Isaiah 1:18 KJV Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Reason together = H3198 יָכַח yâkach yaw-kakh'
A primitive root; to be right (that is, correct); reciprocally to argue; causatively to decide, justify or convict: - appoint, argue, chasten, convince, correct (-ion), daysman, dispute, judge, maintain, plead, reason (together), rebuke, reprove (-r), surely, in any wise.
QUESTIONS JESUS ASKED
Mat_17:25 “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes? From their sons or from strangers?”
Mat_18:12 What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray?
Mat_21:28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’
Mat_22:42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “David’s.”
“Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?” Matthew 16:11 CSB
“Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3 CSB
“Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Matthew 8:26 CSB
“Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?” Matthew 9:4 CSB
“Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?” Matthew 15:3 CSB
“But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15 CSB
Isaiah 28:9-13 NLT
9 “Who does the LORD think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned?
10 He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”
11 So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!
12 God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.
13 So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.
Quote from David Guzik's commentary on Isaiah 28:9-13:
a. With stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people: If the simple, straightforward message is rejected, God will find another way to communicate to the hard-hearted. He will send unusual messengers to bring the word.
b. This is the rest... this is refreshing: The message of rest and deliverance would be rejected (they would not hear). But it wasn’t the fault of the word of the LORD – the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”
i. This is the blessed way to present God’s word: precept upon precept, line upon line. Isaiah takes the taunt of the drunkards and receives it as a compliment. God’s messengers are to present all of God’s word (without skipping a line), and to present it simply.
ii. This also implies that we can’t receive all aspects of God’s message at once. “It is an excellent thing that the gospel is taught us by degrees. It is not forced home upon men’s minds all at once, but it comes thus, ‘Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little.’ God does not flash the everlasting daylight on weak eyes in one blaze of glory, but there is at first a dim dawn, and the soft incoming of a tender light for tender eyes, and so by degrees we see.” (Spurgeon)
c. That they might go and fall backward and be broken and snared and caught: In fact, the result of the faithful presentation of the word of the LORD for those who reject isn’t good for them. It will result in their destruction.
Consider:
Five blind men who had never seen or heard of an elephant had contact with one. One of the men had hold of his tail, the other a leg. As they described the creature, what they said was totally contradictory. The same with the next two: one had hold of the trunk and the other had his hands on the ivory tusk. The fifth was being fanned by the large floppy ear. Who was right and who was wrong? When they came together to reason through the contradictions, they realized that all of their observations combined to bring about a more complete picture of the animal before them.
So it is with scripture. We all see in part.
1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
John 16:7-13 KJV
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Dig deeper:
God knows the end from the beginning.
God is Love. Love cannot fail.
Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him. What was the joy?
God will wipe away all tears. Rev. 7:17; 21:4
Rich man and Lazarus – Luke 16:19-31
God's will vs. God's plan
Difference between sheep and goats as applied to people and nations
Scriptural definition of: eternal; hell; destruction; damnation; judgment; brimstone
Timing
Purpose of the fire: judgment, correction, torture, example, vengeance
God's character as reflected in the law.
What is the Jewish or Hebrew concept of Gehenna?
Gehinnom (or Gehenna) in Jewish tradition is primarily
a temporary, spiritual, or symbolic place of purification and judgment for the soul after death, rather than a place of eternal damnation. Rooted in the literal "Valley of Hinnom" (Gei-ben-Hinnom) near Jerusalem—a site associated with ancient idolatry, child sacrifice, and eventual garbage burning—it evolved into a concept of "purgatory" or a "smoldering valley" lasting up to 12 months for most sinners.
Core Concepts of Gehinnom
Purification and Time Limits: Unlike the Christian concept of Hell, most souls spend a maximum of 12 months in Gehinnom to be purified from earthly sins before entering Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come).
A Place of Rehabilitation: It is often described in Rabbinic literature not as a torture chamber, but as a place where the soul is ashamed of its sins, enduring a painful rehabilitation process.
"Second Death" for the Wicked: While typical sinners are rehabilitated, some, such as heretics or those who cause the community to sin, may face total annihilation rather than temporary punishment, according to some Talmudic views.
Literal vs. Metaphorical: Historically based on a cursed, burning garbage valley, it became a metaphor for the profound regret and shame of recognizing one's sins against God.
Usage Examples in Jewish Sources
Talmud (Shabbat 33b): Describes how long different types of sinners remain in Gehinnom, often citing 12 months as the maximum duration for many.
Mishnah Eduyot 2:10: Mentions "the judgment of Gehenna is twelve months," setting a standard for traditional belief.
Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 4:6): Mentions that Gehinnom was created on the second day of creation, suggesting it is a fundamental aspect of the world's structure, not an afterthought.
While some later Jewish mystics developed more vivid images, the core Jewish concept emphasizes redemption and rehabilitation over eternal punishment.
Eternal punishment is punishment connected to the Aon or age during punishment and the word punishment in Greek is colasis and colasis means chastisement or correction.
Matthew 25:46 KJV+
46 AndG2532 theseG3778 shall go awayG565 intoG1519 everlastingG166 punishment:G2851 butG1161 theG3588 righteousG1342 intoG1519 lifeG2222 eternal.G166
Matthew 25:46 YLT
46 And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.'
