This is a list of the various articles that analyzed Scriptures that occur in relation to the discussion of conditionalism, also known as annihilationism.  Each article is summarized for quick reference.

1. Genesis 2:17, in the day you eat, you will die
   1. Genesis 2:17, “but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
   2. Summary: Genesis 2:17 is best interpreted to mean that the very day Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, they died. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, their eyes were opened to good and evil (Gen. 3:6). This “opening of the eyes” happened right away, that very day they ate of the fruit.  “In the day” means right then and there.  Furthermore, this would mean that the death they experienced was present and ongoing. The death they experienced was a spiritual separation from God which manifested itself in their hiding from Him on the very day they ate of the fruit. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and sin caused the separation between God and us (Isaiah 59:2). Therefore, it is consistent with the rest of Scripture to conclude that “in the day” as used in Genesis 2:17 is that very day with a manifestation in the continued experience of Adam and Eve the rest of their lives until physical death took them.  Finally, he pre-incarnate Christ covered Adam and Eve with skins which many commentators suggest is an atonement since the covering it implies the killing of animals, and shed blood, in order to obtain those skins. Though it is not explicitly stated as an atonement, it is consistent with the rest of Scripture (Lev. 17:14). Therefore, the atoning work was necessary right then and there to cover Adam and Eve. Why?  Because the effect of their spiritual death and separation from God was immediate and they needed an immediate atonement.  Therefore, Adam and Eve died that very day they ate of the fruit.
2. Genesis 3:19, return to dust
   1. Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
   2. Summary: God gave the spirit of life to Adam. It says that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” (Gen. 2:7). Adam’s life came from God.  But it was the fleshly body that came from the ground.  Therefore, when God says that Adam will return to the ground, it cannot be that God meant the whole person, including the spirit, returns to the ground because Adam’s spirit did not come from the ground.  Therefore, “returning to the dust” can only be in reference to Adam’s physical body and his physical death, not his spirit.
3. Genesis 3:22-24, guarding the tree of life
   1. Genesis 3:22-24, “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”
   2. Summary: It is just as valid to say that the reason Adam and Eve were not allowed to return and eat from the tree of life is so they would not have lived forever in their fallen, sinful state.  This verse does not necessitate that the human soul is mortal.
4. Ecclesiastes 9:5, the dead know nothing
   1. Ecclesiastes 9:5, “For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.”
   2. Summary: Ecclesiastes is speaking relative to the human context and how things are seen from a rather bleak outlook, “under the sun,” a phrase that is repeated throughout the book (Ecc. 1:3, 9, 14; 2:11, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22; 3:16; 4:1, 3, 7, 15; 5:13, 18; 6:1, 12; 8:9, 15, 17; 9:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 10:5 ). Solomon laments that the “fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same,” (3:19), that they go to the same place (3:20), and that “the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth,” (7:1). He says that money is the answer to everything (10:19). the dead know nothing is a commentary from the human perspective. When a body lies upon the ground is observed to know nothing. This is a commentary from the human perspective and is not a commentary on the nature of the soul.
5. Ecclesiastes 12:7, the soul returning to God
   1. Ecclesiastes 12:7, “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”
   2. Summary:   Ecclesiastes is speaking relative to the human context and how things are seen from a rather bleak outlook, “under the sun,” a phrase that is repeated throughout the book (Ecc. 1:3, 9, 14; 2:11, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22; 3:16; 4:1, 3, 7, 15; 5:13, 18; 6:1, 12; 8:9, 15, 17; 9:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 10:5 ). Solomon laments that the “fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same,” (3:19), that they go to the same place (3:20), and that “the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth,” (7:1). He says that money is the answer to everything (10:19). Therefore, it is a perspective as seen from “under the sun,” and is not a commentary on eternal matters.  It is have you of vanity and failure from a human perspective.
6. Psalm 1:4-5, the wicked are like chaff
   1. Psalm 1:4-5, “The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.”
   2. Summary: Psalm 1:4-5 is saying that the wicked will not stand in the judgment to come. It does not say that they will cease to exist. Therefore, to say that the verses mean the wicked are annihilated is to read into the text that which is not there.
7. Psalm 6:5, no mention of God in death
   1. Psalm 6:5, “For there is no mention of You in death.  In Sheol who will give You thanks?”
   2. Summary: This is an Old Testament passage that is dealing with human distress. If it were the only verse in the Bible that spoke about Sheol, the conditionalist might be able to make his case for soul sleep. Nevertheless, to conclude that Psalm 6:5 teaches soul sleep without considering the revelation of the New Testament would be a mistake. But this has not stopped some conditionalists from interpreting the New Testament in light of the Old Testament. In other words, they will use the Old Testament to explain what the New Testament what it really means. But that is a wrong approach. It is always the New Testament that explains the Old Testament. Nevertheless, since other Scriptures speak against it the idea of soul sleep (as listed above), then we know that Psalm 6:5 is not teaching it. Instead, it is a plea of a man in distress who speaks of God out of his dire situation That is why he says there is no mention of God in Sheol.
8. Psalm 9:17, The wicked will return to Sheol
   1. Psalm 9:17, The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.
   2. Summary: Psalm 9:17 cannot be used to support annihilationism or soul sleep since it speaks of the wicked returning to Sheol. They cannot return to someplace if they have not been there before. Since we begin to exist at our conception, it cannot be that when the wicked die they return to Sheol – since they have not been there before. It is only upon death that they enter that condition. So, what is Psalm 9:17 saying? In my opinion, it is speaking of the judgment of the wicked by God. But, the full nature of that judgment is not revealed in the text, so this verse cannot be used to prove annihilationism, soul sleep, or the idea that upon physical death the soul ceases to exist.
