Second Chances & Why God Killed

Another Chance for Mankind the Day of Jesus' Death
"Because God is ready to judge the living & the dead Jesus told the good news to those who are now dead. They will be judged like men who are alive. This was done so that they could live like God in the spirit." (1 Peter 4:6)

To save people from the second death on judgement day Jesus told the good news to people who had already died before His death. It says this proclaiming of the good news to the dead was not a pointless proclamation. It was done so those who have already died in the flesh could "live like God in the spirit" meaning "be reborn." Some say this only refers to the dead Christians who have died up to this point because of persecution. But pair this with what Peter says in v3:18, "After His body died the Spirit of Christ went & proclaimed the gospel to the spirits in prison, some of which were people from the days of Noah who had previously disobeyed God."
   
Romans 3:25 says, "In God's forbearance Jesus passed over sins previously committed." Forbearance is defined as "good-natured & patient tolerance." This certainly does not mean Christ only died for the sins of people who had lived up to the point of His death. Hebrews 7:27 & 10:12 tells us, "Jesus died for the sins of all people for all time." It was not pointless for Him to have died for people's past sins, the sins of those who had died before He died. He told them the good news of what He had done so they could "live like Him in the spirit."

1 Peter 3:18 suggests that these spirits were only disobedient in the past, meaning they obeyed the gospel (trusted in Christ) & were saved. I think it singles out the people of the days of Noah because they are on record as the worst people in the history of the world. God gave them a second chance in the after-life because He is good, patient, & tolerant. How much more then will He give mankind a another chance to be saved on judgment day?

Another Chance for Mankind on Judgment Day
Romans 14:10-12 quotes Isaiah 45 letting us know that Isaiah 45 tells us what happens on judgment day, the same day people are later thrown in the lake of fire. On judgment day God tells the yet unsaved people to "draw near." He says "idols cannot save." He says, "I am God, and there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me." He says, "Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength." He says to all the people who are not His people "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other."

After God offers salvation to all mankind who have not yet received it Isaiah then tells us that "Men will come to Him." But Isaiah also says, "All who were angry at Him will be put to shame." In SEVEN places God promises, “Whoever who trusts in me will NEVER be put to shame” (Isaiah 28:16, 45:17, 54:4, Romans 9:33, 10:11, 1 Peter 2:6, Joel 2:26-27). If you are put to shame you are not saved. Shame is literally the opposite of grace. It is disgrace. If you are put to shame you have chosen not to receive God's grace. So we see that there are some who choose to retain anger towards God. Those are the only people thrown into the lake of fire, suffering the second death on judgment day. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 & Revelation 20:10,14-15 tell us that the second death is annihilation, an eternal destruction, not an eternal suffering. You cannot hate God & live forever. God is life. If you hate God you hate life & thus you have chosen death for yourself.

God's Motives Regarding Death in the Flesh Unraveled
The questions come to many. Why did God command the Israeli armies of old to wipe out entire groups of people? There are countless reasons given as to why it wasn't as bad as it sounds. That things were mistranslated, inclusive expressions were used, etc. I was asking myself this question remembering the stock answers of "it was to protect society as a whole" & "it was because the Israelites would have been led astray" & even "they deserved it because of their sin." So I asked God & He told me that the flood was the key to understanding all of this.

Regardless of your views on God's commanding or seeming commanding of Israel's army to kill & other stories in the Old Testament all Christians will admit that God flooded the earth & in that flood nearly all men, women, & children were killed (all but 8). All other stories pale in comparison when it comes to God bringing destruction upon people. So why did God wipe out mankind in the flood? Let us look back at the story.

"God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-8)

God was grieved in His heart about making mankind. The word grieved pictures that His heart was in pain, pouring out sorrow, hurting, & tortured. Does this picture a God of wrath who hates sin? No, it says He was sorry & regretful that He had made mankind. Why? Was it because He angrily hated sin? No, remember God is a Father. Look at this event through the eyes of a father or a mother.

Imagine a situation like Adam & Eve's with Cain & Abel. They had two sons but one killed the other. Regardless of how much they loved their son Cain thoughts of regret would have surely went through their minds. God likewise had this regret when He saw the people He had made only focusing on & doing terrible, destructive things. As some fear in modern times He may have foresaw humanity wiping themselves out because Genesis 6:11&13 say "The earth was filled with violence."

