—— PART #1 ——
By: General James Green
WHEN ONE STUDIES THE WORDS “eternal,” “eternities,” “immortal,” “immortality,” “incorruptible,” “invisible,” etc., these words are hard to comprehend. In this study, I want to explore the evidence of immortality. Since there are those who believe in “annihilation” in Hell (or instead of Hell) and not “eternal punishment,” we want to look into this issue.
I believe and teach the latter—eternal punishment—for I can’t find the former in God’s Word. The main “proof text” that the Annihilationists fling at us is 1 Timothy 6:16: “…who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”
The statement that God “only hath immortality…” and is “dwelling in the light” (KJV), “dwells in inapproachable light” (RSV), are paralleled by many utterances in Jewish literature (see H.L. Straek and Paul Billerbeck, Kommentar Zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch [Munchen: C.H. Beck, 1922-28], III, 656; cf. also Ps. 104:2; Job 37:23; 2 Cor. 4:6; 1 Jn 1:7; Rom. 1:23; and Acts 7:2).
In 1 Tim. 1:17 we read, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible…”
The Annihilationists tell us that since God “ONLY” is “immortal,” NOT MAN, man CANNOT live eternally in Hell—his body, soul, and spirit are “burned up,” “destroyed,” thus, they “perish.”
Their Argument
THE “NO PUNISHMENT” scholars are, specifically, Dr. Clark Pinnolk (The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent, 1990), Dr. Harold E. Guillebaud (The Righteous Judge,1941), Dr. Basil Atkinson (Life and Immortality, late 1960s), Prof. LeRoy E. Froom (The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, 1965-66, 2 vols.), Edward Fudge (The Fire That Consumes,1982), and Dr. John Stott (Evangelical Essentials,1988).
Dr. Stott is a firm believer in what he believes is “literalism” when referring to the lost/damned who undergo “destruction,” “perishing,” and are said to be “consumed.” He, like most of his camp, believe that these words mean “ANNIHILATION”!
For the Record…
ANNIHILATIONISTS CLAIM that (the Gk. word) aionios signifies “everlasting ANNIHILATION” in reference to Matthew 10:28—“…be afraid of Him (Jesus)who can destroy both soul and body in Hell (Gehenna).” (See Jesus’ words in Matt. 7:13-14 where the word “destruction” is used.) Some also refer to John 3:16 as showing the final “obliteration” of the wicked, where the word “perish” is used. One could also read “annihilation” into these verses: Jn. 10:28; 17:12; Rom. 2:12; 9:22; Phil. 1:28; 3:19; 1 Thess. 5:3; Heb. 10:39; Jam. 4:12; and 2 Pet. 3:7, 9. Thank God, these Scriptures are not the only passages we have to work with.
Dr. Stott uses 2 Thess. 1:9 as an example to prove annihilation: “Such people will pay the penalty and suffer the punishment of everlasting ruin (destruction/perdition) and eternal exclusion and banishment from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (AMP Bible). Now, dear ones, let us do some homework here. Paul says that the wicked (or lost) “will be PUNISHED with EVERLASTING DEST-RUCTION…” Now, place the word “annihilation” in the place of “destruction”—“everlasting annihilation.” Is there such a thing? NO! But most of these “experts” would have us believe so.
Dr. Stott’s claim is arbitrary and unsubstantiated.
Aionios = “perpetual” = “continuing or enduring forever”—its first meaning; “lasting a long time”—its second meaning; “continuing without intermission or interruption”—its third meaning; “perpetual” also means “everlasting, permanent, eternal, unending” and can mean “an age or time,” but in the sense of eternity or finality (Heaven or Hell), it always means “never-ending, without end”.
My point is that those in Hellfire, or the Lake of Fire, will not be annihilated: they will be punished forever, WITHOUT END.The N.T. term is, in the Synoptics, “eternal destruction,” not “eternal annihilation” (see Kittle and Friedrich’s Theological Dictionary of the N.T., Vol. 1, p. 396-7 — these scholars were Greek scholars, and they show that “destruction” and “ruin” are the same: “What is meant here is not a simple extinction (annihilation) of existence, but an EVERLASTING STATE of TORMENT and (SPIRITUAL) DEATH.”).
