Christians Cast into "Hell" for Not Abiding?

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Aunty Jane

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The only discernment I can see is that this is about the one doing the killing. We can be killed but they cannot destroy our soul. God can destroy soul and body in Gehenna.
Yes, this was to give courage to those who may undergo violent opposition, which Jesus knew would increase. He said that we need not fear those who can only take our lives temporarily (as many Christian martyrs did)....he was saying that God could take our lives permanently if he judged us as incorrigibly wicked.

Strong's concordance has soul derived from psuche which is different from pneuma for spirit.
Strongs is helpful when doing word studies...
"Psychē" for example is used for the "soul". This is the conscious breathing creature. Animals in the Genesis creation account are called "souls". So we know that a "soul" is not some immortal part of man that departs from the body at death because Solomon declared that man has no advantage over the animals in death.....all breathe the same air and all die when breathing stops. (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20)

"Spirit" is also an important word, understood from the Jewish perspective.
The Hebrew word ruʹach and the Greek word pneuʹma, often translated “spirit,” have a number of meanings. All of them refer to that which is invisible to human sight and gives evidence of force in motion. The Hebrew and Greek words are used with reference to (1) wind, (2) the active life-force in earthly creatures, (3) the impelling force that issues from a person’s figurative heart and causes him to say and do things in a certain way, (4) inspired expressions originating from an invisible source, (5) spirit persons, and (6) God’s holy spirit. So not just one meaning.

The English word “spirit” is from the Latin spirare, meaning “to breathe” (noun form spiritus, “a breath,” “breathing”) so the Greek pneuʹma comes from pneʹo, meaning “to breathe or blow,” and the Hebrew ruʹahh is believed to come from a root having the same meaning.
So a scripture like Hebrews 4:12 has both words that have to be understood from the Jewish understanding since Jesus' audience was almost exclusively Jewish.
"For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

How does God's word divide "soul and spirit"? He separates the two....he takes the breath (spirit) away from a living person (soul) which means their death. God's word can divide that deeply. Only God can return the spirit (breath) in the resurrection.
 

Aunty Jane

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When I consider that those unrepentant saints & former believers left behind, a damnation happens to that believer in how they are resurrected as vessels unto dishonor in His House as vessels of wood & earth. So there is a destruction of the soul, not the spirit, regarding the left behind saints.
I have no idea what "left behind saints" even means....?
The "saints" are the chosen ones...the "elect" who will rule with Christ in his Kingdom.....none of them will be left behind. Where did you get that idea?

The vitality that they would have had as firstfruits of the resurrection would be gone.

Luke 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
This was in response to a question about the resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, so they tried to trick Jesus by asking him about scenario where a woman who married seven brothers (through the custom of brother-in-law marriage)....whose wife would she be in the resurrection? The above was Jesus' answer. Those who are resurrected will not marry or have children.

That is why when they are resurrected after the great tribulation, they & the generations following have to eat from the tree of life in that City of God. So in a lot of ways, that is how their souls, as in their vitality was destroyed for why believers are not to fear those that kill us but God Who will deny us if we deny Him just to save our lives but wind up missing out on the firstfruits of the resurrection at the rapture event.
I don't see anyone missing out on the heavenly resurrection since these ones are resurrected "first". The "elect" will fulfill their role and be the governing ones of those who survive the great tribulation on earth. They will be the "new heavens" ruling over a "new earth".....(2 Peter 3:9, 13)

Believers can still repent and confess Him before men and die if need be with His help, before the Bridegroom comes, but if not & they do get left behind & die, their spirits will be with the Lord, but after the great tribulation, they will not be as the firstfruits. 2 Corinthians 5:7-11
2 Corinthians 5:7-11 is about the elect....

