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INTRODUCTION
1.1
Initially, we believed that annihilation is true and that the traditional view of eternal conscious torment (ECT) in hell is unbiblical. So, we set out to prove that the traditional view is incorrect. However, after looking at many verses in the Bible, we have found that there is some truth in both doctrines and some things that we disagree with. In our view, both doctrines are not entirely correct. We have also found that proponents of these doctrines tend to surmise and form their views based on things that are not directly or strictly said in the Bible. Thus in writing this article, we have tried our best to avoid making the same mistakes, that is, if it is not clearly stated in the Bible, we would try not to assume, surmise or infer. If it is not stated, then it is simply not stated. Let us briefly discuss the said doctrines related to the issue of ECT in hell.
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BRIEF DISCUSSION ON TYPICAL DOCTRINES RELATED TO ECT IN HELL
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Annihilationism – The main idea of annihilationism holds that those who are not saved by God will cease to exist upon their physical deaths. Others believe that in annihilationism, the saved will only cease to exist (or annihilated) after they have paid the penalty for their sins in hell, that is, their souls are unable to perish until they have suffered for their sins. But once they have paid for their sins in full, they will be extinguished forever. Thus, whether the unsaved is annihilated immediately upon physical death or annihilated after some time in hell, all of the unsaved will eventually cease to exist. In other words, their conscious torment in hell will be limited and not everlasting.
2.2
Conditional Immortality (Annihilationism): The idea of conditional immortality is that all humans are not immortal. They are only immortal on condition that God gives them immortality, that is, only true believers will live on forever because immortality is a gift given only on condition of true faith in Christ. As for those who have not been given eternal life, they will cease to exist when they are cast into hell to be destroyed. And because they cease to exist, their conscious torment in hell will not be eternal. Therefore, conditional immortality can also be referred to as annihilationism or closely related to annihilationism.
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Traditional View: From what we understand, the traditional Christian view holds that hell is a place far beneath the surface of the earth where those who are not saved are tormented continuously without ceasing for all of eternity. In that place there are gnawing worms, unquenchable fires and darkness. Once there, no escape or mitigation of ECT is possible. In our opinion, this traditional view is unbiblical and unreasonable for the most part and those who hold this view are misreading the Bible. With sincerity, we hope their misreading was not on purpose. But let us discuss this further.
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ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY
3.1
According to some theologians, a sin committed against an infinite God deserves an infinite punishment. We agree with this idea as it seems reasonable. But till today, we have not found any verse in Scripture that clearly supports this. To them, infinite punishment means ECT in hell. In the Bible, there are verses that support conscious torment, but its duration is not mentioned, and there are also verses that support eternal punishment, but nothing is said about conscious torment. The only verse that gives the clearest indication of ECT in hell is found in Revelations 14:11. But even this verse has a limited scope in that only a particular group of unbelievers is mentioned. Let us now go through some of the commonly used verses that tell us about hell and see if they speak of ECT in hell, keeping in mind the principle that if it is not clearly stated in the Bible, we should not assume, surmise or infer.
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Daniel 12:2 (NASB95) states:
(2) Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
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Daniel 12:22 Commentary: In Dan 12:2, nothing is said about ECT or annihilation. The group who is very likely unsaved, only wakes up to disgrace and everlasting contempt. How is that even alarming at all to the wicked or to those who hate God? They would probably take their disgrace and everlasting contempt and wear it like a badge of honor But let us read on.
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Matt 3:12 (NASB95) states:
(12) His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
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Matt 3:12 Commentary: It is obvious, despite John’s use of symbols, that a separation process is coming. Those who are saved are His wheat, and those who are not saved are the chaff that will be thrown into the fire to be burnt up. But there is no mention of ECT by John the Baptist, not even symbolically. In fact, the phrase, “He will burn up the chaff” indicates annihilation and destruction rather than eternal conscious torment. Physically, wheat chaff is very flammable. Even if a pile of chaff is sprayed with water, it can still be burnt up in no more than an hour.
