Pro annihilationist theologian Edward Fudge
author of The Fire That Consumes has posed the troubling
question: "Must we conclude that God who gave his Son for
sinners, will keep billions of them alive – to torment them
without end?"
The heresy of annihilationism has been promoted in its various
forms by John Stott, Phillip E. Hughes, John Wenham, Stephen Travis,
Stephen Davis, Clark Pinnock, and more recently by David Reagan of
Lamb and Lion Ministries. Reagan suggests that the concept of eternal torment converts God into a "cosmic sadist" and finds "difficulties"
with the traditional view of hell, one of the pitfalls of relying on
ones own understanding I think! (Proverbs 3:5)
David Reagan: "I believe the Bible
teaches the unrighteous will be resurrected, judged, punished in
Hell for a period of time proportional tot heir sins, and then
suffer destruction (the death of body and soul)."
The main controversy stems from the adjective
αἰώνιος which is derived from aiṓn (an age).
There is a distinction in the scriptures between "this age"
which will come to an end, and "the coming age"
which will be eternal/unending/perpetual. Context is everything. If
we restrict αἰώνιος to a cycle of time when referring
to eternity, this presents a problem, since eternity stands outside
the constraints of time as we know it. Eternity (forever) can be defined as
"endless time" in that there is no past, present or
future, suggesting that it is a place where one
experiences a perpetual state of being. Annihilationism is a line of thought that totally deconstructs the gospel, since it must logically follow that if we deny eternal damnation, then we must also deny eternal life! The very
same word αἰώνιος is used to describe the state of those who will inherit
eternal life as well as those who will inherit eternal punishment.
Examples of αἰώνιος
.....but whoever speaks against the Holy
Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age
(αἰῶνι) or in the [age] to come
(μέλλοντι) (Matthew 12:32)
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the
disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these
things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close
of the [αἰῶνος] age?” (Matthew 24:3)
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with
fire, so will it be at the close of the [αἰῶνος] age.
(Matthew 13:40)
And these will go away into eternal [aiōnion]
punishment, but the righteous into eternal [aiōnion] life.”
(Matthew 25:46; cf. Matthew 19:16, 29; Mark 10:17,30 etc.)
But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God,
is forever (αἰῶνα) and ever (αἰῶνος)…..
(Hebrews 1:8). Is Christ’s throne forever or is it for a cycle
of time? Once again, we have to change our theology completely to
accommodate the meaning of αἰώνιος to mean a
cycle of time.
The apostle Paul gives further insight: They
will suffer the punishment of eternal [αἰώνιον] destruction,
away from the presence of the Lord and from the
glory of his might…. ( 2 Thessalonians 1:9) The Greek preposition ἀπό
means ‘away from’. In other words they are denied
access to the presence of the Lord in addition to suffering the
punishment of eternal destruction.
…..but has now been disclosed and through
the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according
to the command of the [αἰωνίου] eternal God, to bring
about the obedience of faith— (Romans 16:26) Would anyone
doubt that God Himself has always existed and is eternal in the way
we traditionally conceive eternal?
…..how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the [αἰωνίου] eternal Spirit offered
himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)
In the Old Testament the equivalent word for
αἰώνιος in Hebrew is עוֹלָם (olam)
which means eternity, forever, perpetual, everlasting etc. but like
the Greek αἰώνιος, עוֹלָם can
also means of long duration, ages. Your throne is
established from of old; you are from everlasting
(מֵֽעֹולָ֣ם) (Psalm
93:2; Isaiah 40:28).
The prophet Isaiah wrote: you will lie down in
torment - literally you will תִּשְׁכָּבֽוּן
die/sleep/rest in מַעֲצֵבָה
torment/pain. (Isaiah 50:11)
Daniel: And many of those who sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
(Daniel 12:2) Daniel uses עוֹלָם to
describe the fate of all the dead.
Hades and Sheol are interchangeable words in the
Bible. Hades or hell is an intermediate place of torment according
to Jesus Christ’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke
16:29). The Lake of Fire is the final destination of the wicked
after the millennial reign of Christ and the Great White Throne
Judgement (Revelation 20:11-15). Gehenna (the valley of Hinnom) was
a constantly burning refuse dump southwest of Jerusalem which Jesus
Christ used as a metaphor for hell eleven times in the gospels.
