Why believers do not believe the Bible?

The people of Israel wandering in the desert – God is concealed – God created the first man from dust – Mat 28:19 baptismal order – Jesus promised to return soon

What does this article aim for?

Millions of Christians believe in God. Faith is divided into many denominations and numerous sects. The truth is found in the Bible.

In this writing, I wonder that people do accept what priests say in their church, but do not accept what God, Jesus Christ, and the apostles teach in the Bible. Some may be outraged by my argument. The title of my writing is based on the observation that it has been surprisingly easy for churches to get church members to accept teachings that are not based on the Bible. I hope you, my reader, reflect on the content of your faith and strive to answer the questions I ask myself. The question is, who and what you should believe. I hope you answer: The word of the Bible.

The Bible is partly a revelation from God Himself. We know it if the word says like this, ‘this word of God came to me…’ However, the Bible contains most of man’s writing, not divine revelation. People’s work is flawed and involves mistakes and opinions, often contradictory. The word of the Bible is indeed difficult to understand and difficult to interpret in places. There are many of us explanators who serve many purposes. I do not serve any denomination. My goal is just to find the truth of the Bible.

There are thousands of denominations and religious communities. Their doctrines differ, but what they have in common is that everyone claims that their teachings are based on the word of the Bible. Not everyone can be right. So, I ask: What prevents you from finding doctrinal truth? Do you even want to find the truth? Is it more important to keep your own church or community upright than to find biblical truth? When not everyone can be right with their conflicting opinions, why not genuinely seek to find the truth in matters of faith? Even this writing of mine, many churches directly condemn to be Satan’s attempt to deceive believers.

What about the ecumenical movement, is its progress a good thing or a bad thing? I reply like this: it could be good, but it should be based on a commonly accepted doctrine and not on the dictation of the largest church (the Catholic Church).

Next, I will go through significant Biblical doctrinal questions, misinterpretations, wrong decisions of church meetings, wrong translations of the Bible, etc. I will not repeat everything I have already written about this. I highlight the core issues of my writings and ask my readers to think about them. Decide for yourself if the doctrine of your current church is in accordance with the word of the Bible. What should you do if you come to the conclusion that your own church does not follow the teachings of the Bible? Let me share my own opinion. It is this: small disagreements (if any) should be resolved by discussing and raising issues for doctrinal consideration. In big things (there certainly are), it is likely that the doctrinally oppressed church will not agree to change its position, but will insist that it has the truth in the matter. In that case, the Bible says, “Get out of it…”

The doctrine of the Triune God

Which do you believe more, the Bible or the Catholic Church to develop a doctrine two to three hundred years after the death of Christ?

On the development of the doctrine of the Trinity and the role of Emperor Constantine, one website writes: “The message of salvation was not the Trinity in the books and letters of the Bible, for faith in the Triune God as it is presented today, did not develop until a long time.”

God was first made two-in-one, with the Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine in 325. It became a three-in-one only after the Ecclesiastical Council of Kostantinopolis in v.381. At that time, the Holy Spirit was also made God. After that, the Trinity had also succeeded in gaining Christianity, when it was already present in pagan religions. Emperor Constantine succeeded in converting the pagan religion to Christianity, and by no means by bringing Christianity into the pagan religions. Even after that, he remained to be a worshiper of the sun-god and respected pagan symbols. Eventually, after his death (year 337), Constantine became one of the many gods of the Gentiles. Constantine, who strayed into polytheism, cared little for the words of the one God, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Deut. 5: 7, 6: 4).

The doctrine of the Triune God has become a traditional ordinance, as the Bible warns in Mar 7:13 “You are destroying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other things like that.” – People, even believers, are not even interested in finding out. And if they find out what this doctrine is about, they will not dare to give it up for fear. it is easier to break away than from a small sectarian church. Even if one feels in one’s heart that some doctrine of the church is not right, the only thing that can be done is to leave and for a large part that step is too long.

What is God Jehovah (YHVH) like?

Jesus’ view:

Mar 10:18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one- God.

A view disappointed in faith:

“The Old Testament tells of this service of idols without concealing it, openly. However, it does not say that Yahweh is not different from the gods of other nations, but is an idol like them: it does not exist. If it exists, then it is an unjust, biased, racist, discriminatory, oppressive, jealous, possessive, sadistic, violent, and murderous monster instead of being a good, fair, and righteous loving and heavenly father to all people. God is utterly unnecessary for the continuation of the cycle of life and death. If you think otherwise, then all evil is also caused by God: toxic organisms, parasites, beasts, accidents, disasters, and just about everything. Satan is not to blame for them, but the god of the Bible is if he were real. Are you serving him?”

Which one do you believe in? Wouldn’t Jesus be sincere in acknowledging the goodness of God the Father? Or did he also mean himself, as part of the triune deity? Probably not. Jesus never spoke of himself as God, not even as part of divinity.

