Halo there,
Leave politics aside. Do you really think God will "kill" you for ever by never ever again delivering you from hell? You should always think the best of God, you know and use your reason also. Your reason existed before the bible. And I heard this passage is translated wrongly, it could mean for ever and it could mean one aeon/one million years or so.
For those of you here that are convinced in your own minds that God would never allow anyone to be tormented in eternal punishment, I ask you to
seriously reconsider.
Some Passages appear to suggest that the
eternal punishment is
eternal destruction or
death – the second death.
For instance:
Revelation 21:8-19 (WEB) 8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in
the lake that burns with fire and sulfur
, which is the second death.”
Matthew 10:28 (WEB)
28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to
destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 (WEB)
5 This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of God’s Kingdom, for which you also suffer. 6 Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, 9
who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
Jude 7 (WEB)
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, having in the same way as these given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are shown as an example,
suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
These Passages, mention
eternal destruction or the
second death, or the
fire itself as the eternal punishment. Even so, those Passages may not be defining the
absolute meaning of eternal destruction or the second death or eternal fire, as regards to the spiritual part of man. Does eternal destruction, or the second death, or eternal fire, really refer to non-existence?
So, in light of the Passages we just viewed regarding eternal destruction and the second death, consider the following Passages which appear to explain what those words mean to each resurrected person on the Day of Judgment.
Daniel 12:1-2 (WEB)
“At that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people; and there will be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. At that time your people will be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Notice that both are
awoken and will either receive everlasting life or everlasting contempt.
What is everlasting contempt? Let us review the other Passages on this subject.
Revelation 14:9-11 (WEB)
9 Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with
fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 11
The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.
They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.
Notice the
torment of fire and sulfur is
forever, and
they have no rest
day or night. What do you suppose that means? What do the rest of Scriptures have to say about that?
Revelation 20:10 (WEB)
10 The devil who deceived them was thrown into the
lake of fire and
sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also.
They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The “
lake of fire” although described as the “
second death” appears to be a place of torment –
day and night without rest in Revelation 14:11 and Revelation 20:10.
Revelation 20: 14-15 (WEB)
14 Death and Hades were thrown into the
lake of fire. This is the
second death,
the lake of fire. 15 If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was
cast into the lake of fire.
So, what is the
second death in the
lake of fire and sulfur, when we view the other Passages describing that place?
Let us review another Passage about this
eternal fire?
Lake of Fire is the same place as Gehenna – both being described as eternal fire.
IF this is true, should we fear being cast into Gehenna if all it means is death? If you are dead, you won’t know the difference anyway, so why fear Him who casts you into this forever place of eternal fire?
Why is it better to gouge our your eyes, or cut off your hands or feet, if it causes you to sin, rather then suffer the eternal fire if all it means is death, where you are put out of your misery anyway?
Mark 9:42-48 (WEB) 42 Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into
Gehenna, into the
unquenchable fire, 44 ‘
where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Isaiah 66:24 45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into
Gehenna, into the fire that will never be quenched— 46 ‘where their
worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is better for you to enter into God’s Kingdom with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the
Gehenna of fire, 48 ‘where
their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’ [ Isaiah 66:24]
Matthew 18:6-9 (WEB)
6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a huge millstone were hung around his neck and that he were sunk in the depths of the sea.
7 Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you.
It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
So this
Gehenna is described here as
an eternal fire - forever. The Lake of Fire is described the same way. But why should we fear Him who casts people into Gehenna if all it means is you are put out of your misery?
Luke 12:5 (WEB)
5 But I will warn you whom you should fear.
Fear him who after he has killed, has power to
cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you,
fear him.
Let us review the Day of Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats
Matthew 12:31-46 (WEB)
. . . 44 “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’ 45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
In the Day of Judgment, some will go into
eternal punishment, while the righteous receive
eternal life.
What is eternal punishment according to
Revelation 14:9-11 and
Revelation 20:10?
This place of eternal punishment is also described as a prison that no one can escape, so appears to be forever
Matthew 5:22-26 (WEB)
25 Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. 26 Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.
Lord Jesus appears to be describing a place that the unrighteous will be cast into, and is eternal, because no one who is in that prison can pay anything. So this place is
forever.
Luke 12:57-59 (WEB)
57 Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on the way to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny.
Again, Lord Jesus appears to be describing a place that the unrighteous will be cast into, and is eternal, because no one who is that prison can pay anything.
The place of eternal punishment is also described as a place of darkness – forever.
Jude 10-13 (WEB)
. . . 13 wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the
blackness of darkness has been reserved
forever.
The place of
darkness is reserved for the unrighteous
forever. What is darkness that is forever?
Lord Jesus gives us more information about that
place of darkness, and it is not pretty.
In the place of darkness, that is
forever, people will be weeping and gnashing their teeth.
Matthew 8:11-12 (WEB)
11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, 12 but the children of the Kingdom will be
thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 22:13 (WEB)
13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the
outer darkness. That is where [Literal Greek: “in that place”] the
weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’
Matthew 25:30 (WEB)
30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the
outer darkness, where [Literal Greek: “in that place”] there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
So, whether this place of
eternal punishment is described as “
eternal contempt,” or “
lake of fire,” or “
Gehenna,” or a “
prison,” or a place of “
outer darkness” three things are certain:
- The place of eternal punishment is forever
- The place of eternal punishment is a place where the unrighteous are cast into and can experience the torment day and night without rest forever.
- The place of eternal punishment is a place where there is no escape – no way out.
So, even though this place of torment is also described as “
eternal destruction” or “
the second death” we understand that the unrighteous continue to exist to be punished.
Blessings.