doctrine of eternal punishment

And if you’re not careful, you can be misled by individuals who do that. Larry Dixon, The Other Side of the Good News. Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 5:22; 1 Thessalonians 5; Matthew 10:28; 1 Peter 3:4; Revelation 6; Psalm 116:3; Jonah 2:2; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:48; Matthew 25:30; Revelation 19:15; 1 John 4:8; Psalm 145:9; Ephesians 2:4; Genesis 18:25; 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 9:22; Acts 13:46; Habakkuk 1:13; Psalm 89:14; Revelation 16:5; Romans 3:24-26; Hebrews 5:8-9; Matthew 10:15, 11:20-24; Luke 12:47-48; Hebrews 10:29; Revelation 20:12-13, Jackson, Wayne. That was the title of the article. We pray. Rom. Atheists somehow feel that the Lord is obligated to force rebels into his eternal, holy presence, even when they have despised him their entire lives! Others also have toyed with this ideology. It doesn’t pertain to human nature as an inherent part of human nature that we exist forever. 2:2). "The Doctrine of Eternal Punishment." And he is holy. In fact, it is a parallel passage. Moreover, when all factors are taken into consideration, the problem is not insurmountable. But if it’s not a reality and if our Lord does know all things and he knew that then he was only bluffing when he talked about eternal punishment or maybe I should put it in a question. About the concept of "eternal," he suggests, "It is punishment that fully accomplishes God's purpose in punishing; no other punishment will follow or be needed. He noted that it was an existence of “pain” where he “found trouble and sorrow” (Psa. Listen to S. Lewis Johnson on Christian internet radio station, Expositor.FM. And as a result, well, the preaching of the gospel for individuals in that kind of situation is not the preaching of the sin of man, the substitutionary and saving work of Christ, and the appeal to faith in him, but the preaching of the gospel is simply the announcement that God has received everyone and that the only thing that we need is knowledge of the fact that we already have been received by God. He said, “Corporeity (or that having to do with the body), corporeity is the end of the ways of God.” Everything ultimately is related to life in the body. As a matter of fact, one might ask a question “Is there here a slur on the character of our Lord? Mt. This is quite an extensive work by a Christian man. And in chapter 5, verse 18 – by the way, sometime I want to give a message or two on the subject of why it was gracious of God to deal with us representatively. And we thank Thee for the teacher who teaches us. Modern theological concepts about life after death are also critiqued. Historically, the major Christian denominations have taught that those who die outside of Christ will suffer eternal punishment in hell. And so, Peter preaches the gospel to the nation Israel and its leaders gathered still in the city of Jerusalem and offers them salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and promises that the times of the restitution of all things spoken out by the prophets shall be fulfilled if they, as the nation, turn to him. And as we think about it, Lord, may it very solemn in realizing that the judgment that falls upon failure to respond to the gospel is an eternal judgment. Did not, for example, God say in the Garden of Eden, “Adam and Eve and the day you eat of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden in that day you will surely die.” Well, they ate. And as we do, Lord, we again are impressed with the greatness of the Scriptures, the depth with which spiritual issues are discussed and proclaimed. In other words, the concept of eternal punishment was not consistent with his sense of justice. Now, in Acts chapter 3 and verse 21 when Peter is preaching after the healing of the lame man, I’m sure you remember that in preaching in the city of Jerusalem he told them that if the nation responded to the message and turned to the Lord even after the death and resurrection of our Lord and even after the coming of the Holy Spirit, even after in a sense this age is on its way from the day of Pentecost on, there was opportunity for Israel to reverse things by faith in the risen Christ. Further, the evidence is mounting that there is a weakening posture on this theme within the church. The doctrine of eternal punishment was taught by Jesus Christ (who said more about hell than heaven), it was acknowledged by the early church, it was endorsed by the “church fathers” (Buis 1957, 53-67), and it was defended by the theologians of the Middle Ages and the Reformation period. At any rate, Paul is talking about Adam, the first, and Adam, the last. Transcription from tape 3. But, nevertheless, it’s rather striking that he has. Eryl Davies, "Focus: 1, Eternal Punishment," Foundations 13 (Autumn 1984): 34-44. pdf : Thomas Davis, Endless Sufferings: Not the Doctrine of Scripture (Longmans, 1867). But again, if you’re not a careful student of the Bible, you might be led to believe that must be what Paul is saying. May our study tonight help us to understand many of the difficult portions of the word of God. Reflect upon the following points. And then she said again, “John.” And then surprisingly, “Yes, Elizabeth?” “John, how are you?” “Well, I’m wonderful, Elizabeth.” “Well, how is your situation?” Well, he said, “I’m in the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen.” He said, “As I look out, I see magnificent snowcapped mountain peaks. The Psalmist once described a particularly distressing time in his life as being like “Sheol,” which, in this context, represents the state of punishment for lost people immediately following death. Now, let’s come to conditional immortality. I think thirteen times Gehenna or hellfire is mentioned in the New Testament and twelve of those occurrences are from the mouth of our Lord. After all, if you’re going to propound an error, the best way to find acceptance for it is