I am a conditionalist in regards to future punishment. Thus, I believe that the wage of sin is endless death, not endless misery. I focus here on the phrase "you shall surely die."
In the beginning, after creating the world and the cosmos, "Yahweh God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen 2:8-9) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a tree with fruit that was good for consumption but it was off limits, according to the express command of the Creator, who said “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat...‘ (Gen 2:16:17a), even the law of the commandmants of God, to be written on stone one day... and our hearts on yet another one. This same progress is shown in individual spiritual walks when, at first, we have no regard for God's commandments; and then; we think that we can save ourselves by keeping them. And finally we look for help for the Lawgiver... by His Spirit.
But in the day you eat thereof, literally "dying you shall die." (Gen 2:17b) Moderns spiritualize this death. "After all," they say, "Adam and Eve didn't die on that day." So, it must be spiritual death only. But I believe that they became subject to death and would continue in a dying state until they actually died. Paul testified that the commandments that he thought would bring life actually brought death. (Rom 10:7) In the end, they would condemned to death after Judgment.
"Dying you shall die."-- This and the other 28 usages of the phrase in the Pentateuch (first five Books of Moses in Bible) speak of judicial punishment. Moses uses the phrase ”to state the penalty for various crimes including murder, Sabbath breaking, bestiality, and blasphemy. In each text, God is announcing criminal or civil laws with their penalties. Additionally, these capital penalties are interspersed among other laws with lesser punishments. It seems unquestionable that in these occurrences, ‘dying you shall die’ announces a legal penalty for breaking specific laws.” (“Dying You Shall Die: Stephen Bauer, PhD) For example. the LORD came to Abimelech in a dream and told him restore Abraham’s wife to him or he would “surely die, thou, and all that are thine.” (Gen 20:7) And in another situaiton, Abimelech charged all his people saying, "He that toucheth this man or his wife, shall surely die for it." (Gen 26:11) Likewise, Moses was instructed to set set bounds for the people at Mount Sinai, “Take heed to yourselves - that ye go not up into the mountain, nor touch the boundary thereof, whosoever toucheth the mountain, shall, surely die.” (Exo 19:12) Of the evil generation in the wilderness that refused to believe the good report of the spies, the LORD said, “They'll be eliminated in this wilderness and will surely die." (Num 14:35)… and again, “They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.” (Num 26:65) Likewise, “a manslayer, shall surely die.” (Num 35:16-18) And of any accused of a crime punishable by death,
“Based on the testimony of two or three witnesses, they must surely die. (Deut 17:6)
AND: "One of the first principles of justice requires that parties threatened with a penalty for transgression should have the fullest opportunity of understanding what the penalty is. God, accordingly, speaks to Adam of death as a thing whose nature Adam knew. Now Adam knew very well what death was in one sense, and in one sense only. He knew it to be the law of the lower creatures, and to consist in the loss of their being and existence... He had one clear, well-understood sense for death—the loss of life and being“ (Henry Constable) If they didn't understand death completely before the Fall, the LORD clearly showed them in the coats of skin.
In the history books of the Bible, Shimei had this knowledge but not the Spirit. He cursed king David as he fled Jerusalem in the rebellion of Absalom, forecasting his imminent demise. “Shimei cast stones at David (2 Sam 16:6), as if his king had been…. the worst of criminals, whom all Israel must stone with stones till he die. Perhaps he kept at such a distance that the stones he threw could not reach David, nor any of his attendants, yet he showed what he would have done if it had been in his power.” (Henry) “Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: ‘Come out! Come out!’ Rather, ‘Go out,” namely, of the land, into banishment (Cp. Jer 29:16).” —‘You bloodthirsty man, you rogue!’ (7), literally “man of blood.“ This expression “was applied to David by God Himself (1 Chron 22:8)." (Barnes) But these imprecatory curses indicated that Shimei thought that David would "surely die"- that his reign was over, and that he was devoted to destruction.
