unknown at this point and only intuited by what perspective and understanding we have of God.

There are many angles/sides to these speculations and interpretations. It is true that it may seem like some souls may continue for many years, even centuries in choosing evil and remaining in spiritual stagnation/depravation. There are different views within universalism on how God will restore souls (how souls will be restored to God)...that must be explored.

A spiritualist view for the most part would hold that souls no matter how degraded or evil....will spend time in hell-like realms of their own making...for however long it takes....til they awaken to themselves(awaken to love/light), repent, call upon the Lord...and are then elevated(saved) to higher dimensions of light/love/heaven. It would be reasoned that Gods Love remains omnipotent thru-out all realms and is available to all....when they afford/avail themselves of it. But in this purview...souls are never kept in these hell-like realms forever or are barred from salvation or progress by a higher divine Power per se - they are kept in these places by their own volition and soul-state, choosing and loving the evil they have embraced as their way of life/existence. We can speculate that it may be possible for a soul to actually choose this way of being for all eternity. Only if this is possible...that a soul may choose perdition and darkness for all eternity...may it be possible to suppose that there is such a thing as eternal damnation/darkness/torment. But....we must remember..thru-out all this....Gods Love is still Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. God never stops loving.

Now, as I have discussed previously.....whether there is a time or space where a soul reaches a point of no return (a condition wherein it cannot be saved and is beyond the power of Gods redemption)....then if this can be understood, known and substantiated...then we might be able to accept that some souls can be lost forever without remedy. {in some cases the annihilation theory might even be more merciful than to allow a lost soul to endure eternal misery,...but thats another chapter}.

The understanding of Universal Reconciliation makes more sense when one understands/perceives the Supreme Power of divine Love and Will....as being eternally efficacious. Because the Love of God is eternal....thru-out. This spiritual reality is the divine Constitution of OMNIPRESENCE.

My theological understandings always flow from the premise of GOD(divine Being) Itself.....as Deity is understood in its correct dimenions....being omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient. When understood/seen in spiritual light.....it becomes recognizable that truly....GOD is ALL....here and Now...and will be so thru-out eternity. But this is a more advanced teaching/perception that must come with soul-development/maturity. (metaphysical, ontological).

No matter how you cut it...or believe as far as souls actually reaching a point of 'no return'(beyond redemption of any kind), being eternally punished beyond remedy, forever lost in darkness, etc. - this is all based on an assumption that either a soul by its own free will can choose this way of life for an eternity....and/or that God has written these souls off as 'garbage' and tosses them in the lake of fire to eternally suffer or be terminated(if you believe in annihilation). In all these scenarios 'free will' seems to play a part to some extent...but in the view you support...there is a cutting off point where a soul by his own free will CHOOSES hell(however you interpret this) and is then eternally DOOMED forever. This seems more or less imposed by God Himself....at least after this final decision for eternal death is made. Its like a 'you snooze you lose.....forever' kind of package - no second chances - its in the lake of fire forever - be off! -this view is problematic.....in one part due to a view bound by a time-conditioned eschatology.....particularly those who take the record in Revelation as literal(as translated) and chronological.

I believe eschatology and trying to confine certain events in a tight chronological order according to a traditional belief structure often engenders false or incorrect belief-systems. I have found spiritualist philosophy and other valuable spiritual data/info. and teachings to offer sound insights into this dilemma in the spiritual dimension of things...which allows for a more reasonable/sensible understanding as far as soul-progress and destiny is concerned. I am still workin on this of course. Its a wonderful study.

Leaning towards Universal Reconciliation....I tend to believe that indeed divine Love and Will.....are SUPREME. Therefore....since God is the substance, reality, light of all beings......all will eventually be brought to the light and satisfy the purpose for their existence in relationship to God. This naturally lends support and substantiation to universal salvation.(realized in time and thru-out eternity).

