“But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed,” (Jude 10).
Annihilationists sometimes refer to Jude 10 to support their belief in annihilationism. They say that since animals are destroyed and, presumably, do not exist anymore, the wicked men who are like them, will also be destroyed and will also cease to exist. But, is that what the text is teaching, or are the conditionalists assuming too much?
Jude 10 says that it is the wicked people who are “like unreasoning animals” that are destroyed. But, is this speaking of 1) a corrupted and unfruitful life, 2) an early physical death, 3) the spiritual death of separation from God, or, as the annihilationists assume, 4) nonexistence? Since the text does not specify, it cannot be used as a proof text for conditionalist assumptions.
The word for “destroyed,” in Greek is φθείρω, phtheiro. (See the Word study on phtheiro, corrupt). In its various usages, it can also mean corruption 1 Cor. 15:33; 2 Cor. 7:2; Eph. 4:22; Rev. 19:2 as well as being led astray, 2 Cor. 11:3. The word occurs nine times in the New Testament, and only three of them have any relation to possible support of annihilationism: 1 Cor. 3:17, 2 Pet. 2:12, and Jude 10. In each of these three usages, the word can mean physical or spiritual death – without the spiritual death being defined. The issue here is that the annihilationists will assume that the word “destroyed” means nonexistence. But the context does not require that assumption.
- “Jude thought of their eternal judgment when they will pay the consequences for being enslaved to their sinful desires, the only thing these people understood well.”1
- “Corrupt” is phtheirō (φθειρω), “to corrupt, to destroy.” Thayer chooses the meaning in Jude 10, “to destroy.” It is passive in voice, thus, “by these things they are being brought to ruin.”2
The wicked share in the same physical appetites of animals and are base, defiling, run by instinct. This is why they revile that which is good.
2 Peter 2:12, “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction (phtheiro) of those creatures also be destroyed,”
It is the godless people who, in their abusive language, act like wild animals. They will suffer the consequences of their vile blasphemies and experience moral and spiritual decay. They, too, will suffer the punishment of God’s wrath.
Conclusion
The context of Jude 10 does not clarify what the fate of the wicked is, whether it be eternal conscious torment, annihilation, or the spiritual and moral destruction they would suffer then and there, etc. But, since those who revile have no true spiritual sense of decency, their morality will follow their lack of virtue, and it will destroy them. The destruction is a corruption of their hearts and minds that leads to spiritual destruction. We must leave it to other verses that are more specific to determine whether people will continue to exist or not in the final judgment.
