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Hell doesn't exist and there is no eternal suffering, instead bad peolle just cease to exist

jonojim1337

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2 Corinthians 5:16
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

I'd suggest the same for His supposed inline genetic family tree, whoever it is
Not all Caesars were deified.
 
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Dan1988

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Can you please show me a single place where I claimed that man is born immortal, I would never make such a silly statement in the first place. You have your presuppositions, based on your denominational bias. I'm not trying to promote any denominational doctrines, I'm only interested in the truth of the gospel.
I'd be grateful to anyone who can correct me if I make any unbiblical claims. Iron sharpens iron, so there is much to gain by allowing Gods Word to correct us.

The Bible interprets the Bible, there are no lies or contradictions with Gods Word, but there's plenty wrong with human reason and human understanding. That's why we can't approach the Bible with in a way where we become the final authority on what the true interpretation every doctrine is.

The Lord Jesus always spoke about "life" in terms of those of us who are alive in Him. And He always spoke about death in terms of being dead in trespasses and sin.
He is life, and sin is death. So we're not talking biology here, we know this body is a temporary temple for the soul. This body became a body of death, when death spread to all men from Adam.

Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned".

If you are not born again during this life, you will suffer the second death, which is identical to the first one you already suffered at conception. But the second death is to inherit eternal dead, with no hope of salvation in all eternity. One may try to repent and beg for mercy but no mercy will be shown and they will remain in hell for all eternity.

The Bible states that it is appointed for all men to die once, but it also says that those who were not converted during their earthy life, will be cast into hell.

Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment".

Those who are cast into the lake of fire do not cease to exist, no they suffer Eternal Conscience Torment in Hell. So they are separated from "Life", to live is to be in Christ. Death is being separated from God for all eternity, so they experience dying an d death forever while they are fully conscience with all of their feelings intact.

 
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Studyman

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Can you please show me a single place where I claimed that man is born immortal, I would never make such a silly statement in the first place.

We are debating, as the thread shows, whether mortal human lives (soul/spirit/essence, whatever you consider as "human") are tortured for eternity, along with evil immortal angels, in a fire specifically created for them. I am addressing your statements, like the following. This is not "Flaming" in my understanding, as you have asked me to show you what "You Claim", therefore, I should be withing the rules of this forum to provide an honest reply to your questions.

I have a great respect for this forum, and do not wish to be contrary to to them.

So in an honest and heartfelt desire to answer your question, please consider the following.


And in this post.


So in each case, you are saying that some, perhaps many mortal humans will be placed in this fire, reserved for immortal angels and therefore, of course, the fire will burn forever and ever because angels are immortal.. But in your statements above, you are saying that this fire won't kill/destroy the mortal humans. That somehow these humans have become "immortal" and will therefore be tortured eternally just like the immortal angels that deceived them.

But where did these humans receive this immortality, you say they must have, from? It can only come from God, in my view as a believer in God. So they were either born with it, which is what "many" who come in Christ's Name promote in this world God placed me in. Or God grants them the gift of immortality after HE raises them from the dead, and then He casts them into the Fire..

I think both philosophies are, as you say, "Silly". Nevertheless, according to your statements, you are at least promoting one of these silly teachings.

I have heard from men in this world that there are many different life's, deaths and genders and so on and so forth. But in my understand of the Holy scriptures, there are only 2 genders.

Male and Female,

And there are only two kinds of death.

A death from which there is a resurrection. (temporary death).

A death from which there is no resurrection, (death everlasting).

Just as there are only two kinds of Life.

A temporary life. (Mortal)

An Eternal life (Immortal)

And in each case, it is God who determines which is which as none of these things can exist apart from God.

What Paul advocates for is trusting in the Holy scriptures "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

I believe Paul, and therefore I trust ALL that is written in the Holy scriptures.
 
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Light of the East

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This is from the bogus canons which were inserted illegally into the council by Emperor Justinian. He had NO BUSINESS doing this and was interfering for political reasons.

