Do Humans Burn in Hell Forever?

Compiled by Dan Beeson

BIBLE VERSES THAT SAY HUMANS ARE NOT IMORTAL.
BIBLE VERSES SAYING LOST HUMANS WILL CEASE TO EXIST.
BIBLE VERSES THAT DISPROVE ETERNAL CONSCIOUS HELL.
BIBLE VERSES SHOWING THE UNSAVED DIE AND ARE DESTROYED.
(Heavily quoting “25 Bible Verses That Disprove Eternal Conscious Hell” January 30, 2015 by Benjamin L. Corey)
( Also includes 2 articles at end from http://www.rethinkinghell.com/blog/list-all-posts)

Genesis 3:22
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest
he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord
God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he
drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword
which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Psalm 1:6
“But the way of the ungodly shall perish”
If one believes in eternal conscious hell, they don’t believe the ungodly perish at all– but live forever in
hell.

Ps. 34:16, 21
“evil brings death to the wicked.”
Of course, if one believes in eternal hell, one doesn’t believe that evil brings death at all, but brings life– in
hell.

Psalm 37:20
“But the wicked shall perish… they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.”
If one believes in eternal conscious hell, they don’t believe the wicked will be “consumed.” Instead, they
believe the wicked and tortured and never consumed.

Psalm 37:28
For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely
destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 92:7
“7When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they
shall be destroyed for ever:” If one believes in eternal conscious hell, they don’t believe those who are
lost are “destroyed” but again, that they live forever.

Psalm 112:10
"The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the
wicked shall perish." Note: Ganshing of teeth does not mean forever.

Isaiah. 1:28, 30–31

“rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.”
Ezekiel 18:32
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

Malachi 4:1
“All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,”
says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”
Here God is quoted directly– the evildoers are destroyed like straw thrown into the fire, and nothing is left.

Matthew 7:13
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few
find it. “

Matthew 10:28
“Rather, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye
together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Matthew 13:36-43
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying,
Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37 He answered and said unto them, He that
soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the
kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil;
the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are
gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send
forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let
him hear.

Matthew 13:49-50
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the
just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 19:16
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have
eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is,
God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Matthew 19:29
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My
name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

Matthew 25:46
"These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." NOTE: If you are
banished from a family, the banishment lasts forever, though you die. Here also, Eternal Punishment can
mean punishment from which you do not get forgiven.
Mark 10:17
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he
asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Mark 10:29
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and
sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal
life.

Luke 18:18
A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19"Why do you call
me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.

Luke 18:29
"Truly I tell you," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents
or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and
in the age to come eternal life." 20You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery, you
shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

Luke 20:34-36
Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are
considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are
given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God,
being sons of the resurrection.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish, but have eternal life. Note: Eternal life is not innate in humans. They earn it by faith in
Jesus.

John 4:14
“but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will
become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

John 6:51
" 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down
from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of
heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the
life of the world is My flesh."

John 8:51
"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death."

John 10:24-28
“Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou
be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do
in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as
I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I
and the Father are one.”
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 17:3
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have
sent.

Romans 2:3-9
"3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou
shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and
longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5 But after thy hardness
and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God; 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7 To them who by
patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8 But
unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and
wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the
Gentile;" Who win immortality and eternal life? All humans, or just the Saved?

Romans 5:21
So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Growing
up we’re taught that the “wages of sin is hell” but no – it’s perishing, dying, being destroyed.. the opposite
of eternal life in hell. Men do not possess eternal life, but it is a “gift of God” through faith in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 3:17
“17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-57
"50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Note: Paul clearly states we are MORTAL, not
IMMORTAL.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16
“For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: “

Galatians 6:8
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the
Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Philippians 1:28 “27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm
in the one Spirit,[e] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any
way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be
saved—and that by God.”

Philippians 3:18-19 18
(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the
enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory
is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
“8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power;” Note: Destroyed can not happen over centuries. This clearly means
destroyed forever, not to come back.

1 Timothy 6:14-16
"14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings,
and Lord of lords; 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." So God/Jesus
ONLY has immortality, and those to whom He GIVES it, like the angels, and saved humans.

2 Timothy 1:10
"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and
hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:"

James 1:15
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 4:12a
“There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.”

1 John 2:17
The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 5:11
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Jude 1:5-7
"5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved
the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And the angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 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." Are Sodom and Gomorrha STILL BURNING?

Revelation 20:7-10
"7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out
to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them
together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of
the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from
God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever." Note, this specifies ONLY the Devil, the Beast, and the False Prophet.
Revelation 21:8
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.” Note this verse says “Their part”, which does not specify for
how long, a moment, or eternally.

BIBLE VERSES THAT SEEM TO SAY SOULS WILL LIVE

FOREVER AND BE TORTURED FOREVER IN HELL.
Isaiah 66:24
"And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for
their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh."

Matthew 25:40-41
"40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them
on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels:"

King James Version:

Mark 9:43-49
"43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two
hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt
into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it
out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast
into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall
be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt."

New International Version:

Mark 9 43-49
"43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two
hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44] [b] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut
it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] [c] 47 And
if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one
eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,

and the fire is not quenched.’[d]

49 Everyone will be salted with fire."

International Standard Version:

Mark 9:48
"In that place, worms never die, and the fire is never put out."

Luke 16:14-31
 "14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 15 And he
said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that
which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets
were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And
it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 18 Whosoever putteth away his
wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her
husband committeth adultery. 19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine
linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and
was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell
he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he
cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his
finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son,
remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he
is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf
fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would
come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my
father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this
place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And
he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one
rose from the dead."

Revelation 14:9-11
"9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his
image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor
night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT HELL BUT DO NOT SPECIFY LENGTH

Psalm 9:17 "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

BIBLE VERSES SAYING THE DEVIL AND DEMONS THE BEAST AND
FALSE PROPHET ARE ETERNAL.
They were created with everlasting life. This includes the angels of God, and the fallen angels. They can
not die.

Revelation 20:10
” And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Two articles from http://www.rethinkinghell.com/blog/list-all-posts
Their Worm Does Not Die: Annihilation and
Mark 9:48 (Part 1)
http://www.rethinkinghell.com/2012/07/their-worm-does-not-die-annihilation-and-mark-948/
by Chris Date · Posted on July 17, 2012

Phaenicia sericata larva ("maggot")

In my recent response to Matt Chandler’s otherwise praiseworthy The Explicit Gospel, I criticized what I
believe to be several mistakes Chandler makes concerning final punishment. One of them, I argued, was
that in citing Jesus’ words in Mark 9:48 Chandler fails to point out that the passage Jesus quotes
“explicitly says that it is corpses whose ‘worm will not die’.”1 I made the claim that “The idiom
communicates the shame of having one’s corpse unburied, and arguably the irresistible and complete
consumption of those corpses by maggots.”

Many traditionalists, however, who do point out that the hosts of Isaiah’s undying worms were
corpses, nevertheless insist that the imagery supports the traditional view of hell. Whether they
believe maggots will literally feed upon the bodies of the wicked for eternity—albeit living,
immortal bodies—or whether they believe the idiom symbolically points toward an eternity of
conscious torment, either way it is argued that the text of Isaiah, quoted by Jesus, depicts ever-
consuming worms which never die. The fire that isn’t quenched will be the subject of a future
post here at Rethinking Hell; in the meantime, let us take a look at the gruesome idiom that is its
parallel.

Misquoting Jesus
It’s worth noting first that when traditionalists quote this favorite of their proof-texts, they often
misquote it. Neither Isaiah 66:24 nor Mark 9:48 say that the worm will “never” die. Very
dynamic, thought-for-thought translations like the Common English Bible and the New Living
Translation will sometimes say the worm will never die, but this is an act of interpretation, not
translation. Most translations, particularly more literal ones, render the text “will not,” “shall
not” or “does not” die. That’s all that the author says as part of the idiom.

This doesn’t stop Robert Morey from writing that “Christ used the phrases ‘unquenchable fire’
and ‘never-dying worms’.”2 Thankfully Morey acknowledges that this is his “paraphrase.”3
Other authors do not: Robert Reymond tells us that “here the impenitent’s ‘maggot’ is said never
to die”;4 Christopher Morgan says the “agents of suffering (the worm and the fire) are never
extinguished”;5 John Blanchard says these passages refer to “a worm constantly gnawing at
those who are condemned to spend eternity there.”6

The Hebrew language afforded Isaiah the ability to communicate “never,” had he intended to do
so. In Judges 2:1 the angel of the Lord says, “I will never break My covenant with you.” Nathan
prophecies against David in 2 Samuel 12:10, quoting God as saying, “The sword shall never
depart from your house.” In Psalm 15:5 David sings, “He who does these things will never be
shaken.” In each case, the word “not” from Isaiah 66:24, ‫( ל ֹא‬lo’), is used in conjunction with the
Hebrew word ‫`( עֹולָם‬owlam), meaning “everlasting.” In other words, “will not ever.” Isaiah 66:24
does not contain `owlam.

Likewise, had they wished to do so, Greek

enabled the translators of the Septuagint (and the Lord Himself who quoted it) to translate Isaiah
66:24 as saying the worm will “never” die. In Matthew 7:23 Jesus says, “I never knew you.”
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:8 that “love never fails.” Hebrews 10:1 says the Law “can never …
make perfect those who draw near.” Each occurrence of “never” in those verses translates the
Greek word οὐδέποτε (oudepote), a compound word meaning “not at any time.” This is lacking
in both the LXX rendition of Isaiah 66:24, and in Jesus’ citation thereof in Mark 9:48; they
simply use the word οὐ (ou) meaning “not.” Isaiah, quoted by Jesus, simply says the worm will
not die.

Will Not Die

If we were to consistently take “will not die” to mean “will never die,” we would make a mess of
Scripture. Joseph tells his brothers in Genesis 42:20, “Bring your youngest brother to me, so your
words may be verified, and you will not die.” The Lord directs Moses in Exodus 30:20, “When
they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die.” Zedekiah
says to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 38:24, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.”
Obviously Joseph’s brothers did not think he was promising them immortality; Moses was not
assured that by washing with water when entering the tent the priests would never die; Jeremiah
did not take Zedekiah to mean he would live forever by remaining silent.

But we should probably give the traditionalist authors I quoted earlier the benefit of the doubt;
perhaps their use of words like “never” and “eternity” is not misquotation, or a mere assumption
that “will not die” means “will never die.” Perhaps, instead, they think this is the conclusion that
is best drawn from the idiomatic worm’s assumed contrast with a worm which normally would
die. Edward Donnelly says “When the maggots had stripped the corpses to the bone, they died
themselves. Here, however…the worms are never satisfied.”7 Alan Gomes explains that “worms
are able to live as long as there is food for them to consume. Once their food supply has been
consumed, the worms eventually die. But the torments of hell are likened to undying, not dying
worms.”8 Robert Peterson suggests that, “Normally, maggots feed on their prey until it is
consumed, then they die. The ‘worms’ of hell, however, will never complete their work.”9 But
this raises the question: Is the contrast, between a worm which won’t die and one which will,
intended to point toward one which will never die?

Certainly not, for a similar contrast is intended in the other passages in which “will not die”
occurs, a contrast between one’s death if instructions are not followed, and one’s life if they are.
And yet the promise is not of everlasting life, nor the instructions to be eternally followed.
Joseph’s promise was that his brothers would not die by his hand as suspected spies, if they
followed his instructions at that time. God’s promise to Moses was that a priest would not die
while performing his service, if he washed his hands as part of that service during the course of
his natural life. Jeremiah was not put to death by the officials of the king of Babylon before
Jerusalem was captured, because he did not reveal the nature of his conversation with Zedekiah
until its capture. (He continued to live, but this had nothing to do with Zedekiah’s advice.)

When the statement is recorded in Scripture, that someone or something “will not die,” a specific
context is in view; no life is promised beyond that context. And in Isaiah 66:24, that context is
the consumption of a corpse. Their worm, it is promised, will not die in that context, will not be
prevented by death from consuming its host. This is an assurance that the abhorrent process of
decay will continue unabated until the corpse is completely consumed; the worm is promised no
life beyond that.

