What are the dead doing?

 

See how God is merciful to the dead, and how they travel through time. Marty McFly and Dr. Who got nothing on God when it comes to REAL time travel.

The ends of the 4 Christian hells, Part 2 (long version)

Dante and Virgil wager on vampire pro wrestling in hell

"Hell's bells, Mary!"

"Hell if I know!"

"What the bloody 'ell is goin' on in 'ere?"

"We had one hell of a time in Vegas!" 

The word hell is woven into our language in rather creative and unexplainable ways. Why the hell do we use the word hell so often, even when we're not talking about hell? "Hell if I know." But there it is, right on the tip of our tongues, ready for duty to infuse a little spice and fire into our communication.

But, the word hell is also used when hell is the topic of discussion. When this happens, what thoughts of hell invade your head? Are they clear? Foggy? Any visions of nude vampire wrestling? When someone blasts you with, "Rot in hell, muleface!" do you get a distinct vision of the destination?

Where did your concept(s) of hell come from? My concepts of hell used to come from a mix of the bible (a poorly translated bible), various religions, tradition, art, Hollywood, hell-fire preachers, etc. The biggest influences on me were the visuals of Hollywood and art. Who can forget the sight of Pinhead from the Hellraiser movie franchise? And Spawn? Remember Spawn? These ideas scared the crud out of me. I had horrible visions of my dead loved ones being tormented forever in these depictions of hell. And I was tormented simply by imagining their torment. Ever had that?

But now (thank God for now), after realizing the truth through the Scriptures (thank God for the Scriptures), I have no tormenting thoughts of hell. None. "Why do thoughts of hell no longer torment you?" you may ask. I reply, "Because I now realize that hell, as commonly known and taught by religion, whether Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or any other sect or person, is a myth." Because of God, my mind is now fixed on reality, not unicorns and hell.

Try to imagine if use of the word hell was outlawed, and we were forced to use the actual words from the Scriptures (you know, the ones that were good enough for God to use): "Gehenna's bells, Mary!" "We had a sheol of a time in Vegas." "Hades if I know!" That'd take some getting used to. But fun would be had by all. Yes, the truth is fun.

Recap of Part 1: the helling of hell

In Part 1 of this series we looked at hades/sheol, which is the unseen. It's where the souls of the dead go. While there, they are the dead-dead, not the living-dead. That means the dead are not experiencing anything; no torment for the baddies, and no bliss for the goodies (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

At the point of death, the spirit returns to God, and the soul goes down to hades/sheol. The body returns to the earth, usually after a V.I.P. tour through the morgue and a going-away party chuck-full of ham sandwiches (Psalm 104:29; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59). "Hey mister, there's nothing in those verses about ham sandwiches!" Right. The fusion of a body and the spirit results in a living soul. This is similar to a proper blend of hydrogen and oxygen resulting in water. The soul dies and descends to hades/sheol at the tearing apart of the body and the spirit.

The most influential bible of all time, the Authorized King James Version (AKJV), translates hades/sheol as hell. And it translates geenna (Gehenna) as hell. And it translates tartarosas (Tartarus) as hell.

(apply British accent now)

Scribe, "Master Scholar, is it right to use one word to translate three very different words and places? Will not the reader be confused?"

Master Scholar, "The ignorant masses will never notice. Just do your job, scribe. Asking questions is not your job."

Alrighty, then.

Hell: then and now

The Old English hel, or helle, basically meant covered/concealed, which is near to the meaning of hades/sheol, the unseen. The old phrase helling potatoes meant to put them in the ground, a pit or a cellar for keeping—the spuds were concealed/covered. If the world currently used the word hell in this fashion, we might all be a bit more joyful.

We don't even need to use the word hell, unless we're describing our most recent trip to Vegas. Why don't we just use the words God used to communicate through the Scriptures? Are we too good for them? Sheol and hades are perfectly good words. Gehenna is actually fun to say. Using them just minimizes confusion. But Satan was created to confuse. And confuse, he does.

Alas, I don't think the word hell is going anywhere any time soon.

One true aspect of the mythical hell is that it is unseen, hidden from the eyes of the living, just like the tater pit. Oh, but it's so much more than that. The hell of Christianity and other religions are jacked up on Satanic steroids.

A very simple and truthful equation is:

hell = concealed

 "That's it? That lame equation would never make it in the pro wrestling world of WWE, or in the world of religion. Get that crap off the stage!"

Leave it alone. It works. Enjoy the simple truth of hell. The apostle Paul told us to "have a pattern of sound words" (2 Timothy 1:13). Let's give it a go, eh?

Ahh, but Satan wasn't created by God to leave well-enough alone, now was he? The simple, old-timey truth of hell meaning simply unseen/concealed/covered is nearly lost as Satan pours vats of lies over it and blends a concoction of confusion. The truth is there in the blend, but its flavor is overpowered by the strength of the sugary-sweet lies. The blend Satan devises contains enough WWE appeal that Vince McMahon has a popular annual event called Hell in a Cell because, bottom line, "Hell sells!"

Satan's attention-grabbing (and profitable) equation is this:

Hell = concealed + everlasting fire + worms + torture + suffering + torment + destruction + weeping + pain + any other bad thing imaginable

That's an equation for a Monday night winner. And Christianity (along with other religions) drinks the concoction down to the dregs.

Hell, the concealed, has been helled.

The current understanding of hell is false. It is now, and has been for centuries, an unsound word. Yet, it is proclaimed, with much authority, as the final, everlasting destination of unbelievers. Hell currently defies an exact definition, partly because it has been used in poorly translated bibles for three very distinct places—hades/sheol, Gehenna, and Tartarus. That's like naming your three children George (including your daughter).

Understanding the original meaning of the word hell helps us see how it has mutated over time. Centuries of misuse have caused it to be far removed from its original simplicity.

Thank God Orthodox Christianity only has 4 hells (that I'm aware of). I'm not sure I would make it through a series on all of the Buddhist or Hindu hells.

Let's get on with it.

Christian Hell #2: Gehenna

Here are some words by A.E. Knoch from Unsearchable Riches, V65P2, page 258 (italics in original). He provides us with a thought that is very helpful to keep in mind as we progress.

Judgment is God's strange work. He uses it on the way. Men make it the end. No matter how an unbeliever is dealt with, whether he dies as a result of sin, or by the direct intervention of God, whether he be cast into outer darkness or into Gehenna, this is not his end. All who do not belong to Christ will be roused from the dead and judged before the great white throne. ... [Those] cast into the lake of fire, ... suffer the second death. Even this is not their end. God does not reach His goal in any of His disciplinary measures. These only prepare His creatures for it. Let us not confuse the going with the goal.

Christianity has confused the going with the goal, big time. Christianity's end has billions of people in everlasting conscious suffering. And the annihilationists within Christianity are no better, as they have the same billions dead forever. Their tiny Jesus is a massive failure (2 Corinthians 11:1–4).

But, in just 9 verses (1 Corinthians 15:20-28), God reveals to us clearly the thorough victory of His amazing Son. And what does Christianity do? It protests His victory. It protests His victory! It protests His victory! IT PROTESTS HIS VICTORY! The religion that uses the word Christ in its name—Christianity—denies Christ. They take His Name and title, but in vain. Talk about confusion. This is disrespect (aka blasphemy) on the highest level.

