[Biblemat] S) IS HELL ETERNAL PUNISHMENT? (1)

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
files.  Use to the glory of God.

IS HELL ETERNAL PUNISHMENT?  (1)

Some Ignore it.  Some Reject it.  Some Insist it is Contrary to
a Loving God.  Some Attempt to Redefine it.

     The New Testament makes frequent reference to a final,
future punishment of the wicked beyond the judgment.  In
English versions of the Bible this future punishment is referr-
ed to as "hell."  Many are surprised to learn that Jesus spoke
of hell more than anyone else in the New Testament.

     Notice some of the statements of the Son of God made 
concerning the final destiny of those who die in their sins:

     "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But 
rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28).

     "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for
you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands,
to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their 
worm dies not die, and the fire is not quenched"
(Mk. 9:43,44).

     The subject of eternal punishment is often ignored or re-
jected altogether by the world in general and religious people
in particular.  Many insist that a loving God would never send
anyone to such a place as an eternally burning hell, in spite
of what the Bible may say on the subject.  Others, meanwhile,
attempt to redefine hell to make it refer to the idea that God
will end the existence of the wicked after death.  The belief
that the final punishment of the wicked will consist of a cess-
ation of their existence is known as "annihilationism" or "con-
ditional immortality."  As a compromise som have advanced
the notion that the wicked will experience misery in hell for a
while before being consumed completely so that they cease
to exist altogether.  The appeal of the concept of annihilation
is that it is viewed by many as a much more rational, humane,
and acceptable form of punishment when contrasted with the
concept of everlasting conscious torment of the wicked.

     It should be noted, however, that what man views as rational or 
acceptable does not in any way change what God
has decreed.  As in all matters of spiritual significance, the
question of the nature of hell will be settled by an appeal to 
the Scriptures, rather than an appeal to human emotion and
intellect (2 Tim. 3:16,17; Psa. 119:160; Prov. 14:12).  With that
in mind, what does the Bible say about hell?  Is the future 
destiny of the wicked eternal conscious punishment, or is it
something else?

TERMS DEFINED: --  Certain key terms must be defined in 
                                  order to clearly understand what the
Bible teaches concerning hell.  These terms relate to the 
nature, severity, and duration of the final punishment of the 
wicked.

     1. Gehenna: -- The Greek word gehenna is the word trans-
lated as "hell," which Jesus employed when making reference
to the punishment of the wicked beyond this life (Matt. 5:22,
29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mk. 9:43-47; Lk. 12:5).  Originally
this word referred to the detestable Valley of Hinnom near
Jerusalem where idolatrous child-sacrifice had been practic-
ed (2 Chron. 28:3), and which later became a refuse dump
where fires burned continually and worms fed upon the dead
bodies of animals and criminals.  With these images in mind,
by the first century A.D., gehenna became a fitting term to
describe the place of eternal punishment of the wicked (Inter-
national Standard Bible Encyclopedia, II, 1183).  According to
Bauer, Arndt, and Gingrich, "In the gospels it is the place of
of punishment in the next life" (Greek-English Lexicon, 152).
The Scriptures teach that gehenna is eternal (Matt. 18:8; 25:
41), unquenchable fire (Mk. 9:43,48), torment (Matt. 13:42,50).

     2. Eternal/Everlasting: -- When Jesus spoke of "everlast-
ing punishment" (Matt. 25:46) He used the word aionios,
which may refer to that which is: (1) without beginning or end, that which 
always has been and always will be, (2) with-
out beginning, (3) without end, never to cease, everlasting
(Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, 20).  It should be obvious
that when this word is used in connection with hell it is used
in the sense of making reference to that which is without end
(Jude7).

     3. Destruction: -- The Bible speaks of "everlasting destruc-
tion" in association with the punishment of hell (2 Thes. 1:9).
Whilse some would like for destruction to mean annihilation
and cessation of existence, that is not what the word means.
Thayer defines the Greek word olethros  as "the loss of a life
of blessedness after death, future misery" (448).  Vine points
out tht the destruction associated with hell is "not the loss of
being, but of well-being" (Expository Dictionary of Old and
New Testament Words, 300).  The Bible never associates
destruction with passing out of existence.  (More will be post-
ed on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS).   </HTML>
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