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Matt 10:28 (NASB95) states:
(28) Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell.
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Matt 10:28 Commentary: A straightforward statement by Jesus without the usage of symbols or metaphors. He told His listeners to fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Here, the Greek word for “destroy” is, “apollumi” which means full destruction. There is no indication of eternal conscious torment (ECT) at all. The word, “hell” here means Gehenna. Please see our article, “What is Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus, Outer Darkness and the Lake of Fire?” for more information. Unlike Sheol or Hades, Gehenna is the Lake of fire, and it is the final destruction.
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Matt 13:41-42 (NASB95) states:
(41) The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, (42) and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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Matt 13:41-42 Commentary: This is another straightforward statement by Jesus. The words, “gather out of His kingdom” tell us that there are some who have blended (infiltrated) into Christian fellowships and into churches but have never truly believed. These false Christians who are stumbling blocks (stumbling blocks are those who influence people to sin) as well as those who are lifestyle sinners will be extracted from among His people and thrown into hell. It is clear from verse 42 that in that furnace of fire, there is conscious torment (weeping and gnashing of teeth). But we wish to highlight that there is no mention of its duration, thus the conscious torment may not be eternal.
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Matt 18:7-9 (NASB95) states:
(7) “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! (8) If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. (9) If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.
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Matt 18:7-9 Commentary: Many Bible commentators misunderstand what Jesus was saying here. But we are glad that at least they commented that Jesus was not telling His disciples to mutilate themselves in their fight against sin. The key to understanding verses 8-9 is verse 7. Jesus said in the second part of verse 7, “but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!” Immediately after verse 7, Jesus said, “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off…” We must all think reasonably. How is it possible for a person’s hand or foot or even his eye to cause that person to sin? Even if every part of him is chopped off, there is still the likelihood of him sinning again as long as his head is still on his body. It is the person’s mind that ultimately makes the decision whether to sin or to flee from sin. So, should we chop off our heads as well, just in case? Of course not. Therefore, Jesus was not talking about body mutilation at all. He was referring to people who are close to believers who may be a stumbling block to them. Please read verse 7 again and see that a stumbling block is almost always caused by another human being, not a piece of rock and certainly not body part. Please see Matt 16:23 for more evidence. It is another human who will entice, seduce, influence or persuade believers to sin, and it is not uncommon that some may be very close to believers. Close relatives, close friends, bosom buddies, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, fellow “Christians” etc. It is better to cut off relations with such stumbling blocks than to continue having them in their lives and be cast into fiery hell. The more they try to influence believers to sin, the more likely believers will eventually sin. Nonetheless, readers will notice that we have not included spouses in the possible removal of stumbling blocks because cutting off relations with spouses is not a simple matter – there are many things for a Christian to consider. Please see our article, “can Christians divorce and remarry?” We have digressed from our discussion about ECT. So back to our topic, here in these verses, we see that the fire of hell itself , is eternal (v8). But the duration of those who will be burning in hell is not mentioned.
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Matt 25:41-46 (NASB95) states:
(41) “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; (42) for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; (43) I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ (44) Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You? (45) Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ (46) These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
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Matt 25:41-46 Commentary (I): To summarize Matt 25:41-46, those who are truly Christians will love the brethren and care for them when they need help. Not to digress, in order to disprove ECT in verse 46, we need to discuss the words, “eternal punishment.” Is “eternal” really never ending or just “an age?” And is “punishment” a penalty for an offence or does it refer to torment for the unrighteous? The Greek word for, “eternal” is “aionion.” Some argue that aionion can also be interpretated as “an age” or “an agelong” duration. Implying that it may not be never-ending. This is not correct. If we look at John 3:16, it states: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal (aionion) life.” The Greek word for eternal in John 3:16 is also, “aionion.” So if the word, “eternal” in John 3:16 only lasts an age, how would one explain, “shall not perish?” If all of us who believe in Christ, perish after “an age” is over, then Christ is a liar. But Christ always tells the truth. He said very clearly in no uncertain terms that those who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Believers will not perish in eternal fire but have eternal, never-ending life with Christ. Believers who are now perishable, will one day put on the imperishable (1 Cor 15:53).