Most will not consider that God has two lives to work with when it comes to saving mankind from sin & death because most believe that we are not given another chance to trust Christ in the next life. However, as I have shown above, God does have two lives to work with when it comes to salvation. If mankind had wiped themselves out it would have been a much longer, much more painful ordeal.

People died in the flood. When are they brought up again in the New Testament? In the scripture mentioned above. 1 Peter 3:18 says of them, "Christ went & proclaimed the gospel to the spirits in prison, some of which were people from the days of Noah." Prison.. Imagine a mother who has an unruly son who is out committing crimes & destroying his life. Imagine how the mother, though grieved in her heart & even regretful for having him, could still, in love, turn him into the authorities to be locked up in the hopes to save him from his destructive ways & even save his life in the long run. That is a picture of God & the flood & every other place in scripture where God commands or threatens death for people. God killed these people in the flesh so they would be willing to be saved in the spirit. Instead of the flood being something where God deemed mankind unworthy of life because of their actions, it was actually God deeming mankind worthy of life despite their actions. He had to take their life on this earth away & lock them up so that they would one day take the chance to "live like God in the spirit" after Christ came off the cross.

God will go to any & all resorts to save people from ultimate death even if it means taking their first life. God's final enemy is death (1 Corinthians 15:26). If death is His enemy why would He let it win the first time? Death cannot win but death can be chosen. The second death is God's true enemy. God desired the first death for mankind after the fall so that they will be free from the flesh. That is why He prevented Adam & Eve from eating of the tree of life. He didn't want them to live forever in the flesh. God wants us to live forever but not in the weakness of the flesh but in the power & love & joy of the spirit.

True life is in the spirit because all flesh will die. God wants to save & preserve us as eternal beings in the spirit & the only way to protect us from death is to make us one Spirit with Him because His Spirit has already conquered death. God is the Savior, not the slaughterer. Some say God did these things to "preserve the lineage for Jesus" or "for the greater good of mankind" while those are true, these people who have died are not casualties of grace, they are still favored by the Father. God didn't make them die for you. His mercy removed them from this life for another shot at life. But of course, it is always much better to know Him in this life first.

I give you the true God. Always a Savior & always a Lover. Who would stay angry at Him?


"As I live!" declares the Lord God, "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way to My Way, Jesus the Savior of mankind, and live. Why then will you die?" (Ezekiel 33:11, New Covenant paraphrase)

"I have set before you life and death. Therefore choose life, that you may live!" (Deuteronomy 30:19)


For an in-depth look at eternal destiny & God's offering of life over death see these two posts:
Saved? Saved from What? & Eternal Torment, Annihilation, Ultimate Reconciliation? How about a little of each?

Lie: You Don't Deserve to Be Saved

If my parents decided to set up a bank account for me with millions & millions of dollars in it, would I have earned it? No. Would I deserve it? Yes, because it was given to me. I am entitled to that bank account because of their giving. If someone found a way to steal from my account they wouldn't deserve it because it is my account, it was set up for & given to me. I don't have to ever access that account but that doesn't mean the money isn't there. I could grow poor & die if I refuse to access that account but that doesn't mean the money isn't there. A father can deem his children worthy of gifts either because of works they do or simply because he loves them.

To be deserving is to be worthy, which means to have enough worth, to have enough value. Love gives value. Mankind has always been loved & valued by God. Like an infant you don't have to work to be valued, you just have to be loved. Sin devalued mankind, it earned us death (in physical and spiritual). But sin never devalued God's love for mankind. Who do you want to judge what you deserve, you, someone else, sin, or God? Which eyes do you want to look at mankind through, they eyes of sin, which demands death, or the eyes of God, who offers life?

Christ wiped out our old sin accounts and opened new grace accounts for us. Did I earn grace? No. Do I deserve grace? Yes because He has put my name on it. My name is in the book of life. Scripture is clear that everyone's name starts off in the book of life. It says names have to be blotted out, not that names have to be written in. Every person on earth has a grace account that God has provided for them. Grace accounts only close on judgment day for those who still refuse them. Everyone deserves to be saved, everyone deserves grace because the Giver has deemed it so.

God has already taken away the sins of the world. Everyone on earth is entitled to salvation. God already has your name on the title you just need to sign yours. An atheist once said to me, “Well if I have to take the gift it is not free.” The Father doesn't force people to take a gift they don't want. In His love He does not demand His own way. It is a fully paid for gift being offered to all but He doesn't grab your arms and force you to unwrap it. He leaves the gift there hoping you'll experience the joy of what He has given you by unwrapping it!