As far as free will goes.....this is maintained within certain parameters....within divine Providence - but it is always within divine Providence (within the sphere of divine government, law. Ultimately....divine Will, Love, Wisdom must triumph...for it is afterall.....all-powerful, and ever-present, availing itself always...to those open to receive it and be reconciled to its benevolent and gracious influence. The divine pursasion of God is ever present). Now matter what view you take as far as the power of free will in affecting the souls destiny or when/if a soul can reach a point beyond the redemptive power of God.....Gods Love and divine Will.......are Omnipotent. Gods Power and Being...which are Universal.....are ever-abundant thru-out every dimension and beyond all dimensions. God is the Sole ONE...besides whom there is no other - the Only Deity BEING being.

O bless His Name. Almighty, benevolent Father. Is anything/anyone beyond the power of His Love/redemption/salvation?

I always stand in awe of the divine.....the OMNI.


paul
 

Nineveh

Merely Christian
Re: researching the essentials governing soul-destiny

Re: researching the essentials governing soul-destiny

Originally posted by freelight
...Am I a christian?...YES ...

What did Christ say about the Lake of Fire?
 

Nineveh

Merely Christian
Originally posted by logos_x

Yeah...I would rather believe in Christ than the traditions of men.

Then do.

************

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

NIV: 1 Timothy 2:4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

NRSV & NKJV: who desires

Vs

KJV: 1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Are you KJV only? NASB is the most literal word for word translation. I think maybe you are misunderstanding King James english to support your theology.

You are somewhat correct..the word translated "will have' is a word that means "to strongly desire" and "delights in"

The Word also says the following:

Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Psa 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

In neither of those latter passages are we talking about all men being saved. We are talking specifically about things God Wills. Like, details about Christ's coming, and things He plans for Israel, etc.

God wants all men to come to Him. He didn't want men's hearts to become so evil He couldn't even stand to be with them at all, like before the flood. Or have a whole city be so vile they tried to rape His angels. Or dispise Him so much they built a golden calf, even after mighty displays of His power. He wants us to come to Him out of our own free will like Nineveh did.

No..I do realize some don't fear the Lord.
I just find no reason to believe they will ALWAYS be that way. People change, especially when they learn something they never knew before.

They have that opportunity right now. Promising that opportunity in the future only gives them a false hope they can continue in rebellion now. That is only going to lead to harder hearts.

Indeed!

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe.

Yet once again... to those that believe. What good will it do for those that don't? According to John, they are dead already, and according to Rev the absent names are sent away forever. So even though Jesus did the work, He isn't going to make them take part in His Body.

You really think that is what that means?
Every tongue will confess to the glory of God..that is what it says. Not your veiw at all!

The verse says give an account.
Let's look:

It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ ”So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

For those who have only their own righteousness, will this be a good thing? They don't have the covering of Christ, they rejected Him. Paul is speaking to Roman believers here.

They will be forced?
Hmmmm.
Now who makes God out to be a kidnapper?

Forcing someone to their knees isn't kidnapping. It's subjugation. Forcing someone to be where they don't want to be, with someone they don't want to be with, is kidnapping.

We are talking about God here..the creator of all things...the one for which NOTHING is impossible as regards our salvation.
He CAN save anyone and everyone...just as easily as He saved you, me, or anyone else.

Yes, He could force the issue, however He never said He will or would. Personally, I don't want to be in the Body of a God who would force me to Love Him. I want to love Him and serve Him. I chose to trust His Will over my own.

You keep wanting to define God's abilities as "magic"?

No, that's how I see the god you paint.

What is lacking that remains to be done?
Only that all men come to know and accept, and all men be set free of the things that hinder them from knowing and accepting.

All that remains is the revelation...and that WILL be done in due time.

Well, if you wanna wait around for that, be my guest.

Not all men right now...but we are talking about forever...for all time.
We are also talking about things being in place now that hinders a man's will. Bondages, darkness, lusts...these ALL contribute to IMPAIRED judgement...not a true and right determination of the image of God in man.

