Believe what the
Jewish Apostles taught not what the Greek Philosophers taught.
Summary:
Why teaching
the fate of the lost, (as torment forever) is unbiblical and not
hermeneutically correct.
Why "Conditional
Immortality" is absolutely true and all unsaved souls will one day be "destroyed".
A CHALLENGE TO THOSE WHO DISAGREE. We are so
persuaded of our position, and so confident in the Scriptural evidence
presented on this site, that we honestly do not believe that anyone who shares
our faith in the final authority of Scripture will be able to cling to endless
torment after reading this entire site and the links.
Note: All articles are evangelical (Messianic
Jewish) in nature and not pertaining to any specific denomination.
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Main articles – click to read:
***.....What is "Conditional Immortality"?
***.....Are all souls immortal?
***.....Are you saying
there is no 'punishment' for the unsaved?
***.....Why rarely
cited Isaiah 66:24 is a key.
***.....Doesn't Daniel
12:2 say some will face "everlasting contempt"?
***.....Why the "Book
of Life" is exactly that, a book of Life.
Secondary
points to consider:
***.....Why this topic is important.
***.....Why traditional theology is
biblically wrong about the phrase "gnashing of teeth."
***.....Answering the critics &
supposed scriptures that teach otherwise.
***.....Questions and MAJOR problems
for those who hold to the eternal torment position. (IMPORTANT
ARTICLE)
***.....What some scholars and
reviewers are saying.
***.....Further Reading.(<----Further reading section contains LINKS)
* It is clear that PLATO and many Greek philosophers taught the
soul was indestructible.
* ..."The
belief in the immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact with Greek
thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its principal exponent…"
The Jewish Encyclopedia (
www.jewishencyclopedia.com - searched "immortality" )
* ..."Among major schools of Greek thought, only Epicureans denied the soul's
immortality." (Craig
S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary New Testament, Downers Grove,
Inter Varsity Press, 1993, p.374)
*
..."immortality of the soul, as
normally understood, is not a Biblical doctrine…" (The International Bible Commentary, second edition,
Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing House, 1986, p.60 column 2)
* ..."It is a
truism that Plato's teaching has profoundly influenced Christian anthropology." (Forward
by F.F. Bruce, The Fire that Consumes, Edward Fudge .)
*Summary of
above:
Except
for the Epicureans, Greek
philosophers taught of the soul's natural immortality - without God.
* However, the scriptures teach the soul is
destructible and immortality is part of the gospel.
*....."Rather,
be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and
body….." (Matthew 10:28)
*....."There
is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy…" (James 4:12)
*....."....who
hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:" (2 Tim
*Summary of
above:
Jesus and
James taught the soul was destructible. Paul taught that immortality is brought through the gospel.
Whom do you believe and why?
I am
Jewish and I have been a believer in Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) for over 20 years.
I have done undergraduate and graduate studies at very conservative Biblical
Institutes. I had always believed the "traditional" view of the lost
until I did a major study.
Now,
like me, a growing number of evangelicals are also studying this and seeing
that eternal torture is not what the scripture teaches.
The
Greeks, led by Plato, believed in and taught about the "immortal soul,"
however, that phrase never occurs in all of scripture.
I urge you to read ALL of the articles on this site
to get a
fair and balanced view.
Do not assume anything – read at least the first two
articles.
Years
ago, I did the same with the scriptures that pointed to Jesus (Yeshua). After
much study, I was convinced that the Jewish Bible and the New Testament were
correct and that Jewish tradition was wrong. Jesus (Yeshua) was/is the Messiah
and is Deity and is fully God incarnate.
In the same way, I urge you to consider the
scriptural position of this very important information.
A
brief word to any unbelievers in Yeshua (Jesus):
If you are not a believer and have happened to
stumble onto this site, I would urge you to first of all realize that God is
Holy. The angels cry "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh." "Holy, holy, holy." (Isaiah 6:3)
All will stand before Him to give an account one day. All will be guilty for all
have sinned. "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my
sin?" (Proverbs 20:9) The answer is obviously, no one can. Today is the day of salvation.
Only Jesus (Yeshua) saves. He died for your sins and rose again from the dead. Turn
from sin and call upon Him in simple prayer right now... "God have mercy upon me, a sinner"
and you will be saved and have everlasting life.
What
is "Conditional Immortality"?
A growing number of well-known Christian
leaders, such as Dr. David R. Reagan, John R. Stott, Greg Boyd, Roger Forster
(co-founder of the March for Jesus events), Philip Hughes, Michael Green,
Stephen Travis, and Clark Pinnock have declared support for part, or all, of
the biblical doctrine of conditional immortality. Even the British Bible translator, William Tyndale, also defended Conditional Immortality during his
lifetime. Even the very well respected scholar F.F. Bruce states, "Eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the
revealed character of God" so he chose to write the forward to an excellent
evangelical book on this topic called, "The Fire that Consumes" by Edward Fudge.
While some call it annihilationism,
simply stated, "Conditional Immortality" is the biblical belief that
the "immortality" of the soul is not inherent (Greek thinking) but
conditional (Biblical thinking) upon receiving the gift of everlasting life
through faith in Jesus (Yeshua). It is part and parcel of the gospel. God alone
has immortality -- anyone else becomes immortal only as a result of God's gracious
gift (1 Timothy
For centuries, church theologians have wrongly
assumed the Greek doctrine of the immortality of all souls. Therefore,
it is no wonder that the message of immortality has been
completely dropped from modern preaching. I ask you, when have you ever
heard a message offering "immortality" as part of the gospel
presentation? It is almost never done,
because today most people falsely assume the soul is already immortal. Yet,
immortality through Jesus (Yeshua) alone is what the Jewish Apostle Paul
preached:
* (He/Jesus), has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel. (2 Timothy 1:9b-10)
Paul clearly links immortality to the
gospel. Paul did not believe the Greek philosophy of his day which
taught the immortality of all souls. (see
opening quotes near top of page)
Before the Messiah, Jesus, came, no one
had a chance at immortality because of sin. If they did, then Paul's statement
would make no sense. Why would
immortality come through the gospel if all had it from birth? The gospel would not have brought about
immortality - since all had it. But look how Paul frames in immortality
uniquely and only with believers...
* To
those who by persistence in doing good seek
glory, honor and immortality,
he will give eternal life. (Romans 2:7)
Notice Paul uses the word "seek" when speaking of
immortality. None of these attributes he lists here are inherent to mankind. If
they were, then the word "seek" would clearly be out of place. Again,
Paul did not believe the Greek philosophers who taught the immortality of all
souls, neither did Yeshua (Jesus)...
* I
am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread,
he will live forever. (John
6:51)
Again, why would Jesus Himself make this plain offer to "LIVE FOREVER" if everyone lived
forever?
It is important to note that in Hebrew,
the word for 'soul' (nehphesh) is never used
in conjunction with the word "everlasting" in Tenach (The Hebrew
Scriptures/Old Testament).
Likewise, in the New Testament
writings, the word for 'soul' (psukee) is never
used in conjunction with the words 'eternal' or 'everlasting'.
Again – it is an assumption (based upon
Greek philosophy) – that the soul of mankind is eternal and can never be
destroyed.
The Jewish encyclopedia tells us the
same thing:
The belief in the immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact
with Greek thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its principal
exponent, who was led to it through Orphic and Eleusinian mysteries in which
Babylonian and Egyptian views were strangely blended… (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=118&letter=I&search=immortality)
Therefore, God's Gift of Eternal Life is
the Answer to Humanity's Quest for Immortality and 'the Fountain of Youth' . Think about
it, what is humanity's greatest desire – a greater desire than wealth, fame,
true love or sexual gratification? From the ancient epic of Gilgamesh to Ponce
De Leon's obsessive search for the fountain of youth to our modern-day
compulsion to remain youthful-looking as long as possible, humanity is obsessed
with the idea of immortality, the idea of living forever. Yet most refuse to
turn to God for this gift. Yet this immortality
is exactly what the gospel offers. (2 Timothy 1:10, Romans 2:7, John
6:51)
Again I ask you to read through all of
the articles here to see how unbiblical the concept of the immortality of the
unsaved soul is. Immortality is reserved only for those who put their faith in
Jesus (Yeshua). All the rest are destroyed (not preserved), (Matthew
Luke 12: 47-48 "And
that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did
according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few
stripes."
The future they face on judgment day is 1)
suffering in proportion for their sins – then 2) destruction. Yet all the lost
will not receive same amount of suffering for their sins - before
they are destroyed. God will see that they receive the exact amount of
"stripes" they deserve. Some (like Hitler) will receive very many
"stripes". Others will receive "few" as Yeshua (Jesus)
says. After they have
received their appropriate "stripes," then they will
"perish" as John 3:16 states. ("perish"
"apollumi" in Greek: be
destroyed). The wages of sin is death (Romans
Also, in regards to suffering, scripture
seems to indicate that what the lost have suffered
here on earth, for their sins, may actually count as partial payment then. (Isaiah
40:2) If this is true, it would
certainly explain why there is suffering now on the part of the
unsaved. Better to pay for it here than there. However, do not believe for a moment that
those who hold to "Conditional Immortality" believe there is no
payment for those who have done evil in this life. There will be! Justice, in its proper amount, will be
served. No more, no less, for God is Just.