Hang in there, I’ll get to “immortality” eventually.
Can a soul/spirit be “annihilated”? Can a soul/spirit be “burned up”? If you say, “Yes,” what about Matthew 13:40-42? — “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: THERE SHALL BE WAILING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.”
Stott argues that “the main function of fire is not to cause pain, but to secure destruction, as all the world’s incinerators bear witness” (from Evangelical Essentials, p. 316). But what was Jesus trying to teach us in His parable in Matthew 13:30? Well, had Jesus wanted to teach annihilation, this would be His grand opportunity. But He does not speak of “consumption,” but of suffering. The “fiery furnace” is a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth”— IN PAIN (v. 42)!!
So, Hell-fire speaks of PAIN, not EXTINCTION.
“But,” our opponents argue, “could not extinction follow the pain?” H.E. Guillebaud, in his The Righteous Judge (p. 14), writes, “Penal suffering comes into the application of the parables, for a death by fire is necessarily a very awful death, but it surely is not the main point.”
We argue that Jesus certainly makes the point that Hell-fire speaks of pain, not extinction (see the end of the parable of the net in Matt 13:49-50 — here Jesus again uses Hell-fire to signify ANGUISH!).
Can we really equate “eternal fire” with “extinction”? Revelation 20:10 speaks of satan / the devil being thrown into the Lake of Fire, where he is TORMENTED (not annihilated!) DAY AND NIGHT, FOREVER AND EVER— and NEVER-ENDING TORMENT, not OBLITERATION, is definitely THE MAIN POINT. So, “eternal” (in its first usage) and “unquenchable fire” are used to portray Hell’s duration—not “a time” or “an age,” but FOREVER AND EVER!!!
Second Death?
CAN A SOUL/SPIRIT DIE? Depends if you mean naturally/ literally, or spiritually/figuratively. The Bible does tell us that man was DEAD in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) — DEAD but ALIVE! What was dead? Soul/spirit of fallen man; his/her body alive. The “second death” will be no different — man will be cast ALIVE into the Lake of Fire, as will Satan, the false prophet, and fallen angels: they will be ALIVE, but DEAD (i.e., separated from God’s Eternal Life).
The “second death” (Rev. 20:14; 21:8) is not extinction of body, soul, or spirit. So, if this be the case, and it is, the resurrected dead and the “living dead” will be cast into, and remain in, ETERNAL DEATH FOREVER.
John uses the imagery of “fire” to portray DAMNED souls (i.e., LOST souls) as FOREVER (WITHOUT END) EXPERIENCING GOD’S WRATH, apart from His LOVE-MERCY-GRACE! That is horrible to me.
WE MUST WARN ANY AND ALL ABOUT THIS PLACE.
Life After Death
BOY, HERE IS a much disputed subject. I approach “Is there life after death?” not as a Bible expert, but a Christian in need of answers. We can’t think about this subject—“What happens to us when we die?”— without thinking about God, for we are created in His image, after His likeness (Gen 1:26). This makes us not only His creation, but also makes us kin to Him (NOT that we are Deity, but that we are made in His image).
Do humans possess immortality? Our opponents say “NO! For only God is immortal” (referencing 1 Tim. 6:16). “Immortal”/“immortality” = (Gk.) athanasia — literally “deathlessness.” Breakdown: a = negative; thanatos = “death”; put together, “no death” is rendered “immortality” in 1 Cor. 15:53-54, where Paul says that “when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality…” Of course, Paul is referring to the Christian, not the non-Christian (see the article at the end of this part, on “The Resurrection of the Body,” cited from The Full Life Study Bible).
But what about the doomed? Do they have immortality? If not, how can they live forever in Hell-fire, as our subject at hand addresses?
Verse 54 is quoting from Isaiah 25:8 [the Heb. = “He (God) hath swallowed up death in victory (or, forever)”; the LXX reads, “Death, having prevailed, or conquered, hath swallowed up”].
In the LXX, “Death” in Isaiah 25:8 is personified and represented as a devouring being which has swallowed up ALL the generations of men…but in the END, eternity gulps it down!
