How are we to imagine God, who is perfect love, enjoying heaven while he yet keeps the damned in existence for the sole purpose of having them experience hopeless pain? 185–6). Islam says that God will regenerate, or continually heal cursed humans so they might experience the pain and burning for all eternity, without actually getting immortality. In short, the fate of the wicked is disintegration into nothingness. So too, Christ is said to have come to “abolish death and [bring] life and immortality to light through the gospel” (1 Tim. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and “some to shame and everlasting contempt”. how much more if a man corrupt by evil reaching the faith of God. This day is elsewhere described as a day for “the destruction of the godless” (2 Pet. But the godless and those who have not turned wholly to God will be punished in fire equally unending, and they shall have from the very nature of this fire, divine as it were, a supply of incorruptibility (“Apology” 44:12–13), Therefore after this there is neither death nor repeated resurrections, but we shall be the same that we are now, and still unchanged–the servants of God, ever with God, clothed upon with the proper substance of eternity; but the profane, and all who are not true worshippers of God, in like manner shall be consigned to the punishment of everlasting fire–that fire which, from its very nature indeed, directly ministers to their incorruptibility. for the sake of which Jesus Christ was crucified? shove, if I have to choose (as I usually do) between a church with otherwise good, biblical, evangelical theology that also believes in eternal torment in Hell, and one whose only upside is that it teaches annihilationism (as opposed to just tolerating it among its members), I will … How is this consistent with the traditional teaching that God’s love and anger are equally eternal? He wrote a number of important letters to believers in churches in the area: Corrupters of families will not inherit the kingdom of God. His anger endures for a moment, but his mercy endures forever (Ps 103:8-14). Yes. We’re talking about something that is damaged and somehow repaired enough to be damaged again so that the damaging can be endless. for they have rejected the instruction of the Lord of hosts…” (Isa. I am swayed to believe annihilation because sometimes it seems like that’s what scripture says, but I don’t choose it because it’s soft. What I’ve found is that the more the church in Rome stole the rights of Christians everywhere to discern scriptural truth, the more things (like unquestioned immortality of the soul) that smack of Roman culture tend to find their way into the non-canon church writings. Each metaphor depicts total annihilation. But if, by the Spirit, ye mortify the practices of the body, ye will live. And while I have the utmost respect…, In this video blog, Greg outlines the penal substitution view of atonement which says that the Father poured out his wrath on Jesus instead of us so that we could be forgiven. If the traditional view of hell is correct, God remains nonvictorious. Clothed with ones actions as in Dan 12 ( this reminds me as the mount of transfiguration). Its apocalyptic images shouldn’t be interpreted literally. So too, it seems impossible to accept that the wicked will “be no more” and even be “as though they never were” if they shall be existing in eternal torment. Similarly, the Lord’s plan for “evildoers” is to “cut off the remembrance of them from the earth…evil brings death to the wicked” (Ps. Let me repeat that, just so we are clear. ..and may enter in through the gates into the city.For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I’m also pro-life and yet liberal on most other issues. It rather seems that this teaching often has the opposite effect. From Please Convince Me. 2. They shall be dashed “in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (2:9), torn into fragments (Ps. 34:16, 21). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. pp. It states that after the final judgment, all unsaved human beings, all fallen angels and Satan himself will be totally destroyed so as to not exist, or that their consciousness will be extinguished rather than suffer everlasting torment in hell. 3And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. 5:24). Hell is a place where the rebellious are tormented forever and are CONSCIOUS of this torment for all eternity (In fact, the eternal duration of their torment is often compared to the eternal duration of the reward of the saved). (“Apology” 18:3), Then will the entire race of men be restored to receive its just deserts according to what it has merited in this period of good and evil, and thereafter to have these paid out in an immeasurable and unending eternity. Daniel, for example, speaks of all who shall be crushed by the rock of God’s judgment as being “broken.” They become “like the chaff of the summer threshing floor” blown away by the wind “so that not a trace of them [can] be found” (Dan. They believed it was eternal, conscious punishment and clearly argued against both univeralism and annihilationism. Annihilationism: Those who are damned are blotted out of existence and no longer conscious. 3:18–19, cf. The implication is that God will do to the soul of the wicked what humans do to the body when they kill it. Annihilationists believe that this approach is mistaken. He doesn’t subject them to eternal torment. The word of God is love and this applies for non believers. and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. The early Church believed God’s Hell-fire was not inflicted to destroy the lost, but rather to ultimately save them. Where is your evidence? Peter specifically cites the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as a pattern of how God judges the wicked. Jesus himself describes hell as a consuming fire several times (Matt. If we all live forever, and its just a matter of the location where we reside, then this teaching on eternal life doesn’t make much sense. From the annihilationist perspective, God’s justice and mercy unite in condemning the wicked to extinction. 