Getting back to the concept of
'immortality', if you read John's gospel and think of the concept of
"immortality" whenever you hear Jesus (Yeshua) speak of offering
"life," it will make complete sense.
I challenge you to read John's gospel and mentally insert the concept of
"immortality' whenever you read of Jesus (Yeshua) offering
"life". It makes complete
sense.
Interestingly enough, it was the serpent
who was first to suggest that sinners would not die, "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die"
(Genesis 3:4). Sadly, this is the same lie being told today, that everyone
lives forever. Therefore, apart from the gospel, there is no immortality.
Please read next chapter "Are all souls born immortal?"
This is a key
question. Please
take a moment and think about it. What you believe about the nature of the soul
will be the lens by which you view the very important question about the fate
of unbelievers.
It will affect how you present the good news to an
unbeliever. Is immortality inherent or is immortality a gift that only
believers receive? This is a question of immense proportions. I cannot stress this enough.
The Greeks had one view, the scriptures have another.
* "Among major schools of Greek thought, only Epicureans denied the soul's
immortality." (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background
Commentary New Testament, Downers Grove, Inter Varsity Press, 1993, p.374)
* " 'immortality of the
soul' , as normally understood, is not a Biblical doctrine…" (The International Bible Commentary, second edition, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing
House, 1986, p.60 column 2)
* "It is a truism
that Plato's teaching has profoundly influenced Christian anthropology."
(Forward by F.F. Bruce, The Fire that
Consumes, Edward Fudge .)
If you believe
the souls of unsaved men live forever, then which of these two statements do
you believe?
There really are only two choices.
1) Do you believe, "God cannot destroy the soul, (even if He wanted to). The souls
of all men are born indestructible."
May I ask, on what basis do you believe this? Do you believe God cannot destroy the
soul? Why? There are very few things God cannot do and
they all have to do with sinful behavior. God cannot be tempted to sin or do
wrong. That's all God cannot do. So why
would you believe God cannot destroy the soul, something that He Himself
created? Does He lack the power? Does He lack the ability? There is absolutely no biblical foundation
to the belief that God does not have the ability to destroy the soul.
2) Or do you believe,"God does have the ability to destroy the soul, but chooses not to."
If this were true, then why
would the specific word "destroy" even come up in the New Testament
writings in relation to the unsaved? Why
would God use the word "destroy" if He really will not destroy the
soul? Is God trying to intentionally deceive us by
using words that have a different meaning than what their plain meaning is? Isn't this a basic
rule of hermeneutics? The literal
meaning is the first meaning used unless context declares otherwise. Don't you have to redefine "destroy" in every
single one of these instances in order to get something other than "destruction"
as the final fate of the unsaved?
* Matthew 10:28...............rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell
* James
* Philippians 3:19.............Whose end is destruction
* 2 Thessalonians 1:9........Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction
* Hebrews
The great Inter-Varsity Press
evangelical author, John R. Stott, (who also left the traditional view) brings
up a well-argued point for 'conditional immortality', when he states:
"…it
would seem strange ... if people who are said to suffer destruction are in fact
not destroyed; and ... it is difficult to imagine a perpetually inconclusive
process of perishing". (J.
Stott and D. Edwards, Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue (
Stott is correct. Reread that statement. The word destruction is meaningless
if there is not a point where the destruction is complete. In other words, you
can't keep on destroying something for all eternity. It's a contradiction in
terms. Therefore,
conditional immortality correctly affirms the biblical position that the souls
of the lost people will all be destroyed
at the end of the age. (Revelation 20:15) This is what the scripture calls the "second
death".
The first
death is temporary. In the first death,
only the body is destroyed in the graveyard. However, there will be a
resurrection one day of all humanity, a bodily resurrection. The second death
will never be followed by a resurrection. In
the second death, the body and soul are both destroyed
(not preserved), (Matthew
The second death could not mean eternal torment
because it is linked to the first
death. The numerical values "first" and "second" show that
they are related terms and therefore the deaths must be related too. In the first death, the body stops functioning. In the
second death, the body and
soul stop functioning forever. They are both destroyed. Yeshua (Jesus) says specifically "both"
in Matthew 10:28. Sadly, traditional theology wrongly states that the soul
cannot be destroyed in clear contradiction to the Lord's word.
Additionally, Jesus did NOT mention Gehenna (translated as hell) more than at half a dozen
occasions (Matt.
Scripture clearly states that Adam and Eve lost the
chance at immortality in their natural state. "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know
good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the
tree of life, and eat, and live forever:"
(Genesis 3:22) If Adam and Eve would
have eaten of the tree of life in their sinful state – that would have been a
disaster. They would then have immortality ("live forever") in their
sinful state. Therefore, God put a guard there to make sure they would not become immortal in this
state. "So he drove out the man; and
he placed at the east of the
Even traditional Judaism and Bible believers alike
all correctly conclude that there will be a bodily
resurrection one day. It is called the Tehiyyat ha-Metim =
"the resurrection of the dead" and even written in the traditional Jewish prayer 'the
Shmona Esre'; and the writer of the book
of Hebrews refers to this fact (the resurrection) as "foundational"
teachings in Hebrews 6:1-2. However, those who hold to "conditional
immortality" know that the lost will not gain immortality on
resurrection day, but will be destroyed (cremated) only after suffering for
their sins – no more and no less than they specifically deserve.
Evangelical Pastor Al Maxey, who after
studying this now believes in conditional immortality, writes:
Trees with bad fruit are burned
(Matthew
That which is cast
into the fire will BURN UP. This is the Greek word katakaio which means "to burn up;
consume." It signifies to completely, utterly, totally destroy with fire.
It is enlightening, in the context of this study, to note that this word is
used in the LXX (Septuagint) in Exodus 3:2 where Moses beholds
a burning bush --- "The bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was NOT consumed." This particular bush was preserved in the fire (what the traditionalists proclaim will happen with the
wicked), yet Jesus disagrees with this doctrine. Jesus informs us that sinners
will NOT be preserved in the fire (like the burning bush was), but rather will
be "burned up" --- just the opposite of preservation. Thus, the view of final punishment promoted by many is
actually in direct opposition to the teaching of Jesus Christ. Jesus says the wicked will NOT be preserved in the fire, the traditionalists
say they WILL. Jesus says they will be consumed in the fire (unlike the burning bush), the traditionalists say just the
opposite (that they will endure without being consumed, just
as the bush). Whom will you believe? As for me and my family, we choose to believe JESUS. (www.zianet.com/maxey/ )
Respected Messianic Rabbi, Loren Jacobs
also correctly states...
The human soul is not immortal. The Torah teaches us that in the
beginning man was banished from the Garden of Eden and forbidden to eat from
the Tree of Life, so that he would not live forever, so that he would not be
immortal. Mankind is headed toward death - the first death, followed by the
Second Death. He is not, by nature,
immortal. In 1 Timothy
Another important point…
In John 3:16, the word 'perish'
in the Greek is "apollumi". It is correctly translated many other
times as 'destroy' throughout the New Testament. Therefore, let's correctly
understand John
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him shall not perish (Gk: apollumi; be destroyed), but have everlasting life (i.e. immortality - knowing God).
Therefore, the proper biblical question is not, "Where will you be in eternity?",
but "Will you have an eternity?"
Sadly, most of humanity will be destroyed on Judgment Day. They
will not gain immortality. They will not gain life. Jesus states this plainly, "He that loveth his
life shall lose it; and he
that hateth his life in this world shall keep
it unto life eternal." John 12:25. It is life itself
that we can 'keep' or 'lose'. As a matter of fact – God choice to us is always "life" or "death"
– never "life in bliss" or "life in eternal torment." He always urges us to "choose life."
Scripturally, the choice is between
destruction (not preservation in torment), and life! (see Matthew 7:13-14, Romans
8:13, Galatians 6:8)
Immortality
is only for a select few... those who are born again ("who hath abolished death, and hath brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel" 2 Timothy
If you still doubt this, then look at
what Jesus Himself clearly offers to the world....
Again, "I
am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread,
he shall live forever…" John 6:51.
Why would Jesus
make such an offer... to "live forever" - if everyone lives forever, (as I have heard countless preachers say?) No, the truth
is "living forever" is reserved only as a gift of the gospel. ( hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" 2 Tim
Philippians
Are
you saying there is no 'punishment' for the unsaved?
Absolutely not. The lost clearly need to be saved
from their sins. (see Matthew 1:21) What 'Conditional
Immortality' correctly and simply teaches is that immortality is 'conditional'.
It is only for the saved (2 Timothy
"The wages of sin is death" (Romans
Let us think
for a moment what we do to murderers in our society. Do we torture
them endlessly? No. This would be called
"cruel and unusual punishment".