What the hell is Gehenna?

One of the keys to understanding Gehenna is its location. It is a valley near the great city of Jerusalem, to the south and west (green on map). It is there today. This locale does not change, and will remain as long as this present earth remains.

In contrast to hades/sheol, which is the unseen, Gehenna is very much the seen. It is not beneath, like hades/sheol; it is on the surface of the earth. The corpses that will be in Gehenna will be a visible warning sign to the living. It's a tangible deterrent. Hades/sheol swallows all of the dead—the baddies and the goodies. Gehenna is a place for dead unburied and unentombed criminals/sinners—baddies only. With these obvious differences in view, how the hell could the AKJV writers use hell for both hades/sheol and Gehenna? Liars.

(Side Note: When discussing the topic of hell, especially with a bible-thumper, it's a good idea to politely ask them to clarify which hell they are referring to.)

Jesus talked about Gehenna using horrible, vivid images. Since many bibles have used hell for Gehenna, the images Jesus presented to us of Gehenna make up a large part of our concept of hell. Jesus said there is fire in Gehenna. When Christianity sees fire, it instinctively thinks of hell.

Let's keep in mind that Jesus was sent to the house of Israel (Matthew 15:22–28; Romans 15:8). His teachings in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John must be understood in this light. If we confuse the things He taught specifically to Israel with the things in the New Testament that are for the nations, we are headed for the ditch filled with demonic doctrines.

The full scope of Jesus' beneficial mission, and victory, does include all of creation. But this is revealed to us through Paul, the apostle to the nations (Romans 8:18–25; Colossians 1:15–20). It's very interesting that Paul never mentions Gehenna. Yep. Part of the reason is because Gehenna is linked tightly to Jerusalem and Israel, and God's mission for Paul went far beyond this limited area and people. Other apostles were tasked with bringing the truth to Israel (Galatians 2:7–9).

People can currently walk or drive through the valley. It is not now operating as the Gehenna Jesus spoke of because His kingdom has not yet manifested on the earth.

I'll admit, I wish God would give us more to go on concerning many subjects, including Gehenna. But we have to be content with what He gives us in the Scriptures. We can't be so led by our hunger for more knowledge that we begin to swallow information from sources outside of the Scriptures just because it supports our particular view. I see people try to promote lies based on non-scriptural sources. If any information we encounter outside of the Scriptures jives with the Scriptures, fine, believe it. But if it doesn't, we must realize that this information is not scriptural, and should always be kept in its proper place. Be on your guard.

Gehenna in the Old Testament

The valley of Gehenna has had various names over time. And though it has been used in many different ways, it has always been the valley to the south and west of Jerusalem.

The Valley of the Son of Hinnom

Throughout the Old Testament, Gehenna is called the valley of the Son of Hinnom (Joshua 15:8, 18:16, etc.) and the valley of Hinnom. Topheth (or Tophet) was a location within the valley and was often mentioned with it. Some details of the valley:

• it is part of the boundary between the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 15:8, 18:16)
• it is one of the three main valleys near Jerusalem, the others being the Kidron Valley and the Tyropoeon Valley (Valley of the Cheesemakers or Tyrians)
• it became a place of idol worship (Baal, Molech) where wayward Jews sacrificed their sons and daughters in fire (2 Chronicles 28:3)
• the sons of Judah built the high places of Topheth, which was in the valley, to sacrifice their children (Jeremiah 7:31)
• King Josiah broke down the child sacrifice altars of Topheth (2 Kings 23:10)
• God says in Jeremiah 7:32–33, "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares Yahweh, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. ³³ And the carcasses of this people shall be food for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away."
• In Jeremiah 19:11–13, he prophesies against Jerusalem saying, "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, 'As in this way I shall break this people and this city just as one breaks a potter’s vessel which cannot be mended again. And they shall entomb in Topheth until there is no place to entomb ¹² So shall I do to this place, averring is Yahweh, and to its dwellers, so as to make this city like Topheth. ¹³ The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become unclean like the place Topheth ... .'"

God's words against Judah in Jeremiah 7 and 19 came to pass when the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (2 Kings 24–25 and Jeremiah 52). This is key to our understanding of Jesus' upcoming words concerning Gehenna.

Jesus' Jewish audience knew full well what God had done to the the rebellious Jews in the past. They knew that God's bark was followed by a ferocious bite. They knew that the valley of the Son of Hinnom had a very dark history due to the sinfulness of the Jews. They knew God transformed "the valley of the Son of Hinnom" into "the valley of slaughter" and filled it with rebellious Jews.

Gehenna in the New Testament

Because of the valley's past, avoiding any kind of judgment related to that valley was high on a Jew's priority list. Jesus revealed to them the thin line between life and Gehenna as He made it clear that future judgments were also linked to the valley.

It is debated as to whether the valley Gehenna was Jerusalem's garbage dump during the time of Christ. Many say garbage and unburied/unentombed criminals ended up in the valley to be consumed by an army of worms and fire. If Gehenna was the city dump where garbage and criminals ended up, then those who heard Jesus had the powerful real-life visual to reinforce His threats. If it wasn't, the dark history of the valley was enough for them get the picture He was painting.

The Hebrew phrase gê hinnom (“ravine of Hinnom”) became geenna in the New Testament, which became Gehenna in English.

Gehenna occurs 12 times in the New Testament. 11 of these are from Jesus' lips and the other from James, who wrote specifically to the 12 tribes of Israel (James 1:1). Jesus' focus during this time was Israel (Matthew 15:24). He was "the Servant of the Circumcision" (Romans 15:8).

The judgments of the valley are related to the transgression of God's law that was given to Moses. As we see from Matthew 5:22 there are various levels of judgment. Not all transgressors "shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire." But some are. When Christ reigns on the earth, the law and its consequences will be clear to the earth's inhabitants. Loopholes will not exist under His reign.

 The following quotes are from the Concordant Literal New Testament (CLNT):