The only thing keeping men from Christ is their own hearts. You have hope that God will force men to change their hearts. But I don't see your docrtine of this in the Word. I think you hope in vain.

What you are failing to see is that there are "ages" in the Bible. And each of these ages accomplishes something in God's plan.

So when does "never" and "forever and ever" end? You are right, I missed that part in the Bible. Could you point it out?

In the end...which is still thousands of years away...all things will be in subjection to Him.

Some with Him, and some not.

Yes.
But they DO return.

You can't return to a place you have never been.


In the END God is all in all!

He will be a rock. He will be a tree. Surely you don't mean that. The Bible didn't.

That means all evil is DONE AWAY!

Yes! In the Lake of Fire!

Are you really that thick?

Are you really that stupid?

I'm not forcing God into evil...I'm saying all things are redeemed FROM evil.

You said a few posts ago He wills everything for His purpose or some such calvy sounding thing.. That means evil too.

Do try to follow along....

Look, it's you that makes God do things He never says He did or will do.

Yes.
the sentence though is not eternal torment without hope of redemption.

I'm not saying there is no Hell. I'm debating what the NATURE of Hell is.

And so far, the Bible still uses words like "never" and "forever and ever". So I guess I'll change my view as soon as you point out the part I missed where it says "never" and "forever and ever" ends.

To.the ages of the ages....and it is the smoke, as a testimonial.

So when does it end? What happens to it? The Bible doesn't say. It only says it lasts "forever and ever".

Yes..it does!

I agree, it says people are thrown into the Lake of Fire. Not just their sins.

Yes, they are.

Not really when you keep trying to force "desire" to mean "will" for instance. Or when you go far beyond what is written in Scripture to a time when "forever and ever" comes to an end.

It never says never...
And "forever and ever" is "ages of ages"

What version?

I don't see eternal conscious torment laid out in Scripture. Your doctrine is your own.

None so blind...

And what does the Fire DO Nin?
What IS the brimstone?

Do you really want to get into this? I'll share what I have learned on the matter, but really, I can't see where you would care.

The Fire IS GOD Nin....and the fires for purification.
It is CURATIVE of all evil in the universe and inside them!

So God is in the Lake of Fire outside the Kingdom? Okey dokey. I guess that makes your ideas on satan getting saved a little easier, I guess....

Jesus is the Savior OF the whole world Nin...not just for the whole world.

John seems to think diofferently on the issue. I think I'll believe him over you, no offence.

He actually will succeed...whether you see it or believe it or not!

He hasn't failed in His work or His promises. And men who don't believe are dead already.

And who's ways are you after Nin?

Christ's. That's why I believe what He says about the Lake of Fire.

God WON'T save everyone...

Because not everyone wants to be saved.

God can't accomplish His desires?

A desire is not a will. He accoplished His will.

God will be hated by men FOREVER no matter what He does...

Ever since Adam and Eve, men have often sought their own way of things.

And they will be "forced to confess" but not "forced" to come to faith and accept their acceptance?

Confessing what you have already done isn't the same as accepting something you don't want.

That is not what the Bible says the outcome will be Nin.

Seems that way to me. But you still need to point out that part I missed where forever and ever ends.
 

freelight

Eclectic Theosophist
seasons of reflection

seasons of reflection

Originally posted by Nineveh

What did Christ say about the Lake of Fire?

Nin,.........I have shared amply my impressions on this threads primary subject laying out dimensions within it....making room for further exploration and broadening the borders of understanding....but such will only go as far as one is willing to make room for more light and expansion of consciousness on these vital issues.