The 8th
Amendment to the United States Constitution states this. Is this amendment
godly or ungodly? It is clearly
godly! So we can see that even an "unsaved"
lawmaker instinctively knows that the unending (24/7) physical torturing of a
twenty year old murderer for the next 50 years (assuming his life span to be
seventy years) would certainly not make the punishment fit the crime. Never ceasing, unending physical conscious
torture for 50 years would not be a
fitting punishment to any crime
committed. Even evangelical biblical scholar Clark Pinnock rightly states about
this eternal torture doctrine, "How can one love a God like that? I suppose one might be afraid of Him, but
could we love and respect Him? ...who maintains an everlasting
Again, I cannot state this strongly enough, even unsaved
man knows this fact. Why do the unsaved even know that? Because they still have some retention of
God's law of right and wrong in their thoughts. God would certainly NOT approve
of any courtroom sentencing any human criminal to unending conscious physical torture
24/7/365. That judgment would certainly be worse than the crime itself! They would understand that this would go
against the very moral fiber built into their consciences (fallen as they may
be). So we see in this specific area of our own penal system, God has placed
this right understanding of punishment even among the unsaved (Romans
Messianic Rabbi Loren Jacobs rightly
observes ...
Hell is a place of eternal punishment, but there is a difference between
eternal punishment and eternal punishing. It is one thing to experience a
punishment that is eternal in its consequences; it is another thing to
experience eternal punishing. The Bible also speaks of eternal judgment
(Hebrews 6:2), but it is not a judgment that continues eternally, rather a
judgment that comes to an end that has eternal consequences.
The punishment must fit the crime. It does not seem right that trillions
of years of torture, and more (since that would only be the beginning of one's
torture), await those who committed crimes for a few years here on Earth.
(http://www.shema.com/marticles/marticles-008.php)
Even in Torah (Books of Moses), there
was no basis for unending physical torture, none. The conscience strokes
due to a person were always limited.
* If the guilty man deserves
to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his
presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves, but he must not
give him more than forty lashes. (Deuteronomy 25:2-3)
Even Yeshua (Jesus) taught limited
conscience physical sufferings upon the guilty:
* "That
servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what
his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does
not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few
blows. (Luke 12:47-48)
The adjectives "many" and "few"
in Luke 12 could not be used if eternal conscious torment were what He was
teaching here. He would have used "heavier" and "lighter"
if the duration of conscience sufferings were eternal. So according to Yeshua's (Jesus') own words, some will have "many
stripes" (Hitler types) and some will have "few stripes" (only
God knows).
Now there will indeed be pain and
suffering in the dying process. That much is absolutely true, (just look at
what happened to Jesus (Yeshua) on the cross). However, the "wage of sin"
(Romans
Again, it is eternal punishment, not
eternal punishings. (Matthew 25:46)
Death is the punishment; and it lasts forever. That is why it is called eternal punishment. It is a
punishment with everlasting effects. Remember, Jesus Himself tells us that
the fire was never made for humans, it was "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Humans,
however, will be destroyed there. Cremated according to Isaiah 66:24.
Notice, Paul also tells us exactly what
the punishment of the lost is... "Who
shall be punished with everlasting
destruction…" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Paul clearly
says they will be destroyed (not
preserved) ; and that the destruction will last forever. After suffering
according to their sins, they will be shut out from everlasting life and miss
out on seeing the glory of God. It is capital punishment of the body
and soul.
*Look at "Capital Punishment"
in theory.
What is the
judicial underlying basis for capital punishment? In other words, how is putting them to death
really a punishment? It is the years
of life a condemned murderer is missing
out on. That is really why it is a "punishment" to him or her.
It is the removal of what 'could have been' for them. That is the only valid basis for such a "punishment"
really being a "punishment" to them. Please give
some deep thought behind the judicial notion of 'capital punishment' for a few
moments and you will see that "the
loss of what could have been" for them is indeed the main 'punishment'
to a criminal being put to death. The suffering that goes along with the
process may be valid, but the final payment and penalty is death itself.
This, then, is precisely the same punishment awaiting the unsaved at the 'Final Judgment.' The only difference will be that a human
judicial court can only remove the bodily life of a person as punishment. Jesus
(Yeshua) taught that God had the power to "destroy both soul and body" in Gehenna
(hell) (Matthew
The fact that it will last forever makes it "eternal
punishment"
(Matthew 25:46) Remember, this occurs after
their resurrection (Revelation
Evangelical author Edward Fudge, a
former traditionalist, makes the same point in his classic book "The Fire
that Consumes"
"Where a very serious crime is punished
by death and the execution of the sentence takes only a minute, no laws
consider that minute as the measure of the punishment, but rather the fact that
the criminal is forever removed from the community of the living."
On this basis we
regard a 20-year prison sentence to be greater than a 10-year sentence, a
50-year sentence worse than one for 20, and life imprisonment greater than
these all. Yet, as Constible pointed out, "From
the earliest records of our race capital punishment has been reckoned as not
only the greatest but also the most lasting of all punishments; and it is only
reckoned the greatest because it is the most lasting. A flogging, inflicted on
a petty thief, inflicts more actual pain than decapitation of hanging inflicts
upon a murderer. Why then is it greater and more lasting? Because it has deprived the sufferer of every
hour of that life which but for it he would have had. Its duration is supposed
co-existent with the period of his natural life." (Edward W. Fudge, The Fire
That Consumes. A Biblical and Historical Study of the Final Punishment (
The unsaved will be destroyed forever. Paul clearly
states that the unsaved will "be
punished with everlasting destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Notice
he does not say "everlasting preservation." No hope of resurrection,
no hope of life anymore. Just as a judicial court
merits out the death penalty with the underlying basis of it being "missing
out on the rest of your life," so too, will the sinners punishment be "missing
out on the rest of your eternity."
This is why Jesus (Yeshua) and the apostles and the Psalmist
can all state...
*
James
* Matthew
7:13-14 ..................broad the road that leads to destruction...
* 2
Thessalonians 1:9 .............Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction…
*
Philippians
*
Galatians 6:8 ........................from that nature will reap destruction
*
Psalm 92:7 ...........................it is that they (i.e.
all evil doers)
shall be destroyed forever…
But what is the meaning of the word "destroy"? Perhaps it means eternal torment? You certainly have to import an alien meaning
to the definition of the word 'destroy' (Gk: apollumi) if it means eternal torture.
It is never directly translated this way in any New Testament writings. Never.
Again, I repeat the keen observation of that great
evangelical commentator, John R. Stott, when he states:
"…it would seem strange ... if people who
are said to suffer destruction are in fact not destroyed; and ... it is
difficult to imagine a perpetually inconclusive process of perishing". (J.
Stott and D. Edwards, Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue (
The fact of the matter is this, the body and soul of unbelievers can and will be destroyed one day. It will be Judgment Day to be exact. This "Day" is spoken about over and
over again in scripture. Yes, the process itself will include suffering, but the end result according to the Jewish
scriptures (the Bible) is destruction, death, cessation of life and thought.
Jesus taught that God would not "preserve"
(as is commonly taught) but "destroy" both soul and body one day. Even if
no other biblical writer ever used the word "destroy", we would still
be forced to accept the 'destructibility' of the unsaved soul even if only based upon this rock solid
statement of the Son of God in Matthew 10:28.
Plato was wrong, the soul is not
indestructible.
Jesus was right, it is destructible.
This is what is biblically true. Conditionalism
correctly teaches this truth from God's Holy Word.
Why
rarely cited Isaiah 66:24 is the key
Isaiah
66:24 states "And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for
their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall
be an abhorring unto all flesh."
Why is this verse key? Because Jesus quotes it verbatim in Mark
In this verse we have believers, ('they' in verse
24), going out to look upon the
very place tradition tells us we will never see. Isaiah clearly states that we
will see those in Gehenna. He cannot state it
more clearly in verse 24, "And they
(i.e. believers) shall go forth, and look
upon the carcases...."
We, believers, will look upon dead
bodies in Gehenna. (Did you ever consider that?) And
what will be seen? Isaiah makes it
clear, we will see "carcasses" (Hebrew: pegerim = dead bodies). This is at the point in time when all in Gehenna (hell) have already died in "body and soul"
(Matthew
Evangelical author Edward Fudge gives this passage a
well developed exegesis that deserves quotation here....
Jesus quotes these words (Isaiah 66:24) in one of His own famous
statements about final punishment (Mark
The righteous "go
out and look" on their enemies' corpses.…
They look at corpses (Hebrew: pegerim), not living people. They view
their destruction, not their misery. Other Bible verses mention "worms"
in connection with dead bodies. Several kinds of flies lay eggs in the flesh of
carcasses, which hatch into larvae known as maggots. These serve a beneficial
purpose in hastening decomposition. They are also a symbol of ignominy
precisely because they attack only bodies deprived of burial. To the Hebrew
mind, even if a man could live to be 200 years old and have 100 children,
without a proper burial he would better have been stillborn (Ecclesiastes 6:3-6).
Like Jezebel, these corpses are left unburied; they are "loathsome"
to all who see them (2 Kings
To burn a corpse
signified at times a thing utterly accursed or devoted to God for destruction
(Josh
Certainly the fact that we, as believers, will go
out and "look upon" these dead bodies in Gehenna
(hell) must make us change the paradigm by we see the fate of the lost through.
Is this not what happened to
Notice the Jewish apostle Peter draws this same
conclusion... "And turning the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an
overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live
ungodly" (2 Peter 2:6) If Sodom is an example
(Peter's own words) to us of the fate of the ungodly, then their becoming ashes must be the same fate reserved for the lost -
cremation. Sodomites became ashes, Peter tells us the unsaved will also
become ashes – not tormented forever as is erroneously taught.
