Annihilationism, also known as conditionalism, is the teaching that when people die, the wicked are annihilated. They do not undergo eternal, conscious punishment. The idea has been around for centuries. But is it a biblical position, or is it wishful thinking? CARM denies annihilationism. The following articles expose the error of annihilationism.
Introduction
- Why write about annihilationism?
- Matt Slick to those who want me to respond to their responses to these articles
- Dictionary of terms related to annihilationism
- Bibliography used in researching annihilationism/conditionalism
- Being open-minded about annihilationism
- Various quotes used in research on annihilationism
- Conclusion on Annihilationism
Articles
- What is annihilationism and is it biblical?
- What is conditional immortality?
- What are the basic assumptions of conditionalism, also known as annihilationism?
- Does belief in annihilationism mean you are not a Christian?
- What did Jesus say about hell and the final judgment?
- The New Testament interprets the Old Testament, not the other way around
- How did Jesus speak of death and dying and what did he mean by it?
- The conditionalist Bible
Challenging conditionalism, annihilationism
- Philosophical challenges to the conditionalist view of eternal punishment being nonexistence
- Conditionalism and the genetic fallacy regarding the immortal soul
- Conditionalism and begging the question
- Conditionalism and conflating eternal punishment with nonexistence
- Conditionalism and the figurative literal interpretive error
- Conditionalism and degrees of punishment
- Is annihilationism potentially dangerous regarding evangelism?
- If the sinner is punished and satisfies the law, then shouldn’t he go to heaven?
- Edward Fudge says “apollumi’ mostly refers to death. That is misleading
- Edward Fudge’s doctrine of punishment then annihilation has a problem
- Edward Fudge and eternal salvation, redemption, judgment, destruction, and punishment
- Edward Fudge’s teaching that when death occurs the soul is deprived of life, leads to heresy
- Who is the false prophet of Revelation?
- Examining Chris Date and Glenn Peoples’ discussion of Date and Corbett debate with Sherlin and Poore
Destruction, punishment, and fire
- What is punishment according to the Bible?
- Usage of the English word punish, discipline, execute, etc. in the entire Bible
- What does the destruction of people mean according to the New Testament
- Eternal fire is not eternal. Instead, God as the source is eternal
- Fire burns the wicked until they are consumed, then they are annihilated
Conditionalism, annihilationism and the soul
- Why is the nature of the soul so important in conditionalism?
- In conditionalism, there is a logical problem with the soul ceasing to exist and then being resurrected
- Problems with anthropological physicalism/materialism
- Different conditionalists/annihilationists have different views concerning the soul
- Conditionalism and the anthropological monism, physicalism problem
- Conditionalism and the anthropological monism, physicalism and Jesus problem
- God receiving Jesus’ spirit proves continued conscious existence after death
- Soul sleep, Jesus’ human nature, and conditionalism
- Is the immortal soul is a Greek concept adopted by the early church?
- Examining soul sleep and its problems
- Is there an intermediate state and what does it mean for conditionalism?
- Soul sleep problems and questions
Objections to Eternal Conscious Torment answered
- Eternal conscious torment makes God immoral
- Eternal conscious torment does not benefit God nor the one being punished
- Eternal Conscious Torment makes God unloving
- Eternal Conscious Torment is too horrible and monstrous to be true
- Eternal Conscious Torment would mean that God is not just to punish finite sin infinitely
- God is holy and will not allow evil to exist forever. Therefore, the wicked will be annihilated
- Sin against God deserves infinite punishment, but suffering forever does not satisfy that infinite punishment
Verses Examined
- Summation of Scriptures examined regarding conditionalism
- Genesis 2:17, “in the day”
- Genesis 3:19 and returning to dust
- Genesis 3:22-24, guarding the tree of life
- Psalm 1:4-5, the wicked are like chaff
- Psalm 6:5, no mention of God in death
- Psalm 9:17, The wicked will return to Sheol
- Psalm 37, the wicked are no more
- Psalm 92:6-9, the wicked are destroyed
- Psalm 112:10, the wicked will melt away
- Ecclesiastes 9:5, and the dead know nothing
- Ecclesiastes 12:7, and the soul returning to God
- Isaiah 33:11-14, the wicked are burned with fire
- Isaiah 34:8-10, the smoke of the city ascends forever
- Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:47-48, worm dies not, fire not quenched
- Ezekiel 18:4, the soul that sins will die
