Annihilationism 
One of three explanations for the
the eternal destiny of the wicked

There are three views within the conservative evangelical Christian community that describe the ultimate destiny for the wicked:

1. Eternal Separation - This is probably the most popular view. It holds that the wicked will spend eternity separated away from God and the Kingdom in a dark and gloomy place called "hell." Additionally it may be that each person will experience total isolation, being separated from even other inhabitants of hell. This condition is eternal and unpleasant. Those who hold this view should consider what it means to be separated from God if God is Omnipresent (everywhere).
2. Eternal Suffering - This view was the dominant view at one time and may still well be depending on the religious community surveyed. It is believed that the wicked will spend eternity in hell, also called the "lake of fire." The wicked are tormented there and suffer for eternity. Some who hold this view would say this occurs  away from God and the Kingdom, while others would say that since God is Omnipresent, the wicked are never truly outside of God's presence.
3. Eternal Smoke - This view is held by only a minority of persons, including a few conservative Bible scholars. Some holding the aforementioned views consider this concept to be a heresy. Unlike those views, this one claims the wicked do not suffer eternally but are ultimately burned up or destroyed in hell. Some adherents would say the reference to being "burned up" is only a metaphor and does not indicate any suffering at all while others hold that this refers to a very unpleasant destructive process. The final condition is illustrated as resulting in a corpse or smoke and is permanent, everlasting. Sometimes this view is called "Annihilationism" because the wicked are essentially annihilated or destroyed. Other variations of this belief are called "Conditional Immortality" or simply "Conditionalism" meaning that immortality is a gift that only some receive, it is conditional upon their being accepted by God into His kingdom. Therefore those who do not receive the gift of immortality are destroyed.

• The Anglican church (Episcopalian church in England) comfortably tolerate this.
• The Advent Christian Church
• Individuals in various churches

• John Stott (in the Anglican church and author of Evangelical Essentials, 1988 pages 313-320),
• John Wenham (see The Goodness of God, 1974; Universalism and the Doctrine of Hell, 1991, chapter 6: The Case for Conditional Immortality),
• Stephen Travis (I Believe in the Second Coming of Jesus, 1982),
• Philip E. Hughes (The True Image: The Origin and Destiny of Man in Christ, 1989),
• Clark Pinnock (The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent, 1990),
• Michael Green (Evangelism through the Local Church, 1992).
• John L. Bray (Southern Baptist evangelist)
• See the article in Christianity Today (October 23, 2000) and the sidebar.

The following article attempts to explain one particular definition of Annihilationism:

The belief that those judged by God to be wicked will go to an eternal place of punishment where they will suffer for an unknown but finite amount of time. Although Hell will exist eternally and the punishment resulting from Hell's nature will go on forever for the Devil and his angels, ultimately all humans, their bodies and souls, will be brought to a condition of complete non-functionality and will no longer be aware of the punishment. This final state is permanent, everlasting.

We will consider several verses that speak of hell, the final judgment, darkness and fire. They are presented in a specific order for a reason, to propose a possible interpretation.
 

	Matthew 23:33	33 You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
	Matthew 12:24-32	24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." . . . 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. . . . 31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
		The above implies that the Pharisees who blasphemed will never be forgiven. The punishment is permanent, never ending.
	Matthew 24:50,51	50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
	Matthew 8:11-12	11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
	Matthew 22:13	13 Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
	Matthew 25:30	and throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
	Revelation 22:15	15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
	Jude 1:12,13	12 These men are . . . twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
		The above 6 references imply there is a place called 'outside' that is a place of darkness where there is weeping and the wicked are cut into pieces.
	Matthew 25:41,46	41 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' ... 46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment
	Revelation 19:20,  20:10-14	20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
	Luke 12:4,5	"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear; fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him."
	Matthew 10:28	"And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
	Isaiah 66:22-24	22 "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. 23 from one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the LORD. 24 "And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind."
	Mark 9:43-48 Matthew 5:29,30 Matthew 18:9	43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where  " 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'
		The above 6 references imply that after the wicked are killed they are thrown into the fire that had been prepared for the devil.