Additionally, Malachi also tells us the
wicked will be turned into ashes, just as Peter stated above... "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they
shall be ashes under the soles of your feet." Malachi 4:3
Isaiah, Peter and Malachi tell us the
fate of unbelievers is for them to become ashes,
cremated. Ashes that will be looked upon with contempt or disgust (Isaiah
66:24, Daniel 12:2). These are bodies and souls of men that are now destroyed
(Matthew
No doubt it will be terrible for the
lost on Judgment day, but the traditional notion of eternal torture is not
found in these verses. Dead bodies' turning into ashes is what is written by
Isaiah and spoken by Jesus (Yeshua).
Doesn't
Daniel 12:2 say some will face "everlasting contempt"?
"And many
of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:2
This verse is used constantly to prove
the traditional view. However, upon closer examination of the text, it is nowhere to be found. The Hebrew
word here for "contempt" is "darone". It is very
important to note that the only other time it is used in all of Tenach (The
Hebrew Bible) is in Isaiah 66:24, which was discussed earlier. In Isaiah 66:24,
those who have "darone" ('contempt' or 'disgust')
are the believers who go out and look
upon the dead bodies (not living souls) of those who have been turned
into ashes – cremated (2 Peter 2:6, Malachi 4:3).
It would be similar to us looking at
the burned corpse of Adolf Hitler. We will always
have contempt or disgust for him. Even in eternity. Isaiah 66:24 and Daniel
12:2 are inextricably linked by the same Hebrew word and that Hebrew word
speaks of our contempt for the wicked,
not their eternal conscious torment.
There are two emotions here, shame and contempt. It is obvious that the unsaved have the shame emotion. And it is the righteous that have the contempt emotion towards the wicked. Notice
that only one of those emotions lasts forever. It is contempt, which proves that we (believers) will live forever and
still feel emotion. However, nothing is said about shame being felt forever. Why? Because the wicked will be destroyed
in body and soul. (Matthew 10:28).
Evangelical author William West states
the same thing in his book The
Resurrection and Immortality:
Strong says both
contempt (Daniel 12:2) and abhorrence (Isaiah 66:24) are from the same Hebrew
word. Strong's word # 1860, "To repulse, an object of aversion, abhorring,
contempt." Contempt and abhorrence are the way others think about them.
It does not say they will forever be conscious or in torture, but that others
will forever have shame and contempt for them. It is the contempt that is
said to be everlasting, not persons. How does "everlasting
contempt" become "everlasting torture"? (The Resurrection
and Immortality, William West, Xulon Press, 2006,)
Why
the "Book of Life" is exactly that, a book of Life.
The scriptures talk over and over again
about a "Book of Life"….
"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and
I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess
his name before my Father, and before his angels." Revelation 3:5
"… and with
other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the
book of life." Philippians 4:3
Moses and Paul were both willing to be
blotted out of this book…
"Yet now,
if thou wilt forgive their sin––; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy
book which thou hast written."
Exodus 32:32
"For I
could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh " Romans 9:3
"Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for
Those who have their names in this book
will gain immortality. They will gain life forever at the Resurrection; the
rest of humanity will be destroyed and not live forever. The Book of
Life is a book that contains the names of those whom God has ordained to have
immortality (2 Timothy
Moses and Paul were willing to give up
their immortality, their "living forever", for
Therefore, Moses and Paul made a
statement of profound love for the people they loved. They were not saying
they would be willing to undergo eternal torment. They were willing to be
dead forever. They were willing to be
killed and cremated (i.e. they would give up their immortality) if it would save Jewish people and enable them to live
forever. It really is that simple.
As an evangelist, I deal with apologetics issues all
the time. For those of you unfamiliar with this topic, it simply means giving a
rational defense of the faith to those who ask you. In reading a book entitled "Letters
from a Skeptic – A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity"
Dr. Gregory A. Boyd answers his fathers numerous objections to the Christian
faith. These objections were in the form of written letters that were sent back
and forth over a long period of time. The father had asked many, many excellent
questions that his son, Dr. Greg Boyd, took great pains to answer them very
well. Then finally the issue of "hell" came up. Look what his father
states in his letters:
Your last letter put
my mind a bit more at ease about who is going to hell, but it didn't address
the problem of hell itself. This is really the more fundamental question....
Now tell me, what the hell (excuse the pun) would be the purpose of torturing
someone eternally? What's the
point? Obviously there's no "lesson"
to be learned.... So it just doesn't make sense to me, Greg. And I'm just not
at the point where I can pretend to "suspend" judgment about this. The
character of God is on trial (emphasis mine) in my life, and this very
relevant evidence which needs to be considered.
Did you notice that? Dr. Boyd's father
considers this issue a stumbling block to his acceptance of God and the gospel.
He says the "character of God is on trial" and this is a correct
observation. This
is no light matter with unbelievers. Dr. Boyd then responds very lovingly with
several options. One of those options is "Conditional Immortality"
(although he does not call it that.)
Dear Dad,
You said it about as
forcefully as it can be said. Hell is a real theological problem, I must admit
it! To be perfect honest, Dad, I've
never been able to make much sense of it myself. But I have enough grounds for
believing in Jesus and in the Bible to accept what they say on this matter,
even though it doesn't make perfect sense to me.... (after several points, Dr.
Boyd then goes on....) A fourth and final point, Dad, is this: you wondered why
God would not, after a time, finally put the rebellious out of their misery. Why
doesn't He just perform a divine act of euthanasia and exterminate the
damned? You should know that a number of
very reputable evangelical theologians maintain that this is exactly what the
Bible teaches. (emphasis mine)
They maintain, on the
basis of an analysis of the scriptural text, that the Bible itself teaches that
God will ultimately annihilate all who are not "in Christ." The punishment is "eternal" because
it has eternal effects, not because it is endured eternally. Such theologians
point out that only such a view of hell squares with all the biblical talk
about the reprobate "perishing," "being destroyed," "burned
up like chaff," eternal torture. …
In this view, then, God's judgment and mercy converge on the same act. God
judges the rebellious even as He mercifully puts them out of existence....
It is very important to see how Dr.
Boyd's father responds to this information which he had never heard before
(since he had never heard this point of view before.)
Dear Greg,
I've recently been
reviewing our letters back and forth over the last two years, Greg, and I must
say we have really come a long way!.... Your response about hell really helped.
I especially liked that "annihilationist" view you mentioned. That
was a major obstacle for me..... It seems to be the only loving and just
alternative. Letting someone go on... strikes me as sadistic. (Then he
continues with a follow up letter to his son after becoming a believer….)
Well, as I told you
over the phone, I finally "took the leap." Hallelujah!
Looking back on it, it seems that things really began to change for me
when you convinced me of the Bible's inspiration and helped me make sense out
of hell. I'm not sure why, but I think it was at that point that I really
started to "see the light." (Letters from a Skeptic, Dr. Gregory A.
Boyd, Chariot Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO. 1994., pages 160, 164,
166 &189 respectively)
I think the point is a very powerful one for me. It
is all about the character of God. Dr. Boyd's father picked it up and yet
many believers don't see it. The God we tell unbelievers about, in their mind,
is unjust because we don't explain things fully to them. God can (and will)
take away their life. However, they will first suffer, in proportion for their
sins. How many have turned away from the faith because they wrongly believed
tradition and not the scriptures?
Thankfully, Dr. Boyd shared this "option" with his father and
his father is now going to have immortality because of it. -- Update: Dr. Greg Boyd now holds to the
doctrine of Conditional Immortality himself and has come out publicly in favor
of it.
Most people don't realize
the many problems that arise from
presenting the so called "traditional" position. See article called "Questions and moral problems for those who hold to the eternal torture."
Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi makes similar comments in his excellent
book "Immortality or Resurrection?"
Few teachings have troubled the
human conscience over the centuries more than the traditional view of hell as
the place where the lost suffer conscious punishment in body and soul for all
eternity. The prospect that one day a vast number of people will be consigned
to the everlasting torment of hell is most disturbing and distressing to
sensitive Christians. After all, almost everyone has friends or family members
who have died without making a commitment to Christ. The prospect of one day
seeing them agonizing in hell for all eternity can easily lead thinking
Christians to say to God: "No thank you God. I am not interested in your
kind of paradise!"
It is not surprising that the
traditional view of hell as a place of eternal torment has been a stumbling
block for believers and an effective weapon used by skeptics to challenge the
credibility of the Christian message. (Immortality or Resurrection? A Biblical
Study on Human Nature and Destiny, Biblical Perspectives,
(note –
chapters of this excellent book may be read free online at his web site www.biblicalperspectives.com)
As an evangelist myself, I want to preach a message
that is accurate. The character of God is at stake. Yes, God is
holy! Yes, God will judge sin! (If you
are not a believer – I urge you to come to Jesus (Yeshua)). However, this topic
is very important and the wrong answer can put up unnecessary stumbling blocks
to the unsaved and even to believers. Look at this
comment left on another web site that also teaches conditional
immortality:
I accepted Christ a
few months ago. What an awesome experience the first few weeks were! Then came
visions of the majority of mankind being thrown alive into a pit of fire, where
they would scream and whither for eternity. I saw faces of people I loved,
people I knew- burning, withering, and screaming in pain! I was in terrific
fear, fighting back "God, why??"" So, I prayed, "Let me
understand, Lord, for I do not want to question Your righteous judgment!"
