Hey Butch, not a problem. Thank you for your responses by the way. I wanted to narrow it down to this specific topic here. I can agree with you that Hades is the grave, and that we all rest until judgment. That makes the most biblical sense to me. Now moving forward....from what I've learned over the years, the lake of fire exists only in the afterlife. So I am a bit confused as to how you connected the lake of fire to a place on this earth, in Jerusalem. Also, how are you connecting Jer 31:40 to the lake of fire. If the lake of fire will one day be restored into a holy place, then how do you make sense of (Matt 25:46 eternal punishment), (Rev 20:10 for ever and ever) and (Isa 66:22-24 not die not quenched). Lastly, how do you make sense of the fact that Hades the grave exists in the afterlife, but the lake of fire exist in Jerusalem?
Hi DRS81,
You're welcome.
The Lake of Fire is only mentioned in the book of Revelation. Jesus spoke of the wicked being cast into Gehenna while Revelation speaks of the wicked being cast into the Lake of Fire. Most believe Revelation was written in the 90's which would mean none of the other apostles ever saw that book of revelation. The only place they would have understood that the wicked went was Gehenna Jesus had said. It seems that in order to coherent that Lake of Fire and Gehenna must be the same place. Since Jesus was quoting Isaiah when He spoke of Gehenna, in Mark we know that Isaiah is speaking of Gehenna in Isaiah 66.
22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me," says the LORD, "So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the LORD.
24 "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh." (Isa 66:22-24 NKJ)
Gehenna is the Valley of the son of Hinnom it is outside of Jerusalem, it is also known as "Tophet", It is the place where the Israelites sacrificed their children to other God's and God said He would change the name to the valley of Slaughter.
Isaiah is talking about the new heavens and the new earth and people coming to worship Him in the renewed Jerudalem, the dead bodies are there when hte people leave. In Jeremiah we see the city being rebuilt.
38 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.
39 "The surveyor's line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath.
40 "And
the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east,
shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever." (Jer 31:38-40 NKJ)
Regarding Mathew 25:46 and Rev. 20:10 I don't believe the word "aionious" means eternal. The word is used in some places of things that are not eternal. In Mathew 25:46 the eternal punishment is eternal fire. We have a Scriptural example of eternal fire which isn't still burning.
6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
7 as
Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh,
are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jud 1:6-7 NKJ)
These cities are said to be examples of eternal fire yet they are not still burning.
In Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehenna, it says (In Jewish, Christian and Islamic scripture, Gehenna is a destination of the wicked)...meaning that there are three different views in regards to where the wicked go and what happens to them. This proves to me that (MAN) has created three different views, and only one view can be right. So for example, what exactly makes your view the right one?
I'm trying to avoid what men say are reconcile the passages in the Scriptures. As I pointed out with the word "aionios" men say it means forever or eternal yet the Scriptures indicate otherwise
Then I came across this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehenna, Wikipedia then goes on to say this, which you also had said is a place of torment, but not eternal torment (Qur'an and Annihilationist View)....(In the Qur'an, Jahannam (جهنم) is a place of
torment for sinners and non-believers, or the Islamic equivalent of Hell.)
So my question is, did (man) create this Wikipedia page and this place in Jerusalem and these (three views), or did Jesus create this page. Lastly, why don't I see Jer 31:38-40 also on Wikipedia page. Are you following the Qur'an.- DRS81
Everything i'm saying is from Scripture and/or the early church. I can't speak to the wiki page as too what and why it contains what it does. I would suggest that one reason you don't see Jer. 31:38-40 mentioned is because most Christians believe the destiny of the believer is Heaven, not earth.