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Matt 25:41-46 Commentary (II): Thus, those who say that the word, “eternal” in Matt 25:46 is somehow not really eternal, are certainly misinformed. It is clear from John 3:16 that the Greek word, “aionion” means eternal and never-ending. With regard to the word, “punishment” we have checked 18 different English versions of the Bible (including the KJV, NASB, ESV, and NIV) none of them have a different translation. The word, “punishment” is punishment and not torment – while torment is a form of punishment, punishment may or may not involve torment. It could be a combination of torment and eternal annihilation or whatever punishment God deems it fit for that person. Therefore those who have been separated into the goat category will receive eternal punishment (not eternal torment). They will go the same place where the devil is also going (Matt 25:41) that is, into the eternal fire. The location of this place of eternal fire is the lake of fire (Rev 20:10). Now the devil’s punishment has already been decided – he will be tormented day and night forever and ever. His punishment is clearly a never-ending torment. But the punishment for those in the goat category was not stated. Scripture only says that it will be eternal, and it will be in the lake of fire. Essentially, those in the goat category may not necessarily be receiving the same punishment as the devil.
Just because a person is going to a particular prison, does not necessarily mean that he is going to receive the same sentence as everyone over there – some may be incarcerated for life, some may be 7 years or less and others may receive the death penalty. Similarly, just because the goat-classed is going to get thrown into the same lake of fire eternally as the devil, does not necessarily mean the punishment is going to be the same as the devil. In our view, the goat-classed will very likely be eternally destroyed as they are humans and may not last in the fire as long as the devil who used to be an angel of God. Unless of course, God deliberately sustains the goat-classed for never-ending torment. But we have not found any verse in the Bible that supports this speculation. Therefore commentators should not insist on what is not clearly stated. We agree that some humans will be tormented forever in the lake of fire with the devil. But those people belong to another category, not the goat-classed of Matt 25:41-46. We will discuss this group later. But for the goat-classed, if ECT is not stated in Matt 25:46, then for them, it is just not stated. People should stop twisting the Bible to say that eternal punishment is the same as eternal conscious torment.
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Mark 9:47-48 (NASB95) states:
(47) If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, (48) where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
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Mark 9:47-48 Commentary: As mentioned earlier, can the hand, foot or eye cause a person to stumble? It is the person’s mind that makes the decision to sin or to flee from sin. Shall we then cut off our own heads and throw it from us? Obviously not. It is clear as day that Jesus was referring to people who are close and important to us, not our body parts and certainly not our heads. Please see our earlier comments for Matt 18:7-9. With regard to ECT, there is nothing in Mark 9:47-48 that supports it. Both the duration in hell and conscious torment were not mentioned in these verses. The Greek word for, “hell” in verse 47 is Gehenna. We have explained previously that Gehenna is the lake of fire.
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Luke 13:28 (NASB95) states:
(28) In that place there will be weeping and gnashing to teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.
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Luke 13:28 Commentary: In Luke 13:28, Christ described a particular place as a place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matt 13:41-42, Christ also described a particular place as a place with the same weeping and gnashing of teeth, and He also added that it will be a fiery place. Since only those who are not saved are sent there, then this (weeping & gnashing of teeth) place has to be the lake of fire. This is because Rev 20:15 tells us that those whose names are not found in the book of life will be thrown into that fiery place, the lake of fire. It is either a person’s name is found in the book of life, or his name is not found here. There is no in-between situation. Thus, those who are saved are in the kingdom of God and those who are not are thrown into the lake of fire. There are only two places. If the kingdom of God is not described as a fiery place with weeping and gnashing of teeth, then the lake of fire has to be that place. Therefore it is clear that unbelievers will experience conscious torment there. But it is important to be precise. In Luke 13:28, Jesus said nothing about the duration of their conscious torment. And because no duration was mentioned, it can be seen that ECT is not supported in this verse.
