Used early and often in the movie Princess Bride.  Correctly challenged by Indigo.  “I do not think that word means what you think it means”.  Indeed!

The same type of mistakes are made in our modern “Christian lingo”.  One example is the word “death” or “died” as in Jesus died in our place.  We think physically died on the cross.

Here’s some logic to consider.  That we will all live eternally is agreed.  Hopefully, not an eternal life in Hell.

Today, we ask the incorrect question of how to be “saved”.

Inconceivable!

Doctors “save” people?  Jesus was asked “what must I do to inherit eternal bliss”.  Or was it eternal happiness?  Perhaps it was eternal financial security?

It was of course ternal life.  What must I do to inherit eternal life?  Correct question.

But we all live eternally anyway???  No need to inherit it?

Inconceivable!

To the hearer of that day, the phrase “eternal life” obviously meant life with the Father.  Their concept of eternal death would have been separation from the Father.  As Paul said:

Rom 5:14 – Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

Rom 5:18 – So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

1Co 15:22 – For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

I realize that you may not like this but “all” means “all”.  Not some.  Not the churched.  Not the “blood bought, born again, Christians”.

Inconceivable!

All are “born again”.  All are made alive.  But some are at risk of a “second death”.

On the cross Jesus, fully man and fully God, separated from His Father (why have you forsaken me) and took on our condemnation of eternal death.  Jesus was the only entity capable of enduring an infinite amount of sin debt … in a finite amount of time.  Having redeemed us.  Having canceled the eternal debt.  He then reunited with His Father and granted us new life.  The same life that Adam had at his start.

A “second death” is therefore possible for those who reject the Father.  The term is used nowhere in the Old Testament and not found in the New Testament until the Revelation … where it is used four times.

Rev 20:6 – Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Rev 20:14 – Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Rev 21:8 – “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

This should key us in that our current concept of Jesus “died” for us “does not mean what we thought in meant”.