9. Psalm 37, the wicked are no more
   1. Psalm 37:1-40, “Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.”  v. 20 “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.” vv. 35-36, “I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. “36 Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.”  v. 38 “But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.”
   2. Summary: Psalm 37 certainly has language that can be used to support annihilationism. However, when we examine the context of the verses within that Psalm focused on by annihilationists (v. 10, 20, 36, 3i) we can see that there is strong, contextual evidence to support the idea that the psalmist is speaking from a human perspective and not proclaiming the doctrine of soul sleep or final extinction. Psalm 37:35-36 is particularly important in this sense because it says that the psalmist looked for the wicked, but they were no more. He is clearly speaking from the human perspective and clarifies what is meant by “they were no more.” So, Psalm 37 is far from proving annihilationism is true.
10. Psalm 92:6-9, the wicked are destroyed
    1. Psalm 92:7, 9, “That when the wicked sprouted up like grass and all who did iniquity flourished. It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.” 9 “For, behold, Your enemies, O LORD, for, behold, Your enemies will perish. All who do iniquity will be scattered.”
    2. Summary: In Psalm 92:7,9 when the psalmist wishes that the wicked might be destroyed forevermore (v. 7) and that they would perish (v. 9), he is not pronouncing a doctrinal statement on the condition of the soul after their physical death. Nor is he providing an eschatological statement on the final condition of the wicked being nonexistent. Instead, he is cursing the wicked, as so many imprecatory Psalms do: Psalms 35:4-6; 40:14; 79:6; 94:1-2; 109:6-9; 137:9, etc. Therefore, in its context, Psalm 92 is not about soul sleep or annihilationism. It is a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God that also speaks of the destruction of the wicked. But, this destruction is not declarative. It is imprecatory.
11. Psalm 112:10, the wicked will melt away
    1. Psalm 112:10, “The wicked will see it and be vexed.  He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.”
    2. Summary: This Psalm is a song of praise to God but it also contains a curse upon the wicked. when it says that the wicked will melt away and that the desire of the wicked will perish (v. 10), it is not making a doctrinal statement made about the future state of the wicked whether it be soul sleep or annihilation.  Instead, is proclaiming that the end of the wicked will come to nothing.  To make this Psalm one that supports conditionalism is to do so by reading into the text what is not there.
12. Isaiah 33:11-14, the wicked are burned with fire
    1. Isaiah 33:11-14, “You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire. 12 The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire. 13 You who are far away, hear what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might. 14 Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?”
    2. Summary: The context of Isaiah 33 is the 14 year of Hezekiah’s reign. The Assyrians are threatening Jerusalem. Isaiah mentions the unnamed destroyer who will be destroyed (v. 2). He adopts figurative language when he says in verse 11, “You have conceived chaff. You will give birth to stumble. My breath will consume you like a fire.” Such vivid, figurative imagery is not meant to describe the literal, future nonexistence of the wicked. Instead, it is illustrating their fate. God’s judgment will be upon them. For the conditionalist to assert that God is speaking of the ultimate nonexistence of the wicked is to read into the text. Furthermore, it is the wicked who in verse 14 who are asking who can dwell in God’s consuming, continual burning fire. They know they cannot. It is only the righteous (verse 16) who will stand. Though this chapter has language familiar to what conditionalists look for to support their position, it is not a proof text for the position.
13. Isaiah 34:8-10, the smoke of the city ascends forever
    1. Isaiah 34:8-10, “For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Its streams will be turned into pitch, and its loose earth into brimstone, and its land will become burning pitch. 9 It will not be quenched night or day. Its smoke will go up forever. From generation to generation it will be desolate. None will pass through it forever and ever.”
    2. Summary: In Isaiah 34:8-10, God used the imagery of continuous burning to signify the severity of the permanent judgment on Edom. He used the symbolism of the perpetuity of burning of pitch, which seemingly does not end and which is also associated with perpetual smoke, to illustrate his eternal judgment. However, the conditionalists make a mistake when they jump from recognizing God’s figurative usage in Isaiah, to requiring a literal interpretation in Revelation in order to invalidate God’s actual permanent judgment upon the wicked in the form of conscious torment. They do not allow the contexts to interpret themselves and instead transfer the meaning of one passage to that of another. This is why they arrive at their faulty conclusions.
14. Isaiah 66:24, the worm dies not, the fire is not quenched
    1. Isaiah 66:24, “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”
    2. Summary: Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:42-48 are eschatological pronouncements of God’s judgment upon the wicked. The conditionalists point to the figurative usage of the phrases “where the worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched,” to say the text is technically wrong because the worm does die and the fires are quenched. This, in turn, means that the fiery torment associated with this imagery is not real; it is not forever. So they look at the apparent figurative usage which is intended to convey disgust, fear, anguish, and continuous judgment, and extract a technically correct subpoint about fires and worms both dying, in order to say that eternal conscious torment is not true. But, the conditionalists are missing the point. In reality, the language used by Isaiah and Jesus is precisely the language the Jews would have used to convey the idea of eternal conscious torment by taking a known set of images and modifying them to illustrate the continuous and horrible judgment to come. The conditionalists get it wrong in their search for annihilationism.
