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Why do you feel upset because I share the scriptures with you dear friend?
@ClementofA well dear friend I had a look at the last few posts of yours and could see it is the same cut and paste to what has already been addressed with no new content that has already been addressed that you simply reposted without addressing my posts to you. If you want to have a discussion let's talk.
I believe the teachings of "UNIVERSALISM" makes a mockery of the cross by trying to teach that the unrepentant wicked recieve eternal life after the second coming without accepting the gift of God's grace through faith which is what the scriptures teach in HEBREWS 10:26-39.
Hmm? You do know this is your post right? What misrepresentation of "UNIVERSALISM" are you claiming I have made dear friend? I have made no misrepresentations.
Says who?
The teachings of Universalism denies God's justice and judgement for sin. This is where it makes a mockery of the cross and counts the blood of the covenant an unholy thing doing dispite to the Spirit of grace *HEBREWS 10:26-39 claiming that the wicked get a free pass and can continue in known unrepentant sins for which JESUS died and receive eternal life without accepting God's gift of grace through faith.
Yes you do. You believe that the unrepentant wicked are saved after the second coming do you not?
Or you believe that God tortures them in the lake of fire until they repent and agree to follow him and receive everlasting life right? That is not the loving God I know from the bible.
How are the unrepentant wicked saved in your view after the second coming?
Universalism has no scripture to claim that the unrepentant wicked are saved after the second coming. This teaching is simply unbiblical as demonstrated throughout this thread.
According to the scriptures the unrepentant wicked are corrected by being destroyed by the second death in the lake of fire with no more resurrections. *2 THESSALONIANS 1:9; REVEALTION 21:7-8; JOHN 5:28-29. They receive the wages of their sins which is DEATH (second death) because they reject the gift of God's dear son and count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing doind dispite to the spirit of God's grace *ROMANS 6:23; HEBREWS 10:26-39.
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
New International Version
WHOEVER BELIEVES IN THE SON HAS ETERNAL LIFE, but WHOEVER REJECTS THE SON WILL NOT SEE LIFE, for God's wrath remains on them.
[snip spam]
.............
What do you think the message is here to the unrepentant wicked who do not believe and follow Gods Word? YEP! The UNREPETANT WICKED SHALL NOT SEE ETERNAL LIFE!
Did you catch that dear friend? BOOM! The teachings of "UNIVERSALISM" comes tumbling down in the very scriptures you provide. This is kind of the opposite of what your trying to teach is it not?
No one said that an unbeliever cannot become a believer in this life. So your claims here are irrelavant.
The scriptures teach what happens to those who believe and follow God's Word and the unrepentant wicked and simply say..
JOHN 3:36 HE THAT BELIEVES ON THE SON HAS EVERLASTING LIFE: AND HE THAT BELIEVES NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE; but the wrath of God stays on him.
The scripture subject matter is to those who believe and follow God's Word and those who do not believe and follow God's Word and their rewards.
1. Those who believe and follow God's Word (the saved; God's people) receive eternal life.
2. Those who do not believe and follow God's Word (the unrepentant wicked) do not receive eternal life.
Nonsense. Please provide a single scripture that says that the unrepentant wicked will receive eternal life after the second coming? There is none.
NONSENSE your mistaken again! (highlighted claim red emphasis mine in relation to JOHN 3:36). We are discussing JOHN 3:36 nearly every parrallel translation outside of the KJV translates JOHN 3:36 as "eternal life" or everlasting life or life everlasting (see previous parrallel translation section above in this post to JOHN 3:36 on the saved receiving eternal life and the unrepentant wicked not receiving everlasting life.
GREEK Eternal (αἰώνιος) life (ζωή)
BDAG Definition eternal.