• Matthew 5:22: "Yet I am saying to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judging. Yet whoever may be saying to his brother, 'Raka!' shall be liable to the Sanhedrin. Yet whoever may be saying, 'Stupid!' shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire."
• Matthew 5:29: "Now, if your right eye is snaring you, wrench it out and cast it from you, for it is expedient for you that one of your members should perish and not your whole body be cast into Gehenna."
• Matthew 5:30: "And if your right hand is snaring you, strike it off and cast it from you, for it is expedient for you that one of your members should perish and not your whole body pass away into Gehenna."
• Matthew 10:28: "And do not fear those who are killing the body, yet are not able to kill the soul. Yet be fearing Him, rather, Who is able to destroy the soul as well as the body in Gehenna."
• Matthew 18:9: "And if your eye is snaring you, wrench it out and cast it from you. Is it ideal for you to be entering into life one-eyed, or, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehenna of fire?"
• Matthew 23:15: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are going about the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and whenever he may be becoming one, you are making him more than double a son of Gehenna than you are."
• Matthew 23:33: "Serpents! Progeny of vipers! How may you be fleeing from the judging of Gehenna?"
• Mark 9:43–48: "And if your hand should ever be snaring you, strike it off. It is ideal for you to be entering into life maimed, rather than, having two hands, to come away into Gehenna, into the unextinguished fire ⁴⁴ where their worm is not deceasing and the fire is not going out. ⁴⁵ And if your foot should be snaring you, strike it off. For it is ideal for you to be entering into life maimed or lame, rather than, having two feet, to be cast into Gehenna, into the unextinguished fire, ⁴⁶ where their worm is not deceasing and the fire is not going out. ⁴⁷ And if your eye should be snaring you, cast it out. It is ideal for you to be entering into the kingdom of God one-eyed, rather than, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehenna of fire, ⁴⁸ where their worm is not deceasing and the fire is not going out."
• Luke 12:4–5: "Now I am saying to you, My friends, be not afraid of those who are killing the body and after this do not have anything more excessive that they can do. ⁵ Now I shall be intimating to you of Whom you may be afraid: Be afraid of Him Who, after killing, has authority to be casting into Gehenna. Yea, I am saying to you, of this One be afraid!"
• James 3:6: "And the tongue is a fire, a world of injustice. The tongue is constituted among our members that which is spotting the whole body, and setting the wheel of our lineage aflame, and is set aflame by Gehenna."

Check your bible against this list. Many popular bible versions use hell in these verses where God clearly used geenna (Gehenna). Why do they make this massive leap from Gehenna to hell? Remember, Gehenna is seen, and hell, in its true sense, means concealed. The reasons for this great leap are various, and none are legitimate. Satan's fingerprints are all over this crime scene.

In The Wars of the Jews, first-century Jewish historian Josephus writes about the Jewish revolt against the Roman empire in 66–74 AD. The inhabitants of Jerusalem were dying of starvation as the Romans surrounded the city. The dead multiplied within the city to the point that, according to Josephus, "they had them cast down from the walls into the valleys beneath" (Book 5, Ch.12.3). Jesus knew this was going to happen. Was this scene in His mind as He spoke to His audience concerning Gehenna? I can't say for sure. But Josephus' words show us how the scenes in the valley can change drastically and quickly.

The SKILSAW surgeon

The Scriptures make it clear when Jesus is speaking in parables, and when He's not. His warnings of Gehenna are no parable. He was telling the Jews to get rid of things in their lives that would keep them from life. He used the extreme, symbolic example of lopping off and gouging out body parts to illustrate this. To literally do this would be foolish.

Weapon of spiritual warfare?

And it happened.

I read a newspaper story years ago about a man on a construction site who used a power saw to cut off his hand. He based his extreme act on Jesus' warnings concerning Gehenna. Apparently his hand had been a naughty boy. But this was foolish. Do you think this man ceased to sin after he cut his hand off? His other hand probably took advantage of the situation when it saw the competition was gone.

Sin in a man doesn't originate in the hand, the foot, or the eye. The heart is the culprit, as Jesus said in Matthew 15:18–19 (CLNT),

Now those things going out of the mouth, out of the heart are coming, and those things are contaminating a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart are coming wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, prostitutions, thefts, false testimonies, calumnies.

The hands, eyes, feet and other body parts are simply tools used by a wicked heart to bring the sinful desire to the level of sinful experience. The Scriptures teach that the heart is the thing that needs to be made new. Ezekiel 18:31,

Fling away from you all your transgressions by which you transgressed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; why should you die, house of Israel?

Concordant Version of the Old Testament - CVOT

And later in Ezekiel 36:26 God says to Israel,

I will give you a new heart, And a new spirit will I bestow within you, And I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh, And I will give you a heart of flesh. (CVOT)

God is the only One who can give a new heart. If Jesus truly wanted people to remove body parts to be right with Him, they'd have to get rid of the heart also. And there wouldn't be much living after that.

Is the literal removal of body parts a work that is required to enter life? What happened to salvation being the work of Christ alone, by grace alone? The guy who lops off body parts to gain life would then have reason to boast before God, "Look at me God! It's Phineas. Down here. The blind, penis-less torso and head! It wasn't easy, but, here I am. Let me in!" This is a no-no (Ephesians 2:8–10). I'm thinking that somewhere out there in the vast world is a religious group in which the lopping off of body parts is proof of spirituality (similar to those idiotic snake-handlers).

Jesus and Isaiah at the worm buffet

So we see "the valley of the Son of Hinnom" in the Old Testament, and "Gehenna" in the New Testament. They are linked together by Isaiah 66, Mark 9, worms and fire.

In Mark 9:43–48 (see above) Jesus mentions undying worms and undying fire. Isaiah first refers to these two corpse eaters working together in 66:23–24,

And it will come to be, as often as the new moon comes in its monthly time, And as often as the sabbath comes in its sabbath cycle, All flesh shall come to worship before Me, says Yahweh. ²⁴ And they will go forth and see the corpses of the mortals.who transgressed against Me, For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall not be quenched, And they will become a repulsion to all flesh. (CVOT)

Zechariah 14:16 tells us of people coming to Jerusalem during the millennium (which is in the next eon),

And it will come to be that everyone left of all the nations coming against Jerusalem, they will also go up, as often as year by year, to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to celebrate the festival of booths. (CVOT)

These pilgrims will witness the result of the judgment of transgressors in Gehenna. I believe this will be a great deterrent and tangible proof that you don't mess with the Son of God, Who will wield an iron club during the millennium.

The unquenchable fire; unstoppable birds and beasts

Jesus says "the fire is not going out," and Isaiah says the fire "shall not be quenched." Does this mean it will burn forever and ever and ever ... ? No. It simply means no one will be able to put it out while it is completing the task God has assigned to it. God's words in Jeremiah 17:27,

Yet if you do not hearken to Me to hallow the sabbath day so as not to bear a load or come with it through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will ravage its gates with fire, and it will devour the citadels of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.  (CVOT)

2 Chronicles 36:19 and Jeremiah 52:13 describe the fire that God promised would come on Jerusalem for continued rebellion. Is that fire still burning today? No. Then it was a quenchable fire—quenchable by God—and in no way everlasting.

God starts all of His judgment fires with a purpose that is far beyond the judgment fires. He alone will quench His fires when the work is complete.

We see another fire in Leviticus 6:12–13 that "shall not be quenched,"

Yet the fire on the altar shall be kept glowing on it; it shall not be quenched. The priest will make wood consume on it morning by morning and arrange the ascent offering on it and cause the fat portions of the peace offerings to fume on it. ¹³ The fire, it shall be kept glowing continually on the altar; it shall not be quenched. (CVOT)

The altar and the fire are both long-gone.

We see another instance of bodies thrown into Gehenna where fire and worms are not the primary corpse eaters. Jeremiah 7:32–33,

Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares Yahweh, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. ³³ And the carcasses of this people shall be food for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.

The birds and the beasts were also unstoppable devourers, but not everlasting eaters. They feasted boldly until their godly mission was accomplished. There will be an event similar to this when Christ returns to the earth and slays the kings of the earth and their armies (Revelation 19:17–21). Birds will be called to "the great dinner of God" to feast on the flesh of those killed. They will eat until the plate is clean.

