G
Gary
Guest
The case against Annihilationism
Annihilationism is the doctrine that the souls of the wicked will be snuffed out of existence rather than be sent to an everlasting, conscious hell. The existence of the unrepentant will be extinguished, while the righteous will enter into everlasting bliss.
Support from Scripture
“The Second Death.†Annihilationists point to the Bible references to the fate of the wicked as “the second death†(Revelation 20:14) in support of their view. Since a person loses consciousness of this world at the first death (physical death), it is argued that the “second death†will involve unconsciousness in the world to come.
“Everlasting Destruction.†Scripture speaks of the wicked being “destroyed.†Paul said: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power†(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Annihilationists insist that the figure of “destruction†is incompatible with a continued, conscious existence.
“Perdition.†The wicked are said to go into “perdition†(kjv) or “destruction†(niv) (2 Peter 3:7), and Judas is called the “son of perdition†(John 17:12). The word perdition (apoleia) means to perish. This, annihilationists argue, indicates that the lost will perish or go out of existence.
Like Not Having Been Born. Jesus said of Judas, who was sent to perdition, that “It would be better for him if he had not been born†(Mark 14:21). Before one is conceived they do not exist. Thus, for hell to be like the pre-birth condition it must be a state of non-existence.
“The Wicked Will Perish.†Repeatedly, the Old Testament speaks of the wicked perishing. The psalmist wrote: “But the wicked will perish: The Lord’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanishâ€â€vanish like smoke†(Psalm 37:20; Psalm 68:2; Psalm 112:10). But to perish implies a state of nothingness.
Answering Arguments from Scripture.
When examined carefully in context, none of the above passages proves annihilationism. At some points language may permit such a construction, but nowhere does the text demand annihilationism. In context and comparison with other Scriptures, the concept must be rejected in every case.
Separation, Not Extinction. The first death is simply the separation of the soul from the body (James 2:26), not the annihilation of the soul. Scripture presents death as conscious separation. Adam and Eve died spiritually the moment they sinned, yet they still existed and could hear God’s voice (Genesis 3:10). Before one is saved, he is “dead in trespasses and sins†(Ephesians 2:1), and yet he still carries God’s image (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 9:6; James 3:9). Though unable to come to Christ without the intervention of God, the “spiritually dead†are sufficiently aware that Scripture holds them accountable to believe (Acts 16:31), and repent (Acts 17:30). Continued awareness, but with separation from God and the inability to save oneselfâ€â€these constitute Scripture’s vision of the second death.
Destruction, Not Non-existence. “Everlasting†destruction would not be annihilation, which only takes an instant and is over. If someone undergoes everlasting destruction, then they have to have everlasting existence. The cars in a junkyard have been destroyed, but they are not annihilated. They are simply beyond repair or unredeemable. So are the people in hell.
Since the word perdition means to die, perish, or to come to ruin, the same objections apply. In 2 Peter 3:7 perdition is used in the context of judgment, clearly implying consciousness. In our junkyard analogy, ruined cars have perished, but they are still junkyard cars. In this connection, Jesus spoke of hell as a dump where the fire would not cease and where a person’s resurrected body would not be consumed (Mark 9:48).
In addition to comments on death and perdition above, it should be noted that the Hebrew word used to describe the wicked perishing in the Old Testament (דאבא) is also used to describe the righteous perishing (see Isaiah 57:1; Micah 7:2). But even the annihilationists admit that the righteous are not snuffed out of existence. That being the case, they should not conclude that the wicked will cease to exist based on this term.
The same word (דאבא) is used to describe things that are merely lost but then later found (Deuteronomy 22:3), which proves that lost does not mean nonexistent.
“It Would Have Been Better. . . .†When he says that it would have been better if Judas had not been born, Jesus is not comparing Judas’s perdition to his non-existence before conception but to his existence before birth. This hyperbolic figure of speech would almost certainly indicate the severity of his punishment, not a statement about the superiority of nonbeing over being. In a parallel condemnation on the Pharisees, Jesus said Sodom and Gomorrah would have repented had they seen his miracles (Matthew 11:23-24). This does not mean that they actually would have repented or God would surely have shown them these miracles 2 Peter 3:9. It is simply a powerful figure of speech indicating that their sin was so great that “it would be more tolerable†in the day of judgment for Sodom than for them (vs. 24).
Further, nothing cannot be better than something, since they have nothing in common to compare them. So nonbeing cannot be actually better than being. To assume otherwise is a category mistake.
-----more to follow-----
Source: Geisler, N. L. (1999). Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics. Baker reference library (Page 22). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.