Thank you for sharing Matthew 10:28 with me because it almost opposed what I was sharing about Gehenna, but the Lord helped me to see the truth in His words that "soul" is not the same as "spirit" in this case, but vitality, even the vitality of what they could have had if they were not still in denial of Him.
Jesus says it plainly....but Luke's account is interesting...
“Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into [Gehenna]; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5)

Throwing a person into "Gehenna" after they are dead is exactly what they did to those not considered worthy of a decent burial. It was Jerusalem's rubbish tip....to a Jew, this meant no resurrection. Jewish belief in the resurrection was very strong, so their burial places were very important to them, having their names inscribed as well as their family lineage marked on their tombs, which was a guarantee that God would resurrect that one when the Messiah ruled in God's Kingdom.
For those with no burial place, no resurrection was expected. This is what "Gehenna" meant to a Jew.....it has nothing to do with torture after death because there is no such thing as an immortal soul. Souls die. (Ezekiel 18:4)
 

Christ4Me

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not thrilled with the supposed future references here as in that case none of our progenitors would have needed to have any fear of their own Gehenna, but yay

Considering what happens for those saints & former believers that get left behind where He destroys both body & soul, is why that loss of that first inheritance is to be avoided, see post #18 Christians Cast into "Hell" for Not Abiding?
Also seeing how much stripes are given per the knowledge that they had for not being ready and stripes for the knowledge that they did not have for not being ready; Luke 12:40-49 , one may see how bad this scourging given by the Father will be, for not stiving nor resisting against sin, Hebrews 12:3-11.

I can see why there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Those saints that get left behind will need a miracle from God in wiping the tears from their eyes to get over that loss of their first inheritance; Revelation 7:9-17, but man, what a process one goes through in losing that first inheritance so they can be partakers of His holiness 1 Corinthians 3:10-17.

This is imperative for why we are to look to Jesus Christ daily, trusting Him in helping us to be ready in laying aside ever weight & sin for the high prize of our calling to be that vessel unto honor in His House. 2 Timothy 2:18-21 & Hebrews 12:1-2 & 2 Corinthians 5:7-11

Again, we run that race by having our confidence & hope in Jesus Christ to finish His work in us; hence His race to finish for why we would cast our crowns at His feet in Heaven because the crowns are His crowning achievements in us; 1 John 3:3 1 John 3:8 & 2 Timothy 4:18 & Jude 1:24-25

I agree with you for why believers should not be thrilled about this for why we need His help to be ready to go or else: Luke 21:33-36 John 15:1-8
 

Christ4Me

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Yes...exactly. Gehenna is not hades.....and hades is not the lake of fire...
Learning what these words meant to his Jewish audience is key to our understanding of what they mean today.....especially since the Jews picked up the idea of an immortal soul from the pagan Greeks. Later Christianity did as well, making the whole teaching of the resurrection redundant. How can the resurrection of the dead take place if people aren't really dead?

By referring to how those physically dead to those in the land of the living, will be resurrected to stand judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment where Jesus sits on the throne of His glory on earth.

The ancient Jews had no belief in an afterlife at all. When OT Bible writers referred to death it was always with thoughts of the resurrection. They believed that the dead would be raised to life, back here on earth. As Jesus mentioned in John 5:28-29, he will call all the dead from the same place.....their tombs or graves. The reason that he can do that is because they are all still in them, peacefully 'sleeping'....they haven't gone anywhere. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Ecclesiastes 3:19-20; John 11:11-14)

The former king Saul did for why he consulted with a medium to raise up the spirit of the prophet, Samuel. 1 Samuel 28:5-20

Kind of hard not to think about Jesus's account of the rich man in hell & the beggar named, Lazarus, in Abraham's bosom. Luke 16:19-31

This was a parable among many that Jesus gave...people like to single this one out as if its a true story....it isn't.

You are assuming it is a parable but it was not written that it was a parable.

The rich man represented the Pharisees and the beggar represented the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" whom Jesus came to rescue. Their deaths facilitated a change in the status of each. The Pharisees occupied the "bosom of Abraham" (a position of favor with God) and the beggar was treated as of no consequence to these ones; they had to survive by eating the crumbs falling from the rich man's table. Their deaths signified that they had swapped places. The rich man was now out of favor with God whilst the beggar enjoyed the attention that God was now giving to the 'lost ones'......the disciples of his son.
The torment of the Pharisees after their loss of favor was experienced whilst they were very much alive. Jesus exposed these self-righteous ones for the hypocritical frauds that they were. (Matthew 23) They hated him enough to want him dead.

