The Second Death and the Lake of Fire

The controversy surrounding the two different ideas of what happens to the lost, a second death (Conditional Immortality - CI) or unending torture (Eternal Conscious Punishment - ECP), has taken me back to the Bible again! Some say this is not a salvation issue since we are saved by Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, and therefore, it is not important enough to warrant deep study. However, this topic is important because it is a stumbling block to many people, keeping them from even investigating the gospel's truth. So, for them, it is a salvation issue. It is a fundamental part of taking the great commission to the ends of the earth. We can throw up our hands and ignore the controversy, or we can search the scriptures, as the Bereans did, to understand God's will for the lost, and in the process, save many who are lost, Acts 17:10-11, "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Consider searching the scriptures to save the lost as leaving the ninety-nine and going after the one, Matthew 18:12-13, "How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray." Isn't that what Martin Luther did in 1517?

2 Timothy 1:9-10, "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:" and Titus 3:5, 7, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost... That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." God tells us His purpose for creating was decided before He began creating. He tells us Jesus brought life and immortality through the gospel. Those denying Jesus will not find immortality but instead will suffer death, the second death. But, those who accept the gospel will inherit life in the form of immortality, Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." God chose to give us free will. For it to be free will, He has to respect our final choice, or it is not free will. He does not kill us the first time we reject His offer. Instead, He gives us a lifetime to figure it out. He does not force us; He is patient and longsuffering.

John 11:25-26, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" Jesus tells us that He is the resurrection. He is the only way to eternal life, John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." It is a simple choice, eternal life or death, Malachi 4:1, "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." This is one description of the second death.

We, that means every one of us, are born in Adam and face the first death, Romans 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" The first resurrection is when the saved are given eternal life, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 50-53, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." We are changed from mortal bodies and souls into immortal ones by Jesus at the last trump. Those who believe in Jesus are part of the first resurrection and will be transformed; those who do not believe in Jesus will face the second death after the second resurrection. This is possible because Jesus came and died and rose again Revelation 1:18, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Only the one who died and overcame death could save us from it. This is why God sent Jesus to rescue us; John 3:16, 18, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life...He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." He did it because He loved us and wanted to provide a way for us to live with Him for eternity.

Revelation 20:5-6, "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Clearly, there are two deaths, and those who face the second death are those who do not choose to accept Jesus's offer. These verses tell us that the rest of the dead will not be resurrected until a thousand years have passed. Those who choose Jesus as their savior will rule with Jesus for a thousand years of peace and love. God wants all of us to have the opportunity to attain eternity rather than perish; John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

Jesus wants us to understand that only God can kill the soul; Matthew 10:28, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." How does God destroy the soul in hell? Revelation 20:14, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." If we do not choose Jesus, our souls are destroyed in hell when it is cast into the lake of fire, which God calls the second death, Revelation 21:8, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Of course, many of those who choose Jesus will also have been murderers before they saw the light and chose Him, as was the case when Saul became Paul. Our past does not prevent us from turning and choosing life; Revelation 2:11, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." However, if we do not repent from our sins, we will face judgment and the second death, Acts 3:19, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." and Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" The final judgment will be painful to hear for those who are about to die the second death, Matthew 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" However, it is the second death for those who choose the devil over Jesus, Psalm 92:7, "When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:" and Hebrews 6:7-8, "For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." and Matthew 3:12, "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Unquenchable fire means it will burn until there is nothing left to burn.

So, what is the second death? Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." and Matthew 7:13, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:" The word translated destruction in this verse is "apolummi." It is the same word used in Matthew 12:14, "Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him." We know the Pharisees did not want to torture Jesus for eternity, they wanted to kill Him. In 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." He does not want any to perish by the second death. He wants all to come to repentance and receive eternal life.

Eternal life and the second death are the only two outcomes after the first death. This is the only way to rightly understand Genesis 2:17, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." and 1 John 3:8, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." and 2 Peter 2:6, "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;" and Luke 13:3, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." and Psalm 9:5, "Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever." and Psalm 37:10,18,20, "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be... The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever... But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." and 1 Timothy 6:19, "Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." and Romans 2:5-7, "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:" and John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." and 1 John 5:11-13, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." and James 4:12, "There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?" and John 6:54, "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." So, an eternal life of torture is not possible since only those who follow Jesus will have eternal life; the rest will die the first death, be resurrected, judged, and finally destroyed, which is the second death. This is why He took Adam and Eve out of the garden, Genesis 3:22, "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" Clearly, those who do not follow Jesus will not see eternal life. Jesus clearly tells us that eternal life is inherited from Him, Matthew 19:29, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."