Shame and Stouthearted Scavengers

Consider the curse the Lord promised to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 28:26, that if they
would disobey Him, “your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the
earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.” Or take Jeremiah 7:33‘s very similar
promise concerning Gehenna, that “the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of
the sky and for the beasts of the earth; and no one will frighten them away.” What is the message
here? Is the Lord promising that these scavenging beasts and birds will eternally feed upon the
corpses of the wicked?
 No. In 2 Samuel 21:10, after the Gibeonites put Rizpah’s
sons to death, Rizpah kept vigilant watch over their corpses. “She allowed neither the birds of the
sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.” Rizpah was able to frighten away
the scavengers which would have otherwise fed upon her sons’ bodies, and as a result they were
not fully consumed “from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky,”10 a
period of time lasting perhaps several months. But the beasts and birds of Deuteronomy 28:26
and Jeremiah 7:33, it is promised, will not be frightened away. Those stouthearted scavengers
will not be prevented from consuming the corpses of the slain wicked.

And there’s another element to the imagery. These courageous consumers communicate that the
shame of the wicked will not be resisted. Peterson gets it somewhat right, explaining,11

In Old Testament times victorious armies sometimes left their foes’ bodies unburied as a sign of
contempt. For corpses to be publicly exposed was a great disgrace. This accounts for the
courageous efforts of the cities of Jabesh Gilead to recover the dead bodies of Saul and his sons
from the Philistines (1 Sam 31:11-13). And it also explains Rizpah’s remarkable protection of
her sons’ dead bodies from the birds and wild animals (2 Sam 21:10).

Peterson grasps, apparently, the shame of one’s exposed corpse being consumed by beasts and
birds. Deuteronomy 28:26 and Jeremiah 7:33, then, promise that the shame of the wicked will be
irresistible. But in his attempt to rescue the traditional view of final punishment from the real
implications of Isaiah 66:24, Peterson contradicts himself when it comes to the impact of
scavengers on the shame of their hosts, for he suggests that if the worm were allowed to consume
its host, its shame would come to an end.

You see, on one hand, Peterson recognizes that it was on account of shame that Rizpah drove
scavengers away from her sons’ corpses. But he goes on to say, “But in the prophet’s picture [in
Isaiah 66:24], ‘their worm will not die…’ The shame of the wicked will have no end.”12 Think
about this carefully. If a body that is never fully consumed communicates endless shame, this
implies that shame ends with complete consumption, but if that’s the case, Rizpah’s act served
only to prolong her son’s shame. Why would she delay the end to their shame for what may have
been several months as maggots did slowly what the beasts and birds she drove away could have
otherwise done much more quickly? It simply makes no sense.

Rizpah’s vigilance in protecting her sons’ bodies from consumption by scavengers was her
attempt to resist their shame, not prolong it. But Deuteronomy 28:26 and Jeremiah 7:33 say that
“no one will frighten them away,” communicating that the shame of those wicked will be
irresistible. Scavenging beasts and birds will not be prevented from fully consuming the corpses
of the wicked. This doesn’t bring an end to their shame; it makes it permanent.

Irresistible Consumption
That’s what is promised by Isaiah 66:24, and why the wicked “will be loathsome to all
mankind.”13 Not because immortal scavengers will forever gnaw upon living bodies, but
because maggots will not be prevented by death from fully consuming dead ones. Not because
their shame is prolonged by being perpetually consumed, but because their shame is made
permanent and everlasting by being fully consumed. And this is the background to Jesus’ words
in Mark 9:48, with which His hearers would have been familiar. To whatever degree we are to
take it symbolically, the imagery depicts exactly the opposite of what is claimed by adherents to
the traditional view of final punishment, who say the worm’s food never runs out. The undying
worm of Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:48 serves as no challenge to the conditionalist view of final
punishment as the permanent execution of the wicked.

Part 2 of this series: The Fire Is Not Quenched: Annihilation and Mark 9:48

1. Date, C. (2012, July 15). “Explicit Mistakes: A Response to Matt Chandler.” Rethinking Hell [blog].
Retrieved 15 July 2012. http://www.rethinkinghell.com/2012/07/explicit-mistakes-a-response-
to-matt-chandler/ [↩]
2. Morey, R. Death and the Afterlife (Bethany House, 1984), 89. [↩]
3. Ibid. [↩]
4. Reymond, R. Contending for the Faith (Christian Focus Publications, 2005), 346. [↩]
5. Morgan, C. “Biblical Theology: Three Pictures of Hell.” From Hell Under Fire (Zondervan, 2004),
137. [↩]
6. Blanchard, J. Whatever Happened to Hell? (Crossway Books, 1995), 142. [↩]
7. Donnelly, E. Biblical Teaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell (The Banner of Truth Trust,
2001), 37-38. [↩]
8. Gomes, A. “Evangelicals and the Annihilation of Hell, Part Two” Christian Research Journal,
Summer 1991, pp 8ff. [↩]
9. Peterson, R. Hell On Trial (P&R Publishing, 1995), 64. [↩]
10. 2 Samuel 21:9 [↩]
11. Peterson, R.; Fudge, E. (2010-09-15). Two Views of Hell: A Biblical & Theological Dialogue (p.
132). Intervarsity Press – A. Kindle Edition. [↩]
12. Ibid. [↩]
13. NIV [↩]
The Fire Is Not Quenched: Annihilation and
Mark 9:48 (Part 2)
by Chris Date · Posted on November 20, 2012

A few months ago we took a look at Mark 9:48, in which Jesus

quotes Isaiah 66:24 and refers to gehenna as the place where “their worm does not die.” Critics
of conditionalism often misquote or misunderstand the idiom as depicting a consuming maggot
that eternally feeds upon but never fully consumes its host, and I had explained that quite the
opposite is true. Similar to the scavengers of Deuteronomy 28:26 and Jeremiah 7:33 which will
not be frightened away and prevented from fully consuming carrion, the worm “will not be
prevented by death from fully consuming dead [bodies] … their shame is made permanent and
everlasting by being fully consumed.”1

Of course this image is only the first of two which Isaiah and Jesus use to paint their horrifying
picture of final punishment. Just as the worm will not die, they promise that “the fire is not
quenched,” an idiom that appears in a very similar form just a few verses before Christ’s appeal
to Isaiah when he calls gehenna “the unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43). Elsewhere John the
Baptist says that God “will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12 and Luke
3:17). Traditionalists typically understand these phrases to mean that the fire will never go out,
implying that its fuel—the unredeemed—will exist eternally, being burned forever, yet never
completely consumed. But as we’ll see, this idiom is as misunderstood as its abhorrent parallel.

To quench or not to quench

Traditionalists typically assume that Isaiah contrasts a natural worm, which normally dies after it
has consumed its food, with a supernaturally undying worm that never runs out of food. In a
similar way, traditionalist Robert Peterson reasons that, “Although all earthly fires eventually
consume their fuel and go out, the fire of hell never comes to an end because its work is never
done.”2 Edward Donnelly concurs, explaining that conquerors would burn the corpses of their
enemies to shame them, but “at least the fire went out when it had used up all its gruesome fuel
… Here, however, the fire is never quenched.”3

This line of reasoning, however, is based on a very peculiar definition of the word quenched. As
illustrated by Donnelly’s words above, traditionalists understand quenched in this passage to
mean “went out.” Yet that is not how the word is typically used. When we speak of quenching
things, such as a thirst, we are talking about extinguishing it. When firefighters are called upon to
quench a house fire, they don’t typically arrive on the scene only to stand idly by and watch a
family’s home burn to the ground; even if it were unquenchable, it would still go out naturally
after it consumes its fuel. One might, in fact, be forgiven for doubting that traditionalists ever use
quench to mean “die out” in any other context besides Scripture.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the English word primarily

as, whether literally or figuratively, “to put out or extinguish the fire or flame of (something that
burns or gives light).”4 Other definitions include “to put out, extinguish, douse,” “to destroy the
sight of (an eye); to blind,” “to oppress, crush; to kill, destroy,” and “to put (a person) down; to
reduce to silence; to quell.” Most definitions of quench likewise carry some form of the meaning
“to put an end to.” Only a tiny handful of its many definitions connote something like “to go
out.” (And those meanings are rare or obsolete.)

Still, though very rare, this use of the English word quench does exist. The same appears to be
true in the original biblical languages. The Hebrew and Greek words translated quench primarily
mean something like “to extinguish,” but they are capable of being used to mean “to go out.” For
example, Proverbs 26:20 reads, “For lack of wood the fire goes out [kabah]. And where there is
no whisperer, contention quiets down.” Matthew 25:8 reads, “The foolish said to the prudent,
‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out [sbennymi]’.” So which meaning, then, is
intended in Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:48 and similar texts?

Quench in Hebrew
In some texts where kabah connects to ordinary fire the Hebrew word, our English quench,
might mean something like “die out.” Aside from Proverbs 26:20, it’s used twice in Leviticus
6:12-13 to say, “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out.” 1 Samuel
3:3 says, “The lamp of God had not yet gone out.” Proverbs 31:18 says of a good wife that “her
lamp does not go out at night.” Although it could be argued to mean “put out” in these texts, the
consensus among major translations might be reason enough to concede that it can occasionally
mean “die out.”

In other places, on the other hand, and in a variety of contexts,

kabah takes “put out” as its primary meaning. A widow tells the king that she fears the execution
of her only remaining son and his heir, that in so doing “they will extinguish my coal which is
left, so as to leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth” (2 Samuel
14:7). When David wearies in battle, risking being killed by a Philistine, his men swore to him,
saying, “You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of
Israel” (2 Samuel 21:17). God promises to “extinguish” Pharaoh in Ezekiel 32:7. Hezekiah tells
the priests and Levites in 2 Chronicles 29:6-7 that “our fathers have been unfaithful and have …
put out the lamps.” Additional uses like this include Song of Solomon 8:7 and Isaiah 43:17.

It is interesting to note at this point that the aforementioned consensus among translators—which
might prompt one to concede that kabah can occasionally mean “go out”—is the same consensus
which therefore ought to prompt traditionalists to concede that it does not carry that meaning in
Isaiah 66:24. Major translations almost universally render it something like “go out” when it is
believed to be used in that way, such as in Proverbs 26:20, otherwise translating it “put out,”
“extinguish,” or “quench.” With few exceptions, the vast majority of these translations render
kabah in Isaiah 66:24 as “put out,” “extinguished,” or “quenched.” Their consensus suggests the
word carries its primary meaning there.

It is the remaining uses of kabah which are most useful for determining whether or not the
consensus among most major translations of Isaiah 66:24 is correct, for their contexts are similar:
the fiery, inextinguishable wrath of God. In Ezekiel 20:47-48, God tells Ezekiel to say,

47 … Behold, I am about to kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every green tree in you, as
well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched and the whole surface from south
to north will be burned by it. 48 All flesh will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be
quenched.
 The meaning of kabah in this text is clearly “put
out.” Whether to be taken literally or not, although the fire “will not be quenched,” it is clear that
the trees which fuel the fire will not burn eternally, for the fire will “consume” (‘akal) them.
When the word translated “consume” describes what fire does, it means completely burn up.
Hence the text of Exodus 3:2 uses it to say that although Moses saw that “the bush was burning
with fire, yet the bush was not consumed [‘akal].” The bush, though burning, was not burned up
completely; but the green and dry trees would be, by the unquenchable fire of God.

Similarly, Jeremiah 17:27 reads, “If you do not listen to me … I will kindle a fire in its gates and
it will devour [‘akal] the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched [kabah].” God did not
threaten that the buildings of Jerusalem would burn perpetually forever, but that, unable to be
extinguished, his fire would reduce them to rubble. Amos 5:6 likewise says, “He will break forth
like a fire, O house of Joseph, and it will consume [‘akal] with none to quench it [kabah].”

