Chapter 4 – Incinerator

I recently revised my book on hell and I’ve decided to post the updated chapters on this site. This is much more than a tour through the underworld. The Christian doctrine of hell drives us to take a closer look at Scripture, church history, and the character of God.

If you downloaded a previous Kindle version, you can get the updated version by following these steps.

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While serving as a middle school principal in Singapore, I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker in the weekly high school chapel. I’m not sure why, but I decided to speak on the topic of heaven and hell.

A Talk

Delivering the message was an uncomfortable experience, both physically and emotionally. I was speaking to about one hundred students from a variety of countries in a room with just enough space for the audience. Since Singapore lies on the equator, it’s hot and humid all year. But that day the air conditioner, which usually ran nonstop, was not working properly, so I was unusually warm and sweaty as I spoke.

When I talked about hell I referred to the story of the poor beggar named Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16. In the account, both Lazarus and the rich man die. But after death they find themselves in opposite places. While Lazarus enjoys a pleasant dwelling, the rich man suffers in a place with fire. So he pleads for Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue. “Imagine being so hot and thirsty that you beg for a drop of water,” I said. Then I held up a bottle of water and allowed it to slowly drip onto the carpet.

At the time, my understanding of hell was limited to the traditional view—eternal conscious torment or ECT. (Some call it eternal conscious torture or eternal conscious punishment. Others call it infernalism.) That perspective includes the following essential elements:

1. a place in the afterlife
2. after the resurrection of the dead
3. for rebellious humans
4. who will be consciously suffering
5. forever

What about the fire and physical agony? Although Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) and others argued for bodily suffering caused by corporeal fire,[i] many today interpret the flames symbolically, and the anguish as primarily emotional and psychological.

Talking about hell was difficult because it’s a topic that is hard to even think about. Have you ever tried to think about someone suffering in torment forever? I mean really think about it? Many people don’t, even those who believe in the traditional view, or as some call them infernalists.

After my talk, I went to the high school principal’s office and sat down. “What did you think? I was trying to be as balanced as possible.”

“It was good,” he replied. “I thought you did a good job.”

I continued by explaining my challenge in preparing the message. As I left his office, something didn’t feel right. Our school had an open-enrollment policy so students of different faith backgrounds were welcomed to attend. I taught Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, and Agnostic teenagers. Although I was not seeking to frighten anyone—my only desire was to introduce students to what the Bible said on the topic—I still wondered, Was I right in talking about heaven and hell to that audience?

I was probably struggling with my recent discovery in the book of Acts. Although I noticed how the gospel was preached, it took some time for me to figure out what it meant on a practical level.

Perhaps I also felt vulnerable. Our school was part of a network that affirmed the traditional view of hell, but I couldn’t recall hearing anyone talk about it in those terms. Why was I the only one who had done so? Whatever the reason, I questioned the way I presented the message.

Later that day as students were leaving to go home, one of my former students, who was Hindu, approached me. She said that the Hindu Scriptures described hell in the same way I talked about it. I thought that was interesting and odd. Among all of our differences, how did Hindus and Christians arrive at the same view of something as otherworldly as hell?

That night I had a dream. I can’t remember the details, but it was a nightmarish dream about the talk I gave. I woke up thinking that I had made a mistake: I shouldn’t have given that message. At the time, I interpreted the dream as a divine message, but perhaps I was simply experiencing psychological stress.

A Book

About five years after delivering my chapel message, I read a book called The Fire That Consumes by Edward Fudge, originally published in 1982.[ii] In his book, Fudge presents a strong biblical case for the view known as annihilationism or as some call conditionalism (or conditional immortality).[iii]

In contrast to the traditional view, annihilationism says the wicked will be resurrected to face judgment then sentenced to capital punishment, also called “the second death” (Rev 20:14–15). In other words, in the end the wicked will be completely destroyed, body and soul, which means they will cease to exist. Note the word “consume” in these verses.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (Heb 10:26-27)

Moreover, the divine threat is not empty because God has already expressed this type of judgment: “he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (2 Pet 2:6). What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? They were destroyed. That is what will happen to the ungodly. According to annihilationism, then, hell is an afterlife incinerator.

Additionally, Fudge and others claim that the idea of the immortal soul comes from Plato (427­–347 BC) not the Bible. N. T. Wright says,

Platonists believe that all humans have an immortal element within them, normally referred to as ‘soul’ . . . In the New Testament, however, immortality is something that only God possesses by nature and that he then shares, as a gift of grace rather than as an innate possession, with his people.[iv]

According to Paul, we are mortal (Rom 1:23) and God alone is immortal (1 Tim 6:16). Thus, contrary to a common assumption, we do not automatically endure forever. Although many talk about “the immortality of the soul,” that phrase is not found in the Bible. But the good news is that immortality is offered to us in Christ. As Paul says, Christ “destroyed death” and “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim 1:10). And John states, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 Jn 5:12). Without him, we perish. With him, we live forever. Resurrection life is not our innate possession; it is a miraculous gift of God.

A Quote

But is ultimate destruction just one person’s eccentric view? Several early church fathers, such as Irenaeus of Lyons (130–202), Arnobius of Sicca (255–330), and Athanasius (296–373), referred to the destruction of the wicked.[v] And some modern Christian scholars have either affirmed this view or shown openness to it, including F. F. Bruce, John Wenham, Richard Bauckham, John Stackhouse, and John Stott.[vi] Here’s how Stott (1921–2011) expressed himself on the subject:

I do not dogmatise about the position to which I have come. I hold it tentatively. But I do plead for frank dialogue among Evangelicals on the basis of Scripture. I also believe that the ultimate annihilation of the wicked should at least be accepted as a legitimate, biblically founded alternative to their eternal conscious torment.[vii]

When I first read Stott’s quote, I was taken aback. He was a highly respected leader of the evangelical movement, an Anglican priest for decades, and a prolific author. I knew him primarily through his writings, which I always found to be insightful and well-balanced, but I also had knowledge of him through my wife. She studied with him at his center for contemporary Christianity in London, where the students affectionately referred to him as “Uncle John.”