Gehenna is a temporary eonian fire

Following is an example of a false definition of geenna, from BibleHub.com. This concoction is the result of false assumptions and bad traditions blended with demon juice,

(italics are in the original, I supplied the pretty colors)

HELPS Word-studies

1067 géenna (a transliteration of the Hebrew term, Gêhinnōm, "the valley of Hinnom") – Gehenna, i.e. hell (also referred to as the "lake of fire" in Revelation).

Gehenna ("hell"), the place of post-resurrection torment (judgment), refers strictly to the everlasting abode of the unredeemed where they experience divine judgment in their individual resurrection-bodies. Each of the unredeemed receives one at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11–15), i.e. a body that "matches" their capacity for torment relating to their (unique) judgment.

That's a sloppy pile of hot crap, with a little truth on top (the green). It's like beautiful frosting on a cake made of manure, yes, manure.

"HELPS" is very unhelpful when they go off the rails in the yellow into the deep ditch of false Christian tradition. There is zero scriptural support for the ideas above in the yellow. Satan's many concoctions, like this one, consist of various blends of truth and lies.

Notice this false definition states "Gehenna ... refers strictly to the everlasting abode of the unredeemed ... ." But this is contradicted by Jesus' words in Matthew 18:8–9,

Now, if your hand or your foot is snaring you, strike it off and cast it from you. Is it ideal for you to be entering into life maimed or lame, or, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the fire eonian? ⁹ And if your eye is snaring you, wrench it out and cast it from you. Is it ideal for you to be entering into life one-eyed, or, having two eyes, to be cast into the Gehenna of fire? (CLNT)

Here Jesus gives us a valuable clue concerning Gehenna when He uses "fire eonian" in verse 8 as a parallel to "Gehenna of fire" in verse 9. Gehenna is a fire eonian.

Eonian is the CLNT translation of the Greek adjective aionion in verse 8. Every time God uses aionion, or its near relatives, He is describing something that is concerned with one or all of the aions (CLNT - eons). It never denotes endless or everlasting. (See The Eonian Times Chart, and a more in-depth look at aion and aionios.)

God has used "fire eonian" in the past. Jude 7,

As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner to these committing ultra-prostitution, and coming away after other flesh, are lying before us, a specimen, experiencing the justice of fire eonian. (CLNT)

Most bible translations call the fire in this verse eternal instead of eonian (the Greek is aioniou). Over the years, many have sought to pinpoint the location of Sodom and Gomorrah. If the fire that God used to destroy them is eternal, they should be able to see the still-burning eternal fire and easily proclaim, "Sodom and Gomorrah are right there, dummy." But no such fire exists today, because God didn't use eternal fire, He used eonian fire. It was temp-o-rar-y.

So we see from the example of Sodom and Gomorrah that fire eonian is temporary, not in any way eternal or everlasting. Thus, Matthew 18:8–9 reveals to us that Gehenna is a fire eonian, not an eternal fire or everlasting fire, as taught by Christianity. Is this a game-changer? Oh, boy!

Is Gehenna the lake of fire?

No one in their right mind would say that the valley of the Son of Hinnom in the Old testament was hell or the lake of fire. Yet, a miraculous transformation takes place when we enter the New Testament. Now the valley does mutate into hell and the lake of fire. Why? What changed?

Nothing.

Let's look at some evidence that differentiates the lake of fire from Gehenna.

• The most obvious difference is that Gehenna is a valley, and the lake of fire is a lake. God knows the difference, so should we.
• Gehenna is a geographical location near Jerusalem. It's on the earth. We are not told where the lake of fire is located. The lake of fire does exist during the time of this current earth (Revelation 19:20, 20:10). But we don't see it currently on the earth. The lake of fire exists after this current earth is gone (Revelation 20:11–15), which leads me to believe it is not on the earth. And it exists during the time of the new earth (Revelation 21:1,8). Thus, it is probable that the lake of fire is not a geographical location on the earth, since the current earth will be completely consumed by fire, and the lake of fire survives this transition.
• The worms and fires in the valley of Gehenna will devour corpses slowly as compared to the quick consumption that takes place when the living are cast into the lake of fire after the great white throne judgment.
• The dead are cast into Gehenna, the living into the lake of fire, where they instantly die.
• Gehenna is a relatively small valley, with a relatively small capacity for corpses. Jesus said "many" enter destruction, while "few" enter life (Matthew 7:13–14). Is the valley of Gehenna large enough to handle the billions who die a second time? I don't think so. It seems the valley was filled to capacity during the very small local judgment in Jeremiah 19:11. The lake of fire, on the other hand, will have the capacity, partly due to the speed of consumption of those cast into it.
• The lake of fire is the second death. Those cast into Gehenna during the millennial reign of Christ will have experienced only one death.
• The lake of fire is the second death and the cause of the second death. Those cast into Gehenna are already dead—Gehenna is not the cause of their death, but their destination after they are killed (Luke 12:5).
• The beast and the false prophet are alive in the lake of fire during the millennium (Revelation 19:20, 20:10). Dead transgressors are in Gehenna during the millennium.
• No human is cast into the lake of fire until after the millennium and the great white throne judgment. Gehenna is gone before the great white throne judgment commences, as it will flee with the earth right before the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11).
• The dead rebels thrown into Gehenna during the millennium will be raised at the great white throne then cast into the lake of fire. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

We must keep distinct that which God has made distinct. Trust me, He'll sort it all out in the end.

A sneak-peak of Jesus' millennial justice

During the millennium, and beyond, the law-and-order aspect of Christ's reign will be right and swift because those who rule and reign will be operating on a superior spiritual level. They will be immortals. They will have the full measure of God's spirit. They will know and see the truth and judge accordingly.

We can see previews of His reign in a couple of instances from the book of Acts. The all-knowing holy spirit and an angelic messenger dispense cans of whoop-ass on the guilty.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–11 is quite shocking. The apostles knew nothing of the couple's deception apart from the spirit. The couple sold some property and gave the money to the apostles. But they lied about the full amount of the sale, and they kept some of the money for themselves. Peter confronted Ananias with his crime in verse 4, "You do not lie to men, but to God." He was dealt with right then and there, falling down and giving up the soul (v.5). And great fear came on all who heard of it. His wife received the same judgment about three hours later. The apostles didn't even have to lay a hand on them. Yet both fell dead by supernatural means for their serious crimes.

In Acts 12:19–23, Herod gave a speech that awed the crowd. The kiss-ass audience praised him as a god. He accepted this unworthy praise instead of glorifying the true God. So a messenger of the Lord struck him dead.

Though we can't know for sure how every transgression will be dealt with during Christ's reign, we can know that it will be far superior to man's current inept rule.

But, as always, God's judgments have a purpose that is higher than the the judgment itself. Isaiah 26:9, "For [only] when Your judgments are experienced on the earth will the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness" (Amplified Bible - AMP). The learning of righteousness, and living according to that learning, are the goals of God for humanity, not the judgments. The judgments are part of the going, and are not the end.