“The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Death has been earned but life has been given. If I started a huge fire, would my father abandon me saying, “You started the fire so you deserve to die.” Or would he try to save me? Would he do whatever it took to get me out of the flames regardless of who started it? In my father's eyes did I deserve to die? In God's eyes, my Father's eyes, do I deserve to die because of my sins? If your answer is “Yes,” what kind of father do you think God is?

The bible says, “The wages of sin is death,” not “The wages of God is death if you sin.” God is our savior, not our slaughterer. Once the lamb had been slain I've been entitled to everything He offers me. The lamb was slain long before anyone alive today was born. On top of that the lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. God's eyes are the perfect eyes to look through & you've never deserved death in God's eyes for a moment of your life because the gift has always been given. Your name has always been in His book of life, a book that says, “He deserves life. She deserves life."

Saul (Paul) killed many of God's children. Did He deserve death in God's eyes? No, God saved Him. Paul was called “the chief of sinners,” the worst man that ever lived. God is love & love keeps no record of wrongs. God is love & love does not demand its own way therefore God gives everyone a choice. God says, “I have set before you life and death. Therefore choose life, that you may live!” Jesus is life.

Typical Christian teachings see it like this, “You are scum soaked because you've sinned. God hates scum so He will either make you clean yourself up or He will burn you up so He doesn't have to look at scum anymore. Either way all that matters to Him is not having to look at scum.”

God sees it like this, “You are sick because of sin and are going to die. God wants you to trust Him and take the cure for your sickness. You being sick doesn't make Him love you any less, it only makes Him try harder to get you to agree to taking the cure.”

The reason why this doesn't seem like God's viewpoint is because gospel isn't presented as good news. Christians are hypochondriacs, constantly medicating and talking about the sickness of sin as if it were still there when Christ has in fact cured them. Thus non-Christians have no good reason to believe Jesus is the cure.

You can look at God one of these two ways. God is either a murderer who demands that you die because He has CHOSEN to be offended at you, or He is a savior & a lover who knows love doesn't work in forcefulness, love only works in freedom. If you think God demands death you are looking through the eyes of sin.

Jesus said, “I came to the earth in the flesh so you may have life, not just a little life that barely gets you by but overflowing, abundant life that lasts forever.”


Related Posts
Did God have to save us? We don't deserve to be saved? We're Unworthy?
Saved? Saved from What?
Eternal Torment, Annihilation, Ultimate Reconciliation? How about a little of each?
Lifted Up to His Glory

Why Be Afraid of Hebrews 10?

"Jesus our High priest has taken away sins for everyone.. Where there is forgiveness, there is no longer any offering for sin. We can be confident to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of trust, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (this speaks of being saved & reborn by trusting Christ)..

If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.. Do not throw away your confidence (in God as a Jew), which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God (trusted in Christ, gotten saved), you may receive what was promised." (Hebrews 10:11, 18-22, 25-36)

"If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth.." The only way to sin willfully is to reject Christ because Christ makes it impossible for someone to sin willfully through rebirth. Rebirth concerns the birth of a new identity as a perfect spirit which "is not able to sin" (1 John 3:9). "The knowledge of the truth" is the good news of what Jesus Christ has done which is described for the Jewish audience here in the letter to the Hebrews.

"Where there is forgiveness, there is no longer any offering for sin.." "There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.." Forgiveness has already been given out through the sacrifice of Christ thus no other offering for sin exists, He was the last one & He got the job done. He is the last offering & last sacrifice, literally. The focal point isn't a warning about your sin points racking up because you've rejected Christ. It is focused on the all sufficient sacrifice of Christ for all mankind. Any offering or sacrifice a Jew would now make is worthless because sin has already been taken care of, the problem is solved and the solution is Jesus!

"Those who have trampled under foot the Son of God, and regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant, and insulted the Spirit of God's love for us (grace) are deserving of immense punishment." The Jews are, for all time, in some way "God's people." So it says, "The Lord will judge his people."

How can a loving God punish these people? Imagine someone you love inviting a group of old friends over for dinner & cooking them an elaborate meal. When they come over they chew up the food and spit it in her face, smash the dishes, & throw her on the ground to stomp on her. It is fully loving to be angry with these people. Your anger is on behalf of the person whom you love. Likewise the Father has anger on behalf of those who hate & invalidate His Son. God did not hold anything against those who physically persecuted & killed Jesus but those who insult His love, those who stomp on Christ as if He were worthless are asking to "fall into the hands of the living God" for punishment. They have decided to be His adversaries.

