Annihilationism

[Guest Calamity]

Briefly, as I understand it, annihilationism is a belief that those who go to hell will not suffer eternal punishment, but will one day cease to exist.

What are your thoughts on this, and why?

[followerofjesus]

I believe your referring to the second death. The word refers to dying in sin leading to destruction.

[Manofwork]

I think the bible makes it quiet clear you either go to heaven if you have accepted Jesus as your lord and savior for eternity or if you haven't you go to hell for eternity.

[BobTriez]

I think the bible makes it quiet clear you either go to heaven if you have accepted Jesus as your lord and savior for eternity or if you haven't you go to hell for eternity.

Yep...sure does!

"Annihilationism" is taught by the Jehovah's Witnesses....very unBiblical teaching from a VERY unBiblical cult.

In HIM,

Bob

[followerofjesus]

The second death is the absence of God. I'm not sure what the Jehovah witness beliefs are or care.

[BobTriez]

The second death is the absence of God. I'm not sure what the Jehovah witness beliefs are or care.

Annihilation is not the second death....it means that those who are not saved are simply destroyed....cease to exist. Thus, if you are damned, you will pay no penalty for your sins as you simply are no more....VERY unBiblical.

And you should care! It's important to understand what cults teach so you are better equip to witness and refute their false teachings. Complacent attitudes such as "I don't care" are a serious obstacle in witnessing.....sad that Christians don't take the time to learn what other cults teach. How can you intelligently talk to a JW if you know nothing of what they teach

In HIM,

Bob

[BigD]

Hi Calamity, thought my post from Is Hell Eternal? would go perfectly here ..so reposted it here ..sorry for being repetitive!

By no means am I claiming that I know it all or that I am right ..these are just my thoughts and my opinions ..I could be blind as a bat in my construal, so do correct me if I am at err.

Malachi 4:1

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

4:2

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

4:3

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

So, like stubble/chaff the wicked shall be burned up leaving neither root nor branch and be reduced to ashes under the feet of the believers. If the wicked are reduced to ashes their torment is not for ever right?

Psalm:37:20

But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

The wicked shall be burned up as stubble and consumed away as smoke. Will they still remain in torment if the wicked are reduced to ashes and smoke and consumed away? Doesn't continual consumption lead to eventual extinction?

Jude 1:7

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Yet it is obvious that the fires that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah are not still burning. In the case of these cities and in the case of the wicked, who are consigned to eternal fire, the fire burns and completely destroys. But the eternal aspect of the fire is its everlasting effect, not how long it literally burns.

Luke 6:35

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil

If the torment is forever and ever, howcome Luke says God is kind to the unthankful and evil? How can eternal torment be an act of kindness?

"Then He will say to those on his left hand, 'depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels'" (Matthew 25:41).

"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (verse 46).

I agree that the fire prepared is everlasting. In verse 46 the cursed get everlasting punishment and the righteous get eternal life. The wicked should get the opposite of what the righteous get. So the opposite of eternal life is eternal death, the everlasting punishment. The punishment death is everlasting, in the above I dont see the punishment being tormented in fire for everlasting.

Romans 6:23

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.

Life and death are opposites, not two ways of saying the same thing. Death means the absence of life, not eternal life in another place.

Genesis 3:19

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

That was the eternal punishment that adam and eve received sinning against God. We can see that the wicked shall return to dust.

Psalm 22:29

All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul

All that go down to the dust cannot keep alive their own soul. So is God going to sustain the souls of the wicked so He can punish them in eternal fire? If that is so, how can we say they are separated from God if God Himself is sustaining their lives? Then God has given the wicked the same gift that He gave to the saved, eternal life, which will directly go against John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 10:28

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell"

I think the above scripture does more justice in explaining the "perish" part of John 3:16.

Psalm: 103:8

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

103:9

He will not always chide: neither will He keep his anger for ever.

Isn't everlasting torment without death keeping His anger forever which goes against the above psalm?

Forgive me if I took any scripture out of context. Pardon me if I have misunderstood the above scriptures. I am a work-in-progress, so please correct me if and where I am wrong.

~Glory be to God and His ever-loving Son Jesus Christ.

Edited June 26, 2004 by BigD

[Guest Calamity]

Hi BigD. I haven't forgotten the Hell thread, and am working on a response to you. It's still in notepad and will take me a while to get together. BUT - that's one of the reasons I started this thread in the meantime. Thanks for your reply.

[stevehut]

Dunno. I just want to be saved and avoid it.

[followerofjesus]

Thanx BigD you have made some good points & worthy of discussion.