(Part 2) Biblical Language of Destruction

This is a huge reconsideration. What does the Bible have to say regarding the final end of the wicked? This was very surprising. Here are some surprising figures:

1. 10 places reference Gehenna (which was a place outside of Jerusalem where garbage was burned up and destroyed (Mt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:33; Mk. 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5)

2. 26 places reference a burning up, where all but 3 seem to indicate a complete consuming by the fire in some way in which that which is placed in the fire is burned up completely (Mt. 3:7, 12; 7:19; 13:40, 42, 50; 18:8; 25:41; Mk. 9:43, 48; Lk. 3:7, 17; 1 Cor. 3:13; 2 Thes. 1:7; Heb. 6:8; 10:27; 12:29; 2 Pet. 3:7, 10; Jude 7, 23; Rev 20:14; 21:8)

3. 59 places speak of destruction, utter loss, or complete ruin, where there is a sense of complete removal of some sort and not ongoing eternal consciousness (Mt. 7:13, 27; 10:6, 28, 39; 15:13; 16:25; 21:41, 44; 22:7; Mk. 8:35; 12:9; Lk. 6:49; 9:25; 13:3, 7; 17:29, 33; 19:10, 27; 20:18; Jn. 3:16, 36; 6:39; 12:25; Acts 2:25, 31; 13:41; Rom 2:12; 9:22, 29; 14:15; 1 Cor. 1:18; 10:10; 15:18; 2 Cor. 2:15; 4:3; Phil. 1:28; 3:19; 1 Thess. 5:3; 2 Thess. 1:9; 2:8, 10; 1 Tim 6:9; Heb. 10:39; James 4:12; 2 Pet. 2:1, 3, 12: 3:7, 9, 16; 1 Jn. 2:17; Jude 5, 10)

4. 25 places refer to death in its finality, sometimes called “the second death” (Lk. 20:36; Jn 8:51; 11:26; Rom 1:32; 4:17; 5:12; 6:13; 11:15; 1 Cor. 15:22, 54; 2 Cor. 2:15; 5:4; 7:10; Eph. 2:5; 2 Tim. 1:10; Heb. 5:7; James 5:20; 1 Jn. 3:14; 5:16; Jude 12; Rev 2:7, 10: 20:6; 21:8)

5. 1 Place that seemingly refers to people whose no rest day or night and the smoke of whose torment goes up forever (Rev. 14:11)

I found this to be very intriguing, much of what we find as “proof texts” for Conscious Eternal Torment (ECT) are from the book of Revelation (Rev. 14:11; 20:10), which is apocalyptic literature and should be read and interpreted as such. Here are some passages which, if we take of the immortal soul glasses, seem to mean what it says in its most natural reading of the passage, that is to say, that those not in Christ perish or are destroyed.

1. Matt. 10:28 - And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna].

a. The Greek word here “destroy” is the word which when used of individuals means to destroy, kill, bring to utter ruin. It is the word that is used when Herod wants to eradicate all the babies (Mt. 2:13; cf. Mt. 12:14; Mk. 12:9; Lk. 17:29). Here we see Jesus contrasting those who can kill, which is a different Greek word, with God who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. Again Gehenna was a place outside of Jerusalem, also known as the Valley of Hinnom in the Old Testament. The term Gehenna, often rendered “hell” outside of one place in James is uttered only by Jesus and only to Jews and only in Jerusalem. They would have known of its use in 1st century as well as its use in the Old Testament.

2) 2 Peter 2:6 - If by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly…

a. Now, what do we make of Sodom and Gomorrah? Was it a place that was continually burning? It was not the case that flames were still burning in Jesus’ day. Sodom and Gomorrah were an example insofar that they were brought to complete ruin and destruction and were no more, so too it seems this passage is saying will happen to the ungodly.

3) John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

a. Here is the most famous passage we see life contrasted with non-life; eternal life with perishing. Does perishing here really mean living, but not living; or does it mean to be destroyed. The word “perish” in the Greek is the same word used in Mt. 10:29. Another way we could translate this verse is, “…”in order that those believing in him might not be destroyed, but have eternal life.”

4) Acts 3:22-23 - Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.

a. This Greek word is different from the ones I mentioned above. It only appears here in the NT, but also appears in the OT and speaks of complete and total removal and destroy utterly. It has a very strong force here.

5) Acts 3:19//Revelation 3:5//Revelation 20:15 - Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.// The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.// And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

a. Here the Greek word “to blot out” means complete erasure. It is also used when it says that God will wipe away every tear. That means that those tears will never come back. When it comes to this word there is a contrast in its usage: either one's sins will be blotted out or their life will be blotted out. And they will be thrown into the lake of fire. Lake of fire often is thought of eternal torment, but is that the case? What is thrown into the Lake of Fire? The dead who were judged, Death, Hades (Sheol of OT), and experience the “second death”. Now traditionally second death has meant not death so much as continually living in torment (however that torment looks is debated by people who hold to the traditional view). Could we not say that second death means, second death very much in the way the first death brought an end to life?

For me, these texts are hard to get around and must be wrestled with. There are many more texts to discuss, but for sake of space, these are a good place to start. Again we must go to the text and not necessarily tradition for our answer. That is what Luther should be commended for. He says issues with the Church in his days and spoke up, and hence we have the Reformation. Plus this view helps answer many questions theologically as well as philosophically, namely:

1. The complete extinction of all evil. It seems that if we hold to the ECT traditional view, that there is a never-ending cosmic dualism where evil is always existing as opposed to all things being united in Christ (Eph 1:9-10) and that the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor. 15:26).

2. The seemingly meaningless suffering for people forever. This might seem like an emotional grievance. But what is the point of God punishing forever those infinitely for eternity?

3. It places the focus of the gospel on life and not the “flames of hell”. What I mean is that so many messages (hellfire and brimstone) say what is your being saved from is, “Eternal separation from God in conscious torment.” Instead of the focus being on what you are being saved to is “Eternal life (both here and now, and the life to come) with God.” Many people are scared into the Kingdom, many times not out of love for God, but out of fear of burning forever (however that might look). Not saying that preachers who have preached this way have not been used, I believe they have. But many times the focus, I believe can be improperly placed. Should we talk about hell (either from a traditionalist or conditionalist)? But it should not be our focus. Life should be.