wow you allegorize literal passages and then become woodenly literal when jesus is making a comparison! But as it says the smoke of their agony will ascend forever and ever.
If they are killed immediately by intense flames- their agony ends!
So you really think that god is going to resurrect all them lost people, reconstitute their bodies that have turned to dust and have been scattered or are fish food and fish droppings, just to kill them all over again???????????????
It is apparent that you do not listen to what is said to you....
Why does God require eternal punishment in agony for a short life of sin that was inherited from Adam in the first place? Tell me what punishment under Israel’s laws that required torture of any sort, let alone unending suffering? The Jews didn’t even have prisons because God’s laws made them unnecessary.
Who is this fiendish god you worship who apparently enjoys the suffering of his children for all eternity because they sinned?
“The wages sin pays is death”, not eternal suffering.
You are welcome to that fiend because he sounds way more like the personality of Christendom’s god than the God of Jesus Christ....who was a complete reflection of his Father’s beautiful personality. God’s justice is not served through punishment for its own sake....punishment was meant to promote repentance which in turn would merit forgiveness.....what does your god accomplish by this “hell” you believe in?
His laws were so perfect and the punishments for them so just, that anyone who transgressed, wasn't in a hurry to do it again. Those who merited the death penalty certainly didn't re-offend.
Please show me th epoll you conducted that shows no one by imagination considers the teachings of the bible Babylon!
All of Christendom's teachings can be traced back to original Babylon which was the place where all false worship started and spread to the ends of the earth with the confusing of the language at Babel.....but surely you would know this...?
Here is a short list of the things that Christendom holds true but is not in the Bible....
1/ There is no “hell” as a place of eternal torment.
2/ God is not a god of torture. This is a horrible pagan idea from Babylon.
3/ There is no separate “soul” when we die we are dead, until the Resurrection if God chooses to give us life again.
4/ There is no such thing as clergy, or a pope. It is not allowed by Christ. It is a Babylonian “high priest” idea that the Roman Church “Christianized”.
5/ No human can ever be equal to God. Jesus is a creation and is not God Almighty. He was created. Much of Babylonian ideas is that the Emperor, or Pharaoh in Egypt ( as Egyptians had similar crap religions to Babylon) was a “god” and you better do what he said or you will rot in hell forever.
6/ There is no heavenly passage for MOST people (no hell either). If you make it you will live on the earth as God originally intended. The gift of life was intended for the earth. And only 144,000 (the anointed for this purpose) will go to heaven to rule with Christ, BECAUSE Jehovah created the earth for humans to live on and to live forever. As it was before Adam screwed up. God did not create the earth to be destroyed, but for his creation of humans and animals and all creatures to live on it.
Every one of these beliefs originated in Babylon.....not the Bible.
But I agree Christendom - or the external form of Christianity is apostate, but not because that many hold some correct doctrines.
But all JW's are not Christians and are lost for one reason!
Since you hold beliefs that are 'Babylonian' in origin, your "church" is also part of "Babylon the great". You think a few differences will make your religion more acceptable? We are told to "get out of her" if we do not want to merit the same punishment that God has in store for her. (Revelation 18:3-4) Changing a few things won't do any good. The separation has to be complete.
Do you have a global brotherhood who all believe the same things that you do? (1 Corinthians 1:10) The good news had to be preached in all the inhabited earth, not just in one small neighborhood in one small part of the world. (Matthew 24:14)
Is your church known for its witnessing, as it is a
command from Jesus to preach and make disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20) He did not sit in a building waiting for people to come to him...he sent out his disciples to preach in all the towns and villages so that no one was missed, or overlooked. (Matthew 10:11-14) They went from house to house to search out who was 'worthy' and stayed to teach that household when they found a good response. (Acts 20:20) When they were turned away, they simply shook the dust off their feet and moved on.
So now you are reading minds and without even knowing my pastor think he is trying to gain favor with human kings? God condemns divination like you are practicing!
What your pastor wears or doesn't wear is none of my business.....all I said was that if you or he had an audience with a ruling human king, you would not show up in jeans and a flannel shirt....you wouldn't get past the front door. My point was, if we are coming before our God and King in worship we would show by the way we dressed that we didn't disrespect him...no?
But yet you condemn NT priests for the way they dress! Do you have a sore neck from twisitng it so quickly?
There is no such thing as a NT priest. The priesthood of the elect was to be served in heaven, not on earth. Revelation 20:6 confirms that.
"Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." (NKJV)
They "shall be"...not "already are".
He said their agony would ascend forever! Stop retranslating the word of God according to the dictates of the Watchtower! God is smart enough to tell people it is a reminder. He doesn't need self proclaimed prophets telling HIm what He meant! If this was couched in symbolic language that would be different, but it is not so we don't need interpretation, but obedience.
You know Ron, it appears as if it is an affront for anyone who is un-credentialed to differ with your opinion...I get it. Its hard to defend the indefensible....I see you vainly trying to make God's word say something different to what the Bible writers meant according to their understanding, not the church's.
When it comes to Bible study, a degree in theology will not cut through the mistranslations that already exist.
This is one of those examples....
You insist that it is "the agony of their torment" when I cannot find a single translation that says so....
so who is re-translating here?
https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Revelation 14:11
Revelation 14:11...KJV....
"And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Mounce Interlinear.....
"11 And kai the ho smoke kapnos from ho their autos torture basanismos will go up anabainō forever eis aiōn and ever aiōn, and kai those ho who worship proskyneō the ho beast thērion and kai his autos image eikōn will have echō no ou relief anapausis day hēmera or kai night nyx, · ho along with kai anyone tis who receives lambanō the ho mark charagma of ho his autos name onoma.”
Proven wrong again.....sorry but I find your protestations are groundless....you have no scripture to back up a thing you say.....