Why say it if the Jews did not believe in the afterlife?

Actually, if you read it again, it says.....
"And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Look carefully at the wording here....
Death and hades gave up their dead...."hades" ("sheol" in Hebrew) is the common grave where all humans eventually end up, no matter what sort of death and burial they experience. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10) These are judged after their resurrection, not before. And after death and hades are thrown in to the "lake of fire" what does John say this lake actually is? "The second death"...this is a death from which no one returns. Whatever goes into this 'lake', never comes out, they are destroyed forever.
The "Lake of fire" is 'Gehenna'. Hades gives up its dead....gehenna never does.

When in light of the Great White Throne Judgement in the land of the living, you may discern with Him why they are seen as the dead then when resurrected, to be judged in the land of the living.
 

Robert Gwin

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A message can be lost in translating from the Greek into English.

Examples are Matthew 5:21-22 & Matthew 5:29-30 & Matthew 18:8-9 where Matthew 5:22,29-30 & Matthew 18:9 has "hell" & "hell fire" derived from the Greek Word "geena" or Gehenna as it is better known as the valley of slaughter by the Lord.

Jeremiah 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.


Matthew 18:8 has the word everlasting fire derived from the Greek word "aionios" which Strong's Concordance defined as "from aiwn - aion 165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well):--eternal, for ever, everlasting, world (began)."

I deem everlasting fire is what threw scholars off because Jesus was referring Gehenna to a place of slaughter on earth; not the actual hell or lake of fire. He was warning about a hell that was coming on earth that believers will find themselves cast into for not being found as abiding in Him when the Bridegroom comes.

Jesus said this fiery destruction was coming on earth; Luke 17:26-30.

The apostle John reported it as on a third of the earth; Revelation 8:7-13

Peter warned about it too for why we are to endure in these latter days; 2 Peter 3:3-18

That is why we are to pray for His help to not be ensnared by the cares of this life down here so we can escape that coming fire on the earth ( Luke 21:33-36 & Luke 12:40-49 )

it was the original sin that basically created hell sir. Sin is what puts every human there, as it is the cause of death. None of us can escape it, even Jesus went there, but like Jesus, every single human who goes there will receive a resurrection. Were you aware that one day hell will be emptied and then done away with? Many are not, please read it for yourself at Rev 20:13. What a rejoicing day that will be for us Christians, we all pray for that day.
 
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Christ4Me

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it was the original sin that basically created hell sir.

I sometimes wondered because Satan had sinned first for tempting Eve, it was created then.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Hell was derived from the Greek word "tartaroo" which is defined as "from Tartaros (the deepest abyss of Hades); to incarcerate in eternal torment:--cast down to hell."

So not referring to the lake of fire here in case anyone reading this discussion was wondering.

And yet one could fathom that because God foreseen the fall of Satan & his angels as well as the fall of mankind, it was created ahead of time. Why else would God warned Adam of the consequence for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil if eternal separation as in hell, was not there?

But since we prophesy in part & know in part, we will know everything when we come face to face with Him in Heaven as to how or when exactly hell was created.

Sin is what puts every human there, as it is the cause of death. None of us can escape it, even Jesus went there, but like Jesus, every single human who goes there will receive a resurrection. Were you aware that one day hell will be emptied and then done away with? Many are not, please read it for yourself at Rev 20:13. What a rejoicing day that will be for us Christians, we all pray for that day.

Yes, I am aware of what will happen at the Great White Throne Judgment. Thank you for sharing, brother.:)
 

bbyrd009

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Considering what happens for those saints & former believers that get left behind where He destroys both body & soul, is why that loss of that first inheritance is to be avoided, see post #18 Christians Cast into "Hell" for Not Abiding?
ah, my apologies, but you kinda lost me at “considering…” bc you are conflating “left behind” with “where He destroys both body & soul,” so maybe its just too early for me—worked late—or maybe i could use a rephrase lol. What happens for those saints and former believers that get “left behind?” And, left behind what/when, iyo? ty

at the other post in the link, imo several assumptions are being made here that i dont…that i would test more thoroughly, fwiw, not saying that they arent true necessarily, but maybe lack perspective?
 

