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14 commentsin: Spirituality..07/03/08, 03:39:28 PM
I feel that I should bring some closure to the Pandora’s Box that I opened when I posted about the question that I’m having in regards to the nature of hell. I’ll end this topic in my next post. Today, I wanted to clarify my purpose in posting in the first place. I have no axe to grind, only questions to ask. I guess my point was that sometimes we believe something we think is so “biblical” but find out that we approached scripture with preformed ideas and biases. We often make our ideas fit into Bible verses, without considering the literary and historical context of the passage. “Gehenna” was an example of this not only in terms of interpretation, but biases also influenced those who translate the Bible into English.
Another example of this is Matthew 24:46, from which we get the idea that unbelievers will be cast into “everlasting” torment. Our popular Bible translations all communicate the idea of an unending punishment. However, the Greek word here is “aionian,” which is the adjective form of “aion” from which we get the English word “eon”. In most passages where this word pops up, the translators use the word “age”. An age may be a long period of time, but it is still finite. Aion is the word that Jesus uses when he talks about the age to come. So, why are some translators using a different English word when it comes to verses that imply judgment in the afterlife? There are other less widely used translations that translate this more accurately. Perhaps, a better way to describe the fate of those who reject Christ in this life is that they will enter into an age of judgment. However, this period of time seems to be finite. The pain will end. Anyway, a friend of mine recently sent me this link that explains the meaning of this word better than I would.
http://www.savior-of-all.com/aionian.html
Stay tuned for my final post on this topic.
Comments
“You may not be implying that the following interpretation is true, but I believe your comments above affirm what the REAL interpretation of I Cor. 15-22 is. ALL = ALL in both places!!
1 Corinthians 15:22-24 - Even as all men die, the same all will be made alive (verse 22). God wants eventually to call and save everyone—but within the order He decrees (II Peter 3:9; I Timothy 2:4). Everyone who has ever lived and died will be resurrected—first Christ was resurrected, then later the saints who lived and died before Christ's second coming will be resurrected. But what about the vast majority who never were Christ's? Verse 24 includes them all in "the end"—when Christ completes His job of conquering every enemy (verse 25). That happens after the Millennium (Revelation 20:7-10).
Those who have not heard or understood the truth have not been consigned to eternal death. They have not sinned willfully. They never had a chance! Even if some have lived up to the best they knew while alive, the Bible teaches only one way to salvation—through belief in Christ (Acts 4:12) and spiritual conversion as defined in the Bible.
Most of our loved ones who have died "unsaved" in all probability did not die lost. They most likely were not called during this age, but their call is coming later. They shall be resurrected to mortal life and given spiritual understanding and the opportunity to become members of God's Family. Revelation 20 tells us when this great resurrection will occur. (The Forerunner Commentary)
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“Paul, your friends and my friends send the same articles...!
:P„
“Two thoughts. If aionian doesn't mean eternal in that the unrighteous will not suffer eternal torment, then when the same word is used in the latter half of Matt 25:46, I guess "life" for the righteous too will have an end. Who decides that life is eternal but hell is not?
Further, if hell will only last for an age, then I suppose that satan will eventually be let out after a finite amount of time. Do you suppose that he will be reformed at this point? Will you be buddies with him one day?
As for the comments made by Gary, he forgets the scriptures which say: "...people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment" (Heb 9:27). I'm sorry to say, but there won't be a second chance after you have passed into the next life.„
“Ah, I suppose I should have read the linked document first as the author attempts to contend with the argument I provided (which I came up with myself, BTW). His rebuttal that all created beings must have an end is inadequate. Just because this heaven and earth will pass away and my body will pass away, doesn't mean that my soul and spirit will pass away just because I was created. And when God resurrects both the righteous and the unrighteous, they will have new, eternal bodies. God is eternal and uncreated, but he created us with a beginning to have no ending.
Think about it... how could Jesus say that death will be no more if in fact we will all eventually die again, even after the resurrection? "The second The sting of death would still be present, even if we would live millions of years in created time before dying after the resurrection.
Romans 6:9 "We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die again; death no longer has mastery over him."
1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
Be careful... Ken Eckerty is badly mistaken.„
“Hi Ryan,
Thanks for commenting. I don't propose to have all the answers here, but I'm also weary of those who are dogmatic about this particular topic. The afterlife is shrouded in mysteries for both heaven and hell. It's true that men face judgment after death. All I'm asking is whether that judgment has redemption in it. To me, eternal judgment means the judgment belonging to the next age. Thus, eternal life is the life reality that belongs to the next age. I don't pretend to understand the nature of that life. I don't think we will die again after the resurrection. But I don't think that eternal punishment means unending punishment, but it descibes the punishment that belongs in the coming age. The word that the New Testament uses for this present evil age is also aion. This age isn't going to last forever. All I'm saying is that "eternal" is not simply about "unending," it describes a quality of life and death, not the quantity of time.
I feel that the topic is worth questioning only because it seems to contradict the nature of God, who is merciful. The Scriptures even declare that God's mercy triumphs over judgment. Yet, our popular view of hell does not show this.„
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