For the sake of brevity - it could be debated if Jesus ever talked about a lake of fire....and this seems to be peculiar to the vision of John,...not Jesus. From my understanding...Jesus may have alluded to Gehenna as a burning trash heap and place of refuse(waste) and this was likened unto 'hell' (or a kind of hell) {problems exist because of translations and false concepts of 'hell} but thats another thread. Other allusions to the 'where the fire is not quenched' and 'the worm dieth not' are images denoting a state of death, ruin, decay - like Gehenna. Anything imposed as being said by Jesus by the gospel authors and later scribes with creative license do not impress me as such is metaphorical and subject to translation inflections.

The issues of what 'eternal', 'everlasting' mean in their original word-senses have been covered by many teachers - to that issue....logos_x can provide links and resources on...as I gather he is more studied than me in these areas of universalist theology....as such theologians have covered this issue time and time again. See their scholarly research. :)

So...I will say Jesus spoke of Gehenna more often than any other word that was later translated as the english word 'hell' (there are at least 3 or 4 different words translated as 'hell' by english translators - this is a study in itself). As far as Jesus alluding to some lake of fire like what John saw...such is speculative and imposed on some from traditional concepts of 'hell' or 'hell-fire'....but the orignal concept of hell as being 'Sheol' or 'Hades' are the grave, the abode of the dead, the underworld. There is no implication of fire at all here. But again,...thats another thread. Images of Gehenna, the lake of fire in Revelation reveal other aspects of what some conceive of as 'hell' - but again, one needs to study the truth about 'hell' - an informative study.

So....since you want to cling to your traditional literalist view of sinners being roasted/toasted forever in eternal agony/torment...enduring punishments for all eternity that they will never be relieved of or saved from.....that is your misfortunate choice. If this is your concept of Gods character and how He handles his creatures/children/creations, etc......then it is sad. All souls will see in time.

Again,....if one expands their knowledge of the issues of soul-progress/destiny, spiritual evolution, etc....and avails himself the light and reason afforded by many different schools...he will have expanded his consciousness enough to possess a more replete and thorough understanding of the soul....and all its dynamics...relative to its relationship to God.

I have shared and shared Nin,....and its time for me to recede from these discussions a little bit,....as I manage my time-resources to more fertile fields....as you may find in due time that open minded exploration and research is more fruitful than closed or narrow-minded debates which only bolsters ones rigid beliefs or interpretations and does little to bridge gaps of understanding or beneficial dialogue.

I continue to find the issue of the souls destiny of fantastic interest and am marvelled as I learn more on the spiritual journey.
I do not fear God as being injust or malicious towards me(or any soul)...but trust in his divine fairness and eternal goodness. He is wholly Just and Merciful....and his government and decisions are wholly mediated by divine Wisdom - his councils are always the perfect balance of all his constitutional endowments which are native to His BEING. Yes,.....God is Love....and if one does not have this revelation within by the Light of God himself...than he cannot know God. God is fully conscious of Himself as God....and in this effulgence of BEING is the fullness of Light, Love, Truth, Spirit.

One can only see what Light affords him.

May your journey be fruitful,

paul

ps. - if you wish to further our correspondence...you may private message me.
 

logos_x

New member
Originally posted by Nineveh

"Yes, He could force the issue, however He never said He will or would. Personally, I don't want to be in the Body of a God who would force me to Love Him. I want to love Him and serve Him. I chose to trust His Will over my own."

"The only thing keeping men from Christ is their own hearts. You have hope that God will force men to change their hearts. But I don't see your docrtine of this in the Word. I think you hope in vain."

"So when does "never" and "forever and ever" end? You are right, I missed that part in the Bible. Could you point it out?"

"You can't return to a place you have never been."

"He will be a rock. He will be a tree. Surely you don't mean that. The Bible didn't."

"And so far, the Bible still uses words like "never" and "forever and ever". So I guess I'll change my view as soon as you point out the part I missed where it says "never" and "forever and ever" ends."

"So when does it end? What happens to it? The Bible doesn't say. It only says it lasts "forever and ever"."