As for myself, I have to admit I was thinking about why God created parasites, beasts, and venomous spiders all over the world. He also allowed ticks to cause troublesome diseases for some people. There are many different pathogens, especially in developing countries, completely unnecessary, even harmful; the devastated eat the crops of the poor and cause famine.

God chose the nation of Israel to be his people. 2 Sam 7:24 ”You did establish to yourself your people Israel to be a people to you forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God.”

Josh 24:19 ”Joshua said to the people, You can’t serve Yahweh; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins.

24:20 “If you forsake Yahweh, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that he has done you good.” – Verse 20 explains why God is angry and does not forgive the sins of his people.

1 Sam 12:22 For Yahweh will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people to himself.

God would probably have had reason to forsake his people many times, but Samuel’s first book assures us that God will not forsake his people for his name’s sake. However, the events of the end times will afflict the people of God as well. The prophet Isaiah prophesied: Rom 9:27 ”Isaiah also calls out concerning Israel, although the descendants of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore, only a few [remnant] will be saved.” While from the multiplicity of the people of Israel will be saved physically only a small part, I’m sure that at the last judgment, this mass destruction does not in itself affect the final salvation.

God made every effort to help his own people in the battle against the enemies. He even sent an angel to kill the enemies. As many as 185,000 people were killed by the angel. 2 Kin 19:35 ”It happened that night, that the angel of Yahweh went forth, and struck in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred eighty-five thousand: and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”

Josh 10:11 ”It happened, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, that Yahweh cast down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.”

12 Then spoke Joshua to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand you still on Gibeon; You, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.”
13 The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn’t this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of the sky, and didn’t hurry to go down about a whole day.”

God was, in effect, the own God of the Israelites. The Jews took great care not to interfere in the Gentiles’ customs, not even to eat with the pagans. Jesus also came to earth only for God’s own people. Mat 15:24 confirms: ”But he [Jesus] answered, I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Reading the gospel, one thinks that the message is, of course, meant for the whole world. However, Jesus confirmed that God’s purpose was not to save the whole world. It was only after his resurrection that Jesus gave the command to take the gospel to all nations.

Tästä huolimatta kesti oman aikansa ennen kuin apostolit ymmärsivät tämän. Pietarin piti saada ilmestys Jumalalta ennen kuin hän viimein ymmärsi. Act 10:34 ”Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “Now I understand that God shows no partiality.” 10:45 “They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles.”

For the first time in human history, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles. I think this is a significant thing in terms of who will be saved. Most of human history has not even heard of Christ and the salvation He offers. What judgment Christ will give to those Gentiles who stretch out their hands and say, “We have not even heard of you. How could we have believed in you? ”

God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord

Deu 6:5 ”and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” – Moses seems to have forgotten the Holy Spirit about this important exhortation. The Son of God is not mentioned for understandable reason.

On the New Testament side, a similar exhortation is recorded in Matthew 22:37 and Mar 12:30, repeating Deuteronomy’s command. Loving one’s neighbor (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”) was considered more important by Moses and evangelists than loving Jesus and the Holy Spirit. (Lev 19:18, Mat 19:19, 22:39, Mar 12:31, Rom 13:9, Gal 5:14, Jam 2:8).

But oddly enough, none of the above evangelists exhort to love the Holy Spirit, although according to the doctrine of the Trinity, they are equal in power and dignity with God the Father. In the case of Moses, one understands the absence of Jesus, because Jesus appeared at that time at most in some prophecy. What might be the reason for the apostles not to mention the Son of God and the Holy Spirit?

Only the Father is God

1 Cor 8:6 ”yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.”

2 Cor 11:31 “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forevermore, knows that I don’t lie.”

Joh 17:21 ”that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.

1 Joh 4:15 ”Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.”

These verses are important. They testify that we have one God, who is the Father. He is also the God of our Lord Christ. The Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father. He confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Something is missing from this. So, what is the role of the Holy Spirit? It seems that God the Father and the Son are the only and important ones for faith and salvation.

According to a misinterpretation of the Bible, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was in heaven with God and participated in the creation of the world. Jesus is called the Word of God and is on that basis, God. The incorrect translation says: Joh 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

This emphasizes the divinity of Jesus; we all know that the “Word” means Jesus. Many years ago, I drew my attention to the rest of the verse, whose word order is incorrect. It has to be “and God was the Word.” This is such a simple translation matter that I do not believe in any way the error in question, but it is a deliberate incorrect translation. Why not all translations have been corrected for the correct word order, I do not understand. Of course, some have done so. Why has this happened? Perhaps the reason is that when Christ comes a second time, he is said to be: Rev 19:13 ”He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.”

My favorite, Bible verse 1 Cor 8: 6 says: ”yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.

The good question is, why did the Catholic Church develop the doctrine of the Trinity of God? This happened even though the Church had at its disposal the Old Testament, which clearly states that God was one and he alone created the world. Was a counterbalance to the Jewish view desired? Perhaps the most plausible explanation is this: the Catholic Church wanted to extend its power to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were familiar with the three gods’ concept, and Catholic leaders believed that the Gentiles more easily embraced the three-person deity.

