Hell
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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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