Isaiah 2:2–3 tells of Christ's rule from Jerusalem during the millennium,

And it will come to pass in the latter days, The Mount of the House of Yahweh shall be established on the summit of the mountains, And it shall be lifted up above the hills, And all the nations will stream unto it. ³ Many peoples will come and say: "Come, and let us ascend to the Mount of Yahweh, To the house of the Elohim of Jacob; And He shall direct us out of His ways, So that we may indeed walk in His paths." For from Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. (CVOT)

The coming millennial kingdom will be marked by tremendous blessings. Swift and efficient judgment will be one of those great blessings. The judgment of Gehenna will be one of Christ's methods for dealing with sin.

One of the biggest troubling aspects of man's current ruling over other men is injustice. People are wrongly accused and sentenced for crimes they did not commit. On the flip-side, many criminals get away with their wicked acts. This will not be the case when Christ and His kings rule the earth.

The millennium is not paradise restored

No, the millennium will not be perfect, meaning sin and death and rebellion will remain. Satan will be bound for the 1000 years and will not be actively deceiving the nations (Revelation 20:1–3). But those in the goat nations who enter the millennium will transport some bad stuff into the new eon (see Matthew 25:31–46).

However, those who will live during the millennium will see astounding, world-wide changes as Christ assumes His rightful place as King of kings and Lord of lords. "The kingdom of this world became our Lord's and His Christ's, and He shall be reigning for the eons of the eons! Amen!" (Revelation 11:15). There will still be much work to do, and He'll do it, along with His people.

He and His government will rule with an iron club (Revelation 2:27, 12:5, 19:15). The iron club is a necessity because sin and death have not been completely annulled during this time. I'm not at all happy with God's timetable with this whole thing. I wish we could just fast-forward to the successful end of Christ's reign when sin and death will be done with forever. I don't like it, but I trust Him. God will complete His plans according to His schedule, not mine. What choice do I really have but to live with it and rest in His love and goodness?

Psalm 2:7–9 speaks of Christ's reign,

Do let me recount the statute of Yahweh: He has said to Me, "My Son are You; I, today, have begotten You. ⁸ Ask of Me, and I shall give the nations as Your allotment, and as Your holding, the limits of the earth. ⁹ You shall smash them with a club of iron; like a vessel of a potter, You shall shatter them."

Zechariah 14:16–19 gives us another glimpse into the millennial reign,

And it will come to be that everyone left of all the nations coming against Jerusalem, they will also go up, as often as year by year, to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to celebrate the festival of booths. ¹⁷ And it will come, whoever shall not go up from the families of the earth, to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, then the downpour shall not come on them.¹⁸ And if a family of Egypt shall not go up, and will not come, then it will not be on them; there shall come the stroke with which Yahweh shall strike the nations which will not go up to celebrate the festival of booths.¹⁹ This shall be the sin of Egypt, and the sin of all the nations which will not go up to celebrate the festival of booths.

The rebellious nations will be chastened throughout the next eon, just as Jesus foretold in His judging of the nations in Matthew 25:46, "And these shall be coming away into chastening eonian, yet the just into life eonian."

Isaiah 60:12,

For the nation and the kingdom that shall not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be wasted, yea wasted.

Acts 17:30–31,

Indeed, then, condoning the times of ignorance, God is now charging mankind that all everywhere are to repent, ³¹ forasmuch as He assigns a day in which He is about to be judging the inhabited earth in righteousness by the Man Whom He specifies, tendering faith to all, raising Him from among the dead --

There will be those who experience judgment by exclusion during the millennium. Matthew 8:11–12,

Now I am saying to you that many from the east and the west shall be arriving and reclining with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens, ¹² yet the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. There shall be lamentation and gnashing of teeth.

Those cast into outer darkness will actually see the patriarchs and the prophets enjoying the blessings of the kingdom, but will be excluded (Luke 13:28).

God's gonna blow stuff up

There are so many future events that we cannot wrap our minds around. These events are solidly set on God's calendar and will reveal to our eyeballs the true awesomeness of our Creator. And they will literally transform His (and our) universe.

Revelation 20:11 tells us, "And I perceived a great white throne, and Him Who is sitting upon it, from Whose face earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them." Gehenna, the earthbound valley outside of Jerusalem, flees from God's face with the earth. I'm sure Hollywood could come up with some cool scenes of this powerful event. But the actual event will be far more impressive than what anyone can envision.

After the incredible events at the great white throne play out (Revelation 20:12–15), we read this in Revelation 21:1–2,

And I perceived a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth pass away, and the sea is no more. ² And I perceived the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

The present earth is gone. The present heaven is gone. The sea is no more. Old Jerusalem is gone. The new Jerusalem arrives. Peter gives us additional details of these events in 2 Peter 3:7–13,

Earth, in the future

Yet the heavens now, and the earth, by the same word, are stored with fire, being kept for the day of the judging and destruction of irreverent men. ⁸ Now of this one thing you are not to be oblivious, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not tardy as to the promise, as some are deeming tardiness, but is patient because of you, not intending any to perish, but all to make room for repentance. ¹⁰ Now the day of the Lord will be arriving as a thief, in which the heavens shall be passing by with a booming noise, yet the elements shall be dissolved by combustion, and the earth and the works in it shall be found. ¹¹ At these all, then, dissolving, to what manner of men must you belong in holy behavior and devoutness, ¹² hoping for and hurrying the presence of God's day, because of which the heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements decompose by combustion! ¹³ Yet we, according to His promises, are hoping for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is dwelling.

This supernatural destruction of the current heaven and earth is not the end of God's work, but a transition into new things, better things.

Just as Christ's appearing at the end of this eon ushers in "the day of the Lord" (v.10), so too the destructive events at the end of the day of the Lord in verse 10 usher creation into "God's day" (v.12). God's day contains the new heavens and new earth. Emerging out of such catastrophic destruction in the Lord's day is something better in God's day. Only God can do this on such an immense scale. It ... will ... be ... AWESOME!

Christ will lay down the iron club that He wielded throughout the Lord's day as we enter the final eon of God's eonian times. Christ and the saints still reign, but God's day will be marked by righteousness (v.13).

The end of Gehenna, the 2nd Christian "hell"

Gehenna is a "fire eonian" that pertains to the eons. It is not everlasting. In fact, the valley of the son of Hinnom does not survive the great combustion that Peter wrote about. Gehenna ends when the current earth ends. It will have served God's eonian purpose for it, and it will be removed.

The putrid sights and smells of Gehenna will have no place on the new earth. Gehenna is not mentioned in relation to the new heaven and new earth. Those raised at the great white throne who are not found written in the scroll of life will be sent to their second death in the lake of fire, not Gehenna.

Those cast into the lake of fire/second death after the great white throne judgment will be the last humans to experience the event called death. Those who thirst in God's day will be given the water of life freely by God (Revelation 21:6).

God will be making all things new. Life and work go on through the final eon. But peace and righteousness reign in the lasting newness.

Hades/sheol and the first death will have been cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). During God's day, the lake of fire is the holder the dead. No hades/sheol, no Gehenna, no first death, no sea. We will look at the lake of fire in more detail at the end of this series.

