i think we have to be careful about mixing metaphors in this instance. yes, a furnace is for refining or creating, but if you throw a bundle of weeds in there, they will be burned to ash.
however, the very statement that there’s weeping and gnashing of teeth in the furnace when there should be rather a swift but painful death means maybe Christ Himself was mixing metaphors LOL
if i was Jesus, i’d have hoped the disciples would question me further. this parable begs questions, and that’s why i feel it’s not a final statement, but a leading one. the “end of this world” doesn’t mean there is no hope in the next.
Dondi, you’ve definitely found us a puzzle! but it still has to balance against the rest of the Bible. also, i doubt this parable contains the whole truth, just a part of it. we still have to consider the 1 Corinthians 3:15, and see that everyone is judged by fire, and if his works or life don’t stand up to the test, he himself will still be saved, but will suffer loss.
i also find that a very foundational scripture which still will apply here is Lamentations 3:31. God does not cast aside forever.
i’ll agree with whoever said calvinism is abhorrent (unless every living thing is pre-destined, but that contradicts the Point about limited atonement).
i think the statement that God will separate the good from the bad, and burn away the bad, should be a comforting statement that God will eventually destroy all evil. parables are not meant to be taken as more than a picture. if you analyse too far you see issues.
i really don’t believe in the Nephilim theory, though it would make a fantastic film. if you read that part of Genesis, it does not follow from the statement that the children of the “Sons of God” were anything more than mighty warriors of legend. the statement that sin was rampant is grammatically separate, and so these fellows may’ve been big and strong and wise, but no more evil than you or i. they were not why the Flood came (if the Flood’s literal). also, after the Flood, how could any of their descendents have been alive on earth, given that Noah and his family were all that were saved?
however, if it IS true, maybe the reason why Hitler’s body wasn’t found was because he didn’t die…scary thoughts. but like i say, a good movie but not good history. Hitler would then not be “human” and us humans would have reason to celebrate that such evil wasn’t caused by us…and blatantly it is in all our hearts, so this would be a false comfort.