bbyrd009

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to a Jew, this meant no resurrection. Jewish belief in the resurrection was very strong, so their burial places were very important to them, having their names inscribed as well as their family lineage marked on their tombs, which was a guarantee that God would resurrect that one
so, literal future resurrection might be seen for what it is here imo
 
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Christ4Me

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ah, my apologies, but you kinda lost me at “considering…” bc you are conflating “left behind” with “where He destroys both body & soul,” so maybe its just too early for me—worked late—or maybe i could use a rephrase lol. What happens for those saints and former believers that get “left behind?” And, left behind what/when, iyo? ty

The only discernment I can see is that this is about the one doing the killing. We can be killed but they cannot destroy our soul. God can destroy soul and body in Gehenna.

Strong's concordance has soul derived from psuche which is different from pneuma for spirit.

psuche is defined as "from yucw - psucho 5594; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma - pneuma 4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from zwh - zoe 2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew fagw - phago 5315, 7307 and chay 2416):--heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you."

When I consider that those unrepentant saints & former believers left behind, a damnation happens to that believer in how they are resurrected as vessels unto dishonor in His House as vessels of wood & earth. So there is a destruction of the soul, not the spirit, regarding the left behind saints.

The vitality that they would have had as firstfruits of the resurrection would be gone.

Luke 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

That is why when they are resurrected after the great tribulation, they & the generations following have to eat from the tree of life in that City of God. So in a lot of ways, that is how their souls, as in their vitality was destroyed for why believers are not to fear those that kill us but God Who will deny us if we deny Him just to save our lives but wind up missing out on the firstfruits of the resurrection at the rapture event.

at the other post in the link, imo several assumptions are being made here that i dont…that i would test more thoroughly, fwiw, not saying that they arent true necessarily, but maybe lack perspective?

When they are cast from being received as a vessel unto honor as vessels of gold & silver, in God's House, something has changed their state of being, body & soul.

When cast to the earth where this slaughter will come about, something happened to change their state of being, body & soul, to one of damnation as a vessel unto dishonor, vessels of wood & earth, where they can never be that vessel unto honor ever again, but still in Hs House as saved.
 

Aunty Jane

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By referring to how those physically dead to those in the land of the living, will be resurrected to stand judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment where Jesus sits on the throne of His glory on earth.
According to the Bible, there are two judgments.....one when Jesus returns to separate the “sheep from the goats”...thereafter consigning the goats to eternal destruction in ‘the lake of fire’ where the devil and his demons will end up after the thousand year reign of Christ. These have been put into a deep, dark prison by God during that whole time, so as to bring about a thousand years of life, education and judgment for the living and the dead.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. . . . .41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . .46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.(Matthew 25:31-34,41,46 ESV)

The elect have already been judged worthy of life and are gathered to heaven when Jesus returns, to take up their positions as “kings and priests” first, (Revelation 20:6).....but their subjects will initially be those who survive the “great tribulation” when “the end of the age” takes place. These are seen in Revelation 7:3-4, 9-10, 13-14....after the gathering of the elect (144,000) who are seen already in heaven with God and the Lamb. Not all Christians are heaven bound.....and no one on earth is “left behind”. Everyone is where they are meant to be.

When the thousand year reign of Christ begins, only the tribulation survivors will be alive on earth as the nucleus of the “new earth”. (2 Peter 3:13) Thereafter, the general resurrection of the dead will take place, here on earth. (John 5:28-29) This is the other judgment period.....lasting for a thousand years....with no devil to interfere with God’s restoration of his original purpose. (Isaiah 55:11) What God starts, he finishes....

I cannot understand your “left behind” scenario because no one will be “left behind” who doesn’t need to be here. The earth is where God intended humankind to live forever originally. Only the sin of Adam made the coming of Christ as Redeemer and the choosing of members of his Kingdom necessary. But God originally purposed for mankind to live forever on earth...never in heaven.
This is not a training ground for heaven...it never was.