- Daniel 12:2, people wake to everlasting contempt
- Malachi 4:1-3, the evildoer is like chaff set ablaze
- Matthew 3:12, Luke 3:17, the chaff are burned with unquenchable fire
- Matthew 7:13-14, many are led to destruction
- Matthew 8:29 and Mark 1:23-24, and the demons tormented before their time
- Matthew 10:15 and degrees of punishment
- Matthew 10:28, destroy both body and soul in hell
- Matthew 13:40-42, wicked are burned with fire
- Matthew 17, Christ’s transfiguration, Moses, and Elijah
- Matthew 18:8-9, it is better to enter heaven lame, then cast into hell whole
- Matthew 22:32, People are alive after death, God of the living
- Matthew 25:41, eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels
- Matthew 25:46 and eternal punishment
- Mark 1:23-24, and the demons tormented before their time
- Mark 9:47-48, Isaiah 66:24, worm dies not, fire not quenched
- Mark 12:26-27, people are alive after death, God of the living
- Luke 3:17, Matt 3:12, the chaff are burned with unquenchable fire
- Luke 12:47-48 and degrees of punishment
- Luke 16, the rich man and Lazarus
- Luke 20:35-36, in the resurrection, the good are like angels, immortal
- Luke 20:37, people are alive after death, God of the living
- Luke 23:42-43, the thief with Jesus in the afterlife the day of his death
- John 11:26, all who believe in Jesus will never die
- John 15:6, people are cast into the fire and burned
- Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death
- 1 Corinthians 3:17, God will destroy people
- 1 Corinthians 15:17-18, if Christ is not raised, those who are asleep have perished
- 2 Corinthians 5:8, being separated from the body and at home with the Lord
- 2 Corinthians 12:2, in the body or out of the body, caught up to heaven
- Philippians 1:28, 3:19, and the destruction of the ungodly
- 2 Thessalonians 1:9, the eternal destruction of the wicked
- 1 Timothy 6:16, and God alone has immortality
- 2 Timothy 1:9-10, God brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
- 1 Peter 3:18-20, Jesus spoke to the spirits in prison
- 2 Peter 2:6, Sodom and Gomorrah were reduced to ashes
- 2 Peter 2:9, the present punishment of the wicked
- 2 Peter 2:12, destruction of the wicked
- 2 Peter 3:7, those kept for the day of judgment for the destruction of the ungodly
- Jude 6-7, angels and the wicked undergoing punishment of eternal fire
- Jude 10, wicked men revile and are destroyed
- Revelation 14:9-11, worshippers of the beast are tormented forever
- Revelation 18:8, 21, Babylon burned and not found any more
- Revelation 20:10, the devil, the beast, and the false prophet, tormented day and night forever
Word Studies
- Summary of other word studies related to annihilationism
- Word study on the Book of Life
- Chaff, Hebrew and Greek words examined
- Death, apothnesko
- Death, nekros
- Death, teleute
- Death, thanatos
- Eternal, aionios
- Eternal Fire
- Eternal Life
- Eternal punishment
- Example, deigma
- False prophet
- Fire, pur
- Forever and ever
- Hades
- Hell, Gehenna
- Immortality, aphtharsia
- Immortality, athanasia
- Incorruptible, aphthartos
- In the day
- Lake of fire
- Life, zoe
- Outer darkness
- Presence, prosopon
- Sheol
- Soul, psuche
- Weeping and gnashing of Teeth
- Will be no more
Greek Word Studies related to destruction, torment, etc.
- About these word studies as they relate to conditional immortality, annihilationism
- Word Study of all the Greek words for destruction and punishment
- Word study of Greek words as English punish, penalty, condemn
- Word Study of the English word ‘punish’ in the New Testament
- Summary of Greek words related to destruction, punishment
- Aphanizo – disappear
- Apoleia – destroy
- Apollumi – destroy, perish
- Basanizo – torment
- Basanismos – torment
- Basanos– torment
- Basanistes – torment
- Diaphtheiro – to destroy utterly
- Dike – penalty, punishment
- Ekdikeo – execute justice
- Ekdikesis – execute justice
- Epitimia – punishment
- Exolethreuo – to destroy out of its place
- Kataluo – to tear down, conquer
- Katastrophe – destruction, overthrow, ruin
- Kathaireo – tear down, conquer
- Kathairesis – conquer, tear down
- Kolasis – punish
- Kolazo -prune
- Luo – loose, destroy, end
- Olethros – destroy, kill, ruin
- Paideuo – punish, chastize
- Phtheiro – to waste, corrupt
- Phthora – destruction, spoil
- Portheo – ravage, destroy
- Suntrimma – destruction, ruin
- Tephroo, destroy – turn to ashes
- Timoreo – punish
- Timoria – punish
Hebrew Word Studies related to destruction and punishment, etc.
- Summary of Hebrew words related to destruction and punishment
- Word study on Hebrew words for English punish, avenge, and vengeance in the Old Testament
- Abad – perish
- Awon – punishment
- Biqqoreth – punishment
- Naqam – punish
- Paqad – punish
- Rasha – punish
- Shachath – destroy, ruin, corrupt
- Yacaph -punish
- Yacar – punish
