The Heresy of Annihilationism

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Beckie

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2022
2,516
939
113
About 1958 Mom and i took the trash to the local dump... Small community, the dump pit was outside town , as far as i remember it was always burning. In my mind the sides looked like they would roll down if one fell in. Looking and throwing stuff in was cool.. Mom, knowing me, said "you really dont want to go to hell do ya Beck?" The 'vision of that 'hell' often steered me to make , as they say today better choices.
 

NilsForChrist

Active member
Jan 31, 2023
180
86
28
We think of eternity as a loooooooooooooooooooooot of time.

But what is also true is it a state of being.
Jesus, several times, describes that some are going to suffer worse punishment than others.
If ALL lost are annihilated, then they all receive the same measure of punishment. This violates Scripture.

Matthew 23:14

New King James Version

14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive GREATER CONDEMNATION.

Matthew 11
Woe to the Impenitent Cities
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

These are people awaiting final judgement. What, will be MORE, or LESS tolerable?
Ditto.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,050
4,337
113
those who deny the enternal hell punishment are doing harm to those new to the Lord :

Bible 101 on hell read in context the vast amount of scriptures and words of our Lord who is the authority on the topic.





  • God made Hell because of who he is - holy, holy, holy (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8) - and thus is too pure to look upon sin (Hab 1:13).
  • (2) God is love (1 John 4:7-8) and while he spoke more concerning Heaven than he did Hell, in his holiness and honesty Jesus spoke about Hell (i.e. Gehenna) a considerable amount of times too - since he is the Word, Jesus is actually the author of every usage of Hell in the Bible (Matt 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; parallels to the same; Matt 7:21-23; 8:12; 13:42; 24:29-31, 45-51; 25:30-32, 41-46; Rev 2:11, etc.).
  • (3) God is the Judge and sends the unsaved to Hell (Matt 25:41; 2 Pet 2:4, 9).
  • (4) In another sense, people send themselves to Hell, as they willing sin against God (Rom 2:5; 3:23; 1 Cor 6:9).
  • (5) Hell was prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matt 25:41), but Satan's seed (Gen 3:15) will spend eternity there as well (Rev 20:14).
  • (6) Hell is a place where one can never stop sinning (Rom 8:7-8; Rev 21:8; 22:14-15). Since the sinners in Hell keep sinning there is perpetual punishment.
  • (7) Hell is a waterless place with no exit (Luke 16:24-26).
  • (8) Hell is a bottomless pit (Rev 20:1).
  • (9) Hell is a lake of fire into which the wicked will be cast alive forever (Rev 19:20; 20:15).
  • (10) Hell is a place of eternal torments (Luke 16:23).
  • (11) Hell is a place of everlasting punishment (Matt 25:46).
  • (12) Hell is a place of everlasting destruction from the presence of God (2 Thess 1:6-10).
  • (13) Hell is a place of being cut into pieces (Matt 24:51).
  • (14) Hell is a place where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48).
  • (15) Hell is a place of outer darkness, of weeping, and gnashing of teeth (Matt 25:30).
  • (16) It's not enough for God to take us out of Hell; he must remove Hell out of us; and thus he sent his only begotten Son to die for the sins of his people (Rom 5:8; Jude 1:23; John 1:29).

A general definition of Annihilationism ("extinctionism" or "destructionism") is that after people have paid a penalty for their sins, they will be completely obliterated or cease to exist. Or, the annihilation view of Hell contends that there will be irreversible terrible and horrific punishment for the reprobate; those who don't know Christ. This punishment may last for a period of time, but ultimately it will end. The reprobate will simply pass out of existence; they will not be punished forever and ever.


those who hold to it :
Some of the false denominations that teach a form of Annihilationism include: Christadelphians, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, and Seventh-day Adventists. Some other theologians are also campaigning against the historic doctrine of an eternal Hell; such as Philip E. Hughes, John Stott, and John W. Wenham, Michael Green, et. al.

one begins to study Annihilationism, they will soon discover that there are different nuances to the doctrine.
here are some resources

Annihilationism Error: Hebrew Word Definition Charts
Annihilationism Error: Greek Word Definition Charts
worth reading again
 

NilsForChrist

Active member
Jan 31, 2023
180
86
28
t

  • God made Hell because of who he is - holy, holy, holy (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8) - and thus is too pure to look upon sin (Hab 1:13).
  • (2) God is love (1 John 4:7-8) and while he spoke more concerning Heaven than he did Hell, in his holiness and honesty Jesus spoke about Hell (i.e. Gehenna) a considerable amount of times too - since he is the Word, Jesus is actually the author of every usage of Hell in the Bible (Matt 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; parallels to the same; Matt 7:21-23; 8:12; 13:42; 24:29-31, 45-51; 25:30-32, 41-46; Rev 2:11, etc.).
  • (3) God is the Judge and sends the unsaved to Hell (Matt 25:41; 2 Pet 2:4, 9).
  • (4) In another sense, people send themselves to Hell, as they willing sin against God (Rom 2:5; 3:23; 1 Cor 6:9).
  • (5) Hell was prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matt 25:41), but Satan's seed (Gen 3:15) will spend eternity there as well (Rev 20:14).
  • (6) Hell is a place where one can never stop sinning (Rom 8:7-8; Rev 21:8; 22:14-15). Since the sinners in Hell keep sinning there is perpetual punishment.
  • (7) Hell is a waterless place with no exit (Luke 16:24-26).
  • (8) Hell is a bottomless pit (Rev 20:1).
  • (9) Hell is a lake of fire into which the wicked will be cast alive forever (Rev 19:20; 20:15).
  • (10) Hell is a place of eternal torments (Luke 16:23).
  • (11) Hell is a place of everlasting punishment (Matt 25:46).
  • (12) Hell is a place of everlasting destruction from the presence of God (2 Thess 1:6-10).
  • (13) Hell is a place of being cut into pieces (Matt 24:51).
  • (14) Hell is a place where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48).
  • (15) Hell is a place of outer darkness, of weeping, and gnashing of teeth (Matt 25:30).
  • (16) It's not enough for God to take us out of Hell; he must remove Hell out of us; and thus he sent his only begotten Son to die for the sins of his people (Rom 5:8; Jude 1:23; John 1:29).
Plus, God removing the wicked from existance wouldn't make sense. It would belittle the rejection of christ's sacrifice.