How much more abundant can you get? If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. I then noticed all the times the Bible used the word “perish,” “destroy,” “everlasting destruction,” “death,” and plus something in me telling me that a God who is love would never do this–Your website has brought me peace. If you believe the souls of unsaved men live forever, then which of these two statements do you believe? Isn’t this a basic rule of hermeneutics? As for me and my family, we choose to believe JESUS. It will be Judgment Day to be exact. We can soundly conclude that raging fire will literally devour the enemies of God when they are cast into the lake of fire consuming them wholly. But the statement to them of their “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46) will remove all hope from them. It is important to note that in Hebrew, the word for “life/soul” (nehphesh) is never used in conjunction with the word “everlasting” in Tanach (The Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament). (2) So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. This is what is biblically true. Joshua 7:15 “And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath:”, Joshua 7:25 “And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? It is the “second death” (Rev. According to Hebrews 10:26-27, notice clearly that, on judgment day, raging fire will utterly consume the enemies of God, not sadistically torture them without end, “and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”. Or do you believe that God does have the ability to destroy the soul, but chooses not to? This is clear because the bible plainly states that the beast originated from the Abyss (Revelation 11:7 and 17:8). They were not saying they would be willing to undergo eternal torment. Additionally, this is the same exact word in Greek that Peter uses to talk about how Lot was vexed (tormented) in his soul while seeing the evil deeds done in his hometown. Conditional Immortality: The Case for Orthodoxy on the Doctrine of Annihilationism - Kindle edition by Tanoto, Tanwin. In other words, how is putting them to death really a punishment? No, the sacrifices were eventually turned to ashes. No, the truth is “living forever” is reserved only as a gift of the gospel. Is immortality inherent or is immortality a gift that only believers receive? So we can see that even an unsaved lawmaker instinctively knows that the unending (24/7) physical torturing of a twenty year old murderer for the next 50 years (assuming his life span to be seventy years) would certainly not make the punishment fit the crime. Source: Dr. David R. Reagan, Lamplighter magazine, March 2006, Lamb & Lion Ministries, McKinney, TX, 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.”, This is the most quoted verse in the Bible and also one of the clearest accounts on the destruction of the wicked. Thank you! That which is cast into the fire will BURN UP. God judges the rebellious even as He mercifully puts them out of existence…, It is very important to see how Dr. Boyd’s father responds to this information which he had never heard before (since he had never heard this point of view before. This is why Jesus (Yeshua) and the apostles and the Psalmist can all state: But what is the meaning of the word “destroy”? This point needs to be repeated over and over again. The fact of the matter is this, the body and soul of unbelievers can and will be destroyed one day. From the ancient epic of Gilgamesh to Ponce De Leon’s obsessive search for the fountain of youth to our modern-day compulsion to remain youthful-looking as long as possible, humanity is obsessed with the idea of immortality, the idea of living forever. After the Resurrection, the death of the body and soul together is called the second death. commendably brings into the discussion many items that are often overlooked.” (Dr. Walvoord expressly disagrees with the conclusions of this book. Mankind is headed toward death, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish (Gk: apollumi; be destroyed), but have everlasting life (i.e. However, nothing is said about shame being felt forever. However, upon closer examination of the text, it is nowhere to be found. Church as consisting of people who have been “saved” from a penalty OTHER than the one the Bible declares awaits the “unsaved”! [3], The British Evangelical Alliance ACUTE report states the doctrine is a "significant minority evangelical view" that has "grown within evangelicalism in recent years". Should this eternal punishment and this fire be extinguished, it would in a great measure obscure the light of heaven and put an end to a great part of the happiness and glory of the blessed.”. See also Ezekiel 18:4, 20. ), GEORGE LEONARD GOSS, former editor, Evangelical Book Club: “A thorough and convincing exposition.”, NEW OXFORD REVIEW: “Exceptionally evenhanded, forceful and to the point.”, MISSION JOURNAL: “A formidable scriptural argument which defenders of the popular view will be hard pressed to meet.”, EVANGELICAL BOOK CLUB: “A thoughtful case for an opinion that deserves a hearing.”, RESURRECTION MAGAZINE: “The definitive work on Conditional Immortality.”, CHURCH OF ENGLAND NEWSPAPER: “Essential reading for anyone interested in the subject.”. For God, death is the worst judgment of all, because He holds life as precious! God alone has immortality (I Tim. The souls of all men are born indestructible? But look how Paul frames in immortality uniquely and only with believers: To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. Look what his father states in his letters: Did you notice that? They will suffer no more and no less than their sins deserve–then will be destroyed forever just as the Messiah foretold. Thankfully, Dr. Boyd shared this option with his father and his father is now going to have immortality because of it. Why do the unsaved even know that? To understand man’s condition in death we must begin with the book of Genesis. 