15. Daniel 12:2, people wake to everlasting contempt
    1. Daniel 12:2, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
    2. Summary: Since both conditionalist and traditionalists could argue for their perspective using Daniel 12:2, and the text does not seem to be explicitly clear on the issue, I don’t think this is the best verse for either side to use to support their position. In my opinion, it’s too ambiguous and can be interpreted either way.
16. Ezekiel 18:4, the soul that sins will die
    1. Ezekiel 18:4, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.”
    2. Summary:  Ezekiel 18:4 does not tell us what is the nature of the death is when it says “The soul who sins will die.” It does not say extinction or continued awareness after death. Since there’s not a single instance of the Hebrew word for death ‘mooth’ (H4191, מוּת) in all of the 842 occurrences in the Old Testament which means human extinction, we cannot conclude that Ezekiel 18:4 supports annihilationism.  It is only the assumption of the annihilationist that would force the text to mean it.
17. Malachi 4:1-3, the evildoer is like chaff set ablaze
    1. Malachi 4:1–3, “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.” 2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. 3 “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.”
    2. Summary: Does Malachi 4:1-3 and its use of imagery best describe future annihilation or future conscious torment? The conditionalists would say that is chaff is burned up and does not exist anymore, so too the wicked will be burned up and not exist. But in this, they error by taking something in the imagery to represent the whole of the imagery and commit the logical fallacy of composition. They miss the point that the imagery is intended to convey a horrible future judgment that should invoke a fearful dread among the wicked. As with the rest of the images used in the Old Testament in this context, it seems more logical to say that burning chaff, unquenchable fire, the worm that does not die, would bring greater fear upon the wicked and merely the idea of nonexistence.
18. Matthew 3:12, the chaff are burned with unquenchable fire
    1. Matt. 3:12, “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
    2. Summary: The words of John the Baptist are best understood as a dire warning of the future judgment to come. The imagery of unquenchable fire can be used by annihilationists to support their position, but the text does not necessitate their conclusion. After all, imagery is open to interpretive bias. Since other verses in the Scriptures clearly imply conscious torment after death, i.e., Luke 16:19-31, Jude 7; Rev. 14:9-11 and since we must harmonize all of Scripture together, we cannot say that Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17 prove that the wicked are annihilated in a final judgment. If anything, John the Baptist is issuing a dire warning via the imagery of unquenchable fire, which best suits eternal conscious torment rather than nonexistence.
19. Matthew 5:29–30  better to lose body parts than be thrown whole into hell… what is the CI hell?
    1. Matt. 5:29-30, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
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20. Matthew 7:13-14, many are led to destruction
    1. Matt. 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
    2. Summary: Matthew 7:13-14 does not contain any contextual information that reveals what  is the meaning of the word “destruction.”  Though conditionalists claim it means nonexistent, the context does not support or deny that conclusion. Jesus simply said the wicked will be destroyed. The Greek word used in this verse is ἀπώλεια, apoleia, which occurs 17 times in the New Testament. It speaks of the destruction of Judas Iscariot (John 17:12) and the antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3).  In seven other instances, it refers to either physical or spiritual death (Acts 8:20; Phil. 1:28; 3:19; 1 Tim. 6:9; 2 Pet. 2:3; 2 Pet. 3:7, 16).  And in five verses refer specifically to spiritual death (Matt. 7:13; Rom. 9:22; Heb. 10:39; Rev. 17:8, 11).  But, in each case the nature of that destruction whether it be existence or nonexistence in the afterlife after the Day of Judgment, is not specified.
21. Matthew 8:29, the demons tormented before their time
    1. Matt. 8:29, “And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time.”
    2. Summary: Matt 8:29 and Mark 1:23-24 best support the idea of eternal conscious torment, not annihilationism. This is because when the demonic realm speaks about the final judgment/punishment, we know from other Scriptures that they are talking about the eternal lake of fire. This was spoken about by Jesus when he said the fire was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). Since both the wicked angelic realm and the wicked people are cast into eternal fire (Rev. 19:20), and since angels don’t die (Luke 20:36), then it implies that the people who are with them in the eternal fire will suffer without end. This lends support to eternal conscious torment, not annihilationism.
22. Matthew 10:15, and degrees of punishment
    1. Matt. 10:15, “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
    2. Summary: There are problems with the annihilationist position that the wicked are resurrected in order to face degrees of punishment before God annihilates them. Why would God bring the wicked through different levels of punishment and once that requisite amount of punishment is accomplished, they are then punished again via annihilation? This is double jeopardy. Think about it. In this particular position, the wicked are punished according to their sins. They suffer for a while until they have completed the punishment due to the Law. But once the Law has been satisfied by them completing their punishment requirement, why then would they be annihilated? Why aren’t they saved since they have satisfied the requirements of the Law? This annihilationist position makes no sense and even implies that God is unrighteous. It should be abandoned.
23. Matthew 10:28, destroy both body and soul in hell
    1. Matt. 10:28, “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.”  
    2. Summary: The context of Matthew 10:28 does not reveal what the nature of the destruction of the people actually is. We don’t know if it means nonexistence, as the conditionalists claim, or continued existence in God’s judgment. But, as you can see, the word apollumi, destroy, that is used in this verse is also used to speak of the people who were still alive but also said to be in a state of destruction (Matt. 15:24; Luke 15:24, 32; 19:10). Therefore, the conditionalists should not be so quick to claim that apollumi in Matthew 10:28 means that those thus destroyed don’t exist anymore. If anything, it could easily mean that they will face the eternal destruction of God by the means of eternal conscious torment.