to put it in the words of the Scriptures. Let me close this section of our study with some comments by the great southern Presbyterian theologian, Robert L. Dabney. And if you read the New Testament, you, of course, would have to acknowledge that Jesus Christ made no effort to distinguish his view from theirs. Peter spoke of the need to clothe one’s “spirit” with “incorruptible” apparel (1 Pet. But for what reason? That is why the Father gave his Son as a sacrifice for sin—that he might remain just, and yet be a justifier of those who obey Christ (cf. Consider the following: While it may be granted that the faithful survive the death of the body, does that premise hold true for the lost? 1:13); and so, because the Lord is just (Psa. He will only do that which is right (Gen. 18:25). However, beginning with the eighteenth century a new wave of “clergymen” within the ranks of “Christendom” began to deny this fundamental tenet of biblical doctrine, and today a significant segment of American society (almost half) no longer believes in hell. Professor Brunner has had a great influence on theology in the United States. 10-11). This imagery would hardly be appropriate if the human spirit itself were corruptible. Eternal punishment is the most solemn doctrine in all the Bible and it is subject on which I have never written. Howard Davies, "Judgement: The Doctrine Lost to the Modern Pulpit," Banner of Truth Magazine 364 (January 1994):13-18. And of the things I have selected that we may weigh upon our spirits is what seems to me to be the single most important feature of the biblical teaching in this area, and it is t… It’s a legitimate biblical motive for men because of fear to turn to the Lord. In lesson #16 of this series we have already discussed divine justice. But, Capital B, universalism. The strongest support of the doctrine of Endless Punishment is the teaching of Christ, the Redeemer of man. Some people believe, and usually these are cultic Christian groups, that when a person dies, if he’s not a believer in Christ, he’s annihilated at that moment. After all, who is the person who has spoken more of hell and hellfire than anyone else?” Well, it’s clearly the Lord Jesus Christ out of – I think I’ll, in the next message or so, will deal with this, but so my figures may not be quite accurate. In this volume Fudge denies what he calls the “traditionalist view” of eternal punishment. Now, the expression in verse 21, “The times of the restitution of all things,” has been taken by some to be a reference to universal salvation. At the conclusion of the last hour, I made reference to the fact that William G.T. Because the closer you can make your error to the truth, the more difficult it is for individuals to perceive that it is erroneous. It blots out the attribute of retributive justice; transmutes sin into misfortune, instead of guilt; turns all suffering into chastisement; converts the (peculiar or substitutionary) sacrificial work of Christ into moral influence and makes it a debt due to man, instead of an unmerited boon from God. But that ultimately at the final judgement after he has suffered in measure to his sin, he will be annihilated made extinct, exist no longer. But in Believers Chapel, at least, we have many, many people who are teaching here that God is not only love. Those who are in Adam die; those who are in Christ are brought to the possession and experience of spiritual life. Thus we have considered the first element in the doctrine of eternal punishment, namely, that there are some who through eternity will not cease to sin against God. The great importance of expounding this doctrine, freely and frequently, also appears in that, excepting the Cross of Christ, nothing else so manifests the heinousness of sin, whereas every modification of eternal punishment, only serves to minimize the evil of it. That is, the individual loses his existence and eternal punishment is the loss of his existence, then cats and dogs and all the animals are punished too. Rather, it is “the loss of a life of blessedness after death, future misery” (Thayer 1958, 443). Eternal Punishment. Was he only bluffing? And it’s also the reason why so much can be deceptive. The second point of the Scripture teaching we now take up. That’s a biblical doctrine.” That is, all the lost and all the saved shall be resurrected. 7. That’s why I would like for others to say, “Those people over at Believers Chapel, they are Bereans because they search the Scriptures to see whether these things are so.” It’d be nice if you could do this just for fun. But anyway, John died first and so Elizabeth made arrangements to have contact with him. The punishment is called eternal. He doesn’t understand. He’s shaking his head. Well, next Tuesday night, the Lord willing, we will pick this up and continue from this point. Every thing is going to be restored to the place that it should have before the Lord God. Also telling is the fate of the Beast in Revelation. The two main contemporary challenges to the doctrine of eternal punishment in hell are universalism, the belief that all will be saved, and annihilationism, the belief that those condemned to hell will be destroyed rather than eternally suffering. So, the spiritually dead are described in Scripture as conscious. There are numerous figures of speech in the New Testament that are designed to stress both the conscious nature of hell’s punishment and its abiding duration. Similarly, Jonah characterized his tormenting hours in the great fish’s belly as like being in “Sheol.” He observed that it was an environment of “affliction” (Jon. While a denial of […] [Laughter] That’s sub-apostolic teaching. Because you can make things very, very close to Scripture, but then omit a vital part. When folks thrust from them the Word of God, they judge themselves unworthy of eternal life (Acts 13:46). In the Book we turn to the Third Gospel, to the Gospel of Luke, to chapter 16, and we begin reading at … And here