However, one should not believe in human-made doctrines; it is even forbidden in the Bible’s word.

Is the Holy Spirit God?

One website proves that the Holy Spirit is a person and is sure that the Holy Spirit is God:

“The Holy Spirit is the third person of divinity. He is the perfect God in all things. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is associated with all the same attributes and features as God. Therefore he is God himself: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Joh 4:24) and “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor 3:17).”

Is the Holy Spirit a separate person from God, or is the Holy Spirit part of God and the person of God? It is part of the doctrine of triune Deity that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are separate persons and each acting independently and equal in divinity with other persons. It is easy to believe that God the Father is a person and so is his Son, Jesus Christ. According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Holy Ghost is the working power of God the Father. The Son can also send this spirit to perform the duties assigned to it. According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Holy Spirit is not a person, much less God.

Although I am not a Jehovah’s Witness, I am quite inclined towards their view. I believe it is the power of God. This power is in and from God. It has the power of God and the wisdom of God at its disposal. It doesn’t matter if this spirit is said to be a person or not. In no case is the Holy Ghost equal to the Father or the Son. The fact that the Holy Spirit is written in capital letters is not due to the high position of the Holy Spirit, but to the fact that it is the spirit of the Lord God and that he carries out his duties in God’s name.

Jesus himself testified that God was greater than him. I believe it when Christ himself affirms this. So if the Father and the Son are not equal in divinity, then with whom is the Holy Spirit equal? With God the Father? If the Father and the Holy Spirit are equal, they cannot be equal with the Son but are superior to the Son.

According to the Bible, the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit. Transmitting involves the assignment of a task to the Holy Spirit. It could be, for example, giving gifts of grace to different people. 1 Cor 12:8 “For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
9 to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit;
10 and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.”

The sender (Father or Son) sends the Holy Spirit and gives instructions to the Holy Spirit. For example, God the Father does not say: Go to the earth now and distribute gifts of grace to people there as you see fit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and full of the wisdom of God. On that basis, I can accept the independent action of the Holy Spirit, for example, in this way: “Go to Jerusalem on Pentecost and distribute the gifts of the Holy Spirit to those gathered there, to all who are ready to receive it.” And then the Holy Spirit, will come and give the gifts of the Spirit to three thousand guests gathered from different countries.

We can also compare angels and the Holy Spirit. God also sends angels to earth as his own representative. The angel performs under the authority of God and using the power given by God as if God himself were involved. According to my interpretation, the action of the Holy Spirit is very much the same as if God had sent his angel to perform the mission.

The renewing by the Holy Spirit (Tit 3:5)

3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he [God] saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

6 which he [God] poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior;

Verse 4 speaks of the manifestation of God’s love and 5 of God saving us (apostles, church members) through rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. Verse 6 adds that God poured out the Holy Spirit on the church through Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is not the reformer, but “he,” God the Father. The Holy Spirit does his part as God pours out the Spirit through Jesus Christ. Glory to him to whom the glory belongs!

The Holy Spirit inspires the writing and understanding of the scriptures:

2 Tim 3:16 ”Every writing inspired by God is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness, and 2 Pet 1:21 For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Ghost also plays an important role in my writings. Every time I go to write, I ask God to let his Holy Spirit guide my writing. I want to believe that this has happened. The situation is different compared to the prophecies in 2 Peter 1:21. I do not prophesy. God has not instructed me to tell what will happen. All my writings are based on the word of the Bible. If I were given a task from God to bring forth things that would happen in the future, it would probably be under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 2:10 says: ”God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God.”

What does this mean? Is the Holy Spirit, in fact, higher than God because it can explore all the depths of God (the deepest thoughts and mysteries)? The following verse speaks of the human spirit and compares it to the spirit of God: 2:11 ”For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God’s Spirit.”

While still on earth, Jesus said that he did not know the day when he would come the second time. Only the Father knows that. To this can be added that the Holy Spirit also knows it, because the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God.

Act 16: 6 tells of Paul’s journey from city to city: ”When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 16:7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them.” Verse 16 says that the Holy Spirit prevented (warned) the company from proclaiming the word on the Asian side. When they came to Mysia, Act says the spirit of Jesus prevented them. It is certainly the same spirit, with only two different names used. The most common name is the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit of Jesus is also spoken of here. The Spirit of Jesus because in this case, Jesus has sent the Spirit to protect them.

Act 20:28 ”Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, wherein the Holy Spirit has set you as overseers, to shepherd the assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of his own.”

– The Acts of the Apostles states that the Holy Spirit would have made the disciples overseers of the Lord’s church, to shepherd the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at what is said at the end of the verse; “Which he has earned for himself with his own blood.” It is the blood of Christ, by the blood of which Christ has earned his church. The Holy Spirit must have been setting the leadership of the church in place, but it is not due to the Holy Spirit or the bloodshed of the Holy Spirit or his independent choice, but based on the commission of Christ.