24. Matthew 13:40-42, wicked are burned with fire also vv. 49-50
    1. Matt. 13:40-42, “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
    2. Summary: Nothing in the text of Matthew 13:40-42 says that the wicked are annihilated. The assumption of conditionalists that it is speaking of nonexistence is just that, an assumption. It is just not there. If anything, the furnace of fire in which “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” is far more descriptive of conscious punishment which supports the traditionalist view of eternal conscious torment. As horrible as that the prospect is, that is what the Scriptures teach as is found in Luke 16:19-31, Jude 6-7, and Rev. 14:9-11.
25. Matthew 17, Christ’s transfiguration, Moses, and Elijah
    1. Matthew 17:1–3, “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”
    2. Summary: The Transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17:1-8) with the appearance of Moses and Elijah stands in direct opposition to the often held conditionalist positions of soul sleep and the cessation of the existence of the soul/spirit upon a person’s physical death. Neither of those positions is possible since Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus before their resurrection-which has not yet happened. Furthermore, though it is said to be a vision (v. 9), the vision was that of an actual occurrence. And if a conditionalist were to assert that the vision means it was not literal, aside from the obvious difficulties that the text contains which refute that idea, what then was God teaching Peter, James, and John by showing them that Moses and Elijah were alive and conscious and talking with Jesus? The conditionalist position makes no sense.
26. Matthew 18:8-9, it is better to enter heaven lame, then cast into hell whole
    1. Matt. 18:8–9, “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9 “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”  
    2. Summary: In Matthew 18:8, Jesus is warning people about suffering the fate of being cast into eternal fire, not because they will stop existing, but because it is a horrible place. The eternal fire, the “lake of fire,” is a stark and terrifying reality where the unbelievers who have rejected Christ will suffer eternal conscious torment (Rev. 20:15) just as the devil will along with the beast, the false prophet (Rev. 20:10). After all, that fire was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41) and since angels don’t die (Luke 20:36), the eternal fire is eternal in its burning, not in its source. Otherwise, Jesus’ warning doesn’t really have any teeth to it. The nonexistence of annihilation isn’t anything; it is just ‘nothing.’ There is no suffering in nonexistence. There is no punishment in nonexistence. There’s just nothing. The conditionalist position does not make sense in light of Christ’s words in Matthew 18:8 who warned them not to enter into that eternal fire that will never end.
27. Matthew 25:41, eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels
    1. Matt. 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'”
    2. Summary:  The implication of fire that is never-ending, that is eternal, supports the idea of eternal conscious torment…What we see here in these Scriptures is that the angels don’t die (Luke 20:36), that the devil and his angels will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10), that this fire is eternal (Matt. 25:41) and that they will be joined by the beast, the false prophet, and those who worshipped them (Rev. 19:20; 20:11). So, if the angels don’t die and are cast into the eternal fire along with the wicked people, then the implication is that they all suffer forever.
28. Matthew 25:46 and eternal punishment
    1. Matt. 25:46, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
    2. Summary: Nothing in the context of Matthew 25:46 tells us what the eternal punishment is. In fact, the phrase that it is contrasted with “eternal life” is also never defined in Scripture. However, we know that eternal life is associated with many good things and contrasted with many bad things. But, the annihilationist contrasts eternal punishment with eternal life and reinterprets eternal punishment to mean eternal death; that is, nonexistence in their minds. However, the phrase “eternal death” does not occur in the Bible. So, the conditionalists are reading into the text a meaning that is not there. In addition, Matthew 25:41 which is just five verses earlier says that the wicked will depart and be cast into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (v. 41). But in Luke 20:36 Jesus says angels do not die. Therefore, the fire that consumes them (the wicked angles) must be eternal and their existence that will never end. Furthermore, since Revelation 20:10 says that the devil is thrown into the lake of fire along with the beast and the false prophet and that they will be tormented day and night forever and ever, we can conclude that all of this means that Matthew 25:46 not only cannot be used to support the annihilationist assumption. If anything, it supports the idea that eternal punishment is conscious and experienced by the wicked.
29. Mark 1:23-24 and the demons tormented before their time
    1. Mark 1:23–24, “Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
    2. Summary: Matt 8:29 and Mark 1:23-24 best support the idea of eternal conscious torment, not annihilationism. This is because when the demonic realm speaks about the final judgment/punishment, we know from other Scriptures that they are talking about the eternal lake of fire. This was spoken about by Jesus when he said the fire was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). Since both the wicked angelic realm and the wicked people are cast into eternal fire (Rev. 19:20), and since angels don’t die (Luke 20:36), then it implies that the people who are with them in the eternal fire will suffer without end. This lends support to eternal conscious torment, not annihilationism.
30. Mark 9:44-48, the worm does not die
    1. Mark 9:44–48, “where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. 45 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. 47 “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, 48 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.”
    2. Summary: Mark 9:42-48 and Isaiah 66:24 are eschatological pronouncements of God’s judgment upon the wicked. The conditionalists point to the figurative usage of the phrases “where the worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched,” to say the text is technically wrong because the worm does die and the fires are quenched. This, in turn, means that the fiery torment associated with this imagery is not real; it is not forever. So they look at the apparent figurative usage which is intended to convey disgust, fear, anguish, and continuous judgment, and extract a technically correct subpoint about fires and worms both dying, in order to say that eternal conscious torment is not true. But, the conditionalists are missing the point. In reality, the language used by Isaiah and Jesus is precisely the language the Jews would have used to convey the idea of eternal conscious torment by taking a known set of images and modifying them to illustrate the continuous and horrible judgment to come. The conditionalists get it wrong in their search for annihilationism.