αἰώνιος (ία Pla., Tim. 38b; Jer 39:40; Ezk 37:26; OdeSol 11:22; TestAbr A; JosAs 8:11 cod. A; 2 Th 2:16; Hb 9:12; mss. Ac 13:48; 2 Pt 1:11; AcPl BMM recto 27=Ox 1602, 29; Just., A I, 8, 4 al.; B-D-F §59, 2; Mlt-H. 157), ον eternal (since Hyperid. 6, 27; Pla.; ins, pap, LXX, En, TestSol, TestAbr A, Test12Patr; JosAs 12:12; GrBar 4:16; ApcEsdr; ApcMos 29; Ps.-Phocyl. 112; Just.; Tat. 17, 1; Ath., Mel.; standard epithet for princely, esp. imperial, power: OGI index VIII; BGU 176, 12; 303, 2; 309, 4; Sb 7517, 5 [211/12 A.D.] κύριος αἰ.; al. in pap; Jos., Ant. 7, 352).③ pert. to a period of unending duration, without end (Diod S 1, 1, 5; 5, 73, 1; 15, 66, 1 δόξα αἰ. everlasting fame; in Diod S 1, 93, 1 the Egyptian dead are said to have passed to their αἰ. οἴκησις; Arrian, Peripl. 1, 4 ἐς μνήμην αἰ.; Jos., Bell. 4, 461 αἰ. χάρις=a benefaction for all future time; OGI 383, 10 [I B.C.] εἰς χρόνον αἰ.; EOwen, οἶκος αἰ.: JTS 38, ’37, 248–50; EStommel, Domus Aeterna: RAC IV 109–28) of the next life σκηναὶ αἰ. Lk 16:9 (cp. En 39:5). οἰκία, contrasted w. the οἰκία ἐπίγειος, of the glorified body 2 Cor 5:1. διαθήκη (Gen 9:16; 17:7; Lev 24:8; 2 Km 23:5 al.; PsSol 10:4 al.) Hb 13:20. εὐαγγέλιον Rv 14:6; κράτος in a doxolog. formula (=εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας) 1 Ti 6:16. παράκλησις 2 Th 2:16. λύτρωσις Hb 9:12. κληρονομία (Esth 4:17m) vs. 15; AcPl Ha 8, 21. αἰ. ἀπέχειν τινά (opp. πρὸς ὥραν) keep someone forever Phlm 15 (cp. Job 40:28). Very often of God’s judgment (Diod S 4, 63, 4 διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐν ᾅδου διατελεῖν τιμωρίας αἰωνίου τυγχάνοντα; similarly 4, 69, 5; Jer 23:40; Da 12:2; Ps 76:6; 4 Macc 9:9; 13:15) κόλασις αἰ. (TestReub 5:5) Mt 25:46; 2 Cl 6:7; κρίμα αἰ. Hb 6:2 (cp. κρίσις αἰ. En 104:5). θάνατος B 20:1. ὄλεθρον (4 Macc 10:15) 2 Th 1:9. πῦρ (4 Macc 12:12; GrBar 4:16.—SibOr 8, 401 φῶς αἰ.) Mt 18:8; 25:41; Jd 7; Dg 10:7 (cp. 1QS 2:8). ἁμάρτημα Mk 3:29 (v.l. κρίσεως, κολάσεω, and ἁμαρτίας). On the other hand, of eternal life (Maximus Tyr. 6, 1d θεοῦ ζωὴ αἰ.; Diod S 8, 15, 3 life μετὰ τὸν θάνατον lasts εἰς ἅπαντα αἰῶνα; Da 12:2; 4 Macc 15:3;PsSol PsSol 3:12; OdeSol 11:16c; JosAs 8:11 cod. A [p. 50, 2 Bat.]; Philo, Fuga 78; Jos., Bell. 1, 650; SibOr 2, 336) in the Reign of God: ζωὴ αἰ. (Orig., C. Cels. 2, 77, 3) Mt 19:16, 29; 25:46; Mk 10:17, 30; Lk 10:25; 18:18, 30; J 3:15f, 36; 4:14, 36; 5:24, 39; 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68; 10:28; 12:25, 50; 17:2f; Ac 13:46, 48; Ro 2:7; 5:21; 6:22f; Gal 6:8; 1 Ti 1:16; 6:12; Tit 1:2; 3:7; 1J 1:2; 2:25; 3:15; 5:11, 13, 20; Jd 21; D 10:3; 2 Cl 5:5; 8:4, 6; IEph 18:1; Hv 2, 3, 2; 3, 8, 4 al. Also βασιλεία αἰ. 2 Pt 1:11 (ApcPt Rainer 9; cp. Da 4:3; 7:27; Philo, Somn. 2, 285; Mel., P. 68, 493; OGI 569, 24 ὑπὲρ τῆς αἰωνίου καὶ ἀφθάρτου βασιλείας ὑμῶν; Dssm. B 279f, BS 363). Of the glory in the next life δόξα αἰ. 2 Ti 2:10; 1 Pt 5:10 (cp. Wsd 10:14; Jos., Ant. 15, 376.—SibOr 8, 410 φῶς αἰῶνιον). αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης 2 Cor 4:17; σωτηρία αἰ. (Is 45:17; Ps.-Clem., Hom. 1, 19) Hb 5:9; short ending of Mk. Of unseen glory in contrast to the transitory world of the senses τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια 2 Cor 4:18.—χαρά IPhld ins; δοξάζεσθαι αἰωνίῳ ἔργῳ be glorified by an everlasting deed IPol 8:1. DHill, Gk. Words and Hebr. Mngs. ’67, 186–201; JvanderWatt, NovT 31, ’89, 217–28 (J).—DELG s.v. αἰών. M-M. TW. Sv.