Those in the first resurrection do not face the second death. Those in the second resurrection learn they face the second death and can do nothing about it. Thus, they will feel fear and shame as they stand before the judgment seat.  Revelation 20:12, 15, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." This is the second death. It is not eternal torture. However, it is an eternal punishment for they will live no more, and the very day they died the first death, their plans perished with them, for they have no future, Ezekiel 18:4, "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." and Hebrews 10:39, "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." God wants us to choose life, not death; Ezekiel 18:32, "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." He is not talking about eternal torture for those who do not choose to live, He is talking about death.

What does God tell us about those who suffer the second death?

Because we are all sinners at birth, Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" our only hope is the covering blood of Jesus, 1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Those who do not choose the covering blood of Jesus will face the second death. There is no other way.

Those who believe in ECP must also believe that all souls are immortal. However, that directly conflicts with many verses that definitively state eternal life comes from a belief in Jesus alone and that God will kill the souls who do not repent. So, how do they support this belief? Here are some of the verses that led them to their belief: 

Matthew 25:46, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Everlasting punishment could mean eternal torture. However, it could also mean the punishment is permanent, like a second death without a possibility of resurrection. To help in understanding this, I refer you to Hebrews 9:12, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." which speaks of eternal redemption, not a redemption requiring Jesus to be continually sacrificed, but one that provides an eternal outcome, which resulted from His single sacrifice on the cross.

John 5:29, "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." Everlasting damnation could mean eternal torture. However, it could also mean damned to death without a possibility of resurrection.

2 Thessalonians 1:9, "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" Everlasting destruction could mean dying over and over again in eternal torture. However, death without a possibility of resurrection is more consistent with the rest of the Bible's discussion of the second death.

John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Everlasting life is being compared to no life, which means death.

Luke 16:19-31 is the story of Lazarus and the rich man. This parable is the second one on greed in this chapter. It is not meant to represent the eternal torture of those in hell; it is a lesson on putting money before the truth that Jesus came to save us from the second death. It ends by saying, "And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." It is a commentary on humans who choose to ignore that Jesus rose from the dead to prove His authority over death and the truth of His message of eternal life.

Jude 1:7, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Of course, there is no fire today where Sodom and Gomorrha once stood. The fire is not eternal; however, the destruction is. This is an example of the literary style of hyperbole, which is used often in the Bible and cannot be taken literally.

Isaiah 66:24, "And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." More hyperbole, as in Jude 1:7 above.

Mark 9:43-44, "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." He is not asking us to maim ourselves; the fire never quenched and the worm that never dies are both forms of hyperbole. This is another example of the eternal fire in Jude 1:7 above.

Revelation 20:10, "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Apparently, the beast and the false prophet will not be destroyed in the fire. This verse, while it might mean that the devil and his two associates will suffer eternal torture, cannot be used to make the leap to those humans who will be destroyed after the judgment.

Revelation 14:9-11, "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Although this is the strongest case for eternal torture, three points must be made here. First, many verses firmly state destruction, not eternal torture, is the fate of those who are not in Jesus. Secondly, these verses say the torture of the fire will be in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. This could mean when they are thrown into the fire and destroyed in the presence of the Lamb. It does state that the smoke from the fire of their torment will ascend forever. However, we have seen that eternal fire and smoke do not mean they continue forever. See comments on Jude 1:7 above. Lastly, the third angel referred to in these verses talks about a time when the saved will need encouragement to help them persevere, which they will not need in heaven. So, this cannot refer to eternal torture after judgment.

Ultimately, the question of eternal torture is a comment on the character of God. Does eternal torture rightly represent God's character, or is it a distortion that keeps some from finding the truth about God?

The only justification for using eternal torture of the lost would be to scare people into following Jesus. But Jesus tells us the Father's love draws people to Him, John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." and 1 John 4:9-19, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." God's way is the carrot of love, not the stick of oppression, to save people. What purpose would eternal torture serve? It wouldn't lead to repentance since it is too late for that. It would only be vengeance, akin to kicking a man after you have killed him.

Why would a loving, all-mighty God need to seek vengeance? It is more likely that a loving God would respect our choice since love demands freedom of choice. If we pick this life only, He will allow us this life. If we pick Him and eternity, He will allow us to live with Him in eternity, 1 John 5:11-12, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Love never forces, and a loving God would not force eternal life on those who do not want it. Instead, He gives us a choice and pleads with us to choose life, Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" Those who think eternal life will be in a fallen world like this one, do not understand God and His love.