16:46 . There is a way of using the Bible to support your theology that really just amounts to doing everything in your power to avoid what the Bible has to say so that you can escape from the ravages of Scripture with your precious doctrine still intact. Edward Fudge brings up this excellent point. (2 Timothy 1:10) With this as a biblical filter, an important rule of biblical hermeneutics can now be followed–plain texts must interpret any symbolic texts. This was partly as a result of a number of well-known Christian leaders, such as John Stott, Archbishop George Carey, Philip Hughes, Michael Green, Stephen Travis and Clark Pinnock having declared support for part, or all, of what we call Conditional Immortality. Mankind is headed toward death–the first death, followed by the Second Death. The list could go on and on, but suffice it to say that there are sufficient grounds for looking at this as a parable. Please read next chapter: Are all souls born immortal? During the Reformation, Luther, "Tyndale", and Wycliffe supported the view of conditional immortality. Home; About; Links; Contact; Home; About; Links; Contact; About. Religion is the human attempt to connect with God, whereas Christianity is God connecting with humanity through Christ. Yet, as Constible pointed out, “From the earliest records of our race capital punishment has been reckoned as not only the greatest but also the most lasting of all punishments; and it is only reckoned the greatest because it is the most lasting. Stephen’s accusers were angry with Stephen and have attacked him. “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.” In other words, immortality is a gift of God which He gives in His grace to the redeemed at the time of their resurrection. (Joshua 7:15). Believers will live forever. In the second death, the body and soul stop functioning forever. Even in eternity. This is a future event for John. Obviously Jesus would not disagree with Isaiah. Because he was not teaching it at all. Paul clearly links immortality to the gospel. It would be similar to us looking at the burned corpse of Adolf Hitler. (Ezekiel 18:32). In the mid-1980s, he began his pursuit of a law degree, which he earned from the University of Houston Law Center in 1988. In his more than 45 years as a pastor, teacher and lecturer, Edward Fudge has written and published numerous books and articles. He took the punishment we deserve. Let me repeat Revelation 11:1, 14:11, 16:2, all have the same Greek tense! Ezekiel states clearly that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4), and a plethora of other Bible verses and passages endorse this position. We understand the awful consequences that are the result of sin entering God’s creation, and that makes us appreciate Christ all the more. So does the Traditional view of the lost, as eternal conscious torment, fit the bill? Humans do not come out of this pit. What is the judicial underlying basis for capital punishment? Those who have their names in this book will gain immortality. So from the hermeneutical principle that “scripture interprets scripture,” we can see very clearly that when Jesus (Yeshua) says: “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” Luke 13:28. Are you saying there is no "punishment" for the unsaved ? Even Yeshua (Jesus) taught limited conscience physical sufferings upon the guilty: “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. Notice, Peter says two things about the fate of the ungodly: A) They are an example for us to see what awaits the ungodly. However, Matthew 10:28 is the text through which all other scriptures and their interpretations must be filtered. When we read Romans 6:23, it makes perfect sense as it is: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” But if a person believes that immortality is not conferred as a gift, but is an innate possession, they have to sup… Yet this is exactly what the wages of sin are (Romans 6:23). To be perfect honest, Dad, I’ve never been able to make much sense of it myself. 6:23). Paul said the wicked would be destroyed, “Whose end is destruction” (Philippians 3:19) not eternally tormented. One of those options is Conditional Immortality (although he does not call it that. Remember, this verse is taking place while they are standing before God and know that He can bring anyone back from death. As a general rule, conditionalism goes hand in hand with annihilationism; that is, the belief that the souls of the wicked will be destroyed in Gehenna (often translated "hell", especially by non-conditionalists and non-universalists) fire rather than suffering eternal torment. To the Hebrew mind, even if a man could live to be 200 years old and have 100 children, without a proper burial he would better have been stillborn (Ecclesiastes 6:3-6). Thus, the view of final punishment promoted by many is actually in direct opposition to the teaching of Jesus Christ. RESURRECTION MAGAZINE: “The definitive work on Conditional Immortality.” CHURCH OF ENGLAND NEWSPAPER: “Essential reading for anyone interested in the subject.” Also to be noted, in 1992, the (then) most recent global evangelism “Lausanne Conference” approved a revised Statement of Faith to allow for Conditional Immortality. He makes the saints in Heaven be deprived of qualities God has given to us, sympathy, pity, love for others, caring for others; and made them to be cruel monsters that delight in the pain of others, and loves to hear the groans of those they now love, and the groans of the countless millions of the lost. The only difference will be that a human judicial court can only remove the bodily life of a person as punishment. However consider the alternative. Believe What the Jewish Apostles Taught, Not What the Greek Philosophers Taught, Before the Messiah, Jesus, came, no one had a chance at immortality because of sin. Ashes that will be looked upon with contempt or disgust (Isaiah 66:24, Daniel 12:2). Why would immortality come through the gospel if all had it from birth? ” (Matthew 7:13). For centuries, church theologians have wrongly assumed the Greek doctrine of the immortality of all souls. Conditional Immortality (which is also sometimes called annihilationism and conditionalism) is the position that only those who have trusted in Christ will be granted continued, eternal existence in the afterlife. The Book of Acts describes the “birth” of the Church by speaking of “they that gladly received his word” being “added unto them” (Acts 2:41) and stating that “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:47) So the Churc immortality–knowing God). The point being, Jesus was sinless and therefore God raised Him from the dead. It is enlightening, in the context of this study, to note that this word is used in the LXX (Septuagint) in Exodus 3:2 where Moses beholds a burning bush–“The bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was NOT consumed.” This particular bush was preserved in the fire (what the Traditionalists proclaim will happen with the wicked), yet Jesus disagrees with this doctrine. 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