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Rom 2:5-9 (NASB95) states:
(5) But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, (6) who will render to each person according to his deeds: (7) to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; (8) but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. (9) There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jews first and also of the Greek,
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Rom 2:5-9 Commentary (I): The “tribulation and distress” mentioned in verse 9 is referring to being consciously tormented in the lake of fire because verse 5 talks about the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. This is the great white throne judgment in Rev 20:12. Hence, both Rom 2:5-9 and Rev 20:12-15 are referring to the same event that will occur on the final day. Rev 20:15 states that anyone’s name not found in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. But that will only satisfy one part of God’s judgment. There is the other part where He will render to each person according to his deeds (Rev 20:13, Rev 2:6 and Rom 2:9). If the sentencing of one unbeliever is the same as another unbeliever, can we say that God is rendering to each person according to his deeds? This is because according to the traditional view, as long as a person’s name is not found written in the book of life, he is going to burn for all of eternity. Moreover, if a human unbeliever is going to burn for all of eternity, receiving the same sentence as the devil, can that also be rendering to each person according to his deeds? That would be very unjust, but God is just. Therefore, if the traditional view is true, then Rev 20:13, Rom 2:6 and Rom 2:9 have to be false. But Scripture is always correct and never false. It is our opinion that the traditional view is not correct. Those who hold the traditional view need to rethink this through again.
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Rom 2:5-9 Commentary (II): The only way to fulfil Rev 20:13, Rom 2:6 and Rom 2:9 is for the unbeliever to suffer conscious torment in direct proportion to his unrighteousness and wickedness. So as his unrighteousness increases, so does his torment. It cannot be that a human can surpass the devil in unrighteousness given that his life span is much shorter than the devil. So, for a human to be given the same sentence as the devil, that is, to burn in hell forever, cannot be true except for that special category of unbelievers, which we will discuss later in this article. Hence if unbelievers are to suffer conscious torment in direct proportion to their evil deeds and if they are to perish because they have no propitiation for their sins, then it can only be that they must be tormented in the lake of fire for a period of time, decided by God, before being completely annihilated by Him. The unbeliever will not be released into His kingdom after serving his sentence, but he will perish forever. Apart from the lake of fire, we believe it is possible that the unbeliever could serve some part of his sentence in Hades. Hades is an intermediate place for everyone after their physical deaths, but before the great white throne judgment. Luke 16:23-24 tells us that the rich man was being tormented in Hades. So even though the great white throne judgment is the only “Court Hearing” any person will ever receive, we speculate that those who spent some time burning in Hades will have that amount of time taken into account by Christ on the throne when that person is sentenced so that he is not tormented in the lake of fire longer than it is necessary before perishing.
Therefore, if verses Rev 20:13, Rom 2:6 and Rom 2:9 are true, then ECT for every unbeliever cannot be true (again, this is apart from the one special category of unbelievers which we will discuss later). In our opinion, ECT will only be given to the devil, the beast, the false prophet and that special category of unbelievers. All other unbelievers will be tormented in the lake of fire for a limited duration in proportion to the amount of wicked deeds committed during their physical lifetimes, before being completely annihilated. Thus, it is clear in these verses that ECT is not given to all unbelievers.
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2 Thess 1:6-10 (NASB95) states:
(6) For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, (7) and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, (8) dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (9) These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (10) when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed for our testimony to you was believed.
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2 Thess 1:6-10 Commentary: Straight forward statements from Paul explaining that unbelievers will face eternal destruction when Christ returns. Eternal destruction (olethros) is eternal destruction, not eternal conscious torment (basanizo). It can be seen that there is nothing in these verses that says, unbelievers will be tormented eternally in hell. Therefore ECT is not supported in these verses. Nonetheless, they will certainly perish forever and not be allowed into His kingdom.