So no dear friend. Can you see your error here? Near all parallel translation translate JOHN 3:36 as "eternal"(αἰώνιος) in context to life (ζωή) the meaning of αἰώνιος in applied to JOHN 3:36 (and 2 THESSALONIANS 1:9) is a period or age of unending duration; without end; context is to life the correct translation is shown in nearly every parrallel translation of JOHN 3:36 as shown in the previous section above. You simply wrong dear friend and spreading misinformation. This is only posted as a help and correction for you. I hope you can receive it in the Spirit it was given and be blessed.
Destruction or Ruin?
The word translated as ‘destruction’ in this verse is OLETHROS (or OLETHRON is an alternative spelling). The basic definition is ‘ruin, destruction’. Let’s initially consider the English meaning of those two words.
‘Ruin’ tends to imply a loss of function and therefore normally applies to objects that have some function. For example, we say that a cell phone was ruined by water. In that instance, the phone continues to exists, but it no longer functions as phone. Or, we might say a shirt was ruined by a stain. In that case, the shirt continues to exist, but it ceases to function as a shirt for us because we no longer want to wear it due to the stain. In both of these instances, the object continues to exist, but no longer functions as intended.
‘Destruction’, along with the verb form ‘destroy’, tends to imply the cessation of existence. For example, we might write that the records were destroyed in the fire, and the reader would understand that the records no longer exists. Or, we might write that a person's confidence was destroyed by an incident, and the reader would understand that his confidence no longer exists. On the other hand, sometimes the word ‘destroy’ in English can mean ruin - a loss of function with continued existence. We might write that the car was destroyed in the wreck. In that case, we would understand that the car continued to exist as a mass of twisted metal, but no longer functions as a car. Therefore, our English word ‘destruction’ could be used to mean either loss of function or cessation of existence.
In that way, the Greek word OLETHROS parallels very closely the way the word ‘destruction’ is used in English – it can be used to express either loss of function or cessation of existence. Given the multiple meanings of OLETHROS, we can’t know purely by definition whether Paul intended to express the loss of function or the cessation of existence.
Even so, we can gain additional clues by examining how Paul uses that word elsewhere in Scripture.
OLETHROS is used by Paul only four other times (Note: My bible software groups Hebrews with those books written by Paul. That seems unlikely, but I think it's fair to use Hebrews as an additional example of how words were used near the time of Paul). The table below lists those instances in the left column, with my conclusion as to its meaning in the right column:
By my count, OLETHROS is used twice to express cessation of existence, once to express ruin with ongoing existence, and once in a way that is unclear. This score of 2-1-1 lends credence to the suggestion that Paul intended to communicate that those who suffered the destruction in II Thessalonians would cease to exist, but it is not conclusive.
Unfortunately, the passages above are the only passages in the entire New Testament where OLETHROS is used, so we can't refer there for other instances. But we can continue our investigation by asking this question:
Does the Bible contain passages that demonstrate the presence of God as an annihilating force?
