Hell, Eternalism or Annihalism

A paper submitted to Prof Johnson Romans 425-LUO

LIBERTY SCHOOL OF RELIGION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HELL, ETERNALISM OR ANNIHALISM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR JOHNSON

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR ROMANS 425

 

 

DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BY

ERIC FOURNIER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA

23 SEPTEMBER 2012

 

 

 

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Hell Is Real

3. Eternalism

4. Objections

5. Conclusion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 Hell is, for those people who believe in its existence, a scary place full of creatures of the night and unthinkable horrors; but there are two distinct theological thoughts that clash against each other and those are the classical view of eternalism and the modernistic view of annialism. Consider for a moment the reason for the gospel… what is it that believers are saved from? They are saved from eternal punishment in hell, and with good cause, even, “most annihilationists do not deny that the wicked will suffer, perhaps for long periods of time, prior to being annihilated. God’s justice will be severe and ought to be dreaded.” ¹ This articulated point is also one that brings much denial of God from unbelievers, and while annihiliationists may believe in a period of punishment, they do believe it will eventually end, causing them to not believe in an eternal hell. Begging the question of why would a “Good God” submit His creation to a tortuous existence? Another form of denial which screams loudly in many other theological boxing rings is Universalism, they believe everyone will be saved. Also, the debate of the sin against the Holy Spirit plays a larger role then Boyd gives it credit. ²  Many more argue for a more metaphoric translation of scripture. They feel that it is easier to explain hell away by making it a literary issue, then to avoid the truth of scripture. The interpretation of the annihalist is very humanistic and enjoys unmerited ideas of God’s Wrath and of God’s Righteousness. Hell is a real place, with an eternal means for punishment; while the punishment in fact may be metaphorical, the existence and reality of hell is not; and every non believer will face its eternalness, as believers will face the eternalness of heaven.

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¹ G. A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2009), 291.

 ². Ibed 283

Hell Is Real

 Hell can be seen two different ways: metaphorically or in actual existence. Those who cling to a metaphoric view of hell mostly wish to describe away the natural punishment for sin. Biblically this view is unfounded; hell is mentioned as literal many times over giving precedence to its existence. John Wesley in his sermon ‘Dives And Lazarus’ expounds on the nature of hell and the credibility of the parable of Jesus on the Rich Man and Lazarus and fully believed it to be a true account by Jesus, “… we cannot reasonable doubt, but the whole narration, with all its circumstances, is exactly true. And Theophylact… observes upon the text, that ‘according to the tradition of the Jesus, Lazarus lived at Jerusalem.’” ³ Wesley also made great use of classical literature to express his view of hell in the same sermon,

“This quotation from Virgil is thus translated by Pitt :__

 Ev’n when those bodies are to death resign’d, /

 Some old inherent spots are left behind; /

 A sullying tincture of corporeal stains /

 Deep in the substance of the soul remains. /

 Thus are her splendours dimm’d, and crusted o’er /

 With those dark vices that she knew before, /

 For this the souls a various penance pay, /

 To purge the taint of former crimes away. /

 Some in the sweeping breezes are refined, /

 And hung on high to whites in the wind: /

 Some cleanse their stains b’neath the gushing streams, /

And some rise glorious from the scorching flames. //’ ___ Edit.” ⁴

³Baker, The Works of John Wesley Vols 7-8 Sermons Vol. 3 Addresses (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 1872), 245.

 ⁴. Ibed 247

Though poetry is metaphorical in nature, its subject here is altogether true; other such literary works which touches upon the subject are ‘The Divine Comedy’ by Dante especially ‘The Inferno’ using history and theology to make political points and puns. These literary works give hell a measure of credibility; but, the existence of hell gains more merit in the scripture then in metaphorical literature. Hell itself is mention 14 times according to Strongs NIV Exhaustive Concordance, and every mention is in reference to the judgment one will receive. ⁵  It is the modern lack of belief in the supernatural that expands the disbelief in hell,