My conclusion is that the Holy Spirit (or the Spirit of Jesus) does not act independently, but the Holy Spirit does as God and Jesus instruct when He sends the Spirit on the journey.

What is the human spirit?

I have compared the human spirit in his conscience, which examines human ‘depths’. If he has sinned, though concealed, a man knows it through his spirit. It would be strange if a person did not get to know what he has done. With these expressions, I try to explain my view of the (Holy) Spirit of God and the relationship between the Spirit and God. The Holy Spirit is submissive to God the Father, but in performing the duties he has received from the Father and the Son, he acts independently within the authority he has received. In doing so, angels are also called ‘gods’.

The Holy Spirit may be grieved. Efe 4:30, ”Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Equally, Paul could have said, “Do not grieve God…” If someone has received the seal of the Holy Spirit as a gift and nevertheless commits a sin, he or she may grieve the Holy Spirit, or offend the mind of God, by his actions.

Gal 5:19-21 ”Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”

Paul writes 1 Cor 12:7, But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
9 to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit;
10 and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.
11 But the one and the same Spirit works all of these, distributing to each one separately as he [God] desires.

12:28 God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.
29 Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they?
30 Not all have the gift of healing, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they? Not all interpret, do they?
31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. Moreover, I show a most excellent way to you.

Verse 28 shows that while Paul speaks of the influence of the Spirit, it is the work of God; ‘God placed in the church…’

In his letters, Paul sends greetings from God the Father and Jesus Christ, but not once from the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit were a person, he would probably be greeted as well. The Holy Spirit is not a person like the Father or the Son. The Father and the Son love one another, but neither has said they love the Holy Ghost.

1 Cor 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gal 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,

Eph 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Etc.

1 The 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 The 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not in the other direction either! Judas gives glory to the one God, their Savior, through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned.

Jud 1:25 to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, is the Spirit of God, of which the Father has seven according to the Bible. The duties given by God the Father and the Son are performed by the Holy Spirit. God created by His word (by giving a commandment), “God said,” and it was carried out by his Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit accomplished the creation of the world, commissioned by God the Father. It is not described in detail in the Bible, but it is mentioned how ”the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters (Gen 1:2).”

When Jesus ascended to heaven, God the Father exalted him as Lord and Christ (position closest to God) and placed him on the throne to his right. Is the throne of the Holy Spirit to the left of God? The Bible says nothing about the throne of the Holy Spirit which means that the Holy Spirit has no command like the Father and the Son.

When did the Catholic Church decide to exalt the Holy Spirit to divinity? Apparently at the same time as the synod decided God was triune, that is, in the 300s. The Jews had only one God, the Father, whose name was Jehovah, Yahweh, or written in vowels as was customary, YHVH. The Holy Spirit does not have a proper name. There may have been a harsh reflection and exploration by the Catholic Churches to find a third person in the triune deity, the doctrine of which was developed within a few hundred years after Christ ascended to heaven. After all, the Bible does not even mention anything about the three persons of God or the trinity. That, too, proves the inaccuracy of the doctrine that the doctrine had to be developed for hundreds of years. The doctrine of God should have been in the Bible all the time.

Doctrine of the two natures of Jesus

In my understanding, the Catholic Church had no particular, compelling reason or compulsion to develop and adopt the Triune God doctrine. In the case of another doctrine, the situation was different; how would they explain to the members of the Church that their God is dead? It is clear to everyone that God cannot die. But Jesus Christ died. He didn’t seem to be God? In my understanding, the Catholic Church had no particular, compelling reason or compulsion to develop and adopt the Triune God doctrine. In the case of another doctrine, the situation was different; how would they explain to the members of the Church that their God is dead? It is clear to everyone that God cannot die. But Jesus Christ died. He didn’t seem to be God?

According to the doctrine, “Christ is both true man and true God. Christ is fully divine and fully human, and both “one and the same” (Gr. heis kai ho autos). These two natures are in him “without mixing, changing, dividing, and separating.” After Jesus’ death, a doctrinal brawl began about the nature of Christ. Whether he was only a human being (the perception of the Ebionites), or a purely divine person appearing to be only a human being (a conception of Docetism), or whether they were right who rejected the true humanity of Christ (adaptationists).

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach people to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; (ἐν δύο φύσεσιν ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀδιαιρέτως, ἀχωρίστως – in duabus naturis inconfuse, immutabiliter, indivise, inseparabiliter) the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person (prosopon) and one Subsistence (hypostasis), not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten God (μονογενῆ Θεόν), the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us. (Wikipedia)

Thus, more than four hundred years passed from the death of Christ before a creed was formulated in Chalcedon, signed by 500-600 bishops. According to it, the Son, the Logos of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is “perfect in divinity and perfect in manhood, truly God, and truly man.

