I'm reading a book a book whose purpose is to give "three views of hell", traditional, anihilation, and universal reconciliation. My question is, " do you think universal reconciliation is heresy?
smoky,
1. There are two basic judgements of men in the bible by God concerning the afterlife.
The first one is the Believer's judgement of works and the second is the second death which is judgement for the unbeliever. One is either a believer or an unbeliever.
2. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 and concerns building on the foundation of the church verses 1-11. This doesn't affect salvation, verse 15. This is because the believer has already passed their probationary period on earth and will be in Heaven at this time which is in the middle of the tribulation. Revelation 11:18.
3. The second one is the Great White Throne Judgement which is found in Revelation 20:11-15 where the dead and 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. Verse 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. verse 14; And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, This is the second death. Verse 15; and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Verses 4-6 show that the second death will have no power over the believers in the first resurrection. This is why the Great White Throne Judgement is only for unbelievers.
Verse 10 says that the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall t tormented day and night for ever and ever. This is because hell was prepared for the devil and his angels forever and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
4. Many believe that punishment is not forever and try to prove this by the words second death. They also try to prove that unbelievers are not resurrected and do not have indestructible bodies of immortality and therefore are literally, as in physically dead once and for all.
I do not believe the scripture agrees with this. Why?
a). The devil and his angels had immortality when they were created and they cannot physically die and they will be cast into the lake of fire and never die so the words second death does not apply to physical death.
Jesus told the scribes and the pharisees were children of their father the devil. So it stands to reason that man will and can suffer the same fate of forever and not die. Why?
b). The reason men can die forever is because unbelievers are resurrected to immortality and an indestructible for this is what happens in the resurrection. Revelation 5 says: But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is talking about the unbeliever being raised to life and this life is immortality with the lake of fire as their destiny. Acts 24:15 Paul said he believed in a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust. Mortality is given in the resurrection by God who alone has immortality to give. Matthew 25:46; And these (unbelievers) shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Everlasting is the same as eternal but destinations are different. If punishment is physical death alone then it can only be as an example to show people in the millennial kingdom the destination of sinners where neither the fire is quenched and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Isaiah 66:24.
5. Those who believe in partial annihilation don't believe that Isaiah 66:24; the worm shall not die is a person who is physically alive forever. This makes no sense in the light of what the resurrection produces as far as a resurrected body which is immortality. Mortals must put on immortality to live forever concerning their physical bodies as in 1 Corinthians 15. It is specifically talking about the saints going to heaven but would seem to be the principle for mortal unbelievers as well.
6. Lazarus was in torment in hell at the time of Christ for his soul was alive and when the soul and body are reunited at resurrection then one can see how it is possible to live in torment forever physically and spiritually. Matthew 25:41 talks about the cursed being thrown into the everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. So the question is can men be tormented alive forever in the lake of fire but will they.
7. The argument against it is that God would be a cruel God to allow that. Some would argue that God was cruel to make man while knowing he would sin and that many would not listen to him and be damned. Also, the devil and his angels will be alive and punished forever for they cannot die because they were given immortality so does that mean God is cruel? Is the fact that in the old testament law if a child disrespected their parents they were stoned. Was this cruel? We may not fully understand such harsh punishment but it was a reality to show how serious God was in children obeying their parents for the heart is deceitful and is born into sin etc.
8. Biblically, UR is a good thought for who wants anyone to go to hell for Lazarus didn't and he was in hell, literally. Partial or conditional annihilation as in being resurrected and then killed permanently doesn't seem to gel with the facts of a resurrected body being immortal. Traditional seems to be the biblical way as far as eternal consequences of live torment of a person as in wailing and gnashing of teeth in everlasting fire. Either way hell and separation from God is a sad reality. Jerry Kelso
