>>So, if annihilation is given to the unsaved why not “eat drink and be merry”, be evil and swift annihilation awaits you. No punishment! just a swift soul death!
Good question. And it stands valid in my book. One does not follow Christ because he is afraid of what will happen if he doesn’t. That is the way of Muslims who follow Mohamed.
One follows Christ out of love, acknowledgement and appreciation for what Christ did, what he offers, and a desire to be with Him in eternity.
If one rejects the gift of eternal life, then, well, he will not eternally live. He will die. It is the second death.
Good points. To follow out of fear is not what Christ would want. That’s what dictators want. Christ wants you to follow Him to enjoy eternal life.
I like your answer here.
The only thing I would add is that Jesus clearly lets us know that eternal life is a good thing and the second death is something to be avoided.
I think the particulars may have been withheld for just the reason you posit: otherwise people would follow Christ simply out of craven self-interest, not out of love for him. Yet the generalities were offered in the same way: so that those who do love Christ may find extra motivation to hang in there when the going gets tough, as it inevitably will.