"Not really when you keep trying to force "desire" to mean "will" for instance. Or when you go far beyond what is written in Scripture to a time when "forever and ever" comes to an end."

"What version?"

"So God is in the Lake of Fire outside the Kingdom? Okey dokey. I guess that makes your ideas on satan getting saved a little easier, I guess...."

"He hasn't failed in His work or His promises. And men who don't believe are dead already."

"Ever since Adam and Eve, men have often sought their own way of things."

"Confessing what you have already done isn't the same as accepting something you don't want."

... "But you still need to point out that part I missed where forever and ever ends."

Since we are talking about re-working your recieved theology I will answer your inquiries in the only practical way I can...

By providing links to pages that discribe what I'm talking about....
because to do otherwise would take too much space in this thread to cover and do it any justice.

1.)Centrality of Covenant

2.)Hesed Unlimited

3.)Every Knee Shall Bow

4.)Concerning Which Translation

5.)Concerning Which Translation 2

6.)His Coming In Flaming Fire

7.)Universalism the Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First 500 Years

8.)Bible Threatenings Explained

This should do nicely...for a start. :thumb:

For more...follow the links in my signature.

Enjoy!
 

Nineveh

Merely Christian
Re: seasons of reflection

Re: seasons of reflection

Originally posted by freelight
- it could be debated if Jesus ever talked about a lake of fire...

Apparently you haven't paid very close attention to the One you claim to serve.
 

Nineveh

Merely Christian
logos_x,

No thanks :) I don't want to spend my time reading through scads of web pages.

I did however find something you might consider:

Matthew 25:46
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Mark 9:43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out

2 Thess. 1:8-9
He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power ...

I don't know how much closer to forever you can get than this, smaller.
 

logos_x

New member
Originally posted by Nineveh

Ignore that parts that indicate (once again), you are in error according to Christ.

Nope..not according to Christ..according to the tradition.

Here is what these scriptures really say...

Mat 25:46 And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.'
Young's Literal Translation

Mat 25:46 "And these shall go away into the Punishment of the Ages, but the righteous into the Life of the Ages."
1912 Weymouth New Testament



Mar 9:43 `And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee maimed to enter into the life, than having the two hands, to go away to the gehenna, to the fire--the unquenchable--
Mar 9:44 where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched.
Mar 9:45 `And if thy foot may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into the life lame, than having the two feet to be cast to the gehenna, to the fire--the unquenchable--
Mar 9:46 where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched.
Mar 9:47 And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire--
Mar 9:48 where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched;
Mar 9:49 for every one with fire shall be salted, and every sacrifice with salt shall be salted.
Mar 9:50 The salt is good, but if the salt may become saltless, in what will ye season it ? Have in yourselves salt, and have peace in one another.'
Young's Literal Translation

Mar 9:43 If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life maimed, than remain in possession of both your hands and go away into Gehenna, into the fire which cannot be put out.
Mar 9:44 OMITTED TEXT not in original
Mar 9:45 Or if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life crippled, than remain in possession of both your feet and be thrown into Gehenna.
Mar 9:46 OMITTED TEXT not in original
Mar 9:47 Or if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out. It would be better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God half-blind than remain in possession of two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna,
Mar 9:48 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE DOES NOT GO OUT.
Mar 9:49 Every one, however, will be salted with fire.
Mar 9:50 Salt is a good thing, but if the salt should become tasteless, what will you use to give it saltness? Have salt within you and live at peace with one another."
1912 Weymouth New Testament

2Th 1:8 in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ;
2Th 1:9 who shall suffer justice--destruction age-during--from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength,
Young's Literal Translation

2Th 1:8 He will come in flames of fire to take vengeance on those who have no knowledge of God, and do not obey the Good News as to Jesus, our Lord.
2Th 1:9 They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, being banished from the presence of the Lord and from His glorious majesty,
1912 Weymouth New Testament

But..don't take my word for it...