So, there it is. The end of Gehenna, the 2nd Christian "hell." Two down, two to go. In Part 3 we will look at Tartarus.
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Images

• "Dante and Virgil in Hell" By William-Adolphe Bouguereau - -AF79SI4-gGMKA at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31973668
• "Woman with Unicorn" (1510) by anonymous. Original from The Rijksmuseum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel. CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication talk bubbles and words added
• Dwayne Johnson by Eva Rinaldi  CC BY-SA 2.0 ; thought bubbles and words added
• "Map of Jerusalem" https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/The_museum_of_classical_antiquities_-_being_a_series_of_essays_on_ancient_art_%281860%29_%2814777374334%29.jpg/2048px-The_museum_of_classical_antiquities_-_being_a_series_of_essays_on_ancient_art_%281860%29_%2814777374334%29.jpg cropped; green added
• "Valley of Hinnom" photo by Dror Feitelson Pikiwiki Israel CC BY 2.5
• Skilsaw by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; wikimedia commons; public domain
• "Hungry Worm" by Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Needpix.com
• Frog with fire extinguisher https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-xwvwp
• Jerusalem elevation drawing by unknown https://i0.wp.com/www.bible-history.com/jerusalem/jerusalem-topography.jpg hilited
• "The Death of Ananias" by Jan Steen Public Domain
• Melting earth on Pikist 

"Why I no longer believe the second death is figurative."

God tells us through the apostle Peter, "Yet be growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18 - Concordant Literal New Testament - CLNT). And those are my goals—growing and knowing.

Growing is sometimes painful, especially when I'm growing out of error and into truth. This entails admitting that I was wrong about something. Who likes to admit that?

I was wrong about the second death. This was due, in part, to errors I picked up while trudging through orthodox Christianity for 17 years. I liken these errors to ticks that affixed to my body in hidden places, slyly sucking precious life from me. But God, Who sees and knows all my affixed ticks by name, has plucked these parasites from me and set me free from many errors.

Having believed the error, and then been set free from it, makes me appreciate the truth that much more. The experiencing of both error and truth helps me relate better to people who are still in error. And freedom is more precious to a former slave than to someone who's never been shackled.

"What happens to those who are cast into the lake of fire?"

Revelation 20:14 tells us, "This is the second death-the lake of fire" (CLNT). When I was in orthodox Christianity, I believed billions of people will be tormented alive forever in the lake of fire/second death. (Reading that last sentence makes me now feel foolish for what I actually believed and taught.)

The great white throne judgment and the second death are coming. They are on God's timetable and will arrive on schedule. They are part of His grand plan, but not the end of His plan.

Revelation 20:15 says, "And if anyone was not found written in the scroll of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." So, if those cast into the lake of fire aren't tormented forever, what will happen to them? They will die. Period. End of chapter (but not the end of their book). You can go home now. There's no more to see here. Move along people, move along.

Not convinced?

I know, I know. The simple truths from God, like "This is the second death–the lake of fire," need unsimple explanations. This is because we are constantly having to untwist the Adversary's knotting of the Scriptures before we can see the simple truths. Every time God has moved me from error to truth, it has been delivery from a complex lie to the simple truth.

According to Hebrews 6:1–2, the teachings about resurrection and judgment are basic, and we should move past them to more mature subjects. But the Satanic and religious muddying of these basic truths takes time to clean up. And there are constantly waves of new people arriving on shore who need to be delivered from traditional lies to the truth.

Here's my conversion story concerning the lake of fire/second death. Maybe it will help you see the truth of this part of God's plan.

Tied up in naughty knots

I believed for many years that the second death will be figurative. This means I believed people would be physically alive, but also in a form of death (or oblivion) mentally and spiritually. I believed this for several years, even after realizing that Jesus did indeed save all people on the cross. Even after realizing eternal torment and annihilation are demonic lies.

A few years ago, I was set free from this lie by God, His Scriptures, A.E. Knoch, and Martin Zender. I'm deeply thankful for this.

One passage I used to support my belief in a figurative second death was the parable of the prodigal son. In Luke 15:24, the loving father says of his returned wayward son, "for this my son was dead and revives; he was lost and was found." The son was not literally dead, but figuratively dead. He was oblivious to how good his life truly was with his father. Then he came to his senses and figuratively revived from his figurative state of death. I took this obvious figurative usage of death and illegally used it to support my belief in a figurative second death. I used it to reinforce the idea that dead people in the lake of fire will be alive while dead. I saw the lake of fire/second death as a sort of reform school of ultra-hard knocks that will bring people to their senses, like the prodigal son. I made the mistake of mixing the literal with the figurative. We must not mix what God has kept separate. And remember this rule for understanding the Scriptures: literal if possible.

Resurrection and vivification

My error was also largely based on a misunderstanding of the resurrections taught in the Scriptures.

There are two types of resurrections in the Scriptures. But most bible versions don't make a clear distinction between them. The Concordant Literal New Testament does.

Resurrection, in its lowest form, is a raising from the dead, but not to immortality. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was raised from the dead, but not made immortal (John 11:1–46). Even in its lowest form, resurrection is spectacular. Imagine holding your dearest departed loved one in your arms again. See what I mean? Holding them again is worth having to eventually pay for their second funeral. But the highest form of resurrection is to immortality. Vivifiy is the word used by the CLNT to describe God's powerful work to give immortality to all.

We see the vivification of all in 1 Corinthians 15:22, "For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified." The CLNT maintains the clear distinction between resurrection (Greek: anastasin) and vivified (Greek: zōopoiēthēsontai).

Christ was not the first person to be resurrected. He raised several people from the dead prior to His own resurrection. But He is called "the Firstfruit" of resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:20–23. If He wasn't the first to be resurrected, how can He be the Firstfruit? Here's how: He is the first One raised from the dead to experience vivification. And He is the only One, so far, Who has been vivified. 1 Timothy 6:16 clarifies for us what vivification is when it says of Christ "Who alone has immortality." He alone currently has immortality through vivification. Two classes of people will follow Him in like manner—"in Christ, shall all be vivified."

The following two verses hint at a distinction between resurrection and vivification,

John 11:25,

Jesus said to her, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who is believing in Me, even if he should be dying, shall be living."

John 5:21,

For even as the Father is rousing the dead and vivifying, thus the Son also is vivifying whom He will.

And Jesus' mind-blowing words in John 5:28–29,

Marvel not at this, for coming is the hour in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, ²⁹ and those who do good shall go out into a resurrection of life, yet those who commit bad things, into a resurrection of judging. 

The phrase resurrection of life also hints at something more than resurrection (Greek: anastasin). The word resurrection means restoration to life from death–to stand up. But why add of life to resurrection? Because God is pointing us to something more than a return to mortal life from the death state. He is pointing us toward true life—immortality. And this is what occurs in the resurrection of life. Thus, the resurrection of judging, even though it also gives life to the dead, lacks the level of life included in the resurrection of life.

I took Jesus' words literally when He spoke of these two distinct resurrections in John 5:28–29. But, when I was in error concerning the second death, I mentally added a non-existent limitation to what He said. I assumed there would be only these two resurrections in the future. I was ignorant of another resurrection—the final vivification. I thought Jesus was going to fire all of His bullets at death in these two resurrections. He will destroy the first death at the time of the great white throne judgment, "And death and the unseen were cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14). But the second death would still exist. In my ignorance, I had to find a way for Him to overcome the second death with these two spectacular resurrections. So I had to somehow work immortality into the resurrection of judging.