But peace did not come. I was so shaken that I had to get therapy and
prescription medication. I then noticed all the times the Bible used the word "perish,"
"destroy," "everlasting destruction," "death,"
and plus something in me telling me that a God who is love would never do this
- Your website has brought me peace. I prayed for discernment, and I have it
now. Thanks.
I think this is sufficient evidence to
show that this is a very important topic. How many believers are suffering under the weight of the false
teaching of eternal torment - for their unsaved loved ones already gone? How many children are taught the wrong view of
a God who will torture them for eternity in hell if they don't accept Jesus and
they are tormented by it themselves here!
The truth of God's Word helps us see the ultimate fate of unbelievers and
helps us motivate them to come to salvation today, to life, to everlasting
life.
Why
traditional theology is biblically wrong about the first century phrase "gnashing
of teeth."
A simple review of a few of the texts which have
this phrase will clearly show that the traditional way of thinking of it as a
statement of pain and suffering will be unwarranted. Our language and idioms
simply are not the same as the biblical ones. Case in point....
Job 16:9 - He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he
gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me. (Obviously, the one
doing the "gnashing of teeth" has great ANGER towards the other.)
Psalm 37:12 - The wicked plotteth against the just, and
gnasheth upon him with his teeth. (Obviously, the wicked are ANGRY with the just and are "gnashing"
their teeth at them.)
Lament
Acts
So from the hermeneutical principle that "scripture
interprets scripture", we can see very clearly that when Jesus (Yeshua) say's
"There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all
the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." Luke
13:28
He means on that day –
1)
there will be many sad
people 'weeping'
at the realization that they have just lost the chance for immortality and will
soon be put to death forever.
2)
and there will be many very
ANGRY people gnashing their teeth at God. It is they who will probably be cursing at God (i.e. gnashing their teeth) all the way
to their last breath before being destroyed.
There is nothing more than "weeping and anger"
that is being said in this ancient phrase "weeping and gnashing of teeth"
which has been misinterpreted by tradition. The evangelical conditionalist
position is biblically correct. Proper hermeneutics demands we compare
scripture with scripture. This is a prime example of the help that comparison
provides.
Answering
the critics and supposed scriptures that teach otherwise.
Thankfully, 'Conditionally Immortality' is growing
in belief among evangelicals. A great article was
written by respected evangelical scholar Clark Pinnock who has come out
strongly in favor of this position. Click here to read it.
The fact that it is gaining ground must be the
reason why a few are writing responses to it. They usually all quote the same
four or five verses in defense of eternal torment, so these are now going to be
addressed in this section.
First, in scripture, Jesus speaks definitively on
the fate of the unsaved soul, it will be destroyed. "Rather, be afraid of the One who
can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna
(hell)." (Matthew 10:28)
It is Jesus who gives us the truly critical and
pivotal scripture for understanding the fate of the lost soul – that it can and will be destroyed. It
will die (cease to function anymore) on Judgment Day at the end of the age. This
will happen in the lake of fire (Revelation
A) What about the unquenchable fire in Mark 9:48?
First of all, we need to
realize that Jesus is quoting verbatim Isaiah 66:24 in this passage so please read article above entitled, "Why
rarely cited Isaiah 66:24 is a key" for a more complete understanding of this scripture. Proper hermeneutics demands that we interpret
scripture with scripture. If Jesus is
quoting Isaiah, shouldn't we read Isaiah too? Obviously Jesus would not disagree with
Isaiah. Was Isaiah talking about the soul?
Clearly he was not. Again, read article above "Why rarely
cited Isaiah 66:24 is a key" for
a more complete understanding of this scripture.
Second of all, if God throws something into eternal
fire, who says that what is thrown in, is eternal also? Inter-Varsity Press author John R. Stott
rightly concludes:
"…it would seem strange ... if people who
are said to suffer destruction are in fact not destroyed; and ... it is
difficult to imagine a perpetually inconclusive process of perishing". (J.
Stott and D. Edwards, Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue (
Third of all, this phrase
is used elsewhere in "Tenach" (the Old Testament) and is never
used to mean eternal torment. If you look up
Isaiah 66:24, Jeremiah
Fourth of all, remember it (the fire) was made for
the devil and his angels ("prepared for the devil and his
angels." Matt 25:41) It was never, never made for humans. With that in mind, reread the second point above by John
Stott. True, it will be the home of devil who will be kept there
forever, but who says that mortal humans must be alive there
forever? I even heard Dr. Tony Evans
(who holds to the traditional position) describe the final home of the devil as
an island in a lake of fire. This will be satan's
home forever... his jail cell.
B) What about the eternal punishment of
Matthew 25:46?
This is covered in the article above entitled "Are you saying there is no 'punishment' for
the unsaved?"
C) What about the rich man and Lazarus in
Luke 16?
The teaching of "conditional immortality"
means that the soul of man is finally destroyed on the 'Day of Judgment' - at
the end of this age. Therefore, technically
speaking, this scripture has no bearing on this doctrine.
However, as a side note, there is sufficient reason
for understanding this passage of scripture as a
parable.
1)
The previous four
stories were all parables (Luke 15:4, 15:8,
2)
The parable in Luke 16:1, which He just
told them, also began with the exact same words "There was a certain rich man," (Luke 16:1). That story, 'the
parable of the shrewd accountant', is clearly a parable (though not labeled as
such). These two stories both have to do with "mammon" (money) and
the misuse of it. If the first is clearly a parable, why not the second,
for it is in the exact same section of scripture?
3)
The point of the parable is at the end, "And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:31). He
told them this parable to make the point that, "No matter what anyone
tells them (i.e. the Pharisees), they will never believe in me because they
refuse to believe even Moses and the prophets." Jesus just said
money was their god (verse 14). He made a point and backs it up with a
parable. The ultimate point of this parable is that their unbelief is due to
money – not lack of evidence.
4)
Matthew tells us, "and without a parable spake he not unto them:" (Matthew
5)
The Greek word used in this passage is not Gehenna (hell), but it is
Hades (temporary abode of the dead). It is a different Greek word. A word that
most translators mistranslate as "hell". (note: for an excellent study on this passage and
Hades – visit www.sheol-know.org
) Remember, Hades will be itself
emptied and destroyed one day (Revelation
6)
The great nineteenth century Hebrew Christian scholar Alfred Edersheim flatly states it is a parable….
"The Parable itself is
strictly of the Pharisees and their relation to the 'publicans and sinners'
whom they despised...their Pharisaic righteousness, which left poor Lazarus at
their door to the dogs and to famine, not bestowing in him aught from their
supposed rich festive banquets..... it will be necessary in the interpretation
of this Parable to keep in mind, that its Parabolic details must not be exploited,
nor doctrines of any kind derived from them, either as to the character of the
other world...." (The Life and
Times of Jesus the Messiah: Alfred Edersheim,
Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody Mass., 1993, p. 667.)
7)
Inter-Varsity Press scholar Craig Keener and many other conservative
commentators also call it a parable.
"Some Jewish parables,
including the rabbinic one mentioned at the beginning of this section, named a
character or two.... But this parable specifies only
economic inversion...." (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background
Commentary New Testament, Downers Grove, Inter Varsity Press, 1993, p. 236)
The list could go on and on, but suffice it to say
that there are sufficient grounds for looking at this as a parable. Either way,
let it be said again, that the teaching of "conditional immortality"
means that the soul of man is finally destroyed on the 'Day of Judgment' - at
the end of this age (Revelation 20:14). Therefore,
technically speaking, this scripture has no bearing on the doctrine of conditional
immortality, the destruction of the lost. Many Evangelicals who hold to 'Conditional
Immortality' also hold different views on the intermediate state and this paper does not discuss the intermediate state.`
(Again - for great
information on the intermediate state of "Sheol" – visit www.sheol-know.org link.)
D) Doesn't Revelation14 tell us that
people will be tormented forever?
First let's look at what the text actually says... Revelation
14:10-11 is about a specific group of people at 'the end times'. It is about
people who take the mark of the beast during what many call 'The Great
Tribulation.' John tells us of the day
they meet God – Judgment Day.
The same shall drink of the
wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of
his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of
their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
(Revelation 14:10-11)
It is very important to notice where they
are. They are "in the presence of
the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." This is obviously when they are standing
before the Great White Throne of God on Judgment Day and cannot be hell. The
parable that Jesus tells in Luke 19:27 teaches us that these ones will
ultimately be slain.... "But those
mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and
slay them before me."
Notice, they are eventually slain in the presence of the King.
Point 1)
If then the torment with fire, brimstone, and
eternal smoke takes place in the
presence of the Lamb and holy angels, then it takes place in the
presence of the believers as well (since we will be with the Lord by that time).
Think about it. Could you be happy for
all eternity witnessing the excruciating fire and torture of hundreds of
millions of lost souls? And will they be
forever in the presence of Jesus as the text says, they
are "in the presence of the holy angels
and in the presence of the Lamb."