What does the Bible say about Jesus? He is the Son of God, whom God has made Lord and Christ. He suffered death on the cross to redeem mankind’s sinful debt. He rose from the dead to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. The Father has given him all power, both in heaven and on earth. Jesus Christ, the man, acts as a mediator between God and man.

You don’t have to know the confession of Chalcedon. And you don’t have to believe it. Or preferably not.

What must a person profess to believe in order to be saved?

Churches respond that Church members should acknowledge their acceptance of the belief in the Triune Deity. My own belief says that a Christian should profess to believe as required by the Bible.

Rom 10:9 If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Rom 10:13 For, Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Act 16:31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Joh 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Joh 17:3 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Joh 20:31 But these have been recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and so that through believing you may have [eternal] life in his name.

1 Joh 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.

What does salvation mean?

Ultimately, salvation means having eternal life and living in God’s New World, as God’s co-worker. Before that, salvation means survival in the day of the Lord. It is described by the prophet Joel.

Joel 2:28 “It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.
29 And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.

Joel 2:32 It will happen that whoever will call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved; For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the remnant, those whom Yahweh calls.

I’m sure the above verses make it clear. You must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Lord, raised from the dead by God the Father. If you believe this, then you will be saved. You don’t have to believe obscure doctrines of God’s trinity. There is no need to clarify the relationship between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is enough that you believe Jesus is Lord and Christ, Son of God almighty.

Joh 14:6 ”Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”

Salvation is a twofold term: first, salvation means for God’s elect access to the first resurrection. The ascended rise to the “clouds” against Christ to participate in the reign of Christ’s Millennial kingdom with Christ. The second group is those who “escape” the great destruction in the day of the Lord. The angels gather the Christ’s own to Jerusalem and Mount Zion. Those that escape will also be sent to preach to the Gentiles who haven’t even heard of Christ. The third group, apparently the largest, is the group of resurrected people gathered at the end of time for the final judgment. There Christ will judge all. The word believe was repeated in the above verses. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God will be saved.

God’s fire burns away man’s sins. God’s fire can be consuming or cleansing. Consuming fire means destruction. God’s consuming fire can destroy even a large army by coming from heaven. The cleansing fire, in the context of the Last Judgment, burns out the sins of those people who have built their ‘house’, that is, their faith in Christ, at least to some extent. As I wrote above, it is enough to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Naturally, those who lived before the time of Christ could not believe in Christ. For them, faith in one God is enough. There is no added value in believing in the Triune God.

You can tear down creeds such as the Creed of Athanasius. You will be threatened with them and warned of losing salvation if you do not believe everything the synod has decided. Which do you believe in more, the Catholic church meetings or the clear word of the Bible?

For salvation, you don’t necessarily need to know anymore. You will be saved if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Getting to heaven

“Good, God-fearing people will go to heaven after they die, and sinners will perish (i.e., hell). Many believe that they will reach heaven immediately after death. Others believe that after the last verdict. ” In this way, the prevailing notions of access to heaven could be formulated.

This is not biblical. In my view, at least the evangelical churches do not even teach good people to get to heaven after death, but they also do not correct misconceptions.

According to the Bible, the Gospel of John clearly says 3:13 ”No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.” – The only exception is Jesus Christ. Could it be that with the death of Jesus, ascension to heaven was liberated? No such change is reported in the Bible. Besides, the Bible does not even promise that believers will get to heaven at all after death. After all, God is coming to earth, to the New Jerusalem. Why then would people crave access to heaven?

Rev 21:2, ” I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Let us take a closer look at the issues involved. If the “good ones” get to heaven after death, do they need to return from there to earth to participate in the final judgment? If that were the case, and if it still happened that the Last Judgment would not be positive, such people would surely have to face the punishment imposed by Christ.

The popular notion is that St. Peter inspects those who aspire to heaven and opens the gates of heaven to those who pass the inspection. Such is likely to revoke the authority given by Jesus to Peter and the other apostles; Jesus said, John 20:23, ”If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. If you retain people’s sins, they are retained.” – This authority was given only to the apostles and was not intended to constitute a broader and ongoing procedure to replace the final judgment of Christ.

Where ever comes the belief that those who have reached heaven look down to earth to follow the loved ones they know? Incredible!

Man, the image of God – God, the image of man

God created man in his own image. Therefore, it is no coincidence that God is also in many respects like his image — man.

The God of the Bible repents of what he has done in haste and changes his mind. God is jealous according to the Bible.

Genesis:
6:6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

Exodus:
32:14 Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.

– Doesn’t God consider the consequences of His actions? Does he act like humans?

1 Book of Samuel:
15:35 Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and Yahweh repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

– Was God’s decision wrong from the beginning? After all, God should anticipate future events and the consequences of decisions.

2 Book of Samuel:
24:16 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Yahweh repented him of the evil, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, It is enough; now stay your hand. The angel of Yahweh was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Jeremia:
26:19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Didn’t he fear Yahweh, and entreat the favor of Yahweh, and Yahweh repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.

