The Heresy of Annihilationism

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CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
12,170
3,999
113
#1
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
 

Chester

Senior Member
May 23, 2016
4,273
1,410
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#2
Teaching that hell is not eternal minimizes what God has said in His Word. If a sinner just dies and ceases to exist, then why would it matter if he lived in sin all his life? Annihilationism actually minimizes the love of God.
 
S

Sherril

Guest
#3
CS1 I never all my years ever heard of Annihilationism until I came here in CC.....thank you CS1 for sharing Gods truth to expose error.....love in Christ Sherril....
 

shrume

Senior Member
Jun 26, 2017
2,193
463
83
#4
those who deny the enternal hell punishment are doing harm to those new to the Lord :
That's an assertion with no backing.

Bible 101 on hell read in context the vast amount of scriptures and words of our Lord who is the authority on the topic.
The Lord is the authority on the topic. He never taught that people will burn alive in hell forever.

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).
God most certainly is holy. He created man to fellowship with Him. He gave us free will. He needed a way to assure that when it's all said and done, the final state of things will not have anyone there who is evil. So He made a rule: "The wages of sin is death".

(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.).
Read each one of those scripture carefully, and do not read your beliefs into what they say. NONE of them say that unsaved people will burn alive in hell forever.

(3) God is the Judge and sends the unsaved to Hell (Matt 25:41; 2 Pet 2:4, 9).
The unsaved will be sentenced to die the second death, which will be permanent.

(4) In another sense, people send themselves to Hell, as they willing sin against God (Rom 2:5; 3:23; 1 Cor 6:9).
All of us willingly sin against God at times. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Those who are not saved will be thrown into the lake of fire, and destroyed.

(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).
The Lake of fire will eventually burn whatever is thrown into it up.

(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.
This is a whole new demonstration of ignorance. God is love, and He wants people to STOP sinning. You are declaring that God is going to put the unsaved into a place where they cannot stop sinning, and allow them to be tortured forever because of something they are unable to stop doing. This is worse than Calvinism.

(7) Hell is a waterless place with no exit (Luke 16:24-26).
Luke 16:19ff is a parable.

(8) Hell is a bottomless pit (Rev 20:1).
The abyss in Rev 20:1 is not the lake of fire. It is likely Tartarus, where Satan will be locked up during the millennial kingdom.

(9) Hell is a lake of fire into which the wicked will be cast alive forever (Rev 19:20; 20:15).
Those verses do not say they will be alive forever in the lake of fire.

(10) Hell is a place of eternal torments (Luke 16:23).
Luke 16:19ff is a parable.

(11) Hell is a place of everlasting punishment (Matt 25:46).
Yes, the second death will be permanent. There will be no coming back from the second death.

(12) Hell is a place of everlasting destruction from the presence of God (2 Thess 1:6-10).
Yes, the second death will be permanent. There will be no coming back from the second death.

(13) Hell is a place of being cut into pieces (Matt 24:51).
Signifying destruction.

(14) Hell is a place where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48).
Yes, the destruction in the lake of fire will be complete.

(15) Hell is a place of outer darkness, of weeping, and gnashing of teeth (Matt 25:30).
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as people realize what it about to happen to them. Once they are destroyed, they will be silent, they will be dead.

(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).
Where does the Bible say ANYTHING about God removing hell out of us?

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.
That is generally true.

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.
I am not a member of any of those denominations, nor do I know any of those people. I believe what the Bible says, that the wages of sin is death.

one begins to study Annihilationism, they will soon discover that there are different nuances to the doctrine.
What would those be, CS1?

Useless for defending your belief. The guy just makes assertions about the definition of those words.

There were already two active threads on this topic. Why did you start a third?

Please let us all know if the administrators of this website decide to make believing in and teaching annihilation a bannable offense. If they do, then I'll stop posting about it. Until that happens, I will not be silent.
 