31. Mark 12:26-27, People are alive after death, God of the living
    1.  Mark 12:26-27, “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob’? 27 “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
    2. Summary: See the article Luke 20:37-38, People are alive after death, God of the living
32. Luke 3:17, the chaff are burned with unquenchable fire
    1. Luke 3:17, “His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
    2. Summary: The words of John the Baptist are best understood as a dire warning of the future judgment to come. The imagery of unquenchable fire can be used by annihilationists to support their position, but the text does not necessitate their conclusion. After all, imagery is open to interpretive bias. Since other verses in the Scriptures clearly imply conscious torment after death, i.e., Luke 16:19-31, Jude 7; Rev. 14:9-11 and since we must harmonize all of Scripture together, we cannot say that Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17 prove that the wicked are annihilated in a final judgment. If anything, John the Baptist is issuing a dire warning via the imagery of unquenchable fire, which best suits eternal conscious torment rather than nonexistence.
33. Luke 12:47-48 and degrees of punishment
    1. Luke 12:47-48, “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
    2. Summary: Even though not all annihilationists are the same, and some hold differing views about the nature and extent of the final judgment as it relates to conditionalism and the annihilation of a person, this view of experiencing a measure of punishment before being annihilated seems to be self-refuting. If the wicked suffer according to the Law and once the suffering is completed, then the requirement of the Law has been satisfied. Logically, they should be saved because they’ve accomplished the requirements of the Law. But, to have God then annihilate them would mean they suffer two punishments, not one. This would risk accusing God of immorality by having him punish a person twice for the same sins committed. It makes no sense and cannot be true.
34. Luke 16:19-31, the rich man and Lazarus
    1. Luke 16:19-31 is the account of Lazarus and the Rich man
    2. Summary: In the Rich Man and Lazarus account, Jesus mentions explicitly the afterlife (even if the conditionalists deny it). If Jesus was only alluding to pagan ideas of the afterlife as part of an overall storyline, and he used conscious torment to illustrate his point, then why didn’t he avoid the pagan teaching lest he misleads people into thinking there is an afterlife, as so many Christians throughout history have maintained? In addition, the Lucan context clearly demonstrates eschatological importance as The Unrighteous Steward, and the Rich Man and Lazarus accounts are parallel. Both deal with the afterlife. The unrighteous steward deals with eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9) and the account of the Rich Man and Lazarus deals with Hades and the afterlife (Luke 16:23-28). The conditionalist misfocused interpretation that says The Rich Man and Lazarus is dealing with the futility of believing that someone returning from the dead will bring people to repentance, and the Pharisees neglect of the poor, is to miss the point of Christ’s teaching. What we do find in the text that is taught by Jesus is 1) conscious existence of both the good and the bad after death, 2) conscious experience of bliss in the torment of the good and bad after death, and 3) Jesus warning to the unbelievers about their horrible condition after death. The conditionalists have missed the point because they have submitted this section of Scripture to their presuppositions and reinterpreted to fit them. Error begets error.
35. Luke 20:35-36, in the resurrection, the good are like angels, immortal
    1. Luke 20:36, for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
    2. Summary: Jesus taught that angels live forever (Luke 20:36). They have immortality.  No differentiation is made between good or bad angels.  This would mean then that the conditionalists position which states that “immortality is exclusively promised as a gift to those who are saved through Christ,”¹Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism (Kindle Locations 593-595). Cascade Books, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition. is not correct.  Therefore, the conditionalists need to reassess their position and adjust it according to Scripture.
36. Luke 20:37-38, people are alive after death, God of the living
    1. Luke 20:37, “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB.”
    2. Summary: Unfortunately, the texts (Mark 12:26-27 and Luke 20:37-38) do not tell us exactly what is meant by Jesus’ words when he said that God “is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Conditionalists are forced to interpret the text figuratively in order to main consistency with their assumptions. But, of course, there are plenty of scriptures that demonstrate consciousness after death.  Samuel appeared alive and conscious after his death (1 Sam. 28:11-19). Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke to Jesus at the Transfiguration. Lazarus and Rich man are alive and conscious after death (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus told the thief that he would be with Jesus in paradise on that day, (Luke 23:42–43). Paul was probably caught up to the third heaven being out of his body (2 Cor. 12:2). And, the Saints in heaven are conscious as they cry out for the avenging of their blood (Rev. 6:10).  In light of this, the best explanation for the meaning of Jesus’ words where he declares that God is the God of the living not the dead, which means that they are alive and conscious after death.
37. Luke 23:42-43, the thief with Jesus in the afterlife the day of his death
    1. Luke 23:42-43, “And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
    2. Summary: Luke 23:42-43 is where Jesus speaks to the thief on the cross who is next to him and says that the thief would be with Him in paradise that very day. At the very least this refutes the conditionalist idea that the person who dies ceases to have life in his soul (per Edward Fudge). Also, the words of Christ challenge the weak notion of soul sleep imposed into this Scripture by the conditionalists. Finally, when we see that other verses in the Bible speak of consciousness after death such as Samuel (1 Sam. 28:11-19). Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:2-4), Lazarus and Rich man (Luke 16:19-31), Paul (2 Cor. 12:2), the saints (Rev. 6:10), we can easily conclude that Jesus was saying that the thief would be with him, conscious, in paradise shortly after both of them died.