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it,
Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were
judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then
Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
(Revelation 20/13-15)
The unredeemed in Gehenna express their
indescribable anguish and despair which is described as “weeping
and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51;
25:30; Luke 13:28).
The words of Jesus Christ himself indicate that
eternal torment is a place where there is perpetual conscious pain
and distress:
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they
will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all
law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41-42)
Jesus Christ calls this place "eternal
fire” (αἰώνιον eπῦρ) in Matthew
25:41, 18:8-9; Mark 9:43-45 (see also Jude 1:7). John the Baptist
calls hell “unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:12; Luke
3:17). Jesus Christ confirms this:
And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it
off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands
to go to hell to the unquenchable fire. (Mark
9:43). Other versions say: never goes out or cannot be put out -
in Greek: ἄσβεστος = perpetual, inextinguishable.
…..where their worm does not die and the
fire is not quenched. (Mark 9/48)
The above verses are unequivocal and cannot
indicate annihilation.
DA Carson: "…..one
is surely entitled to ask why the fires should burn forever and the
worms not die [cf. Mark 9:47-48] if their purpose comes to an end.”
FALSE TEACHERS
These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as
they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves;
waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late
autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the
foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of
utter darkness has been reserved forever.
(Jude 1:13)
SODOM AND GOMORRAH
For if God did not spare angels when they
sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of
gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgement; if he did not spare
the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness,
with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the
ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he
condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is
going to happen to the ungodly..... (2 Peter 2:4-6)
Reagan:
"The concept of eternal torment seems to run contrary to biblical examples. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire — suddenly and quickly. He
destroyed Noah’s evil world with water — suddenly and quickly. He
ordered the Canaanites to be killed swiftly." This is an incomplete comparison. What
happened to Sodom was their
physical destruction. According to Jesus Christ the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah still exist and face further future consequences for their wickedness in eternity.
Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable
on the Day of Judgement for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for
that town. (Matthew 10:15)
The Bible tells us that there will be a
resurrection for every person:
…..there will be a resurrection of both the
just and the unjust. (Acts 24:15)
…..those who have done good to the
resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the
resurrection of judgement. (John 5:20)
When words or phrases are repeated in the Bible
it is specifically for special emphasis to reiterate a point:
But the saints of the Most High shall receive
the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and
ever.’ (Daniel 7:18)
And the smoke of their torment goes up forever
and ever….. (Revelation 14:11)
They will be tormented day and night forever
and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
Annihilationism has always been a minority view
historically amongst traditional Christians. The doctrine of
annihilationism is held by cult groups like Seventh-day Adventists,
Jehovah Witnesses, Christadelphians etc. The Church of England’s
slide into apostasy reached new depths in 1995 when their Doctrine
Commission issued the popish pronouncement that: "[h]ell is
not eternal torment", but "non-being."
Should accept what those wolves say?
Is it not enough for you to feed on the good
pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your
pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest
of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have
trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your
feet? (Ezekiel 34:18-19)
In the 1980s, prominent Anglican theologian John
Stott (as well as being anti-Israel) was an advocate of
annihilationism, but his position was problematic for many
traditional Christians and in many people’s eyes he lost
credibility. Stott was a very highly esteemed pastor and teacher in
traditional Christian circles, but this is where we have to be
"alert" as the Bible says…… Be sober-minded;
be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Whatever does not
agree with the Bible, no matter who is saying it, whether highly
esteemed, charismatic and having the
appearance of spirituality, intellect, wisdom, academia, superiority
and reputation– it all means nothing –it is vanity. To dare to
contradict the Word of God is a very serious matter. Eternal hell is
an inconceivable proposition, but we cannot contradict the horrific
view that eternal torment is unequivocal in the Bible. We may have
struggles, questions and fears because eternal torment goes against
our own natural inclinations, but only a fool would dare to
challenge the Word of God. The influence of people in authority like
Stott is enormous; they are people whose worthless opinions
influence the eternal destiny of others. People like this are a
shame and a disgrace to the name of Christianity. He may have had
some very good teaching, but to voice this opinion was to
voice his very doubt of God Almighty and the plan of salvation.
Would that people like him leave the Word of God alone rather than
upset the faith of others. Let God be true and every man a liar.