I need not write much about the immortality of the believer, for we know it is true. Our opponents agree. What they disagree with is this ETERNAL HELL/PUNISHMENT stuff. Actually, the word “eternal” (or “everlasting”) is used for both Heaven and Hell — “endlessness” (EVEN IN THE SAME VERSE, MATTHEW 25:46!!!).
Those redeemed will spend “eternity” in Heaven (athanasia expresses more than “deathlessness”; it suggests the quality of the “eternal life” enjoyed, as is clear from 2 Cor. 5:4). The objective aphthartos, translated “immortal” (1 Tim. 1:17), means “incorruptible.” So with the noun aphtharsia, “incorruption,” translated “immortality” in the AV in Romans 2:7 and 2 Timothy 1:10.
Transcendence of God
FIRST TIMOTHY 6:16 expresses the transcendence of God, that He is different and independent from His creation—whether men or angels; spirit or physical or material things (see Ex. 24:9-18; Isa. 6:1-3; 40:12-26; 55:8-9; Ezek. 1). Although far in one sense, He’s near in another. He lives and manifests Himself in His (true) people.
God is a Self-Existent Being: not created, but the Creator. We humans were created with a body- soul-spirit (Gen 2:7). The body of man is earthly, governed by physical laws; the soul/spirit by spiritual laws. Man is world-conscious thru his body, self-conscious thru his soul, and God-conscious thru his spirit.
The Hebrew word for “soul” is nephesh, and the Hebrew word for spirit is ruach—the soul and spirit make the inner-man, which is not corruptible (1 Pet. 3:4); the body is.
Is the Soul Annihilated At Death?
DR. J.P. MORELAND, Ph.D. Prof. of Philosophy of Religion, writes: “A soul has no parts as human bodies do; therefore, all a soul can lose is all it is. There are two ways for something to be destroyed: [1] annihilation (something simply pops out of existence, as it were, all at once), and [2] through separation and loss of parts” (Beyond Death, p. 24). We never find in Scripture where the soul of man is annihilated, and, as Moreland states, a soul CANNOT lose parts. The only thing a soul can do is be separated from God’s presence.
Does science give examples of annihilation? A soul has no parts like the body, so when the soul is lost / damned, the whole is lost / damned.
Does theology give us examples of life after death—-“eternal bliss” or “eternal punishment?” Those who believe in substance dualism (as opposed to physicalism which when the body dies, the person become extinct!) believe the soul is an immaterial substance in its own right, and the death / destruction of the body does not entail the destruction of the soul. At death, we do not die spiritually, only the body dies—we, if saved, will be the same person as we were before physical death—sameness of soul is what constitutes personal identity thru change, even death. Thus, the existence of the soul provides some evidence for the existence of an immaterial God who created it. So dualism provides evidence for a transcendent realm of reality and for the existence of God. There is a natural realm and there is a supernatural realm—our physical bodies inhabit the first, our resurrected / glorified body occupies the second.
But we do not have to wait to experience the hereafter, we can be, as Jesus said before His death, “…I go and prepare a place for you…that WHERE I AM (present tense), there ye may be also (future tense)” (Jn. 14:3).Jesus was physically in / on earth yet in Heaven. We too, being born-from-above (Jn. 3:3, 7); will be in Heaven forever in the future resurrection.
God Immortal
WE KNOW THIS (1 Tim. 1:17)—God and Jesus are immortal. Jesus is King eternal or King of eternities; eternity a parte ante, and the eternity a parte post; the eternity that was before (earth’s) time, and the eternity that shall be when (earth’s) time is no more.
They are immortal / incorruptible, that is, not liable to death / decay / corruption; an uncompounded essence, incapable, therefore, of decomposition, and consequently are permanent and eternal.
The word “immortal” is found only here in 1 Tim. 1:17, but this same Greek word—aphthartos—is translated “not corruptible” in 1 Pet. 3:4, e.g., the hidden man of the heart,” and of the “spirit” of man, thus proving that the inner man is immortal (see also Ps. 22:26) in referring to the eternal inheritance and the crown that Christian believers (that keep the faith till the end!) are the receive at the end of their lives (see 1 Cor. 9:25; 1 Pet. 1:4). It is also translated “incorruptible,” referring to the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23) and of the resurrected bodies of saints (1 Cor. 15:52). I’ve already written on all this in other articles, so I don’t have to prove my point further.
