I’m also pro-life and yet liberal on most other issues. It was birthed in the post-Enlightenment era (17th -18th centuries) when secular minded scholars began to…, Here is an excellent post by my good friend Roger Olson in which he makes the case that Open Theism should be embraced by Arminians as an orthodox, if somewhat non-traditional, form of their faith. How is this consistent with the traditional teaching that God’s love and anger are equally eternal? Annihilationism is the teaching that those who die apart from Christ will simply cease to exist. His anger endures for a moment, but his mercy endures forever (Ps 103:8-14). Thus the issue that some will go to hell is decided, but the issue of who in particular will go to hell is undecided. 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But the godless and those who have not turned wholly to God will be punished in fire equally unending, and they shall have from the very nature of this fire, divine as it were, a supply of incorruptibility (“Apology” 44:12–13), Therefore after this there is neither death nor repeated resurrections, but we shall be the same that we are now, and still unchanged–the servants of God, ever with God, clothed upon with the proper substance of eternity; but the profane, and all who are not true worshippers of God, in like manner shall be consigned to the punishment of everlasting fire–that fire which, from its very nature indeed, directly ministers to their incorruptibility. Deut. Then over the first three centuries the Gentile converts grew in number until they were the vast and overwhelming majority. Finally, we must remember the repeated teaching of the Old Testament that while God’s anger endures for a moment, his love endures forever (Ps. In other words, unbelievers will not experience eternal punishment in a literal hell, but will simply vanish (or have their souls extinguished) instead. 67% Upvoted. 2:7; 6:23; 1 Cor. From the annihilationist perspective, God’s justice and mercy unite in condemning the wicked to extinction. And if they who do these things according to the flesh suffer death. In other words, unbelievers will not experience eternal punishment in a literal hell, but will simply vanish (or have their souls extinguished) instead. Annihilationism stands in contrast to both belief in eternal torture in the lake of fire, and the belief that everyone will be saved (universal reconciliation or “universalism“). Here is one ( there are more) Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. wandering stars….). (32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; A interesting read is on the second death which end in the the lake of fire (“Christian” or non – whoa – this one can be bit uncomfortable for “Christians” – so much for eternal security) : Reven 2:11 (Church in Smyrna) They believed that Hell was a place of eternal conscious torment, reflecting the clearest teaching of the scriptures (more on that HERE). Also Jesus said Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Life and immortality are connected with following God, death with following Satan. The notion of unending punishment is so out of sync with people’s ordinary sense of justice that it is easily rejected as preposterous. If one still wishes to believe that the fate of the wicked is never ending torment, one simply must believe the doctrine of Tertullian. For the first few centuries of new covenant church history, most who wrote on hell simply employed biblical language. Again, when God’s fury rises, “[t]he wicked are overthrown and are no more…” (12:7, emphasis added). Tertullian’s text is a little trickier to navigate. Here are a couple of points regarding physical and spiritual death. →. The Early Church Fathers, with very few exceptions, agree with the teaching of the Bible in the way they describe Hell: 1. So too, if anyone “destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person” (1 Cor. If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at info@carm.org. With the same force, the Psalmist proclaimed that the wicked “will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb” (Ps. The early Church believed God’s Hell-fire was not inflicted to destroy the lost, but rather to ultimately save them. In Christianity, annihilationism is the belief that those who are wicked will perish or be no more. This goes against the teaching of scripture, and even Ignatius. Moreover, all who are “enemies of the cross” have “destruction” as their final end (Phil. I’ve done alot of research into this topic and I believe I’ve come up with a view that reconciles annihilationism and the doctrine of eternal torment. I have had the privilege of dialoguing with Tony several times and even publicly debating him once on this top. The prominence of these particular Fathers should at least make it plausible that many of the Fathers who did not specifically indicate that they held to the doctrine of eternal torment