The eternal life God is offering us will be paradise, Luke 23:42-43, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." A paradise without pain and suffering, Revelation 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below are two other presentations on Conditional Immortality for your consideration.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Personal, Brief, Biblical Defense of Conditional Immortality

Mark Campbell, January 2020

Conditional Immortality (CI) is the belief that immortality is not innate to the human soul, but rather that it is a gift only to believers in Jesus Christ, or “conditional” upon their acceptance of Christ (2 Timothy 1:10).  Proponents of CI believe that most who hold to the traditional view of hell, or Eternal Conscious Punishment (ECP), approach Scripture through the mistaken belief that the human soul is immortal, which results in a skewed exegesis of Scriptures pertaining to the final judgment of the wicked.  We have probably all heard a preacher say something like this – “You will live forever, the question is whether that will be in heaven or hell.”  Viewed through this lens of belief that the human soul is innately immortal, any form of the word “hell” in Scripture is automatically seen in the traditional sense, as Eternal Conscious Punishment. 

A corollary to Conditional Immortality is the belief known as Annihilationism. Annihilationism is the belief that the unsaved are punished for sin according to the severity of one’s sin (Luke 12:47-48), but that at some point on or following the Day of Judgment, they are completely destroyed - body and soul.  Annihilationism holds that the fire of hell is fire that consumes, or annihilates.

I invite the reader to check all thoughts against Scripture, asking  the Holy Spirit to lead you into truth (John 16:13).  I hold as conviction that whatever the Bible clearly teaches we are obligated to hold as truth! The case for conditional immortality (CI) should be made from Scripture alone, and not from human sentiment.  Whereas “tradition” espouses the view of “eternal conscious punishment,” tradition has been wrong on many issues in the past.  Two important principles emanating  from the Reformation should be considered before we proceed:

1. “Sola scriptura,” which is Latin for “by scripture alone.”  This doctrine maintains that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness.  Consequently, only those doctrines are to be admitted or confessed that are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid deductive reasoning from scripture. 

2.  “Ecclesia semper reformanda est,” which is Latin for “the church is always to be reformed.”

Speaking to the issue of tradition, J.I. Packer, who espouses ECP, nevertheless comments on the importance of testing and reforming our beliefs through the use of Scripture alone:

“We do not start our Christian lives by working out our faith for ourselves; it is mediated to us by Christian tradition, in the form of sermons, books, and established patterns of church life and fellowship.  We read our Bibles in the light of what we have learned from these sources; we approach Scripture with minds already formed by the mass of accepted opinions and viewpoints with which we have come into contact, in both the Church and the world.  It is easy to be unaware that it has happened; it is hard even to begin to realize how profoundly tradition in this sense had molded us.  But we are forbidden to become enslaved to human tradition, either secular or Christian, whether it be “catholic” tradition, or “critical” tradition, or “ecumenical” tradition.  We may never assume the complete rightness or our own established ways of thought and practice and excuse ourselves the duty of testing and reforming them by Scriptures.” 

Fundamentalism and the Word of God

Many who know me well understand that my primary spiritual gift is that of mercy, and therefore might make the mistake of presuming that it was this gift of mercy that drove me to study the topic of hell.  In reality, this had nothing to do with why I undertook a serious study on hell.  In 2013, while I was serving as the Executive Director for Ministries of Jesus, a ministry of Henderson Hills Baptist Church, two board members brought to my attention that one of my staff members belonged to a Seventh Day Adventist Church, and that this was highly problematic.  I quickly found out that one of their key beliefs, and the one that I believe to be most different than that of other evangelical churches, was this belief in Conditional Immortality or Annihilationism.  Before I had a conversation with this staff member I knew that I needed to do some research, yet my thought was “this is going to be so easy….everyone knows that suffering in hell is for “eternity.”  In fact, I had never even heard of the position of “Annihilationism.”  However, very soon in my study I saw that the annihilationists definitely come to their view based only on biblical exegesis – in other words, their view was very well founded on the Bible alone.  In fact, I honestly became shocked to find verses whose plain, literal meaning seemed to strongly communicate that the fire of hell is a fire which consumes, rather than a fire which endlessly torments.  As I studied further I became more and more convinced that the Bible teaches CI, and yet many times I put the issue away, knowing that to be a supporter of CI, one would incur much criticism, perhaps even to the point of being labeled a “heretic.”  One of the things that I don’t like about myself is that I tend to be overly sensitive to criticism, which greatly mitigates against one coming out with a belief such as Annihilationism.  However, as I have read my Bible daily each morning over the years, passages which support this belief kept coming up, such that I have not been able to put the issue aside, and I have finally come to the point which I certainly should not hide my view on the subject.  Whatever the Bible teaches we are obligated to believe and to obey!  And while the Bible contains some teaching that is to be taken metaphorically or allegorically, our default position should be to take its teaching literally.  I find that the position of Conditional Immortality allows me to take the Bible much  more literally – words like “perish” really mean perish, and “death” really means death.