Some Believe
THE EXISTENCE OF demons / devils prove life after death. Actually it is hard to pin down where demons—disembodied spirits—come from. The Bible is not clear, unless we believe that all things were created by Jesus Christ and for His pleasure. Could these demons be the spirits of the pre-Adamic races or Adamic races of men loose in the world…being confined to Hell in the end? If demon spirits exist, and they do, it goes without saying that human spirits will live after death, all thrown into the Lake of Fire as the Bible does declare.
We know that redeemed souls / spirits exist after death, but what about the wicked? We can point to Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus never said this account was a parable, but a true story. This story is in reality about two beggars, not one. Lazarus was certainly a beggar, but read the story, the rich man was also, for the rich man was begging, for a drop of cool water, for he was “TORMENTED in this flame” (v. 24). He also begged that someone would warn his 5 brothers about “this place of torment” (v. 28). So, are we going to believe that the rich man was annihilated? or tormented?
Most view Lk. 16:19-31 as merely a parable, not a true story. Even so, what is the point? I see several points, the first being life after death for both Saint (Lazarus) and sinner (rich man). I see the reversal of values in the life to come; the poor being rewarded, and the rich being punished (see 6:20, 24). I see also that the rich have already had ample WARNING (as I give now too!) of their fate in the Law and the Prophets, and WOULD NOT REPENT even if one were to return from the dead to give that same warning.
Of course there are those who allegorize this story; the conflict between early Christianity and orthodox Judaism. The attack on Sadducean wealth and their disbelief in the resurrection and hereafter. Well, this could have been in the mind of Jesus. But I believe that Jesus had in mind the fate of unrepentant sinners which awaits them, for we read that the sinner rich man was in TORMENTS (v. 23), TORMENTED in the flame (v. 24), TORMENTED (v. 25), place of TORMENT (v. 28).
Is this story trying to tell us that Hell-fire is REAL, PAINFUL, FOREVER? Yes!!
As in the LXX (Gk. O.T.), Hades represents the Heb. word Sheol; one part of Hades resembles Gehenna, the place of FINAL PUNISHMENT; in it the sinner suffers (not is annihilated) fiery TORMENT. The other part resembles Paradise, the final dwelling place of the redeemed.
No WATER in Hell!
WE COULD allegorize this story in many ways, but the things written there are not good things for the lost, only for the redeemed. Wasn’t that the point anyhow? Some believe that Luke 16 is not theology. Well, nowhere do we find a better description of the after life, the punishment, the conscious torment, than here. There were rabbinical sources, even in Egyptian papyri, along these lines. Nevertheless, the point is clear, there is life after death, for both the redeemed, and lost. The rich sinner begs a drop of water, Lazarus had begged for crumbs while on earth—the sinner receives flames of fire, the saint had water, as the rich man begged him for only a drop! (you might consider the story of the wedding garment, which is obviously a pendant to the story of the great (see Matt. 22:11-14).
Some ask, “Is it a sin to be rich?” Depends of course. All we know about the rich man was that he “fared sumptuously every day” (v. 19). There are, however, other indictments in Scripture against the rich. Money does not make one evil, it is the LUST / LOVE of it that damns. Also, the rich can live in EXCESS, as condemned by Scripture, because they can afford to do so. Actually, Jesus says no more about the rich man than what I’ve written, no other evil was said about him. But could he have been uncharitable? hard-hearted? an unloving wretch?
The main point Jesus stressed was that of the TORMENTS of HELL.
In Romans 1:18; 2:5; 3:10, 12, 23 we read about God’s wrath and must accept the fact that He is not unjust for punishing the guilty, hence, the arguments for universalism (all eventually will be saved, “God’s love wins out”) and annihilation (all will be “zapped” out of existence). But we find no Scriptures backing these up. Greek scholar A.T. Robinson seems to refute “once saved, always saved” and other places he seems to reject eternal punishment and annihilation (see In The End God, 1968, 133).