The resurrection of life and the resurrection of judging

The resurrection of life is spoken of in the following passages,

Revelation 20:4–6,

And I perceived thrones, and they are seated on them, and judgment was granted to them. And the souls of those executed because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who do not worship the wild beast or its image, and did not get the emblem on their forehead and on their hand - they also live and reign with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead do not live until the thousand years should be finished.) This is the former resurrection. ⁶ Happy and holy is he who is having part in the former resurrection! Over these the second death has no jurisdiction, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will be reigning with Him the thousand years.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18,

Now we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are reposing, lest you may sorrow according as the rest, also, who have no expectation. ¹⁴ For, if we are believing that Jesus died and rose, thus also, those who are put to repose, will God, through Jesus, lead forth together with Him. ¹⁵ For this we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who are surviving to the presence of the Lord, should by no means outstrip those who are put to repose, ¹⁶ for the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the Chief Messenger, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall be rising first.¹⁷ Thereupon we, the living who are surviving, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be together with the Lord. ¹⁸ So that, console one another with these words. 

Luke 20:35–36,

Yet those deemed worthy to happen upon that eon and the resurrection from among the dead are neither marrying nor taking out in marriage. ³⁶ For neither can they still be dying, for they are equal to messengers, and are the sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

The resurrection of judging is found in Revelation 20:11–15,

¹¹ And I perceived a great white throne, and Him Who is sitting upon it, from Whose face earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them. ¹² And I perceived the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. And scrolls were opened. And another scroll was opened which is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged by that which is written in the scrolls in accord with their acts. ¹³ And the sea gives up the dead in it, and death and the unseen give up the dead in them. And they were condemned, each in accord with their acts. ¹⁴ And death and the unseen were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death–the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone was not found written in the scroll of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. 

I had a dilemma.

I believed Jesus is the Savior of the world—1 Timothy 2:4-6 & 4:10. By this I mean He already saved all people on the cross. "But," I wondered, "how can those cast into the lake of fire be saved if they are killed, and God has used up all of His resurrections?" Remember, in my error, I thought God only had two resurrections left. So I reasoned that those raised at the great white throne have to be made immortal if all will be saved.

So I pieced together a way, using (or rather, abusing) the Scriptures, to grant immortality to all who will be raised at the great white throne. It was a lot of work putting Scriptural puzzle pieces together that didn't really fit. But I was so proud of the result! I had to do this. God had no more resurrections left. He needed my help.

In my misunderstanding, those raised at the great white throne will be made immortal prior to being launched into the lake. Their immortality will enable them to survive the second death. They will live through this figurative death, just like the prodigal son lived through his "death." When they come to their senses in the lake of fire, they will be delivered from it. Eventually, everyone will come to their senses, be freed from the second death, and death would have no more purpose. It will be rendered inoperative because all will be immortal (1 Corinthians 15:26).

The truth is, I later learned, those raised at the great white throne are not included in the three classes of 1 Corinthians 15 who are vivified. Many raised at the great white throne will be subject to the second death (meaning they literally die), thus they will not be immortal. Those raised at the great white throne who do not go into the second death are mortal and will enter onto the new earth. They will not be cast into the lake of fire because their names will be found in the scroll of life (Revelation 20:15), and they will have access to the new Jerusalem to be physically sustained by the fruit and leaves from the log of life (Revelation 21:22–22:2).

The end of the Bible is NOT the end of the story

Obviously, we can't, in reality, limit God. Jesus is going to accomplish all of His Father's will (Acts 13:22–23; Hebrews 10:7–9; 1 Corinthians 15:20–28). But we can artificially limit God in our mind and in the minds of those we talk to. This artificial limiting does in reality affect us negatively. Our false ideas about God will never limit Him, but they will limit us.

Jesus' powerful revelation of the two resurrections in John 5:28–29 is true. But it is not the end of God's revelation on the subject of resurrection and vivification.

God, through the apostle Paul, cracks open wider the door to the future for us to see His plan for all humanity. This plan includes the vivification (immortality) of all humanity. I knew this was His goal. But I didn't see for a long time how He was going to get there.

Only by coming to understand the vivifications in 1 Corinthians 15 was I set free from the need to illegally immortalize all those raised at the great white throne. God has one more card to play. And it's a doozy.

Like most people bound by orthodox Christianity's false teachings, I thought the book of Revelation was the end of God's dealings with man in the Scriptures. I logically thought this because Revelation is the last book in our Bibles.

But God, in His wisdom and creativity, tucked the end of the story into the middle of the new testament. Has any author ever done something like that? Not that I know of. But God is the Author of authors. And He does what He does without needing anyone's permission. And that's awesome.

1 Corinthians 15 reveals to us the vivification of all (v.22), the end of death (v.26), the complete victory of Christ (vs.24–27), and God's ultimate goal for all people (v.28).

²⁰ Yet now Christ has been roused from among the dead, the Firstfruit of those who are reposing. ²¹ For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. ²² For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified. ²³ Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence; ²⁴ thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy is being abolished: death. ²⁷ For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him. ²⁸ Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.

There it is, the vivification of all in verse 22 (also 1 Timothy 6:13, "... God, Who is vivifying all ... "). I see it so clearly now. But when you're tied up in an erroneous knot, clear things are often muddied or completely unseen. And we can only see truth when God opens our eyes (Luke 24:13–35; Acts 16:14; Philippians 1:29).

All of us, whether we are a believer or an unbeliever, will die the first death because of our relationship to Adam. Some will die in the second death as a result of their absence from the scroll of life (Revelation 20:12–15). But Death (the first and the second) will be abolished and have absolutely no victory. 1 Corinthians 15:54–55,

Swallowed up was Death by Victory. ⁵⁵ Where, O Death, is your victory?

Death will have zero response to Paul's taunting question. Death will have no victory in the end when all are vivified and put beyond its reach. Death will be totally inoperative. That is an almost unimaginable scenario for us, given the fact that death currently reigns over all humanity. Have faith in Christ. He will gain total victory over Death!

The 3 vivified classes

Paul tells us there are 3 classes vivified in 1 Corinthians 15. The first is Christ, the Firtsfruit. The second and third classes will follow Him in vivification. What's true of Him will be true of us. The second class is "those who are Christ's in His presence." This is the resurrection of life for those who are granted belief in this life. The third class will be at the consummation (not the great white throne). This is the consummation of the eons when Christ successfully accomplishes all of God's will. The spectacular events at the consummation are detailed for us in 1 Corinthians 15:24–28 (read above). The Israelite jubilee was a time when all were set free (see Leviticus 25). The jubilee is a type of the consummation of the eons. There will be freedom for all through Christ.

