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That “the worm does not die” means that demonic torment of souls in Hell is eternally renewed.

I disagree. It is saying they get the job done. Just like an unquenchable fire will go out when it runs out of fuel, but you can’t put it out before that.

Sometimes pastors and writers try to complicate the simple message of scripture. They either take words too literally or not literally enough, whichever side suits their perspective.

My daughter once said, regarding hell, “Why is it that those who believe in ECT (eternal conscious torment) take a single part of revelation literally, but everywhere the same subject is mentioned in scripture, they take it allegorically?”

The scripture about worms is talking about worms and fire destroying corpses.

And the unsaved have no immortal spirit. That is only a part of the “saved”. The rest die at what is appropriately called the second death.

And eternity does not always mean time neverending, either. At least not as presented in the bible.

Can’t take time to correct the rest of your error; but playing linguistic and syntax games with God on this issue of the eternal nature of the soul is folly; you are preaching nonsense.

I disagree.

In the 19th century, a lot of humanists believed that we were entering a brave new world of the scientific enlightenment of man. They believed that, one by one, all the world’s religions would be destroyed by new discovery and the effective dissemination of information to the masses via the now easily created mass-produced printed word.

In fact, they believed it so strongly that they believed it to be true because of discoveries they “knew” would be made. Except they never were.

These people were partly right. Much false teachings in all areas of human knowledge were completely – or mostly – put to rest. But Christianity was much more resilient. However, a hundred years later, their dream has been realized, but not as they intended.

What has happened is that true Christianity has been going through a cleansing, thanks to things like the internet – which has had far more of an impact on the dissemination of knowledge and ideas than the invention of the printing press. Christianity, itself, is unscathed, but many teachings within the man made religions surrounding it are now coming up against serious, and well deserved scrutiny. One by one, they are burned off like so much wood and paint on a piece of iron thrown into a fire. But when the iron is removed, it is clean and pure.

As more and more people avail themselves to the history available on the internet regarding the various sects and religions, they are being exposed. Mormonism is taking a huge hit, as are many of the other false “Christian” religions. It may be why Islam is striking out like a cornered animal. But specific, questionable teachings are especially vulnerable.

Only “Religious outsiders and crackpots” espoused the belief that the fate of the lost is not eternal suffering. And it was hard to refute this. It was very difficult to even discuss the subject because you were immediately branded as “siding with JW’s”, etc. And, after all, those who have REALLY studied it KNOW that it is eternal suffering.

But enter the internet. Ideas can be presented anonymously and live or die on not only the veracity of the information, but the discussion skills of those who propose them. And when one side runs out of arguments, when it’s adherents fall into ad-hominem attacks (commonplace on the internet), they expose the weak foundation of their teaching for all to see. And everyone can search all sides of an issue to make up their own mind.

In other words, with the internet’s free and easy exposure of ideas and information, the truth percolates to the top.

Which brings us to CI vs ECT. Many, MANY Christians, thanks to their own natural curiosity, have no choice but to examine this teaching and come to their own conclusions outside the control of their traditional teachers. If their teachers can make their case beyond, “trust me, I understand this stuff better than you”, so be it. But there is a reason more and more people are coming to this belief in Annihilationism. It is because it is becoming clear to more and more people that it is not only supported by the teaching of the bible on the subject, but it more aligns with the personality of the God of the bible. I am one of those converts. And to be clear, I based my former opinion on “trusting the word of others” and my new belief on prayerfully studying the word with an open mind to the truth. It became crystal clear.

Just as many moved away from the teachings of Catholicism after Martin Luther ran that nail into the door, Christianity is being shaken by the free exchange of ideas and information on a global and instantaneous scale. No, not shaken. Purified. In a way, the humanists were right. False teachings are melting away in the heat of intense scrutiny, but Christianity is coming out stronger than ever.

This is a very good thing.

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