Point 2)
But what about the word 'forever'; doesn't the text
say it will go on forever? No. Read it
very carefully. It clearly says "the smoke"
will rise forever. Smoke rising forever is much different
than torment going on forever. John is using the biblical expression of 'smoke rising' to describe how people of remember an
important incident. Today we take pictures and video of our enemies being
bombed and their city set on fire and play it over and over a hundred times,
but back then the enemies of God were destroyed and it was over. There was no
video to review over and over again back then. The
preservation of smoke was the only way for them to remember the great event. Look how John speaks of
Point 3)
It is not proper hermeneutics to view the scripture
in Revelation 14:10 apart from how the other biblical writers use it. And they do
not use it of eternal torment. Again, look how Isaiah uses the exact
same wording about the city of
Read the
comments of Babu G. Ranganathan, (recognized in the 24th edition of Marquis Who's
Who in the East), who, as a former Hindu, was converted to faith in
Jesus over thirty-five years ago through the television ministry of Dr. Billy
Graham. Babu Ranganathan is a committed Reformed Baptist who holds a B.A. with a
major in Bible and a minor in Biology from
We also read in Isaiah 34:10 that while
Edward Fudge
makes similar comments...
In saying the smoke "will rise forever," the prophet evidently
means what he goes on to describe in the rest of the chapter. So long as time
goes on, nothing will remain at the site but the smoke of what once was
E) Doesn't Revelation tell us that people who take
the mark of the beast will have no rest day or night?
Yes, they will indeed have 'no rest', but when will
this happen? It
will be during the tribulation period while on this earth. It is
important to note that in the previous verse, John wrote in the Greek future tense and refers to the Great
White Throne Judgment where the lost will be tormented "in the presence of the holy angels, and in
the presence of the Lamb" on Judgment Day. This is a future event for John. The Greek
tense is in the future.
In this verse, John changes tenses. It
is in the Greek present tense. This
cannot be stressed enough. In his literal translation of the scriptures, Robert Young, compiler
of the Analytical Concordance that bears his name, translates it into a perfect
English translation - as John wrote it....
"And they have no rest day and night, who are bowing before the beast and his image…"
(Young's Literal Translation – Revelation 14:11)
The apostle John writes this word "proskuneo" (worship/bowing) in the Greek present
tense. The present tense is the tense he chooses to use to describe the rest
of the events of Revelation that occur on the earth.
So this must be while on earth
since it is in the same Greek tense. Look at verse 9 in which the unsaved
"worship" (also in the Greek present tense) the beast "and
receive his mark". This is very important because it clearly occurs while on this earth. So, if the
receiving of this mark (whatever it may be) is on this earth by living human
beings, then the worshipping in
The "no resting day or night"
occurs while they are "bowing" and "worshipping" (present
tense) the beast. This occurs during the time on earth when the book of
Revelation events are being unfolded. These are people who are forced to receive the mark
of the beast (Revelation
Additionally – the very next verse states "Here
is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God,
and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation
Therefore, how can anyone "rest
day or night" when they have painful such sores on their body and are
forced to worship the beast? (Revelation
F) What about Revelation
They will indeed be tormented forever; however they
are not humans. Jesus says Gehenna (hell)
was specifically made for Satan and demons (Matthew 25:41), however fire does
not affect angelic beings like humans – (see Ezekiel 10:7).
Additionally, the word 'tormented' here is the same
Greek word that speaks of
Also, John himself tells us where the beast comes
from "the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" (Rev. 11:7) This
"beast" is not a human being. Humans
do not come out of this pit. The apostle John wants us to know this beast
is a demon by telling us his origins. Note: when the devil or the beast
and the false prophet were thrown in the lake of fire, WE READ NO WORD ABOUT A
SECOND DEATH, but HOWEVER WHEN HUMAN BEINGS are thrown in there, it says SECOND
DEATH.
Dirk
Adherents of eternal
conscious torture often cite the above text, Revelation 20:10, to support their
view by suggesting that "the beast and the false prophet" are human
beings.... The antichrist is indeed a human being... However, "the beast"
from Revelation
For further proof that
the beast and the false prophet are evil spirits and not human beings, consider
Revelation 16:13: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of
the mouth of the dragon (Satan), and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
the mouth of the false prophet."
First of all, notice that the beast and the false prophet are spoken
of on a par with the devil himself here; this signifies that they are evil
spirits... ( For more excellent information – visit "Hell
Know – Dispelling the eternal torture myth" under "links"
section).
Again, I even heard Dr. Tony Evans (who holds to the
traditional position) describe the final home of the devil as an island in a
lake of fire. This will be satan's home forever...
his jail cell. However, humans are destroyed there (Matthew
Questions and MAJOR problems
for those who hold to the eternal torment position.
Scripture
says that God has put His standards in man's conscience and calls us to reason
together with Him (Isaiah
CS Lewis wrote, "There is no
doctrine I would more willingly remove from Christianity than [hell], if it lay
in my power…" (C..S. Lewis, The
Problem of Pain (London: Geoffrey Bles, 1940),
p. 118.) C.S. Lewis recognized the moral repulsion he faced when looking at
the traditional view. "We are told that it is a detestable doctrine and
indeed, I too detest it from the bottom of my heart..." .(ibid.
p. 118.) Why don't many more see it?
Sadly, it seems like some
authors will find heaven less pleasurable if they don't gain pleasure from
watching the lost suffer. Case in point
"…their torment shall ascend up in the sight of the
blessed forever and serve as a most clear glass always before their eyes to
give them a constant, bright, and most affecting view... THIS DISPLAY OF THE
DIVINE CHARACTER AND GLORY WILL BE IN FAVOR OF THE REDEEMED, AND MOST
ENTERTAINING, AND GIVE THE HIGHEST PLEASURE TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, AND RAISE
THEIR HAPPINESS TO INEFFABLE HEIGHTS. SHOULD THIS ETERNAL PUNISHMENT AND THIS
FIRE BE EXTINGUISHED, IT WOULD IN A GREAT MEASURE OBSCURE THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN AND
PUT AN END TO A GREAT PART OF THE HAPPINESS AND GLORY OF THE BLESSED."
What kind of sick man could get the highest pleasure from
seeing a cruel God doing his cruel work on billions and even on many he knows
and loves? He makes the saints in
Heaven be deprived of qualities God has given to us, sympathy, pity, love for
others, caring for others; and made them to be cruel monsters that delight in
the pain of others, and loves to hear the groans of those they now love, and
the groans of the countless millions of the lost. (Quoting
Samuel Hopkins "The works of Samuel Hopkins, p. 458 in The Resurrection
and Immortality, William West, Xulon Press, 2006, p.
313)
Sadly, there is much, much more in
traditional theological literature which has ridiculous statements like those
of Samuel Hoskins. They say we will get pleasure from seeing the wicked suffer,
God says the exact opposite. "For I have no pleasure in the death of him
that dieth, saith the Lord
GOD." (Ezekiel 18:32) At least current popular Christian author Max Lucado
rightfully and publicly states that if he is wrong about this issue (eternal
torment for the lost), "I'll celebrate my misreading of his words" on the last
day. (
But that is not the only problem with
the eternal torment view. Consider the following....
1)
How is this justice?
How can we read about a God who says over
and over again in scripture that he is "Just" and wants fairness
among his people; commands an "eye for an eye and tooth for tooth"
and then Himself tortures these same people mercilessly for not tens of years,
not hundreds of years, not millions or years, not billions of years, not
trillions of years, not eons, but eternity. A sinner on this earth living for a
millisecond of time, (in comparison to eternity) being tortured for eons and
eons of time is not justice.
God has been made so cruel, and this doctrine
is so unthinkable that it has probably created more atheists, and caused more
weak believers to fall away than any other false teaching. The dread of Hell has caused misery and mental anguish to countless
millions and instead of the horror of hell turning many to God.... many millions have been turned away from such
an unjust God. (The Resurrection and Immortality, William
West, Xulon Press, 2006, p. 313 see www.robertwr.com for more information)
Clark H. Pinnock picks up on this theme
as well...
Let me say at the
outset that I consider the concept of hell as endless torment in body and mind
an outrageous doctrine, a theological and moral enormity, a bad doctrine of the
tradition which needs to be changed. How can Christians possibly project a
deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness whose ways include inflicting
everlasting torture upon His creatures, however sinful they may have been?
Surely a God who would do such a thing is more nearly like Satan than like God,
at least by any ordinary moral standards, and by the gospel itself. How can we
possibly preach that God has so arranged things that a number of his creatures
(perhaps a large number predestined to that fate) will undergo (in a state of
complete consciousness) physical and mental agony through unending time? Is
this not a most disturbing concept which needs some second thoughts? Surely the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is no fiend; torturing people without
end is not what our God does. Does the one who told us to love our enemies
intend to wreak vengeance on his own enemies for all eternity? As H. KŸng appropriately asks, "What would we think of a
human being who satisfied his thirst for revenge so implacably and insatiably?" (The
Destruction of the Finally Impenitent by Clark H. Pinnock McMaster Divinity
College
Television evangelist, Dr. David Regan, of the Lamb
& Lion Ministries (a former believer in eternal torment) also picks up on this
theme on the pages of his Lamplighter magazine....