Note a uniquely Jewish statement here, they "regarded His blood to be unclean" thus His covenant to be unbinding. The idea of unclean blood & covenants only pertain to Jews, not Gentiles of the day. The Jews alive during the resurrection of Christ who have the chance to outright reject Him are the unique group of people described here. Perhaps there are no other people in history whom this applies to. Interestingly God says to forgive those who do bad things to you. To my knowledge He doesn't say to forgive those who hurt the ones you love. This portion of Hebrews 10 is written as a warning but more so as an invitation to trust in the Son of God & live. The writer speaks of Christ taking care of sin & making a new covenant, then of how to be saved, & finally what happens if they rejected Christ after hearing all this truth.

None of this is aimed at a reborn child of God. These are not warnings about losing your salvation. The idea that one could lose their salvation is like a fireman who saves you from a burning building later deciding to murder you because you did or said something he didn't like. "Whoever trusts in the Father has eternal life and will never be condemned; that person has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24). How can God extinguish eternal life?

Hebrews makes the case for Jesus as Christ & reveals the impact of His sacrifice to the Jews who were alive during the time of Jesus' resurrection (saved or unsaved). It is sad that the mere existence of any statement in scripture makes Christians think that it applies to them. If, as a Christian, you see a scripture that lessens your peace, causes you fear, makes you feel less loved by God, or lessens your confidence in God & His goodness it is either not aimed at you or you have already believed various falsehoods that make you misinterpret it. The Spirit of Jesus brings peace & drives out fear. He causes you to become more confident in Him and less confident in falsehood. If you know you have trusted Jesus and any scripture makes you fearful (less peaceful) you have misapplied it or misinterpreted it. Reconsider the meaning or just pay no mind to it, letting God teach you the meaning if He so chooses.

Eternal Torment, Annihilation, Ultimate Reconciliation? How about a little of each?

This is Part 2 of 2, See Part 1:  Saved? Saved from What?

Revelation 20:10 says, "The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." There is no mention of this eternal torment for the people that are thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation 20:14-15. For them it is described as "the second death."

Annihilation
"The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out justice to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus (obeying the gospel means trusting in Jesus). These people will pay the penalty of eternal DESTRUCTION, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Here, as Revelation 20:14-15 suggests, those who fully reject Christ are destroyed forever, as in annihilated, never to come back to life. To come back from death requires a resurrection. No resurrection is spoken of for these people after the lake of fire. There is no resurrection from the second death. Even John 3:16 has perishing (destruction/death) as the opposite of everlasting life. The opposite is not eternal torment.

A Second Chance?
Once people are thrown into the lake of fire there can be no resurrection or "ultimate reconciliation." If there were an afterlife reconciliation available it would have to be before someone is thrown into the lake of fire. Scripture says that old testament people were given a chance in the afterlife to be saved by faith. "The gospel was proclaimed to those who are now dead so that they could live like God in the spirit" (1 Peter 4:6). "Jesus went and made proclamation of the gospel to the spirits in prison, who once were disobedient" (1 Peter 3:18-19). Notice it says they were "once disobedient" suggesting that they became obedient to the gospel and are now saved. The context says the people from the days of Noah, the worst people ever in the history of the world who were presumably warned by Noah for years, were given this chance to hear the gospel & trust Jesus. Jesus died for everyone past, present, & future so it would have been unjust for God to leave these people condemned without knowing about the freedom Christ has made available. I think it is possible that everyone who died before Christ died could indeed be saved & born again.

Every Knee Shall Bow..
"For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God” (Romans 14:10-12). This scripture lets us know that the "every knee bowing" event clearly happens on judgment day, the same day people are later thrown in the lake of fire. This event is described in Isaiah 45, showing EXACTLY what God says to people on that day.

“Thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, “I am the Lord, and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, I, the Lord, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright. Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry about their wooden idol and pray to a god who cannot save. Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength."
Men will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel Will be justified and will glory” (Isaiah 45:18-25).

