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Eternal Fire and Sodom
John Gill in commenting on Jude 7, and the punishment of “πυρὸς αἰωνίου” (eternal fire) that came upon Sodom, mentioned Philo. Philo, in his work, “On Abraham,” comments on Sodom and its punishment, thus: XXVI(133) “The country of the Sodomites was a district of the land of Canaan, which the Syrians afterwards called Palestine, a…
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Affirmative Constructive Speech for Hell Debate with Eddie Crume
The orthodox doctrine of Hell is not fully captured by the Apostles’ Creed, which speaks of the the judgment of the living and the dead, but nevertheless makes the short list of important doctrines in Hebrews 6. Hebrew 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not…
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What are the Eternal Habitations of the Wicked?
Usually, I think of Matthew as the Gospel with the clearest presentation of Hell. On the other hand, Luke contains at least one surprisingly explicit reference in addition to (and shortly before) the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of…
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Jude 7, Sodom, and Eternal Fire
Some annihilationists see Jude 7’s comment about Sodom and eternal fire as lending support to their view that the fire of the final judgment may be eternal, without the punishment lasting forever. Jude 5-7 (KJV/NA28) (5) I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the…
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Rebuttals to C. Jay Cox's Seven Arguments for Annihilationism
C. Jay Cox has seven arguments for annihilationism. In the following discussion, I respond to and rebut each of them, in advance of a debate he and I have planned. His points are listed as “CJ” and mine as “TF.” This is not an attempt to replace the debate, but rather, hopefully, to improve the…
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Ignatius an Annhiliationist?
In a recent video, Chris Date (CD) claims that Ignatius of Antioch was an annihilationist (link). CD generally uses the term “conditional immortality” to describe his position. Before getting into a discussion of Ignatius himself, CD includes the bizarre claim that Tatian of Adiabene (c. 120-180) is the “oldest Christian advocate of eternal torment” (30:45…
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Clement and Eternal Conscious Torment
Chris Date (CD) has a video in which he claims that Clement of Rome held to “conditional immortality” (link – if you’re interested to hear what he has to say about Clement of Rome, you can jump forward to timestamp 26:00 and listen to 44:09). First, note that we refer to the book we refer to as…
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Polycarp and Eternal Torment
Chris Date has a video arguing for the idea that Polycarp of Smyrna held to conditional immortality (link to video). CD’s arguments hang on several points: 1) Ignatius writes to Polycarp that Polycarp views immortality and eternal life as being the prize set before him (Ignatius’ Epistle to Polycarp, Chapter 2). However, this would only…
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What about Olam (עוֹלָם), Ad (עַד), and Nesah (נֶצַח)?
If you are going to consider the subject of the eternal torments of hell, you cannot limit yourself to the New Testament. You also should not limit yourself to English, but should also consider the usual words translated as “eternal” or the like in the Old Testament text. Olam, Ad, and Nesah One fairly common…
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Gnashing (Brygmos βρυγμός) of Teeth
Amongst the various descriptions of suffering in hell, one notable description is the gnashing of teeth. In the New Testament, Matthew provides this description six times, and Luke just once. While we use a gerund, the Greek is usually a noun, Brygmos. Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into…