58:7–8). I would suggest that separation from God, His presence, His will and commandements is “hell”. ( Log Out /  I tend to agree with you about your assessment of the Christians WK quoted. Over such the second death has no power.. Rev 21:8 Just to be clear, I am one of those Christians who holds to the traditional doctrine of hell. I’ve done alot of research into this topic and I believe I’ve come up with a view that reconciles annihilationism and the doctrine of eternal torment. The problem is that God’s answer to evil here is not a gospel solution (i.e., to eradicate sin from the sinners) but a terminator solution (i.e., to eradicate the sinners themselves ). 37:2). 6:23, cf. Annihilationism stands in contrast to both belief in eternal torture in the lake of fire, and the belief that everyone will be saved (universal reconciliation or “universalism“). For example, in Isaiah 34 we read: “8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, This became the dominant view of hell throughout Church history. I think it’s intense and just and I want God to execute his judgement. Btw, here is a interesting scripture out of 1 Peter 4:16 5:13; 7:3, 6; 20:21; Ps. It is not something we are born with. VI. Rev 20:6 and their blossom go up like dust, And finally, “[t]he evil have no future; the lamp of the wicked will go out” (24:20). 6:16). 37:9–10). They believe in the long standing Biblical doctrine of Hell. All directly or indirectly speak of total annihilation. Great post, but I must agree with Glenn above. This is not, however, the case with annihilationism. This view is very common and you might even be nodding your head in agreement with that description. Overview of the Biblical Teaching So too, if anyone “destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person” (1 Cor. The notion of unending punishment is so out of sync with people’s ordinary sense of justice that it is easily rejected as preposterous. (H/T The Poached Egg). Early Church Fathers. 20:47–48). ( It would appear we will be clothed with our actions), Jude 1:12 Larry V. Crutchfield, "The Apostle John and Asia Minor as a source of premillennialism in the early Church Fathers," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 31.4 (Dec. 1988): 411-427. pdf : Brian E. Daley, The Hope of the Early Church: Eschatology in the Patristic Age. 1) Tormented Day and Night. The Nicene Creed affirms belief in “the resurrection of the dead, in the everlasting judgment of souls and bodies, and the … Destruction clearly contrasts with life in this passage, and this at least implies cessation of consciousness such as when a person is dead. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. pp. In light of the actual written evidence from the Early Church Fathers themselves, this pleading seems simply incredible. 2:9). What is life really like for Americans living in poor households? However, this view creates some…, What Is the Kingdom of God? Are the unsaved resurrected? It doesn’t necessarily mean a fire that burns for all eternity. Here is a quick historical survey of the EARLY CHURCH regarding their surprising beliefs about HELL: THE FIRST 500 YEARS: In the first five centuries there were six known theological schools. The early Church believed God’s Hell-fire was not inflicted to destroy the lost, but rather to ultimately save them. So, let's see. Also, there is a danger of teaching a form of works righteousness in annihilation is him, particularly in the area of someone suffering for a period of time and then being annihilated. Gen 49:26; Ex 40:15; Nu 25:13; Ps 24:7). Instead of a glorious universal Kingdom unblemished by any stain, an ugly dualism reigns throughout eternity. 16:19–31; Rom. 10:39). I don’t have an emotional objection to eternal conscious torment, although I think it does present a picture of God who does not ultimately destroy death and evil and that makes me angry. There will be no future resurrection of them. The prominence of these particular Fathers should at least make it plausible that many of the Fathers who did not specifically indicate that they held to the doctrine of eternal torment may well have been annihilationists as well. We’re not talking about something that can withstand the purifying flames unscathed. 10 Behaviors for Christian Women to Avoid in a Potential Spouse: part 5 of 10, 10 Behaviors for Christian Women to Avoid in a Potential Spouse: part 4 of 10, 10 Behaviors for Christian Women to Avoid in a Potential Spouse: part 3 of 10, 10 Behaviors for Christian Women to Avoid in a Potential Spouse: part 2 of 10, 10 Behaviors for Christian Women to Avoid in a Potential Spouse: part 1 of 10, William Lane Craig lectures on failure in the Christian life, Facebook “non-partisan” fact-checker revealed to be a far-left Trump-hating Democrat, Director of National Intelligence explains why China is a national security threat. In fact, one of the constant refrains that we hear from traditionalists is that the new Testament doesn’t say what the early Church Fathers said, and therefore we should not interpret the New Testament writers to be annihilationists! Malachi tells us that the judgment day shall come “burning like an oven” and “all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.” The judgment thus “shall burn them up” (Mal. 1:6). A interesting read is on the second death which end in the the lake of fire (“Christian” or non – whoa – this one can be bit uncomfortable for “Christians” – so much for eternal security) : Reven 2:11 (Church in Smyrna) But it could be that you’ve got a reading list of defenders of annihilationists that I’ve simply never heard of (the “vast majority,” you would appear to be saying). The Church has never made any pronouncement in this regard” (pp. I kind of resent the assumption that annihilationists believe what they do simply because they don’t want to be mean. Arnobius, an African Christian apologist who died in 330 was outspoken and very clear on the issue. While some Catholic theologians have argued for annihilationism (also called “conditional immortality” or “terminal punishment”), it is a minority position in Church history. It is a physical as well as a spiritual principle. 