Sep 4, 2012
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#5
The unsaved will be sentenced to die the second death, which will be permanent.
The second death is a term signifying being cast alive into the place of GOD's wrath against sin. There is no indication that anyone will cease to exist there, but will experience the flame that is never quenched and the worm that never dies.
 

MarkWilliams

Active member
Jun 13, 2018
408
174
43
#6
That's an assertion with no backing.


The Lord is the authority on the topic. He never taught that people will burn alive in hell forever.


God most certainly is holy. He created man to fellowship with Him. He gave us free will. He needed a way to assure that when it's all said and done, the final state of things will not have anyone there who is evil. So He made a rule: "The wages of sin is death".


Read each one of those scripture carefully, and do not read your beliefs into what they say. NONE of them say that unsaved people will burn alive in hell forever.


The unsaved will be sentenced to die the second death, which will be permanent.


All of us willingly sin against God at times. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Those who are not saved will be thrown into the lake of fire, and destroyed.


The Lake of fire will eventually burn whatever is thrown into it up.


This is a whole new demonstration of ignorance. God is love, and He wants people to STOP sinning. You are declaring that God is going to put the unsaved into a place where they cannot stop sinning, and allow them to be tortured forever because of something they are unable to stop doing. This is worse than Calvinism.


Luke 16:19ff is a parable.


The abyss in Rev 20:1 is not the lake of fire. It is likely Tartarus, where Satan will be locked up during the millennial kingdom.


Those verses do not say they will be alive forever in the lake of fire.


Luke 16:19ff is a parable.


Yes, the second death will be permanent. There will be no coming back from the second death.


Yes, the second death will be permanent. There will be no coming back from the second death.


Signifying destruction.


Yes, the destruction in the lake of fire will be complete.


There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as people realize what it about to happen to them. Once they are destroyed, they will be silent, they will be dead.


Where does the Bible say ANYTHING about God removing hell out of us?


That is generally true.


I am not a member of any of those denominations, nor do I know any of those people. I believe what the Bible says, that the wages of sin is death.


What would those be, CS1?


Useless for defending your belief. The guy just makes assertions about the definition of those words.

There were already two active threads on this topic. Why did you start a third?

Please let us all know if the administrators of this website decide to make believing in and teaching annihilation a bannable offense. If they do, then I'll stop posting about it. Until that happens, I will not be silent.
I see you worked really hard to deny all of this Biblical evidence, I know you desperately hope that the hell described in the Bible doesn't exist. You are not alone, all unbelievers and unrepentant sinners hope the Bible is wrong but what if it's right. Do you have any contingency plan in place for that event.
 
Sep 4, 2012
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#7
Jesus said to fear GOD because he can destroy body and soul in hell.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

Does the word destroy necessarily mean cessation of existence? No, because the word ἀπόλλυμι is used to describe destroyed wineskins (which didn't cease to exist), a lost coin in Luke 15:8 (which didn't cease to exist) and other things that are shown below:
1. apollumi (ἀπόλλυμι, 622), a strengthened form of ollumi, signifies “to destroy utterly”; in middle voice, “to perish.” The idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of wellbeing. This is clear from its use, as, e.g., of the marring of wine skins, Luke 5:37; of lost sheep, i.e., lost to the shepherd, metaphorical of spiritual destitution, Luke 15:4, 6, etc.; the lost son, 15:24; of the perishing of food, John 6:27; of gold, 1 Pet. 1:7. So of persons, Matt. 2:13, “destroy”; 8:25, “perish”; 22:7; 27:20; of the loss of well-being in the case of the unsaved hereafter, Matt. 10:28; Luke 13:3, 5; John 3:16 (v. 15 in some mss.); 10:28; 17:12; Rom. 2:12; 1 Cor. 15:18; 2 Cor. 2:15, “are perishing”; 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:10; Jas. 4:12; 2 Pet. 3:9. Cf. B, II, No. 1.

