It is worse than death:
"And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." Luke 12:4-5
"And whosoever shall offend one of [these] little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." Mark 9:42 "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Hebrews 10:28-29
It is a place of torment:
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9-11
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 20:10
It is the fate of the damned: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" Matthew 25:41
It is feared by the demons: "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" Matthew 8:29
"When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, [thou] Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep." Luke 8:28
It is a destruction that never ends, (remember the Burning Bush): "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:43-48
It is a dying that never ends: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Revelation 21:8
Annihilationalists often use this last verse, and also Revelation 20:14 to support their theory of annihilation. They contend that 'the second death' is literal, whereas 'hell-fire' is pictorial. However, the evidence suggests that it is 'Hell-fire' that should be taken literally, and 'the second death' pictorially. It is, after all, not eternal life. For those who contend that eternal punishment is not eternal, we just ask, is eternal life eternal?
Other expressions for the same condition include "outer darkness" - Mt 8:12 22:13 25:30, "the mist of darkness" - 2 Peter 2:17, and "the blackness of darkness" - Jude 13.
Is eternal punishment just?
Annihilationalists quote Rom 6:23 to argue that death is the end of all sinners. But consider the implications of this theory. According to them, all sins, great and small, deserve the same punishment. But Jesus taught that some sins were greater than others: "Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power [at all] against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."
John 19:11
These sins would be punished more severely than others: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation." Matthew 23:14
"And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee." Matthew 11:23-24 "The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not [himselfl, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:46-48
There are evidently degrees of punishment.
How this works out in practice, we do not yet know, but God is not more unjust than earthly judges.
Annihilationalists tend to forget that man was not originally intended to be mortal. He was created for eternity. One day, all the dead will be raised to life again, and some will then be damned:
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:2
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28-29
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:11-15
Eternal beings (humans) who commit sins against an Eternal Being commit eternal sins which therefore require eternal punishment. Incidentally, this is why Jesus had to be God to save us. His punishment, on our behalf, is effective eternally.
No human being can appreciate the seriousness with which God views sin. He has been witness to all the suffering caused by sin throughout the whole world for thousands of years, and he is a God of love. Imagine a just judge who is a loving grandfather to a little granddaughter. One day he judges that case of a man who stands accused of abducting, brutally assaulting and murdering a little girl about the same age as his little granddaughter. The judge knows the suffering that has been caused to the parents, grandparents, relatives and friends, and not least, to the little girl herself. The loving grandfather, who is also the just judge, will no doubt hand down to the criminal the maximum penalty he is allowed to give. There is no contradiction between his harshness and his love. The one springs from the other. Similarly, God will avenge those who have been wronged. But he has made a way of escape for sinners who repent and who flee to Christ for refuge.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16 "
from : http://www.apocalypsesoon.org/xfile-45.html
(ENTIRE POST AT ONCE CAN BE SEEN HERE :http://christianforums.com/showpost.php?p=34607740&postcount=10 )
"And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." Luke 12:4-5
"And whosoever shall offend one of [these] little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." Mark 9:42 "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Hebrews 10:28-29
It is a place of torment:
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9-11
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 20:10
It is the fate of the damned: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" Matthew 25:41
It is feared by the demons: "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" Matthew 8:29
"When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, [thou] Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep." Luke 8:28
It is a destruction that never ends, (remember the Burning Bush): "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:43-48
It is a dying that never ends: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Revelation 21:8
Annihilationalists often use this last verse, and also Revelation 20:14 to support their theory of annihilation. They contend that 'the second death' is literal, whereas 'hell-fire' is pictorial. However, the evidence suggests that it is 'Hell-fire' that should be taken literally, and 'the second death' pictorially. It is, after all, not eternal life. For those who contend that eternal punishment is not eternal, we just ask, is eternal life eternal?
Other expressions for the same condition include "outer darkness" - Mt 8:12 22:13 25:30, "the mist of darkness" - 2 Peter 2:17, and "the blackness of darkness" - Jude 13.
Is eternal punishment just?
Annihilationalists quote Rom 6:23 to argue that death is the end of all sinners. But consider the implications of this theory. According to them, all sins, great and small, deserve the same punishment. But Jesus taught that some sins were greater than others: "Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power [at all] against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."
John 19:11
These sins would be punished more severely than others: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation." Matthew 23:14
"And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee." Matthew 11:23-24 "The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not [himselfl, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:46-48
There are evidently degrees of punishment.
How this works out in practice, we do not yet know, but God is not more unjust than earthly judges.
Annihilationalists tend to forget that man was not originally intended to be mortal. He was created for eternity. One day, all the dead will be raised to life again, and some will then be damned:
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:2
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28-29
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:11-15
Eternal beings (humans) who commit sins against an Eternal Being commit eternal sins which therefore require eternal punishment. Incidentally, this is why Jesus had to be God to save us. His punishment, on our behalf, is effective eternally.
No human being can appreciate the seriousness with which God views sin. He has been witness to all the suffering caused by sin throughout the whole world for thousands of years, and he is a God of love. Imagine a just judge who is a loving grandfather to a little granddaughter. One day he judges that case of a man who stands accused of abducting, brutally assaulting and murdering a little girl about the same age as his little granddaughter. The judge knows the suffering that has been caused to the parents, grandparents, relatives and friends, and not least, to the little girl herself. The loving grandfather, who is also the just judge, will no doubt hand down to the criminal the maximum penalty he is allowed to give. There is no contradiction between his harshness and his love. The one springs from the other. Similarly, God will avenge those who have been wronged. But he has made a way of escape for sinners who repent and who flee to Christ for refuge.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16 "
from : http://www.apocalypsesoon.org/xfile-45.html
(ENTIRE POST AT ONCE CAN BE SEEN HERE :http://christianforums.com/showpost.php?p=34607740&postcount=10 )