Here we have God telling people who He is, even calling Himself a Savior on the day of judgment. He says, "Turn to me & be saved." God offers "all the ends of the earth" salvation on judgment day. It is beautiful & worth rereading. Isaiah then writes that "all who are angry at him will be put to shame." In SEVEN places God promises, “Whoever trusts in the Lord will NEVER be put to shame” (Isaiah 28:16, Romans 9:33, 10:11, 1 Peter 2:6, Joel 2:26-27, Isaiah 45:17, 54:4). If you are put to shame you are not saved. Shame is literally the opposite of grace. If you are put to shame you have not chosen to receive God's grace. So we see that there are some who choose to retain anger towards God. They angrily bow. Those who come before the Lord in judgement will acknowledge Him as God and give Him praise at the very least by the fact that they are in His almighty presence at judgement. But those who retain anger (hatred, murderous feelings & thoughts) towards Him in their hearts are thrown into the lake of fire. They did not call Him Lord from their heart. "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). This statement from Romans 10:9 does not have an expiration date just because your body dies. We see that the resurrection is so integral to the gospel that if someone even in the next life does not trust in it, they will not be saved. You cannot hate God & live forever. God is life. If you hate God you hate life & thus you have chosen death for yourself.

Isaiah says, "In the Lord all the seed of Israel Will be justified and will glory." The true seed of Israel are all who are saved. "God exalted Jesus and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

Eternal Torment
Scriptures (Matthew 18:8, 25:41; Jude 1:7) still speak of "eternal fire" and it is true that the lake of fire is eternal. However eternal experience (torture) in this fire is only said to be for the devil, the beast, & the false prophet. Below some scriptures are examined to this point.

Revelation 14:9-11 says, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in FULL STRENGTH in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

It says the smoke of their torment goes up forever but doesn't say that their torment lasts forever as it does about the torment of those mentioned in Revelation 20:10. These subtleties of language reveal the truth! It also says that they are tormented in the presence of Jesus "day and night." Later on in Revelation 22:5 it is said that "There will no longer be any night because the Lord God will illumine his people forever and ever." So it is impossible for this to be speaking of eternal torture because in God's presence there will eventually only be day. Those 3 mentioned in Revelation 20:10 are away from God's presence & still have night. Thus those who take the mark of the beast are tortured at least one day & one night but no longer than the time span between Revelation 14:11-22:5.

Jude speaks of people for whom "the utter depths of eternal darkness have been reserved." The darkness is eternal but the experience thereof is not. It says these people will perish (be annihilated) unless they are "snatched out of the fire." Matthew 25:41 says that God prepared the eternal fire for the devil & his angels. The devil's angels are not mentioned in Revelation 20:21 but Jude says that certain angels are being kept in eternal bonds under eternal darkness. Jude hints that the place of eternal darkness is also the place of eternal fire, which is the lake of fire.

Jesus said in Mark 3:29, "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be pardoned, but is guilty of an eternal sin." Some of the Pharisees did this specific blaspheming, which was to credit to Satan the works of God (ie Satan empowered Jesus to heal people). If the sin is eternal one could think the punishment could be as well. But of course the 2nd death is a punishment of eternal death.

God's Wrath on Judgment Day
Scripture refers to judgment day as, "the day of wrath." It is just one day of wrath for mankind. God "stores up wrath for the day of judgment" for the sake of justice (Romans 2:5) so that those who hate Him, even after He offers them one more chance on that judgment day, can justly have the second death (which is annihilation) that they have chosen.

Why does Revelation 20:12 say God judges by deeds? Why oh, why wouldn't it say He judges them by sins? Because Jesus has already taken the sinful deeds of the world away! "The sting of death is sin" (1 Corinthians 15:56). God wants to take away that sting as much as He can, even for those who reject Him! He judges them by their deeds to ease the sting of death that sin has earned them.

But still how can a loving God punish anyone? God tormenting Satan isn't out of love for Satan but out of love for those who Satan has deceived. Likewise God's wrath for those who hate Him & those who embraced the beast is out of love for Jesus.

God is the giver of all good things and He holds all things together. If God's wrath includes separation from God His mere absence is the cause of the torture. Perhaps where God's goodness does not have influence there can only be torture and pain. Without Him there is no good left. All good things on earth are because of Him. His love is spread all over the world.

What about Hell?
There are three words translated as "hell" in the bible & two of them are different things.

Gehenna
Gehenna, also called "Gehenna of fire," referred to a literal place, the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned. Gehenna pictures the lake of fire. That lake is also called the "lake of fire & sulfur" meaning it smells, Gehenna smelled.

Hades
Hades pictures the realm of the dead or the grave. Sheol is the old testament (Hebrew) word for Hades (a Greek word). The "hell" spoken of being thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation 20 is Hades, not Gehenna. The lake of fire will not be thrown into itself. Hades is also spoken of as the grave in contrast to Jesus' resurrection.

