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The Bible does not teach annihilation. The soul is immortal and not subject to annihilation. The word Apollumi - Perish does not mean to cease to exist. It refers not to the loss of being per se, but to a loss of well being. It means to ruin so that the person or thing ruined is no longer able to serve the purpose for which he or it was designed. It means to render useless.
To believe on Jesus Christ for salvation results in eternal life in the presence of God. To reject Christ means to spend the eternal future separated from God in the lake of fire, to have no relationship with God and so to spend eternity in utter ruin and uselessness.
Apollumi is the term Jesus used when He spoke of those who are thrown into Gehenna - the lake of fire (Matthew 10:28). Jesus made it clear elsewhere that the lake of fire is a place of torment, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:42,50).
Daniel 12:2 speaks of those who will be resurrected to everlasting disgrace and contempt as opposed to those who will be resurrected to everlasting life.
The beast and the false prophet who are men will have been in the lake of fire for one thousand years before Satan joins them (Revelation 19:20 compared with Revelation 20:7-10).
The beast and false prophet are said to be thrown alive into the lake of fire.
As to the fact that the beast is a man, in Rev 13:3 the beast receives a mortal wound which is healed. The fact that he is thrown alive into the lake of fire where he is tormented forever and ever (Rev 20:10) rules out the theory that the beast referred to here is a political system.
Those who are thrown into the lake of fire will be alive forever in that place.
The soul is not immortal. We are to seek for immortality. That is something we wouldn't have to seek out if we already had it:
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
We must put on immortality:
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Only God and who God has decided shall have immortality:
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
1Ti 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.
Honestly...for 2000 years Christians have traditionally understood a literal hell...not just being wiped out. Moderator cut: orphaned
As for the eternality of hell? If you offend an infinitely holy and just God I don't know how you can think for a second that being tormented in hell for a finite amount of time can earn you annihilation.
Believers have differed on this issue since the early days of the church. The belief in annihilation is not a new idea or theory and neither is the belief in the eventual restoration of all to God. I believe that there is a higher purpose for the fire. Our God is a consuming fire and He will destroy all that is evil and sinful with the intent of restoring all to Him. He will turn His own enemies into His friends. We were once all His enemies. What greater victory, for the Son is able to subdue all things to Himself. " For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things..." (Romans 11:36)
Believers have differed on this issue since the early days of the church. The belief in annihilation is not a new idea or theory and neither is the belief in the eventual restoration of all to God. I believe that there is a higher purpose for the fire. Our God is a consuming fire and He will destroy all that is evil and sinful with the intent of restoring all to Him. He will turn His own enemies into His friends. We were once all His enemies. What greater victory, for the Son is able to subdue all things to Himself. " For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things..." (Romans 11:36)
God bless.
If you believe that a sinner can suffer for a time and then be annihilated, you are believing that their suffering can merit them grace. That is heresy.
If you believe that offending an infinite being can be remedied by finite suffering, then Jesus is not necessary.
I believe that there is a higher purpose for the fire. Our God is a consuming fire and He will destroy all that is evil and sinful with the intent of restoring all to Him. He will turn His own enemies into His friends. We were once all His enemies. What greater victory, for the Son is able to subdue all things to Himself. " For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things..." (Romans 11:36)
Colossians 1
For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven." (NASB)
The soul is not immortal. We are to seek for immortality. That is something we wouldn't have to seek out if we already had it:
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
We must put on immortality:
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Only God and who God has decided shall have immortality:
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
1Ti 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 soul is immortal. The body will be made immortal at the resurrection.
I have explained Rom 2:7 to you in the past on another thread.
Matthew 10:28 clearly shows that physical death cannot kill the soul.
And believers are shown in heaven prior to the resurrection of the body in Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-15, and 20:4.
As for 1 Tim 6:15-16, I like the way that John Gill put it.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Who only hath immortality,.... Angels are immortal, and so are the souls of men, and so will be the bodies of men after the resurrection; but then neither of these have immortality of themselves, they have it from God; who only has it, of himself, originally, essentially, and inderivatively. 1 Timothy 6:16 Bible Commentary
ask any child:
Will God, in his love, burn nice people with literal fire forever ?
will God, in his love, let them just die to never again be resurrected?
Will God, in his love, bring all his creation into heaven?
A child will usually give the correct answer as to what God's heart is really like.
ask any child:
Will God, in his love, burn nice people with literal fire forever ?
will God, in his love, let them just die to never again be resurrected?
Will God, in his love, bring all his creation into heaven?
A child will usually give the correct answer as to what God's heart is really like.
What about evil, immoral, horrible people that offend and hate the infinitely holy and just God?
1Ti 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.
"What about evil, immoral, horrible people that offend and hate the infinitely holy and just God?"
Do you mean a hater of Christ like saul was? how was he converted, he did not have to hear the good news to be converted? Salvation is of God, so is the faith to believe in either Universal reconciliation or annihilation. It is God who is responsible for not giving some people faith.I do see the scriptural support for annihilation, i do see the support for Universal reconciliation. Both have scriptural support. At the end God will set the record straight. And we all will be shocked
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