Is Hell Eternal? (2 of 3)

(Continued from yesterday)

But what the Bible teaches about hell is not limited to those verses in which the word “hell” appears. The annihilation view on hell have tried to do this, claiming only the 13 verses in which “hell” occurs are valid. They noted that the words “eternal” or “everlasting” are not in those verses, but “destruction” is. This is like reading only the first line of a paragraph on a subject in which the name appears and ignoring the rest of the paragraph which uses prepositions instead. The hermeneutic principle is context, not just appearance. There are passages on the final judgment and eternal destinies with features that match those of hell, and scholars have identified the subject as hell, even though the name itself is absent:

• Mt 3:12 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.” (Also Lk 3:17)
• Mt 13:42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
• Mt 13:50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
• Mt 25:41 “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;
• Mt 25:46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
• Rev 14:10-11 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 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.”
• Rev 19:10 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.
• Rev 19:20 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 worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
• Rev 20:10 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.
• Rev 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

I have not listed secondary verses on “weeping and gnashing of teeth” or “outer darkness”, nor OT passages with the Hebrew word “sheol”, or NT passages with the Greek word “Hades”, as there are enough here for us to consider. The primary verses listed inform us the following about hell:

• The Lord will separate the wheat (the fruitful) from the chaff and burn up the latter in unquenchable fire (Mt 3:12);
• Those thrown into the furnace of fire are the tares (sons of the evil one Mt 12:38) and the wicked (Mt 12:49), where they will suffer remorse and anguish (Mt 13:42, 50);
• The accursed ones will go into eternal fire to suffer eternal punishment (Mt 25:41, 46);
• Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41), but those who worship the beast (the Antichrist) and receive his mark will join them there (Rev 14:10-11, 19:20);
• The devil, the beast and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev 19:10, 20, 20:10), but so will anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life (Rev 20:15).

(To be continued)