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In the end, God the God of the living but not the God of the dead.
Hebrews 3:11 (NIV2011)
So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’
JamesAH81072 said:
How do you explain to an ECT believer that knows some Greek believes that there is no salvation because in Heb 3:11 enter(εισελευσονται) is a future tense verb and rest(καταπαυσιν)in Heb 3:11 translates into heaven? So in the eyes of an ECT believer he/she believes that if you harden your heart now in the future you will not enter God's rest aka heaven ever(they shall not). How does an EU believer explain that?
In the OT the "rest" was to enter the promised land down on earth, not go to heaven up above. Have you considered the possibility the future "rest" does not refer to heaven, either, but to the millennial kingdom on earth? As in, for example:
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priestsof God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Rev.20:4-6)
Could the "day" referred to in Hebrews 4 be the millennium age of 1000 years?
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8)
Heb.4:4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”; 5and again in this passage, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
(emphasis by NASB)
On page 11 Keizer remarks upon human history being compared to the 6 days of Genesis 1 & thought of as being 6000 years long, followed by a 7th day (the "rest") & an 8th day or aion. She says, "This view was widespread in the early church."
Life Time Entirety. A Study of AION in Greek Literature and Philosophy, the Septuagint and Philo
Compare what the Hebrews author said earlier in the book:
Heb.1:2a in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all
Heb.1:3b When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
Heb.2:2b every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty
Heb.2:6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 And might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
And his comments later:
Heb.10:28 A man that hath set at nought Moses' law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses: 29 of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Stoning to death is not a very sore or longlasting punishment. People suffered far worse deaths via the torture methods of the eternal hell believing Medieval Inquisitionists and the German Nazis under Hitler.
Therefore, if the writer of Hebrews believed the wicked would be punished with something so monstrous as being endlessly annihilated or tormented, he would not have chosen to compare their punishment to something so lame as being stoned to death. Clearly he did not believe Love Omnipotent is an unfeeling terminator machine or sadist who abandons forever the beings He created in His own image & likeness so easily.
Rom 5:18 Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just act for all mankind for life's justifying."
Rom 5:19 For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just."
https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