My first difficulty with the
traditional view is that it seems to impugn the character of God. I kept asking
myself, "How could a God of grace, mercy and love torment the vast
majority of humanity eternally?" It did not seem to me to be either loving
or just. I realize He is a God of righteousness, holiness and justice, but is eternal suffering justice? The
concept of eternal torment seems to convert the true God of justice into a
cosmic sadist. (The Reality of Hell, Dr. David R. Reagan,
Lamplighter magazine March 2006 Lamb & Lion Ministries -
2)
If eternal torment is true, it really means abortion is
ultimately a good thing.
There ultimately is no getting around
this point. Sadly, untold millions have been aborted in recent history. Surely
many babies underwent conscious pain as they were forcibly extracted and
suctioned out of the womb. Those who are familiar with the pro-life movement
are rightfully horrified by the pictures of aborted little children (yes, they
are children.) Most conservative theologians would rightfully place these
little ones in heaven for eternity.
However consider
the alternative. If millions of these aborted precious little ones were
left to go to full term and then birth, ALL would grow up to be sinners and the majority would probably never
accept Jesus as adults. Jesus Himself said most people would never find the way, "broad is the way, that leadeth
to destruction and many there be which go in there at: (Matthew
Therefore, the majority of these people
(if left to full term) would be tormented forever. That means if there is a
choice of momentary pain for them (abortion) or eternal torture facing them,
then abortion would be best. This point needs to be repeated over and over
again. Those
who consider themselves "pro-life" really need to reconsider the
logic of their positions if they believe in eternal torture.
Look what a curious person wrote to a
web site on this issue...
What happens to aborted
babies? I heard a preacher on the radio say that they go to heaven and grow to
adulthood and become the person they should have been. If that is so,
abortionists apparently have been responsible for the salvation of more people
than most evangelists combined. Though they meant it for harm, it turned out
for good. If most people go to hell, how can we complain if aborted babies
bypass this life of carnal sinful flesh and go directly to heaven...? - Stan
If eternal torment is true, then he is
correct - abortion is best. But if it's not true (and it's not) – then PRO-LIFE
is best! (AND PRO-LIFE IS BEST!) God is pro-life!
3)
Why would God choose the words like "destroy,
destruction, perish, death" to signify something other than their plain
meaning?
* Psalm 92:7 ...................shall be destroyed forever....
* Psalm 1: 6 ....................be the way of the ungodly shall perish
* Matthew
* John
* Romans
* James
* Philippians
* 2 Thessalonians 1:9
........Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction
* Hebrews
* Revelation
Is God trying to intentionally deceive us by using words
that have a different meaning than what their plain meaning is? Isn't this a basic rule of hermeneutics? The literal meaning is the first meaning used
unless context declares otherwise. Don't you have to redefine every single
one of these words in order to get eternal torment as the final fate of the
unsaved?
Again, William
West summarizes this point beautifully when he states....
The present definitions of words must be destroyed and new definitions
given. The new definitions end up being the opposite of the old definition,
death is no longer death; it is eternal life in Hell. No other book in the
world uses these words this way. Did God use words in a way that would be a
deliberate misleading of mankind? They are not used with these meaning in our
everyday language. When we say anything, a plaint, animal or person is dead, we
do not mean that plaint, animal or person is alive and being tormented.
Death (and destruction) must be made to mean one thing when it is a
plaint or animal that is dead and another when it is a person that is dead. I
somehow missed the revelation by which they know this. Where is the book,
chapter and verse for it? Is there any word God could have used that they would
not say "it does not mean what it says"? No, not a one if it
would conflict with their theology.
"My mind fails to conceive a grosser misinterpretation of language
then when the five or six strongest words which the Greek tongue possesses,
signifying 'destroy,' or 'destruction,' are explained to mean maintaining an
everlasting but wretched existence. To translate black as white is nothing to
this" (R. F. Weymouth, Life In Christ, page 365, translator of "The New
Testament in Modern Speech.")
Believers in immortality from birth must reinterpret the
Bible to say:
1. Those who are destroyed are not destroyed. [James 4:12; 2
Peter 2:12; 2 Peter 3:7].
2. Those who perish do not perish. [1 Corinthians 1:8: John
3:16].
3. Those who die do not die. [Romans 6:23] [Death is not death].
4. The end of the wicked is not their end. [Philippians 3:19;
Hebrews 6:8].
5. Those who are consumed are not consumed [Hebrews
6. Mortals are born immortal; [1 Timothy
7. The second death is not a death; it is eternal life with torment [Revelation
21:8].
. Are they really teaching the Bible when they corrupt it into saying
the opposite of what it really says, or teaching what they want the Bible to
say? (The Resurrection and Immortality,
William West, Xulon Press, 2006, various excerpts
from chapter two. See www.robertwr.com
for more information. )
4)
We gain "immortality"
only from the gospel.
There is a gift we get from believing
the gospel; it is called "everlasting life." (John 3:16) Paul calls
this gift (immortality) an integral part of the gospel message. who hath abolished death, and hath brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel: (2 Timothy
If all souls are born immortal, then why
are we encouraged to seek it? "To them who by patient continuance in well
doing seek for glory and honour and immortality,
eternal life:" (Romans 2:7)
Why would Jesus offer us an opportunity
to "live forever, it we all live forever? …"if any man eat of this bread, he
shall live forever:" (John
The truth is, the abundant life Jesus
(Yeshua) promises us is in eternity,
it is immortal life, everlasting life. "I
am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) We
(believers) will live forever. How much more abundant can you get?
In 1 Timothy 6:15-16 Paul says that God
alone possesses immortality. And 1 Corinthians
5)
If eternal
torment is true, then where is this plain teaching in the Tenach (Old
Testament)?
Isn't it hard to believe that such an important
teaching as eternal torment has no clear
verses stating this fate in the Old Testament? Virtually every important doctrine has its
roots in the Old Testament and is taught in typology (or symbols) there. Where is
this taught in symbols? Was the lamb of
Exodus tortured forever? Were any of the
sacrifices tortured forever? No, the
sacrifices were eventually turned to ashes. "And they shall take away the ashes from the altar"
(Numbers
It would be unreasonable that God would
give them such detail of what would happen to
The New Testament writers used the Old
Testament types to show how the destruction of sinners in the hands of
an angry God happens. It was turning them into ashes, not tormenting them for long periods of time.
William West states this more of these
thoughts most forcefully....
ADAM: God told Adam in the
day he ate he would die. He was not told that after his death he would be
subjected to endless torment…,
CAIN: His sin was the first
murder, which, by most, is believed to be the greatest of all sins.
What was his punishment? ..... his punishment was
that he was to be a fugitive and
a vagabond in his lifetime on the earth. Not one word about any punishment after his death.
The punishment for anyone who killed Cain would be
SEVEN TIMES GREATER than the
punishment of Cain. How
could anything be seven times greater than [eternal torture]?
THE
DESTRUCTION OF
were literally burnt up [Psalms 11:6; Isaiah
34:9], not still burning with the people walking
around in torment.. Peter states that they are an
example (2 Peter 2:6) of what will happen to the unsaved.
ALL
THE CURSES of the Law, if they did not keep it, were in this lifetime [Deuteronomy
28:18-19]. NOT ONE WORD WAS
SAID ABOUT A CURSE AFTER THIS LIFETIME.
It
would be past comprehension that God would give them such detail of what would
happen to them in
this
lifetime and say nothing of the unending pain He was going to forever heap on
them….
(The Resurrection and
Immortality, William West, Xulon Press, 2006, various
excerpts from chapter
seven – A strange and unexplainable silence. See www.robertwr.com for more information.)
Again,
the same thing is said in another evangelical commentary:
There is no doctrine of hell [i.e. eternal torment] in the
Old Testament. In Isaiah 66:24, at one time a much quoted verse, the reference
is not to the continuing personality (nephesh) of the
rebels, but to their corpses. (The International Bible Commentary,
second edition, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing House, 1986, p.64 column 1)
If
eternal torment is the fate of most of mankind, then why is no single
indication of it is discoverable in the writings of Moses? If there was such a thing as eternal torment
taught in the Tenach (Old Testament), then how could the Apostle Paul proclaim
to the unsaved idol worshippers in
6)
Jesus (Yeshua)
paid our debt, but the debt was death, not being eternally tormented.
Edward Fudge beings up this excellent
point.
For the
New Testament is quite clear that Jesus not only died but that He died because
of sin and in the place of sinners. More than that, the death He died was in
some true and real sense the sinner's death – the death required by sin – the
death we should have died... The Old Testament prophets spoke of "the
sufferings of Christ" and the "glories that would follow" (1
Peter
Jesus not
only died "for sin"; He died in the very place of sinners. That is
what Peter meant in saying that Jesus "bare our sins in His own body." This is what is meant that Christ's death was
vicarious… To use familiar language, Jesus suffered hell for His people – the
very hell they would have suffered had He not taken their place. From the very
first the wages of sin was death, and Jesus underwent the very same sentence
pronounced in the primal Garden. (Edward
W. Fudge, The Fire That Consumes. A Biblical and Historical Study of the Final
Punishment (
Since Jesus was fully God, He was
resurrected from the dead. Had He not been divine, His body would have remained
dead. But certainly this is unthinkable for a sinless One. Therefore Paul
states triumphantly, "And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name:" (Philippians 2:8-9).
