Destruction of the Soul
With all that is written, this concept is difficult for people to come to grips with. It is because, it comes from the original lie in the garden.
Satan stated in Genesis 3:4:
4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Satan told the women that she would not die. However, God stated otherwise in Genesis 2:17.
17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Satan said we would not die if we ate of the tree. God said we would die. Who are you going to believe? Just hold that thought.
Do you know what else God said? Matthew 10:28
28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (gehenna).
In Matthew 10:28, hell in is the Greek word gehenna {gheh’-en-nah}. Gehenna symbolically represent the Lake of Fire. In the Lake of Fire, the soul is destroyed. It does not live on in torment as so many suppose.
If one believes that it does, they ought to start wondering where that idea came from. Because God said, He will destroy non-believers in the end. For the nonbeliever, there will be no eternal soul to suffer in torment.
The question is, who are you going to believe?
Now maybe we can understand the meaning of 2 Peter 3:7.
7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment (krisis) and perdition of ungodly men.
According to Peter, no one goes to the Lake of Fire prior to the Day of Judgment. Everyone will have a real chance either in this lifetime or in the millennium to hear the real gospel of Yeshua.
No one who goes to the Lake of Fire will be able to say they never knew, or that they were deceived. There will come one time when all will be enlightened.
In 2 Peter 3:7, perdition comes from the Greek word apoleia {ap-o’-li-a}. It literally means utter destruction. Then in 2 Peter 3:9.
9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Peter never states that any one would burn. He state the option other than salvation is perish.
You might be wondering, why does any of this matter? It matters quite a bit. First of all, it is a lie from the devil. It makes God look like a cruel taskmaster. If one does not accept Him, God will cause them to suffer for eternity. This misrepresents God.
God cares about His creation. However, if one does not accept Him, they will perish, be destroyed. Because in the end, God will put an end to all evil and disobedience so that it will not exist. God will put non-believers out of their misery. Just like any decent human would do for a suffering animal.
The unfortunate thing is that many who do not know this teaching rush to the alter to avoid a burning hell. They come to God out of fear. This teaching shows the great fairness of God and God’s great love for both the saved and the lost.
Romans 2:4
4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. Regardless of what you may have heard or thought about God and the Lake of Fire. It will be the goodness that will reign through out the millennium. Not one person will be tormented for an eternity
It is the foolishness of man to control others and the lie of the devil that has brought about the incorrect teaching.
We really do have a God of love. We ought to proclaim that and His truth.
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