Amos:
7:3 Yahweh repented concerning this. “It shall not be,” says Yahweh.
7:6 Yahweh repented concerning this. “This also shall not be,” says the Lord Yahweh.

Jonah:
3:10 God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God repented of the evil which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.

The God of the Bible repents of His decisions and deeds and changes (fortunately) his mind as man. Or have the writers of the Bible misinterpreted God’s feelings? Is God’s repentance the same as man’s? People have written descriptions of God and his feelings. The authors are even at odds with themselves, as there may be arguments in the same book that cancel each other out.

The God of the Bible is also jealous. He does not accept the worship of other gods of his own people, although it seems to be tolerated by the Gentiles (Exo 20: 3>). 34:14 ”for you shall worship no other god: for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15 Don’t make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice;” – The God of Israel wants his people not to be allied with the Gentiles; if they did, there would be a danger that the Israelites might have to eat the unclean sacrificial meat prepared by the Gentiles.

God seems to tolerate, perhaps even accept, that the Gentiles worship their own gods, as long as they do not become entangled in the customs of the Gentiles. Deu 4:19 and lest you lift up your eyes to the sky, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the hosts of the sky, you are drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which Yahweh your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole sky.

– Oops! God does not allow his own to serve the pieces of heaven, but has distributed them to be served by other nations. I cannot really say what God thinks when he decided to do so. Instead, I ask: God, how do you judge in the last judgment the Gentiles who have served the celestial bodies as their gods?

I have written before God to regard the Gentiles as “disposable,” which can be sacrificed out of his own people.

But, but… The Gentiles are also human, created in the image of God. With Christ comes a great change in attitude toward the Gentiles. They too are offered an opportunity for salvation by believing in the gospel of the Son of God. How will Christ, as the chief judge of the coming final judgment, deal with that vast multitude of Gentiles who have not heard of our God or his Son. Previously I wrote about how, until today, there have been more than 100 billion people in the world and most of them are Gentiles. The Epistle to the Romans brings one route of salvation: 2:15 “in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them.”

Questions provoking Bible Stories

The people of Israel wandering in the desert

One blog post says that “Israel’s two million people wander in the wilderness over 40 years is a “fairy tale.”

After all, the story of the Bible feels pretty amazing. I would not now condemn the biblical account as a fairy tale. As a single question, I wonder: Where would so much gold have been obtained that a golden calf could have been cast?

The tribe of Israel was in Egypt as slaves to Pharaoh. Slaves are notoriously not very rich. When Moses ascended the mountain to receive God’s commandments, the people were left without his watchful eye. They decided to make themselves an idol, a golden calf when Moses had not returned for many days. Is it plausible that the slaves would have owned hundreds, perhaps thousands of pounds of gold?

As a second question, I wonder how the Israelis knew how to make a mold in the wilderness? Their work experience seems to be to build buildings out of clay bricks for Pharaoh and by no means to gain work experience in casting metals. But how would I know.

God is concealed

Has anyone ever seen God? John writes in his gospel 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

1 Joh 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

Exo 24:9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.
10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness.

11 He didn’t lay his hand on the nobles of the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.

12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay here, and I will give you the tables of stone with the law and the commands that I have written, that you may teach them.”
13 Moses rose up with Joshua, his servant, and Moses went up onto God’s Mountain.

But did they see the face of God? Moses was told that Moses would not see the face of God or he would die. God said to Moses Exo 33:20 ”He [God] said, You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.” – How did God resolve the matter? Exo 33:22 “It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Maybe God is not omnipotent. Moses wanted to see the face of God. God refused because Moses would die after seeing it. Could God not protect Moses? Instead, he just showed his back. God is omnipotent, it is said. Didn’t God come up with any way Moses could see God’s face and survive?

The angels of God see God in heaven. Why can’t people see God? Because only the sinless are allowed to see the face of God. Even humans will see the glory of God when all sin is removed from them. Then God descends to earth in New Jerusalem.

God created the first man from dust

The early pages of the Bible already state: Gen 3:19 ”By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

God created man from the dust, which means that God created man from the materials of the earth.

If people in ancient times had been told what a person is made of, such as coal, hydrogen gas, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc., and when the listeners were finally told that two-thirds of the person is air and the same amount of water, the listeners would have laughed to break.

Instead of directly condemning the message of the Bible as a fairy tale or old bizarre beliefs, one should ask how that Bible verse should be interpreted to correspond to the beliefs of the people of the time in question.

Mat 28:19 baptismal order

Mat 28:19 ” Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

What is to be thought of this commandment which, according to the Bible, Christ gave to the apostles after his resurrection, shortly before his ascension to heaven. Jesus himself testified that he had been sent to earth because of the lost sheep of Israel. Perhaps now was the time to look to the Gentiles of the nations and take the word of the Bible to them and offer them the way to salvation. I do not dispute that, but the instruction on baptism is a forgery.