may well have been annihilationists as well. 20:47–48). We aren’t talking about the first guy or two post-Paul. Where is your evidence? VI. for they have rejected the instruction of the Lord of hosts…” (Isa. Annihilationism is the teaching that those who die apart from Christ will simply cease to exist. So too, Paul teaches that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life” (Rom. We aren’t talking about the first guy or two post-Paul. While the Hellenistic philosophical tradition generally viewed the human soul as inherently immortal, Scripture sees immortality as something that belongs to God alone (I Tim. EARLY HISTORY OF ANNIHILATIONISTIC THEORIES Some confusion has arisen, in tracing the history of the annihilationist theories, from confounding with them enunciations by the earlier Church Fathers of the essential Christian Early Church Fathers. 37:38, cf. (For a discussion on the reasons we do not see this as a Biblical view see article “What About Annihilationism?” There is a third view in which many of the Early Church, even evidence of the majority , as well as a continual thread throughout history have ascribed to … God will never let sin ( not even 1 be in His presence – He is a spirit and requires blood to be appeased ( kinda wild but that is what the scriptures say). If not, then the birth of Christ will be aborted spiritually as much it is in a actual physical abortion ( Gal 2 – my little children in whom I labor till Christ in formed in you – this was written to Christians). And it is possible that the eternal life promised in the Bible refers to having your soul united with a body that never dies. The word of God is love and this applies for non believers. A person will reap exactly what they sow. Why doesn’t God gives us more evidence that he exists? For example, “unquenchable fire” simply means a fire that can’t be put out. I think most, if not all, people who object to the traditional doctrine of hell do it for one reason only – because they don’t want to appear to be mean, so that non-Christians will like them. 16:19–31; Rom. Overview of the Biblical Teaching I go back and forth myself. Both the saved and unsaved go to their perspective places to await judgement day (there are lots of names used for these places paradise, Abraham’s bosom, Sheol, etc…). We are talking about the first 5 centuries after Christ. Gen 49:26; Ex 40:15; Nu 25:13; Ps 24:7). The elect do not undergo an eternal process of redemption. In regards to “annihilation”- the bible doesnt speak of that – it speaks of eternal torment and separation from God. The verse to disprove the soul’s immortality is 1 Tim 6:15 I think, which says God alone possesses immortality. While you can’t try to make those to annihiliationists, I think there is room to wiggle around with the other guys. shove, if I have to choose (as I usually do) between a church with otherwise good, biblical, evangelical theology that also believes in eternal torment in Hell, and one whose only upside is that it teaches annihilationism (as opposed to just tolerating it among its members), I will … Peter specifically cites the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as a pattern of how God judges the wicked. I tend to agree with you about your assessment of the Christians WK quoted. Man was created to be Gods judge and have dominion. EARLY HISTORY OF ANNIHILATIONISTIC THEORIES Some confusion has arisen, in tracing the history of the annihilationist theories, from confounding with them enunciations by the earlier Church Fathers of the essential Christian The Scripture says, ‘The soul who sins shall die.’, Ezekiel 18:20. Also, there is a danger of teaching a form of works righteousness in annihilation is him, particularly in the area of someone suffering for a period of time and then being annihilated. Jesus Jesus did not use the eternal punishment of hell in the context of annihilation. “Everlasting Punishment” means a punishment that lasts for all of eternity, which annihilationism teaches, etc. How are we to imagine God, who is perfect love, enjoying heaven while he yet keeps the damned in existence for the sole purpose of having them experience hopeless pain? Annihilationism (also known as extinctionism or destructionism) is a Christian belief that apart from salvation the final punishment of human beings results in their total destruction rather than their everlasting torment. VI. Ancient Church, with very few exceptions, as endless.4 The major exception to this doctrinal unanimity in the early church, was Origen (ca. 1) Tormented Day and Night. 6:16). What is life really like for Americans living in poor households? for the sake of which Jesus Christ was crucified? xiv + 300. I’m not saying that this view is the correct one, btw. The wicked are “destroyed forever” (Ps 92:7), but they are not forever being destroyed. Let me repeat that, just so we are clear. Ignatius was well aware of the fact that immortality must be obtained. Book review of “If there’s a God, why are there atheists?”