” Hell is not a part of the natural realm, which is the only real realm, and therefore must be denied. Truth, we are told, is discovered only by science and since hell can’t be proven by the scientific method it must be rejected. Generally speaking the world ‘hell’ is used in Scripture to refer to a place of future punishment for the wicked dead. However, there are other meanings also. There are at times when the word is used to refer to the grave or to the place of the dead. Also, ‘hell’ is used to speak of the place of disembodied spirits without any implication of either their bliss or torment” ⁶ 

In Genesis readers are told about Jacob’s destination, “… For I shall go down into the grave to my son in the mourning.” Lightner writes in Elwell’s Evangelical Dictionary writes, “Jacob, at death, went down into Sheol (Gen 37:35), but so did the wicked Korah and Dathan (Num 16:30). Such teaching has led to the view that Sheol had two compartments �" and upper and lower level. It is thought that Christ delivered the righteous in the upper level at the time of his resurrection (Eph. 4:9-10; Pet. 3: 19).” ⁷  In any regards, hell being real, and an insufferable place

^5.  E W. Goodrick, The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 547.

^6. W. A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Acedemic, 2001), 132.

 ^7. Ibed 548

of eternal punishment is reserved for the wicked, while a place of paradise is prescribed for the righteous; however, there remains a debate on if the righteous still abide in paradise within Hades or in Heaven. 

Eternalism

 The major objection towards the view of eternal punishment is its cruelness against God’s own creation. It is because of the eternal existence that, “Annihilationists teach that the punishment of the wicked is everlasting in consequence, not duration. That is, the effect (but not the experience) of the judgment of the wicked is unending or irreversible.” ⁸  But what gives credibility to the eternalisism view, is it not the interpretation of scripture itself which lends the theological idea its credibility? Boyd again writes in response to scriptures reference of, “the judgment of the wicked as ‘death,’ ‘corruption,’ or ‘destruction,’ it is constraining the fate of the wicked with the destiny of those who belong to Jesus Christ… But we read too much into these terms and contradict other teachings of Scripture if we interpret them to mean that the wickef are completely annihilated.” ⁹ It is the differences of opinion in interpretation that causes the most dissension in the matter of the theological debate on the realities of hell. In the eternalist’s mind, hell is place of horrific judgment or a place void of God’s presence. Even the eternalist is prone to view scripture’s references of judgment in hell to be metaphorical, and to mean that instead of submitting unbelievers to a life of torture, God will submit to the desire of the unbeliever’s heart and give them no further opportunity to believe. Perhaps it is fear which drives the annihalists to reject the view of an eternal hell, even heathens usually have a concept

 8. Boyd 282

 9. Ibed 286

of divine punishment waiting in the dark after death for those who commit crimes against humanity. Though not an annihalist, Wesley writes again in poetry in his essay on the miseries of man and shows how true it is that mankind fears death and its uncertainties,

 “The weariest and most loathed worldly life /

 That pain, age, penury, and imprisonment /

 Can lay on nature, ‘tis a paradise /

 To what we fear of death. //

 ‘And in another place’ :___

 … But that the dread of something after death --- /

 That undiscoverer’d country, from whose border /

 No traveler returns �" puzzles the will, /

 And makes us rather bear those ills we have, /

 Than fly to others which are all unknown. //” ¹⁰

Jonathan Edwards was a strong supporter of the doctrine of hell as being a place of eternal punishment. Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron recount Edward’s sermon, ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’, “How easy it is for God, whenever He pleases, to cast His enemies down to hell…justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of sins… that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness… has also gone out against them, and stands against them, so that they are already bound over hell.” ¹¹ Perhaps one of the most compelling scriptural evidences towards the unending eternity of punishment in relation with hell is found in Jesus’ parable of the Wedding Feast, “The the king said to the servants, ‘bind him hand and foot, take him away and

¹⁰Baker, The Works of John Wesley Vols 9-10 Letters Essays Dialogs Addresses (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 1872), 338.