Shimei spoke and acted to reproach him of evil done to the house of Saul, which was false. — " Shimei's sentiments were probably the same as that of many other people in the tribe of Benjamin. They no doubt blamed David for the death of Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1-6), Abner (2 Sam 3:22-39), Ishbosheth (2 Sam 4:5-12), and particularly, ‘The seven descendants of Saul whom David handed over to the Gibeonites (2 Sam 21:1-14).” (John T. Willis)
"David was guiltless of the crimes of which Shimei accused him, but his conscience reminded him of other flagrant sins in his life, and he therefore regarded the cursing of Shimei as a chastisement from heaven.”(Jamieson, Fausett, Brown) BUT in regards to David's actual sins, something foreign to Shimei happened to David. He was provided a covering for sin by repentance and faith in the sacrifice for the burnt offering. (2 Sam 12) "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23) He experienced the atonement that was the substance of what we can partake of, looking forward to the cross.
David would not allow his men to touch this street preacher, lest he also be found killing the prophets. But it happened that King David was restored to the throne of Israel. And just before he died, he gave Solomon some instructions including this: “Be sure to do something about Shimei son of Gera from Bahurim in the territory of Benjamin. He cursed and insulted me the day I went to Mahanaim. But later, when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I promised that I wouldn't kill him. Now you must punish him. He's an old man, but you're wise enough to know that you must have him killed.” Yet rather than destroy immediately, Solomon- the wise and sovereign king- gave a chance for reform to the test to the death row inmate. His decree was that Shimei was allowed to build a house in Jerusalem and live in it. "But whatever you do, don't leave the city! If you ever cross Kidron Valley and leave Jerusalem, 'You will surely die.'"(1 Ki 2:36-37)
After about three years in Jerusalem, Shimei went to Gath looking for some servants who had fled. Thus, his judgment took place and the sentence was passed: “Someone told Solomon that Shimei had gone to Gath and was back. Solomon sent for him and said: 'Shimei, you promised in the name of the LORD that you would never leave Jerusalem. I warned you that you would surely die if you did. You agreed that this was fair, didn't you? You have disobeyed me and have broken the promise you made to the LORD. I know you remember all the cruel things you did to my father David. Now the Lord is going to punish you for what you did. But the LORD will bless me and make my father's kingdom strong forever. 'Benaiah,' Solomon shouted, 'kill Shimei.' So Shimei died. Solomon was now in complete control of his kingdom." (1 Ki 2:41-46)
So, mankind is under the condemnation of death, but is given abundant witness to find eternal salvation. If they refuse it, they will be resurrected, judged, and condemned to die the second death. As a hope for mankind, the LORD told the serpent in their hearing, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Gen 3:15) ”St. Paul remarks here, that the word seed or son, is in the singular number, Galatians 3:16; and St. John adds, that the promise is to be understood in the largest sense, the complete destruction of [in my theology the life and] the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8. ... On this promise all patriarchal religion and hope were founded.... They knew more: they knew that 'bruising the heel' meant killing the promised heir of all." (Joseph Sutcliffe) But He was without sin and therefore not deserving of it; so, He was the firstfruits of the dead.
“The prophecy is obscure, but it is clear that some conflict will take place in the future in which both parties will suffer harm, but the serpent’s harm will be the most severe.“ (Jefferson Vann)— 'crushing (destroying) Satan under your feet shortly.” (Rom 16:20) Looking for Messiah's birth and partaking of the deliverance which He offers, “they will be saved in childbearing (the seed) if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” (1 Tim 2:15)
And He “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” (Gen 3:21) He likely instructed them in the first burnt sacrifice, as He taught them of the result of sin, as well as the possibility of atonement. "Do you think they would have forgotten that powerful illustration? Do you think as their hands smooth the softness of the skin clothing, they would have forgotten their first glimpse of violent death, and something of the understanding that it was because of their sin?" (Edith Schaeffer)- a type of “the Just dying for the unjust. (1 Pet 3:18)
“Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever‘— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to 'the tree of life.'” (Gen 3:22-24) It "does not grow on the desolate shores of the lake of fire and brimstone." (E. Petavel)
And in acts of worship, "Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat."- a burnt offering, after the first example. Yet even Cain was not decreed from eternity to eternal demise. Here is free-will. The LORD told him, "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Gen 4:3-4; 7)
And Abel, and his spiritual sons who listen to his testimony, built altars in various places for offering of burnt offerings to be saved from the sentence of death.