Conscious Fellowship
TWO THINGS ARE EVIDENT in the story we’ve just looked into: 1) at death, a person either goes to Heaven / Paradise, or Hell; 2) both experience a conscious fellowship with their surroundings—the rich man, the TORMENTS / PAIN; Lazarus, the joy of Abraham’s bosom. Luke 23:43; Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:1-10 clearly teach that death for the redeemed is a transition into conscious enjoyment of the presence of Christ (toss “soul sleep” in the trash bin!). One’s soul does not become extinct, nor does it sleep, the soul, after death, still is active, it has feelings, desires, as the rich man testifies, as does the state of Lazarus, in Abraham’s bosom—a place of rest and joy. Obviously a finite soul continues to live after the death of the body. Please understand, I’m not referring in any way to reincarnation. The resurrection of Jesus proves life after death, not reincarnation.
His resurrection from the dead (a miracle!) established and confirms His message of “Kingdom immortality” for the believer. While none of the actual terms for immortality are found in the Gospel teachings of Jesus, He addresses the subject in passages found in Lk. 20:27-40 and John 11:25, 26. Some scholars claim that for Jesus and His Jewish contemporaries, immortality was synonymous with resurrection—the resurrection inevitably involves the acquiring of immortality. But in what state is the resurrected sinner? The Scriptures are not so clear, yet, Luke 16, told by Jesus, involved a sinner conscious in Hell.
We also need to be aware that “immortality is not to be confused with the Gk. concept of the soul’s immortality. There are 3 Gk. synonyms—athanasia, aphtharsia, and aphthartos—thatare used only 11 times in the N.T. to refer to the believer’s “life after death.” These words are used to describe “immortality” / “eternal life” in a related manner in Rom. 2:7; Gal. 6:8; 2 Tim. 1:10, while interchanging his (Paul’s) references to “immortality” / “resurrection” in 1 Cor. 15:50-55. And we must also remember that “eternal life” refers primarily to QUALITY, secondarily to QUANTITY. “Immortality,” on the other hand, refers primarily to QUANTITY, secondarily to QUALITY.
Hell: Man’s Terrible Choice!
THE O.T. PLAINLY TELLS US that there is no such thing as Universalism, nor annihilationism: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). The counterpart to this is Luke 16. Daniel 12:2 proves there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous. Some believe this to be a national, not an individual, resurrection. Yet Dan. 12:2 is explicit. Was Daniel referring to the “many” as the first resurrection, when Jesus arose from the dead and took many (redeemed) to Heaven, leaving some (unredeemed) in Hell / Hades?; in the last and great resurrection ALL will be resurrected. It is not certain which, and what, groups are included—but one thing is certain, some will go into “everlasting contempt.” The body that “sleeps” in the grave will be raised for the resurrection, a common idea found in Enoch 91:10; 92:3 (see also Athenagoras Plea for Christians XII; Phil Biblical Antiq. III. 10:XIX.13). We can also find that death is a familiar theme in Jer. 51:39, 57; Jn. 11:11; Acts 7:60; 1 Thes. 5:10, (see also Ps. 22:29 and Job 20:11).
Sheep and Goats
FOLLOWING THE LAST RESURRECTION comes the great separation, e.g., Matt. 25:32, 32. The actual judgment is not mentioned here, but is assumed. Those who rise from the dead face the record of their deeds as Dan. 7:10 describes, “…the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” This concept is carried on over into the N.T. as found in Rev. 21:12 where the book of life was opened and books (plural) were opened as well—and the (resurrected) dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done in accordance with what was recorded in the books…when it is all said and done, dear ones, “then death and Hades (which exist NOW!), the state of death or disembodied existence, were thrown into the lake of fire, this is the second death” (20:14) “…and were annihilated?,” “redeemed after a short while?” NO! Read v. 15 where the lost are HURLED into the Gehenna / lake of fire FOREVER!!
Even in Babylonian texts are found references to the Tablet of good deeds / sins. In Ps. 56:8; Isa. 65:6; Mal. 3:16 we read of such a record of man’s deeds available for scrutiny (see also Jub. 30:22; Enoch 81:4; 89:61-64; 98:7,8; and 104:7). So, even if mere men kept records, why not God? (see also 2 Esdras 6:20; Rev. 20:12; 2 Baruch 24:1; Enoch 47:3; 90:20).