So what is the scriptural support for annihilationism? Here are the biblical arguments for the ultimate destruction of the wicked that impressed me the most.

Scriptural Support

First, the clear teaching of Scripture regarding the fate of the unrighteous is found in the most commonly used words describing their destiny: death, perish, and destruction. Here are a few examples from the New Testament.[viii]

• Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt 10:28)
• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16)
• For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)
• For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)
• If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. (1 Cor 3:17)
• Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal 6:8)
• without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. (Phil 1:28)
• Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. (Phil 3:19)
• They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord (2 Thess 1:9)
• But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. (Heb 10:39)
• remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (Jas 5:20)

Second, the Greek words translated as death, perish, and destruction, mean death, perish, and destruction.[ix] There is no basis for interpreting these words as “eternal conscious torment.” For instance, “the wages of sin is death” should be interpreted exactly like it sounds. Sin leads to death. And death is the end of life. It does not say, “the wages of sin is eternal conscious torment.”

But could the Greek words mean something more than mere death? Consider how the same words are used in everyday speech below. (The relevant words are italicized.)

• The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matt 8:25)
• But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill (Matt 12:14)
• The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. (Matt 22:7)
• “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will dieby the sword. (Matt 26:52)
• But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. (Matt 27:20)
• After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. (Acts 5:37)
• Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. (Jude 5)

These statements show that when the same Greek words are used in the active voice in everyday speech, they refer to literal death.[x] After reviewing the evidence, R. F. Weymouth, a nineteenth century Bible translator, concludes:

My mind fails to conceive a grosser misinterpretation of language than when the five or six strongest words which the Greek tongue possesses, signifying ‘destroy,’ or ‘destruction,’ are explained to mean maintaining an everlasting but wretched existence. To translate black as white is nothing to this.[xi]

Two Questions

At this point, let’s consider two questions. First, is it fair that every wicked person should face the same punishment? In answer to the question, annihilationism is primarily a statement on the final fate of the wicked—“the wages of sin is death”—but it allows for different views on postmortem suffering.[xii] Responding to the claim that annihilationism fails to account for future degrees of punishment, Edward Fudge writes:

To the contrary—when God destroys both soul and body in hell, the destructive act or process will be based on perfect divine justice in each individual case, and will allow infinite latitude for degrees of conscious punishment, whether differentiated by its kind, its intensity, or its duration.[xiii]

Second, what happens to the wicked immediately after death? According to the Statement on Evangelical Conditionalism, conditionalists are free to hold various views on the intermediate state.[xiv]

Summary

Much more could be said about annihilationism or conditionalism.[xv] Fudge’s book is more than four hundred pages long. But here’s the argument in one sentence: the most commonly used words in Scripture describing the fate of the wicked mean exactly what they say.[xvi]

What about the biblical evidence for eternal conscious torment? We will address those texts in the next three chapters.

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[i] New Advent, Summa Theologiae, Article 5, accessed May 18, 2020, www.newadvent.org/summa/5097.htm.

[ii] If you would like to hear Fudge speak on this topic, watch the YouTube video titled: Lecture – Edward Fudge – The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of Hell, accessed September 21, 2017. Also, a movie has been made about his life called Hell and Mr. Fudge (2012).

[iii] Some use the terms interchangeably, but others make a distinction. Technically, they are focused on different things. Conditionalism emphasizes our lack of innate immortality, while annihilationism emphasizes God’s act of ultimate destruction. But annihilationism and conditionalism agree on the bottom line: the wicked will not and cannot live forever. I will use the terms interchangeably.

[iv] Quoted in Fudge, 25.

[v] See Christopher M. Date, Gregory G. Stump, and Joshua W. Anderson, eds., Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2014), ch. 19, and Rethinking Hell: “Church Fathers who were Conditionalists,” YouTube, accessed September 21, 2017.

[vi] For more examples see the scholars who wrote the chapters in Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism.

[vii] John R.W. Stott in David L. Edwards and John Stott, Evangelical Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue (Downers Grove: IVP, 1988), 320.

[viii] Many Old Testament verses could be added, such as Psalm 1:6: “The way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

[ix] The New Testament books were originally written in Greek.

[x] The primary Greek word used is apollumi in its various forms. Some ECT proponents bring up the way it’s used in Matthew 9:17 where it says, “the wineskins will be ruined,” and in John 6:12 where Jesus commands his disciples to pick up the leftover food so that nothing would be wasted. However, Glenn Peoples says, when the same active form of the verb is used in similar contexts, e.g., what one person does to another, “the intended meaning is always literal killing.” See Matt 2:13; 12:14; 21:41; 27:20; Mk 3:6; 9:22; Lk 6:9; Matt 10:28. (“Introduction to Evangelical Conditionalism” in Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism, chap. 2.)

[xi] Cited by Glenn A. Peoples, Rethinking Hell, chap. 2.

[xii] See Statement on Evangelical Conditionalism, 8.2, accessed February 24, 2023, https://rethinkinghell.com/statement.

[xiii] Fudge, chap. 20.

[xiv] Statement on Evangelical Conditionalism, 8.4.

[xv] I am grateful to Peter Grice and Christopher Date at rethinkinghell.com for reading an early draft of this chapter and offering insightful feedback.

[xvi] If you think this view alleviates the injustice of eternal conscious torment, that may be a matter of perspective. When I have presented this idea to students, I would usually have one or two in each class who thought literal destruction was harsher than eternal conscious torment.