 ^11. Comfort, R. Cameron. K. The Worlds Greatest Preachers (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2003), 92.

cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping, and gnashing of teeth,’ for many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt 22: 13, 14 NKJV)

Objections

 Annihalists reject those suppositions as given by eternalist and claim that they instead hold the correct interpretation of scripture. In an argument of “I’m right… No, I’m right” they claim to hold the upper hand. Firstly, hell is most probably a metaphoric meaning for a destruction of the soul which is eternal; secondly, in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, a confusing situation is laid out when compared to the parable of Matt 22, this situation is thus, “And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matt 18: 34, 35 NKJV) they use this passage and a few others to promote their viewpoint that Jesus really was talking metaphorically and that hell is not eternal. Most do believe that there is some sort of torturous punishment involved, but most quickly brush away any indication of believing that anyone will suffer forever. Boyd writes in lieu of this belief of eternal annilation, “The elect do not undergo an eternal process of redemption. Their redemption is eternal… we see that God justly and mercifully annihilates the wicked. He does not subject them to eternal torment. (order reversed) ¹² But the question of why the rejection of the Hellenistic view, “Unending suffering is inconsistent with the love of God… Unending torment is also inconsistent with God’s victory.” (Italics added) ¹³ Supporters believe that if there were to remain in God’s kingdom a portion that disbelieved then in fact

 ^12. Boyd 286

 ^13. Ibed 290

Scripture would contradict itself in, “(Eph 1:10, 21, 22), and that God will be “all in all (1 Cor 15:28)… and that all things will be reconciled to God (Col. 1:20; cf Acts 3:21) if in fact many creatures will forever exist in hostile rebellion to God?”. (Boyd 290) Annihilationists also reject the passages in Revelation which reveal the eternality of hell, but don’t deny their hardship in being problematic with their view. Their main objection to these passages is, “the phrase ‘forever and ever’ can be translated ‘ages upon ages,’ which implies an indefinite but not necessarily unending period of time.,, since phrases similar to this are used elsewhere in Scripture in contexts in which they clearly cannot literally mean unending.” (Boyd 291)

Conclusion

Hell, though seemingly cruel was never created in mind for humanity. It was only by humanities unwillingness to live holy; the sin of the first man and woman, that the realm was opened up as punishment for humanities sinful nature. Wesley in his essays on the nature of original sin reveals that even infants are guilty, and have an inclination to evil upon birth.  Never being God’s will that any should perish, God told to Satan directly that through Adam and Eve a seed would be sown which would destroy Satan. God’s love for humanity gave them a passage out of hell. It is revealed in scripture that Hell is a twofold compartment, one side paradise, the other disorder, chaos, and torture. It is too paradise that believers and those of the past before the resurrection who believed upon God in faith were sent, and to the torturous chamber were sent those who lived in unbelief. Hell by nature is eternal; this author believes with his own spin that it is against God’s nature to ultimately destroy anything into nothingness as this would be to

 ^15. Ibed 290

 ^16. Ibed 291

commit murder. As souls are everlasting it is not murder to kill the body, but it would be murder to kill the soul. This thought, and a literal interpretation of scripture brings about the opinion that Hell is real, and holds many souls which stood in rebellion to God, and that this pains God. It is not for pleasure that any should perish, but that all should have eternal life; however, people by virtue of free will make their own choices, and for those who chose to remain in unbelief, eternal punishment is granted to them as they desired it to be. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Baker, The Works of John Wesley Vols 7-8 Sermons Vol. 3 Addresses: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker

Publishing Group, 1872.

 

Baker, The Works of John Wesley Vols 9-10 Letters Essays Dialogs Addresses: Grand Rapids,

MI: Baker Publishing Group, 1872.

 

Boyd. G. A. Across the Spectrum Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology: Grand Rapids,  MI; Baker Publishing Group, 2009.

Comfort, R. Cameron, K. The World’s Greatest Preachers:New Kensington, PA: Whitaker

House, 2003

 

Elwell, W. A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Acedemic, 2001.

 

Goodrick, E. W., The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,

1999.