The former king Saul did for why he consulted with a medium to raise up the spirit of the prophet, Samuel. 1 Samuel 28:5-20
Did she raise up Samuel though? Consulting spirit mediums along with all forms of spiritism was forbidden under God’s Law. (Deuteronomy 18:9-12) Do you know why?

Saul himself was instructed by God to rid the land of these practices of what he forbade. At the time Saul consulted this medium, Jehovah had already abandoned him, and he was going mad because the living prophets would no longer speak to him. So under those circumstances please read the account again.....Did Saul see this ‘spirit’, or hear what it said? Or was it only the woman? If God would not permit the living prophets to speak to Saul then how would he allow a dead prophet to speak to him via a method that violated his law?

Kind of hard not to think about Jesus's account of the rich man in hell & the beggar named, Lazarus, in Abraham's bosom. Luke 16:19-31

You are assuming it is a parable but it was not written that it was a parable.
Look at this parable ‘in situ’.....look at it where it appears in the scriptures.....Luke chs 12-16 are all parables......this one is not singled out among the other parables as something other than an illustration, which is how Jesus taught.....

“This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 13:35 ESV)

“Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:10-13 - ESV)

Taken literally this parable makes no sense....are heaven and hades in speaking distance to one another? Would a drop of water on someone’s finger cool another in burning flames?
What is the meaning of the term “the bosom of Abraham”? If you don’t understand what Jesus was teaching, this parable could lead to all sorts of weird conclusions.....which it has....but look at the scripture above...
“This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand”.

Why say it if the Jews did not believe in the afterlife?
Because the Jews understood it to be a parable, not a real life scenario.
Taken literally it makes no sense to the Jewish understanding of death....

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,10 - ESV)
Sheol is the Jewish equivalent of “hades” in Greek. So because the Greeks believed in an immortal soul, these two words became confused.

Psalm 146:4...
“When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” (Psalm 146:4 -ESV)
The Jews had no belief in life after death because they did not have belief in an immortal soul....that was introduced by the Greeks and the problem of mistranslation. It’s a belief that permeates all false religion.....but it was not something taught by the ancient Jews and is not part of their scripture.

When in light of the Great White Throne Judgement in the land of the living, you may discern with Him why they are seen as the dead then when resurrected, to be judged in the land of the living.
I really don’t understand this statement. The two judgment periods are clearly seen in the scriptures.
One happens when Christ returns to judge the sheep and the goats, and from his words in Matthew 7:13-14 “few” are seen as worthy of life. The “many” (or majority) are on the other road that “leads to destruction”.....but why are they rejected by Jesus as “lawless” ones? They identify Jesus as their “Lord” but he says he “never knew” them.....(Matthew 7:21-23)

Does that not give us reason to pause and examine what we believe so that it aligns with what actually Jesus taught, rather than what we might assume that he taught?

I do not believe that Christendom is true Christianity, but the “weeds” of false Christianity sown by the devil. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) It’s divisions, practices and false doctrines are proof of this IMO.
When Jesus says “I never knew you”....NEVER means “not ever”. Very serious.
 

Christ4Me

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Thank you for replying, God be willing, I shall break up your post into smaller post so I do not wind up making really long post that might rival the Sermon on the Mount. <--- little humor there. Plus readers tend to skip over some important edification between us.

According to the Bible, there are two judgments.....one when Jesus returns to separate the “sheep from the goats”...thereafter consigning the goats to eternal destruction in ‘the lake of fire’ where the devil and his demons will end up after the thousand year reign of Christ. These have been put into a deep, dark prison by God during that whole time, so as to bring about a thousand years of life, education and judgment for the living and the dead.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. . . . .41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . .46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.(Matthew 25:31-34,41,46 ESV)

I do consider Matthew 25:31-46 is about those who remain loyal to Christ when Satan has been released from the pit after a thousand years to stage a rebellion for a small season. When you compare Revelation 20:7-15 with Matthew 25:31-46, you may see it as the Great White Throne judgment since it is about casting people into the lake of fire along with Satan & his angels.
 

Christ4Me

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The elect have already been judged worthy of life and are gathered to heaven when Jesus returns, to take up their positions as “kings and priests” first, (Revelation 20:6).....but their subjects will initially be those who survive the “great tribulation” when “the end of the age” takes place.

