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I don't have a eternal hell agenda here.
I also don't have a universalism agenda nor am I interested in arguing the point. Scripture shows us an antithesis to the reward we all seek. Too me it is fruitless to talk about how long this punishment is but rather we should put our energy into avoiding it and showing others how to avoid it. What do I care how long it is? If doctrines some how make this punishment look more tolerable then we miss the point.There are, however, some rascals who do have an"eternal hell" agenda. Those wascally wascals had better listen up! The sheep and goats applies to them and all Christians in one degree or another NOT the ungodly masses: His flocks!
Matthew 25:41 depart from me ye cursed into the eternal fireYou are right! St. Matthew chapter 25 supports the Lord's flock of sheep and goats being separated. They are both clean animals, not one clean and one unclean. While you can spend endless hours discussing aionios, olam and aidios, and let's add pantokrator to the discussion, this parable of the Master regards His own people, His flocks. Would you like to discuss "everlasting punishment" more fully???
Matthew 25:41 depart from me ye cursed into the eternal fire
I also don't have a universalism agenda nor am I interested in arguing the point. Scripture shows us an antithesis to the reward we all seek. Too me it is fruitless to talk about how long this punishment is but rather we should put our energy into avoiding it and showing others how to avoid it. What do I care how long it is? If doctrines some how make this punishment look more tolerable then we miss the point.
I get that you are using other verses to form this universalist idea but Mat 25 simply does not show universalism nor do the preceding parables show it.
Mat 25 doesn't fit universalism nor does it magically fit it just because other verses seem to indicate otherwise.
It shows us once you're out your out with no backdoors or second chances...
now other parts of scripture seems to be quite different but the point Jesus seems to be making here is quite strict.
What do I care how long it is?
If doctrines some how make this punishment look more tolerable then we miss the point.
Matthew 25:41 (Darby) Then shall he say also to those on the left, Go from me, cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:You are making another serious blunder! You add words to the Sacred Canon & are now sending the Father's goats into cursing and eternal fire (minus he-man of course). You friend are in deep du-du! You are unaware of the spirit you express.
"From Him the all comes, through Him the all exists, and in Him the all ends..."
If you were one of the punished, or one you love was one of them, would you not care?
What point is that? We should be so terrified of a God that calls himself love but tortures the vast majority of human beings for all the endless ages of eternity that we are wetting ourselves & end up committed to the psych ward?
Giving myself peace of mind during this life is only a placebo.
The point of passages like Mat 25 is not about teaching universalism.
there is eternal life and eternal death...
Many who know universalism is true have found great peace of mind. Others who are unsure should, perhaps, seek God re the truth of the matter. After all, 1 Tim.2:4 says that it is God's will for you:
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time
Is that now the third time you've repeated that. And i keep telling you no one has made such a claim. It's the pro hell club that is alleging that as a "proof text" in support of their god burning billions in fire for all eternity.
1 Tim.4:9 This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance. 10 to this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. 11 Command and teach these things.…
Not in Mt.25:46.
Considering, then, that the Greek word aionios has a range of meanings, biased men should not have rendered the word in Mt.25:46 by their theological opinions as "everlasting". Thus they did not translate the word, but interpreted it. OTOH the versions with age-lasting, eonian & the like gave faithful translations & left the interpreting up to the readers as to what specific meaning within the "range of meanings" the word holds in any specific context.
What biased scholars who agreed with the Douay & KJV traditions of the dark ages "church" (of Inquisitions, Crusades, burning opposers to death with fire & their writings) have done is change the words of Scriptures to their own opinions, which is shameful.
"Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false."(Prov.30:6)
"After all, not only Walvoord, Buis, and Inge, but all intelligent students acknowledge that olam and aiõn sometimes refer to limited duration. Here is my point: The supposed special reference or usage of a word is not the province of the translator but of the interpreter. Since these authors themselves plainly indicate that the usage of a word is a matter of interpretation, it follows (1) that it is not a matter of translation, and (2) that it is wrong for any translation effectually to decide that which must necessarily remain a matter of interpretation concerning these words in question. Therefore, olam and aiõn should never be translated by the thought of “endlessness,” but only by that of indefinite duration (as in the anglicized transliteration “eon” which appears in the Concordant Version)."
https://www.concordant.org/expositions/the-eons/eon-indefinte-duration-part-three/
I'm not committing to an anti-universalism sentiment but I do think staunch universalism is irresponsible, even if it may be true.
the antithesis to eternal reward should never give us peace of mind
According to Jesus the truth is not irresponsible but sets people free.
What gives those who know the truth of universalism great peace could be elaborated on at length. Though if you think about it for a minute, it should be quite obvious. As i posted in another thread:
If you think Love Omnipotent's love is finite & expires like a carton of milk so He can torture most of His creatures called human beings in fire with immortal worms eating them for all endless trillions X trillions X trillions of eons, forever and ever and ever, you will have to prove it.
https://reforminghell.com/7-myths-about-universalism/
the Mathew 25 text doesn't really support this idea of a finite punishment, not in a specific sense at least. The point is that there is both punishment and reward and both are for a long time. whether they are for the same period of time or one ends and the other continues is not the focus of the text. Could they be these things? sure but the text doesn't tell us this so we shouldn't try and force it form the text. The take away from this feels very permanent as the other parable's don't allow a temporary punishment and the servant is simply thrown out and the virgins are not allowed in with no suggestion of that punishment ending, it simply is. In context Jesus seems to want the punishment to feel as powerful as the reward. If the punishment is actually this way is a different story but Mathew 25 doesn't tell us this.