It appears possible that there is a sequence of punishment, the wicked are sent to the outside darkness. Later they are thrown into the lake of fire. Whether this is possible would be determined by the meaning of Jude 1:13. If the wickde are to inhabit the dark outside place forever, then it does not appear there is a sequence to the punishment. Then we are not to read too much into Luke 12:5 "after He has killed..." However if Jude is only stating that the place is an eternal place reserved for the wicked, then it may be that it is a step on the way to a place of light, the lake of fire.

"¹⁴ But this I admit to you . . . ¹⁵ having a hope in God, . . . that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." — Acts 24:14,15

What can be learned from comparing Matthew 10:28 and Luke 12:4,5?

1. ) The above translation (from the New American Standard) uses the word "hell" but the Greek word is Gehenna.
2. ) The body and soul are distinct entities.
For Jesus to say there are those who can do a certain thing to the body but cannot do it to the soul implies the two objects are different and what happens to one is not necessarily what happens to the other.
3. ) The soul is more valuable than the body.

To say that one should not fear those who can act against the body but to only fear the One who can act against the soul implies that the soul is more valuable.

4. ) "Those who kill the body" is probably a reference to evil men. (Who else?)
5. ) This warning includes the killing of the soul.
In the the Matthew account Jesus said "do not fear those who . . . are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him . . ." Where is the logic if there is NO ONE who is able to kill the soul? Or, where is the warning if there is someone who is able to kill the soul but is unwilling? The logic is empty unless there is One who can and will "kill" the soul. Next consider the Luke account: "do not be afraid of those who . . . have no more that they can do. But . . . fear the One who after He has killed [what?] has authority to cast [what?] into hell." When the text says he has "authority to cast" something "into hell," although this account does not mention the soul, we know from the Matthew account this refers to both body and soul. This suggests that where the previous phrase said "He has killed" this too would be referring to both body and soul. This would mean that the "more" that the One can do, which man cannot do, is to kill the body and soul and then destroy both in Gehenna.
6. ) The result of killing the soul is more than simply the separation of the body and soul.

Killing the body, as here described in Matthew 10:28 does not necessarily imply the soul is also killed. The killing of the soul is brought about only by the One who can do that. Killing the body leads to death but not the death of the soul. When the body is killed, body and soul are separated but the body alone is dead. Since the soul is already separated from the body, what could be meant by killing the soul which is "more" (Luke 12:4)? Evidently killing the soul requires an additional action.

7. ) The prospect of the soul being "destroyed" in Gehenna is fearsome to those in Jesus' audience.

Both accounts make it clear that there is "One" who is to be feared because He can cast more than just the body into Gehenna.

