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Originally Posted by jfrog
First of all Ezekiel 18 is about physical life and death. There is nothing about the death of a actual soul in the context of that chapter. The chapter deals with life and death in this world and the consequences of sin in this world. Even Ezekiel 18:4.
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Then where is the basis in the OT for the teaching of eternal life? I say its found in scriptures like these.
4: Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5: But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
6: And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,
7: And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
8: He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
9: Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.
10: If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
11: And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
12: Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
13: Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
14: Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
15: That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife,
16: Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
17: That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
18: As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
19: Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20: The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21: But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22: All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23: Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24: But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Ezekiel 18: 4-24
If this merely spoke of temporal life some should still be living from that generation.
Example:
13: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Romans 8:13
Is this just talking about temporal life? If so Apostle Paul and others would still be alive! Its obviously concerning our eternal destiny.
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Malachi 3:16-18 that you quoted is much easier explained as God assuring the people that despite the seeming lack of judgment from him on the wicked that he has everything recorded and that when his judgment is come he will spare the righteous from it. While this may foreshadow hell, it doesn't even seem to be a reference to anything of an afterlife. It seems to be speaking of his judgment on earth for that is the judgment that the people were upset that God was witholding.
Where is hell? Or even annihilation?
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I believe there are at least 2 places in the Tanakh that are the basis of the doctrine of eternal judgment this being one. If it is not then you must either find other verses that foreshadow it or like other skeptics reject there is eternal judgment.
Remember when John Baptist came preaching he was the first prophet we know of since who?
MALACHI!
So when he came preaching
THIS:
10: And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire.
11: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner;
but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Matt. 3:10-12
It does not seem to be a strech that he was referring to what the last prophet before himself had said:
1: For, behold, the day cometh, that shall
burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall
burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them
neither root nor branch.
Mal. 4:1
How else would one explain the wicked being cast into fire and being burned? How else would one explain the metaphor of the stubble/tares?
It seems easy to make a connection between the two prophets preaching.