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NASB | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
Bible Question:
Is Hell everlasting? Rev 20:15 |
Bible Answer: Greetings Grace and Truth: I would like to make a brief reference to the English word hell which I believe as used in the scriptures has at least 3 meanings. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus speaks of two men in life and two men after death. I do not believe this is a parable since the names of both men are given. The word hell in this passage is the word "hades" which is defined as the place of departed spirits. We find in this account that the wicked are in concious torment and the righteous are comforted in Abraham's bosum and that between the two sections there is "a great gulf fixed" which does not allow movement from one to the other. "Hades" is also used in reference to the Lord Jesus after his death. "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:27 We know that after three days the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead. In 2 Peter 2:4 we read concerning the angels that sinned "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" The word for hell in this verse is "tartarovw" which is defined as the lowest place of the wicked dead. It is noteworthy that this verse tells us they are reserved for judgment which would suggest this is not their final place for eternity. The Lord Jesus warned of hell or "gevenna" which refers to the "Gehenna of fire" which was the ever burning garbage dump South of Jerusalem. This is fitting imagery to the Lake of Fire of Rev. 20 We must be careful to differentiate between the meanings of the word hell when we discuss it. In Rev 20:15 we read of the final judgment for those who have rejected Christ. The "second death", the lake of fire mean eternal separation from God forever. We see from Rev 20:13 that hades is emptied at the final judgement. Is the second death forever? We read of those who have rejected Christ and received the mark of the beast: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. I believe that the Bible teaches that we will be either with the Lord or separated from him forever. The Lord Jesus gave his life that "we should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16 Robert |