From Vincent's Word Studies
Everlasting destruction (ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον )
The phrase nowhere else in N.T. In lxx, 4 Macc. 10:15. Rev. properly, eternal destruction. It is to be carefully noted that eternal and everlasting are not synonymous. See additional note at the end of this chapter...

Additional Note on ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον eternal destruction, 2Th_1:9
Ἁιών transliterated eon, is a period of time of longer or shorter duration, having a beginning and an end, and complete in itself. Aristotle (περὶ οὐρανοῦ, i. 9, 15) says: “The period which includes the whole time of each one's life is called the eon of each one.” Hence it often means the life of a man, as in Homer, where one's life (αἰών ) is said to leave him or to consume away (Il. v. 685; Od. v. 160). It is not, however, limited to human life; it signifies any period in the course of events, as the period or age before Christ; the period of the millennium; the mytho-logical period before the beginnings of history. The word has not “a stationary and mechanical value” (De Quincey). It does not mean a period of a fixed length for all cases. There are as many eons as entities, the respective durations of which are fixed by the normal conditions of the several entities. There is one eon of a human life, another of the life of a nation, another of a crow's life, another of an oak's life. The length of the eon depends on the subject to which it is attached.
It is sometimes translated world; world representing a period or a series of periods of time. See Mat_12:32; Mat_13:40, Mat_13:49; Luk_1:70; 1Co_1:20; 1Co_2:6; Eph_1:21. Similarly οἱ αἰῶνες the worlds, the universe, the aggregate of the ages or periods, and their contents which are included in the duration of the world. 1Co_2:7; 1Co_10:11; Heb_1:2; Heb_9:26; Heb_11:3.
The word always carries the notion of time, and not of eternity. It always means a period of time. Otherwise it would be impossible to account for the plural, or for such qualifying expressions as this age, or the age to come. It does not mean something endless or everlasting. To deduce that meaning from its relation to ἀεί is absurd; for, apart from the fact that the meaning of a word is not definitely fixed by its derivation, ἀεί does not signify endless duration. When the writer of the Pastoral Epistles quotes the saying that the Cretans are always (ἀεί ) liars (Tit_1:12), he surely does not mean that the Cretans will go on lying to all eternity. See also Act_7:51; 2Co_4:11; 2Co_6:10; Heb_3:10; 1Pe_3:15. Ἁεί means habitually or continually within the limit of the subject's life. In our colloquial dialect everlastingly is used in the same way. “The boy is everlastingly tormenting me to buy him a drum.”
In the New Testament the history of the world is conceived as developed through a succession of eons. A series of such eons precedes the introduction of a new series inaugurated by the Christian dispensation, and the end of the world and the second coming of Christ are to mark the beginning of another series. See Eph_3:11. Paul contemplates eons before and after the Christian era. Eph_1:21; Eph_2:7; Eph_3:9, Eph_3:21; 1Co_10:11; comp. Heb_9:26. He includes the series of eons in one great eon, ὁ αἰὼν τῶν αἰώνων the eon of the eons (Eph_3:21); and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews describes the throne of God as enduring unto the eon of the eons (Heb_1:8). The plural is also used, eons of the eons, signifying all the successive periods which make up the sum total of the ages collectively. Rom_16:27; Gal_1:5; Phi_4:20, etc. This plural phrase is applied by Paul to God only.
The adjective αἰώνιος in like manner carries the idea of time. Neither the noun nor the adjective, in themselves, carry the sense of endless or everlasting. They may acquire that sense by their connotation, as, on the other hand, ἀΐ̀διος, which means everlasting, has its meaning limited to a given point of time in Jud_1:6. Ἁιώνιος means enduring through or pertaining to a period of time. Both the noun and the adjective are applied to limited periods. Thus the phrase εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, habitually rendered forever, is often used of duration which is limited in the very nature of the case. See, for a few out of many instances, lxx, Exo_21:6; Exo_29:9; Exo_32:13; Jos_14:9; 1Sa_8:13; Lev_25:46; Deu_15:17; 1Ch_28:4. See also Mat_21:19; Joh_13:8; 1Co_8:13. The same is true of αἰώνιος. Out of 150 instances in lxx, four-fifths imply limited duration. For a few instances see Gen_48:4; Num_10:8; Num_15:15; Pro_22:28; Jon_2:6; Hab_3:6; Isa_61:8.