185–254) in De Principiis. Is it true that the Annhilationist view is popular among the early church? EARLY HISTORY OF ANNIHILATIONISTIC THEORIES Some confusion has arisen, in tracing the history of the annihilationist theories, from confounding with them enunciations by the earlier Church Fathers of the essential Christian Moreover, all who are “enemies of the cross” have “destruction” as their final end (Phil. After twenty trillion trillion years of torment, the damned are no closer to completing their dire sentence than they were their first moment of horror. If no one in two thousand years of church history has taught a doctrine, it is almost certainly incorrect. 29:23). Complete annihilation of evil was rejected as heretical by the fifth century. Neither new earth or the eventual place called gehenna (generally what people think of when they hear “hell”) are were people go immediately after death, since these come about with the second coming. If that is the case then I can see where a case could be made that the wicked are resurrected in a physical resurrection, judged, and then their bodies are destroyed in the lake of fire that will destroy all matter in this Universe. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (notice cast alive). The Early Church Fathers, with very few exceptions, agree with the teaching of the Bible in the way they describe Hell: 1. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’. At the same time, the earliest Church Fathers are ambiguous on those areas where the Bible is ALSO ambiguous. He writes, ‘For this end did the Lord suffer the ointment to be poured upon His head, that He might breathe immortality into His Church’. Does the Bible teach that all judging of other people is wrong? Let me repeat that, just so we are clear. [I]t is not merely temporal, but eternal. The trick is that annihilationism is something in addition to this belief. If we read Scripture without this Hellenistic assumption, however, we see that it teaches that God justly, and mercifully, annihilates the wicked. While I am not completely convinced of this position, I think it is worthy of serious consideration. The strong shall become like tinder, Is it ok to judge people? Universalism, Annihilationism, And The Early Church I've addressed the early church's view of Hell in previous posts on this blog, but I think some recent developments warrant a return to the subject. The contrast in these passages between “death,” losing life, and “perishing,” on the one hand, with “life,” on the other, seems quite incompatible with the contrast of eternal bliss with eternal pain that the traditional teaching on hell presupposes. There’s nothing remedial about their torment. The second century apologist Tatian ( an associate of Justin Martyr) wrote; ‘The soul is not in itself immortal, O Greeks, but mortal’. We aren’t talking about the first guy or two post-Paul. The early church was predominantly Jewish, of course. The word that stands out is especially of believers. The phrase “forever and ever” can be translated “for ages upon ages” which implies an indefinite, but not necessarily unending, period of time. or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 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I recently read a post by Paul Helm about universalism in the early church. 50:22) and “blotted out of the book of the living…” (Ps. Wintery, perhaps you could outline why you believe that the eternal conscious torment understanding of hell is correct? It was birthed in the post-Enlightenment era (17th -18th centuries) when secular minded scholars began to…, Here is an excellent post by my good friend Roger Olson in which he makes the case that Open Theism should be embraced by Arminians as an orthodox, if somewhat non-traditional, form of their faith. I want to begin by asking, “What is the kingdom of God?” This may seem like a rather obvious question. ( Log Out /  Martin Luther espoused a version of annihilationism called "soul sleep". It strikes me that the overwhelming majority (virtually all) of those who defend annihilationism do so on exegetical grounds. Tertullian proposes that the fire itself will give immortality to the otherwise mortal souls. SCHOOLS USER LOGIN. 2:35). This is particularly true of the phrase “forever and ever” since similar phrases are used elsewhere in Scripture in contexts where they clearly cannot literally mean “unending” (e.g. Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up. 69:28, cf. In this passage Isaiah says that the fire that shall consume Edom shall burn “[n]ight and day” and “shall not be quenched.” Its smoke “shall go up forever” and no one shall pass through this land again “forever and ever.” Obviously, this is symbolic, for the fire and smoke of Edom’s judgment isn’t still ascending today. . Sentient beings do not suffer eternally, as the traditional view of hell teaches. Jesus Jesus did not use the eternal punishment of hell in the context of annihilation. a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. It can’t be that I’m the exception, because virtually none of the literature I know of does what you imply. Man was created to be Gods judge and have dominion. vs. 34). Of course this would cause excruciating torment and hopelessness, not because God was torturing them but because they would finally experience the ultimate consequence of their actions. This goes against the teaching of scripture, and even Ignatius. The teaching that people and fallen angels will be tormented throughout eternity contradicts the Bible’s teaching that God is altogether victorious at the end of history. However, I believe that annihilationism is the most consistent with the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments, as well as of the beliefs of the early Church. They believed that Hell was a place of eternal conscious torment, reflecting the clearest teaching of the scriptures (more on that, Jim Wallace explains and defends the doctrine of Hell. “Everlasting Punishment” means a punishment that lasts for all of eternity, which annihilationism teaches, etc. The early Church Fathers were also absolutely firm on the reality of an eternal hell, as the following quotes show. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. The early church was predominantly Jewish, of course. Now, Scripture certainly teaches that the wicked are punished eternally, but not that the wicked endure eternal punishment. Some seem to support Annihilationism, and some do not. For they are punished with the endless vengeance of quenchless fire. To all who refused to comply with the covenant God had established, for example, the Lord vowed to “blot out their names from under heaven” (Deut. He was a disciple of Polycarp and a notable early apologist for the faith. 1:10, 21–22) and that God shall be “all in all” (1 Cor. So, if you’re wondering what a handful of the early church fathers thought of hell, here is Glenn Peoples on the topic: 2) The Fear of Hell. with no one to quench them” (Isa. Early church---yep Justin Martyr, Polycarp, and Ignatious are all earlier than Augustine. Second, it is questionable that the traditional teaching on hell generally installs fear in the hearts of unbelievers. First, most annihilationists do not deny that the wicked will suffer, perhaps for long periods of time, prior to being annihilated. share. 1. Its proponents offer six main arguments. The Psalmist’s emphasis on the total destruction of the wicked has parallels throughout the Old Testament. It is frequently said of the wicked that they will be “destroyed.” Jesus contrasts the wide gate that “leads to destruction” with the narrow gate that “leads to life” (Matt. Early Christians who believed this almost always believed the fire was literal. . “…rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together, VI. 4:1). Yet, it would be better for them if they were not deathless. EARLY HISTORY OF ANNIHILATIONISTIC THEORIES Some confusion has arisen, in tracing the history of the annihilationist theories, from confounding with them enunciations by the earlier Church Fathers of the essential Christian 2:3). The big point we are building up to here is that the early church fathers DID NOT believe in eternal torment. It seems impossible to accept that the wicked have “no future” if in fact they shall never cease to experience an eternal future in hell. The Early Church Fathers simply reflected the clearest teachings of the Bible related to the nature of Hell. With the same force the apostle teaches that “[s]udden destruction” will come upon the wicked in the last days (1 Thess. Rather, God keeps them in existence for the sole purpose of having them experience pain. Indeed, he came to “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. The Jews began to believe in an after life for the human soul as early as the Psalms, Prophets, Wisdom literature, and then with the Pharisees. Not only has annihilationism existed in the relatively recent past, such as during its resurgence in the 19th century, but it goes all the way back to the early church. Those who choose to reject God’s will are denied this gift, following the pattern of Adam and Eve when God denied them access to “the tree of life” (Gen 3:22-24). Also I’m Methodist, but really nondenominational. Along the same lines, James writes that “sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death” (Ja 1:15). Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. If this is true of Isaiah, we should be less inclined to interpret similar expressions in the book of Revelation literally. Clement was clearly not an annihilationist. Its dominance was such that the medieval church was virtually a unit in holding the doctrine of inherent immortality. Obviously one of the big divisions between annihilationists vs. both endless hell believers & purgatorialists is whether or not we take literally the apoleia destruction. (Romans 7:18), Do I think it takes an eternity for God’s unquenchable fire to remove all of the godlessness in the world (in order that a human can be around forever in that fire)? Since they do not die, it is impossible for them to have an end put to their misery. Penal Substitution View of Atonement: Did God the Father Just Need to Vent? Gregory of Nazianzus (ca. A man become so foul will depart into unquenchable fire: and so will anyone who listens to him. John proclaims the good news that God sent Jesus so that “everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). But I think for the vast majority of people who reject the traditional notion of hell, they are just asserting their emotions and intuitions over the Bible and the traditional interpretations of the early church. Clement of course can’t be argued around by annihilationist. And, as we all know, souls can die. 300–374) and Gregory of Nyssa (ca. Nope, but it obviously takes a certain amount of time because these people are given no rest day or night and the smoke is “of their torment” exists. And what we learn is that they are “condemned… to extinction.”, Throughout the Old Testament the Lord threatens the wicked with annihilation. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. How Hell Invaded Church Doctrine. Nope. If one still wishes to believe that the fate of the wicked is never ending torment, one simply must believe the doctrine of Tertullian. In Christianity, annihilationism is the belief that those who are wicked will perish or be no more. And he mercifully annihilates them precisely so they will not endlessly endure what the traditional view says they endure. 2:8; 2 Thess. And again, “…transgressors shall be altogether destroyed” (Ps. Is Hell a real place? (2 Peter 3:10). I’ll really thought about this and this is what comes to mind. Tags: Afterlife, Essay, Heaven and Hell, Judgement From generation to generation it shall lie waste; Apokatastasis: The majority of human beings go to hell, but hell is purgatorial. There is plenty of scriptural support for all these assertions, which I will be happy to provide when I am not at work and have more freedom to respond. For many, annihilationism is an attractive belief because of the awfulness of the idea of … shove, if I have to choose (as I usually do) between a church with otherwise good, biblical, evangelical theology that also believes in eternal torment in Hell, and one whose only upside is that it teaches annihilationism (as opposed to just tolerating it among its members), I will … 4:4; 7:20; 21:12; Ezek. 6 comments. SCHOOLS USER LOGIN. 10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; they and their work shall burn together, 3) Tertullian – Even though he is clearly teaching never-ending torment, he acknowledges that the cursed will not be given immortality from God. Early Church Fathers. (For a discussion on the reasons we do not see this as a Biblical view see article “What About Annihilationism?” There is a third view in which many of the Early Church, even evidence of the majority , as well as a continual thread throughout history have ascribed to … But the warning that the annihilationist gives is both biblical and believable. 15:28 it would seem that the early church offered baptism for the dead in some lost ritual, the idea soon became that the dead were not only without hope, but doomed. How can we accept the Scriptural affirmation that all creatures in heaven and earth shall bow before the throne (Phil. Stott’s belief in annihilationism ran contrary to the beliefs of the Anglican Church … “Death,” losing life, and “perishing” are not easily read as signifying another kind of life, viz. He justly punishes their sin and forbids them a place within the Kingdom. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”. That is, there is no one word that is translated into the English word "hell." 29:20). He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. While he had a tendency to blend Greek and Christian philosophies, his view on the issue of Hell was derived from the scriptures: All souls are immortal, even those of the wicked. 3:17). xiv + 300. In other words, unbelievers will not experience eternal punishment in a literal hell, but will simply vanish (or have their souls extinguished) instead. This is consistent with Jesus’ teaching that those who try to find life apart from God end up losing it (Matt. So while in 1 Cor. Two things may be said in response to this. Stott’s belief in annihilationism ran contrary to the beliefs of the Anglican Church … Annihilationism is the belief that the final fate of those who are not saved is literal and final death and destruction. After the first generations, as early as Irenaeus in the 2 nd Century A.D., there were Christians who even looked at the existence of hell as a good thing. 9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, I didn’t come to this understanding lightly. Then over the first three centuries the Gentile converts grew in number until they were the vast and overwhelming majority. If these passages are read in context, it becomes clear that the fire is unquenchable in the sense that it cannot be put out before it consumes those thrown into it. In this essay I will present biblical arguments in its defense and then conclude with several other supporting arguments. What did the early Church Fathers have to say about the doctrine of eternal punishment? The Scripture says, ‘The soul who sins shall die.’, Ezekiel 18:20. The OP asked for the majority belief of the early church. Annihilationism experienced a resurgence in the 19th century thanks to the Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses, as already discussed, and in the 20th century through Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God (today much more orthodox in its Christianity thanks to his successors) and its offshoots like the United Church of God (which is more true to Armstrong's teachings). Annihilationism and the Old Testament The scriptures suggest they still have their body ( the spiritual realm and physical realm are joined together again as it was in the garden of Eden). Annihilationism in the New Testament Couple of scriptures come to mind: (32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I am an advocate of “Annihilationism,” otherwise known as “Conditional Immortalily.” ... Traditionalists will appeal to church tradition as one way to justify eternal conscious torment. A lot of the arguments I’ve read against annihilationism seem to be arguing something that, while likely not strawman (someone probably believes it), generally are attacked in the spots that make that particular understanding unbiblical (though not the larger context of an eventual second death).