38. John 11:26, all who believe in Jesus will never die
    1. John 11:25-26, “and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
    2. Summary: John 11:26 does not necessitate the conditionalist interpretation that the death spoken of by Jesus is eventual nonexistence. The Greek word used there, ἀποθνήσκω, apothnesko, is never used of a person’s nonexistence. But, it is used of physical death over 77 times as well as representative death both in Christ’s substitutionary atonement and our spiritual dying with Adam. But as far as nonexistence being the meaning of John 11:26, it just isn’t there. All the conditionalists can do force their opinion into the text. Therefore, this verse is not good support for annihilationism.
39. John 15:6, people are cast into fire and burned
    1. John 15:6, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”
    2. Summary: In John 15:6, Jesus used familiar imagery of the day concerning branches that dry up, are gathered, and are burned as an illustration of the dire consequence of not abiding in him. But, it is a mistake to extract a part of the statement, observe its literal aspect, and then interpret the overall figure of speech in light of that single literal aspect. In the case of John 15:6, Jesus uses the imagery of the branches that dry up (people dry up?), are gathered, cast in the fire, and are burned to illustrate the consequence of not abiding in Him. But the conditionalists focuses on the idea that branches are burned and don’t exist anymore. Is that Jesus’ intent? If so, we must also ask what did Jesus mean by ‘people dry up’ since it too relates to the people. Why do the conditionalists fail to do that? I believe it is because they only focus on the part they think supports their position. It is not proper to extract a literal subpoint within the figurative of speech and then interpret the entire figurative passage in light of that literal subpoint. It can lead to misrepresentation of the text.
40. Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death
    1. Rom. 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    2. Summary: Romans 6:23, does not necessitate the annihilationist view that death means eventual, eternal nonexistence. The Greek word ‘thanatos’ used in it is used in different contexts such as the “shadow of death,” (Matt. 4:16), “this body of death,” (Rom. 7:24), physical death (Matt. 10:21; Luke 2:26; Rom. 5:10; Rev. 1:18), either spiritual or physical death (Rom. 1:32; James 1:15; 1 John 5:16), pestilence (Rev. 9:6; 18:8), etc. It has a variety of meetings. To say that it does is to force into the text of the reading that the text itself does not necessitate. It is only the annihilationist presuppositions that lead them to say the verse supports conditional immortality.
41. 1 Corinthians 3:17, God will destroy people
    1. 1 Cor. 3:17, “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.”
    2. Summary: The word “destroy” in 1 Cor. 3:17 does not necessitate the concept of annihilation in a future judgment. The Greek word for destroy there is φθείρω, phtheiro. It occurs nine times in the New Testament and means to be corrupted, led astray. Furthermore, since the context appeared to be speaking of believers, it would not make sense to say that it is the believers who are annihilated. So, this verse is not a good verse for conditionalists to use in support of their annihilationist assumptions.
42. 1 Corinthians 15:17-18, if Christ is not raised, those asleep have perished
    1. 1 Cor. 15:17-18,  “and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”
    2. Summary: When we consider the whole of Scripture and the issue of soul sleep, we find problems with the annihilationists’ position that when a person physically dies, he ceases to have conscious activity. Considering the problems of soul sleep (See Soul sleep problems and questions) and the fact that there are scriptures that demonstrate people are conscious after physical death, we must conclude that 1 Cor. 15:17-18 cannot be used as a support for soul sleep and certainly not a support for annihilationism.
43. 2 Cor. 5:8, being separated from the body and at home with the Lord
    1. 2 Cor. 5:8, “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
    2. Summary: The natural reading of 2 Corinthians 5:8 seems to imply that to be absent from the body is to be home with the Lord. The text does not say to be absent from the body will eventually lead to being in the presence of the Lord. Furthermore, there are plenty of scriptures that strongly suggest that conscious life exists between a person’s physical death and his glorious resurrection. Matthew 17:2-3 deals with the Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus. In Luke 16:22-24, Jesus gives the account of Lazarus and the rich man who are both conscious after physical death. We have the verse presently under discussion and of course Paul later in the same book in 2 Cor. 12:2-4 speaks of a man whether in or out of the body went to the third heaven and heard inexpressible words. That is not possible if a person is not conscious or does not exist. So, 2 Cor. 5:8 certainly seems to best support the traditionalist view that when a person physically dies (given that he’s a Christian), goes to be in the presence of the Lord and will later be resurrected in a glorified body.
44. 2 Corinthians 12:2, in the body or out of the body, caught up to heaven
    1. 2 Corinthians 12:2, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.”
    2. Summary: 2 Cor. 12:2-4 stands in strong opposition to the conditionalist position of soul sleep and the nonexistence of the soul after physical death.  What we see in the text is where Paul the apostle says that he knows a man who went to the third heaven, the dwelling place of God. Paul says that this man was either in his body or out of his body and that in heaven he “heard inexpressible words.” People don’t hear inexpressible words if they stop existing or are in a state of unconscious soul sleep as the conditionalists teach.  So, this passage of Scripture refutes the conditionalist position.  It is simple.  And, since I could find no source in my research that dealt with the passage from a conditionalist perspective, I must conclude that its strength against their position so profound, that instead of mistakingly overlooking it, they purposely avoided it.
45. Philippians 1:28, 3:19, and the destruction of the ungodly
    1. Phil. 1:28 and 3:19, “in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.” And, 3:19 “whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”
    2. Summary: Conditionalists will claim that the word destruction (apoleia, ἀπώλεια) in these two verses must mean nonexistence. But that is reading into the text what is not there. It is a common mistake for people to assume a word means something without really analyzing the context to see if such an interpretation is necessary.  In the case of Philippians 1:28 and 3:19, with the word apoleia is used for people, but the nature of the destruction is not specified.  So, the two verses cannot be used to prove annihilationism.