Here's more information on this, if you are so inclined to read. Unfortunately, those who have made up their minds are usually impervious to facts:

 
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Light of the East

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Our Lord taught no such thing, unless, of course, you are reading corrupt texts such as the KJV or the Douay-Rheims, which are not faithful to the original Greek. And have you even stopped to think of what kind of monster God you believe in who would knowingly create sentient beings for the sole purpose of torturing them forever????

Let's talk about this some more, and I want an answer from you. Here is God, before anything is created. He knows everything that will ever happen before it even happens, which means that He knows that mankind will fall, sin and death will enter the world, and as a result, BILLIONS will suffer unimaginable torments with no relief at all. Yet, knowing this, and having NO NEED whatsoever to create anything (for He is ever complete and perfect in every way!) He goes ahead and does the Creation.

This means that foreknowing this, it is His express will that these BILLIONS be tortured forever.

Is this love? Is this the God who is love? What kind of God would do such a thing to His creation.

ANSWER THIS.



That is NOT what Matthew 25: 46 says. Once again, you are using corrupt texts not faithful to the Greek. The text says. ". . . into the age-lasting fire" and ". . . will go away into age-lasting correction (aionios kolasis)" If you are going to play theologian, then get at least a smattering of knowledge of the Greek that was the original text!!!



Some Universalists have stated that this refers to the throwing of the corpses of the dead who died in 70AD when Jerusalem was destroyed. Gehenna (NOT HELL!!!) was the garbage dump of Jerusalem outside the walls where dead animals and trash was burned, thereby giving an ongoing feast to both worms (maggots) and fire.



The Bible teaches that everyone -- ALL PEOPLE -- will receive the mercy of God. ALL PEOPLE!!

 
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Light of the East

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The smoke of "their torment" to be precise. IF they were merely dead then there is no torment.

Nice try though. Do you really have a problem with the devil and his messengers being tortured forever and ever?

I have a problem with God creating sentient beings for no other purpose than to torture them without relief. That seems rather sadistic to me and not at all like love.
 
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Light of the East

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True. Some will come to repentance here and in this life, but the majority will come to repentance in the next life after they have been purged by the fires of God's love.
 
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ChubbyCherub

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Sorry to hijack but can you confirm what version of the bible you read?

I read the bible to my husband and adult child and they have questions I can't answer e.g. if God created man, knowing he would fall, why did He create them to fall and then punish them for doing so?

I'm not sure how to go about answering questions and I have my own questions about versions of the word etc. so don't feel equipped to answer these questions without raising more doubt based on my own.

We currently read NIV, KJV, NKJV, ESV, Geneva.

Many thanks and God bless.
 
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Hentenza

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And what you cited is the ramblings of one EO priest that believes in universalism. I read it but am not convinced. What is the official position of the EO church?
 
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Hentenza

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True. Some will come to repentance here and in this life, but the majority will come to repentance in the next life after they have been purged by the fires of God's love.
This is not a biblical teaching.
 
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Light of the East

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I like to refer to Young's Literal Translation, which you can find at Blue Letter Bible online. It is much more accurate than the corrupted Western texts done by Latin translators with an agenda to fulfill.

Example: Matthew 24:3, the word "aion" is translated as "world" in the KJV and the Douay-Rheims when it means no such thing. The word means "age" and Jesus is speaking about the end of the age, not the end of the world. Because of this ROTTEN translation, the teaching of Premillennialism and the Rapture of the Church cropped up and took hold of Protestantism in the middle 19th century.

In the Douay-Rheims, there is this verse:

1 And in those days cometh John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea.
2 And saying: Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

NOT what it says in the Greek. The word there is "metanioia" which means to "repent" or to change one's mind. It doesn't mean what the RC church teaches regarding penance -- wearing hair shirts, beating yourself with a belt, etc.

DISHONESTY!!!
 
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Light of the East

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And what you cited is the ramblings of one EO priest that believes in universalism. I read it but am not convinced. What is the official position of the EO church?

You didn't even read what the priest wrote, did you? Like all hellists, you don't care about investigation or facts, you just blow off what you don't like and smear the author.
 
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ChubbyCherub

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Thanks for coming back so quickly! Do you read the 1862 or revised version later in the 1800s? I am not familiar with this version, so have done a quick search following your kind confirmation, so please forgive me if I have no idea what I'm talking about or coming across as ignorant as I am, up to now, not informed.
 