Biblical Precedence for Annihilation Coming from the Presence of the Lord
Even though we have limited data to examine the specific word (OLETHROS) that Paul used, we can see if there are other examples in the Bible regarding this concept of annihilation in the presence of God. If we do conduct that investigation, we see multiple instances where God's presence is undoubtedly presented as a force of annihilation. Here are some examples:
Many places in Scripture express the idea that the presence of God causes the cessation of human existence. Here are some passages that discuss the destruction that comes from the presence of God:
- Lev 10:1-2 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.
- Exo 33:18-23 Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen."
- Num 16:20-21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly."
- Deu 9:3 "Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.
- Heb 10:26-27 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
- Heb 12:28-29 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.
There are many more. Those passages that reference fire are especially applicable to II Thessalonians 1:9 because we are told immediately preceding this verse that, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Conversely, I know of no place in Scripture where the presence of God leaves a man alive, but in a ruined state.
Are we to believe that the God who is repeatedly described as a consuming fire will, at the final judgment, be transformed into a ruining fire?
A clear precedent exists that the presence of God will totally consume unbelievers.
The annihilationist's view of this passage is the view that is most consistent with other passages that describe what happens when the fire of God’s presence is directed toward men.
Separation
In my mind, the most significant difference among various translations is whether Paul intended express an action of separation in this passage, or an action of annihilation. In the NASB translation above, this notion of separation is indicated by the insertion of the word ‘away’ into their translation. What is the justification for this?
At the heart of the issue is the correct translation of the Greek word APO. APO is defined to mean ‘from, off from, away from’. In II Thessalonians 1:9, the NASB translators have translated the Greek word APO as ‘away from’. Given that ‘away from’ is one option included in the Greek to English dictionaries, it might appear that ‘away from’ is a valid translation in this instance. A deeper investigation reveals some problems with that conclusion.
APO is used in Greek almost exactly the way ‘from’ is used in English. There are many variations of what APO can mean, but it most often expresses either the idea of source or the idea of separation. You might say, ‘I received a letter from (APO) John’. In that use, APO is used to connect a letter to its source, John. Alternatively, you might say, ‘Step away from (APO) the edge.’ In that use, (APO) is used to connect the verb (step away) to the object from which separation is desired, the edge.
As an undergraduate at DePauw University, I took two semesters of Greek. That does not qualify me as an expert in Greek. However, it does give some skill in making use of Greek dictionaries and other resources. One of those resources is Dr. Carl Huffman, who was my professor for those two semesters of Greek. Dr. Huffman is a wonderful Greek scholar but is not a theologian, by his own admission. I asked him if this word APO should be translated as ‘from’ or ‘away from’ in this passage.
He did generally concur with the Greek-to-English dictionary in saying that APO should sometimes be translated as ‘away from’. Here is an example he gave:
EBOKETO MOUNOS APO ALLON
grazing alone away from the others
In this passage, a man comes upon a cow that is grazing alone, away from the other cows. The best translation of APO is ‘away from’. Why is that? Because the context demands it. The words immediately preceding APO are ‘grazing alone’ and the words immediately after are ‘the others’. That context makes it unambiguously clear that APO is intended to express separation and therefore validates the translation of APO as ‘away from’. Because of situations like this, authors of a Greek to English dictionary would need to include the possibility of translating APO as ‘away from’.
However, nothing about the word APO expresses separation on its own. APO can properly be used in situations where the context demands an understanding of separation, but the presence of APO does not bring to a passage any connotation of separation – it is only a connector.
Consider this passage from Paul in Romans 1:7
It would be absurd to assert that Paul intended to mean, "Grace to you and peace away from God..." Nothing in the immediate vicinity of APO implies any concept of separation, so we clearly understand that God is the source of the grace and peace.
- to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from (APO) God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at another example from Scripture that closely resembles II Thessalonians 1:9. The exact phrase ‘from the presence of the Lord’ that is found in II Thessalonians is also found in another book of the New Testament. In Acts 3:19, Peter says this:
- Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from (APO) the presence of the Lord;
If the translators of the NASB were to translate this verse in the same way they translated II Thessalonions, they would translate it this way:
Of course they didn’t do that. Why? Because there is no context expressing the idea of separation in this passage. It would be poor translating to insert the word ‘away’ into Acts 3:19. It makes much more sense to say that the presence of the Lord is the source of the refreshing.
- Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come away from (APO) the presence of the Lord;
I would like to demonstrate this even more clearly. Referring back to my undergraduate professor Dr. Huffman, he went on to say that the best way to understand what Paul meant is to look at other examples of his own writing. To properly translate passages, general examples from the language can be helpful, but specific examples from the same writer are the most conclusive.
I used software to find every instance in the NASB where Paul used the word APO. You can see those verses here. I found 105 verses (Note: my software includes ‘Hebrews’ as one of Paul’s letters) Of those 105 instances, only 5 times did the resulting English sentence include the phrase ‘away from’. That is, in 100 times out of 105 possibilities, APO is translated simply as ‘from’. Clearly, the translators of the NASB believe that APO should not be translated as ‘away from’ in the vast majority of situations.
to be continued...
But regardless of whether you attach 'away' to the verb or to APO in those four examples above, you undoubtedly have clear context that expresses the notion of separation. That is not the case in II Thessalonians 1:9, where APO does not even follow a verb at all. That is, the phrase 'from the presence of the Lord' directly modifies the noun 'destruction'. Nothing in the context of that verse expresses any notion of separation.
It makes perfect sense to say that the source of the destruction will be the glorious strength of the Lord. As mentioned earlier, our God is described as a 'consuming fire', so the notion of destruction coming from his strength is very consistent with many other scriptures.
Just like in Acts 3:19, where the presence of the Lord was the source of the refreshing, the most obvious and straight-forward translation of this verse is that the presence of Lord is the source of the destruction.
A Different Approach
Let’s investigate even further. To do so, I want to change my approach. Up to this point, we have been starting with the words Paul used and asking asking what he meant when he used those words, as illustrated in this diagram:
That is a natural way to approach the problem, but is not the only way to investigate the passage. Another way to approach the problem is to ask how Paul might have expressed himself, given a certain belief, as illustrated in this diagram:
First, how might Paul have expressed a belief in eternal separation or torment? To answer that question, lets first consider how it might be expressed in English. We have examples from modern day English writers who believe in eternal torment. What you will consistently find among those who believe in eternal torment is the use of words like ‘never-ending torment’, ‘eternal conscious torment’ and ‘eternal separation from God’. It is unlikely that a modern-day biblical scholar would express his opinion as believing in eternal torment with the phrase “everlasting destruction”. It would be too easy for his audience to conclude that he meant “an eternally irreversible cessation of existence”.
So, the obvious question is this: If modern writers would not express eternal torment with the phrase 'eternal destruction', then why do we assume that Paul would express the concept that way? Greek words that mean ‘torment’, ‘conscious’ and ‘separation’ were available to Paul. If he wanted to express himself clearly, why didn’t he use those words? Not once in all of Paul's writings do we find the phrases ‘never-ending torment’, ‘eternal conscious torment’ or ‘eternal separation from God’.
On the other hand, what if Paul believed in annihilation? How might he have expressed himself? First, we should recognize that the words ‘annihilation’, ‘obliteration’ and ‘extinction” are Latin words and did not exist in the Greek language. Many of the English words that express cessation of existence today were not available to Paul. In fact, Professor Carl Huffman knows of no Greek word that unambiguously means annihilation. OLETHROS is one of the strongest words available in the Greek language to express the cessation of existence.
Indeed. You copy and paste content that is not your own from Universalist websites, spam them here and when they are addressed you do not answer the content in the posts scriptures and questions shared with you.I do, as i have shown you in dozens of posts.
And you have no scripture that teaches that the wicked NEVER receive eternal life after the second coming.
You seemed a little upset when we last talked when I was here last. Were you upset?Why do you misrepresent things with statements like that? How would you know what i "feel"? I only know one who is all knowing & it isn't you.
It would be helpful in that regard if you answered my post # 1546.
Also the entire post # 1549.
And all of post # 1552. Including my questions for you at the end, such as re Rom.6:23: Do you think "death" there means eternal destruction as in endless annihilation?
All of post # 1553.
Post #1554 as well.
Don't forget post #1555.
And then there's post #1556.
Others, too: #1538, including these (and other) questions you avoided answering:
Post 1513 another misrepresentation?
And you never addressed & refuted my points there.
Post 1517, you never addressed those points properly.