Eternal tormentists and annihilationists proclaim everlasting death

Orthodox Christianity teaches the world that death is unending (whether it be eternal torment or annihilation). They obviously contradict God's version of the final, glorious events of the consummation of the eons. They ignorantly diminish Jesus' work and blaspheme Him while giving death and Satan great victory over a mass of humanity. They say Jesus didn't save the world on the cross. They say that Adam's sin has a greater scope of impact than Christ's work. And an unwitting world believes their lies and sees a grotesque distortion of God and His Son. And the world is depressed thinking everlasting death (whether literal or figurative) is the fate of most of humanity. Don't believe their lies. I did for a long time. The truth of Jesus set me free. Despite what orthodox Christianity teaches, Jesus is the Successful Savior (1 Timothy 2:4-6, 4:10; 1 John 2:2, 4:14; John 1:29).

Believe Him.

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Images
Tree Image by 12272790 from Pixabay
Knots: Christian Mercat [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Second Childhood by anoldent (CC BY-SA 2.0)

"Just if I'd never sinned."

When we believe God, this is how He sees us through the work of His Son on the cross—"just if I'd never sinned"—justified.

Justification is usually misunderstood because of man-made traditional religious bunk. It's been muddy in my mind for a long time. But it's one of the greatest blessings of the Scriptures. My friend Martin Zender recently wrote a great article on this topic of justification.

This article removed some hard, caked-on mud from my eyes. The information in this article has the power to radically change your life this very day.

Here are a few tasty tidbits from the article:

"God only wants to be believed, even for the radical things that He says. When we believe what God says, then we bathe ourselves in it and live by it in spite of what we see. God wants us to enjoy it now even before it happens. Why wait until it happens in order to get a kick out of it?"
...

"For it is not the elimination of sin via struggle that delivers one from slavery to Sin, it is Christ on the cross and His six hours of suffering—this is what delivers from Sin."
...

"Since God is the One Who justified us, it is insane to think that He could possibly be the One Who could indict us. How could the One Who calls us “not guilty” then turn around and charge us with a fault or offense? What about Jesus? Will He condemn us? Again, this is an insane consideration, for Christ is the One Who worked out God’s justification of our sin at the cross.

"No, I’m afraid that the only entity that could indict us, is us. Unless we know the truth of Justification, we are our own worst enemy."
...

"What a difference between sitting around all day wringing one’s hands over one’s failures, and basking in the sunshine of God’s affection and thanking Him all day for not reckoning Sin. True and lasting peace can only come on the heels of Justification, for—

Being, then, justified by faith, we may be having peace toward God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ. — Romans 5:1

God would rather be thanked all day than begged all day for forgiveness."

Check it out.

Stuck in the 3 days

We're currently in the "valley of death." But we'll all come out.

A small example can help us see the big picture.

Jesus was alive and kicking ... kicking the intellectual crap out of the hypocritical religious leaders of His day. His followers saw His multiple powerful miracles, and knew for sure that He would soon deliver the kingdom to Israel, and the Jews would be on top of the world. The Romans would be done for, because the Messiah was in town, and He don't mess around. He gets work done.

Then ... the Romans and hypocritical religious leaders kicked the crap out of Jesus and mercilessly killed Him.

"Hmm," thought His followers, "didn't see that coming!" His band of believers were confused, sad, angry, probably hysterical: "What the unseen-underworld just happened? We were just about to see all of our hopes and dreams become reality! How could God let this happen? What are we supposed to do now? Crap, now we have to go back to our real jobs on Monday!"

Jesus was laid in the tomb. Day 1 ... nothing but continued despair, sadness, anger and fear. Day 2 ... more of the same, except it hurts a little bit more today as the shock wears off and reality digs in like a tick on a dog. Day 3 ... life goes on, you can't stop it.

Then ...

"He's alive!"
"Who?"
"Jesus!"
"No, we saw Him die. He's dead. Leave us alone!"
"Well I just saw Him and talked with Him. He's alive!"
"We'll just see about that."

And see they did.

He's now at His Father's right hand.

From the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. An excruciating ride with an (almost) unbelievable end. But it's in the books, or, rather the Book.

But the highs are meaningless without the contrast of the lows. Experiencing the lows prepares us to properly appreciate the highs. God made it this way, and He knows what He's doing.

"Enough with the lows already, God! We're ready for the highs!"

 He knows when we're ready.

"And this has to do with us how?"

Jesus' life, death, burial and resurrection is a condensed version of God's big-picture plan for all of us. The problem for us is this: we are currently stuck in the 3 days—the time that corresponds to His 3 days in the tomb. This is the time when the confusion, despair, sadness, anger and fear dominated His followers' lives. And these can dominate our lives also. This is their (and our) what-the-hell-just-happened? stage. His was 3 days. Ours will last as long as God has determined.

But His story, and our story, doesn't end in despair in the tomb. Death has no victory in the end (despite what you hear in most churches). 1 Corinthians 15, Concordant Literal New Testament,

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality. ⁵⁴ Now, whenever this corruptible should be putting on incorruption and this mortal should be putting on immortality, then shall come to pass the word which is written, Swallowed up was Death by Victory. ⁵⁵ Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting? ⁵⁶ Now the sting of Death is sin, yet the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ Now thanks be to God, Who is giving us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Just as Jesus exited death, so too will all of humanity. Your loved one who died unexpectedly. Your loved one who died after a fight to the death with cancer and lost. Your loved one who never experienced life outside the womb. ALL OF OUR LOVED ONES, AND EVEN ONES WE DON'T KNOW AND LOVE!

"I can't wait for _____________ !" 

Usually when we start a sentence with these words we don't have any choice but to wait for the thing we can't wait for. "I can't wait for McDonald's to offer the McRib sandwich again!" But you must wait for the saucy deliciousness of pressed dead pig meat because McDonald's doesn't run by our schedule.

And God doesn't run by our schedule.

It would really be nice to only have to wait 3 days to receive our dead loved ones alive and well ... no ... alive and immortal. But we have no choice except to wait for God to give life and immortality to the dead. He will do it. He promised to do it. Our "3 days" will eventually come to a glorious end that will blow our minds, just as Jesus' followers' minds were no doubt blown when they hung out with Him after their 3 days.

Here's the end of the big-picture story from 1 Corinthians 15 from the Concordant Literal New Testament. Read it. Re-read it. Soak it in. Dream about it. Know it will happen!

(Yet now Christ has been roused from among the dead, the Firstfruit of those who are reposing. ²¹ For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. ²² For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified. ²³ Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ's in His presence; ²⁴ thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy is being abolished: death. ²⁷ For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him. ²⁸ Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.)

Imagine holding your loved ones in that day, never again in fear of death, which Jesus will render totally inoperative (v.26). NO MORE DEATH! LIFE FOR ALL! The glorious end to an excruciating ride.

"How long Lord?"

This is a recurring question in the Scriptures. It never hurts to ask. Maybe God will answer you. But don't hold your breath waiting for an answer from heaven. Just know that God has a plan and the ability to make it real (read 1 Corinthians 15 again). 

Jesus does indeed get work done. The problem for us is that we don't always know what His current work is. His followers thought it was God's time for them to rule the world under King Jesus. Instead, God sacrificed His only Son for the entire world (which is far better for all in the long run). God refuses to email me concerning His present operations. This is where faith comes in. Faith in His love, mercy, power and purpose.

Jesus came out of His 3 days, and so will we.