Why do I consider it a forgery? My reasoning is simple and pragmatic. Imagine the situation; the apostles have been broken by grief and now they meet the risen Christ. Do they promise to keep Christ’s baptismal command or not? The apostles promise to do exactly as Jesus tells them. But, what happened?

Pentecost came and many people from all over the country and the world had gathered to hear the teaching of the apostles. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles and about three thousand others from around the world. What did the apostles do? Act 2:38 ”Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. 2:2 Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 2:3 Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. 2:4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

Jesus promised to return soon

“You will not have gone through the cities of Israel …”

Jesus promised his apostles to return soon. He certainly would not have promised this if God had not promised it to Jesus. How soon is “soon”? This can be deduced from Jesus’ promise: Mat 10:23 “But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most assuredly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come.”

Israel is a small country and has few inhabitants in a few cities. These should be gone through in a year. Based on this, Jesus was expected to return in about a year.

However, faith in Jesus’ second coming lasted much longer than a year: 1 The 4:15 ”For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.” – Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians during years 48-52. The letter reflects Paul’s faith and expectation of Christ’s second coming. That is why he says that “we who are alive then…”

Jesus did not return. Did he give new information to the apostles, or what happened? Preterists have settled the matter; they interpret the situation as meaning that all that Jesus promised has already been fulfilled.

What if I don’t have faith?

When a person is asked “are you in the faith,” you often get a negative headshake in response. The person in question may think that the Bible is so full of old fables and beliefs that one cannot believe them. If instead, one asks: Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, most may well answer in the affirmative. And with that answer, you are already saved.

Someone may know the accounts of the Bible and say, why should we believe in the resurrection of Jesus when even his own apostles did not believe until they had met the risen Jesus and talked with him.

If I could have a conversation with a Catholic believer, for example, I would like to ask about Virgin Mary, for example. Why do you believe Jesus’ mother is in heaven when the Bible testifies that only Jesus has ascended into heaven? I would also ask why Catholics consider Virgin Mary to be a mediator in heaven when the Bible says that Jesus is the mediator in heaven? I can imagine that a learned Catholic would appeal to a decision made by a church assembly or the pope.

I would like to hear why a clear word of the Bible does not convince a Catholic believer?

Should the gospel message be believed? Mar 1:15 “He [Jesus] said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near! Repent, and keep believing in the gospel!”

The gospels are central to faith. Some Old Testament accounts, such as the Flood, are harder to believe.

Now that I have brought up the flood account, I will explain why it isn’t easy to believe it as an exact biblical account. How is it possible that Noah and his family, and perhaps hired helpers, would have collected two animals of each kind? There are millions of animal species! The gathering would probably have taken a long time and would have caused major problems in transporting the animals close to the ark. How would the beetles of the whole world be kept safe and how would they have been transferred to the ark? If the whole world had to be covered with water, where would so much water have come that all the mountain peaks miles high would have been covered?

I am still confident that the Flood took place. Traces of the devastation caused by the flood have been found over a wide area. However, it has not covered the entire globe. When the Bible speaks of the whole world being covered under water, I interpret it to mean that the whole known world of its time was covered under water.

I pointed out the writing issues that concern me. So I don’t blindly believe everything the Bible tells.

What should we think about, for example, falling into sin? Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said to the angels: Gen 3:22 ”Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he put forth his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…”

– Why shouldn’t the people of paradise understand what is good and what is evil? That is the purpose of God’s word. In fact, God had promised that all the trees of paradise should be eaten except the “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”; Gen 2:16 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die.” From the Tree of life, could have been eaten as well. By eating from the tree of life, the inhabitants of paradise would have received eternal life! Didn’t have to believe in anything?

We also find the Tree of life and its fruits in the Book of Revelation; People who enter paradise are allowed to eat from this tree. I have interpreted the description as a figurative expression and that such a tree really doesn’t exist. Maybe there was one in Adam and Eve’s paradise?

Why did God place an angel to guard paradise and the other tree there, the fruit of which would give the eater eternal life? Wouldn’t it have been simpler to cut down the tree?

Why did God punish people for the transgression by driving them out of paradise, but to the serpent (Satan), God gave the prize: to rule the whole world? Read more in my article.

John 14:26

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.”

There are contradictions in the Bible between different writers, such as evangelists. The reason given is that memory fails if you write about events only a couple of decades after the event itself. The critic may not have noticed Jesus’ promise that God will send the Holy Spirit, which reminds the apostles of every detail. If there are differences in the writings, there is an explanation other than memory failure.

The skeptical disciple Thomas was allowed to try on the traces of nails in the hands and feet of Jesus. Based on this, one can believe that Jesus was in the physical body. However, Jesus could suddenly appear in different places, that is, move in one moment from one place to another. The physical body would hardly be able to do this, but by switching to the spirit body this can be done. The apostles and the women who went to the tomb did not recognize Jesus when he looked like a stranger?

