Replies

Interesting article! The author seems to like analogies, so let me try myself. Imagine that I plot a way to break into a bank's vault and walk away with a million dollars. A consideration would be "what will happen if I get caught?" If the answer is "I'll have to return the money, then I can go free" then I might as well try, because worst case scenario I would be just like I was before attempting the robbery. That wouldn't be much of a punishment, would it? If the worst thing that can happen to a person who denies Jesus is to be annihilated, returned to the nothing that he was before being created, could you call that a punishment? So the question is, one way there's no punishment to speak of, the other way the punishment seems to us excessive. What is the answer? I don't know, but I do know one thing: whatever God does, it will be absolutely right and fair. It is none of my business to pass sentence on unbelievers, the Father has committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).

I agree with CynicalBear that denying the existence of an eternal place of torment gives hope that you "won't be punished forever". And that tells me who does that theory come from... the great deceiver, Satan himself! It is to his advantage to get people to believe that hell does not exist, or is not a literal place of torment, or at the very least does not last forever. Many will be deceived and will find out how wrong they were when it's too late for them!

The author seems to like analogies, so let me try myself. Imagine that I plot a way to break into a bank's vault and walk away with a million dollars. A consideration would be "what will happen if I get caught?" If the answer is "I'll have to return the money, then I can go free" then I might as well try, because worst case scenario I would be just like I was before attempting the robbery. That wouldn't be much of a punishment, would it?

Given that scenario, now what would be the consequences of the penalty for breaking any law all being the same? You get the same punishment for speeding, jaywalking, bank robbery, or murder.

—I agree with CynicalBear that denying the existence of an eternal place of torment gives hope that you “won’t be punished forever”.—

Well, if you are annihilated, you are, in fact punished forever, just as a convicted murderer is punished for all time when he is executed.

—I agree with CynicalBear that denying the existence of an eternal place of torment gives hope that you “won’t be punished forever”.—

Well, if you are annihilated, you are, in fact punished forever, just as a convicted murderer is punished for all time when he is executed.

—or at the very least does not last forever.—

what does that even mean? Is it time never ending, or is it something outside of time? And what is with this belief in a “torture” beyond what any man can even comprehend?

What of folks like Pharaoh, who’s heart God hardened. Is he going to suffer and suffer and suffer for all eternity? What exactly is the purpose of that? Do you really think those of us that are saved are going to take pleasure in watching others suffer?

There is a LOT of scripture that talks of eternity, hell, lake of fire and eternal life. If you don’t have eternal life, you are not alive. And those in the lake of fire do not have eternal life. They have, literally, eternal death. One who is not alive cannot feel pain, torture, etc. The natural man, without the spiritual man, merely ceases to exist. At least, that is what scripture says. And throwing one into a “lake of fire” is gonna end their body pretty darned fast.