Hi PD,
purpledawn writes:
So you agree there's a difference. This thread is about Hell and not the lake of fire.
It has been debated as if it was the final resting place. But.
Sure hell is the temporary holding place until the Great White Throne Judgment.
The unrighteous will be like the criminals burned up in Gehenna. They have no place in the world to come. No resurrection. That is their punishment after death, no eternal life. They cease to exist anywhere.
Reve 20:11 (KJS) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Where did all those beings come from that was cast into the lake of fire?
No one's debating whether God is everlasting or not. That's not the issue. The issue is Hell and it's purpose.
But you keep saying unsaved going to go poof and disappear. But every human in made in the image of God. That means every human will abide somewhere forever.
The idea of eternal life is a product of the NT.
Job 19:25 (KJS) For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
I guess poor Job was just dreaming. He believed in eternal life but since by your word says it was not until the NT then he had to be delusional.
Notice that the come follow me, was not part of the requirements for eternal life. The actions were.
Did Jesus ever make this offer to anyone else?
Now was the offer for eternal life or as Jesus put it, "you will have treasure in heaven;"?
Just a little bit of difference.
Right behavior has to be there.
Right behavior has nothing to do with God's offer to you.
When you become a child of God right behavior will be there.
That happens because you are born again and the Holy Spirit comes in and guides you in all truth.
This is the problem all those christians you keep throwing up as examples are just like the Pharisees, just a bunch of religious people.
You haven't shown me that the bible writers support the idea that all people are to have eternal life and only the quality of it changes according to our actions or beliefs.
I am going to take a final stab at this:
Gene 1:26 (KJS) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Mankind is made in the likeness and image of God. Do you agree?
Isai 40:28 (KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
God is eternal. Do you agree?
If man is made in the image of God and God is eternal then man is eternal.
You can deny it all you want you can not change God's Word.
But you don't have to believe it if you don't want too.
John 3:18 (KJS) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
That verse says you are already condemned.
It also says you got to accept God's offer to change your condemnation.
Like I said you don't have to believe it. Many didn't so they re-wrote the bible to say what they wanted it to say.
You can listen to man or that still small voice that is speaking directly to you from within.
Sincerely,
"John 5:39 (KJS) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
™ Version 4.2