Given To Burning
DANIEL 7:11 SAYS: “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” The beast, who and whatever it was, was “given to the burning flame,” his body destroyed. But we’ve found out that “destroy” never means “annihilation,” (see Rev. 19:20-21). Also, keep in mind that prophecy can and does have double meanings, naturally and spiritually.
The burning of executed criminals is mentioned in Josh. 7:25, and is known from several areas of the ancient Near East (Isa. 30:33; Ezek. 39:6). So it is not difficult to imagine the dead (e.g., in sin, yet alive in body) to be burned. Some see Dan. 7:10 as a “casting into Hell” which is mentioned by Jesus more than once, and mentioned in Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14. Ezekiel 3:16-21 is given so we would WARN the wicked.
Living Dead
WE SHOULD do all we can to WARN the living dead, for they await their final destinies—the Lake of Fire. We who are alive in Christ must teach / preach about Hell’s master, Hell’s description, Hell’s duration, Hell’s degrees of punishment, and Hell’s occupants.
Peter, in 2 Pet. 2:9 wrote: “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment (while continuing their punishment).” You see, the unjust (KJV), the unrighteous (RSV) will get a foretaste of Hell while on earth. They will get a taste of the punishment which will become their permanent prison after Christ’s second coming (2 Pet. 3:7).
Hell follows Christ! After He comes to judge (Mt. 25:31, Christ will separate the saved from the sinner, vv. 34, 41 says that the sinners will be sent to eternal fire, for “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:7, 8).
Everlasting Life
ACTUALLY, “everlasting life” has two meanings; “everlasting existence” and a quality of life. Salvation is a free gift (not earned by us) but we must cultivate it for degrees of eternal glory / quality.
Man was created to live forever, everlastingly in body, soul, and spirit. Sin stopped this original plan; Jesus came to restore man to his original position. Souls of all men—saved/unsaved— continue in consciousness between death and resurrections in order to be given bodies in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:35-58). Man’s creation in the image / likeness of God demands eternal existence. Remember, “eternal” means both quality and quantity; the lost will only experience quantity (e.g., never-ending death or never-ending separation from God’s life as quality / blessing). So, sinners forfeit their part in the eternal plan and it is taken away — LOST!!! — because they refuse eternal life (Mt. 25:29, 31-45; Prov. 1:22-33). Sadly, these “lost” souls will exist eternally—never-ending duration—as a horrible monument of God’s wrath. Don’t let these modern “no Hell” preachers tell you otherwise. I NEVER read anywhere where men who go or are in Hell, get out eventually or are annihilated.
Resurrection—Retribution
LIFE BEYOND THE GRAVE is Biblically Correct(Job 19:25-27; Ps. 16:9-11; Ezek. 37:1-14; Dan. 12:2, 3, 13 etc.). The N.T. is full of Scriptures that prove me out. It is the body that will receive immortality, the soul / spirit of man is already immortal, it is the body that is mortal, sees corruption at death. It is the body that sleeps and knows nothing in the grave. Gen. 2:7 clearly distinguished between the material and spiritual natures of men. The spirit of man is immortal (Prov. 20:27). The soul of man is immortal, but the flesh is mortal (Job 14:22). Jesus spoke of the body that could be killed, but not the soul, but God is able to DESTROY both soul and body in Hell (Matt. 10:28). But is the body that has been resurrected destroyed in Hell by Fire?…the soul? I have many pages in our Hell booklets along these lines, but for this writing, let us briefly explore the words “perish,” “destroy,” “consume,” and “burn up”—all of which our opponents take literally.
1—Matt. 10:28—“Destroy” in Hell’ Gk. apollumi = “to destroy in the sense of, to kill the body (see Matt. 2:13; 12:14), to punish by torment (see Matt. 8:29; Mk. 1:24), to cut off spiritual life (Rom. 14:15), to lose something (Matt. 10:42; Lk. 15:4, 8), to mar (Mk. 2:22), and to be lost in Hell (Jn. 17:12; 2 Cor. 4:3; 18:9).”
2—“Perish” (same Gk. word), (Matt. 5:29, 30; 8:25; 9:17). So, the Greek apollumi means to ruin, mar, or render unfit for intended use, it never means “annihilation.” (See our Refuting Annihilationism.)