The "parable" of Lazarus happened in Hades not Gehenna & it is told as a true story not as a parable. It speaks of flames & torment. Christ spoke the good news to these people in Hades after He died (1 Peter 3:18-19,4:6, quoted above). Interesting it says, "they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead." But the "they" that are spoken of aren't the people in Hades, it is the people living on earth. Lazarus sounds like he would be persuaded & he likely was when Jesus spoke to him there after His death on the cross. Hades & wrath reveal God's desperate love to save the otherwise unwilling.

Today there is still a Hades because it is spoken of as something that is thrown in the lake of fire in the future, not something abolished at the cross. Remember Hades is Sheol, "the grave."

Jesus often spoke of an "outer darkness" & a "furnace of fire." In Luke 13:28 He said of it, "In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out." He says the people in that place will see Abraham, just like Lazarus did! He was speaking of Hades, a temporary place with pain & misery.

"The gates of hell" that will not prevail against the body of Christ are the gates of Hades. Jesus was saying that death will not prevail over His people because they have His resurrection power within them & live an everlasting life. Remember He broke the power of sin & death. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus said, "I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades." Jesus has the keys of Hades and thus the power to release people from there who will trust Him on the judgment day. Hades itself will be thrown into the lake of fire.

Perhaps Jesus' gates of hell statement speaks of His people speaking to those in Hades as Abraham did because they cannot be stopped by the gates & Jesus holds the keys to the gates. I have not seen any place in scripture where Satan & Hades are even mentioned together. The gates of Hades does not picture the power of Satan & his forces but instead the power of the grave to stop the gospel. The grave will not stop God's people from proclaiming the gospel to those who have died! As Jesus & Abraham spoke to the "spirits in prison" so shall we. The gospel is about Christ conquering death so why assume He cannot conquer some one's first, bodily, death when it comes to saving them?

Why does God pour wrath out on the earth in Revelation?
Revelation 16:9 says, "Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not change their minds so as to give Him glory." We can see that in torment there are people who refuse to glorify God & live. They choose to suffer instead. The wrath of God that comes upon the earth in Revelation is God's last resort in getting people to choose Him & live because they would by no other means do so. This is also part of why people suffer in Hades. There is little to no time left for these people in Revelation to suffer in Hades so God has to bring wrath to the earth. "During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them" (Revelation 9:6). God makes these people suffer but without killing them. God does not kill people. He is not a murderer but a rescuer. So during His wrath people will suffer and not die. Likewise in Hades people suffer without a "death" event to end it. God essentially brings "hell on earth" because there is almost no time left for people to choose God & live. Wrath is the worst way of getting people to choose life but in the most extreme cases people need to be scorched to wake up & realize the danger of death.

What about "Narrow is the Way?"
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus says, "the broad gate LEADS to destruction." He did not say, "to enter the broad gate is to guarantee destruction." Also note that it leads to destruction, not to eternal torment. The narrow way is eternal life begun on earth. Eternal life on earth is important & it guarantees no second death. Life & love matter now!

Jesus says, "few find it." He uses comparative terms. Few are reborn on earth compared to the many who are reborn on judgment day. Few find it because most people look for God in religion which distorts & misrepresents Him. An innumerable amount of people will have been saved even before judgment day as Revelation 7:10 says, "I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes."

What's the point?
People who ask, "Well what is the point of doing good if people will go to heaven anyway?" don't understand grace or salvation & especially don't understand love. God is love. If we know Him we will want to love others with Him.

Why spread the gospel? 1. Because knowing God is good news! 2. Because people are suffering & are missing out on our amazing Father. The gospel is not spread out of obligation or fear for some one's eternal destiny. It all comes out of our love for the goodness of God & our love for people. Why wouldn't you want someone to experience the enjoyment of the greatest gift of all time as soon as they possibly can? The gospel isn't urgent because of the danger people are in. The gospel is urgent because of the good people are missing out on! Someone who loves would want others to enjoy the goodness of Jesus ASAP. It is not just good but good news!

Summary
I've personally never heard the viewpoint which I've adopted espoused by anyone else. Scripture doesn't have to be justified by men who hold polarized viewpoints to back themselves up, it just needs to be studied out by the leading of the Spirit. He leads you to truth. You don't lead yourself.

