As promised, my conclusions. Do note this doesn't include words like Hades and Tartars so it's anything but exhaustive:
While I studied this I noticed something about the word for Hell in the New Testament, at least twice it's used in connection with conversation:
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. (James 3:6)
There nothing wrong with taking an apologetic stand but calling your brother a fool, or treating him like one because you disagree is more dangerous then you know. Vine's has an excellent exposition on the word for Hell, thought I would share it:
He who says to his brother, Thou fool (see under FOOL), will be in danger of "the hell of fire," Mat 5:22; it is better to pluck out (a metaphorical description of irrevocable law) an eye that causes its possessor to stumble, than that his "whole body be cast into hell," Mat 5:29; similarly with the hand, Mat 5:30; in Mat 18:8, 9, the admonitions are repeated, with an additional mention of the foot; here, too, the warning concerns the person himself (for which obviously the "body" stands in chapt. 5); in ver. 8, "the eternal fire" is mentioned as the doom, the character of the region standing for the region itself, the two being combined in the phrase "the hell of fire," ver. 9. To the passage in Matt. 18, that in Mar 9:43-47, is parallel; here to the word "hell" are applied the extended descriptions "the unquenchable fire" and "where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched." (Vines Dictionary)
Hell as we understand it in the Old Testament is virtually unknown. The word for Hell, γέεννα (geenna), is introduced by the Lord during the Sermon on the Mount. It is used 12 times in the New Testament, 11 times in the synoptic gospels by the Lord himself. The word is actually the name for a valley where the children of Israel used to toss their infant children as a sacrifice to Molech, the practice was known as making your children pass through the fire.
Hell is the place of the future punishment called "Gehenna" or "Gehenna of fire". This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction. (Outline of Biblical Usuage)
There are other passages that describe Hell:
- "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 13:42)
- "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Mat 25:46)
- These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (1Th. 1:9)
- But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Heb. 10:39
- These are wells without water, clouds* carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. (2Pet. 2:17)
- raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. (Jude 1:13)
- He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." (Rev. 2:11)
- Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Rev. 19:20)
- The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where* the beast and the false prophet [are]. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev. 20:10)
- Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (Rev 20:14)
- "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8)
Notice Rev. 20:10 says they will be tormented forever. Other places the fire is said to burn forever but the appears to be the only place that insists that they are tormented forever, at least in my estimation. I don't see much to argue about here, annihilation is one way of reading the texts in question that one proof text not withstanding. For me the one thing that was intriguing about the subject matter was the connection to Sheol, it's synonymous with the grave. There is one reference that resembles the New Testament concept of Hell, and it's in the Law :
For a fire is kindled in My anger, And shall burn to the lowest hell;
It shall consume the earth with her increase,
And set on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Deu 32:22)
It is translated Hell other places in the Old Testament as well:
2 Sam 22:6, Job 11:8, Job 26:6, Psa 9:17, Psa 16:10, Psa 18:5, Psa 55:15, Psa 86:13, Psa 116:3, Psa 139:8, Prov 5:5, Prov 7:27, Prov 9:18, Prov 15:11, Prov 15:24, Prov 23:14, Prov 27:20, Isa 5:14, Isa 14:9, Isa 14:15, Isa 28:15, Isa 28:18, Isa 57:9, Eze 31:16, Eze 31:17, Eze 32:21, Eze 32:27, Amos 9:2, Jonah 2:2, Hab 2:5
The rest are translated grave(s),
For I will go down into the grave H7585 unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. (Gen 37:35; 42:38; Gen. 44:29,31)
1 Sam 2:6, 1 Ki 2:6, 1 Ki 2:9, Job 7:9, Job 14:13, Job 17:13, Job 21:13, Job 24:19, Psa 6:5, Psa 30:3, Psa 31:17, Psa 49:14, Psa 49:14, Psa 49:15, Psa 88:3, Psa 89:48, Prov 1:12, Prov 30:16, Eccl 9:10, S of Solomon 8:6, Isa 14:11, Isa 38:10, Isa 38:18, Eze 31:15, Hos 13:14, Hos 13:14 Psa 141:7
The traditional understanding of Hell stands up well under close scrutiny, the children of perdition will be utterly destroyed in Hell but the term Jesus uses isn't a complete destruction as if being burned to ashes:
G622 - (apollymi ἀπόλλυμι) Destroy, Destroyer, Destruction, Destructive:
a strengthened form of ollumi, signifies "to destroy utterly;" in Middle Voice, "to perish." The idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being. (Vine's)
The doctrine of Hell involves final judgment, the fate of the children and their condition in eternity isn't the point of the doctrine. Ultimately it's a warning of how to escape Hell through the person and work of Christ. Splitting semantic hairs seems a tedious task for Christians interested in working in doctrine. We certainly have no call to be divisive and argumentative over the issue. I had never encountered the concept of annihilation, although I rejected soul sleep years ago as being strictly non-biblical and still do. Here I decided to explore the concept of annihilation and while it has it's merits it fails to pass the acid test of Scripture with one verse, which makes it dubious at best.
Other then that I think it's been a fascinating and productive discussion, many thanks to the posters for their contribution. It was very engaging.
Grace and peace,
Mark