Actually, those who are resurrected after the great tribulation are described as having gone through the great tribulation as these are the ones that will reign with Christ for a thousand years. Revelation 20:1-6

These are seen in Revelation 7:3-4, 9-10, 13-14....after the gathering of the elect (144,000) who are seen already in heaven with God and the Lamb. Not all Christians are heaven bound.....and no one on earth is “left behind”. Everyone is where they are meant to be.

Revelation 7:1-8 is about the 144,000 witnesses that were Jews for the duration of the great tribulation before that fire comes on the third of the earth as that angel from the east was told not to harm anyone or anything yet until that sealing was done. Then that fire would be sent.

Revelation 7:9 begins with "After this.." is referring to a great multitude of saints that had died, that went through the great tribulation. Revelation 7:9-17 I see verse 17 is the miracle God is performing in wiping the tears from their eyes for missing out on the firstfruits of the resurrection where they were weeping and gnashing with their teeth.
 

Christ4Me

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When the thousand year reign of Christ begins, only the tribulation survivors will be alive on earth as the nucleus of the “new earth”. (2 Peter 3:13) Thereafter, the general resurrection of the dead will take place, here on earth. (John 5:28-29)

It is because I applied to the "hearing His voice" is why I refer to Christ's the firstfruits at the pre great tribulation rapture event as resurrection of life as vessels unto honor; vessels of gold & silver, and they that be Christ's at His coming as resurrection unto damnation as vessels unto dishonor, as vessels of wood & earth. 2 Timothy 2:20-21

I apply Matthew 5:19 in the same way for how can anyone break any of His commandments and teach others so and still be in the kingdom of heaven but as the least?

This is the other judgment period.....lasting for a thousand years....with no devil to interfere with God’s restoration of his original purpose. (Isaiah 55:11) What God starts, he finishes....

I believe the Great White Throne Judgment will take place after Satan has been defeated for the last time and cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:7-15 This is when everyone else will be raised up then and be judged.
 

Christ4Me

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I cannot understand your “left behind” scenario because no one will be “left behind” who doesn’t need to be here. The earth is where God intended humankind to live forever originally. Only the sin of Adam made the coming of Christ as Redeemer and the choosing of members of his Kingdom necessary. But God originally purposed for mankind to live forever on earth...never in heaven.
This is not a training ground for heaven...it never was.

If you consider why God commands churches to excommunicate unrepentant believers;

1 Corinthians 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Is that not what would happen when God excommunicated those not ready because they are in unrepentant iniquity, to be cast into the bed of the great tribulation for when the beast/devil wages war on the saints to kill them off; hence the destruction of the flesh?

Why would anyone believe that God would receive the unrepentant brother when the church had excommunicated him by His command?

Do note the requirement for fellowship and whom we eat with.

1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

If God commands this of the church on earth, then God also commands this for attending the Marriage Supper in Heaven.
 

Christ4Me

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Did she raise up Samuel though? Consulting spirit mediums along with all forms of spiritism was forbidden under God’s Law. (Deuteronomy 18:9-12) Do you know why?

Saul himself was instructed by God to rid the land of these practices of what he forbade. At the time Saul consulted this medium, Jehovah had already abandoned him, and he was going mad because the living prophets would no longer speak to him. So under those circumstances please read the account again.....Did Saul see this ‘spirit’, or hear what it said? Or was it only the woman? If God would not permit the living prophets to speak to Saul then how would he allow a dead prophet to speak to him via a method that violated his law?

I have heard & understood that P.O.V., but scripture cannot lie. If it is written that Samuel spoke, then he had spoken. If it was not really Samuel, it would not have been written in that way. And the clincher is that what Samuel had spoken to Saul as coming from the Lord, it did come to pass.
 

Christ4Me

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Look at this parable ‘in situ’.....look at it where it appears in the scriptures.....Luke chs 12-16 are all parables......this one is not singled out among the other parables as something other than an illustration, which is how Jesus taught.....

