“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Mt 25:46)
Eternal Punishment is the biblical doctrine of hell. Those who oppose God and reject the Gospel of Jesus shall receive unceasing torment under full consciousness at the final judgment.
This doctrine is undoubtedly repulsive to the present age which is self-centered and complacent. People do not like the idea of punishment and Christians began to doubt its truth. Some even dismiss it as a debased Christianity that distorts the loving image of the Christian God and turns Him into a revengeful and brutal God. They condemn the doctrine as an outdated middle-aged religious tenet and deem churches that advocate this doctrine as old-fashioned. Instead, they promote annihilationism with this argument, “how can a loving God punish someone forever with unbearable torment?” Hence annihilationist suggests that the final punishment for unrepentant sinners is annihilation – eternal cessation of existence. They believe annihilation could happen at the point of physical death, or at the final judgment on the last day, or at a certain point in eternity after the final judgment (conditional annihilation).
Advocates of annihilationism are unable to provide biblical evidence for their claim. Therefore it is mere conjecture of the fallen human mind in response to the terror of endless torment and out of an unwillingness to submit to the words of God. Instead of bringing sinners to bow before God, annihilationist pushes them further away from God. Think about it: if the punishment of sin is a painless non-existence, why should sinners repent and turn away from sin? “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Gal 6:7)
Truth is not to be ignored. Eternal punishment is the appointed retribution for evil doers and the principle of righteousness in the final judgment (Rev 20:13). The Lord Jesus and the apostles never shied away from talking about eternal punishment. Rather, they made sure all who have ears hear it,
“…be thrown into hell, where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched. Everyone will be salted with fire. ” (Mark 47-49)
“In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” (Jude 7)
Though these descriptions are not to be taken literally, the imageries are meant to convey one message: No one can imagine what hell is like, hence we should conclude that it is worse than anything we can imagine.
Dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us spiritual courage and wisdom to faithfully proclaim the warning of eternal punishment to the dying world, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power!
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