Life After Death in the Old Testament
Did the Hebrews have a concept of the soul’s life after death? Did they believe the dead continued to exist as disembodied spirits? Many (but not all) who believe in annihilationism and universalism deny it. They say the idea that the soul survives the death of the body comes from Plato, not the Bible. Why […]
Is Overcoming in Revelation 2-3 a Synonym for Believing in Christ?
I wrote a book review in January of 2016 of a book which took a different view of the three outer darkness passages in Matthew than Zane Hodges and I had done. But the book covered much more than those three passages. Among other things, the authors argued that overcoming in Revelation 2-3 is another […]
Annihilationism, ECT, and the Biblical Definition of Death
I’ve been exploring the debate between annihilationism and eternal conscious torment (ECT) in a series of blog posts. One of the disagreements between the two views is over the meaning of death. Many proponents of annihilationism understand death to mean the cessation of existence, especially conscious existence. They say that when someone dies, the whole […]
Beware of Destroying the Temple of God
The great questions keep on coming. In my mail bag (inbox) today, I had this gem: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together […]
Genesis 1-3 and Everlasting Salvation
Does the Bible emphasize the eternality of salvation? When OT and NT people thought of salvation, was “living forever” a new idea or a basic one? Is that something they believed in God to provide? To answer those questions, consider Genesis 1-3. You know the story. You know that God created Adam and Eve […]
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 […]
Better for Them Not to Have Known the Way of Righteousness? — 2 Peter 2:18-22
Another good question came to me via email: Thanks for all you do and the ministry you provide for the Body of Christ. My question is concerning 2 Peter 2. From what I gather, the end the false prophet endures is Hell. Peter says that they will experience “the gloom of darkness is reserved forever” […]
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 […]
Are Assurance Verses in John Directed to Unbelievers or Believers?
A Free Grace friend of mine wrote an article last month dealing with the issue of whether assurance is of the essence of saving faith. (The exact title is “Does John’s Gospel Demand Belief in Eternal Security for Salvation?” It is available here.) His answer was no. One need not believe that salvation is irrevocable […]
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 […]