Christians of all persuasions have generally believed the Bible doctrine of eternal Hell (the Lake of Fire).
However it is the cults who have originated and promoted the heresy of Annihilationism. Thus the heterodox groups who believe this false doctrine are the Millerites, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, Armstrongites, “Bible Students” (ironic), Church of God (7th Day) Salem Conference, etc. There are also so-called evangelicals (heretical) such as Clark Pinnock, John Stott, Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, etc. who promote this doctrine. And recently, even the Church of England has gone along with this.
According to Theopedia Annihilationism is the belief that the final fate of those who are not saved is literal and final death and destruction. It runs counter to the mainstream traditional Christian understanding of hell as eternal suffering and separation from God.
As we know “annihilate” means to utterly destroy, to obliterate, to extinguish completely, to cause to cease to exist, to do away with entirely, so that nothing remains. If this were really true for the unbelieving, the ungodly, and the wicked, they would be more than happy to continue in their sins and evil deeds, since at the end of everything they would simply be vaporized. They would vanish into thin air.
However, there is no such nonsense taught in the Bible. Therefore the meaning of death and the second death had to be changed, and the meaning of “perish”, “destroy”, and “destruction” as shown in Scripture had to also be changed. But once we understand what those words mean -- as presented by Christ and the apostles -- we will see that Annihilationism is totally false. Here is what the Bible reveals:
1. Souls and spirits are imperishable, and will either have eternal life with God and Christ, or will be eternally separated from God in Hell.
2. There are two deaths in the Bible – the first death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body, and the second death is eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire.
3. There are also two resurrections in the Bible – the resurrection unto life and the resurrection unto damnation.
4. There is no such thing as Soul Sleep. Those who are unsaved go to Hades and are in torment. Those who are saved go directly to Christ and are in joy and bliss.
5. There is no “second chance after death”. Therefore God now commands all men everywhere to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Those who are in Hades will eventually be resurrected before the Great White Throne Judgment. They will be judged according to their works, but their names will not be found in the Book of Life. Therefore they will be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer eternal torment.
7. The Devil, the Beast (the Antichrist), and the False Prophet will all be cast into the Lake of Fire (along with the evil angels) and will be tormented day and night for ever (eternally).
8. The words “perish” and “destroy” do not mean annihilation, but do mean eternal ruin, eternal loss of well-being, and eternal indescribable torment.
9. Because Hell is real, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and rose again for our justification according to the Scripture. John 3:16 makes the connection very plain: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, [suffer eternally in Hell] but have everlasting life.
10. God does not desire that a single soul go to Hell. That is why Christ commanded the Church to preach the Gospel to every creature, so that all men would be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.
However it is the cults who have originated and promoted the heresy of Annihilationism. Thus the heterodox groups who believe this false doctrine are the Millerites, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, Armstrongites, “Bible Students” (ironic), Church of God (7th Day) Salem Conference, etc. There are also so-called evangelicals (heretical) such as Clark Pinnock, John Stott, Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, etc. who promote this doctrine. And recently, even the Church of England has gone along with this.
According to Theopedia Annihilationism is the belief that the final fate of those who are not saved is literal and final death and destruction. It runs counter to the mainstream traditional Christian understanding of hell as eternal suffering and separation from God.
As we know “annihilate” means to utterly destroy, to obliterate, to extinguish completely, to cause to cease to exist, to do away with entirely, so that nothing remains. If this were really true for the unbelieving, the ungodly, and the wicked, they would be more than happy to continue in their sins and evil deeds, since at the end of everything they would simply be vaporized. They would vanish into thin air.
However, there is no such nonsense taught in the Bible. Therefore the meaning of death and the second death had to be changed, and the meaning of “perish”, “destroy”, and “destruction” as shown in Scripture had to also be changed. But once we understand what those words mean -- as presented by Christ and the apostles -- we will see that Annihilationism is totally false. Here is what the Bible reveals:
1. Souls and spirits are imperishable, and will either have eternal life with God and Christ, or will be eternally separated from God in Hell.
2. There are two deaths in the Bible – the first death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body, and the second death is eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire.
3. There are also two resurrections in the Bible – the resurrection unto life and the resurrection unto damnation.
4. There is no such thing as Soul Sleep. Those who are unsaved go to Hades and are in torment. Those who are saved go directly to Christ and are in joy and bliss.
5. There is no “second chance after death”. Therefore God now commands all men everywhere to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Those who are in Hades will eventually be resurrected before the Great White Throne Judgment. They will be judged according to their works, but their names will not be found in the Book of Life. Therefore they will be cast into the Lake of Fire to suffer eternal torment.
7. The Devil, the Beast (the Antichrist), and the False Prophet will all be cast into the Lake of Fire (along with the evil angels) and will be tormented day and night for ever (eternally).
8. The words “perish” and “destroy” do not mean annihilation, but do mean eternal ruin, eternal loss of well-being, and eternal indescribable torment.
9. Because Hell is real, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and rose again for our justification according to the Scripture. John 3:16 makes the connection very plain: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, [suffer eternally in Hell] but have everlasting life.
10. God does not desire that a single soul go to Hell. That is why Christ commanded the Church to preach the Gospel to every creature, so that all men would be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.
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