Post 1518 re your misrepresentation of universalism.
Post 1519 re John 3, never answered.
Posts 1481 & 1520, another misrepresentation of universalism.
Post 1483 yet another misrepresentation of universalism.
As you said, "If you want to have a discussion let's talk."
You addressing all of the above would be a start.
That's the same misrepresentation you were corrected regarding earlier in this thread:
What? No misrepresentations? They started in your first post in this thread, the OP.
It's a misrepresentation of universalism to state, as you do there, that it "does not hold anyone accountable for sin". Wrong, wrong, wrong!
You replied:
As someone who has read dozens of books by universalist authors, & dozens more by those opposed to universalism, and been active on many forums with other universalists posting, i believe i am in a position to know what they generally think about your misrepresentation at the beginning of post #1 of this thread. OTOH your post provided no evidence to support the misrepresentation.
That was the first of your misrepresentations of universalism in this thread.
Following is another of your misrepresentations of universalism in this thread (and i expect a search of the thread will uncover more):
That is incorrect & a misrepresentation of universalism. No one gets "eternal life without accepting God's gift of grace through faith". All those in the lake of fire will need to get right with their Maker, Love Omnipotnent, before they are allowed into the New Jerusalem, whose gates are never shut to the lost.
They are not saved at the second coming. They go to "hell" for a spell to be tormented (compare Lk.16:19-31; Rev.14:11; 20:10) until they pay what they owe (Mt.5:25-26; 18:34-35), namely repentance toward God & man & faith in Christ & His blood shed for all.
If you don't think that God torments people, then are we even reading the same bible? For the Scriptures speak of the (1) sufferings God brought on Job (Job 2), (2) on all women in child birth (Genesis), (3) on those in the lake of fire (Rev.14:11; 20:10), on all creation (Rom.8:18-21; Eccl.1:13), on believers (e.g. 2 Cor.12:7-9), on a stubborn "brother" (1 Cor.5:4-5), on those rejecting faith (1 Tim.1:19-20) & many, many more. What is the purpose of all such torments:
Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.
Clearly everything has a positive purpose to it: "to humble them".
Not to fry them with tortures till they are nonexistent forever.
I don't see the justice in an endless punishment for the sins of a relatively momentary lifetime. That makes no sense at all. Not only does your annihilationism (endless oblivion) theory make a mockery of Love Omnipotent's justice, it also turns Love Crucified's Love into a carton of milk that expires in no time at all. You have Him putting the wicked into torments until they cease to exist & never bringing them back. That's sadistic, pointless and to the detriment of God's glory.
None of His blood shed for all is wasted, but is used to save the world. After all, that is what He is, the Saviour of the world, the Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world (Jn.1:29). That He does by His blood & bearing sin, not destroying the sinner out of existence & out of His love, joy & peace forever. No, Love Almighty does not hold neverending grudges, hate and bitterness against His created children. That would be unholy & sinful.
Even in this lifetime people get 2nd chances. Perhaps many more chances than that. Love Omnipotent's love doesn't expire like a carton of milk. He has an infinite number of chances to give. He says to forgive not just 7 times, but 70 X 7. He says love covers a multitude of sins. That's the Creator of the Scriptures & the Father God that i believe in.
I wonder how many chances Saul, who became Paul, had. Jesus said he was kicking against the goads. It sounds like he was resisting the Holy Spirit. Surely, as a serial killer of Christians, he had heard the gospel from those Christians he persecuted. Yet he refused to believe, again and again. It took a personal appearance from Christ Himself to save this man, whom scripture calls "the worst of sinners".
Jesus disciple Thomas is another example of getting at least a second chance. He refused to believe the Lord had risen, even after all that Jesus had taught him & the testimony of other disciples who had seen him. Like many atheists today he said he would refuse to believe until he saw Him & put his hand inside Him.
King David is another example of being given at least a second chance, if not many more. After all the Lord had done for him, including miracles, he committed premeditated adultery and murder.
Earlier you said universalism says people get a second chance. Now you're saying these people are "forced to repent". Which is it, a second "chance" or "forced to repent"?
So you can't see that the God Who saves ALL human beings into His endless love, joy and peace as any better than the God Who sadistically tortures MANY for all eternity? Wow. I'm speechless.