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Rev 14:11 (NASB95) states:
(11) And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
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Rev 14:11 Commentary: Commentators have often used Rev 14:11 to support their claim that ECT will come to all unbelievers. Yet, this verse is clear that only those who worship the beast and his image and receive the mark of his name will be tormented forever. This is the special category of unbelievers we have mentioned earlier. Not all unbelievers will receive ECT. The standard unbeliever will suffer non-eternal conscious torment in direct proportion to his or her unrighteousness and other deeds , as stated in Rev 20:13, Rom 2:6 and Rom 2:9 before perishing eternally in the lake of fire (Matt 10:28). In our opinion, ECT is supported in this verse, but only for the beast marked cum beast worshipper (BMBW) type of unbeliever. For the sake of efficiency, let us call this category of unbeliever, the BMBW unbeliever. Once again, not every unbeliever, but only the BMBW type of unbeliever will receive ECT from God.
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Rev 19:20 (NASB95) states:
(20) And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
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Rev 19:20 Commentary: For those who think that Rev 14:11 is only a warning and that no one would ever be so senseless and short-sighted to worship the beast and his image, and take the mark of his name, Rev 19:20 is evidence that there will be people who will be deceived. They will join the beast, the false prophet and the devil in the lake of fire. ECT is supported in this verse because this verse is linked to Rev 14:11. All BMBW unbelievers will receive ECT from God. Once again, not every unbeliever, but only the beast marked cum beast worshipper (BMBW) category of unbelievers will receive eternal conscious torment (ECT) from God.
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Rev 20:10 (NASB95) states:
(10) And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
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Rev 20:10 Commentary: In reading Rev 20:10 with Rev 19:20 and Rev 14:11, it is clear that there are only two groups who will receive ECT. The first group belongs to the deceivers; they are the devil, the beast and the false prophet. The second group are those who will be deceived, they are those who will worship the beast and his image, and who will receive the mark of his name. Scripture is very specific. Therefore, commentators who insist on including anyone or any other groups besides these two groups must provide evidence from Scripture.
3.30
Rev 20:12-15 (NASB95) states:
(12) And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. (14) 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.
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Rev 20:12-15 Commentary: Please also see our commentary on Rom 2:5-9 (S/N 3.20 & 3.21). According to verses 12 and 13, the dead will be judged according to their deeds, and in verse 15, those whose names are not found written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. It is certain that those who do not believe will not be found in the book of life. Hence, if every unbeliever is judged according to his deeds, can the penalty of one unbeliever’s wickedness be exactly the same as another unbeliever? Obviously not. If they are the same, then they are not judged according to what they have done. The penalty for a mass murderer cannot be the same for a kindergarten school teacher who would hesitate to kill a hamster, even though both of them reject Christ. Therefore commentators who say that all unbelievers will be given ECT in the lake of fire, contradict verses 12 and 13. And looking at verse 15, either a person is thrown into the lake of fire, or he is not – that is, either his name is in the book of life, or his name is not found there. Again, there is no in-between situation. It is certain that unbelievers will be in the lake of fire to pay for penalties according to their deeds. They have no propitiation for their sins. Reasonably, we can only see three ways to vary the penalties. Either to vary the intensity of torment while its duration remains constant, or to vary the duration while the intensity of torment remains constant, or to vary both the intensity of torment and the duration. Since Scripture does not say that some places in the lake of fire are hotter or colder, then it must be that the entire lake of fire has the same heat intensity everywhere. So if the entire lake of fire has a uniform temperature everywhere, the only way for God to vary the penalties according to deeds, would be to vary the time spent in that lake before being annihilated. We have already explained earlier, how the traditional view of ECT for every unbeliever contradicts verses 12 and 13. Thus, in order for unbelievers to be punished according to their deeds, their stay in the lake of fire will have to be varied from person to person. They will serve their penalty by suffering torment in the lake of fire for a period of time decided by God. Upon completion, they will be annihilated eternally. Both the inner and outer man (human spirit and body) will be completely destroyed eternally in the lake of fire.
