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I do not find it the least bit strange that our God would be described as a "consuming fire" or that our spiritual fate would be described as being refined in a "lake of fire." Our Reality is comprised of uncounted billions of (perhaps infinite) "lakes of fire" known as galaxies within which Suns like ours establish cradles of life on suitable planets. Sadly, most people do not know what "fire" actually is blurring the analogous connections to our Reality.
Fire is just the transformation of measurable low-energy material forms into higher energy forms we call quanta. A similar transformation occurs with the unmeasurable energy form we call our consciousness (Spirit). The truth of the matter is that, like our consciousness, the bulk of our Reality (95+%) is of the unmeasurable form of energy at the level of quanta! In other words, we do not know and are unable to know what the bulk of our Reality IS. We are essentially blind down here in the less than 5% low energy level that comprises our physical material Reality as perceived by our senses.
It seems many people I've recently conversed with believe the Lake of Fire is real physical fire.
Just curious, what do people here think it is - real physical fire? Spiritual fire (representing something else)? No idea?
Imho there is no reason to believe it’s not physical fire. It’s repeated often throughout Scripture. One thing is for sure. There will be eternal suffering and torment in some form for those who do not OBEY the gospel of Jesus Christ. The idea of annihilation simply doesn’t fit what we read in God’s holy word. All I know is I don’t want to be in the Lake of Fire.
Imho there is no reason to believe it’s not physical fire. It’s repeated often throughout Scripture. One thing is for sure. There will be eternal suffering and torment in some form for those who do not OBEY the gospel of Jesus Christ. The idea of annihilation simply doesn’t fit what we read in God’s holy word. All I know is I don’t want to be in the Lake of Fire.
Fear is one of the - if not THE - greatest tactic known in which to to control the masses. Christianity has used - and still uses - this method of control most effectively.
By the way, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16. We're told in this scripture that those who believe in Jesus Christ will not perish but have everlasting life. The term 'perish' strongly suggests 'annihilation', does it not? The scripture also makes the distinction between those that believe (everlasting life) and those that don't believe (everlasting death).
I have read it and studied it in great detail and have cited it many times. A carnal-minded reader will misinterpret what is essentially a spiritual explanation of what happened to Jesus and what will happen to us upon our death!!! This nonsense of being "born again" while still in a living physical body ignores or denies 1st Corinthians 15:36!!!
Huh?
1 Cor 15:36 "You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;"
How does that disprove the idea of physical rebirth, as mentioned in John 1:12?
1 Cor 15 talks about physical death and resurrection. Being born again is not based on dying a physical death.
Fear is one of the - if not THE - greatest tactic known in which to to control the masses. Christianity has used - and still uses - this method of control most effectively.
By the way, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16. We're told in this scripture that those who believe in Jesus Christ will not perish but have everlasting life. The term 'perish' strongly suggests 'annihilation', does it not? The scripture also makes the distinction between those that believe (everlasting life) and those that don't believe (everlasting death).
Not necessarily. The English word 'perish' translates the Greek word apollumi. Like most words apollumi has a range of meaning. While it can refer to utter destruction the word is also used for something that is lost such as the lost coin in the parable in Luke 15, or to the lost people who Jesus came to save in Luke 19:10. Both the coin and those who are lost are still in existence. Apollumi is also used for the wineskin that has been ruined/destroyed in Luke 5:37. The wineskin still exists but it is in a ruined/destroyed condition which renders it useless. The same meaning could apply to John 3:16.
Reading the Bible in English can at times be misleading.
Fear is one of the - if not THE - greatest tactic known in which to to control the masses. Christianity has used - and still uses - this method of control most effectively.
By the way, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16. We're told in this scripture that those who believe in Jesus Christ will not perish but have everlasting life. The term 'perish' strongly suggests 'annihilation', does it not? The scripture also makes the distinction between those that believe (everlasting life) and those that don't believe (everlasting death).
Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
I see no hint of the Greek term “kolasis” for our English word “punishment” suggesting annihilation. Here is the definition of “punishment” according to Strong’s.
◄ 2851. kolasis ►
Strong's Concordance
kolasis: correction
Original Word: κόλασις, εως, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: kolasis
Phonetic Spelling: (kol'-as-is)
Definition: correction
Usage: chastisement, punishment, torment, perhaps with the idea of deprivation.
The passage clearly shows both life and punishment lasting eternally.
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