Words which are habitually applied to things temporal or material can not carry in themselves the sense of endlessness. Even when applied to God, we are not forced to render αἰώνιος everlasting. Of course the life of God is endless; but the question is whether, in describing God as αἰώνιος, it was intended to describe the duration of his being, or whether some different and larger idea was not contemplated. That God lives longer than men, and lives on everlastingly, and has lived everlastingly, are, no doubt, great and significant facts; yet they are not the dominant or the most impressive facts in God's relations to time. God's eternity does not stand merely or chiefly for a scale of length. It is not primarily a mathematical but a moral fact. The relations of God to time include and imply far more than the bare fact of endless continuance. They carry with them the fact that God transcends time; works on different principles and on a vaster scale than the wisdom of time provides; oversteps the conditions and the motives of time; marshals the successive eons from a point outside of time, on lines which run out into his own measureless cycles, and for sublime moral ends which the creature of threescore and ten years cannot grasp and does not even suspect.
There is a word for everlasting if that idea is demanded. That αἰώνιος occurs rarely in the New Testament and in lxx does not prove that its place was taken by αἰώνιος. It rather goes to show that less importance was attached to the bare idea of everlastingness than later theological thought has given it. Paul uses the word once, in Rom_1:20, where he speaks of “the everlasting power and divinity of God.” In Rom_16:26 he speaks of the eternal God (τοῦ αἰωνίου θεοῦ ); but that he does not mean the everlasting God is perfectly clear from the context. He has said that “the mystery” has been kept in silence in times eternal (χρόνοις αἰωνίοις ), by which he does not mean everlasting times, but the successive eons which elapsed before Christ was proclaimed. God therefore is described as the God of the eons, the God who pervaded and controlled those periods before the incarnation. To the same effect is the title ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων the King of the eons, applied to God in 1Ti_1:17; Rev_15:3; comp. Tob. 13:6, 10. The phrase πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων before eternal times (2Ti_1:9; Tit_1:2), cannot mean before everlasting times. To say that God bestowed grace on men, or promised them eternal life before endless times, would be absurd. The meaning is of old, as Luk_1:70. The grace and the promise were given in time, but far back in the ages, before the times of reckoning the eons.
Ζωὴ αἰώνιος eternal life, which occurs 42 times in N.T., but not in lxx, is not endless life, but life pertaining to a certain age or eon, or continuing during that eon. I repeat, life may be endless. The life in union with Christ is endless, but the fact is not expressed by αἰώνιος. Κόλασις αἰώνιος, rendered everlasting punishment (Mat_25:46), is the punishment peculiar to an eon other than that in which Christ is speaking. In some cases ζωὴ αἰώνιος does not refer specifically to the life beyond time, but rather to the eon or dispensation of Messiah which succeeds the legal dispensation. See Mat_19:16; Joh_5:39. John says that ζωὴ αἰώνιος is the present possession of those who believe on the Son of God, Joh_3:36; Joh_5:24; Joh_6:47, Joh_6:64. The Father's commandment is ζωὴ αἰώσιος, Joh_12:50; to know the only true God and Jesus Christ is ζωὴ αἰώνιος, Joh_17:3.
Bishop Westcott very justly says, commenting upon the terms used by John to describe life under different aspects: “In considering these phrases it is necessary to premise that in spiritual things we must guard against all conclusions which rest upon the notions of succession and duration. 'Eternal life' is that which St. Paul speaks of as ἡ ὄντως ζωὴ the life which is life indeed, and ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ θεοῦ the life of God. It is not an endless duration of being in time, but being of which time is not a measure. We have indeed no powers to grasp the idea except through forms and images of sense. These must be used, but we must not transfer them as realities to another order.”
