"...these will go away into >eternal< *punishment*... [*see note following] ...but the righteous into >eternal< life” ...[*Note (punishment): Grk= κόλασις [kolasis] indicating "penal incarceration"; as opposed to "apollumi"{cp.Matt10:28 "destroy"} which can mean anything from "destruction" to "brought to worthlessness." (cp. In Luke 15 apollumi is used three times to speak of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. ... So the word (apollumi) can also mean "to render useless" such as the case of wineskins, or "to be lost." In John 6:27 there’s a statement about food that "perishes," and that is also the word "apollumi," e.g. perishables, food that is corrupted and useless.)... but the word used in Matt25:46 is "kolasis"{penal incarceration} -not "apollumi."]
...[continuing] "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"{can the annihilated "weep and gnash teeth? -this is a picture of torment/anguish/suffering. The "fiery furnace" is referred to also as as "lake of fire"--> } ... "and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and **they will be tormented day and night forever and ever***... And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. {Notice that it is expressly and explicitly written that those cast into the lake of fire are "tormented day and night forever and ever."}
Who wrote these passages if not the Apostles?!
What about the OT prophets... what did Daniel say for instance:--> "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake... some to everlasting life, and **some to shame and everlasting contempt**{Dan1 2:2}. The Aramaic word עולם / עלם ‛ôla translated "everlasting" is the transliteral equivalent to the Greek "aions" rendered "eternal."
So yeah, I will preach the *exact words* of the Scriptures void of philosophical commentaries. Here is a link to a practically comprehensive list on the topic of "Hell" for anyone interested: --> www.gty.org/search/ hell?title=1&con tent=1
{although "Johnny Mac" is a Trinitarian and NeoCalvinists; no one has it "all" correct... but on the topic of "Hell" I have to agree with MacArthur.}
[Edited in as an addendum... what did the wisest man to ever live; a man with wisdom received from God Himself; what did Solomon say about the spirit/soul of man?
--> 7 "and the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." -Eccl 12:7
...it appears that Solomon believed that there is a spirit/soul of man that is distinct and distinguishable from the "earthen vessel" of man...]
In closing I ask others to consider Rev14:--> 9 "...If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be ***tormented*** with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, 11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. ***There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name.***"{Does this create the picture of annihilation?
One can't cry "vision" or "symbolism" on the whole of Revelation -if a "vision"; were the angels seen in the vision unreal? If symbolism; what does the symbolism symbolize?... nor is it honorable Hermeneutics to pluck-out, at personal discretion, those passages which indicated "eternal torment" and discount these as not meaning exactly what they *expressly and explicitly* convey...
Some faithful and biblical advice: one does no err to repeat the *express and explicit* words of Scripture to those with an ear to listen -thus the reason why I could never tell a sinner that all that awaits them after death is an intermediate state of unconsciousness followed by annihilation... {boyhowdy and how; what a comforting message for the sinner who loves sin.}
...[continuing] "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"{can the annihilated "weep and gnash teeth? -this is a picture of torment/anguish/suffering. The "fiery furnace" is referred to also as as "lake of fire"--> } ... "and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and **they will be tormented day and night forever and ever***... And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. {Notice that it is expressly and explicitly written that those cast into the lake of fire are "tormented day and night forever and ever."}
Who wrote these passages if not the Apostles?!
What about the OT prophets... what did Daniel say for instance:--> "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake... some to everlasting life, and **some to shame and everlasting contempt**{Dan1 2:2}. The Aramaic word עולם / עלם ‛ôla translated "everlasting" is the transliteral equivalent to the Greek "aions" rendered "eternal."
So yeah, I will preach the *exact words* of the Scriptures void of philosophical commentaries. Here is a link to a practically comprehensive list on the topic of "Hell" for anyone interested: --> www.gty.org/search/ hell?title=1&con tent=1
{although "Johnny Mac" is a Trinitarian and NeoCalvinists; no one has it "all" correct... but on the topic of "Hell" I have to agree with MacArthur.}
[Edited in as an addendum... what did the wisest man to ever live; a man with wisdom received from God Himself; what did Solomon say about the spirit/soul of man?
--> 7 "and the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." -Eccl 12:7
...it appears that Solomon believed that there is a spirit/soul of man that is distinct and distinguishable from the "earthen vessel" of man...]
In closing I ask others to consider Rev14:--> 9 "...If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be ***tormented*** with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, 11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. ***There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name.***"{Does this create the picture of annihilation?
One can't cry "vision" or "symbolism" on the whole of Revelation -if a "vision"; were the angels seen in the vision unreal? If symbolism; what does the symbolism symbolize?... nor is it honorable Hermeneutics to pluck-out, at personal discretion, those passages which indicated "eternal torment" and discount these as not meaning exactly what they *expressly and explicitly* convey...
Some faithful and biblical advice: one does no err to repeat the *express and explicit* words of Scripture to those with an ear to listen -thus the reason why I could never tell a sinner that all that awaits them after death is an intermediate state of unconsciousness followed by annihilation... {boyhowdy and how; what a comforting message for the sinner who loves sin.}