I therefore invite the reader to test his or her belief about the nature of hell by examining relevant Bible passages.  Let’s begin with a brief review of scriptures pertaining to the mortality/immortality of the soul.  In Genesis 2:17,God tells Adam not to eat from the tree of good and evil, “for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”  Admittedly there is difficulty in understanding in what respect Adam and Eve would “die” in that day, but as John G. Stackhouse points out in Four Views of Hell, “what precisely no one can conclude is that God was threatening that ‘in the day you eat of it you shall die – by which I mean, you will actually live forever, if very unpleasantly.”  And in Genesis 3:22 we see that after Adam and Eve ate from this tree, God subsequently prevented them from eating from the tree of life, “lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” God did not want sinful man to live forever in a state of rebellion against Him, so He denied him the immortality he would have otherwise enjoyed had he not sinned.  In any event, Genesis 3:22 makes it rather plain that man, at least after the Fall, would not be inherently immortal. In Romans 2:5-8 the Apostle Paul speaks about immortality as something that must be sought:

“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek  for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” 

So immortality must be sought, it is not innate, at least not after the Fall. In 2 Timothy 1:10, Paul says that immortality can only be enjoyed and gained from believing in Jesus Christ, who “abolished death, and brought life and immortality  to light through the gospel.”  

Furthermore Paul speaks to believers when he says:

“Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable………For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”                                          

(1 Corinthians 15:50 & 53)

Hence the immortality lost in the Fall must be “put on” only as a gift to the believer through the gospel.  Moreover, Ezekiel 18:4 says “The soul that sins will die.”  Indeed, the first lie in the Bible occurred when Satan told Eve, “You surely shall not die.” Nowhere does the Bible say that the human soul is innately immortal. As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:16, God “…alone possesses immortality.”

Martin Luther, regarded as the progenitor of the Reformation, had problems with the notion that the human soul is immortal, expressing his views with not a small amount of sarcasm:

“However, I permit the Pope to establish articles of faith for himself and for his own faithful — such are: That the bread and wine are transubstantiated in the sacrament; that the essence of God neither generates nor is generated; that the soul is the substantial form of the human body, that he (the Pope) is emperor of the world and king of heaven, and earthly god; that the soul is immortal; and all these endless monstrosities in the Roman dung hill of decretals…..”

While Luther chose his battles well and thus focused on the issue of salvation by faith, he nevertheless had problems with this view that the human soul is innately immortal.  Of course, Luther is not to be regarded as faultless, yet he joins William Tyndall and John Stott as prominent theologians supportive of conditional immortality.

 Now let’s look at some specific New Testament Scriptures, starting with John 3:16, the most quoted verse in the Bible:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Christ speaks of two options here - (1) Believe in Him and have “eternal life”, or (2) choose not to believe in Him and “perish.”  If Christ were supporting the notion of unbelievers being tormented throughout eternity, He most certainly would not use the word “perish” to describe those who would indeed never perish.

This duality of options is echoed in the Apostle Paul’s words found in Romans 6:23, a verse frequently used in sharing the Gospel (Roman Road):

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I think we may all agree that the one thing “death” does not mean is “never dying.” Once again we find this duality of choice and consequence in Christ’s words in Matthew 7:13-14:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.  For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”

Speaking of this “destruction,” Christ spoke very clearly in Matthew 10:28:

“And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

How much clearer could Jesus be on the matter?  And lest one think that the word “destroy” here only means to “render inoperable,” take note that this word used here for “destroy,” or “apolummi,” is the same word rendered as “kill” when Matthew 12:14 speaks of how “the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might  kill Jesus.” 