You say the God Who saves ALL human beings into His endless love, joy and peace is "not the God of love". And your Hitler nuking out of existence forever because His love expired like a carton of milk is "the God of love". Unbelievable. Is that actually what SDA's teach in their church meetings & publications, etc?
Been there, done that. See above.
My conscience & Lord Jesus will never allow me to agree with that.
Your response..LoveGodsWord said: ↑ God did indeed send his son to be the Savior of the word dear Fine. It is too bad that not all people in the world will accept the gift of God's dear son. I believe the teachings of "UNIVERSALISM" makes a mockery of the cross by trying to teach that the unrepentant wicked recieve eternal life after the second coming without accepting the gift of God's grace through faith which is what the scriptures teach in HEBREWS 10:26-39. As the scritptures teach... Many are called but few are chosen Matthew 22:14... Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it *MATTHEW 7:13-14
How is the above a misrepresentation? It is only God's Word and God's Word is the truth. Universalism claims all the unrepentant wicked will be saved after the second coming. God's Word says the wicked will be destroyed after the second coming...That's the same misrepresentation you were corrected regarding earlier in this thread:
Romans 6:23 does not say the wages of sin is the second death.
I already addressed that fallacious conclusion in other posts in this thread & the post to which you were replying. You rely on a misleading, deceptive translation of Jn.3:36, such as that you posted above.
Just because you say so? No. And none of this so far addresses or refutes anything in my posts on the subject of John 3:36.
You were replying to my comment here in quotes:
"This means as long as the stubborn remain stubborn or unbelieving they will not see eonian life. It does not mean that the unbeliever or stubborn cannot change and become a believer. If that were true, then no one could be saved, because we were all stubborn and unbelievers at one point."
As long as the unbelievers remains stubborn they will not be seeing life, but that doesn't mean they will remain stubborn forever or never see life. And it doesn't mean they cannot repent postmortem and be saved. So John 3:36 doesn't oppose universalism.
Likewise the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor.6:9). Does that mean they cannot become righteous and then enter the kingdom of God? No. Likewise it's the same idea in Jn.3:36. So John 3:36 doesn't oppose universalism & fails as a "proof text" against it.
That is along the same lines as what you've posted above & i've already addressed & corrected there.
The stubborn only do not receive life as long as they are stubborn. Since all will receive life, no one will remain stubborn forever, as these verses prove:
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."
1 Cor.15:22 AS in Adam ALL die SO ALSO in Christ shall ALL be made alive.
1 Cor.15:28 And when ALL shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put ALL under him, that God may be all in ALL.
Col.1:16 For by Him ***ALL*** was created that are in HEAVEN and that are on EARTH, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All was created through Him and for Him.
20 and by Him to reconcile ***ALL*** to Himself, by Him, whether on EARTH or in HEAVEN, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
See above. Rom.5:18-19, 1 Cor.15:22-28; Col.1:16, 20; Phil.2:9-11, etc.
It's irrelevant how most translations translate anything.What matters is the truth, not majority opinion.
He continues:
The author's comments on 1 Cor.5:5 above are sort of weird. First he says it "is not clear what Paul intends" and then he says he does "feel confident" that Paul intends the meaning that "the flesh will cease existing". Consider the similar case of Job's trial where Satan destroyed (ruined) Job's flesh, yet Job's flesh did not cease existing for a moment let alone forever as in endless annihilationism. Rather his flesh was ruined. And that trial worked out well for Job in the end. One might even say Job's spirit was saved, for he overcame his apparent bitterness against his false "comforters" & prayed for them.
In Hebrews 11:28 the Greek word is olothreuó (Strongs # 3645) according to biblehub. Not olethros (Strongs # 3639) as occurs in 2 Thess.1:9; 1 Cor.5:5; 1 Thess.5:3 & 1 Tim.6:9. In Heb.11:28 evidently the meaning is death, physical death, not endless annihilation, since they will be resurrected. So it concerns the temporary ruin, unto death, of the physical body. The Greek word there does not support the annihilationists meaning of endless annihilation.