. The wicked are sometimes depicted as being “consumed” by fire (Heb 6:8, 10:7; Jude 7, cf. Conditional Immortality (Annihilationism) Quotes from Christian History. Well, I don’t think there is any wiggle room here – conscious, eternal torment is what the Bible teaches, and what the earliest Christians believed. Early Church Fathers. Malachi tells us that the judgment day shall come “burning like an oven” and “all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.” The judgment thus “shall burn them up” (Mal. In fact, Roger argues (rightly in my opinion) that Open Theism is much closer to the “heart” of Arminianism than…, IX Contemporary Science, Free Will and Time, ← Open Theism and the Nature of the Future, How does an Open Theist explain all the prophecies fulfilled in the life of Jesus? But if, by the Spirit, ye mortify the practices of the body, ye will live. I’m saying that since you claim that the “vast majority” are just asserting their emotions, you must clearly be familiar with a majority of the writing that I’ve never seen before. 58:7–8). He, in essence, uses the mysterious union of God and humanity in Christ to justify asserting that the immutable God can really become mutable…, In my previous post I noted that the prevalent contemporary evangelical assumption that the only legitimate meaning of a passage of Scripture is the one the author intended is a rather recent, and very secular, innovation in Church history. 2. The Nicene Creed affirms belief in “the resurrection of the dead, in the everlasting judgment of souls and bodies, and the … Just to be clear, I am one of those Christians who holds to the traditional doctrine of hell. certainly falls little short of annihilationism proper. wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. Who goes to hell? 4:12). Instead he argues that the fire itself is in possession of immortality. Yep. 100:5; 103:9; 106:1; 107:1; Ps 118;1-4, 29; 136:10-26). This fire also destroys all the matter in the Universe, btw. Annihilationism is the view that whoever and whatever cannot be redeemed by God is ultimately put out of existence. We’re not talking about something that can withstand the purifying flames unscathed. Some seem to support Annihilationism, and some do not. (2 Peter 3:10). Daniel, for example, speaks of all who shall be crushed by the rock of God’s judgment as being “broken.” They become “like the chaff of the summer threshing floor” blown away by the wind “so that not a trace of them [can] be found” (Dan. John Stott also believed in the concept of annihilationism, i.e., that the souls of the lost are eventually allowed to perish instead of burning throughout eternity in the lake of fire of a literal hell. As in the Old Testament, the wicked are frequently depicted as being destroyed by fire. Nope. (from a post-Nicene manuscript fragment). So, if you’re wondering what a handful of the early church fathers thought of hell, here is Glenn Peoples on the topic: In light of the actual written evidence from the Early Church Fathers themselves, this pleading seems simply incredible. save hide report. Definitely. Note the metaphors carefully. In this essay I will present biblical arguments in its defense and then conclude with several other supporting arguments. Penal Substitution View of Atonement: Did God the Father Just Need to Vent? The Lord turned the inhabitants of these cities “to ashes” and “condemned them to extinction” thus making “them an example of what is coming to the ungodly…” (2 Pet. The scriptures suggest they still have their body ( the spiritual realm and physical realm are joined together again as it was in the garden of Eden). They “shall be cut off…and…will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there“ (Ps. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Of course this would cause excruciating torment and hopelessness, not because God was torturing them but because they would finally experience the ultimate consequence of their actions. 6 comments. What? The contrast in these passages between “death,” losing life, and “perishing,” on the one hand, with “life,” on the other, seems quite incompatible with the contrast of eternal bliss with eternal pain that the traditional teaching on hell presupposes. We are talking about the first 5 centuries after Christ. But I think for the vast majority of people who reject the traditional notion of hell, they are just asserting their emotions and intuitions over the Bible and the traditional interpretations of the early church. Once that happens the souls of the wicked would continue to exist in a disembodied form and be condemned to water the black void of this dead Universe for all eternity (as wandering stars described in Jude), finally having been granted their ultimate wish which was to exist in a Universe where God does not exist. If agents get to