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...So after 30 pages of ongoing, ongoing, ongoing, June has just one ittsy bitsy, simple little question:
Is she going to hell, or not?
June, this is what I believe. (I don't speak for any particular group of people.)
The word "hell" in the bible was translated from the words below:
Gehenna: A garbage dump outside of Jerusalem - That's your choice whether or not to go there. It is now a beautiful garden.
Tartarus: Prison for some fallen angels - Safe to say you're not going there.
Sheol/Hades: The grave, or the place of dead spirits - Before Jesus died and rose again, everyone went there, but now only unbelievers do.
Jesus died on the cross to pay the "wages" of sin, and to give us life. "The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." If we believe in Jesus and become a child of God, we "never die." Of course our bodies do, but our spirits don't, so when we leave this earth we go to be with the Lord, and the "eternal life" continues which started when we came to "know Him." (John 17:3 says, "For this is eternal life, that they may know God and Jesus Christ whom He sent.") However, if you do not "know Him," both your body and spirit will go to Sheol to await the resurrection of the dead and judgment.
Will you be thrown into the lake of fire? The bible says all unbelievers will, BUT it's not a real fire. It is symbolic, just like the Lamb mentioned in Revelation. No one knows exactly what that is (obviously), and I don't think anyone thinks it's pleasant, and the bible says believers won't be hurt by it.
If you are a believer now, you are saved from the penalty of sin and death, because Jesus paid the price in your place. If you become a believer after death (which will not be by faith, but by sight), you had to pay the penalty of death, and then will pay the penalty of sin. However, it's not physical torture, but a process of spiritual correction whereby God will reconcile unrepentent sinners and unbelievers to Himself, as He conquers sin and death. This is because God is Love. He loves each and every person and will not lose any who He created.
Yes, I choose to believe the words of Jesus Christ. Thank you.
You choose to believe the words of Jesus' parablesaccording to the interpretation you've been taught. His words that you think doom people to hell are parables, and the meanings should be tested against the truth of God's character. Look at this one, that you ETers quote all the time. Realize that the word "for" can be rightly substituted with the word "because," and now ask yourself how this particular parable lines up with your belief that you will burn in fire forever if you don't believe in Jesus.
Matthew 25:
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42BECAUSE I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
You choose to believe the words of Jesus' parablesaccording to the interpretation you've been taught.
Thanks for telling me what I believe and for explaining the reason why I believe it. But then again, maybe that is something I know better than you. Thanks for trying anyway.
Yes, I choose to believe the words of Jesus Christ. Thank you.
Actually,you choose to believe what other people ( the biblical writers) claim Jesus said.But,hey,let's not bother with whether or not folks frying in eternal flames of torment meshes with the concept of unconditional love as taught by Jesus.Far be it for fundies to exhibit any independent thought.Being told what to believe is just so much easier and requires less courage.
All of yOur words are nothing but a worthless and unsupportable attempt to deflect the issue of why the Gospel isn't made more readily evident to ALL the world so that there would be no question about every person having an opportunity to decide based on true knowledge.Nice try,but folks who can think for themselves instead of being willing to swallow whatever nonsense their spiritual masters tell them won't buy it.Nonthinkers may though.
True.So what?I think for myself;I don't depend on others to tell me what to believe.When people tell me that it is scriptural that God told the Jews to kill babies ,and to take women captives as sex slaves,I stop and ask if this is really how God would act.
So you lack the courage to quote my entire post and then respond?
Oh well,character shown.Carry on!
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