Christ also says that this destruction is to be accomplished through the consuming nature of fire:

“Allow both to grow together until harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”  (Matthew 13:30)

Indeed, the New Testament opens early with John the Baptist using similar terminology about the consuming nature of hell’s fire:

“…He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  (Matthew 3:12)

When Jesus used the word “hell” He was using the Greek word “gehenna.”  Gehenna was formed from the phrase “valley (of the sons) of Hinnom.”  This was a valley just south of Jerusalem, known as the site of idol worship involving the burning to death of infants, as well as the site where garbage was burned up with fire, the leftovers being consumed by maggots (worms).  So is the fire of hell that which torments endlessly, or is it fire which totally consumes, resulting in the destruction of “body and soul” as Jesus said? The consuming fire of hell, resulting in the complete destruction of life, body and soul, is what the writer of Revelation refers to as the “second death”:

“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  Rev. 21:8

Although numerous New Testament scriptures support CI, two more merit particular mention.  In these passages we find the writer giving the reader an “example” of the final fate of the unsaved:

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell (tarturas) and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter………then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”   (2 Peter 2:4-9).  In Jude 1:7, Sodom and Gomorrah are said to be “exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”  So in two different Scriptures we have Sodom and Gomorrah given as examples of what happens to the wicked.  Are Sodom and Gomorrah still burning with “eternal fire?”  No, they were burned up, reduced to ashes by eternal fire – the fire not burning for eternity, but the effect of the fire lasting for eternity. 

Now let’s turn to the Old Testament and consider the oft-quoted Psalm 37:

“Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look for his place, and he will not be there.”  (v. 10)

“But the wicked will perish; and the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish – like smoke they vanish away.”  (v. 20)

“But transgressors will be altogether destroyed.”  (v. 38)

In the closing verses of the last book written in the Old Testament, Malachi says this about the fate of wicked on the day of judgment:

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘so that it will leave them neither root nor branch……And you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,’ says the Lord of hosts.”  (Malachi 4:1 & 3)

In the opening pages of the Old Testament we see the penalty for sin announced – death (Genesis 2:17), and in the closing pages of the Old Testament we see that the day of judgment is coming when the wicked will be “ashes” under the soles of the righteous (Malachi 4:1-3).  In the opening pages of the New Testament we saw John the Baptist describing the fate of the wicked as “chaff” to be “burned up.”  Jesus described the wicked as “tares” which would be burned up (Matthew 13:30), and concerning the wicked that He would “destroy both body and soul in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). In John 3:16 Jesus states that we either believe in Him and have “eternal life,” or we don’t believe in Him and hence “perish.” In the closing pages of the New Testament, we see the wicked being destroyed by the “second death” in Revelation 20:14 & 21:8.

“Proof Texts” commonly used to support Eternal Conscious Punishment (ECP)

So how does one get to the position of “eternal conscious punishment” for the wicked? This view did not solidify within the church until St. Augustine, who lived from 354-430 AD, made it normative. Augustine was known to have studied Plato rather extensively before coming to Christ, and Platonism held as prominent the view that the human soul is innately immortal.   While I would argue that tradition, and that despoiled by Greek philosophy, holds great sway, let’s look at a few passages appealed to by those holding the traditional view. 

In Luke 16:19-31 we read of the story/parable of Lazarus and the “rich man.”  The first point to be made is that this passage does not say how long the rich man has been in “Hades,” nor does it say how long he will yet be in “Hades.”  However, the greater point to be made is that this passage does not even contain the right “address” to deal with the topic of Hell.  “Hades” is noted by scholars such as Charles Ryrie to be “the abode of the unsaved dead between death and judgment at the great white throne.”  So a story set in the time period before the Day of Judgment cannot possibly be used to teach what happens after the Day of Judgment.  This point is acknowledged even by many who yet espouse ECP.  However, this story is in perfect harmony with the teaching of CI, which holds that the wicked are punished for their sins for an indeterminate length of time before finally being annihilated in the lake of fire, or the “second death” spoken of in Revelation 21:8.

In Matthew 25:46 Jesus contrasts the sheep (righteous) with the goats (wicked), saying “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  Just as the life lasts for eternity, the punishment lasts for eternity – the wicked are extinguished with no hope for another resurrection as on the day of judgment. A parallel for understanding this is the biblical term “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12)  The act of redemption (the death of Jesus on the cross) does not go on for eternity, but the effect of the redemption does go on for eternity. Likewise, the “eternal judgment” spoken of in Hebrews 6:2 involves a one-time judgment which lasts for eternity rather than judging which is done repeatedly throughout eternity. Again, eternal punishment results in death that lasts forever, with no hope of further resurrection – it is the “second death,” and the death foretold in Genesis 2:17.