(Romans 3:4)
I have paraphrased some of Edward Fudge’s
statements below from his presentation on YouTube.
Fudge: The traditional teaching about hell
fails to meet the demands of higher learning in that it does not
exemplify the open minded study of scripture.
Response: On the
contrary, the traditional teaching about hell cannot be disproved
from scripture. Really this argument backfires on Fudge since so
called “higher learning” does not prove him right. This
is an appeal to intellectual pride and puts traditionalists in the
category of being stupid and narrow minded – this is an old tactic
of the enemy (2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11).
Fudge: The Reformers did not finish the job
regarding eschatology and hell – it is up to 'us' to carry
forward with teaching of hell today. This doctrine is still open to
adjustment.
Response: The Reformers are not the ones we should
be looking at, but the Bible itself and the apostles teaching which
are not open to adjustment! A careful study of hell in context
leaves the annihilationist position untenable.
Fudge: Why does it matter anyway ----it is not
a salvation issue --- you are not going to hell or going to hell
depending upon what you believe about hell; it is how you deal with
the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not a fellowship issue; there should
not be a division amongst Christian people because of this. It
matters because we speak in God’s name; It matters because it
impacts evangelism; it matters because there are many atheists
because they can’t believe in the traditional Christian doctrine
of hell commonly understood. It is an impediment to evangelism. Gods
character is at stake - a terrible slander on God to say he will
keep people alive forever torment people without end. It makes
atheists out of those who cannot believe it.
Response: Fudge’s words have the enemy’s
fingerprints all over them:
“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat
of any tree in the garden’?” “You will not surely die.”
(Genesis 3:1,4)
Did God actually say, "Hell is an eternal
reality?”
(Satan through the annihilationists)
If it doesn't matter, then exactly why is Fudge
promoting annihilationism? This foolishness shows contempt for God’s
wrath and justice. The teaching about hell is inextricably bound up
with the Gospel – it most certainly is a salvation issue. Jesus
Christ warned a great deal about hell in order for people to escape
it – who are we to argue against His methods? If people are put
off by the warnings about hell then that is not our business. This
is not just a theological debate; anything that misrepresents God is
an extremely serious matter with untold consequences. Fudge’s
doctrine is more likely to make atheists than the doctrine of
eternal torment: If unbelievers are convinced that they are simply
annihilated after death, then they may reason that they might as
well enjoy this life to the full while they can rather than make the
costly decision of following Christ. As the Apostle Paul quoted:
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die," (1
Corinthians 15:32 cf. Isaiah 22:13).
The teaching about hell is clearly meant as a
deterrent against the fear of man and a warning, even for believers:
“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those
who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can
do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has
killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”
(Luke 12:4-5)
The Bible clearly says we should warn unbelievers
of the judgement to come as a fearful prospect. Fudge’s teaching
is diametrically opposite to the Bible:
“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you
will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5)
…..it is appointed for man to die once, and
after that comes judgement, (Hebrews 9:27)
For since the message declared by angels
proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience
received a just retribution,how shall we escape if we neglect such a
great salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)
Jesus Christ said to the Pharisees: “Your
sin remains” (John 9:41) This will be the case for those who
have not accepted Christ in this world. God’s wrath is satisfied
if we repent and accept that our sin has been paid for by Jesus
Christ. For Christ also suffered once [for all] for sins, the
righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being
put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…..(1
Peter 3:18) This phrase “once for all” is repeated
several times by the apostles (Romans 6:10; 10:10 etc). If God’s
wrath is not satisfied and remains on those who have not accepted
Him – no remedy remains. The Bible does not give any assurance
that there will be another opportunity to believe after death, in
fact quite the reverse.
Does the punishment fit the crime? Many people,
myself included, probably do not fully understand the full horror of
what it means to reject Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the World,
but the Bible is quite clear that outside Christ there is no life –
only death.
Included in the company of today’s "wolves"
are "nice" old men with plausible arguments who attempt to
neutralise hell. Edward Fudge has gained some notoriety and rewards
in this life from his annihilationist position. However it is
doubtful that he will gain rewards eternally by putting obstacles in
the way of the salvation of the wicked – in fact he and others
might very well find themselves on the receiving end of what they so
vehemently reject.
