Matthew 10:28, Him who able to kill the soul and the body.

A question came up about the soul. We seem to think that it is immortal and that it will, either live with the Father in heaven or, exist in permanent torment in hell. Are there any other options? Jewish thought on the subject is varied; it is, however, the origin of what we, in Christianity, believe. I give you two examples.

Gehinnom: A Jewish Hell

Only truly righteous souls ascend directly to the Garden of Eden, say the sages. The average person descends to a place of punishment and/or purification, generally referred to as Gehinnom.
The name is taken from a valley (Gei Hinnom) just south of Jerusalem, once used for child sacrifice by the pagan nations of Canaan (II Kings 23:10). Some view Gehinnom as a place of torture and punishment, fire and brimstone. Others imagine it less harshly, as a place where one reviews the actions of his/her life and repents for past misdeeds.
The soul’s sentence in Gehinnom is usually limited to a 12-month period of purgation before it takes its place in Olam Ha-Ba (MishnahEduyot2:9, Shabbat33a). This 12-month limit is reflected in the yearlong mourning cycle and the recitation of the Kaddish (the memorial prayer for the dead).
Only the utterly wicked do not ascend to the Garden of Eden at the end of this year. Sources differ on what happens to these souls at the end of their initial time of purgation. Some say that the wicked are utterly destroyed and cease to exist, while others believe in eternal damnation (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Law of Repentance, 3:5-6).
From https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/heaven-and-hell-in-jewish-tradition/
On their website - myjewishlearning.com, the information ends with a bold exclamation,

“We Don’t Know, So we Must Make Our Lives Count.”

Instead of focusing on the potential torment, why not focus on a God that loves you so much that He gave His only son as the final, all-encompassing, sacrifice. Perhaps such love is a motivation to live for Him.

Another website article dated June 18, 2013.
Written by, By Rabbi Baruch HaLevi, entitled:
“I’ve always read that Jews don’t believe in the concept of hell. Is that true?”
There isn’t one definitive understanding of life after death or heaven and hell.
https://www.jewishboston.com/ive-always-read-that-jews-dont-believe-in-the-concept-of-hell-is-that-true/ has this to say.
“First, let me distinguish between what “Jews believe” versus what “Judaism” believes. Quite often one has nothing to do with the other and this is a perfect example. Jews may not believe in the afterlife—heaven and hell—but Judaism unequivocally does.
Growing up I was told that Jews don’t believe in the afterlife. No heaven. No hell. No nothing. However, like most everything else I learned about Judaism growing up, this was incomplete. Although there are strains of modern Judaism that would argue against life after death, the vast majority of Judaism, Jewish history, Jewish theology, and Jews themselves unequivocally believed in Olam Habah—the world to come.
(So,) “Yes, Judaism believes in “heaven,” and yes, Judaism also believes in “hell.”

I did not have any of this information on a recent morning as I sat with the guys; it wouldn't have mattered anyway, as one fellow, the one who keeps finding unusual and bizarre things to talk about, doesn't seem to want to hear the truth.

Let's get something straight here. I am not the final source of all truth and knowledge. If I don't have the answer I will tell you, but, if you give me a chance, I will look it up and give you an answer. At that point, the Bible is my definitive source for truth. The Bible program I use has 45 translations available for me to choose from; are they all correct? I seriously doubt it, as many translations have known errors, and language so weakened that it makes those word choices seriously inadequate at times. Don't give up hope, for God still manages to bring hope and healing even through problematic scriptures; this is why I constantly compare translations, and it is a problematic passage that is what brings me to the verse in question.

Those that refer to this passage generally focus on fearing God and the hell that seems to be dangling out there as a threat in an effort to keep us on a straighter path. My friend, that morning, showed great interest in this phrase, “God, who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28 NLT  “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

The NLT is fairly new to me, and it says that God can destroy both the body and soul in hell; that, is not what I was taught growing up. We were taught the soul is eternal and never dies, however that is not the implication here. I went through a translation comparison and every version I have uses the word destroy.

First, I have to ask, what is the context. Well, the conversation that evoked this comment by Jesus started all the way back in verse one of chapter ten. You can look it up for yourself if you have the time. Suffice it to say, Jesus called his disciples, prepared them, and sent them out in pairs with this message:

Matthew 10:6-8 NASB but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (7) "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' (8) "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

At this time they were to only go to the Jews. You might think that the lost sheep would welcome this message of life, but there was obviously some animosity. Matthew 10:16-23 speaks directly to the hostility, that not only His disciples would eventually face, but we, the church, as well, and it's not pretty.

If you are a follower of mine, then you know that I have recently talked about a friend who, in opposition to what scripture says, believes that the church must go through the “tribulation.” There are many reasons, based in scriptures, that convince me otherwise, however, there is an overwhelming abundance of evidence to show that our everyday lives will be filled with tribulations. Just today, I learned that China literally blew up a mega-church in China. According to Open Doors USA, North Korea tops the list for persecution, with Afghanistan a close second. If you are interested check out the ranking list on the Open Doors website – https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/.