Revelation 14:6-11 would seem to offer the best support for ECP, and yet we must look very closely at this passage to understand its true meaning.  Specifically, we must consider the location and duration of the torment depicted in verses 10 & 11. Owing to the use of the word “forever” in verse 11, it is widely believed that the torment is to continue throughout eternity.  However, there are several instances in Scripture where the word “forever” means something different than “throughout eternity.”  For example, if we look at the “sister” passage of Isaiah 34:9-10, Edom is described as having smoke which “shall go up forever,”  and yet Edom no longer exists.    We also see this alternative meaning in Deuteronomy 15:17, where a slave was to have his ear pierced as a sign that “he shall be your servant forever,” that “forever” means “as long as general conditions allow.”  Certainly this slave would not be serving this earthly master throughout eternity, but rather only so long as both the master and his slave should live on earth. So “forever” as used in verse 11 could be interpreted to mean the torment would last as long as that person is alive on earth.

Regarding the location of the torment, note that the three angels in this passage are preaching “to those who live on the earth.”  Secondly, following the preaching of the three angels and the description of the punishment of those who received the mark of the Beast, the people of God are called to patiently endure this tempestuous time on earth – “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” The things which believers are encouraged to do here are things which believers need encouragement to do while on the earth, but certainly would not need such encouragement to do so while in heaven. Therefore the description of what happens to those who worship the beast could reasonably be interpreted to mean that the torment begins on earth and lasts only so long as that person worshipping the beast is alive on earth.  We must not take lightly the interpretation of words used in Scripture to mean something differently than their “plain meaning,” and yet we do know that often this is prudent, particularly in a book such as Revelation, where so much is indeed to be taken allegorically or metaphorically.

A casual reading of this passage would seem to yield support for the doctrine of eternal conscious punishment, yet upon closer inspection, not without considerable ambiguity.  Is it prudent to allow a single passage from a highly symbolic book, the last book of the Bible, to outweigh a plethora of other Bible passages which clearly teach that the wicked will “die,” “perish,” be “destroyed,” and “burn up” like chaff in the fires of hell?  Does the Bible wait until the last of 66 books to announce what penalty awaits those who have rejected Christ?  No, the penalty was announced to Adam & Eve, symbolized through the sacrificial system (death of animals), spoken of by Jesus and the apostles, then described as the “Second Death” in Revelation.  And then consider the argument to be made from “silence” – even proponents of ECP acknowledge that the Old Testament has little if anything to say in support of ECP.

The substitutionary atonement of Christ is a precious doctrine that we sing of in the hymn “Jesus Paid It All.”  I love this hymn and it speaks a wonderful truth – that because Christ died the death I deserved, I get to have eternal life in Paradise with Him.  So if the “wages of sin” is not death, but eternal conscious punishment, how can we then say that Jesus has “paid it all?”  Is Jesus currently being tortured in hell?  Of course not – “He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach…”  (Colossians 1:22)  Christ died in the flesh, but His Spirit did not die – “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit “ (1 Peter 4:18). 

The wicked, because they have not been born again, are merely flesh (John 3:6), they do not have spiritual lives, and when they are resurrected to face judgment on the Day of Judgment, they have only fleshly bodies (as opposed to spiritual bodies) which are ultimately destroyed in the “Second Death.”  As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:50, “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”

I often hear opponents of CI say something like “if annihilation is the final fate of the wicked, what is the ‘punishment’ for sins, and why should they repent and turn to Christ if they can just cease to exist?”  As a reminder, CI does hold that the wicked are punished according to the degree of their sins (Luke 12:46-47). How and for how long they are punished before annihilation is not specified.  Moreover, consider that in our society the death penalty is viewed as more severe than life in prison because the penalty is the loss of life otherwise enjoyed, so consider the infinite penalty paid through the forfeiture of eternal life with the Almighty, majestic, loving Creator of the Universe!  The loss of Paradise for eternity is not to be taken lightly!  And when we look at the book of Acts, the greatest account of the spread of the Gospel in the early church, we find no mention whatsoever of ECP to motivate sinners to turn to Christ.  What we do see in Acts is a focus on eternal life, to be found only in Christ. Saying that sinners will only turn to Christ to avoid torture throughout eternity is akin to the prince saying to his “intended bride,” “I love you so very much and want to spend the rest of my life with you, but if you reject me I will hand you over to the King’s guard who will torture you the rest of your life.” 

God’s Final Victory

Paul writes eschatologically about the “end” in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28:

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.  For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be abolished is death.  For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.  But when He says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.  And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all.”

