The Biblical Case for Annihilationism

What the Bible Actually Says About Hell, Part 3

*This is part 3 in a series of articles examining the Bible’s teaching on hell. If you have not read parts 1 and 2, I strongly suggest you do. There is important background information presented there, especially in part 1, regarding the various Hebrew and Greek words translated as “hell” in most English Bibles.*

In order to make the case for Annihilationism, I’ll need to do things differently than I did in the last chapter. When making the case for Eternal Conscious Torment, I started with what I consider to be the four most popular passages used to teach ECT. Then we briefly discussed the philosophical and theological positions that ECT rests on, which hinge on two disputed facts: that human souls are inherently immortal, and that all sins and types of sin are equal in their degree of wickedness.

I didn’t share any Scripture for these two theological positions because I don’t know of any clear passages that teach them (I am open to being informed). Inversely, the Bible offers us clear passages which indicate that human souls are not inherently immortal and that all sins are not equal in their degree of wickedness. This is why I am going to approach the case for Annihilationism differently. We’ll start by addressing these two theological ideas using Scripture, then we’ll dive into the language of the New Testament to see how it clearly points toward an annihilationist view. Finally, we will revisit the two primary texts from Revelation that some say address the final state of the unsaved.

Two Assumptions We Should Not Assume

Two assumptions are often made by proponents of ECT that are not held by annihilationists. Whether or not these assumptions prove true should go a long way toward helping one decide which of the two views of hell represents a more faithful reading of Scripture. The first assumption often held by proponents of ECT is that of the immortality of the human soul. The reason Annihilationism is sometimes called “Conditionalism” is that annihilationists typically believe in conditional immortality. The human soul is not inherently immortal; rather, immortality is a gift from God given to those who receive eternal life. There are several verses that seem to clearly teach this.

2 Timothy 1:8-11 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ⁹ who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, ¹⁰ and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,

1 Timothy 6:13-16 “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” ⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Another assumption commonly held by traditionalists is that all sins, no matter how consequential or detrimental, are equal in wickedness and thus warrant the same punishment. In other words, there is no difference in the degree of sin between a white lie and mass murder. Since both are equally offensive to God, they deserve equal punishment: unmediated, eternal torment.

Did Jesus think that all sins were equal in their degree of wickedness and culpability? It seems not. During his trial, Jesus stood before Pilate, who questioned him. During this exchange, Jesus told the Roman Prefect that it was the person who delivered Jesus over to him who “had the greater sin.”

John 19:9-11 “He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

Furthermore, Jesus is recorded in all three synoptic gospels as saying something to the effect of “all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.” Regardless of how one specifically interprets these words, it seems clear that in the mind of Jesus, not all sins are equal in their degree of wickedness.

The disciple John also has something to say about this, mentioning in his first epistle the difference between basic wrongdoing, which is sin, and the type of sin that “leads to death.”

1 John 5:16 “¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. ¹⁷ All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.”

The Language of the New Testament and the Punishment of the Unsaved

It has been pointed out already that one of the key passages frequently up for debate between annihilationists and proponents of ECT is Matthew 25:46: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” While proponents of ECT are quick to point out the juxtaposition between “eternal life” and “eternal punishment” as a means of showing that the punishment of the wicked will last forever, annihilationists argue that nowhere in the context of the passage does it specify what the punishment being referred to is. Jesus could easily be talking about eternal death, since we generally agree that all people, both saved and unsaved, will be resurrected at the final judgment, where the unsaved will be sentenced and subjected to “the second death” (more on that below).

If we zoom out and examine what the rest of the New Testament has to say about the fate of the unsaved, we find that the Bible is full of passages that talk about the death, perishing, and destruction of the wicked. If taken at face value, the language used indicates that the wicked will one day perish for good. When taken together, all of these passages present an overwhelming case for Annihilationism. Here is a brief sampling.

In the following passages, the Greek word apollumi (ἀπόλλυμι) is italicized. It, along with its variations, means to perish, lose, destroy or utterly kill; to be lost, destroyed.[1] To say that this word implies, contrary to its inherent meaning, some sort of eternal state of consciousness, wherein the perishing objects are found to be indestructible, is to defy the basic laws of language.

• Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).”
  

• Luke 13:3 “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
  

• Luke 17:29 “but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—"
  

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
  

• John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
  

• Romans 2:12 “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.”
  

• 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
  

• 2 Corinthians 2:15 “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,”
  

• 2 Corinthians 4:3 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”
  

• 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰ and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”
  

• 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
  

The Greek word olethros (ὄλεθρος), and its variations, is the second important word we must look at. The word means ruin or destruction; to ruin, destroy. Like apollumi, any suggestion that this word describes an eternal state of consciousness is outside the basic laws of language.

• Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
  

• Romans 9:22-23 “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—"
  

• Philippians 3:18-21 “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
  

• 2 Thessalonians 1:9 “They (those who do not know God or obey the Gospel) will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,”

  
  

The Greek word thanatos (θάνατος) means death. It is used several times in the New Testament to refer to the end of the wicked.

• Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
  

• Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
  

• James 1:15 “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
  

• James 5:20 “Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
  

• Revelation 20: 14-15 “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Aside from the wide-ranging use of these words, the New Testament is also full of imagery that describes the ultimate fate of the unsaved. The pictures include, but are not limited to, burned-up chaff (Matthew 3:12), trees (Matthew 7:19), weeds (Matthew 13:40), and branches (John 15:6). They also include discarded fish (Matthew 13:48), an uprooted plant (Matthew 15:13), and a fallen house (Matthew 7:27).

What are we to make of the fact that the most common image the New Testament deploys to illustrate the fate of the lost is “unquenchable” or “eternal” fire? Are we to assume that the eternality or edacious nature of the fire implies that those who will be thrown into it are indestructible? No. As John Stott aptly puts it, this assumption would be strange:

“The fire itself is termed ‘eternal’ and ‘unquenchable,’ but it would be very odd if what is thrown into it proves to be indestructible.”[2]

Throughout the New Testament, the imagery of “unquenchable fire” and “consuming worms” (Mark 9:48) speaks to the all-encompassing nature of the consuming force. Whether it be a fire that consumes chaff, trees, bodies, or branches, or worms that feast on dead bodies, the imagery is constant. The mechanism of destruction will remain in place until total consumption is complete.

What Does Revelation Have to Say About the Fate of the Unsaved?

In the previous article, wherein I attempted to make a steel-man argument for the Doctrine of Eternal Conscious Torment, I stated that Revelation 14 may offer the strongest evidence for ECT. We will now return to that passage and to Revelation 20 to consider these texts from the annihilationist perspective.  

In Revelation 14, we see those who worship the beast (a picture of the unsaved) being “tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the lamb.” What does an annihilationist think that the following passage is teaching if not Eternal Conscious Torment?

Revelation 14:9-11 “⁹ And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

There are three points that must be made about this text in order to understand its meaning from an annihilationist perspective. From there, you be the judge of whether or not this passage offers proof for ECT or Annihilationism.

First, this passage takes place during the middle of what is described as “an hour of judgment” on the earth. For those who have worshiped the beast and persecuted the people of God on the earth, their hour of reckoning has come. This is not a description of the final judgment, which happens later on in Revelation 20. This is a description of judgment happening on the earth for a finite period of time. For as long as this judgment takes place, they will have no rest day or night (20:11).

Second, the tormented in Revelation 14 are said to suffer “in the presence of the holy angels and the lamb.” This cannot be a description of eternal conscious torment, for according to Revelation 20, the lake of fire (which proponents of ECT argue is in view here) is where death, Hades, and the unsaved are thrown away from the presence of God forever. Later on in the Book of Revelation (20:12-15), all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life are thrown into the lake of fire, and this is called the second death. According to annihilationists, this proves that a different type of torment is in view here, something other than the lake of fire that consumes the unsaved.