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Light of the East

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This is not a biblical teaching.

Of course it is a biblical teaching. You need to learn the Bible better. Stop listening to those people who are preaching lies.

Repentance after death:

Matthew 18:31 So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: 33 shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. 35 So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.

God will keep the sinner in chastisement until the last amount due has been paid. This has to mean that for the majority of human beings, this will take place after death.


Now go to Revelation 21 and 22. Look at the timeline there. The sinners, the wicked and unrepentant are thrown into the Lake of Fire. Hellists like you claim that this is the end, that they will be there forever, but the verses and actions in Revelation 22 do not support this idea. Notice that the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven and an invitation is given that all who thirst can drink:

Revelation 22: 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely.

This invitation is extended those who are being purged in the Lake of Fire. I cannot in any way be for those who are redeemed, for they no longer thirst. They have the Living Water - the Holy Spirit - living within them, and their thirst for God is quenched. No, it is the sinner who longs for the drink of God's grace. This timeline destroys your idea that the Lake of Fire is eternal hell. And therefore, in order for these sinner to quench their thirst, they must A.) repent B.) turn to Christ and C.) have their thirst for Him quenched in His love.

I find the ideas of an ever-torturing God to be disgusting and repulsive, especially in light of so many billions who have died having never even heard of Christ.
 
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Light of the East

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Thank you for asking questions and your irenic response. I really don't know other than to say that I find the YLT over at BlueLetterBible. I might suggest going there. They have a rich library of translations so that you can do comparative work.

 
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Hentenza

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You didn't even read what the priest wrote, did you? Like all hellists, you don't care about investigation or facts, you just blow off what you don't like and smear the author.
I read most of it. You sure like to accuse others. I even googled others like it and am still not convinced. The scholarship questioning it is of recent origin.

And I asked you what the official position of the EO church but you ignored that because is probably going to be different than yours.
 
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Hentenza

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Of course it is a biblical teaching. You need to learn the Bible better. Stop listening to those people who are preaching lies.
I know the Bible just fine and I could just as easily tell you to stop listening to unorthodox lies.

This verse does not teach repentance after death at all. Verses 21-22 tell you the context of the parable that follows. The question relates to your brother here on earth not in the afterlife. It would be quite the stretch to interpret it your way.

“Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬





“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Read verse 14. There are 2 types of people here, those who washed their robes and those who did not (still in their sin). The invitation is for those who washed their robes not for those outside of the walls. In fact those outside of the wall are the ones that are kept apart from God.
I find the ideas of an ever-torturing God to be disgusting and repulsive, especially in light of so many billions who have died having never even heard of Christ.
I prefer to think of God as just and loving as He is described throughout scripture but God also said that He will save whom He wants. I see very little reason for Christ to go through such a horrendous death to justify those who believe then at the end all regardless of faith are also saved. The scriptures spend a lot space teaching that faith is required for salvation and that faith is now not later. Repent because the kingdom of Heaven is near. Why preach that if repentance can be later? Why preach that if repentance is possible after the kingdom of Heaven is here? As much as I would like to close my eyes and believe as you do this doctrine is not biblical.
 
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Lukaris

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There is no universalism in Eastern Orthodoxy. We read John 5:24-30 for the departed in our funeral services for the hope in the salvation of the departed soul ( 1 Corinthians 13:12-13)Shortly before the fast of Lent leading up to Pascha ( Easter) we also observe Sunday of the Judgement in reading Matthew 25:31-46 which is pretty clear on the reality of heaven & hell.



Plus also from Matins leading up to the Sunday Liturgy of the Last Judgment:




The books will be opened * and the deeds of all mankind will be revealed *


before the dread judgment seat; * the whole vale of sorrow shall echo * with the


fearful and despairing sounds of lamentation, * at seeing all who have sinned


being sent by Thy just judgment * to everlasting torment, weeping in vain. *


Therefore we beseech Thee, O compassionate One: * Spare us who hymn Thy


praises, ** for Thou alone art plenteous in mercy.



 
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