46. 1 Peter 3:18-20, Jesus spoke to the spirits in prison
    1. 1 Pet. 3:18-20, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”
    2. Summary: It would appear that the evidence provided from both of Peter’s epistles (1 Pet. 3:18-20; 2 Pet. 2:4-5) would suggest that those spirits to whom Christ proclaimed his victorious message of the cross, would be the angels that sinned and not people.  It is a proclamation, not an evangelistic message that he preached.  This is why I don’t think that 1 Pet. 3:19 is the best verse to use for traditionalists in support of their position that people retain conscious awareness after their physical death before their physical resurrection.
47. 2 Peter 2:6, Sodom and Gomorrah were reduced to ashes
    1. 2 Pet. 2:6, “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 lives thereafter;
    2. Summary: 2 Peter 2:6 is not clear enough in its context to warrant to the conditionalists’ claim that the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah means that the people thus destroyed don’t exist anymore right now, are in a state of soul sleep, or will be annihilated on the Day of Judgment.  Nevertheless, they conclude that since Sodom and Gomorrah don’t exist anymore, then neither do the ungodly people now nor in the future since they will be annihilated. However, it is possible that the people thus destroyed are presently undergoing punishment (Jude 6-7).  At the very least the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as an example for the ungodly about the coming judgment. For more on this please see See the articles, Annihilationism and Jude 6-7, angels and the wicked undergoing punishment of eternal fire, and Annihilationism and Revelation 14:9-11, worshippers of the beast are tormented forever.
48. 2 Peter 2:9, the present punishment of the wicked
    1. 2 Pet. 2:9, “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”
    2. Summary: The context of 2 Peter 2:12 does not tell us if the destruction that is spoken of concerning the wicked people means nonexistence as conditionalists assert, or eternal conscious torment as the traditionalists assert. Therefore, this verse cannot be used to support the annihilationist position since it is not specific enough.
49. 2 Peter 2:12, destruction of the wicked
    1. 2 Pet. 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 of those creatures also be destroyed.”
    2. Summary Those who hold to conditionalism, often quote this verse in support of their position. The verse says that these people, like unreasoning animals, will be destroyed.  But, the nature of the destruction is not specified.  Is it destruction in eternal hellfire or is it nonexistence? Conditionalists will assume it means nonexistence, but nothing in the context requires that interpretation. However, they could say that the phrase “like unreasoning animals” designates the kind of destruction; namely, nonexistence because “unreasoning animals” are destroyed and don’t exist anymore. But notice the text does not say that they are destroyed in the same way and have the same end as unreasoning animals. It says “like” them, they are destroyed.  How far do we carry this likeness? Nevertheless, the context of 2 Peter 2:12 does not tell us if the destruction that is spoken of concerning the wicked people means nonexistence as the conditionalists assert, or eternal conscious torment as the traditionalists assert.
50. 2 Peter 3:7, those kept for day of judgment for the destruction of the ungodly
    1. 2 Pet. 3:7, “But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”
    2. Summary: It is only the assumptions of the conditionalist that the word destruction in 2 Peter 3:7 must mean nonexistence what it is referring to people.  though it is a possibility to be examined, is also a possibility that the destruction could mean everlasting conscious torment. The fact is, the context does not necessitate either one. Therefore, this verse cannot be used to prove annihilationism.
51. 2 Thess. 1:9,  eternal destruction of the wicked
    1. 2 Thess. 2:19, “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
    2. Summary: Conditionalists often use 2 Thess. 1:9 to support their position that the destruction of persons means their nonexistence. But, the verse does not teach their position. If eternal destruction means eternal nonexistence, then how is it possible that nonexistence is away from the presence of the Lord? How does “nonexistence” have location so that it is “away from the presence of the Lord”? It can’t. “Nothing” doesn’t have a substance or location and it cannot be in relation to God and be “away from the presence of the Lord.” Furthermore, it is the wicked who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction. The word for pay in the Greek is τίνω, tino, and it only occurs once in the New Testament, here in this verse. It means, “to experience something bad, often in retribution for some wrongdoing—‘to suffer, to experience retribution.’ οἵτινες δίκην τίσουσιν ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον ‘they will receive the punishment of being destroyed forever’ 2 Th 1:9.”²Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996. Another dictionary says, “to be punished, to suffer, to pay a penalty.³Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000. So, the wicked will experience the penalty of making this payment which will occur away from the presence of the Lord. If the penalty is nonexistence, it is not possible for them to not exist while also being away from his presence. Remember, nonexistence isn’t ‘being” anything, so it cannot be away from God’s presence. Something must exist in order for it to be out of the presence of someone. The conditionalist position makes no sense.
52. 1 Tim. 6:16, God alone has immortality
    1. 1 Timothy 6:16, “who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
    2. Summary:  This verse, in context, seems to indicate that the immortality spoken of refers to God the Father, not Jesus since its context mentions two persons: God (the Father, v. 13) and Jesus (v. 13). It is Jesus who has been seen and the text says that the one who possesses immortality has never been seen (v. 16; John 6:46). But, then again, this pericope might be doxological praise of God intermixed into the teaching about God the Father and the Son. It is God (the Trinity) who, in His nature, cannot be seen in his pure glory (Exodus 20:19; 24:17; John 1:18;1 John 4: 12). In light of this, the text does possess challenges when examined critically. Nevertheless, I must conclude that the very least, the text shows that it is God (the Trinity) alone who possesses eternal existence by his own nature. All other beings who exist do so at the derived work of God’s creative work.
