{"id":429,"date":"2015-02-03T05:00:38","date_gmt":"2015-02-03T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/theologyintheraw\/?p=429"},"modified":"2015-02-02T13:21:12","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T19:21:12","slug":"biblical-support-for-annihilation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theologyintheraw\/2015\/02\/biblical-support-for-annihilation\/","title":{"rendered":"Biblical Support for Annihilation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In my previous post, I said that while I am not an \u201cAnnihilationist,\u201d I do see enough biblical support for this position to qualify it as an Evangelical option. I have not yet had the time to clear my desk to engage in prayerful, \"Hell<\/a> thorough, painstaking exegesis to have landed on this position. But from what I have seen, there\u2019s a good deal of sound, biblical arguments for it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before we examine these, we need to know what it is we\u2019re even talking about.<\/p>\n

Rightly understood, the annihilation view of hell says that there will be irreversible, horrific punishment for those who don\u2019t believe in Christ. This punishment may last for a period of time, but ultimately it will end. The wicked will pass out of existence; they will not be tormented forever and ever.<\/p>\n

This view is usually referred to as \u201cconditional immortality\u201d by its proponents, since immortality is a gift given to the righteous in Christ (see below). But as statement in my previous blog, I actually prefer the term \u201cterminal punishment\u201d instead of conditional immortality (which is still unfamiliar to many) or annihilation (which has too many negative connotations). To be clear, annihilation (hereafter \u201cterminal punishment\u201d) is not <\/strong>a product of Jehovah\u2019s Witness theology<\/strong>. While it\u2019s true that JW\u2019s hold to this view, this doesn\u2019t mean that they invented the doctrine nor does it mean that those who hold to terminal punishment are Jehovah\u2019s Witness. I\u2019m sorry to waste your time with this basic point, but I\u2019ve actually heard people assume I\u2019ve become Jehovah\u2019s Witness because I see biblical support for terminal punishment. Yikes! Does that mean that I\u2019m also Muslim because I believe in the sovereignty of God? Or Buddhist<\/a>, since I believe in nonviolence? One of the more comical assumptions was from someone on Facebook who thought I might now be an atheist because they heard that I was \u201can Annihilationist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Come on, people! We must<\/em> use our brains. And our Bibles. It\u2019s a sad day in Evangelicalism when accusations and name-calling replace authentic study of God\u2019s inspired word.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plus, the duration of hell is not listed in the Apostle\u2019s Creed nor the Nicene Creed\u2014the basic standards of orthodox Christian doctrine. And while ECT has been the dominant, though not universal, Christian view, terminal punishment has been the view of several prominent Evangelical theologians throughout history.<\/p>\n

In any case, here are some of the strongest biblical arguments in favor of terminal punishment:<\/p>\n

First<\/strong>, most of the passages in the NT that talk about the fate of the wicked use language that suggests finality. Here\u2019s just a small sampling:<\/p>\n