Even traditionalists often recognize that in these texts and others, in which the fire of God is not
able to be quenched, it does not mean the object of God’s wrath will burn forever, but that the
fire will burn unabated until its intended destruction is complete. John Gill, for example, writes
of Ezekiel 20:47-48 that it refers to “either the succession of these calamities one after another;
or the force and strength of them, which should not be abated until the ruin of the city was
completed … no stop put to it by all the art and power of man” (emphasis mine).56 Commenting
on Jeremiah 17:27 Gill wrote that the fire would not be quenched “until it has utterly destroyed
the city: this was fulfilled by the Chaldeans” (emphasis mine).7 And of Amos 5:6 he wrote, “His
wrath and fury break out like fire as the Targum, by sending an enemy to invade the land,
destroy it … [they] would not be able to avert the stroke of divine vengeance, or turn back the
enemy, and save the land from ruin.”8
 God’s burning wrath which wouldn’t be
quenched, prophesied in 2 Kings 22:17 and 2 Chronicles 34:25, found its fulfillment in the
destruction of Jerusalem in the subsequent chapters of both books. Still other examples could be
brought to bear, but from all of these it’s evident that the unquenchable fire of Isaiah 66:24 need
not refer to a fire which burns forever because its fuel is never fully consumed, but can instead—
and likely does, given these parallels—refer to a fire which cannot be extinguished prematurely
before it completely consumes the wicked. And since the worm that won’t be prevented by death
from fully consuming the wicked is the parallel to the unquenchable fire, we have every reason
to believe that’s what the fire likewise does.

Unquenchable in Greek
Besides Matthew 25:8 where it may mean “die out,” and besides Mark 9:48 (because it is the
verse in question), everywhere sbennymi (quench) is used in the New Testament it means “put
out.”9 As we’ve seen, the best understanding of Isaiah 66:24 is that it likewise refers to a fire
which, being inextinguishable, completely consumes. Lacking any indication that the meaning is
being changed, it means the same thing when cited by Jesus in Mark 9:48. But what about the
“unquenchable” (asbestos) fire in verse 43 and other texts?

Matthew records John the Baptist saying of Jesus, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he
will thoroughly clear his threshing floor; and he will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will
burn up the chaff with unquenchable [asbestos] fire” (Matt. 3:12; cf. Luke 3:17). When chaff is
separated from wheat and burned, we know what happens to it: it is completely burned up and
reduced to ashes. What’s more, given that the context is the fiery wrath of God, the precedent set
in the Old Testament informs us that Jesus is referring to a fire which, incapable of being put out
prematurely, will burn up the object of God’s wrath entirely.

Furthermore, the Greek word translated “burn up” is katakaiō which, like its Hebrew equivalent
(‘akal), means to completely consume. When the Jewish translators of the Septuagint rendered
Exodus 3:2 in Greek they wrote that while the bush was burning it was not katakaiō or
consumed. On the other hand, Paul said that the work of some believers will remain but that the
work of others will not remain, instead being katakaiō or “burned up” (1 Cor. 3:14-15).
 Perhaps the most graphic use of
katakaiō in connection with the unsaved can be found in Matthew 13. Jesus tells the parable of
the wheat and the tares, saying in verse 30, “In the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers,
‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my
barn’.” Interpreting the parable as analogous to the fate of the wicked, beginning in verse 40
Jesus says,

40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned [katakaiō] with fire, so shall it be at the end of
the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom
all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace
of fire… (Matt. 13:40-42)

Beyond likening the fate of sinners to chaff completely burned up by fire, Jesus says they will be
thrown into a “furnace of fire,” alluding to Malachi 4:1-3 in which the Lord says (all emphases
mine),

1 For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer
will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze … so that it will leave them neither
root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name … 3 You will tread down the wicked, for they
will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing …

So when Jesus and his forerunner John liken the destiny of the lost to chaff burned up by
“unquenchable” fire, they are not saying that the unredeemed will suffer forever in flames.
Instead, they are saying that those flames are incapable of being extinguished prematurely, and
will therefore irresistibly and completely consume the wicked until all that remains is no more
than remains.

The fire is not quenched

Isaiah 66:24 which says “their fire will not be quenched,” and its citation by Jesus in Mark 9:48,
as well the “unquenchable fire” of Mark 9:43, Matthew 3:12, and Luke 3:17, have been believed
by traditionalists through the centuries to depict a fire which never dies out, and in which the lost
consciously suffer for eternity. If one were to compile a list of the texts most frequently cited by
traditionalists, these verses would, no doubt, appear toward the top of that list. But a simple look
at how the idiom is used by the authors of the Old and New Testaments reveals that this is not at
all what they had in mind.
Instead, when the authors of Scripture wrote that the fiery wrath of God is incapable of being
quenched, they meant that it irresistibly consumes. Like a raging house fire which firefighters are
unable to extinguish, therefore burning the building to the ground, the unquenchable fire of God
completely destroys. Like chaff separated from wheat and burned up, the risen wicked, Jesus
says, will be thrown into a furnace of fire and reduced to remains. Far from supporting the
position of critics of conditionalism, these verses, some of the favorites of traditionalists, clearly
teach the final annihilation of the unsaved.

1. Date, C. (2012, July 17). “Their worm does not die: Annihilation and Mark 9:48.” Rethinking Hell
[blog]. Retrieved 16 July 2012. http://www.rethinkinghell.com/2012/07/their-worm-does-not-
die-annihilation-and-mark-948/ [↩]
2. Peterson, R. Hell On Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment (Presbyterian and Reformed, 1995),
64. [↩]
3. Donnelly, E. Biblical Teaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell (The Banner of Truth Trust,
2001), 37-38. [↩]
4. quench, v. Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, September 2007; online version June 2012;
accessed 07 September 2012. [↩]
5. Gill, J. “Commentary on Ezekiel 20:47.” The new John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible. 1999.
http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=eze&chapter=020&verse=047.
[↩]
6. Gill. “Commentary on Ezekiel 20:48.” Exposition.
http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=eze&chapter=020&verse=048.
[↩]
7. Gill. “Commentary on Jeremiah 17:27.” Exposition.
http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=jer&chapter=017&verse=027.
[↩]
8. Gill. “Commentary on Amos 5:6.” Exposition.
http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=am&chapter=005&verse=006.
[↩]
9. Matt. 12:20; Eph. 6:16; 1 Thess. 5:19; and Heb. 11:34. [↩]

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You are here
UCG.org / Bible Study Tools / Booklets / Heaven and Hell What Does the Bible Really Teach? / Will a
Loving God Punish People Forever in Hell?

Will a Loving God Punish People Forever in

Hell?
Posted on Jan 24, 2011 by United Church of God Estimated reading time: 21 minutes

Millions believe that God is loving and merciful, but also that He has condemned millions to
suffer torment for all eternity. Is something wrong with this picture, or is the problem a
distorted belief about hell?

Take this simple test. Or perhaps it’s better if you just imagined it, since the actual test would
prove quite painful.

Light a match, then hold your finger in its tiny flame for five seconds. What happens? You’ll
likely scream involuntarily and suffer misery for several days from a painful burn.

Perhaps you’ve seen a burn victim who was disfigured in some horrible accident, his flesh
gnarled and misshapen. Imagine being trapped in flames that would char and burn away your
skin in the same way. What would that kind of agony feel like if it went on for a minute? For a
year? For a lifetime? For ever and ever?

Most people would find the idea horrifying almost beyond imagination. They would
understandably be aghast and sickened that anyone might willingly torture another person in
that way.

Why, then, are so many willing to accept the idea that the God they worship and hold in highest
esteem would willingly inflict such punishment not on just a few, but on a great multitude of
people who die every single day? How can such a belief possibly square with the Bible’s
description of a God who is infinitely loving and merciful?

Just what is the truth about hell?

Hell through the centuries

The traditional view of hell as a fiery cauldron of punishment has been taught for centuries.
Perhaps one of the earliest to expound this view among Christians was the Catholic theologian
Tertullian, who lived around A.D. 160-225. In the third century, Cyprian of Carthage also wrote:
“The damned will burn for ever in hell. Devouring flames will be their eternal portion. Their
torments will never have diminution or end” (quoted by Peter Toon, Heaven and Hell: A Biblical
and Theological Overview, 1986, p. 163).

This belief has been officially reiterated over the centuries. An edict from the Council of
Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 543 states: “Whoever says or thinks that the punishment of
demons and the wicked will not be eternal…let him be anathema” (D.P. Walker, The Decline of
Hell: Seventeenth-Century Discussions of Eternal Torment, 1964, p. 21).

The Lateran church council in 1215 reaffirmed its belief in eternal torture of the wicked in these
words: “The damned will go into everlasting punishment with the devil” (Toon, p. 164). The
Augsburg Confession of 1530 reads: “Christ will return…to give eternal life and everlasting joy
to believers and the elect, but to condemn ungodly men and the devils to hell and eternal
punishment” (Toon, p. 131).

Teachings on the subject of hell have by no means been consistent through the centuries. Beliefs
about hell have varied widely, depending on which theologian’s or church historian’s ideas one
reads. Generally speaking, the most common belief has been that hell is a place in which wicked
people are tortured forever, but never consumed, by ever-burning flames.

Hell’s location has been a subject of much discussion. Some have believed it to be in the sun. For
centuries the common view was that hell is inside the earth in a vast subterranean chamber.

The most comprehensive description of hell as a place, as man commonly views it, is found not
in the Bible but rather in the 14th-century work The Divine Comedy, written by the Italian poet
Dante Alighieri. In the first part of this work, called “The Inferno,” Dante described an
imaginary journey through hell replete with its fiery sufferings.

A more modern interpretation rejects the idea of physical torment and asserts that the torture of
hell is mental anguish caused by separation from God. A recent survey of modern attitudes
revealed that 53 percent of Americans embrace this perspective ( U.S. News and World Report,
Jan. 31, 2000, p. 47).

Pope John Paul II “declared that hell is ‘not a punishment imposed externally by God’ but is the
natural consequence of the unrepentant sinner’s choice to live apart from God” (ibid., p. 48). Still
others have rejected the doctrine of hell outright and believe everyone will be saved.

Why do we see so much diversity in beliefs about hell? Like belief in the immortality of the soul,
common misconceptions of hell are rife with the ideas of men rather than the teachings of
the Bible.

The popular concept of hell is a mixture of small bits of Bible truth combined with pagan ideas
and human imagination. As we will see, this has produced a grossly inaccurate portrayal of what
happens to the wicked after death.
An angry God

One of the most graphic descriptions of the torments of hell as conceived by men was given by
the Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards in a 1741 sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God.”

He said: “The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrows made ready…[by] an angry God…It is
nothing but His mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in
everlasting destruction! The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider,
or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked: His wrath
towards you burns like fire; He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into
the fire…

“You are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful venomous
serpent is in ours. You have offended Him…and yet it is nothing but His hand that holds you
from falling into the fire every moment…

“O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and
bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of God…You hang by
a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to
singe it, and burn it asunder.”

This human concept of hell was so terrible that the prospect of such a fate caused great anguish,
fear and anxiety for many Puritans. “The heavy emphasis on hell and damnation combined with
an excessive self-scrutiny led many into clinical depression: suicide seems to have been
prevalent” (Karen Armstrong, A History of God, 1993, p. 284).

The Puritans were not the only ones tormented by fear of hell. Many people have been terrorized
by the thought of hell ever since this non-biblical concept crept into religious teaching. Other
ministers and teachers have, like Jonathan Edwards, used a similar approach to frighten people
into belief and obedience.

One of the reasons this concept of hell survived is because theologians believed the teaching
deterred people from evil. “It was thought that, if the fear of eternal punishment were removed,
most people would behave without any moral restraint whatever and that society would collapse
into an anarchical orgy” (Walker, p. 4).

Could a compassionate God torture people forever?

Is it possible to reconcile this view of a God who terrorizes people through the fear of eternal
torment in hell with the compassionate and merciful God we meet in the Bible?

God is a God of love who does not want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He tells us to love our
enemies (Matthew 5:44). “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on
the just and on the unjust” (verse 45). Yet the traditional view of hell would have us believe that
God vengefully torments evil people for all eternity— not a few decades or even centuries, but
for an infinite length of time.

The idea that God sentences people to eternal punishment is so repulsive that it has turned some
away from belief in God and Christianity.

One such example is Charles Darwin. In his private autobiography he wrote: “Thus disbelief
crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete…I can indeed hardly see how anyone
ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so, the plain language of the text seems to show that
the men who do not believe…will be everlastingly punished. And this is a damnable doctrine”
(quoted by Paul Martin, The Healing Mind: The Vital Links Between Brain and Behavior,
Immunity and Disease, 1997, p. 327).

The problem is not that the Bible teaches this “damnable doctrine,” but that men have
misunderstood what the Bible says.

