MA2444
Well-Known Member
Jesus Himself did use threats of Gehenna. I don't have to like it, but I can't deny it either.
Well... If "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14), well, fear and self-preservation is something the "natural man" CAN understand. Nothing spiritual about that. 100% pure flesh.
I think there's a lot of confusion in the Christian community about hell, Gehenna and the lake of fire, purgatory and different things like that, and I've studied some of that out and reached some conclusions for myself, take them as you wish, but I believe that Hell/Gehenna is a temporary holding place inside the earth that hold souls of those who died on earth andwho are being held for Judgment at the end. The they get tossed into the Lake Of Fire. Hell used to be split and had a portion called Abrahams Bosom, or, Paradise, where those who did die in Christ were being held until after the price of their freedom was paid for. Jesus did that He paid the price so He emptied Abrahams bosom and took them souls with Him. Now we are in a newer covenant where, absent from the body, present with the Lord. So Abrahams bosom isnt needed anymore. And that Good because the bad part of Hell is always expanding and needing to be made bigger to make more room to house all the new residents coming in over the years.
Get this! This is the very reason for the increased Volcanic activity in every part of the world. Hell is getting full. Geez, we might even get a world wide earthquake related to their expansion underneath the earths surface.
And what I know of purgatory, is that most people have that all wrong. The best way to think about purgatory is...fires of purification. Same thing. Scripture talks about us going through the fires of purification and some of our works may be burned up and some wont be. That is not done in hell.
The way the Lord explained it to me is, the choice is ours, we can go through the fires of purification here on earth or before we enter into heaven. You see, many are saved, but no one is perfect so these little things that we sin that are not unto death, manifest us spots and blemishes on our clothing. Nothing that is not pure can enter into heaven.
It is written" She hade herself ready
Revelation 19:6-8
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints..../KJV
And that is exactly what this is talking about. We can do this ourselves and clean up our lives a little bit more. Walk even more righteous than we have been. No lying, period. No stealing, none of that stuff. Yes it seems to be a drag to live on planet earth. But the qualification for rapture is linked to being unblemished, is it not? Who is unblemished? I dont think I am.
And honestly, evryone knows that no one is perfect. It is not possible even one of us to walk unblemished by this world. So no one (except Jesus!) has ever walked unblemished. So the Lord is going to have to grade us on the sliding scale of misfit remedial slow learners who are under constant demonic oppression! so he cant go by unblemished absolutely literally or there would be no bride at the ceremony!
Good thing for us that the Lord doesnt look at our performance at finishing! He looks at our heart and the intentions of our heart and our diligence and effort that we were striving in to try...I will try to lift that plow and carry it. So our efforts are obediance and the Lord rewards obediance both now and in the afterlife. So we can press in while we are here are go through a hot fire of purification before we enter heaven. I suspect that it's easier for us to do on earth right now! It isnt that Bad. The Lord has overcome the world. He has already won the victory, we just have to enforce it until He comes for us.