Those who retain their anger towards God at judgment will be annihilated in the lake of fire. God is love AND God is not unjust. God gives everyone a chance on the day of judgment to trust Him. Some are annihilated. Most, I think, are saved.

Is everyone saved in the end? No, but God is completely loving & completely just in all His dealings with mankind. Some men simply loved the darkness too much to ever embrace the light of life.

So with God all things are possible but nothing is forced. Mankind's free will determines their destiny. God doesn't force a totally two-way reconciliation nor has He left anyone without a second chance. God gives opportunities but the expiration date is the day of judgment where people will either choose Him & live or reject Him and die.

God created a universe where you can "have it your way." A universe where love is not something that manipulates you into servitude but instead is something to be enjoyed at will. "Your way" is not without consequences in this universe. God wants to show you His Way, Jesus, so you can have abundant life & never face the consequence of death. His way is to love you at all costs. You can have His love as long as you want His love.

"Whoever trusts in me has victory over sin & death, he will not be hurt by the second death. I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also was victorious and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 2:11, 3:21).

"As I live!" declares the Lord God, "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way to My Way, Jesus the Savior of mankind, and live. Why then will you die?" (Ezekiel 33:11, New Covenant paraphrase)

"I have set before you life and death. Therefore choose life, that you may live!" (Deuteronomy 30:19)

This is Part 2 of 2, See Also Part 1:  Saved? Saved from What? & Second Chances & Why God Killed

Saved? Saved from What?

Christians will tell you that they are "saved" or that "you should be saved." Well, saved from what? Most would say hell or God's wrath. So is God saving you from Himself? Does God really want to kill you & to save you at the same time?

The bible says, “The wages of sin is death,” not “The wages of God is death if you sin.” Sin has earned you death. Because of sin your body will die & if you are not somehow rescued you will face a second, eternal death in the lake of fire.

The bible speaks of "the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). God says in Revelation 3:5, "I will not erase the name of the man who overcomes from the book of life." Overcome means to conquer; to have victory; to win. "Whoever is born of God overcomes. This victory comes by trusting in Jesus. Who is the one who overcomes? He who trusts that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:4-5). People are born again by trusting in (believing in, having faith in) Jesus. Every Christian is born again. Everyone who is born again overcomes, they are victorious.

What then do they overcome? “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). The victory is over sin & death. Jesus broke the power of sin & death. "Christ Jesus, the savior of the world, broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News" (2 Timothy 1:10). Jesus saves people from the power of sin & death. The victory is a gift of God. Overcoming is a gift from God to those who trust His Son.

Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who trusts in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and trusts in Me will never die." (John 11:25). "For those who have trusted in Jesus the fact of sin & death has been replaced by the new reality of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. You are free from sin & death. You have been released from the reality of sin & death and born into a new reality of the spirit, the reality of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:2).

"Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Revelation 20:14-15). Going back to what God said in Revelation 3:5, "I will not erase the name of the man who overcomes from the book of life." Notice that God talks about erasing people from the book, not adding them to it. Every one's name is in the book of life by default. You must refuse to trust Jesus at every opportunity, refuse to join in His victory party over sin & death to have your name blotted out.

So does God really want to kill you & to save you at the same time? "God is patient with everyone. He doesn't want anyone to perish (die or be destroyed). He wants everyone to come to changing their mind to trust in Him" (2 Peter 3:9). He so doesn't want people to perish that He starts every one's name off in the book of life. Why then do people perish? "God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son so whoever trusts in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:16-17). God cannot make up your mind for you. You have to freely choose to trust in Him. He sent Jesus to save the world, not to judge it. He wants everyone to change their mind to trust in Him. You have to be willing to be rescued.

The Judgment scene in Revelation 20 interestingly makes no mention of the words, "sin" or "law." The lake of fire is the consequence for rejecting Jesus as your savior not a punishment for sin. Imagine you are in a burning building & you are hopeless to save yourself. If you reject the fireman who seeks to save you from the fire you will burn to death. Rejecting a savior results in death. The lake of fire is described as "the second death." If you aren't in the book of life you face death. Someone isn't erased from the book of life unless they choose death by rejecting life. Jesus is life, Jesus is The Life, Jesus is the life of those who trust Him. Those who choose death will be judged for their deeds but they are not judged because of their deeds, they are judged because they have rejected Christ.

"It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To anyone who is thirsty, I will give the water of life without cost. It is a free gift. He who overcomes, that is, He who trusts in me will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for those who didn't trust me, their destiny is the lake of fire and sulfur which is the second death" (Revelation 21:6-8).