Thus, while αἰώνιος carries the idea of time, though not of endlessness, there belongs to it also, more or less, a sense of quality. Its character is ethical rather than mathematical. The deepest significance of the life beyond time lies, not in endlessness, but in the moral quality of the eon into which the life passes. It is comparatively unimportant whether or not the rich fool, when his soul was required of him (Luk_12:20), entered upon a state that was endless. The principal, the tremendous fact, as Christ unmistakably puts it, was that, in the new eon, the motives, the aims, the conditions, the successes and awards of time counted for nothing. In time, his barns and their contents were everything; the soul was nothing. In the new life the soul was first and everything, and the barns and storehouses nothing. The bliss of the sanctified does not consist primarily in its endlessness, but in the nobler moral conditions of the new eon, - the years of the holy and eternal God. Duration is a secondary idea. When it enters it enters as an accompaniment and outgrowth of moral conditions.
In the present passage it is urged that ὄλεθρον destruction points to an unchangeable, irremediable, and endless condition. If this be true, if ὄλεθρος is extinction, then the passage teaches the annihilation of the wicked, in which case the adjective αἰώνιος is superfluous, since extinction is final, and excludes the idea of duration. But ὄλεθρος does not always mean destruction or extinction. Take the kindred verb ἀπόλλυμι to destroy, put an end to, or in the middle voice, to be lost, to perish. Peter says, “the world being deluged with water, perished” (ἀπολοῦνται 2Pe_3:6); but the world did not become extinct, it was renewed. In Heb_1:11, Heb_1:12 quoted from Psalm 102, we read concerning the heavens and the earth as compared with the eternity of God, “they shall perish” (ἀπολοῦνται ). But the perishing is only preparatory to change and renewal. “They shall be changed” (ἀλλαγήσονται ). Comp. Isa_51:6, Isa_51:16; Isa_65:17; Isa_66:22; 2Pe_3:13; Rev_21:1. Similarly, “the Son of man came to save that which was lost” (ἀπολωλός ), Luk_19:10. Jesus charged his apostles to go to the lost (ἀπολωλότα ) sheep of the house of Israel, Mat_10:6, comp. Mat_15:24. “He that shall lose (ἀπολέσῃ ) his life for my sake shall find it,” Mat_16:25. Comp. Luk_15:6, Luk_15:9, Luk_15:32.
In this passage the word destruction is qualified. It is “destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, “ at his second coming, in the new eon. In other words, it is the severance, at a given point of time, of those who obey not the gospel from the presence and the glory of Christ. Ἁιώνιος may therefore describe this severance as continuing during the millennial eon between Christ's coming and the final judgment; as being for the wicked prolonged throughout that eon and characteristic of it, or it may describe the severance as characterizing or enduring through a period or eon succeeding the final judgment, the extent of which period is not defined. In neither case is αἰώνιος to be interpreted as everlasting or endless.


And there you have it....
 

Nineveh

Merely Christian
logos,
Ages and ages are the same as forever and ever. Do you actually search out single versions of Scripture and word studies that you can more easily twist to justify you theology?

The Bible is clear in it's teaching if you pick one and read it through. It's pretty deceptive of you to pick and choose only that which you can accept when the whole Bible is clear on the matter.
 

logos_x

New member
The whole Bible IS clear on the matter, Nin. The King James Version, though, is not clear on the matter..and niether are it's spinoffs.

But, since you aren't even inclined to investigate the matter, but only insisting that eternal torment is the only view that is "Christian" (it isn't), I regret that I see no reason to argue with you further on the subject...because we are unlikely to agree on this issue any time soon.

God bless you,
Logos
 
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