8. ) In these texts killing the soul implies an action that eventually leads to making it non-functional.
Both the Matthew and Luke accounts refer to the killing of the body and an associated fear. The killing of the body is a fearful thing, people naturally fear it. People also fear pain. Which fear is being referenced by Jesus, the fear associated with the killing of the body, or the fear of extreme pain or both? Jesus' argument never mentions pain but only the ultimate act beyond which man can do "no more" (Luke 12:4). Since pain is only incidental to the process of killing the body, the fear of pain could have been addressed without even mentioning "killing." It seems more likely that Jesus was addressing the fear associated with the killing of the body with any other fears being incidental. That fear would be the anticipation that death ends human life and results in the body becoming non-functional. Jesus' expands on this fear by warning his audience there is something much worse. It parallels the killing of the body but is more fearful since it is done to the soul, something man cannot do. While man can torment the soul (2 Peter 2;7,8) he cannot kill it. Killing the body likely involves torment yet it eventually leads to the body becoming non-functional. Likewise, killing the soul would likely involve torment but it too would eventually lead to a state of being non-functional.
9. ) The soul can be "destroyed" if cast into hell.
This is found in the Matthew account where it says "both" soul and body can be "destroyed" in hell, regardless of what "destroyed" means.
10. ) The destruction of the soul is more than just killing the soul.
The killing precedes the casting into Gehenna (according to Luke) where both body and soul are then (eventually?) destroyed (according to Matthew). It could be that the "killing" is a process that starts before being cast into hell and continues for a time after the person is in hell, which eventually results in both body and soul being "destroyed."
11. ) Men cannot destroy the soul.
What happens to the body is less fearsome but what happens to the soul is terrifying (Hebrews 10:31). Therefore only "One" is to be feared because He alone can destroy the soul. If man could destroy the soul then Jesus' warning, as recorded in Matthew, is pointless.
12. ) God is the "One" who has both the ability and the authority to do this.
From Revelation 20:10 we see it is not the Devil who casts others  into hell, for he is himself punished in the lake of fire and has no power or authority to do anything. From verses 20:11-14 there is one, "He" who sits on the throne and judges all, who has the authority to cast the wicked into the lake of fire. This is certainly God, but some think it is the Father, others say it is the Son (Acts 17:31; 2 Timothy 4:1; John 5:22,23,30; Luke 19:15,27).
13. ) This prospect is real.
In the Luke account Jesus said this was a warning. There would be no need for a warning if the "One" who had this authority would in reality never do this "killing." It would be an empty warning, pointless. There would be no need for Jesus to warn about something that will never happen and there is no need to fear someone who could do something but never would. Jesus meant this warning to be real and serious. The Luke account says that "after He has killed" not "after he could kill." This affirms that this One will kill. If "killing" is a certainty then this suggests that the rest of his statement, the destruction of the body and soul, is also a certainty. Therefore this One can and will destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. (Elsewhere, in Mark 9:42-48, we learn that the ones cast into Gehenna are the wicked, those unfit for the kingdom of God.)

Further, Jesus reasoned "do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul" and then contrasts this with "fear Him who is able to destroy both." This whole line of reasoning would be empty if he were really saying 'man can kill but is unable to do more and there is another who can kill but is unwilling to do more.' There is not much of a contrast between someone who is 'unable' do something and someone who is 'unwilling' to do it. And there is certainly no reason to fear either.

14. ) Although the body and soul are distinct, they both encounter the same destiny in Gehenna, destruction.
The Matthew account says "both" are destroyed.
15. ) Destroying the soul in Matthew does not refer to "torment" as used in the New Testament.
The destruction of the soul as mentioned in Matthew is something man cannot do. Yet the New Testament says man can "torment" the soul.
2 Peter 2:7,8: ". . . [God] rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men ⁸ (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds)" - 2 Peter 2:7,8

According to this text Lot's soul was tormented and it was a result of the lawless oppression of men. Their evil conduct caused Lot's righteous soul to be tormented. So, can man torment another's soul? Yes, indeed. So what was Jesus referring to when he said that God would "destroy" the soul, something that man could not do? Although God may do other things to the body and soul, things man can also do, the focus in this passage is not 'torment,' which is something man can do, rather it must refer to something else that man cannot do. This "Eternal Smoke" view holds that God kills the soul, makes it non-functional, in a very painful way, and then in hell renders it to the spiritual equivalent of smoke. This is more than any man can do, and more than just killing the soul.

"²² 'For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before me,' declares the LORD, 'So your offspring and your name will endure. ²³ And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,' says the LORD.  ²⁴ 'Then they shall go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.'" — Isaiah 66:22-24

One may wonder if a non-feeling, non-functional body is beaten, how can it be said to be a punishment? Can you punish a rock or piece of wood? Is it not commonly understood that a punishment must be experienced, felt? If that is so, then Isaiah does not mention any punishment at all because corpses feel no pain.