If the word “annihilation” is substituted for either “destroy,” or “destruction” in Gen. 6:7; 9:11; Job 19:10; 21:17; Ps. 78:45; 91:6; Jer. 17:18; 1 Cor. 5:5, then these Scriptures wouldn’t even make sense. If “destroy” or “destruction” means extinction, the devil and all his vile works would be annihilated according to Heb. 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:8. Hello out there! Are you listening?
3—“Consume”—is from the Heb. kalah and is the equivalent of the Gk. apollumi (above). Our opponents use Ps. 37:20 to teach annihilation, but it does not mean cessation / extinction of existence (see Gen. 41:30; Job 7:9; 19:27; 33:21; Ps. 6:7; 31:9,10; 39:10 also).
Ps. 37:20 (KJV) says, “The wicked shall perish…they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” The RSV uses “vanish.” The annihilation camp sees the combination of destruction and punishment. They “vanish away” is the burden of this psalm, which, in proper context, means the godless are temporary and trivial—not annihilated.
Some versions read thus: “But the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they are exalted to honor, shall vanish: like smoke they vanish.” If we follow the Hebrew, it intimates that they shall consume as the fat of lambs. That is, as the fat is wholly consumed in sacrifices by the fire in the altar, so shall they consume away in the fire of God’s Wrath. But the Heb. / Gk. word “consume” does not mean extinction—it simply means to “mar” or “ruin” or “render unfit.”
Analisko (Gk. for “consume”) means “to use up, spend up, esp. in a bad sense, to destroy.” It can at times mean in a literal sense, such as “slay” (as in Lk. 9:54 and 2 Thess. 2:8; in a metaphorical sense—as in Gal. 5:15 where the word “devour” is used in Amp.); Katanalisko (Gk.) means “to utterly consume, wholly (kata, intensive), like in Heb. 12:29, of God as “a consuming fire;”
Aphanizo (Gk.) lit., “to cause to disappear or put out of sight,” came to mean, “to do away with (negative, phaino, to cause to appear), said of the destructive work of moth and rust, Matt. 6:19, 20 (R.V., “consume,” A.V., “corrupt”). Other Gk. words used are “disfigure,” “perish,” “vanish” (from sight, not annihilation or extinction). One more Gk. word can be found, “dapanao,” which means “to expend, be at an expense, is translated “consume” in the A.V. of Jam. 4:3 (R.V., “spend”).
When we say, “He vanished,” we don’t mean “He was annihilated” but “He vanished from our sight, but he is somewhere else, we just can’t see him.”
4—“Burn(ed) up”—Most take these words to mean annihilation, but did John have this in mind when he cried out: “His winnowing fork is in his hand,…gathering His wheat into the barn and BURNING UP the chaff with unquenchable fire”(Matt. 3:10, 12)?
What did Jesus have in mind when He put forth, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 7:19)? What about, “If anyone does not remain in me (listen up you “once saved, always saved” people), he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned” (Jn. 15:6)?
What about Hell-fire imagery contained in Hebrews 10:27? Do all the “fire” texts found in the N.T. mean annihilation? What about Jesus’ parable of the weeds in Matt. 13:30?—“Collect the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned.” Was Jesus teaching annihilation here? Better read vv. 40-42 where we find words like “burned in the fire,” “throw them into the fiery furnace,” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus does not speak of consumption, but of suffering. So Hell-fire here speaks of suffering, not extinction.
Sure one could read annihilation into all these texts, but the Gk. words never mean extinction. Most don’t deny Hell-fire, but the endless duration of it. Death by fire is what they see only.
The sheep / goats (Mt. 25:41) speaks of eternal bliss and eternal torment—“eternal,” same word for both! But never are we told that, #1, the lost are annihilated, #2, experience penal suffering for a while then go to Heaven. TORMENT, eternally, not OBLITERATION. God does not BLOT OUT the ungodly, only their names from His book…and they will be TORMENTED with burning sulfur (Rev. 14:10).