Other aspects of the traditional teaching of hell simply offend the senses. One such belief is that
righteous people, who are saved, will be able to witness the torments of the wicked. As one
author explains the view some hold, “part of the happiness of the blessed consists in
contemplating the torments of the damned. This sight gives them joy because it is a
manifestation of God’s justice and hatred of sin, but chiefly because it provides a contrast which
heightens their awareness of their own bliss” (Walker, p. 29).

This scenario is especially revolting for several reasons. According to such twisted reasoning,
parents would inevitably witness the suffering of their own children and vice versa, relishing in
it. Husbands and wives would feel joy in seeing unbelieving spouses tortured forever. Worst of
all, the doctrine paints God as sadistic, cruel and merciless.

Those who insist that the Bible teaches eternal torment by fire should ask whether such a belief
is consistent with what the Bible teaches us about God. For example, how could God justly deal
with those who have lived and died without having ever received an opportunity to be saved?
This would include the millions who died as babies as well as the billions of unbelievers or
idolaters who lived and died never knowing God or His Son. Regrettably, the vast majority of all
those who have ever lived fall into this category.

Some theologians reason around this difficulty by assuming that those who never had the
opportunity to know God or hear the name of Jesus Christ will be given a sort of free pass. The
rationale is that since their state of ignorance is due to circumstances beyond their control, God
will admit them into heaven regardless of their lack of repentance. If true, this raises a troubling
possibility—that missionary efforts to such areas could be the cause of people who do not accept
their teachings being lost!

Quandaries such as this have painted many theologians and other Christians into a corner.
Accordingly, some have challenged the traditional concept of a hell of eternal torment through
the centuries. “In every generation people keep questioning the orthodox belief in everlasting
conscious torment” ( Four Views on Hell, William Crockett, editor, 1996, p. 140).
Nevertheless, as we have seen, church councils through the ages have upheld the doctrine.
Firmly rooted in traditional Christian belief, it’s an idea that will not go away. A U.S. News and
World Report poll from not too long ago shows that more Americans believe in hell today than
in the 1950s or even the 1980s and early 1990s (Jan. 31, 2000, p. 46).

The prospect of hell will continue to haunt people. As U.S. News and World Report concluded,
“Hell’s powerful images will no doubt continue to loom over humanity, as they have for more
than 2,000 years, as a grim and ominous reminder of the reality of evil and its consequences.”

More than one hell in the Bible

So what is the truth about hell? What does the Bible really teach? Many are surprised to learn
that the Bible speaks of three hells—but not in the sense that is widely believed. Let us discover
why there is so much confusion about hell.

From the original languages in which the Bible was written, one Hebrew word and three Greek
words are translated “hell” in our English-language Bibles. The four words convey three
different meanings.

The Hebrew word sheol, used in the Old Testament, has the same meaning as hades, one of the
three Greek words translated “hell” in the New Testament.

The Anchor Bible Dictionary explains the meaning of both words: “The Greek word Hades…is
sometimes, but misleadingly, translated ‘hell’ in English versions of the New Testament. It refers
to the place of the dead…The old Hebrew concept of the place of the dead, most often called
Sheol…is usually translated as Hades , and the Greek term was naturally and commonly used by
Jews writing in Greek” (1992, Vol. 3, p. 14, “Hades, Hell”).

Both sheol and hades refer simply to the grave. A comparison of an Old Testament and a New
Testament scripture confirm this. Psalms 16:10 says, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” In Acts 2:27, the apostle Peter quotes this
verse and shows that it is a reference to Jesus Christ. Here the Greek word hades is substituted
for the Hebrew sheol.

Where did Christ go when He died? His spirit returned to God (Luke 23:46; see “The Spirit in
Man” on page 14). His body was placed in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. The two
passages, in Psalms and Acts, tell us Jesus’ flesh did not decay in the grave because God
resurrected Him.

Many scriptures that use the term hell in the King James Version are simply talking about the
grave, the place where everyone, whether good or evil, goes at death. The Hebrew word sheol is
used in the Old Testament 65 times. In the King James Version it is translated “grave” 31 times,
“hell” 31 times and “pit”—a hole in the ground—three times.

The Greek word hades is used 11 times in the New Testament. In the King James translation, in
all instances but one the term hades is translated “hell.” The one exception is 1 Corinthians
15:55, where it is translated “grave.” In the New King James Version, the translators avoided
misconceptions by simply using the original Greek word hades in all 11 instances.

One word is for demon imprisonment

A second Greek word, tartaroo, is also translated “hell” in the New Testament. This word is
used only once in the Bible (2 Peter 2:4), where it refers to the current restraint or imprisonment
of the fallen angels, otherwise known as demons.

The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words explains that tartaroo means “to confine in Tartaros”
and that “Tartaros was the Greek name for the mythological abyss where rebellious gods were
confined” (Lawrence Richards, 1985, “Heaven and Hell,” p. 337).

Peter uses this reference to contemporary mythology to show that the sinning angels were
“delivered…into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.” These fallen angels are now
restrained while awaiting their ultimate judgment for their rebellion against God and destructive
influence on humanity.

The place where they are imprisoned is not some dark or fiery netherworld. Rather, their
confinement is on the earth, where they wield influence over the nations and over individuals.
The Gospels record that Jesus Christ and His apostles had very real encounters with Satan and
His demons (Matthew 4:1-11; Matthew 8:16-33; Matthew 9:32-33; John 13:26-27). Jesus even
referred to Satan as the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).

The term tartaroo applies only to demons. Nowhere does it refer to a fiery hell in which human
beings are punished after death.

Another word for burning—burning up, that is

Only with the remaining word translated “hell,” the Greek word gehenna, do we see some
elements people commonly associate with the traditional view of hell—but not in the manner
portrayed in the hell of men’s imagination.

Gehenna refers to a valley just outside Jerusalem. The word is derived from the Hebrew Gai-
Hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom (Joshua 18:16). “Religiously it was a place of idolatrous and
human sacrifices … In order to put an end to these abominations, [Judah’s King] Josiah polluted
it with human bones and other corruptions (2 Kings 23:10-14)” (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete
Word Study Dictionary New Testament, 1992, p. 360).

At the time of Jesus this valley was what we might call the city dump—the place where trash
was thrown and consumed in the fires that constantly burned there. The carcasses of dead
animals—and the bodies of despised criminals—were also cast into Gehenna to be burned.

Jesus thus uses this particular location and what took place there to help His listeners clearly
understand the fate the unrepentant will suffer in the future. They would have easily grasped
what He meant.
Immortal worms in hell?

In Mark 9:47-48, for example, Jesus specifically refers to Gehenna and what took place there.
But without a proper historical background, many people draw erroneous conclusions as to what
He said.

Notice His words: “It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than
having two eyes, to be cast into hell [ gehenna ] fire—where ‘their worm does not die and the
fire is not quenched.’” Any inhabitant of Jerusalem would have immediately understood what
Jesus meant, since Gehenna—the Valley of Hinnom—was just outside the city walls to
the south.

Without this understanding, people commonly end up with several misconceptions about this
verse. Some believe the “worm” is a reference to pangs of conscience that condemned people
suffer in hell: “ ‘The worm that dieth not’ was nearly always interpreted figuratively, as meaning
the stings of envy and regret” (Walker, p. 61). Many believe that the phrase “the fire is not
quenched” is a reference to ever-burning fires that torture the damned.

This scripture has been notoriously interpreted out of context. Notice that the phrase “their worm
does not die and the fire is not quenched” appears in quotation marks. Jesus is quoting from
Isaiah 66:24. A proper understanding of His statement begins there.

The context in Isaiah 66 refers to a time when, God says, “all flesh shall come to worship before
Me” (Isaiah 66:23). It is a time when the wicked will be no more. What will have happened to
them? In Isaiah 66:24 we read that people “will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those
who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will
be loathsome to all mankind” (NIV).

Notice that in this verse Jesus notes that the bodies affected by the worms are dead. These are
not living people writhing in fire. When Jesus returns, He will fight those who resist Him
(Revelation 19:11-15). Those who are slain in the battle will not be buried; their bodies will be
left on the ground, where scavenging birds and maggots will consume their flesh.

According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (1980) , the original Hebrew word
translated “worm” in Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:47-48 means “worm, maggot, [or] larvae.”

Neither Isaiah nor Christ is talking about immortal worms. The vermin of which they speak,
maggots, would not die while maggots because, sustained with flesh to eat, they would live to
turn into flies. The flies would then lay eggs that hatch into more maggots (the larvae of flies),
perpetuating the cycle until there is nothing left for them to consume.

This background information helps us better understand Jesus Christ’s words. In His day, when
the bodies of dead animals or executed criminals were cast into the burning trash heap of
Gehenna, those bodies would be destroyed by maggots, by the fires that were constantly burning
there or by a combination of both. Historically a body that was not buried, but was subjected to
burning, was viewed as accursed.
What does Jesus mean in Mark 9:48 when He quotes Isaiah in saying, “the fire is not quenched”?
With the preceding background we can understand. He means simply that the fire will burn until
the bodies of the wicked are consumed. This expression, used several times in Scripture, refers to
fire that consumes entirely (Ezekiel 20:47). An unquenched fire is one that has not been
extinguished. Rather, it burns itself out when it consumes everything and has no more
combustible material to keep it going.

When are the wicked punished?

But, we might ask, when does this punishment take place?

As we saw earlier, Jesus quotes from the prophet Isaiah, who wrote of a time after the Messiah
establishes His reign on earth. Only then would all humanity “come and bow down” before Him
(Isaiah 66:23, NIV). Only then would this prophecy be fulfilled.

Jesus uses a common site of trash disposal in His day—the burning garbage dump in the Valley
of Hinnom outside Jerusalem’s walls—to illustrate the ultimate fate of the wicked in what the
Scriptures call a lake of fire. Just as the refuse of the city was consumed by maggots and fire, so
will the wicked be burned up— consumed —by a future Gehenna-like fire more than 1,000 years
after Christ returns (Revelation 20:7-15).

Peter explains that at this time “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter
3:10). The implication is that the surface of the earth will become a molten mass, obliterating any
evidence of human wickedness.

What will happen after that? The apostle John writes: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1). The entire earth will
be transformed into a suitable abode for the righteous who, by that time, will have inherited
eternal life.

The destruction of soul and body in hell

Another place where Jesus speaks of gehenna fire is 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 [ gehenna ].”

We should notice that Jesus does not speak of people suffering everlasting torment. He says that
God can destroy—annihilate— both the body and soul in Gehenna fire.

Jesus here explains that, when one man kills another, the resulting death is only temporary
because God can raise the victim to life again. But when God destroys one in hell ( gehenna ),
the resulting death is eternal. There is no resurrection from this fate, which the Bible calls “the
second death.”
The Bible explains that unrepentant sinners are cast into the lake of fire, or gehenna, at the end of
the age. “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which
is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

This verse and others like it show that the doctrine of universal salvation is false. Not everyone
will be saved. Some will, in the end, refuse to repent—and they will suffer punishment. But that
punishment is not to burn in fire without ending. Rather, it is to die a death from which there is
no resurrection.

As we discussed earlier, the wicked will be destroyed. They will not live for eternity in another
place or state of everlasting anguish. They will reap their destruction in the lake of fire at the end
of the age. They will be consumed virtually instantaneously by the heat of the fire and will never
live again.

The wicked burned to ashes

Another passage that graphically illustrates the utter destruction of the wicked is found in
Malachi 4:1: “ ‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all
who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ says the
LORD of hosts, ‘that will leave them neither root nor branch.’”

The time setting is the end, when God will bring retribution on the wicked for their rebellious,
reprehensible ways. To those who surrender to God and live in obedience to Him, God says:
“ ‘You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day
that I do this,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:3).

God, speaking through the prophet Malachi, makes clear the ultimate fate of the wicked. They
are to be uprooted like a nonproductive tree, leaving not so much as a root or twig. They will be
consumed by the flames of the lake of fire, leaving only ashes.

The Bible does teach that the wicked will be punished by fire—but not the mythical hell of
men’s imagination. God is a God of mercy and love. Those who willfully choose to reject His
way of life, characterized by obedience to His law of love (Romans 13:10), will die, not suffer
forever. They will be consumed by fire and forgotten. They will not be tortured for all eternity.

Remember that eternal life is something that God must grant, and He will grant it to only those
who repent and follow Him—not those who persist in rebellion against Him.