Three things are here shown to be eternal: (1) Life for the righteous, (2) fire and (3) maggots for the wicked. The wicked are described only as corpses with no hint of functionality. There is no suffering  in view either for the body or the soul/spirit. If suffering were a significant part of the punishment for the wicked why are there no words describing it? It would be reasonable to assume that the corpses were brought to that state by a painful process but that is not directly stated. Any experience of pain does not seem to be an important part of the message. These corpses are observed while in the process of being burned and eaten by maggots. If this is the eternal state, with this image frozen in time, then the wicked remain unmoving, nonfunctioning corpses for all eternity. However, if we follow a natural assumption, that both the fire and the maggot are consuming forces, we could conclude that the corpses will eventually be consumed even though the fire will never be quenched and the maggot will never die.

Now note that in Mark 9 Jesus quotes the above reference in Isaiah:

"And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having your two feet, to be cast into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." — Mark 9:43-48

But is not fire associated with pain instead of being consumed? Note these verses where the primary attribute of fire is shown to be the power to consume rather than to cause pain:  James 5:3; Hebrews 10:27; 12:29;  Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; Isaiah 33:14.

In the opening verses of Isaiah (1:28,31) it says sinners shall be crushed and come to their end and they shall be burned up and the fire will not be quenched. This parallels the closing of the book in Isaiah 66:22-24. In verse 31, in the Greek Septuagint (LXX, the Greek text used by Greek speaking Jews and early Christians), we see the Greek word katakaio. This same Greek word appears elsewhere:

• Isaiah 9:18,19 (LXX) — The wicked are burned up and turned to smoke.
• Exodus 3:2,3 (LXX) —  In this verse, Katakaio refers to what did not happen to the bush. The bush was burned but was not burned up (katakaio). Katakaio means more than just being burned, it means being burned up, consumed.
• Ezekiel 20:47,48 (LXX) — Like trees, the wicked will be burned up, consumed with fire that will not be quenched. The trees will be gone, while the fire continues on.
• Matthew 3:12 — Jesus will separate the wheat (the righteous) from the chaff (the wicked) and then burn up (katakaio) the chaff with unquenchable fire. When chaff is burned, there is nothing left but smoke.
• Matthew 13:30,40 — the righteous will be separated from the wicked just like wheat from tares (weeds). In the end times, the wicked will be burned up (katakaio) just like tares.
• Revelation 17:16; 18:8 — Babylon the Great will be desolated, experience pestilence, mourning, famine, her flesh eaten and the rest burned up (katakaio). She will never be found again (Revelation 18:21). However, the smoke from her is eternal (Revelation 19:3).

• 2 Kings 23:6,15 — Pagan wooden altars were burned up (katakaio), smashed to dust, demolished.

• Hebrews 13:11 — sacrifices are burned up (katakaio) outside the camp.
• Exodus 12:10 (LXX) — whatever is not eaten is to be burned up (katakaio).
• Exodus 29:14,34; Leviticus 4:11,12 (LXX) — entire bull, flesh, hide and refuse burned up (katakaio) outside the camp.
• Leviticus 7:17 (verse 7-LXX); 19:6 — whatever is leftover is to be burned up (katakaio).
• Numbers 19:5 (LXX) — the entire animal, hide, flesh, blood and refuse is burned up (katakaio).

. . . continuing with examining what else will happen to the wicked . . .

Matthew 24:51 — The wicked will weep, gnash their teeth and be cut into pieces.

Revelation 20:15; 21:8 — The wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire, the second death. Evidently the first death is a crushed body, the second death is a crushed soul/spirit.

Indications of annihilation in the lake of fire:

• Revelation 20:13,14 — Death and hades are emptied and then thrown into the lake of fire. They cease to function.
• 1 Corinthians 15:26 — The last enemy, here said to be 'death', is ultimately abolished, it ceases to function, ceases to exist. It is annihilated. This verse does not say 'death' is the first enemy to be abolished or the only enemy, it is said to be the last enemy. This implies there must be other enemies abolished prior to 'death', and then after they are made non-functional, the last enemy, 'death', is finally thrown into the lake of fire. Compare 1 Corinthians 15:54,55; Hosea 13:14.