The book of Tobit (Apocrypha) tells the story of the angel Raphael who was a guest on earth. His host family did not notice any difference between Raphael and the people. Rafael even seemed to be eating with them. At the end of his visit, however, Rafael revealed that he was an angel of God.

And what does the New Testament say about the angels who visit the earth? The book of Hebrews calls for: 13:2 ”Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” The end-time events involve angels, they e.g. gather God’s own for safety from the violent events of the end times.

The leaders of the churches mentioned in the Bible are called angels. Rev 22:6 ”He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show to his bondservants the things which must happen soon.” I have written a separate article on the angels.

Just before Jesus was taken to heaven, he spoke to the apostles:

Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” 9 When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.

The doctrine of hell

All people die at least once, the first death. Here I consider the mystery of the second death. With the second death, the Bible means death as a punishment for the last judgment. It is used in various names and descriptions. Common names: condemnation, destruction, colorful name: lake of fire, and commonly known word: hell.

Hell is understood as a punishment of eternal torment. Sometimes in the Middle Ages, hell was imagined to lie deep underground. It was even believed to have several layers there. The deepest of all was for those who did a lot of evil. The figure of speech used in Revelation seems to be the Lake of Fire, where Satan’s helpers, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet, are cast alive. Their master Satan will eventually end up in the same place. 1 Pet 3:18 ”Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”

Strong’sin selityksestä: “Like Latin semel, used of what is so done as to be of perpetual validity and never need repetition, once for all.”

Heb 2:9 ”But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone.”

God considered it sufficient that Christ “tasted death” for all and then attained glory and exaltation. What about when a person dies; either before or in connection with the final judgment. Man is tested in suffering, in the fire of God. He is then cleansed of sin and allowed to enter God’s New World as a spirit being. https://salatturaamattu.fi/jumalan-tuli/

Christ atoned for the sins of men by His death. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so is mankind raised from the dead. Eventually, a cleansing or punishment follows. God’s fire cleanses men from sins. If the sins are so serious that purification is not enough, the punishment is annihilation.

As I wrote about the Fire of God, I pondered what the condition is for access to purifying fire. Man must have “built his house,” that is, his faith, at least to some extent, on the faith of Christ. Does the absence of this, even a faint faith, mean that instead of purifying fire, the Gentiles will have to deal with consuming fire? We could think this way if my interpretation of the Gentiles as God’s ‘disposables’ were correct. Why did God give people a different amount of faith? Heb 2:17 ”Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.”

What if a man has committed such grave sins that God’s purifying fire does not concern him, but he receives punishment for annihilation!

Annihilation

Annihilation is also the last, and of all the last punishments, it is the most final. Annihilation means the complete and final, irreversible destruction of man. With this in mind, even annihilation is eternal punishment. It differs from the eternal torture of the Lake of Fire. There is no torture in annihilation but rapid and complete destruction and, with destruction, eternal separation from God.

Christ acts as a judge in the Last Judgment. What punishment will he give to great sinners who do not receive his mercy? Eternal torture in the Lake of Fire, or complete destruction, the ultimate separation from God, as defined in 2 Thessalonians 1: 9:“Such people will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction by being separated from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious power.”

Someone may reject the idea of such punishment outright. It cannot be considered a punishment at all, especially compared to the eternal torture in a lake of fire. Think of it this way: Those who enter God’s New World paradise will move to the New Jerusalem. Those who have been punished for annihilation watch from the sidelines, but cannot enter the New Jerusalem. That’s when they realize what they’re about to lose forever.

The punishment for annihilation is justified by the word of God. The death and resurrection of one, Jesus Christ, have made possible the resurrection and eternal life of the elect. The death suffered by Jesus Christ is the Atonement for the sins, past and future of mankind. The Atonement’s purpose is that the completely innocent victim suffered the punishment for sinners that they themselves should suffer. Rom 6:23 ”For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God defined the death penalty when He told Adam and Eve what would happen if they disobeyed. Gen 2:17 ”but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die.”

The punishment for sin is therefore death. God does not mention anything about torture.

Christ did not die the second death

Christ died one death for our sins, that we might have life. If punishment were eternal suffering in hell, Christ would also have had to die the “second death,” whether it be eternal suffering in the fire of hell or another death through annihilation, in order for Christ’s sacrifice to match God’s punishment. The idea leads to Christ still being in hell today suffering punishment on our behalf. When this is not the case, the conclusion is that those who are not saved, that is, whose sins are not covered by the death of Christ, die the second death and stop existing, and do not enter God’s new world.

When I think about the idea in more detail, I come to the conclusion that God has decided the content of eternal and final punishment in advance. Its underlying idea is that the death of Christ covered the death that humans inherited from Adam, but it did not have to cover anything else.

When people sentenced to death in the final judgment are thrown into a Lake of Fire, it means their final destruction, the second death. They are accompanied by the destruction of death itself. Death no longer exists and is no longer needed because all the remaining people have been given eternal life.