Realize that the final death of the incorrigibly wicked in a lake of fire is an act not only of
justice, but of mercy on God’s part. To allow them to continue to live on in unrepentant, eternal
rebellion would cause themselves and others only great sorrow and anguish. God will not put
them through that, much less torture them for all eternity in excruciating torment without end.
The encouraging truth of the Bible is that God is indeed a God of great mercy, wisdom and
righteous judgment. As Psalms 19:9 assures us, “The judgments of the LORD are true and
righteous altogether.”

God the Father Heaven and Hell Jesus Christ Soul

United Church of God

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http://www.bible.ca/su-annihilation-refuted.htm

Eternal torment or annihilation?

Hell is annihilation and not eternal punishment

Neo- Man has no conscious existence apart from the body after he
dies
Sadduceeism
Refuted!!! False teachers of annihilation: Jehovah's Witnesses,
Christadelphians, Seventh-day Adventists, Herbert W.
Armstrong/plain truth magazine.

Annihilationists argue that if you burn some paper, it is eternally

destroyed and that is how we should view hell. Lets check it out
in the Bible!

Annihilation is a member of "Domino Theology" family

of doctrines
(Refute one element & refute the whole system!)

See also: Debate: Truth vs. an annihilationist!

This outline is dedicated to:

1. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who were thrown into
a furnace of fire, yet were not consumed. Dan 3:19
2. Moses, who saw the burning bush (pictured right) that was
not consumed by fire. Ex 3:2
3. And to God, who can do all things! Burning Bush

What hell is not:

Dante's hell Annihilationists like to refute this false concept of hell

invented by an antagonist named "Dante". When
Annihilationists refute this concept of hell, Bible believers
wonder what the point is? Their false doctrine of annihilation
is not proved right, just because they prove Dante's equally
false concept of hell wrong! Yet you will notice that almost all
annihilationists dishonestly try to represent Dante's false view
of hell as that which orthodox Christians believe!
 Purgatory is another false view of hell. It is taught by
Catholic Catholics. They got it from the uninspired writings of the
apocrypha. Purgatory is where you can be tormented for a
Purgatory time to pay for your own sins, then enter paradise! None of
this is what Christians teach!

Hell and Hades are two different places at two different times.
Departed spirits of men go to Hades and await judgement.
Hades After judgement, the wicked will be cast into Hell. Arians
always confuse the two!

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

1 Cor 15:53
All men's bodies will become immortal at the resurrection

Man's body is not immortal right now.

1. Man is not immortal YET, but will be made that way! But mortality corresponds to the body. It is
the body that will be made immortal, not the soul!
2. "The real issue between Dualists and Annihilationists is nothing other than this: Does Scripture
teach that the wicked will be made immortal for the purpose of suffering endless pain; or does it
teach that the wicked following whatever degree and duration of pain God may justly inflict, will
finally and truly die, perish and become extinct forever and ever?" (The Fire That Consumes,
Edward W. Fudge, Annihilationist, p. 425)

First we notice that we as Christians are to Rom 2:7 "to those who by perseverance in
seek immortality. Obviously we do not possess doing good seek for glory and honor and
it yet if we seek it immortality, eternal life"

Second at resurrection the mortal (us now with
a physical mortal body) will put on the
immortal (all men will have an immortal body)
1 Cor 15:53 For this perishable must put on the
imperishable, and this mortal must put on
immortality. But when this perishable will
have put on the imperishable, and this mortal
will have put on immortality, then will come
about the saying that is written, "Death is
swallowed up in victory. "O death, where is
your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

Now this is a powerful argument against annihilation. If ALL MEN both good and WICKED put
on immortality at the resurrection, then how do they then cease to exist? What kind of
immortality is that? Hence eternal torment! Never to die again! Man's body is not immortal now,
but will be made so. All men, whether good or wicked! Man survives death consciously, then at
resurrection is made immortal!

How can the wicked suffer the second death if "come about the saying that is written, "Death
they are immortal and then suffer the second is swallowed up in victory?" 1 Cor 15
death? If the wicked die again, then how can:

1. Simple, mortal refers to the body part not the soul. when man dies he survives death
consciously. After resurrection, his immortal spiritual body is given to him and he will never
again be apart from his body. IMMORTAL. But the second death is not the separation of the
body and soul, but the separation of man from God for eternity in hell!
2. Remember, the saying, "Death is swallowed up in victory" will come about at the final
resurrection. If the wicked die PHYSICALLY again, then God was wrong when he said: "when this
mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is
swallowed up in victory."" Obviously this was not true, for the wicked are swallowed up in
physical death and death keeps its victory forever!

While living We are a spirit with a physical body

While dead in Hades We are a spirit without a physical body

after resurrection We are a spirit with a spirit body, just like Christs! 1 Jn 3:2; Phil
3:20-21

This argument is irrefutable unless one:

1. denies that the wicked are even raised from the dead as Christadelphians do thus contradicting
"there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." Acts 24:15
2. affirms that none of 1 Cor 15 has anything to say about the resurrection of the wicked, the
central resurrection chapter of the Bible. Yet v22 proves this applies to ALL MEN! "For as in
Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive."

The #1 argument annihilationists use:

(Notice it is an argument of human reasoning, not scripture)

Herbert W. Armstrong and his many splinter groups state:

A loving God wouldn't torment forever A loving God will torment forever his creation
his creation
Our God is a loving, merciful Father who
does not want to consign anyone to that
fate. (What Happens After Death?, United
Church of God, an International
Association)
"The verse ... Rev 20:10 ... indicates that the devil is
to be cast into the lake of fire that had already
consumed and destroyed the beast and false
prophet. Satan, being spirit, is the one who will be
tormented forever. The evil angels-the demons-will
be included with Satan in his torment" (What
Happens After Death?, United Church of God, an
International Association)

Herbert W. Armstrong and many of his splinter groups have taken the unusual position that the
Devil and his angels will be tormented forever.

Argument refuted:
You already worship and respect a God who is going to eternally torment
the Devil and millions of angels! These spirit beings cannot be destroyed
by fire! You already believe a loving God is going to do this!!! The Devil
and man are both equally God's creatures. The argument is completely
inconsistent. The argument is so completely refuted, we have designated it
a knock out punch!

Seventh-day Adventists & Jehovah's Witnesses believe the devil and demons will be annihilated
along with evil men. Christadelphians do not believe that the devil and demons are actual
persons, but merely the personification of sin.

These annihilationists argue:

1. "Morally, the doctrine of eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the Biblical revelation
of divine love and justice. The moral intuition God has implanted within our consciences cannot
justify the insatiable cruelty of a God who subjects sinners to unending torments. Such a God is
like a bloodthirsty monster and not like the loving Father revealed to us by Jesus Christ." (a SDA
leader)
2. "The doctrine of eternal torment is a wicked defamation of Jehovah. It is a foul stain upon his
lovable name." (a Jw leader)
3. And now, who is responsible for this God-dishonoring doctrine? And what is his purpose? The
promulgator of it is Satan himself; and his purpose in introducing it has been to frighten the
people away from studying the Bible and to make them hate God. (Jw's: J. F. Rutherford,
Watchtower Society's Second President)
4. How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness whose ways
include inflicting everlasting torture upon his creatures, however sinful they may have been?
Surely a God who would do such a thing is more nearly like Satan than like God, at least by any
ordinary moral standards, and by the gospel itself. (Clark Pinnock, Professor, McMaster
University)
Argument This argument is faulty human reasoning and not based on any passage
of the Bible. We may not understand the justice of God by eternally
refuted: punishing the wicked. Yet we also do not understand the grace of God
by rewarding the saved with eternal life. On human terms, we cannot
understand either "kindness and severity of God" Rom 11:22

Wicked Men, the devil and his angels will be tormented forever:

The devil & his angels tormented Wicked men tormented forever
forever

Rev 20:10 And the devil who deceived
them was thrown into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are also; and they will be
tormented day and night forever and
ever.
Rev 14:10-11 he will be tormented with
fire and brimstone in the presence of the
holy angels and in the presence of the
Lamb. "And the smoke of their torment
goes up forever and ever; and they have no
rest day and night, those who worship the
beast and his image, and whoever receives
the mark of his name."

The devil and angels are just as much God's creation as man, therefore the argument is
invalid!

1. Unsaved men spend eternity in the same place as the Devil and his angels: Rev 20:15
And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into
the lake of fire.
2. According to annihilationists, man is wholly physical and the devil is wholly spiritual
(a created spirit being). Yet both will be thrown into the same place! Obviously then,
man is not wholly physical, but has a spiritual side, just like the devil.

Annihilation vs. Eternal

conscious torment
Is the fire literal or figurative?

In case you had not noticed Arians, who take an entirely physical outlook of man have a real
problem regardless of whether they take the fire of hell literal or symbolic.
 Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment
Is the lake of fire and hell fire literal or symbolic?

H. W. Armstrong and splinter groups: Literal

1. "gehenna and the

lake of fire are the
same. A very large
fire would have the
appearance of a fiery
lake, hence its
description". ...
"flames of the "lake
of fire" purify the
earth's surface,
burning in one vast
worldwide holocaust
2 Pet. 3:10. ... all the
things man has
created be burned
up, as well as the rest
of those People who
will not have
received salvation
and eternal life
because of willful
rebellion against God
... the wicked to be
reduced to ashes by
the fire which will
consume the earth's
surface" (WCG, What
is hell? Ambassador
BCC, Lesson 6, 1977)
Valley of Hinnom, located just outside the city of
Jerusalem. You can see it in the maps at the back of your 2. This great fire is the
same as the "lake of
Bible.
fire," mentioned in
Revelation, when
H. W. Armstrong and splinter groups believe that this
God judges the
valley is where the wicked will literally be burnt with
incorrigibly wicked. It
literal fire. will sweep around
the entire earth! The
 elements themselves
will be dissolved, the
surface of the earth
will be purged and
consumed with
tremendous heat.
Every remnant of
man's sin, every sign
of iniquity, every last
trace of evil will be
devoured by the heat
of this fire. (Heaven,
Hell And The
Hereafter, Triumph
Prophetic Ministries
(Church of God) W. F.
Dankenbring)

Seventh-day Adventist: Literal and symbolic

1. Location of Hell ... this earth is reserved for that fire which will bring judgment and perdition to
the wicked. Their punishment will be in this earth. ... The prophet portrays the entire planet
enveloped in the destroying fire. Even the streams and dust are transformed into an exploding
combustion of pitch and brimstone." ... This brings us to the third great fact about the subject of
hell. Hell as a place of punishment will be this earth turned into a lake of fire at the Day of
Judgment." (Seventh-day Adventist, Joe Crews, Amazing Facts, Hell-Fire)

Jehovah's Witness: literal and Symbolic

1. "the surrounding language of the book of revelation make evident the symbolic quality of the
lake of fire" (Jehovah's Witness, Aid to Bible understanding, Lake of fire)
2. "so also the revelation of Jesus Christ with his powerful angels in a flaming fire will result in
permanent destruction only for the wicked 2 Pe 3:5-7" (Jehovah's Witness, Aid to Bible
understanding, Fire)
3. "Symbolic of compete destruction . Jesus used Gehenna as a representative of utter destruction.
... the symbolic picture here" (Jehovah's Witness, Aid to Bible understanding, Gehenna)

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

Will the Hell fire ever burn out? All Arians say YES!
H. W. Armstrong and splinter groups:

1. "Even so it will be with the FINAL gehenna fire. It will be unquenched--but it will finally burn
itself out!"(WCG, What is hell? Ambassador BCC, Lesson 6, 1977)
2. Many people believe in an ... ever-burning hellfire ... But the Bible's simple teaching conveys
nothing of the kind. Our God is a loving, merciful Father who does not want to consign anyone
to that fate. (What Happens After Death?, United Church of God, an International Association)
3. This is why Jesus calls it aionios or age-lasting fire! The translation "everlasting" is misleading,
since the fire itself will not burn forever. Obviously not, since God's Word clearly shows that
when the present earth is purged and purified, it will be refashioned into a resplendent NEW
EARTH! ... Jude 7 calls this ancient punishment "eternal fire" -- yet, the fire which devoured
these cities in ancient times is not still burning in Palestine today! It burned itself out, long, long
ago! ... "Unquenchable Fire" Mark 9:43 ... Does this mean the fire burns forever? Not at all. Take
a match, light it and set a piece of paper on fire. Let it burn. Don't put it out, or snuff it out. Just
let the paper burn, until it burns up. Soon it will burn itself out. Now, what do you have? A
burned-up piece of paper. But did you put it out? Did you "quench" it? No. You left it
unquenched. It was not quenched. Not at all! Even so, the final Gehenna fire will not be
"quenched," or "put out." Nevertheless, in time, it will burn itself out when the wicked and all
their wicked works are burned up! Any fire will go out when it runs out of fuel. That's the way
the final Gehenna fire will be. In time, it will naturally burn itself out!(Heaven, Hell And The
Hereafter, Triumph Prophetic Ministries (Church of God) W. F. Dankenbring)