3.32
Rev 21:8 (NASB95) states:
(8) But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
3.33
Rev 21:8 Commentary: What is the second death? Does it speak of ECT? Rev 20:14 tells us that the second death is a place, and that place is the lake of fire. Rev 2:11 also tells us that the second death is a place that hurts, or that is injurious, or that causes harm. Thus, if we read the two verses together, it can be seen that the second death is a place where harm occurs. And Rev 21:8 tells us the various categories of people who will be sent there. So what exactly happens there? Rev 20:12-13 tells us that everyone will be judged according to their deeds and Rom 2:5-9 also tells us that God will render to each person according to his deeds by giving tribulation and distress to every soul of man who does evil. Tribulation and distress to evil men? But can Rom 2:9 be happening to evil men when they are alive? Clearly not. In fact, very often evil men are happily enjoying themselves and having a blast all the way to the time of their deaths – hardly any tribulation or distress at all. So, if Rom 2:5-8 is still coming to pass (and it will come to pass), it will have to occur when those evil men are dead and sent to lower Hades temporarily (Readers can read about upper and lower Hades in blog article no. 20), and/or given the second death, whichever is deemed appropriate by God. Readers could also read more about upper and lower Hades in our article titled, “Will Christians go immediately to heaven upon their physical deaths?”
In our blog article no. 20, we explained in detail that Outer Darkness, the Lake of Fire and Gehenna are all different names of the same place. All three are referring to the second death (the Lake of Fire). It is clear that Outer Darkness is associated with weeping and gnashing of teeth. If readers have forgotten, they can refer to Matt 8:12, Matt 25:30 and Matt 22:13. So, if Outer Darkness is another name for the Lake of Fire (which is the second death), then the second death is a place of torment and destruction, because in that place there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Anyone whose names are not found in the book of life are thrown into the Lake of Fire. It is in the Lake of Fire that God will render to each of them according to his deeds. The more evil that person is, the longer the stay in the Lake of Fire before they are finally annihilated, save of course, those who belong to the BMBW category of unbelievers. BMBW unbelievers will burn forever with the devil and his two buddies (Rev 14:11, Rev 20:10 and Rev 20:15). Apart from BMBW unbelievers, ordinary unbelievers will not be annihilated until their sentences are served out, until they have paid for their sins in full. In other words, their lives will be sustained by God to be tormented by the flames until they have finished what God has given them to suffer. This is so that Rom 2:5-9 and Rev 20:12-13 can be fulfilled.
4.0
CONCLUSION
4.1
Several verses related to hell have been analyzed and it is clear that nowhere in the Bible does it say that all unbelievers will be consciously tormented forever. Only for that one special category of unbelievers as described in Rev 14:11. Apart from them, all other unbelievers, which include those who say they are Christians but are not, God will render to each of them according to their deeds. That is, these typical standard unbelievers will be consciously tormented either in lower Hades (Luke 16:23-24) or, in the lake of fire, until they have served their sentence. Upon completion of their sentence, they will perish forever. This permanent destruction is the eternal punishment mentioned in Matt 25:46. Therefore, annihilationism and the traditional view are not entirely wrong and certainly not entirely correct as well. The annihilationist needs to know that Rev 14:11 exists. The beast-marked cum beast-worshipper (BMBW) will receive ECT, they will not be annihilated but they will be tormented forever. And the traditionalist also needs to know that apart from those unbelievers mentioned in Rev 14:11, no other ordinary unbeliever will suffer ECT. All ordinary unbeliever will be annihilated once they have paid the penalty for their evil deeds.