not<\/em> eternity in a conscious hell.<\/p>\nHere\u2019s what the Bible says, and precisely why I have argued that if one were to read the Bible without preexisting ideas of traditional hell, one would not walk away believing in it. Here\u2019s the list:<\/p>\n
Psalm 1:6 \u201cBut the way of the ungodly shall perish\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIf one believes in eternal conscious hell, they don\u2019t believe the ungodly perish at all\u2013 but\u00a0live forever<\/em> in hell.<\/p>\nPsalm 37:20 \u201cBut the wicked shall perish<\/strong>\u2026 they shall consume<\/strong>; into smoke shall they consume<\/strong> away.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIf one believes in eternal conscious hell, they don\u2019t believe the wicked will be \u201cconsumed.\u201d Instead, they believe the wicked and tortured and\u00a0never<\/em> consumed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nPsalm 69:28 says that the wicked are \u201cblotted out<\/strong> of the book of the living<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\nThis continues the consistency of scripture which tells us the wicked die\u2013 not that they are eternally living in a conscious hell.<\/p>\n
Ps. 34:16, 21 \u201cevil brings death<\/strong> to the wicked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nOf course, if one believes in eternal hell, one doesn\u2019t believe that evil brings death at all, but brings life\u2013 in hell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPsalm 92:7 \u201c\u2026 shall be destroyed<\/strong> forever.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nIf one believes in eternal conscious hell, they don\u2019t believe those who are lost are \u201cdestroyed\u201d but again, that they live forever.<\/p>\n
Prov. 24:20 \u201cthe lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nTo believe in eternal conscious hell means one believes they will not be snuffed out at all.<\/p>\n
Dan. 2:35 \u201cthe wind swept them away without leaving a trace<\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nThis continues the theme of totally destroyed\u2013 there\u2019s not a trace of the wicked. This is the opposite of eternal life in hell.<\/p>\n
Isa. 1:28, 30\u201331 \u201crebels and sinners shall be destroyed<\/strong> together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed<\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nObadiah 1:16 It will be as if the evil \u201chad never been.<\/strong>\u201c<\/p>\nThis speaks to ceasing to exist\u2013 not eternal life in hell. In the traditional hell it will not be \u201cas if they had never been\u201d because they\u2019ll live eternally and still \u201cbe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mal 4:1 \u201cAll the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,\u201d says the LORD Almighty. \u201cNot a root or a branch will be left to them<\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nHere God is quoted directly\u2013 the evildoers are destroyed like straw thrown into the fire, and\u00a0nothing is left<\/em>. This shows total annihilation (they no longer exist). To believe in eternal hell, one would have to argue that God was mistaken and that they aren\u2019t destroyed in the fire at all\u2013 but live forever in the fire\u00a0without<\/em> being consumed, which is the exact opposite of what God claimed.<\/p>\nAgain, as I said on That God Show, hell is NOT in the Old Testament. Instead, they believed that the wicked are destroyed\u2013 that they die and do not get resurrected to eternal life. This is the testimony of the whole of scripture. To believe in eternal conscious hell is to really be at odds with the terminology we see scripture use. These same claims of annihilation\u00a0and destruction continue in the New Testament:<\/p>\n
Matthew 10:28 \u201cRather, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body<\/strong> in hell.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nHere Jesus himself teaches against hell\u2013 saying that those who are lost experience the death of their soul. If one believes in eternal conscious hell, they believe Jesus was wrong on this point, and that souls don\u2019t die at all, but will live forever in hell.<\/p>\n
John 3:16 \u201c\u2026whosoever believeth in him should not perish\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAgain, to believe in hell, one must believe Jesus was wrong in John 3:16 and that people don\u2019t \u201cperish\u201d at all, but live forever in hell.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nMatthew 7:13: \u201cbroad is the road that leads to destruction<\/strong>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\nJesus in his warnings continues with the repetitive testimony of scripture: the consequence of rejecting reconciliation with God is destruction\u2013\u00a0not<\/em> everlasting life in torment.<\/p>\nJesus on a variety of occasions uses the metaphor of fire that consumes <\/strong>not tortures:\u00a0Matt. 7:19; 13:40; John 15:6<\/span><\/p>\nPhilippians 3:19 \u201cwhose end is destruction\u2026<\/strong>\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThere\u2019s that pesky word \u201cdestroyed\u201d again. Those who believe in eternal hell don\u2019t believe one is destroyed in hell, but lives there forever.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n2 Thessalonians 1:9 \u201cwho shall be punished with everlasting destruction<\/strong> \u2026\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nGetting repetitive yet? Seems like the Bible is getting pretty clear that the consequence of rejecting God is destruction<\/em>, not eternal life in hell.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n1 Cor 3:17: \u201cGod will destroy<\/strong> that person\u201d<\/p>\nThere\u2019s that word again that doesn\u2019t mean tortured in hell, but just means what it says\u2013 destroyed.<\/p>\n
2 Cor 2:15-16: \u201cthose that perish<\/strong>\u201c<\/span><\/p>\nAgain, if Paul meant hell, he should have said it\u2013 seems like everyone talks about perishing, being destroyed\u2013 but doesn\u2019t talk about hell.<\/p>\n
Romans 6:23: \u201cFor the wages of sin is death..<\/strong>\u201c<\/p>\nGrowing up we\u2019re taught that the \u201cwages of sin is hell\u201d\u00a0but nope\u2013 it\u2019s perishing, dying, being destroyed.. the opposite of eternal life in hell.<\/p>\n
Hebrews 10:39 \u201cBut we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another version of the same term\u2026 destroyed.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nJames 4:12a \u201cThere is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy<\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSeems like every biblical author wants us to understand to be \u201cdestroyed\u201d is the natural consequence\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n2 Peter 2:3: \u201cTheir condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction<\/strong> is not asleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nRevelation 20:14 \u201cThis is the second death<\/strong>\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThose who believe in eternal conscious hell don\u2019t believe in the second death\u2013 they believe everyone is immortal, and that some will live forever in hell. Rev 20:14 is clear that they die\u2013 they don\u2019t live forever in hell at all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u2026<\/p>\n
So there you go folks\u2013 the testimony of the whole of scripture does not testify to hell as a place where you are alive and tortured for all eternity. Instead, from the beginning to the end of scripture we are warned that refusing to be reconciled to God\u2013 the author and sustainer of life\u2013 results in a natural outcome: the finality of death which is the ultimate destruction.<\/p>\n
I would encourage you to just read the Bible\u2013 and read it without the lens of hell that you grew up with. If you read it without those lenses to distort what you see, you\u2019ll find that eternal hell isn\u2019t what the Bible warns us about\u2013 it warns us about a second death.<\/p>\n
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In a follow up to our recent episode of That God Show, folks have asked for a comprehensive list of Scriptures that refute the traditional teaching of hell. While this might not be exhaustive, I\u2019ve put together 25 verses that strongly illustrate what the Bible teaches on the issue. As one will see, to believe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1638,"featured_media":10675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[302,374],"tags":[457,456,3210],"class_list":["post-10673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hell","category-letting-go-of-hell-series","tag-annihilation","tag-conditionalism","tag-hell"],"yoast_head":"\n
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