“This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 13:35 ESV)

“Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:10-13 - ESV)

Taken literally this parable makes no sense....are heaven and hades in speaking distance to one another? Would a drop of water on someone’s finger cool another in burning flames?
What is the meaning of the term “the bosom of Abraham”? If you don’t understand what Jesus was teaching, this parable could lead to all sorts of weird conclusions.....which it has....but look at the scripture above...
“This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand”.


But can there be a lie even in a parable? If He referenced Abraham, a real & well known person, then how can what He said about him be false?
 

Christ4Me

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Because the Jews understood it to be a parable, not a real life scenario.
Taken literally it makes no sense to the Jewish understanding of death....

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,10 - ESV)

Sheol is the Jewish equivalent of “hades” in Greek. So because the Greeks believed in an immortal soul, these two words became confused.

Let's try highlighting something else.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, .." the dead know nothing because they are finally dead. In other words, in contrast to the living that know they will die. When the dead were alive, they knew they will die. Having died, they have no need to know they will die.

"and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.(Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,10 - ESV)

I see the difference between the living and when you are dead. All the thoughts about this life, all the emotions and the work will no longer be the concern when you are dead. I do not see this as meaning the dead will have no thought or feelings since it began with no work. The concerns of the living will no longer be the concerns for the dead, because they are no longer in the land of the living to have those concerns like having work.

The contrast is obvious when it refers to how the dead have no more share in all that is done under the sun; including getting wisdom & knowledge. So it is in that regard, that it ceases for the dead, but what they have obtained from their share in the land of the living, they have with them when they are dead, but they no longer can share in all that is done under the sun.

Jesus referred to the rich man in having knowledge of hell and wishing to share that knowledge with the living relatives to warn them of hell. Luke 16:19-31 So not exactly dead as for how you are assuming from that reference.

Plus. Jesus descended after He had died to preach to those in prison in leading the captivity captive above. Reads to me that they have thought and awareness to hear Him preach and be saved.

Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient,

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Plus, He told he thief that He would be with Him in Paradise ( aka Abraham's bosom ) that day. Now how would the theif know? Was Jesus lying?

Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

After His ascension, Abraham's bosom aka Paradise is now located in Heaven where Paul testified indirectly about the apostle John and the Book of Revelation.

2 Corinthians 12:1It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
 

Christ4Me

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Psalm 146:4...
“When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” (Psalm 146:4 -ESV)
The Jews had no belief in life after death because they did not have belief in an immortal soul....that was introduced by the Greeks and the problem of mistranslation. It’s a belief that permeates all false religion.....but it was not something taught by the ancient Jews and is not part of their scripture.

Again, Psalm 146:4 only pertains to his plans in the land of the living having perished. He cannot do those plans anymore since he is not in the land of the living to accomplish them. It is the same as before about Ecclesiastes. All that involves with the living under the sun, those dead can no longer share in them any more nor gain any more knowledge or wisdom or work to be had from the land of the living.

That does not mean the dead themselves have no thought nor feeling, but what pertains to the land of the living, because that would be pointless then.
 

Christ4Me

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I really don’t understand this statement. The two judgment periods are clearly seen in the scriptures.

Let me ask you this; how will Jesus judge those people after Satan stages his last rebellion after being released from the pit after a thousand years? I see Him referring Matthew 25:31-46 to the Great White Throne Judgment because of verse 41 when He judges Satan & his angels.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
 

Christ4Me

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One happens when Christ returns to judge the sheep and the goats, and from his words in Matthew 7:13-14 “few” are seen as worthy of life. The “many” (or majority) are on the other road that “leads to destruction”.....but why are they rejected by Jesus as “lawless” ones? They identify Jesus as their “Lord” but he says he “never knew” them.....(Matthew 7:21-23)

Any religious work or supernatural phenomenon that denies Him, they will be denied by Him. You do not have to verbally deny Him to be denied by Him. But this is the truth, if former believers do not believe in Him any more & they deny Him, He still abides because He cannot deny Himself.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

2 Timothy 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

That is why former believers as well as carnal believers are still called to depart from iniquity or else risk being left behind to be damned as that vessel unto dishonor in His House.

2 Timothy 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Unrepentant believers should not wait for Jesus to purge that off of their foundation because a physical death will be the result.

1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.