The point being, Jesus was sinless and therefore God raised Him
from the dead. His body's death was not eternal. The sinners at the end of time
will undergo their personal "crosses" and they will suffer in
proportion to their sins and then die (cease to function) eternally in body and
soul (Matthew
Finally, to me personally, the most
convincing of all arguments against the traditionalist viewpoint relates to
what Jesus Himself suffered on the Cross. Our sins were placed upon Him. He
took the punishment we deserve.
And what was that punishment? It was
extreme suffering followed by death. If Jesus did not suffer the full penalty
for our sins, then our debt has not been paid. But the Scriptures say that He paid the full debt, and it was not eternal
torment, but death. (Dr. David R.
Reagan, Lamplighter magazine March 2006 Lamb & Lion Ministries -
7)
How can the
word 'perish' mean eternal torment? It
doesn't, period.
John 3:16—"For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
This is the most quoted verse in the
Bible and also one of the clearest accounts on the destruction of the wicked. "...Whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life." John didn't write that "...whoever believes in Him
shall not have everlasting life in torment...." Remember, the wicked will
not have immortality at all. Immortality is reserved only through the gospel (2
Timothy
8)
Even Joshua –
who declared the burning of the sinner, slew them first
– then burnt their bodies.
Joshua
Joshua
It is clear here. Joshua takes Achan, who had sinned and had been warned of burning, and
first he has them stoned – then, after they are dead, he burns their
carcasses. This is exactly what is said in the article above entitled "Why rarely cited Isaiah 66:24 is a key."
Isaiah tells us that the lost are slain and their dead bodies are burned as
well. Jesus, when speaking of Gehennah (hell) quotes this verse in Isaiah. Peter tells us the lost will become ashes
(2 Peter 2:6). Malachi tells us the same (Malachi 4:3)
9)
Why did Paul never
proclaim this doctrine of eternal torture?
Or did Paul correctly understand Yeshua (Jesus) in Matthew 10:28... that
the souls of the unsaved will be destroyed.
Paul fully proclaimed the whole counsel of God by
plainly declaring:
That those who live a lifestyle of unrepentant sin "deserve
death" – Romans
That "all who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law" –
Romans
That sin "leads to death" – Romans 6:16
That sin "results in death" – Romans 6:21
That "the wages of sin is death" – Romans
That those who live according to the sinful nature "will
die" – Romans
That the gospel is foolishness "to those who are perishing" – 1Corinthians
That those who preach the gospel are "the smell of death" "to those who are perishing" – 2Corinthians
That the Old Testament law "kills" and ultimately brings "death" – 2Corinthians 3:6-7
That the gospel is "veiled to those who are perishing" – 2Corinthians 4:3
That those who please the sinful nature "from that
nature will reap destruction" –
Galatians 6:8
That "they will be destroyed" – Philippians
That "their destiny is destruction" – Philippians
That "they will be punished with everlasting destruction" –
2Thessalonians 1:9
That they "are perishing"
– 2 Thessalonians
That "they perish
because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" – 2Thessalonians
That "Christ Jesus… has destroyed death" – 2Timothy
That they are like worthless land that will "in the end… be burned" – Hebrews 6:8
That sins are "acts that lead to death" – Hebrews
That raging fire "will consume the enemies of God" – Hebrews
That those who "shrink back" in unbelief will
be "destroyed" – Hebrews
In various ways with various words Rabbi Paul was sure
to repeatedly declare precisely what
would happen to those who foolishly reject the gospel. He was sure to do this
because God appointed him to fully
proclaim the whole counsel of God.
Paul didn't hide any aspect of the truth – including the awful truth that those
who reject the Messiah will be utterly "destroyed" by the raging,
consuming fire of the Lord. If words have any meaning at all then this is what
we must conclude.
Allow me to add that if
Jesus supposedly preached eternal torture, as many contend, then Paul would
have certainly backed it up. Yet Paul taught no such thing because Jesus taught
no such thing, not to mention the bible they taught from – the Old Testament –
teaches no such thing.
10)
Paul
said he was innocent of "the blood of all men" (Acts
This phrase is always used in
scripture when people are in danger of facing death, not eternal torture. Paul
declared he was "innocent of the blood
of all men." Paul didn't hesitate
to share the whole counsel of God,
including the unfortunate news of what would ultimately happen to those who
reject the gospel. The very fact that Paul says he's innocent of the blood of all people is a sure indication
that people will actually die (not live – suffering in immortality) when they
suffer the second death.
11)
John
says in Revelation that there will be "no more death".
If "death" really
means "living eternally separated" from God (and it does not), then
death really will exist forever. However, in Revelation 21:4 – John
specifically states that there will be "no more death". Think about
that for a moment or two.
12)
Jeremiah
7:30-33 speaks of this place called the
In speaking of this place, Jeremiah
said (actually God is speaking in this section of scripture) that it will be
called the "
13)
Jesus
(Yeshua) states of His betrayer, "It would have been better had he not
been born." (Mark
However, if most human beings
are facing eternal torment, then how ridiculous of a statement is this? Should
not the Messiah rather have said (if eternal torment was true) that it would be
better if all unbelievers had never been born!
If eternal torment is true, then clearly it would have been better for
most everyone not to have been born (since the majority will not be saved)
(Matthew
14)
God's
fire always consumes His enemies, not preserving them in torment.
According
to Hebrews 10:26-27, notice clearly that, on judgment day, raging fire will
utterly consume God’s enemies, not
sadistically torture them without end. (...and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.)
The Greek word translated as “consume” here literally means “to eat” (Strong
33) and is translated as “devour” in the King James Version. We can soundly
conclude that raging fire will literally devour
God’s enemies when they’re cast into the lake of fire – consuming them wholly.
The following excerpt is taken from the website www.hell-know.net on this topic:
Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu
took their censors, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before
the LORD, contrary to his command. (2) So
fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died
before the LORD. (Leviticus 10:1-2)
We see
here that Nadab and Abihu
ignored God’s commands and attempted to approach Him on their own terms. As a
result “fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died
before the LORD.” Their disregard of the LORD’s will
and attempt to approach Him on their own terms represents religion as opposed
to Christianity. Religion is the human attempt to connect with God, whereas
Christianity is God connecting with humanity through Christ. We can either do
it our way or God’s way, it’s our choice.
The
fiery consumption of Nadab and Abihu
is a biblical example of what will
happen on judgment day to people who disregard God’s Word and live their lives
with little or no concern of their Creator; these proud rebels are only willing
to approach God on their own terms.
On judgment day such people can expect a fire to come out from the presence of
the LORD and consume them. They will die before the LORD, just as assuredly
as Nadab and Abihu did.
Here are a few more examples:
NUMBERS
And fire came out from the LORD
and consumed the 210 men (Korah’s followers) who were offering the incense.
2KINGS
Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down
from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
PSALM 97:2b-3
… righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. (3) Fire goes before him and consumes his
foes on every side.
PSALM 106:18
Fire blazed among their followers (Dathan’s
rebellious followers); a flame consumed the wicked.
EZEKIEL 22:31
“So I will pour out my wrath on them (the sinful people of Judah) and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.”
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the
day of the LORD’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed
for he will make a sudden end of all
who live on the earth.
REVELATION 18:8-9
Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her (“
As you can plainly see, the biblical fact that God is
going to destroy his human enemies by a consuming fire at the second death
perfectly coincides with how God has dealt with his human enemies throughout
history. This is testimony to the unchanging, consistent character of God (see
Psalm 102:26-27; James
Notice
clearly in all the above texts that God does
not sadistically torture these people perpetually with fire. No, the fire consumes them. No doubt there’s an
amount of terror and conscious pain to this type of execution, but it’s not
sadistically never-ending – it mercifully results in death.
Is this unjust on God’s part? Not at
all. Notice Psalm 97:2-3 above: before stating that God will judge and destroy
his enemies with consuming fire, it assuredly states that “righteousness and
justice are the foundation of his throne.” You see, we can always be absolutely
confident of the fact that God’s judgments are completely righteous and just;
and God is not quick in making a judgment; he is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger abounding in love” (Psalm
103:8); “he is patient… not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance” (2Peter 3:9b). Yet, there’s a limit to God’s patience and mercy if
a stubborn person continually chooses to resist and rebel against him; and when
his patience and mercy end, his judgment begins. Yet even God’s judgments are
balanced by his mercy and justice
What some reviewers have said about a
classic book on this topic:
The reviews
below were taken from Edward Fudge's own web site (www.edwardfudge.com) located under "written
ministry" and about his book "The
Fire that Consumes". I place them here only for you to see as items of
interest. If you visit his web site, you will see that he is acquainted with
best selling author Max Lucado. Additionally, the forward to this book was written by the great evangelical
scholar F.F. Bruce.
In his more than
45 years as a pastor, teacher and lecturer, Edward Fudge has written and
published numerous books and articles. In the mid-1980s, he began his pursuit
of a law degree, which he earned from the University of Houston Law Center in
1988. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Houston Bar Association
and State Bar of Texas.
Also, Edward
Fudge has been recognized by both "Who's Who in Law" and "Who's
Who in Religion." His book on this subject is a classic read by many
scholars.
COLIN BROWN, Fuller
Theological Seminary,
F. F. BRUCE
(Deceased),
LYNN MITCHELL,