After in the times of Moses, in corporate worship, the sons of Aaron- the priest of GOD, were anointed for service and the tabernacle was consecrated for use… and Aaron offered the proper sacrifices and then finally a burnt offering on the brazen altar— “And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” (Lev 9:24) The type of atonement was established in the Sanctuary of the LORD, pointing to the Great Antitype! The fire signified approval of God! And it shows forth the wrath of the LORD, consuming the animal victim offered in lieu of the human offerer. This is the eternal fire of God. “So the fire was maintained (see Isaiah 31:9). The fire was kept ever burning, to show that God's wrath could never be quenched until the blood of Christ should quench it.” (J. A. Macdonald) It was that fire that was to be used to burn the incense on the golden altar near the holy place, representing the prayers of the Saints ascending to heaven. Jesus' sacrifice and its atoning effect is key to a productive prayer life.
The lesson taught: "I was destined for decay and death, even the second death after the end-time Judgment, but Jesus died in my place." The ashes are like unto the the smoke that Abraham saw when he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:28-29. And David in Psalm 9:6, KJV. And Revelation 14:11. In the Sprit of prophecy John, speaks of the fire of God’s wrath with the words: “‘And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever’ (Rev 14:11) The language of the Apocalypse being symbolical, it is necessary to seek the metaphorical meaning of the smoke spoken of in our text. Smoke is a formless relic of an object that has been decomposed by the action of fire. It can only be an emblem of the remembrance left by the object destroyed. A perpetual smoke would therefore symbolize the ineffaceable remembrance of an irreparable ruin. Thus it is said of the great harlot that ‘her smoke goeth up for ever and ever.’ [1— Rev. xix. 30.] But this same harlot has previously ceased to live, she has been ‘killed,’ her flesh has been devoured and her bones consumed. This harlot is a city, a government opposed to God, a temporal power. As M. L. Bonnet says: ‘It tells of a destruction without any hope of restoration.’ [2—Cf. Rev. xviii. 9, 18; Isa. xxxiv. 10; Dan. vii. 11, sq.].” (The Problem of Immortality by E. Petavel)
And the priest who offered the burnt offering kept the skin (Lev 7:8), pointing to Adam and Eve's covering for their spiritual nakedness. HOWEVER, trouble comes in just the next chapter: “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” (Lev 10:1-2) Their fire was called “strange fire.” They likely lit it by some other means than the fire of the brazen altar. People have called my idea of eternal fire— “strange fire,” foreign to the Bible. But my belief in conditional immortality only affirms the statement that "the wage of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), that is, we are saved from perishing (John 3:16). In the debate about the nature of future punishment, which camp do you think is offering strange fire—conditionalist or traditionist?
To help decide, see link to Rethinking Hell article-
As a conditionalist, I believe that I am enabled to come more fully "to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12:22-24)
Paul warns us not to refuse Him who speaks in the midst of the congregation. "For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth," (Heb 12: 25b) "at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai," that is, Christ- then how shall we fare? If they were not allowed to enter the earthly Canaan due to unbelief and thus perished in the wilderness, "much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,” (Heb 12:25c) - bearing witness by His Word and His Spirit and- who now "has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ (Haggai 2:6) (Heb 12:26) These words may refer in a lower sense to the dissolution of the Jewish church and state; but in their full sense they undoubtedly look much farther, even to the end of all things.” (John Wesley) "This exhortation looks back to ‘I will raise them up a Prophet, from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth: and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him’ (Deut. 18:18, 19); cf. Acts 3:22; 7:37.” (A. W. Pink) "Take heed that ye hear Him [when He speaks by His Word]; for if not, God will require it of you in your utter destruction.’” (John Owen)
“Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken,” (Heb 12:27a) “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10) “as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (Heb 12:27b) The wicked will be destroyed, but Jesus' Eternal Kingdom will yet remain for the faithful. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12: 28-29)
Our God is a consuming fire-- ""The words are taken from Deuteronomy 4:24, where they are used to deter Israel from idolatry, for that is a sin God will not tolerate.... As a fire consumes combustible matter cast into it, so God will destroy sinners.” (A. W. Pink) "'Of the times and seasons, you have no need that I should speak; for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape.'. 1 Thess. 5:1-3.
He comes 'in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.' 2 Thess.1:8 And all these will be 'punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.' 2 Thess. 1:9.
And again: 'And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.' 2 Thess. 2:8." (A. T. Jones)
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