Third, the language used here is not synonymous with Eternal Conscious Torment, even though, for some, it appears to be. Once again, there is nuance to what is being said that must be realized. Annihilationists are quick to point out that John, the writer of Revelation, knows quite well how to say “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever,” which he does several chapters later when he mentions the unholy trinity in Revelation 20:10. Here, he doesn’t say that. He says that “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (14:11), which is consistent with the imagery found elsewhere in the New Testament, such as “unquenchable fire” and “undying worms.” It implies complete and total destruction of the wicked, not unceasing torment and burning. Finally, the picture of people being tormented “with fire and sulfur” is used elsewhere in the Bible (see Genesis 19 and Jude 7) and does not imply unending suffering, but rather, swift destruction.

It must also be said that for some annihilationists, regardless of whether or not the above points are agreed upon, this passage from Revelation should not be used to prove a doctrine that, by and large, is nowhere else clearly delineated in the Bible. I will once again defer to John Stott, one of the most respected Evangelical Theologians of the 20^th century, to explain why.

“For one thing, we need to keep reminding ourselves that Revelation is a symbolic vision, not a literal reality… I do not myself think that the anxious question whether the nature of hell is an eternal conscious torment or an ultimate eternal annihilation can be settled by a simple appeal to these sentences.”

If Not Death, What Is the Second Death?

The last thing to be said about the Book of Revelation and its contribution to this study concerns chapter 20. Here we find a description of the Final Judgment following the return of Christ and the completion of his millennial reign. Here, everyone who has ever lived will be raised from the dead, and two types of books will be opened, the Lamb’s Book of Life and the Books of Deeds. In the former will be found written the names of the saved, in the latter will be found written the deeds of all men. By their record of deeds, the unsaved will be judged for what they did on the earth, sentenced, and thrown into the lake of fire along with Death and Hades. “This is the second death, the lake of fire” (20:14). Presumably, this is where everyone and everything found contrary to God’s original intents and purposes, including those who have rejected him, will go forever, never to be seen or heard from again.

It must be said that, even though the phrase “second death” is used to describe the fate of the unsaved being thrown into the lake of fire, a different fate is disclosed to reveal what happens to the unholy trinity when they are thrown into the lake of fire, recorded a few verses earlier. These spiritual beings are the only things the Bible ever says will suffer eternally: “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). These seems to fit precisely with what Jesus said in Matthew 25:41 when he talked about the eternal fire “being prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Thus, for the annihilationist, this all comes together quite nicely. Since the lake of fire was never intended to be a place of human suffering, it never becomes such. It is a place where the wicked, rebellious spiritual beings behind every evil in the world will be sent to suffer forever. For everything and everyone else that will be sent there, total annihilation is what awaits.

In the upcoming article, we will examine closely one major remaining text that may speak to the issue of hell, Luke 16:19-31, the story of Lazarus and the Rich Ruler. Then, we will return to some of the passages in the Gospels where Jesus discusses hell and reexamine them now that we’ve heard arguments for both Eternal Conscious Torment and Annihilationism. Finally, we will discuss the philosophical/theological position of Annihilationism, which, like ECT, centers on the biblical view of God’s justice.

[1] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (University of Chicago Press, 2001), 115-116.

[2] Steve Gregg, All You Want to Know About Hell: Three Christian Views of God’s Final Solution to the Problem of Sin (All You Want to Know about, 2013), 204. Cited from Edwards and Stott, Evangelical Essentials: A Liberal Evangelical Dialogue, 316.

Sources

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. University of Chicago Press, 2001.

Edwards, David L., and John R. W. Stott. Evangelical Essentials: A Liberal Evangelical Dialogue. Medical Entomology and Zoology, 1989.

Gregg, Steve. All You Want to Know About Hell: Three Christian Views of God’s Final Solution to the Problem of Sin. All You Want to Know about, 2013.

The Biblical Case for Annihilationism - What the Bible Actually Says About Hell, Part 3

Blake Barbera is the founder and Lead Teaching Minister at That You May Know Him. He has been teaching the Bible for more than two decades, and has served the Church in various capacities during that time, including as a missionary and pastor.

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