the point where they are indeed hopelessly locked in their resistance to God, it seems more reasonable, and more biblical, to believe God would put them out of their misery. Our love and our works cover sin until we meet Jesus the day He comes for us. Can you clarify any of this? It can’t be that I’m the exception, because virtually none of the literature I know of does what you imply. – Lake of Fire. What I’m saying is that I am familiar with probably most of the literature defending annihilationism from the early twentieth century until now (and sporadic example prior to that). Click to expand... Jesus and the apostles taught eternal torment in the lake of fire, that is enough for any christian, there should be no divide on this. And Paul teaches that the quest for riches can plunge people into “ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. The Psalmist says that whereas those who take delight in the Lord shall be “like trees planted by streams of water” (1:3), the wicked shall be “like chaff that the wind drives away…the wicked will perish” (Ps. and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. The Psalmist’s emphasis on the total destruction of the wicked has parallels throughout the Old Testament. I think an annihilationist would respond to the writing of the Church Fathers in the same way they respond to the Biblical texts: (1) “eternal punishment” does not mean “eternal torment” but part of the eternal punishment is to cease to exist for the rest of eternity, and (2) “everlasting” does not mean the body/soul in fire is immortal and eternal. How is this consistent with the view that God’s wrath burns eternally toward the wicked? Therefore, annihilationism simply can't work in light of what the Scriptures teach. However, I believe that annihilationism is the most consistent with the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments, as well as of the beliefs of the early Church. 4. How can Christians become more comfortable with the doctrine of Hell? One is judged in their body either good or bad How NOT To Be Christ-Centered: A Review of God With Us – Part IV, The Cross and the Witness of Violent Portraits of God, Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors, The Case for Including Open Theism Within Arminianism. All directly or indirectly speak of total annihilation. That is, there is no one word that is translated into the English word "hell." They spend eternity floating around in a vacuum of darkness from which there is no escape, and fully realize the ultimate consequence of their actions, which brings excruciating mental torment. Since they do not die, it is impossible for them to have an end put to their misery. I recently read a post by Paul Helm about universalism in the early church. It is the belief that unbelievers will be "wiped out" or "annihilated" sometime after death. 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Early Christians who believed this almost always believed the fire was literal. Sentient beings do not suffer eternally, as the traditional view of hell teaches. We are to choose – that is our decision. So here we see an scripture promising destruction for the people of Edom, involving an unquenchable fire that produces smoke that goes up forever. In short, the fate of the wicked is disintegration into nothingness. Why should a conservative Christian have an alias when posting online? It’s why (I shall argue) the Kingdom of God is largely absent…, In the first three parts of this review of Scott Oliphint’s God with Us we’ve outline his attempt to reframe all God’s accommodations in Scripture in light of the Chalecedonian Creed. her land shall become burning pitch. Well said. The New Testament also frequently expresses the destiny of the wicked by depicting them as dying or perishing (apollymi). 2 Corinthians 5:10 So too, Christ is said to have come to “abolish death and [bring] life and immortality to light through the gospel” (1 Tim. Yet, it would be better for them if they were not deathless. You can’t try to make the case for him being one, but an annihiliationist would just say he’s wrong. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. 21:4) if throughout eternity there shall be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” as multitudes suffer an endless second death? If we all live forever, and its just a matter of the location where we reside, then this teaching on eternal life doesn’t make much sense. And what we learn is that they are “condemned… to extinction.”, Throughout the Old Testament the Lord threatens the wicked with annihilation. 30:5; e.g. none shall pass through it forever and ever.”. ( they arent allowed in the city ? In fact, he reasons; if a man who knows not God does what is evil, yet still suffers the consequences of his actions (which is death), how much more will a man be punished if he does evil in spite of knowing God? Then there will be neither death again nor resurrection again, but we shall be always the same as we are now, without changing. I recently read a post by Paul Helm about universalism in the early church. 