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| Everlasting - lasting as long as the Omnipotent God intended it! It is not the same as eternal, which transcends time. |
Everlasting fire: the term occurs twice in the NT, here:
Mt 18:8 Wherefore if
thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is
better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands
or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Mt 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Notes on Mt 18:8
- The Lord Jesus
Christ was addressing His disciples.
- He warned them of
the real danger of everlasting fires.
- He solemnly warned
them to take drastic measures to deal with personal sins in order to avoid
everlasting fire.
- The possibility of
the disciples ending up in the everlasting fire is real; and drastic measures
against personal sin are able to save them from it.
Notes on Mt 25:41
- The goats ended up
in the everlasting fire because of their disobedience.
- They could have
saved themselves from the everlasting fire had they been obedient.
Which everlasting fire is real and
which is not real?
Let me suggest to you that both speak of the same REEEEEAL place.
Don't be DECEIVED by people who teach you that Jesus was warning his disciples about something figurative, that there is NO REAL HELL for God's children.
It is very clear that Jesus NEVER warns His disciples about the lake of fire, the final destiny of all those not redeemed by Christ. But Christ constantly warned His disciples of the reality and danger of hell, and exhorted them to diligently avoid it!
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Adam Wells
No doubt that it is a
real place. My question is on "everlasting." Is this word to be
understood as eternal, continuing without end? Or does it mean, continuing
indefinitely during the present state of things? Examples of the latter would
be "I will give thee, and thy seed after thee, the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession" and everlasting hills as mentioned in Genesis and
Habakkuk.
Sing F Lau
I take everlasting
as continuing until its appointed end, until "death and hell delivered up
the dead which were in them" on the judgment day.
Re 1:18 "I am
he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and
have the keys of hell and of death." Man has no power to end it, but Him
who holds the keys of both hell and death!!!
Sing F Lau
Another interesting
fact:
Mt 25:41 Then shall
he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
That everlasting
fire where the devil and his angels are...
Re 20:10 "And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone..."
I suggest that
everlasting fire is between death and resurrection to glory... and the lake of fire
is post-resurrection.
Adam Wells
Wouldn't "ye
cursed" have the same sense as saying "ye condemned?
Sing F Lau
I find "ye
cursed" in Mt 25:41. "Ye condemned" - can't find any usage.
So, I'm not sure. Depends very much on context.
The nearest is found here:
Jas 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
Obviously, BRETHREN stands the REAL danger of being condemned - whatever that means!
The Lord DID NOT pronounce them cursed, i.e. cursed
them. He DID call them “ye cursed” – i.e. that's what they are, cursed ones.
The word “cursed” is a participle, a verbal noun, NOT a verb of the Lord’s
action of cursing them. It’s easy to check with the BlueLetterBible.
- They are called the cursed ones BECAUSE their
very own conduct of NOT doing what the Lord expected of them has brought the
curse of the punishment upon them. Those ministering to the least of Christ's brethren are blessed because of their deeds too. This is temporal judgment; the eternal
judgment has been completely borne by Christ alone.