Annihilationism is the doctrine that the souls of the wicked will be snuffed out of existence rather than be sent to an everlasting, conscious hell. The existence of the unrepentant will be extinguished, while the righteous will enter into everlasting bliss.
Support from Scripture
“The Second Death.†Annihilationists point to the Bible references to the fate of the wicked as “the second death†(Revelation 20:14) in support of their view. Since a person loses consciousness of this world at the first death (physical death), it is argued that the “second death†will involve unconsciousness in the world to come.
“Everlasting Destruction.†Scripture speaks of the wicked being “destroyed.†Paul said: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power†(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Annihilationists insist that the figure of “destruction†is incompatible with a continued, conscious existence.
“Perdition.†The wicked are said to go into “perdition†(kjv) or “destruction†(niv) (2 Peter 3:7), and Judas is called the “son of perdition†(John 17:12). The word perdition (apoleia) means to perish. This, annihilationists argue, indicates that the lost will perish or go out of existence.
Like Not Having Been Born. Jesus said of Judas, who was sent to perdition, that “It would be better for him if he had not been born†(Mark 14:21). Before one is conceived they do not exist. Thus, for hell to be like the pre-birth condition it must be a state of non-existence.
“The Wicked Will Perish.†Repeatedly, the Old Testament speaks of the wicked perishing. The psalmist wrote: “But the wicked will perish: The Lord’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanishâ€â€vanish like smoke†(Psalm 37:20; Psalm 68:2; Psalm 112:10). But to perish implies a state of nothingness.
Answering Arguments from Scripture.
When examined carefully in context, none of the above passages proves annihilationism. At some points language may permit such a construction, but nowhere does the text demand annihilationism. In context and comparison with other Scriptures, the concept must be rejected in every case.
Separation, Not Extinction. The first death is simply the separation of the soul from the body (James 2:26), not the annihilation of the soul. Scripture presents death as conscious separation. Adam and Eve died spiritually the moment they sinned, yet they still existed and could hear God’s voice (Genesis 3:10). Before one is saved, he is “dead in trespasses and sins†(Ephesians 2:1), and yet he still carries God’s image (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 9:6; James 3:9). Though unable to come to Christ without the intervention of God, the “spiritually dead†are sufficiently aware that Scripture holds them accountable to believe (Acts 16:31), and repent (Acts 17:30). Continued awareness, but with separation from God and the inability to save oneselfâ€â€these constitute Scripture’s vision of the second death.
Destruction, Not Non-existence. “Everlasting†destruction would not be annihilation, which only takes an instant and is over. If someone undergoes everlasting destruction, then they have to have everlasting existence. The cars in a junkyard have been destroyed, but they are not annihilated. They are simply beyond repair or unredeemable. So are the people in hell.
Since the word perdition means to die, perish, or to come to ruin, the same objections apply. In 2 Peter 3:7 perdition is used in the context of judgment, clearly implying consciousness. In our junkyard analogy, ruined cars have perished, but they are still junkyard cars. In this connection, Jesus spoke of hell as a dump where the fire would not cease and where a person’s resurrected body would not be consumed (Mark 9:48).
In addition to comments on death and perdition above, it should be noted that the Hebrew word used to describe the wicked perishing in the Old Testament (דאבא) is also used to describe the righteous perishing (see Isaiah 57:1; Micah 7:2). But even the annihilationists admit that the righteous are not snuffed out of existence. That being the case, they should not conclude that the wicked will cease to exist based on this term.
The same word (דאבא) is used to describe things that are merely lost but then later found (Deuteronomy 22:3), which proves that lost does not mean nonexistent.
“It Would Have Been Better. . . .†When he says that it would have been better if Judas had not been born, Jesus is not comparing Judas’s perdition to his non-existence before conception but to his existence before birth. This hyperbolic figure of speech would almost certainly indicate the severity of his punishment, not a statement about the superiority of nonbeing over being. In a parallel condemnation on the Pharisees, Jesus said Sodom and Gomorrah would have repented had they seen his miracles (Matthew 11:23-24). This does not mean that they actually would have repented or God would surely have shown them these miracles 2 Peter 3:9. It is simply a powerful figure of speech indicating that their sin was so great that “it would be more tolerable†in the day of judgment for Sodom than for them (vs. 24).
Further, nothing cannot be better than something, since they have nothing in common to compare them. So nonbeing cannot be actually better than being. To assume otherwise is a category mistake.
-----more to follow-----
Source: Geisler, N. L. (1999). Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics. Baker reference library (Page 22). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.