When talking about the time period in which tribulations will exceed human reason, you are talking about the time of God's wrath and judgment. Jesus, on the other hand, said tribulations, and that includes deadly events, would be a way of life. We here in America have yet to grasp the horrors of great tribulation, but we will.

The Greek word for kill is apokteinō and that is the word used when Jesus spoke of, “those who want to kill your body.” That word means to kill outright; figuratively to destroy: - put to death, kill, slay.
When Jesus told them to “rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body..” He used the Greek word apollumi. That word is a derivative of two words and means to destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: - destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.

Just looking at the alternative words – lose, mar, or perish, I wonder why the translators would choose the word destroy, over say, mar. One could mar an expensive piece of furniture. It might retain its functionality while losing its value. Furniture, unlike a Ming Dynasty vase, might be repairable, or should I say, salvageable. Merely using the term salvageable makes me think of who God is, and what He seems to do all the time, salvage people.

I find I can't get away from this idea of total destruction. One of my own brothers was advocating that a merciful God would not simply put people into an eternal, torturous hell. To that I would say He did not do that to them, they did it to themselves. You see, we all have the knowledge of good and evil, and some simply choose to follow the evil path. Many would say, some of those followers had no choice. If I use the children next door, I have watched them develop some nasty attitudes that closely resemble the “adults” that are raising them. Influence may leave a stain on you, but the choice to act right, at some point, will be theirs alone.

This discussion and its vagueness are one of the reasons I included the Jewish thoughts on hell at the very beginning; as they too can see those condemned to hell as being imprisoned for a period of time and then, totally eliminated. Really, that makes a lot of sense. I cannot fathom an eternity of torment, no more than I fathom what an eternity of peace will feel like. But make no mistake, I choose eternity with the Father over any other option.

Over the course of several weeks, uncomfortable things have happened. One of those things was the passing of my mother. That woman had every confidence in the world as to where she was going when she died. I could say, she had an assurance, based in scripture, and her confidence prompted me to seek answers for myself. I could no longer trust what I deem fairy tales, I learned in Sunday school. I ascertained for myself, that Jesus words and actions were true and verifiable; therefore, I too have that same confidence in my destination. The other side of that coin is the anguish I hear when people say, how can I know what will become of me when I pass. Obviously, a few of the options, are either eternal hell in torment; a relatively short time in hell followed by vaporization of some sort or a life filled with peace in the Father's arms.

Since my life in Christ affords me the confidence of life with the Father, then I have chosen that option.

As my Jewish friend stated:

 “We Don’t Know, So we Must Make Our Lives Count.”

Micah 4:1, It will come about in the last days.

If you were with me when I began the study on Micah, then you know that Isaiah is about 15 years older than Micah and he was affluent with robust social contacts thanks to his father, the priest. Both men were from the Southern Kingdom of Judah. However, Isaiah leans toward the big city, if I can call it that, while Micah, almost seems like a country boy. Micah pales in comparison to the volumes written by Isaiah, but Micah's words are just as cutting or uplifting within a mere seven chapters.

Chapter 4 spells out what many ask, as Micah paints a word picture of the house of the Lord. Raised to the highest point in Israel, with the nations flowing to it, and the Jews as the teachers, all people now want to learn of the Lord. Is chapter 4 all good news? No, but then Micah is trying to make a point.

Micah 4:1 NASB And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it.

Notice how similar Micah's words are to Isaiah's; this is one of the reasons that many think Micah is merely mouthing Isaiah's words.

Isaiah 2:2 NASB Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

Ezekiel also spoke of the mountain of the house of the Lord.
Ezekiel 20:40 NASB "For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel," declares the Lord GOD, "there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will accept them and there I will seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things.

The comparisons: in Micah we see people streaming to it; in Isaiah, all the nations stream to it; and, in Ezekiel, we are told that the whole house of Israel will serve Me there.

• The whole house of Israel? These are those surviving the seven-years of wrath; this is in contrast to the teachings of some who say, only the Christians go into the millennial reign. Of those entering, we must include the 144,000 Jewish witnesses, marked by God for their protection. There is a notable reduction in those He refers to as the whole house of Israel, but by my rough estimate, there will be a little over 2 million survivors entering into the millennial reign.

Zechariah 13:7-9 MKJV  Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man who is My companion, says Jehovah of Hosts; strike the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. And I will turn My hand on the little ones.  8)  And it shall be in all the land, says Jehovah, two parts in it shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left in it.  9)  And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, It is My people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.

Most should understand this discussion so far, as a clear statement indicating that there will be Jews entering alive into the millennial kingdom.

• “It will come about in the last days.”

The disciple John - having gone through transitions in his mindset and spirit, such as: setting aside the rage, and receiving the Holy Spirit – (as promised by Jesus;) also endured multiple attempts to kill him for the sake of the gospel, and imprisonment upon the Isle of Patmos, writes the words we see in 1 John 2:18-19.