Smoke of their Torment
FALSE WITNESSES, like John Stott, tell us in reference to Rev. 14:10, 11: “The fire itself is termed ‘eternal’ and ‘unquenchable”…hence it is the smoke (evidence that the fire has done its work) which “rises forever and ever’” (Evang. Essentials, p. 316). What kind of reasoning is this? How stupid to believe that once an object is “burned up,” the smoke continues throughout eternity (note, he does not deny the endlessness of the word “eternal”). Pray tell me, how could smoke from the fire rise FOREVER if its fuel has been consumed? Get serious Stott!!
Note also, Stott’s bad exegesis on “is it not the torment itself, but its ‘smoke’ (symbol of completed “burning up”) which will be ‘forever and ever’.” But this contradicts what John says in the same verse (v. 11) “…and they (the condemned) have no rest day or night…” You see, the expressions “for ever and ever,” and “day and night,” mean the same thing—duh! The conclusion is irresistible: The imagery of BURNING in Rev. 14:10, 11 conveys the ETERNAL conscious TORMENT of the ungodly. Period!
Two Resurrections
FOR THE CHRISTIAN, our new birth, i.e., salvation/ being born-again, is a type of resurrection. Eph. 2:1 says, “And you (those who repented of their sins and believed on Jesus) [He made alive], when you were dead [slain] by [your] trespasses and sins” (Amp.). Instead of men being heirs of God’s eternal life/kingdom, they, in their fallen state, are heirs of His wrath, as v. 3 tells us.
Verse 5 continues to tell us about the first spiritual resurrection: “He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ—He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him…” There you have it — THE VERY LIFE OF Christ = eternal/resurrected life. This all goes back to the SOURCE, THE HEAD, ORIGINAL. Verse 6 now uses the words, “He raised us up” or “resurrected us up” out of the place of spiritual death for soul / spirit, separated from God’s eternal life, and “made us sit together (union) down together…in the heavenly sphere (spirit realm)…” complete salvation / immortality will come at the second resurrection, that of ourbody—raised “incor-ruptible.” Death (both natural / spiritual) is thus ROBBED of its force!
Why We Preach / Teach
SO THAT THE LOST / fallen / damned / separated / children of the devil can be saved—missing Hell, and gaining Heaven. This hope rests in our two resurrections. He that repents of his / her sins and believes in Christ will be saved (but, I always add, salvation is conditional, not unconditional, write for our trilogy on this subject).
It is by and through His life that death/darkness/ decay is overcome.
Jesus Christ, not other kings, lords, gods / goddesses etc., has brought life and light (2 Tim. 1:10). He is our life, and, inasmuch as this is now imparted to us (at salvation / new birth / born from above, Jn. 3), it is hidden with Him in God (Col. 3:3). Only the redeemed believer has eternal life; the sinner has eternal death—never-ending death. No annihilation whatsoever!!
To be honest, I am still struggling for answers. I have not always understood the concepts of eternal life / death, immortality / immortal etc. One thing is for sure, there are too many Scriptures that speak of life after death, both for the redeemed and the damned. We just can’t toss out what we do not like—like the Hell-fire ones.
To speak of ζωή (“life” — zoe/zoay) is to speak of either natural or spiritual/eternal/supernatural life (vitality). “Eternal life” is the antithesis of “eternal death.” Ζωή (ζωή) is “life.” Fundamentally, true human life is not the life in virtue of which a being becomes ζῶον — the unity of σῶμα and ψῦϰή (ψῦϰή = “the principle of vital life in matter,” and on the other hand, it is “the specifically human principle of self-awareness”; so in one trend in Gk. philosophy, ψῦχή can be dualistically opposed to σῶμα as an eternal and pre-existent stranger within it; see Plato. But we can’t stand upon Gk. usage/philosophy; we’ve got to understand what Jesus and Paul meant. Though they used the Gk. language, what was THEIR view, not that of Gk. philosophy?).
Both Jesus and Paul used Jewish eschatological conceptions of the replacement of the old “aeon” by the new (see definitions of “eternal”/“immortal”/ “everlasting”). Paul wrote from the viewpoint of Christ, the second Adam, resurrected from the dead, and Author of a new humanity to which Christians in Him belong. Let us turn to Col. 1:18-23. “He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently.
And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross. And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father’s] presence. [And this He will do] provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached [as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister.” This will take us closer to what Paul was saying in our main text — 1 Timothy 6:16.