Paul says, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”. That he is also just and righteous. Another thing, the spiritually dead are described in Scripture as conscious. So, again, universalism really doesn’t work, does it? Scripture reveals what we know about him. People do not like to discuss or think about the eternal punishment that consists the word of … Nothing could be further from our natural way of thinking than the doctrine of eternal punishment in hell....and the Son of God suffering on a cross....and a land of inexpressible joy as the alternative to eternal torment. Shedd, one of the finest of the Christian theologians, has some very strong words to say about eternal punishment and the denial of it in various forms. Will he get pleasure out of causing an individual to suffer for all of the ages of eternity endlessly because of his sin? Well, we looked at the history of the doctrine. God will be equitable! If his denial is the truth, he needs no salvation. The rational basis for the view is heavily dependent upon the same conception of the love of God, as is found in annihilation at death and universalism. 25:41); indeed, their “worm dies not [i.e., the gnawing anguish continues on and on] and the fire is not quenched” (Mk. But if, for example, when a person or thing dies you cannot speak of the animal suffering afterwards if the substance of punishment is in the result. Paul describes the fate of the lost as suffering “the punishment of eternal destruction” ( 2 Thess. If his denial is the truth, he needs no salvation. Reincarnation is a doctrine which in effect is a denial of eternal punishment in its own way. ChristianCourier.com. And so, if consciousness characterizes spiritual death now, why should it not characterize spiritual death after we die? Will There Be Personal Recognition in Heaven? And if they can find it there, then of course it would be nice if we then respond and believe it ourselves. Mt 25:46 "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Nihil in Latin means nothing. So, conditional immortality. It is essential for us to be selective. Now, that reference to “made alive” is a reference to quickening. Are not all fallen men in Adam?” And all of us who are orthodox must answer “Yes, that’s right.” “Even so by the righteousness of one (of course, the reference is to Christ) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” So, if all men refers to all who have fallen in Adam and all without exception have fallen in Adam, then are we not forced to say that all men have received a free gift from Christ to justification of life? 89:14), evil must be punished (cf. 12:2). . His influence devastated the churches in Nashville. We just simply pointed out that, so far as we can tell, it was the view of the ancient church. And I’d like for the remainder of our few moments to say just a few words about it. That he becomes so by faith in Christ. Russell charged that no person “who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment” (1957, 17). Bruce, a well known evangelical scholar, has a forward to the book. 3:24-26; Heb. Punishment that goes on forever! This is what he says, “Nor does the quibble avail, that the phrase, ‘everlasting destruction,’ or such–like, implies annihilation. No man can complain about the injustice of hell in the face of the cross! In other words, in eternal death, we have spiritual death simply prolonged. Two principal theories have been advanced in opposition to this church doctrine of eternal punishment. And I know you’re happy about that. The bible teaches that those who reject God’s message of reconciliation and gift of eternal life will be cast into the lake of fire, as in complete incineration which is described as “the second death.” This is eternal damnation with no hope of resurrection. The Lord does not desire that a single soul should perish (2 Pet. It teaches first of all that man is not inherently immortal. No error, consequently, is more fatal than that of Universalism. Though he acknowledged that some punishment was justified in the case of criminals, he opined that eternal punishment was unjust. The fact that human beings were made in the very image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27) should suggest, to those who contemplate issues seriously, that we are more than mere temporal creatures passing through time toward oblivion. Some allege that the idea of man possessing a “soul” (or “spirit”) that survives the body in a conscious state, is a relic of paganism. 1:8 ). 12:47-48; Heb. Ignoring the truth changes no reality. Arndt and Gingrich, viewing the verb as a middle voice form, suggest that these “prepared themselves for destruction” (1967, 419; see also Vine 1991). For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses allege that the concept of everlasting punishment is an “unreasonable doctrine” that “contradicts the Bible” (Make Sure Of All Things 1953, 154-55). I mean the force of the word Eternal in the original, and the real scriptural doctrine as to Christ's death. Well, I think that is true. Origen, the Alexandrian church father, was the first to openly teach it. To these misguided folks, “hell” is only “a place of rest in hope” (Ibid., 68). The rejection of the doctrine of Endless Punishment cuts the ground from under the gospel. Daniel wrote concerning the condemned who are raised from the dust to a state of “shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. It just so happens that this term “made alive” is not ever used of resurrection. These Christians point to biblical references to eternal punishment, as well as eternal elements of this punishment, such as the unquenchable fire, the everlasting shame, the "worm" that never dies, and the smoke that rises forever, as consistent with the traditional doctrine of eternal, conscious torment of the non-believers or sinners in hell. Conditional immortality is not quite the same. 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