W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Jr., vol. 2, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 164.
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#8
The second death is a term signifying being cast alive into the place of GOD's wrath against sin. There is no indication that anyone will cease to exist there, but will experience the flame that is never quenched and the worm that never dies.
When a court judges death sentence on a man, he is cast alive into a room, strapped down to a bed, and the sentence of death is carried out.

He is cast alive into the room. He does not come out of it still alive.

So...you have not furthered your point. And I'm not saying you are right or wrong that men are born eternal beings. I'm only saying your point does not prove what you want it to prove.
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#9
If a sinner just dies and ceases to exist, then why would it matter if he lived in sin all his life?
"Just" dies? Does anyone want to die? Don't men fight death? Men struggle to live, not to die.
Would being brought to life again only to discover you must then die again but that this time there would be no coming to life ever again be why it would matter??
 

MarkWilliams

Active member
Jun 13, 2018
408
174
43
#11
"Just" dies? Does anyone want to die? Don't men fight death? Men struggle to live, not to die.
Would being brought to life again only to discover you must then die again but that this time there would be no coming to life ever again be why it would matter??
An unrepentant non believer hopes that his death is the end and he ceases to exist, because the thought of eternal hell is too much for anyone to bare. So yes, death as in ceasing to exist will be the most desirable thing for the damned but it will not be grated to them
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#13
An unrepentant non believer hopes that his death is the end and he ceases to exist, because the thought of eternal hell is too much for anyone to bare. So yes, death as in ceasing to exist will be the most desirable thing for the damned but it will not be grated to them
You are not speaking with unrepentant nonbelievers. You are speaking with your brothers and sisters.
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#14
Oh' that's easy, all of them XXXXXXXXXXXX
So you do not believe this is true:

When a court judges death sentence on a man, he is cast alive into a room, strapped down to a bed, and the sentence of death is carried out.

He is cast alive into the room. He does not come out of it still alive.
 

MarkWilliams

Active member
Jun 13, 2018
408
174
43
#15
So you do not believe this is true:
I believe it's not true that you can compare a human court sentence to an Holy God's court sentence. God is not bound by the physical restraints of this earth, he deals in the eternal spiritual relm and don't think for one minute that spirits can't feel pain
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#16
I believe it's not true that you can compare a human court sentence to an Holy God's court sentence. God is not bound by the physical restraints of this earth, he deals in the eternal spiritual relm and don't think for one minute that spirits can't feel pain
I was not comparing a human court sentence to a holy Gods court sentence.

I was saying that to use as proof that unbelievers will have an eternal life, the argument that they are cast alive into their punishment, is not a good argument. I know HRFTD and have spoken with him over the course of many years. He is extremely intelligent, a true thinking man, rather than a parrot. I think he will most likely agree with me on the point I have made, even though we do not agree on whether men are born eternal beings. :)
 

MarkWilliams

Active member
Jun 13, 2018
408
174
43
#17
I was not comparing a human court sentence to a holy Gods court sentence.

I was saying that to use as proof that unbelievers will have an eternal life, the argument that they are cast alive into their punishment, is not a good argument. I know HRFTD and have spoken with him over the course of many years. He is extremely intelligent, a true thinking man, rather than a parrot. I think he will most likely agree with me on the point I have made, even though we do not agree on whether men are born eternal beings. :)
I didn't think it was possible to read the Bible and walk away thinking that we aren't born eternal creatures. you would have to side step a lot of clear and plain scripture
 
Sep 4, 2012
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#18
Did the lost (literally destroyed) prodigal son cease to exist? Same word that Jesus used to describe those lost in hell.

for this my son was dead, and is revived; and he was lost, and was found. And they began to be merry. Luke 15:24
 
Sep 4, 2012
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#19
Did the coin the woman lost cease to exist. Same word that Jesus used to describe those lost in hell.

Or what woman who has ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? Luke 15:8