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So your conclusion then is that Matthew 25:31-46, and verse 46 itself is figurative. Correct?
Non-existence is not peaceful and its not sleep. Its being non-existent. That is the eternal consequence.
That one out-of-context verse does not/cannot contradict any other verses. If it is true that all an ungodly sinner has to do is help one person one time and they will be saved then we might as well throw out the rest of the Bible. Unless you can show me one other vs., 2 or more would be better, which supports the interpretation that all a sinner has to do to be saved is help one person one time. I'm waiting. Have you thrown out the rest of your Bible yet?
The rich man had some kind of conscious awareness, he could see, hear, speak and feel but I don't think I would call it eternal life.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus is placed between other parables (Lk 15-16). They are also depicted as having physical bodies and needs, after death, which is unexpected in afterlife. This text is also consistent with other warnings about trusting in riches.
All uncontested parables refer to anonymous people, a certain man, a certain widow, a rich landowner etc. Lazarus and the rich man may be some figure of speech but it is not a parable. A parable has a specific format something unknown/not understood is explained by comparison with something known/understood.
Its unclear if its an allegory or not, its an unusual format in any case.
When you have to leave out the parts of that passage which pertain to what only the living in Heaven can experience, you're quite obviously posting a cherry pick straw grasp.
First of all most if not all damnationists agree that the Hades the rich man is in, is a temporary holding pin, until the Great White Throne Judgement takes pace on Judgement Day.
Many people are not aware that the rich man violated a specific commandment. Lazarus didn't even get the crumbs from the rich man's table.
The rich man was in hades tormented in flames and could not leave. "Aionios" is not restricted to length of time but also quality. Some kind of conscious awareness is not necessarily "eternal life."
Hades is a Greek mythology concept, though. Not Jewish, Jews had sheol - a sleeping state without being awake, just waiting for resurrection in the last days. Being tormented in the afterlife/sheol is an unknown concept to Jews.
Then why do you use it so often?
The context of Matthew 25:46 is in context with the rest of the entire story in Matthew 25:31-46. Now you seem to be saying it is figurative and not literal. Correct?
Nevertheless according to all the damnationists I've ever heard, it is a temporary abode.
True, aionios zoe can refer to an idyllic life. It's been said that when the rich young ruler was asking Jesus how he might obtain eternal life, aionios zoe, he was asking how he can obtain idyllic life.
Some kind of vague conscious awareness isn't what's described in Luke 16:19-31 though. The rich man is described as being very acutely aware, very conscious, very much alive. He felt pain, craved water, recognized Lazarus and Abraham, understood what Abraham said, he remembered his five brothers, tried to strike a bargain, pleaded for them etc. All indications are that he was just as alive as you and me.
There's a possibility the the scribes and Pharisees incorporated unscriptural teachings regarding this. Maybe they did it to use as a scare tactic to enforce all the rules and traditions they made up. Although what I heard from a well respected Rabbi theologian, is the Judaic version of hades is supposed to purge sin and only lasts one year. Which could have been the hades Jesus was referring to in Luke 16:19-31.