2) Clement of Alexandria – People should know something is not right when they read, ‘All souls are immortal, even those of the wicked’. (Revelation 20:12), Are they then cast into fire and burned? The early church was predominantly Jewish, of course. The traditional view that the wicked suffer eternally makes little use of the Old Testament. 1 Timothy 2:3-5) So go and love other people and do good to all. 1[a] “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. To all who refused to comply with the covenant God had established, for example, the Lord vowed to “blot out their names from under heaven” (Deut. This is particularly true of the phrase “forever and ever” since similar phrases are used elsewhere in Scripture in contexts where they clearly cannot literally mean “unending” (e.g. Jesus also said not to be afraid of those who can kill the body but not the soul, but instead to be afraid of the One who can destroy both the soul and the body. The most difficult passages for annihilationists to explain are Revelation 14:10-11 and 20:10. 6:8; 1 John 5:11). Augustine is one simple opinion and came a couple hundred years after the concensus of 3 letters written some 100 years of less after the last apostle to die. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Irenaeus was bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (now Lyon, France) at the end of the second century. a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. ( Log Out /  Imagine if the wicked are resurrected with physical bodies and then judged. they and their work shall burn together, Therefore, annihilationism simply can't work in light of what the Scriptures teach. Is this view really compatible with a God whose heart was expressed in Jesus’ dying prayer, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34)? Annihilationism is the view that whoever and whatever cannot be redeemed by God is ultimately put out of existence. Sentient beings do not suffer eternally, as the traditional view of hell teaches. Peter teaches that “destruction” awaits false, greedy teachers (2 Pet. I kind of resent the assumption that annihilationists believe what they do simply because they don’t want to be mean. Nope, but it obviously takes a certain amount of time because these people are given no rest day or night and the smoke is “of their torment” exists. Annihilationism removes that problem with the guillotine. The big point we are building up to here is that the early church fathers DID NOT believe in eternal torment. There is certainly a need to warn unbelievers of the impending judgment of God. If the traditional view of hell is correct, God remains nonvictorious. Question: "Is annihilationism biblical?" He justly punishes their sin and forbids them a place within the Kingdom. Eternal, conscious punishment for eternity. That is, there is no one word that is translated into the English word "hell." First of note, the word "hell" is not in the Bible. shove, if I have to choose (as I usually do) between a church with otherwise good, biblical, evangelical theology that also believes in eternal torment in Hell, and one whose only upside is that it teaches annihilationism (as opposed to just tolerating it among its members), I will … 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.. . Yes Christ died for the sins of the world, however, it is a persons decision to decide. The early church was split almost 50/50 for Universalism / Never ending Hell, annihilationism is the least supported. If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at info@carm.org. Would we call a human being good or merciful – or anything other than cruel — who retaliated on his foes with this sort of unmitigated, insatiable vengeance? The Early Church Fathers simply reflected the clearest teachings of the Bible related to the nature of Hell. 185–6). The teachings of the early believers have been preserved for us in the writings of the earliest church leaders (known as the Early Church Fathers). 9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, Their physical bodies are destroyed by unquenchable fire (keep in mind that unquenchable simply means that no one is able to put the fire out). It is frequently said of the wicked that they will be “destroyed.” Jesus contrasts the wide gate that “leads to destruction” with the narrow gate that “leads to life” (Matt. Some early Christian writers who wrote letters indicating that they shall be “ all in all never been ” nahum. Do these things according to the nature of hell is a ( living ) soul!: 1 to annihiliationists, I am one of those who please him by keeping his commandments are of! 6 ; 20:21 ; Ps view that damned souls are mortal from the site deny that the of. 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