And now consider the imagery of the total victory of Christ as reported in 2 Peter 3:7-13:

“But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.  Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!  But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

Dear reader, can’t you see that Christ has His final and complete victory, because everything and everyone not of Him is ultimately destroyed, such that the only thing remaining is “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”  In this scenario we can certainly see God’s total victory where He is “all in all!”

Now consider how things “end” under the scenario of ECP, for Jesus said “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.  For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14).  If only “few” find eternal life in Christ, and the majority are tortured in hell for eternity, then how does that give Christ victory over Satan, and how do the words “God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28) ring true? 

To summarize, the Bible speaks greatly about the fate of the wicked as that of death in the consuming fire of hell – the “second death.”  As early as Genesis chapter two we see that the penalty for sin was death, and at the close of the Old Testament we see the wicked described as “ashes” under the soles of the righteous.  The New Testament opens with John the Baptist describing the fate of the wicked as chaff which is “burned up,” and Jesus repeats this thought in Matthew 13:30, saying that the wicked are as tares to be burned up. He also says, concerning the wicked, that He will “destroy both soul and body in hell.”  (Matthew 10:28)  In John 3:16 Jesus states that we either believe in Him and have “eternal life,” or we don’t believe in Him and hence “perish.” And in 2 Peter 3:7-13 we see God’s final victory, where “the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men,” and furthermore we see God’s promise that we shall dwell with Him in “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” Finally, in Revelation we see the fate of the wicked described as the “second death.”  Jesus spoke about hell in the most abject terms possible!  Hell is to be avoided at all costs!

Let us follow the pattern of the noble Bereans, who “received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.”    ( Acts 17:10-11)  Whatever your position may ultimately be on this subject, I encourage us all to pursue a passion for the Gospel and a fervent heart for God’s presence and in our lives, and dedication to His Word!  And I will be quick to say that I am thankful we do not have to have “all the answers” to obtain eternal life, we only have to have Him!

“For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”    John 3:16

Suggested Readings:

1.     The Holy Bible

2.     The Fire That Consumes, Edward William Fudge

3.    Hell: A Final Word, Edward William Fudge

4.    Four Views on Hell, William Crockett (General Editor), Contributors: John F. Walvoord, Zachary J. Hayes, Clark H. Pinnock

5.    Facing Hell, John Wenham

6.    Erasing Hell, Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle

7.    Rethinking Hell, Editors: Christopher M. Date, Gregory G. Stump, Joshua W. Anderson.  Forward by John G. Stackhouse

8.    Four Views on Hell, Preston Sprinkle (General Editor), Contributors: Denny Burk, John G. Stackhouse Jr., Jerry L. Wallis

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpts from article on the subject by Jeremy Moritz

In some cases, people live their whole lives in selfishness, without any regard for the teachings of the Bible. It would be unscriptural to say that these people will spend eternity in paradise with Jesus, but does that mean that they have actually made the choice to go to Hell? Of course not. Many of them lived their lives sincerely believing that Heaven and Hell did not exist. In this case, they are not being punished eternally for the specific choice they made; they are instead being tortured forever for their ignorance. Can any one person's unawareness really merit a sentence of such severity?

Furthermore, no one has ever chosen to be born. If this game of life, as traditionalists teach it, were understood by everyone, most would choose not to play. I would love to spend eternity in Heaven, but if there was even a small chance that I would end up in a pit of fire and burn forever without rest, I would rather not risk it. The alternative is just too horrible.

We did not buy a lottery ticket hoping to make it into Heaven. Everyone is placed on this earth and is not given clear instructions as to what he/she is supposed to do. Thankfully, many have figured out the most important things, but most have not. For those who don't ever turn to Jesus for salvation, they deserve the merciful death of being consumed in the Lake of Fire. God was gracious enough to give them a temporary life on earth that they didn't deserve, but in the end that life will be taken away. But since no one can decide whether or not to take a chance and be born, it would be ludicrous to say that they have actually chosen countless years of torment—they were merely ignorant of the truth.

On the other hand, annihilation still proves reputable. Of course we deserve this! We were only created by God's grace anyway, so if God had chosen not to give eternal life to anyone, He would still be shown merciful for giving us the life that we had on earth. But thankfully, He has offered us more than what we deserve. He has given us His son, so that we might be forgiven of our sins and have the eternal life that we never could have earned on our own. When subjected to the same scrutiny, this annihilation model proves much more consistent.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE?

