Eschatology
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3. Will the wicked be annihilated or tormented forever? |
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The wicked will be tormented forever, that is, they will suffer unspeakable
torments for all eternity. That’s what the Scripture teaches about the final
destiny of the wicked. |
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Let us look at the passages of the Scripture which attest what I have
just said. |
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● Jesus said about those who on that day will be put on His
left: “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46). |
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● Paul says to the Thessalonians: “Seeing it is a righteous
thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you
who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). |
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● John wrote these words in the book of Revelation: “And the
third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall 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 ascendeth up for ever
and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his
image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9-11). |
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Please note this expression “and the smoke of their torment ascendeth
up for ever and ever” which indicates that their torment will be without end;
and note also this other expression “they have no rest day and night” which
indicates that those people will have no rest for all eternity, unlike those
who will live forever with the Lord about whom the Scripture says that they will
rest from their labours. |
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● John wrote in the book of Revelation that the false prophet
and the beast and the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire and
brimstone where they “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation
20:10). Obviously, since the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers,
whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars will be thrown into the lake
of fire and brimstone, it follows that they also will be tormented forever
and ever (Revelation 21:8). |
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● Jesus said: “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is
better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having
two eyes to be cast into hell [gehenna] fire: Where their worm dieth not, and
the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:47-48). |
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I want to point out that in Gehenna (or the lake of fire) the worm of
the wicked does not die and the fire is not quenched, which indicates that
their torment will be continuous, endless. |
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● Jude said about |
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That means that when the inhabitants of those wicked towns rise again
on that day, they will be sentenced to everlasting torment and will be cast
into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. However, at
the present time the inhabitants of those towns are being tormented by fire
because they are in a place of torment called Hades (Greek word which means ‘unseen
world’ and which is translated ‘hell’ ten times in the King James Version). |
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As you can see, the above mentioned passages in one way or another
speak about an everlasting punishment which will be inflicted on the wicked, which
will be an everlasting torment into an everlasting fire. I would like to
point out that the everlasting fire is a fire that will last for an endless
time, I say this because I know that some assert that one day this fire will
end! But – I ask – if one day it will end how could it be defined
everlasting? |
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Let no one deceive you with empty words, the fire prepared for the
devil and his angels into which the wicked will be cast on the day of
judgement is everlasting and all the wicked will be tormented forever into it. |