Bird's Nest

CONDITIONAL IMMORTALITY. The most familiar verse in the Bible teaches the conditional immortality of believers and final destruction of unbelievers:  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE" (John 3:16).  Conditional Immortality is the belief that immortality (not being subject to death) is conditional upon being in Christ:  "And this is the record, that GOD HATH GIVEN TO US ETERNAL LIFE, and THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:11, 12). ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST. Conditional Immortality maintains that eternal life is not the intrinsic possession of the soul, but the gracious gift of God, "Who ONLY hath immortality" (1 Tim. 6:16).  We do not receive it by our first birth in Adam, but by our second birth in the second Adam, Christ! "For as IN ADAM ALL DIE, even so IN CHRIST S...

There is an Old Testament precedent for a non-literal afterlife allegory. Isaiah 14 presents a remarkably similar story of reversal of fortunes, and a clearly figurative fable of dead bodies in the gravedom of Hell.  Talking trees and dead kings rising from their thrones enhance this enchanted Lord of the Rings type macabre tale, furnishing an illuminating template on how to interpret the rich man and Lazarus. It should be abundantly obvious that neither of these stories are newspaper type accounts. Comparisons: Isaiah 14: Luke 16: The condition of the righteous in this life 3: thy sorrow, and... thy fear, and… hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve 20: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus… laid at his gate, full of sores 21: And desiring to be fed with crumbs… the dogs came and licked his sores The condition of the wicked in this life 2: oppressors 4: oppressor 11: pomp… the noise of thy viols 16: the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms 19: T...

 

"Unquenchable fire" is by no means an expression of ceaseless suffering. Even by itself it would speak of things burning up because the fire can't be put out. But put chaff - thin, dry, extremely combustible husks - in a fire that can't be put out and you should certainly get the picture. But in the bizarre chance you don't, John the Baptist unmistakably spelled it out: "He will BURN UP the chaff with unquenchable fire." John the Baptist: 1. UNQUENCHABLE - things burn up in fire that can't be put out 2. CHAFF - things burn up in a fire that can't be put out, especially something this extremely combustible 3. BURN UP - things burn up in a fire that can't be put out, especially something as extremely combustible as chaff, but in case you don't get that clear picture, the chaff will BURN UP

The book of Hebrews gives three instances where “eternal” (aionion) refers to the result and not the process, the end and not the means: “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all that obey him” (5:9) “Of the doctrine… of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment” (6:2). “he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (9:12)  It is eternal salvation, not eternal saving; eternal judgment, not eternal judging; eternal redemption, not eternal redeeming.  And it is everlasting punishment, not everlasting punishing; everlasting destruction, not everlasting destroying.  Each of these has a limited duration as to process (how long it takes), but an unlimited extent as to the end result (how long it lasts).   The process of redemption was in what Christ once obtained, but the result of redemption is eternal, therefore it is truly eternal redemption.  Here scripture gives us such a clear ...

 "Fool."  A piece of paper was left on the pulpit to rattle the preacher. He picked it up and saw one word: “Fool.” Quick witted, he wondered aloud, “Well, how about that? I’ve received messages before without anyone signing their name, but this is the first time someone signed their name but didn’t write a message.” My endless torment friends perform a comparable antic with their interpretation of “from the presence of the Lord” in 2 Thessalonians 1:9. The phrase is smack dab in the very middle of the very apparent presence of the Lord, yet proponents of a torture chamber somewhere away from His presence use this phrase about his presence to say He is not present.  Confused? It is confusing. Granted, believers have often sensed the Lord’s presence when He wasn’t visibly there, but this is the first time He’s visibly there but is supposedly not present. The passage in question says that those “that know not God… shall be punished with everlasting destruction from th...

Not only do the words in the Word and pictures in the Scriptures consistently teach a final end, and not endless torment, but a most unmistakable example is given to make it overwhelmingly clear.   Sodom and Gomorrah are inextricably identified with degenerate wickedness. As Judas is synonymous with betrayal, Einstein with genius, and Colonel Sanders with fried chicken, the twin cities of the plains are a byword for depravity. Odious locations of obscene activities are still so labeled. Notorious for “filthy conversation… and unlawful deeds” (2 Peter 2:7, 8), Sodom and Gomorrah are also evilly iconic because of their swift atom-bomb-like destruction. Fire and brimstone, an idiomatic expression of God’s wrath, originated with and is forever fused to the infamy of these incinerated cities. The startling story with Abraham’s nephew Lot as the principal character was embedded in the Hebrew psyche. Jesus could simply say “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32) without elaboration be...

Psalm 21:8,9 – time of thine anger     fiery oven; the fire     thine enemies    swallow them up; devour them Psalm 37:20 – the evil time     (fire)     the wicked…as the fat of lambs  consume; consume away Isaiah 5:24-30 – in that day     the fire; the flame   stubble; chaff    devoureth; consumeth  Isaiah 9:14-19 – in one day   the fire      briars, thorns;    fuel of the fire    devour Isaiah 33:10-15 – Now will I rise  Isaiah 34:1-15 – day of the L ORD ’s vengeance   devouring fire;   everlasting burnings   brimstone; burning pitch               chaff… stubble…   lime…thorns cut up…    all nations; Bozrah; Idumea    devour; as the burning of;  burned in the fire    lie...