Seventh-day Adventist:

1. the New Testament references to "eternal punishment" (Matt 25:46), "eternal destruction" (2
Thess 1:9), "eternal fire" (Matt 25:41; Jude 7), and "eternal judgment" (Heb 6:2), do not
necessarily mean a process that goes on forever. ... The actual duration of aionos is determined
by the context. For example, the fire by which the wicked are punished is said to be "eternal"
(Matt 18:8; 25:41) or "unquenchable" (Matt 3:12). This can hardly mean that the wicked will be
agonizing forever in the midst of unextinguishable fire. The latter is clear from Jude 7, which
says that Sodom and Gomorrah suffered "a punishment of eternal fire." Here "eternal-aionou"
obviously means not never-ending but complete and permanent. (SDA, Samuele Bacchiocchi,
Advent Hope For Human Hopelessness)
2. the fire is "eternal-aionios," not because of its endless duration, but because of its complete
consumption and annihilation of the wicked. (SDA, Samuele Bacchiocchi, ch 6, Hell: Eternal
Torment Or Annihilation)
3. "the length of punishment. HOW long will the wicked continue to live and suffer in that fire? ...
one thing we can say with certainty--the wicked won't live in that fire throughout eternity."
(Seventh-day Adventist, Joe Crews, Amazing Facts, Hell-Fire)

Jehovah's Witness:

1. "Some commentators have pointed to the Biblical instances of the word torment to support the
teaching of eternal suffering in fire. However, ... Rev 20:10 does not have that sense." (Jehovah's
Witness, Aid to Bible understanding, Torment)
 Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment
Rev 20:10 Will the Devil be tormented forever in the lake
of fire?

H. W. Armstrong and splinter groups: YES (see below)

Christadelphians: NO! (The devil doesn't exist.)

Jehovah's Witness: NO

1. "those cast into the lake of fire, [devil is cast there] go into second death from which there is no
resurrection" (Jehovah's Witness, Aid to Bible understanding, Lake of fire)
2. "Some commentators have pointed to the Biblical instances of the word torment to support the
teaching of eternal suffering in fire. However, ... Rev 20:10 does not have that sense." (Jehovah's
Witness, Aid to Bible understanding, Torment)

Seventh-day Adventist: NO

1. "sinners, Satan, and the devils ultimately are consumed in the lake of fire and experience the
extinction of the second death" (SDA, Samuele Bacchiocchi, ch 6, Hell: Eternal Torment Or
Annihilation)
2. Malachi 4:1 "the day is coming, burning like a furnace ... so that it will leave them neither root
nor branch" No words of any language could make it more forceful or clear. This eternal fire
burns up eternally. Even Satan, the root, is finally consumed. (Seventh-day Adventist, Joe Crews,
Amazing Facts, Hell-Fire)

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

How can the Devil be tormented forever, if the hell fire
burns out?

Exclusive to H. W. Armstrong and splinter groups:

1. The verse ... Rev 20:10 ... indicates that the devil is to be cast into the lake of fire that had
already consumed and destroyed the beast and false prophet. Satan, being spirit, is the one who
will be tormented forever. The evil angels-the demons-will be included with Satan in his torment
(Matthew 25:41). (What Happens After Death?, United Church of God, an International
Association)
 2. "Satan will be cast into the same conflagration that will destroy all incorrigible mortals. Rev.
20:10 But since he is a spirit being, he will not be destroyed by the flames (see Luke 20:36)
Revelation 20:10 shows Satan himself is to be TORMENTED unto the ages of the ages--"FOREVER
AND EVER"! His torment will last forever. But not this fire. It will last only as long as combustible
material remains to be consumed. Satan's torment, however, will continue forever as a mental
anguish resulting from seeing all that he has striven toward, worked for, plotted for, burned up
as the earth is purified by fire!"(WCG, What is hell? Ambassador BCC, Lesson 6, 1977)

Armstrong Only H. W. Armstrong and splinter groups believe the devil will be
Refuted: tormented forever.

One Neo-Sadducee refutes another: We are taking the unusual approach to let the Seventh-day
Adventist church refute Armstrong. We agree with their comment.

1. "it is impossible to visualize how the devil and his angels, who are spirits could "be tormented
[with fire] day and night for ever and ever" (Rev 20:10). After all, fire belongs to the material,
physical world, but the devil and his angels are not physical beings. Eldon Ladd rightly points
out: "How a lake of literal fire can bring everlasting torture to non-physical beings is impossible
to imagine. It is obvious that this is picturesque language describing a real fact in the spiritual
world: the final and everlasting destruction of the forces of evil which have plagued men since
the garden of Eden." (SDA, Samuele Bacchiocchi, ch 6, Hell: Eternal Torment Or Annihilation)
2. Armstrong openly admitted that the devil being a spirit being, is different from men and must be
tormented forever, "being as angels unable to die" they argue.

H. W. Armstrong Refuted:
How can Armstrong and splinter groups say that the Lake of Fire was
designed specifically for the devil and his angels, then in reality, they
are totally unaffected by it? Their eternal torment is not caused by the
lake of fire, since they argue it goes out, but by mental anguish.

The argument is so completely refuted, we have designated it a knock out

punch!

H. W. Armstrong Vs. H. W. Armstrong:

Term applied to men Armstrong applied to devil Armstrong
argues argues

"Eternal fire" Mt 18:8; Jude 7 "will burn Mt 25:41 "will never burn
 out" out"

"eternal punishment" Mt 25:46 punishment will Rev 20:10 "punishment will

stop never stop" "eternal
punishing"

lake of fire (how can the lake men composed of only of devil composed only of spirit
of fire destroy flesh of men flesh will be cast in will be cast in but it will have
and spirit of devil in one no effect on the devil.
place)

smoke of hell Takes literally: "will one day Takes symbolically: "will
be gone, invisible from the always be visible" Rev 20:10
earth, like Sodom" Jude 7

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

Which fits better?

"Once burnt - always burnt" or Eternal

Annihilation conscious
"eternal conscious punishment"? punishment

The devil and his angels:

Rev 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and
night forever and ever.

Wicked men:

Rev 14:10-11 he will be tormented with fire and brimstone

in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of
the Lamb. 11 "And the smoke of their torment goes up
forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night,
those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever
receives the mark of his name."

Punishment that goes on forever!

Mt 25:46 "And these will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life."

Hell is a place of darkness reserved, not annihilation

Jude 13: "for whom the black darkness has been reserved
forever" "outer Darkness" Lk 13:27

Hell is banishment away from God's presence

2 Th 1:9 And these will pay the penalty of eternal

destruction, away from the presence of the Lord

Hell is banishment away from God's presence

"there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when

you see Abraham in the kingdom of God, but yourselves
being cast out." Mt 22:13

Hell is banishment away from God's presence

"outside are the dogs" Rev 22:15

"assign him a place with the hypocrites" Mt 24:51

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

False argument on Jude 7 debunked!

False argument:
It is argued that Sodom experienced the "punishment of eternal fire" and the fire has been out for
5000 years! This verse is said to prove that hell is an annihilation.

Jude 7
"Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities
around them, since they in the same way as
these indulged in gross immorality and went
after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example,
in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire."
2 Pe 2:6
"He condemned the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to
ashes, having made them an example to those
who would live ungodly thereafter"
False argument refuted:
1. Annihilationists are forced to TAKE LITERALLY that hell is literal fire, brimstone, lake of fire,
the garbage dump of Jerusalem (gehenna). Yet they quickly retreat from taking any of the
symbols of hell literally, for they know it will cause them great problems in other areas are
argumentation by which the will be refuted. See the photogallery of hell for more. In short,
annihilationists will not argue that hell is literal fire, yet here they are forced to take it literal,
showing the typical inconsistency of their false doctrine.
2. Jude is one of a large series of "examples" or "types" found in the New Testament.

Antitype
Shadow of what is to come: Type Text
Col 2:17

Literal Incense Symbolic incense: Prayer Rev 5:8

Symbolic candles: Christians are

Literal Candles Rev 1:20
light

Literal Sanctuary Symbolic sanctuary: Our bodies 1 Cor 6:19

Literal Instrumental music:

Symbolic music: heart strings Eph 5:19
Harp

Symbolic garments: Clothed by our

Literal Priestly garments Rev 19:8
deeds

Symbolic Sabbath day: Eternal rest

Literal weekly Sabbath Day Heb 4
in heaven

Sodom: Literal Fire and

Symbolic fire: Hell Jude 7
brimstone

So what happened to Sodom, is no more literal, than the Christian's priestly garments
(good deeds) or his incense (prayer). To point to Sodom and argue that is what hell
literally is, is as wrong as to point to incense and argue that is what prayer literally is.

What is amazing is that Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians, Seventh-day

Adventists, H. W. Armstrong all teach that the fire of hell is symbolic! This completely
agrees with the truth of what Jude 7 is saying and refutes their view of annihilation.
One minute they argue the fire is symbolic, then when they come to Jude 7 they argue,
"see the fire is literal and it doesn't burn any more". Such flip flopping is the trade mark
of false teachers that confuses their sorry disciples.
 Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment
Blessings in Heaven are the same duration as the
punishment in hell.

Heaven and Hell are same duration

Eternal/forever
Used of
Greek Used of hell
heaven
1. Mt 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
2. 2 Thess 1:9 "these will pay the penalty of eternal
Mt 25:46 but
destruction, away from the presence of the Lord
the righteous 3. Mt 25:41 "Depart from me, ye cursed, into
aion
into life everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels"
eternal. 4. Jude 13 "for whom the black darkness has been
reserved forever"

1. Rev 14:11 "And the smoke of their torment goes up

Lk 18:30 in
forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night
the age to
aionios 2. Rev 20:10 they will be tormented day and night
come, eternal forever and ever.
life.

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

Matthew 10:28 refutes annihilation

False Argument: "God will destroy both body and soul in hell."

Refutation of Jesus used two different Greek words to describe what man does
Argument: and what God will do in hell. Man can kill
Mt 10:28
"And do not fear those who
kill (apokteino) the body, but
are unable to kill (apokteino)
the soul; but rather fear Him
who is able to destroy
(apollumi) both soul and body
in hell."
APOKTEINO
to kill
The sheep, coin and soul continue to exist even though lost!
The fact that Jesus changed words in Mt 10:28, proves that there is a difference in what man can
do to man and what God can do to man.
Man can kill the body
Man cannot kill the soul.
Interesting, if hell is simply
being thrown into a literal fire
pit or dump, then why cannot
man kill the soul. Why does
God's act of throwing the
same man into this same
place destroy the soul?
According to annihilationists,
once man is killed, he ceases
to exist. This proves that
there is a conscious part of
man that survives death.
God too can kill the body like
man
After the man is dead can
Lk 15:4 Lk 15:8
"What man among you, if he "Or what woman, if she has ten
has a hundred sheep and has silver coins and loses
lost (apollumi) one of them, (apollumi) one coin, does not
does not leave the ninety-nine light a lamp and sweep the
in the open pasture, and go house and search carefully
after the one which is lost until she finds it?"
(apollumi), until he finds it?
apollumi
(a) lose, (Suffer) loss, lost
(b) destroy, destroyer, destruction, destructive
Mt 10:28 Lk 12:4-5
"And do not fear those who Lk 12:4-5 "And I say to you,
kill (apokteino) the body, My friends, do not be afraid
of those who kill (apokteino)
the body
but are unable to kill and after that have no more
(apokteino) the soul; that they can do.
- "But I will warn you whom to
fear: fear the One who after
He has killed (apokteino)
but rather fear Him who is has authority to cast into hell;
cast into hell after judgement able to destroy (apollumi) yes, I tell you, fear Him!
at the end of time. Notice that both soul and body in hell."
casting into hell in Luke is
equated with the different
Greek (apollumi) word in
Matthew

These two verses actually
refute annihilation.
Notice that Jesus uses one
Greek word (apokteino) for
what man can do and another
Greek word (apollumi) for
what God does at the end of
time in hell. If the Greek
words were the same, then
annihilationists would have a
possible argument.
Notice that Luke 12 indicates
that God can kill the body,
then afterward cast into hell.
Hell never means the grave.
According to annihilationists,
a man is destroyed 100% at
death. This verse proves
otherwise!

