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OUR FATHER, HELL AND HEAVEN : M. M. NINAN<br />

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en·tro·py<br />

noun<br />

Noun: entropy; plural noun: entropies; symbol: S<br />

1. Physics<br />

a thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's thermal energy for<br />

conversion into mechanical work, often interpreted as the degree of disorder or randomness in<br />

the system.<br />

2. lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder.<br />

Immortality only means there will be no death within the time which would imply that entropy should<br />

not increase. All changes are adiabatic without any increase or decrease of energy within any part of<br />

the system. In the Kingdom of God entropy should really decrease. Entropy should decrease with<br />

time where everything should go from order to a higher order - "from glory unto glory". You grow into<br />

the likeness of Christ. This would mean that the life giving Spirit of God is renewed within that realm.<br />

There will be on going creation. This is what the Eastern Churches called the process of Theosis -<br />

becoming like God. This is what the Spirit of God does in us after the rebirth when reconnected to the<br />

Spirit of God. The Spirit of God supplies the energy and ordering system. Everything grows from<br />

order to greater order as opposed to the present world where everything goes from order to disorder.<br />

Since no energy is available it leads finally to death. Time comes to a stop. Death therefore means<br />

time comes to stop. There will be no changes taking place. It is a sleep where there are not even a<br />

dream.<br />

OLAM, AION and AIONIOS<br />

ETERNITY IN OLD TESTAMENT<br />

The Old Testament does not seem to conceive of eternity in purely abstract terms, as a static state of<br />

timelessness. The Greek word aion in the Septuagint and New Testament corresponds to the Hebrew<br />

Old Testament's olam and neither word as used in Scripture answers to the notion of "eternity" that<br />

shows up in the ancient philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. Hence the Judeo-Christian understanding<br />

of the word should be in terms of the Old and New testament words Olam and Aion and not based on<br />

the Pagan Greek Philosophy.<br />

For Plato, eternity is a timeless and transcendent state totally outside the dimension of time.<br />

For Aristotle, as for Thomas Aquinas who followed him at this point, eternity "becomes known from two<br />

characteristics:<br />

first, from the fact that whatever is in eternity is interminable, that is, lacking beginning and<br />

end ; second, from the fact that eternity itself lacks successiveness, existing entirely at once<br />

[tota simul]" (Aquinas, Summa, I, 10, 1).<br />

The mixing up of these concept with the Christian concepts led to serious errors in the interpretation of<br />

the meaning of salvation and heaven and hell as we will see.<br />

In the following chapters we will look into these terms. I will depend on the scholars for this and<br />

therefore to give them the credit I will quote them which may include areas that we don't really need in<br />

this study.<br />

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