53. 2 Timothy 1:9-10, God brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
    1. 2 Tim. 1:9–10, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”
    2. Summary: The believer’s immortality is in a glorified, resurrected body (Phil. 3:21); they go hand in hand. But, since unbelievers are not glorified, their eternal consciousness is without a glorified body and without the immortality associated with that glorification. Instead, the wicked are resurrected in a different kind of body and will live forever in condemnation. Conditionalists affirm that the unbeliever is resurrected in a physical body, only to be annihilated after judgment. So, the conditionalist acknowledges that there is a different kind of resurrected body for the unbeliever than for a believer. The glorified body of the believer will be like Christ who is the firstfruits of the resurrection (Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5). The resurrection of the wicked is not so. They endure eternal conscious torment as is taught in Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:19-31;  Jude 6-7, Revelation 14:9-11, and Revelation 20:10.  Furthermore, angels live forever as Jesus taught (Luke 20:36), but the word immortality is never applied to them, either. So, by the logic of the conditionalists, all angels must be annihilated since the word immortality is never applied to them either. But of course, this makes no sense, and neither does the conditionalist position that immortality, as they define it, only applies to believers and then say unbelievers are annihilated. It doesn’t work.
54. Jude 6-7, angels and the wicked undergoing punishment of eternal fire
    1.  Jude 6-7, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”
    2. Summary: Jude 6-7 demonstrates that God “has kept [the wicked angels] in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day (v. 6). The perfect tense of “has kept” shows that it is currently happening. Furthermore, Jesus said that angels do not die (Luke 20:36). This means that the angels are presently and consciously being kept under bondage as they await the future judgment that will never end for them. Jude continues with the theme of their present conscious condition, by saying that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah in verse 7 “are exhibited” (present tense) as “undergoing” (present participle) the punishment of eternal fire. This means that the present condition of the wicked angels of Jude 6 who are being “kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,” is related to the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah who are presently undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. The conditionalists have it wrong.
55. Jude 10, wicked men revile and are destroyed
    1. Jude 10, “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.”
    2. Summary: The context of Jude 10 does not tell us what their fate of the wicked is whether it be eternal conscious torment, or 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 in order to determine whether people will continue to exist or not in the final judgment.
56. Revelation 14:9-11, worshippers of the beast are tormented forever
    1. Revelation 14:9–11, “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
       
    2. Summary: John the apostle is probably using the similar language of Isaiah to illustrate the permanence and severity of God’s judgment upon the wicked in Revelation 14. But, the conditionalists erringly say the use of the figurative words in Isaiah means that the context of Revelation, therefore, must also be figurative. They transfer the imagery of judgment from Isaiah to Revelation and do not allow Revelation to interpret itself. Yes, Scripture interprets Scripture, and the similarities between Isaiah 34:9-10 and Rev. 14:9-11 should not be ignored, but there are also significant differences between the two passages. For example, it is only in Revelation 14:9-11 that the wicked worship the beast (Rev. 14:9), experience the wrath of God (v. 9), are tormented in the presence of the angels and of the Lamb (v. 10), and that the smoke of their torment ascends forever (v. 11). Such language strongly suggests ongoing conscious torment.  Furthermore, it is always the New Testament that interprets the Old Testament, not the other way around as the conditionalists often practice in their pursuit of annihilationist conclusions. In addition, when some annihilationists assert that the wicked will suffer and then be annihilated, they are risking double jeopardy in that they have the wicked receive two punishments: one is suffering according to their sin as it relates to the Law, and two, the additional punishment of annihilation. But, when they finish their initial punishment and satisfy the law, then shouldn’t they go to heaven? The conditionalist interpretation is inconsistent, problematic, and should be rejected.
57. Revelation 18:8, 21, Babylon burned and not found any more
    1. Rev. 18:8, 21, “For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.”… 21 Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.”
    2. Summary: Revelation 18:8 and verse 21 speak of the destruction of the city of Babylon. It is one of the instances in which the word destruction implies nonexistence. Revelation 18:8 says the city will be burned with fire. In verse 21 it says the city will not be found anymore. Good, may that evil system perish. But, it’s the city that is not found anymore in the context of its destruction, not individuals. To say that these verses necessitate the annihilation of the wicked is to read into the text far too much. Therefore, these verses cannot be used to prove that the annihilation of the wicked is a true doctrine.
58. Revelation 20:10, the devil, the beast, and the false prophet, tormented day and night forever
    1. Revelation 20:10, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
    2. Summary: The fact is, Revelation is a symbolic book. But in admitting that, we must be careful when interpreting it because we can fall victim to seeing what we want to see and ignoring what we want to ignore. At the very least, Revelation 20:10 teaches that the devil, whom we know is a real living being, is cast into the Lake of Fire and is “tormented day and night forever and ever.” Since Jesus said that angels do not die (Luke 20:36), and the devil is an angel, then the devil will live forever in conscious torment in the Lake of Fire. This must mean that the Lake of Fire is a place of torment, and not annihilation – at least for the devil. But, since the beast and the false prophet are also thrown into it, then they too “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Additionally, we see that all those people whose name is not found in the book of life were also thrown into that same the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15) that cannot end (due to Satan’s eternal suffering). Therefore, it is easy to conclude that they, like the devil, will be “tormented day and night forever and ever” just as the text says.

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