The word destroy (apollumi) in Mt 10:28 doesn't mean annihilation or a ceasing

of existence.

Texts where (apollumi) is used: Comment

Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body, The Greek word, as proven
but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is below, does not mean
able to destroy (apollumi) both soul and body in hell. annihilation, but a
continuation of existence
in a lost state or ruined
state.

Mark 2:22 "And no one puts new wine into old The wine, didn't cease to
wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and exist, it was simply spilt on
the wine is lost (apollumi), and the skins as well; but one the ground
puts new wine into fresh wineskins."
Matt 9:17: "the wine pours out (apollumi)"

Matthew 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was sent The sheep that are
only to the lost (apollumi) sheep of the house of Israel." "destroyed" or "lost" in
fact represent the lost who
walk the earth right now!
They clearly exist!

Luke 15:4,6 "What man among you, if he has a hundred The sheep still existed
sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety- even though "destroyed"
nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is (apollumi)
lost (apollumi), until he finds it?" ... "And when he comes
home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors,
saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my
sheep which was lost (apollumi)!'

Luke 15:8-9 "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins The coin still existed even
and loses (apollumi) one coin, does not light a lamp and though "destroyed"
sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? (apollumi)
And when she has found it, she calls together her friends
and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found
the coin which I had lost (apollumi)!"

Luke 15:24,32 for this son of mine was dead, and has The son still existed even
come to life again; he was lost (apollumi), and has been though "destroyed"
found.' And they began to be merry." ... "But we had to (apollumi)
be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead
and has begun to live, and was lost (apollumi) and has
been found."

John 6:27 "Do not work for the food which perishes The food goes bad and is
(apollumi), but for the food which endures to eternal life, unusable, it doesn't cease
which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the to exist!
Father, even God, has set His seal."

2 Co 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to Notice, like the lost sheep,
those who are perishing (apollumi). the lost are perishing (lost)
NOW. This is present
tense! They certainty exist
even though perished!

2 Thess 1:9 And these will pay the penalty of eternal Although the word
destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from "apollumi" is NOT USED
the glory of His power in this verse, notice that
hell is explained as being
(the word "apollumi" is NOT USED in 2 Thess 1:9) "away from God's presence
and glory". This proves
that hell is a banishment
not an annihilation.

False argument refuted on Mt 10:28:

It is falsely argued by annihilationists, that in Mt 10:28 the word "apollumi" (Strongs #622)
means to annihilate into non-existence because every other place this word is used in the TVM of
#5658 (Tense - Aorist; Voice - Active; Mood - Infinitive) it means this. The truth is that we find
most forms of the word used interchangeably. But remember they power of Mt 10:28 is that
Jesus used two different words: Kill the body is all man can do, but destroy or "make lost" is
what God does in Hell. Had Jesus used the same word in both instances, then annihilationists
would have an argument because for them man can cause another man to cease to exist with a
gun in the same way God can cause someone to cease to exist in Hell. But since two different
words are used, our argument is powerful. Of course the most powerful argument we have is that
only God can destroy the soul and man can only kill the body. The way annihilationists define
man as a "mono-unit" of flesh alone, instead of a dichotomous combination of flesh and spirit
like God, annihilationists simply cannot explain how man cannot kill the soul.

Here are the instanced in the Bible where "apollumi" is used in the TVM of #5658:

Apollumi #622 with TVM 5658 Aorist; Active; Infinitive: TO DESTROY

o Mt 2:13 for Herod will seek the young child

to destroy him. (Strongs #622; TVM #5658)
o Mt 10:28 fear him which is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell. (Strongs #622;
TVM #5658)
o Mk 1:24 What do we have to do with You,
Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to
destroy us? (Strongs #622; TVM #5658)
o Lk 6:9 Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do
good, or to do evil? to save life, or to
destroy it? (Strongs #622; TVM #5658)
o Lk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them.
(Strongs #622; TVM #5658)
o Lk 19:47 But the chief priests and the
scribes and the chief of the people sought
to destroy him, (Strongs #622; TVM #5658)
o Jas 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able
to save and to destroy (Strongs #622; TVM
#5658)
o Lk. 6:9 "is it lawful on the Sabbath to do
good, or to do harm, to save a life, or to
destroy it?" (Strongs #622; TVM #5658)

But the difference between moods is irrelevant: Being in a state of destruction is equal to
taking actions to bring someone into that state of destruction. So to say, "has lost" or
"lose" or "had lost" are identical concepts as far as what the word itself means. The
argument is invalid and displays a dismal understanding of simple Greek. With the same
kind of Christadelphian reasoning, we could conclude that TVM 5660 only means "lost"
since it is only used three times and each time it means "lost". Notice, however, that in
Luke 9:25, the word LOST to denotes the equivalent to hell.

Apollumi #622 with TVM 5660 Aorist; Active; Participle: HAS LOST; LOSES

o Matthew 10:39 (5660 Aorist; Active;

Participle) "he who has lost his life for My
 sake shall find it."
o Luke 15:4 (5660 Aorist; Active; Participle)
"if he has a hundred sheep and has lost
one of them"
o Luke 9:25 (5660 Aorist; Active; Participle)
"For what is a man profited if he gains the
whole world, and loses or forfeits
himself?"

Yet we find both the Subjunctive and the Indicative mood forms of the word Apollumi
using both LOST AND DESTROY. This proves the Christadelphian argument false.

Apollumi #622 with TVM 5661 Aorist; Active; Subjunctive: LOSE; LOSES; DESTROY

o Matthew 16:25 (5661 Aorist; Active;

Subjunctive) "whoever loses his life for My
sake shall find it."
o Luke 15:8 (5661 Aorist; Active;
Subjunctive) "if she has ten silver coins and
loses one coin"
o Mt 12:14 (5661 Aorist; Active; Subjunctive)
"counseled together against Him, as to
how they might destroy Him"
o John 10:10 (5661 Aorist; Active;
Subjunctive) "The thief comes only to
steal, and kill, and destroy"
o John 6:39 (5661 Aorist; Active;
Subjunctive) "all that He has given Me I
lose nothing, but raise it up on the last
day"

Apollumi #622 with TVM 5656 Aorist; Active; Indicative: HAD LOST; DESTROYED

o Matthew 22:7 (5656 Aorist; Active;

Indicative) "But the king was enraged and
sent his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and set their city on fire"
o Luke 15:9 (5656 Aorist; Active; Indicative)
"I have found the coin which I had lost!"
o Luke 17:29 (5656 Aorist; Active; Indicative)
"it rained fire and brimstone from heaven
and destroyed them all"
o Jude 5 (5656 Aorist; Active; Indicative)
"after saving a people out of the land of
Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who
did not believe"

Here a couple of useful passages where the LXX uses the word:

 Is. 43:28 - "and the rulers defiled my holy things and I have given to destroy Jacob and Israel
 unto a reproach." "destroy" is APOLESAI
 Ezek. 30:11 - "to destroy the land" Here's something interesting - In Dan. 7:26 where the NAS
has annihilated and destroyed, the LXX has AFANISAI and APOLESAI.

TVM Notes:

5656 Mood - Indicative The indicative mood is a simple statement of fact. If an action really
occurs or has occurred or will occur, it will be rendered in the indicative mood. (from:
Logos Library systems: TVM)

5658 Mood - Infinitive: The Greek infinitive mood in most cases corresponds to the English
infinitive, which is basically the verb with "to" prefixed, as "to believe." Like the English
infinitive, the Greek infinitive can be used like a noun phrase ("It is better to live than to
die"), as well as to reflect purpose or result ("This was done to fulfil what the prophet
said"). (from: Logos Library systems: TVM)

5660 Mood - Participle: The Greek participle corresponds for the most part to the English
participle, reflecting "-ing" or "-ed" being suffixed to the basic verb form. The participle
can be used either like a verb or a noun, as in English, and thus is often termed a "verbal
noun.") (from: Logos Library systems: TVM)

5661 Mood - Subjunctive The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility and potentiality.
The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances. Conditional
sentences of the third class ("ean" + the subjunctive) are all of this type, as well as many
commands following conditional purpose clauses, such as those beginning with "hina."
(from: Logos Library systems: TVM)

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

The physical creation will be annihilated, not men!

1. All Arians view that heaven is a physical restored paradise upon the earth. They have no concept
of man's spiritual existence apart from the Gen 1:1 creation. Yet the Bible clearly teaches that
the physical creation that occurred some 10,000 years ago in Gen 1:1, will be "uncreated" Just
as the 103 (?) elements of the periodic table came into existence at creation, they will go into
extinction at the second coming: 2 Pe 3:10. Our eternal reward is a spiritual existence in the
spiritual presence of God in the realm He has always existed in before Gen 1:1.
The wicked will not be annihilated But the heaven and earth will be annihilated!

W. E. Vine: LOU 2 Peter 3:6,9-12 "the world at that time was destroyed (Gr: apollumi),
(3089) to loose, is being flooded with water. ... The Lord is not slow about His promise, as
used of the future some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to
demolition of the perish (Gr: apollumi) but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the
elements or Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a
heavenly bodies, 2 roar and the elements will be destroyed (Gr: LOU) with intense heat, and
Pet. 3:10, 11, 12 the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to
be destroyed (Gr: LOU) in this way, what sort of people ought you to be
in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming
of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed (Gr:
LOU) by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!"

1. This text provides a powerful argument for those who view the annihilation of men and the
eternal continuity of the physical creation.
2. Notice that 2 Pe 3 describes BOTH the "perishing (apollumi) of men" and "destruction (LOU) of
creation".
3. Two different words are used. Notice that "apollumi" is used to destruction of men and that
LOU is used to describe the annihilation of the earth!
4. But even better notice that the flood perished "apollumi" the earth in the time of Noah and a
different Greek word is used for the annihilation "LOU" of the earth by fire!
5. The conclusion is that "apollumi" describes not the annihilation, but "making lost" both men in
hell and the earth at the Noaic flood and "LOU" describes the annihilation of the earth at the
second coming!

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

Heaven and hell are described in word pictures that are
not to be taken literally
see the photo gallery of heaven and hell

Heaven & Hell Are Spiritual not physical

1. Heaven is "not of this creation": Hebrews 9:11,24

2. God's future kingdom is "not of this world or realm": John 18:36
3. Physical universe will be destroyed: 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 20:11
4. "Things seen are temporary, but things not seen are eternal": 2 Cor 4:18
5. "The first things have passed away": Revelation 21:4
 6. Created things will be removed: Hebrews 12:25-27
7. No longer any sea, night, sun or moon: Revelation 21:1,23; 22:5
8. Heaven is in the very presence of the Father: John 13:36-14:6
9. We hope to "enter within the veil" where God dwells: Heb 6:19-20;10:19-20
10. We are earthbound guests with a heavenly destination: 1 Pe 1:17; Heb 13:14

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

Misused Proof Texts exposed

Various other annihilation proof texts debunked:

Psalm 37:19-22 They will not be ashamed in
the time of evil; And in the days of famine they
will have abundance. But the wicked will
perish; And the enemies of the Lord will be
like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—
like smoke they vanish away. The wicked
borrows and does not pay back, But the
righteous is gracious and gives. For those
blessed by Him will inherit the land; But those
cursed by Him will be cut off.
This Psalm isn't talking about eternal rewards
and punishments at all. Rather is speaking
about life on earth right now. Notice the
context: "And in the days of famine they
[righteous] will have abundance ... yet the
wicked vanish like smoke" This vanishing
takes place before resurrection. Are
Annihilationists prepared to deny that the
wicked are even raised? (Only a few isolated
Christadelphian splinter groups would argue
that the wicked dead are not raised! But then
they must deal with Acts 24:15, "there shall
certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous
and the wicked." Neo-Sadduceeism is always
full of contradictions with scripture wherever it
turns!)