Psalms_2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
G622 ἀπόλλυμι apollumi ap-ol'-loo-mee From G575 and the base of G3639; to destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: - destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.
άπόλλυμι for its conj. s. 131-D. § 101, ρ. 47; Rob. 317; fut. άπoλέσω Hs 8, 7, 5, Att. άπολώ 1 Cοr 1:19 (Ιs 29:14); 1 aοr. άπώλεσα; 1 pf. άπ-oλώλεκα; fut. mid. άπολουμαι Lk 13: 3; 2 aοr. άπωλόμην; the 2 pf. άπόλωλα serves as a ρf. mid., ρtc. άπολωλώς (Ηοm. + ; inscr., pap., LΧΧ, Εn., Philο, Joseph., Test. 12 Pαtr.).
1. act.—a. ruin, destroy.
α. οf pers. (Sir 10: 3) Mk 1: 24; Lk 4: 34. W. ref. to eternal destruction μή έκείνον άπόλλνε do not bring about his ruin Rο 14: 15. Esp. kill, put to death (Gen 20: 4; Εsth 9: 6 ν.1.; 1 Μαcc 2: 37; Jos.,C. Αρ. 1, 122) Hs 9, 26, 7. παιδίoν Μt 2: 13; Ηs 9, 23, 4. Of eternal death (Ηerm. Wr. 4, 7) Αbs. οf a people perish J 11: 50. Of individuals (Lev 23: 30) Αc 5: 37; 2 Pt 3: 9; 1 Cl 12: 6; 39: 5 (Job 4: 20).—Esp. οf eternal death (cf. Ps 9: 6f [5f]; 36[37]: 20; 67: 3[68: 2]; 91: 10[92: 9]; Is 41: 11) J 3: 16; 17: 12. άπολέσθαι εiς τδν αίώνα perish forever 10: 28 (Bar 3: 3 ήμεiς άπoλλύμενοι τόν αίώνα). άνόμως ά. Rο 2: 12; μωρώς ά. ΙΕρh 17:
BAG A Greek English Lexicon fourth edition (of Bauer's Wόrterbuch)
In Mark 9:49 Jesus says "For everyone will be salted with fire" (interestingly, in Greek this sentence has the grammatical structure of an obvious statement of fact, similar to "for [everyone knows that] everyone will be salted with fire"). Peter repeats this idea in 2 Peter 3:7 "but now, by the same Word [that is Jesus], heaven and earth are saved and kept for fire on the day of judgment, and the destruction of impious men
What penalty will suffer, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,
2 Thessalonicher 1:9 (Elberfelder 1905 (German))
Death, eternal
2Th 1:9 Who shall pay a penalty [G1349 δικην] of everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
The necessary consequence of sin
Romans 6:16 Romans 6:21 ; 8:13 ; James 1:15
The wages of sin
Romans 6:23
The portion of the wicked
Matthew 25:41 Matthew 25:46 ; Romans 1:32
God alone can inflict
Matthew 10:28 ; James 4:12
IS DESCRIBED AS Banishment from God 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Outer darkness Matthew 25:30
A mist of darkness for ever 2 Peter 2:17 Indignation, wrath, Romans 2:8 Romans 2:9
IS CALLED Destruction Romans 9:22 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Perishing 2 Peter 2:12; The wrath to come 1 Thessalonians 1:10; The second death Revelation 2:11; A resurrection to judgment
John 5:29; A resurrection to shame & contempt Daniel 12:2; Everlasting penalty Matthew 25:46
Shall be inflicted by Christ Matthew 25:31 Matthew 25:41 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:7 2 Thessalonians 1:8 Christ, the only way of escape from John 3:16 ; 8:51 ; Acts 4:12 Saints shall escape
Revelation 2:11 ; 20:6
Luke 16:23-26
Torrey, R.A., Reverand. "Entry for 'Death, eternal'". "The New Topical Text Book"
that by the God of this world the supreme Being is meant, who in his judgment gave over the minds of the unbelieving Jews to spiritual darkness, so that destruction came upon them to the uttermost
it simply implying the present state of things, governed by the Divine providence, in contradistinction from the eternal state: and it is very remarkable that, in 1 Timothy 1:17, God himself is calledτω δε βασιλει των αιωνων, the King of the WORLD; what we call King eternal; but here it evidently means him who governs both worlds, and rules in time and eternity.
Some, and particularly the ancient fathers, have connected and have read the verse: But God hath blinded the minds of the unbelievers of this world, Theophylact, and Augustine, all plead for the above meaning; and St. Augustine says that it was the opinion of almost all the ancients
The Adam Clarke Commentary
http://www.studylight.org/com/acc/view.cgi?book=2co&chapter=004
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall pay a penalty of everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Psalms 21:8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
Mat 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the repository; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Psalms 21:9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
Num 16:35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
as I've said I'm not advocating endless torture but I am saying that universalism is irresponsible. why? because it's not a focus of scripture nor is it a matter of salvation, there is no further gain from this doctrine and it can make us apathetic to the focus of the gospel.
Duh! which is the second death G622 ἀπόλλυμι apollumi ap-ol'-loo-mee From G575 and the base of G3639; to destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: - destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.What does that have to do with you laughing at God saying He is unable to finish what He started. Not only do you teach others to laugh at God your doctrine also teaches that God missed his mark, thus your doctrine teaches God is a sinner, for to miss the mark is sin.
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