We've looked briefly at the dominant traditionalist line of reasoning for why human beings could deserve this kind of a punishment. Even if one accepts the flawed argument that our earthly sins merit a never-ending torture chamber, another question must still be examined: what is the point?

If wicked, earthly, vengeful humans wouldn't stoop to this kind of senseless infliction of pain, is it really proper to assume it of the all-loving creator?

When people speak of God's goodness, they naturally point to His treatment of the saved. None of us deserves Heaven, and yet God, in all of His loving kindness has chosen to grant this unbelievable inheritance to those who have turned to Him for salvation. This is very true. God is wonderful and merciful to do this. Likewise, it is completely consistent with the love of our Savior to give the wicked what they deserve as well. They certainly don't deserve Heaven any more than we do, but they also haven't chosen Heaven. What they deserve is exactly what they have chosen: essentially to make this temporal existence all that there is. They have lived for themselves thinking only of this life here on earth, so that is all they will get. At the resurrection, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire and be obliterated. There is no reason to think that the God who created them is under any obligation to keep them alive in Hell or to allow them into His kingdom.

But suppose that God did choose to keep them alive in Hell. He is still every bit as good to us (the righteous) as He is in the annihilation model, but His treatment of the damned takes a decidedly vicious turn. In speaking of the compassion of God, we can point to all of the nice things He is doing for the saved race, but how can we ignore what is going on in Hell? What if Adolf Hitler was responsible for donating millions of dollars to charitable causes? What if he, between periods of overseeing his concentration camps, spent his Saturday afternoons working at a homeless shelter? What if he was a generous father and a loving family man? Would that make up for his treatment of the Jews? How much good would Hitler have to do to be considered a sympathetic, loving, caring man in spite of the millions of the decent people he enslaved, tortured, and put to death? Surely there is no amount of good that can account for that!

Now, to add one more element to this scenario, remember that not everyone whom Hitler put to death would be declared righteous in God's sight. We think of Hitler's actions as absolutely horrendous, but if the church's traditional view of Hell is correct, his victims hadn't even experienced a taste of what was coming to them. They thought life at the mercy of the Nazis was bad enough, just wait until they are at the mercy of God—then they won't be so lucky.

I want to make it clear that I'm not blaspheming God in any way. I am not speaking out against the God Who is. I am speaking against a concept of God that I believe is an atrocious slander to His name.

So, if someone truly believes in the two fates, they may correctly decide to come to Jesus, but what is their heart's motivation? Is it out of love for their Savior or out of fear of Hell? For most, it would clearly be the latter and rightfully so. Therefore, the choice they are making feels less like a choice and more like coercion. It is as if someone points a gun to your head and tells you that you must go somewhere or else be shot. You may choose to go, but it surely does not feel much like free will.

Furthermore, the Bible gives a very clear picture about the nature and character of God the Father and of His Son Jesus Christ. God is love. All His ways are good. He is more loving than any human being could ever hope to be. Everything in the Bible corroborates this. If on the other hand the doctrine of unending, conscious pain for the wicked is added to the message of God, He can no longer be considered loving in any practical sense. This view stands in absolute conflict with the loving character of the Almighty God as revealed in the Bible, and the two cannot co-exist.

There is also very little if any corroboration for the belief that human beings might deserve such a punishment. For years of Christian history, great theologians have worked out only meager rationalizations that don't stand up to scrutiny. Similarly, the question of the purpose for such punishment is completely avoided in these arguments. There is no valid reason for a loving God to subject people to torture without end when no more good could possibly come of it.

Finally, it is my opinion that the belief in eternal punishment is a serious detriment to the entire message of salvation. It turns the "Good News" into bad news. Even when people turn to Jesus, it is not as much to embrace His loving gift as to avoid what they believe is the only other alternative. This significantly alters the way many view the Almighty God and causes countless others to cast doubt on the reliability of the Gospel.

The eternal torment model of Hell creates countless problems when set against the clear teaching of God's character. Neither does it stand up to scrutiny in systematic theology. Lastly, and most importantly, the overall credo of scripture plainly teaches against it while frequently reiterating the vocabulary of death for the unrighteous. Keeping all of these things in mind, it seems overwhelmingly evident to me that the only consistent way to interpret God's Word on this subject is to believe in the ultimate annihilation of unbelievers in the Lake of Fire.

Excerpts from an article written in 2003 by Jeremy K. Moritz, entitled, "Hell: Eternal Torment or Complete Annihilation?"

Here is a link to the full article "Hell: Eternal Torment or Complete Annihilation?"

Here is a link to a sub article "Lazarus and the Rich Man"