Malachi 4:1-3 "For behold, the day is coming, This speaking of the time when Jesus would
burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and come. Notice v4 that Elijah (John the baptist)
every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is would come at the same time. It is not speaking
coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of of the final judgement. It also employs the
hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root same kind of word pictures typical of heaven
nor branch." "But for you who fear My name and hell. This verse is no more literal than the
the sun of righteousness will rise with healing imagery of Gehenna!
in its wings; and you will go forth and skip
about like calves from the stall. "And you will
tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes
under the soles of your feet on the day which I
am preparing," says the Lord of hosts.
 Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment
Word Studies!

Studies of words that annihilationists misuse to teach extinction:

These words do not teach annihilation!

destroy
"The annihilationists assemble a multitude of texts which in
perish
reality are either taken out of context or based on the false
consumed
assumption that such words as 'perish' automatically and
devoured
necessarily always mean annihilation." (Death and The Afterlife,
Robert Morey, Dualist, p. 119- 120)

1. "Destroy": For example, in the Old Testament, the word ahvad is the word which is usually
translated as "destroy." In Num. 21:29, the people of Chemosh were "undone" ("destroyed" in
NIV). In the context, the meaning of ahvad is that the people were conquered and sold into
slavery. They were not annihilated but enslaved. In 1 Sa. 9:3, 20, Saul's asses were ahvad, i.e.,
lost. These asses were not annihilated, but lost. In Psalms 31:12, an ahvad vessel is merely
broken, not annihilated. In Hab. 1:15, the word Gah rar means to catch something in a net, not to
annihilate it. Dah chah in Isa. 53:10 is translated, " It pleased the Lord to bruise him.". Here it
refers to Christ's sufferings, not to nonexistence. In Hosea 4:6, God's people are "destroyed" for
lack of knowledge. In the context, this cannot mean that they were nonexistent. The same can be
pointed out in the case of hoom (Ps. 55:2) and ghah ram (Josh. 6:8; Mic. 4:13). In the Greek,
apollumi is used to describe ruined wineskins, lost sheep, and spoiled food (Matt. 9:17; 15:24;
John 6:27). Apolia in Mark 14:4 refers to wasted perfume. Diapthero refers to moth-eaten cloth
in Luke 12:33 katheiresis to the pulling down of a fortress (2 Cor. 10:4) kataluo refers to lodging
for the night (Luke 9:12) kataryco to a fig tree which "encumbered the ground" (Luke 13:7); luo
refers to putting off one's shoes (Acts 7:33); portheo refers to persecuting the church in Gal.
1:13; phthiro refers to defiling the temple of God in 1 Cor. 3:17. The assumption that the words
"destroy" and "destruction" automatically mean annihilation is not good English, much less good
Hebrew or Greek. We can think of someone being "destroyed" or "wiped out" in an emotional
sense without implying that the person has ceased to exist. ("Death and The Afterlife" by Robert
Morey, p. 108-111)

2. "Perish" or "perished." In various forms the word "perish" appears 152 times in the KJV. In
the Old Testament, there are 11 Hebrew words which are translated as "perish." The main word
ahvad is the same word which is frequently translated as "destroy." We have already seen that it
is erroneous to assume that ahvad means annihilation. Sha mad is found in Jer. 48:42 where
Moab is said to be destroyed in the sense of the people being enslaved, not annihilated. Shah
rhath is used of ruined girdles and vessels in Jer. 13:7; 18:4; kah rath is used of cutting a
covenant or cutting timber to build the temple in Gen. 15:18; 1 Kings 5:6; eah vag. nah phal, and
gah var are used to describe a miserable emotional state (Ps. 42:7; 55:4, 88:15,16). In the New
Testament, there are ten different Greek words which are translated "perish." Some of these
words such as apollumi were also translated as destroy and do not mean annihilation.
Apothneesko is used in John 12:24 to describe the grain of wheat which when planted "dies" and
then sprouts. Obviously, it cannot mean annihilation. Aphanrzo refers to things which moths and
rust can "corrupt" (Matt. 6:19,20). Kataphthiro is used to describe "corrupt" minds in 2 Tim. 3:8
(KJV). Even in English we speak of fruit as "perishable" in the sense that it can spoil. Burned out
light bulbs have "perished." In neither case is annihilation intended. ("Death and The Afterlife"
by Robert Morey, p. 108-111)

3. "Consume" or "consumed.": Forms of these words appear in the KJV 162 times. In the Old
Testament, 20 different Hebrew words are translated as "consume." The usual word, ah chal is
also used in Ps. 78:45 where the psalmist says that the flies "devoured" or consumed the
Egyptians. The psalmist surely means that the flies tormented them, not annihilated them.
Jeremiah used another word, bah lah, in Lam. 3:4, saying that his flesh and skin were "made
old," or consumed, i.e., he was consumed with grief, not annihilated. Kah lah is used in Ezek.
13:13 where hailstones "consumed" a wall, i.e., knocked it down, not annihilated it. Dah gach is
the normal word for putting out a fire. When we "put out a candle," we do not annihilate the
candle. Even in English we speak of people being consumed with "grief, greed or lust," yet we
do not mean that the person has ceased to exist. We have demonstrated that the annihilationists
are in error when they arbitrarily assume and then assert that such words as "perish" necessarily
mean annihilation. Once this point is granted, one is no longer impressed by such works as
Froom where hundreds of quotes from biblical and extra-biblical literature are given to prove
conditionalism simply upon the erroneous assumption that the mere presence of such words in
the text means that the authors believed in annihilationism. ("Death and The Afterlife" by Robert
Morey, p. 108-111)

Annihilation vs. Eternal conscious torment

Is eternal conscious torment a pagan false doctrine and a
Jewish fable?
Here we document that annihilationists all accept that the view we
have proven true, namely eternal conscious torment, was widely
believed in the ancient world. They argue that Jesus borrowed from
these false pagan doctrines in his teaching on hell. We reject this, as
it would mean that Jesus promoted false doctrine. As the spiritual
eyes into the spirit world, we believe that Jesus' teaching on eternal
conscious torment is not untrue, simply because other cultures had
similar views!

Introductory comment:
 1. To think that Christ was ignorant of what Gehenna meant to the common people of His day or
to assume that He was mistaken in using the rabbinic descriptions of Gehenna is to do great
injustice to Him who was the greatest teacher who ever lived. Indeed, the mere fact that Christ
utilized the rabbinic language connected with Gehenna, such as "unquenchable fire" and
"never- dying worms," demonstrates beyond all doubt to any reasonable person that he
deliberately used the word Gehenna to impress upon his hearers that eternal punishment
awaits the wicked after the resurrection. No other conclusion is possible.
2. The greatest problem that Annihilationists face when examining the intertestamental (between
the Old & New Testaments) literature, is that the doctrines of the existence of the soul after
death and eternal punishing are often manifest, with no "introduction" as would be required by
a "new teaching." The Annihilationist view is that between the Old and New Testaments,
Platonic philosophy infiltrated true Bible doctrine and entirely new concepts were introduced to
replace the old beliefs about the soul and punishment. Yet, strangely lacking are any evidences
of controversy in this area of belief. The Annihilationist answer to that would be that there was
evidence of a difference of belief in the intertestamental writings. But since they can produce no
actual apologetic or actual conflict from the historical records, they must argue from the silence
of some intertestamental writers, who may discuss the future of the righteous without
mentioning the wicked. Sometimes, as in the case of Fudge's and the Adventist Froom's quoting
from Tobit, where it says that the unrighteous shall cease from all the earth, they claim that that
proves the writer did not believe in eternal punishing. That is indeed a poor argument.

Robert Morey, Dualist, comments:

1. First, Gehenna is the place of judgement (Matt. 23:33). He even used the rabbinic expression,
"the judgement of Gehenna" (Bab. Tal. ER126).
2. Second, Gehenna is always placed at the end of the world after the resurrection (Matt. 5:22;
23:33). This was expounded by John in Rev. 20:1-15. This was also the rabbinic position (Mid.
Gen. 159).
3. Third, Gehenna is the place where the body as well as the soul is punished (Matt. 5:22; 10:28;
Mark 9:43-48). The rabbis saw that the resurrection of the wicked was necessary in order for
them to receive their full punishment in the body (Mid. Gen. 159; 211n4).
4. Fourth, Gehenna was the place of conscious torment. When Christ used the phrases
"unquenchable fire" and "never-dying worms" (Mark 9:47,48, author's paraphrase), He was
utilizing biblical (Isa 66:24), apocryphal (Judith XVI:17), and talmudic (Mid. Gen. 214) images
which all meant conscious suffering. The annihilationists have a counter argument at this point.
They point out that, literally speaking, while the worms and the fire in a city dump may destroy
a dead carcass, it cannot be said that the dead carcass feels any torment. Therefore, they
conclude that Christ's language must be interpreted to mean that the wicked will be annihilated,
not tormented. The problem with this interpretation is that it fails to take into account that
when Christ spoke of Gehenna in such terms as "worms and fire," He was clearly using rabbinic
phraseology. Thus, it is more crucial to discover how these words were understood in rabbinic
literature than by pointing to modern city dumps. The intertestamental literature is clear that
the Jews believed that the departed could feel what was happening to their dead body. Indeed,
when the worms start gnawing on the body, "the worms are as painful to the dead as a needle
in the flesh of the living" (Bab. Tal. Shah. 777,778). Since the "gnawing worms" clearly meant
conscious torment in rabbinic thought, the annihilationist's argument is invalid due to their
ignorance of the meaning of such rabbinic terminology. That Judith XVI:17 also teaches
conscious torment is clear.
 5. Fifth, the wicked are cast into Gehenna and will remain there for all eternity (Matt. 5:29,30). In
Gehenna, the wicked are "destroyed" (Matt. 10:28). That the word "destroyed" (apollumi) does
not mean "to annihilate" or "to pass into nonexistence" is clear from the rabbinic meaning of
the word, the lexicographical significance of the word, and the way the word is used in the New
Testament. Thaver's Greek-English Lexicon defines apollumi as "to be delivered up to eternal
misery" (p.36). Since Thayer himself was a Unitarian who did not believe in eternal punishment,
his definition could only be the result of his knowledge of the meaning of his Greek word. There
is no lexicographical evidence for the annihilationist's position that apollumi means "to
annihilate" or "to pass into nonexistence." (Death and The Afterlife, Robert Morey, Dualist, p.
89, 90)

Edward W. Fudge, Annihilationist

1. Between the Testaments a tendency arose in Jewish literature to relate visions of last things to
names and persons from the Old Testament. Armageddon, Jerusalem and the Garden of Eden all
became stylized descriptions of things to come. So did the Valley of Hinnom-gehenna. The
thought of Gehenna as a place of eschatological punishment appears in intertestamental
literature shortly before 100 B.C., though the actual place is unnamed. It becomes "this accursed
valley" (l En. 27:2, 3), the "station of vengeance" and "future torment" (2 Bar. 59:10, ll), the "pit
of destruction" (Pirke Aboth 5:19), the "furnace of Gehenna" and "pit of torment" (4 Esd. 7:36).
(The Fire That Consumes, Edward W. Fudge, Annihilationist, p. 161)
2. The Babylonian Talmud had the worst Jewish sinners sentenced to Gehenna for 12 months.
Then "their bodies are destroyed, their souls are burned, and the wind strews the ashes under
the feet of the pious." All who enter Gehenna come out, with three exceptions: those who
committed adultery or shamed their neighbors or vilified them. In the end, God would take the
sun from its case, and it would heal the pious and punish the sinners. There would be no
Gehenna in the future world. ["Ge-hinnom," The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 5, cols. 581-583]
Some rabbis were sympathetic; others were harsh. One can find quotes of torment by snow,
smoke, thirst and rebellious animals. Others speak of the righteous observing the torments of
the damned, "tossing in their pain like the pieces of boiling meat in a cauldron." Still others,
more benevolent, said light flooded even Gehenna each Sabbath, and the wicked, too, had a day
of rest. On the duration of the punishment, the rabbis contradicted each other. Some believed
that the pain would continue forever with or without Gehenna, while others ended punishment
with the last judgement. Whether this last view allowed a future life for the wicked or looked for
their total annihilation cannot be determined conclusively. (The Fire That Consumes, Edward W.
Fudge, Annihilationist, p. 163)

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