1 John 2:18-19 AMP Boys (lads), it is the last time (hour, the end of this age). And as you have heard that the antichrist [he who will oppose Christ in the guise of Christ] is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, which confirms our belief that it is the final (the end) time. 19) They went out from our number, but they did not [really] belong to us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But [they withdrew] that it might be plain that they all are not of us.

• “it is the last hour.”
• “even now many antichrists have arisen,”
• this knowledge “confirms our belief that it is the end time.”
• The persons that became the antichrists came, at that time, out of their number. Does that mean that these have bred and divided, becoming the antichrists we now deal with? NO, but the tactics and unbelief still run rampant within the church body.
• And, John delivers a massive clue about the false prophet - a person who still qualifies as an Antichrist, when he says “he who will oppose Christ in the guise of Christ.” This statement by John leads me to Islamic prophecies that call for just such a man. I became aware of these Islamic prophecies when I read the Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson. I will leave you to pursue that on your own time.

Let's look at one last aspect of Micah 4:1. Here is the verse once again.
Micah 4:1 JPS  But in the end of days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and peoples shall flow unto it.

Once again I point out how many have so convoluted the scripture that they are comfortable in their belief that no Jews enter into the millennial reign. You could not be more wrong.

Isaiah 56:5-7 JPS  Even unto them will I give in My house and within My walls a monument and a memorial better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting memorial, that shall not be cut off.  6)  Also the aliens, that join themselves to the LORD, to minister unto Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, everyone that keeps the sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast by My covenant:  7)  Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon Mine altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Isaiah 66:23 JPS  And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 16:19 MKJV  O Jehovah, my strength and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations shall come to You from the ends of the earth and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and there is no profit in them.

Jeremiah 16:19 is significant to me, because I repeatedly proclaim that our Mormon and Jehovah Witness brothers and sisters, will awaken and throw those books that they have called the Bible, at the leaders who have led them astray; as they too will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and there is no God like Jehovah. Who will teach them?

Along with their belief that the Jews will not enter the kingdom, some even see Israel and the wars against it, as non-survivable. Again I say, that is not the case. Many will survive, while some will flee, and that is spelled out for us.

When Christ, for the last time, physically returns to the earth, it is for several reasons.

1. He will return for war.

1. He will, in such a short period that no one cares to define it, take His throne to reign for the thousand years. Here again, If Ezekiel and the prophets of old could see the New Jerusalem in their spirits, then it must already be out there, merely awaiting some command to descend. There is, of course, the leveling of the ground there, but God can handle that without our help and the fact that a horrendous earthquake occurs almost simultaneously as Jesus touches the ground on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, might solve any ground leveling issues.

Zechariah's words speak directly to those who chose to fight, and those who did not. Stop here for a moment and think about that. We see children, even today, being taught to hate and fight against the Jew; they will endeavor to fight against Jesus when He returns. However, there will be those, with their learned hatred, that will not fight. Look at what Zechariah says, “any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem.” These were not combatants; these are those who stayed home and took care of things.

Zechariah 14:16 NASB Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

The Complete Jewish Bible says it this way: “Finally, everyone remaining from all the nations that came to attack Yerushalayim.”

Let's break down what we see here; I realize that many passages such as this one, seem to be laid out rather clearly, and yet, the Monday morning Bible teacher would repeatedly say that Jesus/God kills everyone and only Christians go into the Millennial reign. By expanding your window of studying from one scripture to comparative scriptures you can begin to see that your desired goal of death to everyone is, not only wrong but your perverted sense of justice.

• “any who are left of all the nations”
• “that came to attack Jerusalem”
• “will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”

I mentioned that a day would come when the veil will be lifted from the eyes of all who remain. When will that day be? Paul speaks to that in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 11:25-26 MKJV  For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should be wise within yourselves; that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the nations has come in.  26)  And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, "There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

We do not and will not know when that day will come until it happens, and then, it will be too late for you to be caught up in God's grace; I, therefore, warn everyone about what's coming and that they will need to be strong. On the plus side, you will have the Holy Spirit to strengthen you. I know there are multitudes who deny that possibility, but since scripture backs me up, I will say it with confidence.

Someday soon, when the fullness of the nations has been met then we, the church, will be removed from the earth. On that day God will lift the veil from the eyes of all, including Israel.

Verse 26 tells us that all Israel shall be saved, but some will ask, why then would they be killed during the seven-years of God's wrath?

As Theologians you have undoubtedly read, multiple times, that God spoke of all when it is clear that not all were there, or included. It is not so different here, as many of those deemed “saved” during the time of wrath will die. This time of anger is not something to toy with, like those who say they will snow ski in hell.

As God's torrential punishment is being poured out, violent men will still be running around trying to kill anything that conflicts with their idea of god - Allah, or stands in their way.

 Since Jesus is the only way and I am not a good gambler, I choose Christ. As I look back on this relationship I have placed myself in I can say it was a good choice and has only grown more intense and profound with the years.