Further re 2 Thess.1:9, Jason Pratt said:
"Which definitely refers to hopeful punishment (and expected salvation in the same day of the Lord to come), not annihilation, when Paul uses it to talk about handing the Stepmom-Sleeping Guy over to Satan for the whole-destruction of the flesh in 1 Cor 5:5.
"Paul compares it to a birth-pang, which is dangerous but hardly hopeless annihilation (and is generally regarded as very hopeful) at 1 Thess 5:3 (talking about the same day to come).
"Paul uses the term to describe people killed by God in the past at 1 Cor 10:10, which can hardly be annihilation unless the resurrection of the evil as well as the good is denied.
"2 Thess 1:9 uses phrases similar to those found in Isaiah 2, talking about the same coming event, which is part of a block of prophecy where those wholly ruined aren't annihilated, but eventually repent of their sins and go to the "survivors" of God's wrath to be reconciled to God, which God accepts washing them clean with spirit and with fire. (Isaiah 4.) Again, far from a result of hopeless annihilation.
"2 Thess 1 is actually one of my scriptural testimonies 'for' universal salvation."
Annihilation places huge doubt on Universalism
Note re JP's remarks above: 1 Cor.10:10 has the Greek word olothreutés (Strongs # 3644) according to biblehub. Not olethros (Strongs # 3639) as occurs in 2 Thess.1:9; 1 Cor.5:5; 1 Thess.5:3 & 1 Tim.6:9.
My remarks above obviously would not agree with that conclusion & explain why.
A number of those passages evidently refer to merely the temporary ruin of the physical body until it is resurrected, not the endless annihilation of anyone.
Yet 2 Thess.1:9 makes no mention of the Lord using that fire on any wicked ones.
At least one comes immediately to mind off the top of my head:
Rev.14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment will rise into the eons of the eons. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
Look at the account of wicked King Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel, for example. God was the instrument of destruction (ruin) to his soul for 7 years. Thereafter Love Omnipotent restored him from ruin to saneness of mind. Much like the prodigal son who was ruined (Luke 15) and later restored from ruination.
Evidently not. See above.
And why should it "totally consume" unbelievers when it doesn't do so to believers? Has Love Almighty's love expired so extremely quickly like a carton of milk? Has the blood of Christ shed for all become polluted and useless? Is the Saviour impotent to save? Did He create man so poorly that salvation is impossible? Or are all things possible with Love Omnipotent?
Not from the evidence presented thus far. Particularly that in Revelation where the lake of fire is spoken of.
Thus concludes post 1 of 4 posts from the article which apparently came from here:
II Thessalonians 1:9
Lord willing, as time permits, i'll address the other 3 posts.
Oh my goodness I just checked your links and your claims that the above LEXICONS disagree with BDAG. You either do not know how to read a LEXICON or your not being truthful. The do not disagree at all. They just do not include 2 THESSALONIAN 1:9 and not comprehensive Lexicons only showing application to different scripture contexts.Some other lexicons & scholars disagree with BDAG. For example:
Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon gives "lasting for an age" as its first definition:
Strong's #166 - αἰώνιος - Old & New Testament Greek Lexicon
Moulton & Milligan state "In general, the word depicts that of which the horizon is not in view, whether the horizon be at an infinite distance...or whether it lies no farther than the span of a Cæsar’s life."
Strong's #166 - αἰώνιος - Old & New Testament Greek Lexicon
Each definition of a Greek Word used in a Lexicon is based on the scripture context that it references. The Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon reference is not to context of 2 THESSALONIANS 1:9 and application is to other NT scripture contexts that use the Word αἰώνιος. It is not looking at αἰώνιος application to 2 THESSALONIANS 1:9 as it is not as complete and comprehensive as BDAG. Your claim here is not true and is only showing you do not know how to read a Lexicon.Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon gives "lasting for an age" as its first definition.
This is not referencing any applicaiton to 2 THESSALONIANS 1:9.2. Moulton & Milligan state "In general, the word depicts that of which the horizon is not in view, whether the horizon be at an infinite distance
In this post and the one above, can I ask what case did you make and who were you arguing with and responding to? I still do not know who you are talking to or what post your trying to reference and respond to? Where you talking to yourself here? As I cannot find any posts that you are responding to in these two posts. (follow the link arrow next to your name to go to these posts)I rest my case.
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