"Whoever trusts in me has victory over sin & death, he will not be hurt by the second death. I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also was victorious and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 2:11, 3:21).

"I have set before you life and death. Therefore choose life, that you may live!" (Deuteronomy 30:19)

This is Part 1 of 2, See Part 2:  Eternal Torment, Annihilation, Ultimate Reconciliation? How about a little of each?

Salvation: Grace, Forgiveness, & Life

Saved by Grace
"It is by grace you have been saved, through trust and this is not from yourselves it is the gift of God. You are not saved by works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace implies graciousness which implies giving which implies gifts. Grace literally means "favor." I like to define favor as "God's disposition of loving-kindness."

Because God was predisposed to loving you and being kind to you, in His graciousness, He gave the gift of His Son. When you trust Him by receiving His gift, His Son, you are saved. You are not saved by works. You are not saved by turning from sin (a work). You are not saved by asking forgiveness (a work). You are saved by trusting Jesus. You change your mind from disbelief and doubt to trust, that is biblical repentance.

Forgiveness
"He has forgave us all our sins” (Colossians 2:13).
If someone accused me of something I hadn’t done and I forgave them, they would be forgiven. Forgiveness is all my side. Because of the cross, you are forgiven. You were not forgiven in accordance with anything you do, but in accordance with the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7). Forgiveness is all on God's side. It is something you receive as a gift. Gifts are already paid for. Forgiveness as a gift is something you receive by trust when you become aware of it. It is not something you have to ask for. When you trust the forgiveness Jesus bought at the cross you are saved. You cannot enjoy the benefit of the gift if you refuse to receive it. A gift refused is still a gift purchased & offered.

 

Changing Our Mind About Dead Works
Hebrews 6:1 calls one foundation of salvation "repentance from dead works." Repentance means "a change of mind." All works are dead if not done by Christ or through Christ. Repentance from dead works means you change your mind about dead works working. Hebrews 6:1 calls another foundation of salvation "trust in God." You change your mind about your works bringing life and realize, from hearing the good news, that only the work of Christ brings life so you choose to trust Jesus.

 

There is no law that can give life. (Galatians 3:21)
Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!" (John 5:39)
Jesus said, "It is the Spirit that gives life. Human effort accomplishes nothing." (John 6:63)
Jesus said, "Truly, truly I say to you, He who trusts in me has eternal life." (John 6:47)
Jesus said, "This is eternal life, to know You Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3)

The Good News of Relationship

Jesus said in John 17:3, "This is eternal life, to intimately know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent." Eternal life isn't merely heaven or immortality. Eternal life is relationship with God.

Wrath is not the focal point of the gospel, relationship is. God poured out His wrath for sin in the body of His Son Jesus to defeat sin, free His people from sin, and to remove the need for Him to count sin against people. By doing this He made relationship with Himself fully available to those who choose to trust Him. Wrath was the means God used to condemn sin itself thus making relationship with God available.

The cross wasn't to save us from the anger of the holy Father. It was the anger of the holy Father and the holy Son against sin because it harms and destroys the objects of His affection, mankind. Jesus came to "Save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) not to save His people from Himself.

"God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. In the body of Jesus God condemned sin in the flesh declaring an end to sin's control over us. He did this so that the righteous requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us" (Romans 8:3-4).

"God the Father was in Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19).

"Jesus took God's wrath for sin on our behalf so now, through trust, we are made right with God by the blood of Jesus and cured of sin. We are made whole by His life" (Romans 5:9-10).

If there were no heaven, if there were no hell God is still worth knowing. He is so loving that love itself is defined by who He is. "We have come to know, rely on, and have put our trust in the love God has for us. God is love" (1 John 4:16).

Replacing the Joy of Knowing God with a Place

We have made the issue of the afterlife about heaven and hell. Jesus didn't come to offer us heaven or hell. He came to offer us life. The choice isn't heaven or hell but life and death (see John 3:16-18).

What type of life did Jesus offer? Eternal life. What is eternal life? Jesus Himself told us, "This is eternal life to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent" (John 17:3).

So the real issue is about knowing God now and forevermore not about a place we go to after we die. Once again we have replaced a person with a place. We have removed God from the question about what happens when we die and made it about a destination. Jesus, who is life, came to offer us Himself, a life where we get to know Him and His Father in love from now to eternity.