• Matthew 8:12; Revelation 22:18 — Humans are said to suffer but nothing indicates their suffering is eternal.
• Hebrews 10:27; Matthew 26:24 — These verses imply a terrifying experience after death, but does not say the experience is eternal.
• Jude 1:7,13; Matthew 25:41,46 — Both the righteous and the wicked enter eternal places. The place of punishment and the fire therein are shown to be eternal. But this does not necessarily imply that the mental experience of the punishment must therefore also be eternal. We can know from other references that the existence of the righteous includes eternal awareness of the fate of the wicked (Isaiah 66:24) and eternal joy (Matthew 25:21,23; Isaiah 35:10). But the awareness possessed by the wicked is never said to be eternal, not in Matthew 25:41,46  nor in places like Revelation 22:15 or Luke 13:28. To reason that since the righteous are eternally aware and functional in their eternal home that therefore the wicked also must be eternally aware and functional, is just an assumption, the biblical text does not state that. These references, taken by themselves, tell us nothing about the awareness or functionality of the wicked. At most they only tell us about the eternality of the place of punishment and that the righteous will be eternally aware of God's judgment.
• Revelation 14:9,10 — Those who worship the wild beast and his image during the tribulation are tormented in the presence of the Lord. But according to 2 Thessalonians 1:9 the same wicked persons are destroyed away from the presence of the Lord. Therefore the place of torment (in Revelation 14:9,10) is different from the place of destruction. Revelation 14:9,10 likely means the wicked are tormented in the presence of the Lord day and night during the tribulation period. This ultimately results in their being burned up and their smoke then ascending forever.
• There are other examples of things being completely burned up yet their fire and smoke is eternal:
• Babylon the Great - Revelation 18:7-10,15-19; 19:3.
• Wicked people - Isaiah 33:12 (katakaio - LXX) ,14; 34:2, 5, 8-10 compare (Isaiah 41:11,12).
• The rebellious Israelites living in the city of Jerusalem - Jeremiah 17:27.
• Revelation 20:10 — The 'false prophet' and the 'wild beast' are tormented forever. Are they human or could they be something else? If they are human, are they turned into unfeeling corpses (or smoke) as implied by Isaiah 66:22-24 or are they forever conscious? Since they are said to be tormented, does that necessarily mean they must be conscious of the torment and therefore cannot be just corpses or smoke? Or is there a meaning of the Greek term for 'torment' that allows for an unfeeling corpse to be tormented? Or in other words . . .

Can a non-feeling rock or piece of wood be tormented? The original meaning of the Greek word for ‘torment' (basanos, basanizo, basanismos) was to strike a rock with a touchstone to see if it was gold. This word also appears in Matthew 14:24 where an unfeeling wooden boat is 'tormented' or battered. So yes, a non-feeling rock or piece of wood can be tormented, at least in the Greek usage of this word, without violating the meaning and usage of the term. This implies that other unfeeling things like corpses can be 'tormented.'

Scientists have developed theories about cosmic objects they call "black holes." These are small but massive objects filled with light and heat. However, because these objects are so massive, gravity prevents anything, even light, from escaping. So to the observer, these objects appear to be absolutely black. Further, it is believed that, relative to the outside, the passage of time is slowed down to near zero. Persons thrown inside would be surrounded by heat and then crushed, annihilated. But from the outside this final event could not be observed. Instead the last painful moments prior to their annihilation would appear to be stretched to eternity. So from one viewpoint this painful and crushing process appears eternal, from another, it is finite. This is not to suggest that 'black holes' are indeed the Biblical hell, but if there are things in the physical universe that can have these attributes, can there be something similar in the spiritual realm?