While looking for something else I rediscovered this, thought it would be a very good fit here;PUNISHING VS. CHASTENING
While considering all of the hellfire and brimstone material disseminated by Christian teachers, preachers, writers, and educators around the world, just how many hundreds of times do you suppose the word "punishment" is used in the entire New Testament with regards to sinners? Hundreds? Would you believe less than fifty? Would you believe less than ten? Would you believe ONCE? That’s right, the answer is one time.
"Of how much more punishment [Gk: timoria], suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:29).
I can assure you that those who have committed the above crime towards the Lord are few indeed. Most of humanity that will be judged in the lake of fire have NEVER EVEN HEARD of Jesus Christ, let alone, "trodden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant, an UNHOLY thing, and done DESPITE unto the Spirit of grace." Most have never even heard of such sins, let along committed them.
This is a most powerful Scripture to be sure, but it does not speak of "eternal" punishment, and it is the ONLY SCRIPTURE IN THE ENTIRETY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT that uses the word "punishment" with reference to punishing sinners!
There are three other places in the KJV that the word "punish" or "punished" is used correctly. They are Acts 4:21; 22:5; and 26:11 where it Saul (later Paul) is punishing not sinners, but members of the church, the followers of Christ.
II Thes. 1:9 should be translated, "eonian extermination" and not "punished ... everlasting."
II Peter 2:4 & 9 should both be "chastening" as it is the same Greek word kolazo and not timoria which means punish.
The KJV uses "punished" in verse nine, which should be "chasten," and ironically it doesn’t even translate the Greek word kolazo (chasten) in verse four -- the KJV translators left it out completely. I suppose the translators thought that it was redundant to say, "chastening judging." But then again, they didn’t bother to look at II Cor. 2:6 which should read "rebuke" (another Greek word, epitimia), not "punish."
And lastly, I Pet. 2:14 should read "vengeance" ( still another Greek word, kdikesise), and not punishment.
So in the case of "punishment" we have but ONE Scripture to deal with, and we will deal with it.
This next fact doesn’t necessarily "prove" anything, it’s just the way my mind works. Jesus Christ said:
"O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the ABUNDANCE of the heart the MOUTH SPEAKS" (Mat. 12:34).
I think we all understand that statement: What is heaviest and most dominant on out heart is what we talk about the most.
Now then, my observation. We learned of the one time that punishment is used in reference to sinners. Would you all be interested in knowing how many times the opposite of punishment is used? Okay, the word "mercy" (-ies, -iful) is found in the Bible over THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY times! Could it be that the "abundance of God’s heart" consists of many more MERCIES than it does of vengeance and punishment?
Where do you suppose we find nearly a hundred of these occurrences? That’s right, in the writings of King David. No wonder blind Bartimaeus ...
"began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son OF DAVID, have MERCY on me" (Mk. 10:47).
God promised to give His Son "... the sure MERCIES OF DAVID" (Acts 13:34). You see, David’s heart spoke such an abundance about God’s mercies, that God said of him:
"... I have found DAVID the son of Jesse, a man AFTER MINE OWN HEART which shall fulfill all my will" (Acts 13:22).
Three hundred and thirty to ONE! Probably doesn’t mean a thing. Just an observation.
By the way, even among those who love the doctrine of eternal torment, no Scripture in the Old Testament has ever been brought forth which even vaguely defends their theory.
PUNISHMENT AND THE GOSPEL
For all those who have never heard the real Gospel of God, here it is:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publish peace; that brings GOOD TIDINGS [that means gospel] of GOOD [not evil tidings of a Lord who administers infinite acts of eternal terrorism], that publishes SALVATION [not DAMNATION] ... The LORD hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of ALL THE NATIONS [that’s the whole world], and ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH [that’s everyone] SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF OUR GOD" (Isa. 52:7 & 10).
I am wondering if most of my readers have ever even heard of this verse or knew that it is in their Bibles.
Now I am aware of the many Scriptures that speak of death, destruction, and perishing of wicked people. And we won’t forget the one Scripture with regards to punishment. All those Scriptures are true. They are not, however, God’s final judgment on the wicked. The final judgments of God will bring salvation to all and there are no scriptures that contradict those saving declarations of Almighty God. God has declared it; He has spoken it; His Word has gone forth: He has willed --
"Who WILL have ALL men to be SAVED, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).
Here then is a declaration of God from His own inspired Word. It is found in all Bibles and in all languages on earth for all too see and believe. But the Church of Babylon has tried to destroy this declaration and make it of no effect in the minds of millions and millions of people around the world. They teach that this verse and declaration of Almighty God WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN! Well, be it known, that they LIE!
Here’s what God says about His own words and His own declarations.
"So shall MY WORD BE that GOES FORTH OUT OF MY MOUTH [as in I Tim. 2:4 and a hundred Scriptures like it]; it shall NOT return unto me void [unfruitful, negated, ineffective, ineffectual, inoperative, invalid, null, worthless, vain, unsuccessful], but it SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER [bear fruit, benefit, do well, flourish, increase, multiply, progress, make good] in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).
Oh, the audacity and blasphemy of those who proudly teach that God cannot and will not ever accomplish His own will, save five percent! Does Isaiah 55:11 sound like only a FIVE PERCENT gospel that Christendom is preaching around the world for TEN PERCENT of your money? Like those who crucified our Lord, they know not what they say, and God will forgive them too. But for those who are ready to learn and believe, let’s see how God answers such utter foolishness:
Remember the former things of old:
For I am God, and there is none else;
I AM GOD, and there is none like Me,
"Telling from the BEGINNING, the HEREAFTER,
And from AFORETIME, what has NOT YET been done,
Saying, ‘ALL MY COUNSEL SHALL BE CONFIRMED,
And ALL MY DESIRE WILL I DO.
Calling from the sunrise, a bird of prey,
From a land far off, the man of My counsel.
Indeed, I SPEAK! INDEED, I WILL BRING IT ABOUT!
I formed. Indeed, I WILL DO IT" (Isaiah 46:9-11).
Nothing can hinder God’s words or declarations. Even the things that are perceived to be hindrances to God’s will (such as the lake of fire and the second death), are not hindrances at all, but rather are the very instruments for the accomplishment of His will. God has a ONE HUNDRED PERCENT GOSPEL, AND IT’S FREE!
Read the entire article here;http://bible-truths.com/lake3.htmlHis Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe
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Topic: Why Punish? (Read 7115 times)