Annihiliationism

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Even some “evangelical” theologians have given up on hell:  1) Annihilation"
 from http://sermons.logos.com/submissions/117853

It is simply not true that annihilationism is giving up on hell.  

The question is what is the nature of hell? Is it a picture of everlasting destruction or of everlasting torment? Is God a God of love and justice and is it just to torment someone for eternity for sins committed over a finite period of time?

God’s final victory – Will God ever be able to rid the universe of sin and evil or will there always be some corner of the universe (Hell) where sin and evil exists in rebellion against God’s ultimate will?
I believe Scripture puts forth Salvation as the offer of “life” or “death”. We mortal creatures of dust have sinned. The wages of sin is death. Death effects the whole person.  We die body and soul, not just body.  Christ by his death paid the penalty for our sin. Now even if we die before Jesus comes God will make us alive as whole persons. We will be given the gift of life in immortality when Jesus comes again. Then we will live forever in the Kingdom of God. The wicked will be judged only when Jesus comes again. Hell will be a place of everlasting destruction for the unrepentant wicked. God is a God of love and justice and will not torment someone for eternity for sins committed over a finite period of time. Ultimately God’s victory will be complete. There will not be some corner of the universe (Hell) where sin and evil exists in rebellion against God’s ultimate will. Eventually God will be all in all.

You may wish to explore more about annihilationism on the www.afterlife.co.nz website.

Conditional Immortality and Hebrew

http://www.adventchristian.blogspot.com/

"One day in a theology class one of the school’s leading professors was asked if it were really necessary as ministers of the gospel to believe in the eternal hell-fire torment of the lost. I was surprised that the student would dare to ask such a question, and expected a firm, solid, scriptural answer squelching its heretical implications.

But the answer proved more surprising than the question. The gist of the professor’s reply was that, admittedly, there were problems, and the traditional view did seem harsh, but, after all, it was the orthodox view and the most practical one to hold. Suffice to say I left the class with a seed of doubt in my heart; small, yes, but it was there just the same.

The study of Hebrew led to a determination upon graduation to prepare all Old Testament lessons and messages, so much as God enabled me, directly from the Hebrew Scriptures rather than from any English translation. At that time I was conducting a mid-week, verse-by-verse study in Genesis, and following this method of preparation. Needless to say, it did not take long to see that the Hebrew word for soul, nephesh, was used for all other living creatures as well as for man."

To explore further the issue of what is a soul and what happens to a soul at death have a look at  please have a look at Conditional Immortality | Sheol the Old Testament Consesus

 

 

Under the Altar

Atheolous writes about Under the Altar (Rev. 6:9)

UNDER THE ALTAR: The souls that were under the altar were in the grave, under the literal altar of the literal temple. I can hear a chorus of voices exclaiming, "That can't be. Dead souls cannot speak!". Of course, that is true. Souls that sleep the sleep of death while awaiting the resurrection cannot speak. But the souls in John's vision did speak. I believe that pride keeps most Christians from accepting the truth concerning soul sleep (conditional immortality). It is a flat-out stubborn refusal to accept the wages of sin.

The Souls Under The Altar is another article on the Afterlife | Conditional Immortality, Soul Sleep and Annihilationism website which discusses Revelation 6:9.

Many Christians will be familiar with Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, which book contains a graphic account of the persecution of faithful men and women of God down through the centuries. Today Christians are still suffering and dying for their faith, mainly among Muslim and Communist nations and on the Indian sub continent. One of the purposes of John’s Revelation was to remind the suffering church that God has not forgotten his people. In his own time God will act to avenge the faithful, to judge the wicked, and to establish a kingdom of everlasting righteousness upon the earth. To this end John was given a vision whereby after he sees Christ open the fifth of seven seals, he sees “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (v. 9). (emphasis mine)

I look forward to the day when God will establish his kingdom. Come Lord Jesus!