Everlasting Salvation in Daniel
Was it normal for Jewish people to believe that God’s salvation is eternal? Was it normal for them to think of the coming Messiah in “eternal” terms? Was everlasting salvation on their radar? Consider some verses in Daniel. Daniel prophesied about a coming kingdom. How long did he say that kingdom would last? “In […]
Where the Worm Does Not Die — Mark 9:48; cf. vv 44, 46
Jesus described the state of those in Gehenna with these terrifying words, “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). I’ve been comparing the eternal conscious torment (ECT) view with annihilationism in a series of blog posts. How does each view deal with this verse? The Annihilationist Interpretation Edward […]
Deadly Sin — James 1:15
My cousin died last week. He took his own life. In prison. He’s my third cousin to die by suicide. I never knew him. I just found out about him a year ago. As you might guess, my extended family is very broken. We all grew up without God, and the effects of that are […]
Grace Among the Anglicans?
Question. I was brought up in the Anglican church in Australia but have come to believe that salvation is a free gift. Around the middle of last year, I also came to believe that the Calvinism taught in many Anglican churches is wrong. Now I am coming away from that, and I am trying […]
Everlasting Salvation and Abraham
What did Abraham believe? What was the content of his faith in God? Did he believe in God for lots of grandkids and great-grandkids, or did he also have everlasting salvation on his mind? When Abraham believed, could he have believed in God for something eternal? I wish there were an explicit verse that answered […]
The Samaritans and Everlasting Salvation
Did the woman at the well understand that Jesus was offering her eternal life? Is that the kind of salvation she, and other Samaritans, were expecting from the Messiah? Were they thinking in eternal terms? Or did they believe in Him with no thought of salvation, let alone of eternal life, at all? Well, […]
God and Temptation — James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt any one (James 1:13). Where does temptation come from? Apparently, James knew believers who thought it came from God. Some Christians still think that today, because of how […]
John Gerstner and Gehenna
I am researching the topic of eternal conscious torment (ECT) for a series of blog posts, and a possible book(let). While there are many modern books defending annihilationism and universalism, there are few defending ECT. And none (that I know of) are written from a Dispensational, Free Grace perspective. One popular ECT book is John […]
The Dead Still Exist — Revelation 20:12-15
Annihilationists agree with the eternal conscious torment view (ECT) that some people will be forever separated from God. However, annihilationists say that separation involves being put out of existence. They strongly deny the wicked will be tormented forever. Which view is true? I have been exploring this question in a series of blog posts. Consider […]
Is Eternal Security the Gospel?
Bob and I were discussing the centrality of eternal security to the saving message. I have heard Yankee Arnold say “The gospel is eternal security.” He’s right. As readers of this blog know, Jesus promised believers eternal life: This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life (1 John 2:25). Paul urged […]