annihilationism – Grace Evangelical Society

Immortality Is Not Eternal Life

September 8, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditional immortality, eternal conscious torment, final punishment, immortality

Free Grace Theology impacts the issue of final punishment. The question is, what happens to unbelievers after the Great White Throne Judgment? One way that Free Grace makes a difference is relatively subtle. We emphasize that, according to Jesus’ promise, believers have eternal life as a present possession (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47). Believers do

What Edward Fudge Can’t Believe about The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

December 24, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilation, annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, Edward Fudge, eternal conscious torment, Hell

Now that our revised The Grace New Testament Commentary is out, I can go back to finishing up two or three book projects, such as on the “atonement” and “hell.” My book on hell will, so far (I can still be convinced of a different view), defend eternal conscious torment (ECT)—though not the ECT of

Given Eternal Conscious Torment, Is God’s Justice Ever Satisfied?

October 21, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, eternal conscious torment, Hell, the Lake of Fire

A moral objection to eternal conscious torment (ECT) is that if sinners are tormented in hell for all eternity (or, to be more precise, the lake of fire), then God’s justice is never satisfied. Think of it like a mortgage—at some point, you pay it off and satisfy the debt. Or, with a prison sentence,

Hollywood’s Hell

October 1, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditionalism, demons, devil, ECT, eternal conscious torment, Hell, lake of fire

Most people get their theological education from Hollywood. Show of hands—how many people think that Satan is the boss of hell? You know the image. It’s played as a joke—hell is where Satan rules, and the name of the game is torturing people. That’s his job and demons are his underlings. For example, that’s the

The Rich Man, Lazarus, and Samuel

January 24, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Abraham’s Bosom, annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, eternal conscious torment, Hades, Hell, Sheol

One of the central texts in the debate over hell is Luke 16—the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Actually, whether or not this is a parable is part of the debate. People who deny eternal conscious torment deny that Jesus’ story depicts a real situation. For example, many annihilationists want to deny it

Where Did Abraham Go When He Died (Gen 25:8-9; Luke 16:22-23)?

January 22, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Abraham, annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, eternal conscious torment, Hell, Paradise

I am about a third of the way into writing my book about hell, tentatively entitled, Final Punishment: A Biblical Case for Conscious Eternal Torment. I’m hoping to finish by the 2019 National Conference. There is so much interesting Biblical information about death and the afterlife in the Bible. The picture is far more complicated

Eternal Existence vs Eternal Life

July 3, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, eternal conscious torment, Hell, immortality of the soul

In my discussions with annihilationists, one of the conceptual roadblocks I’ve encountered is an inability to distinguish between eternal existence and having eternal life. Some annihilationists reason this way: “To have eternal life means to exist forever. Only believers have eternal life, therefore only believers will exist forever. Since unbelievers lack eternal life, they will

Tartarus — 2 Peter 2:4

May 21, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, eternal conscious torment, Fallen Angels, Hell, Tartarus

The Bible is much stranger than people allow. That’s where theology can go wrong—by trying to make it less strange than it is. I have been exploring the topic of “hell” in a series of blog posts, explaining the Biblical reasons that lead me to accept eternal conscious torment (ECT) over and against annihilationism and

Can Spirits Think?

May 9, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conciousness, Hades, Spirits, universalism

I have dialogued with several people who deny there can be conscious experiences without a physical body. I have heard this objection from both annihilationists and universalists. I don’t know if that is a majority position in either camp, but it has come up enough that I should address it. They claim that once

Life After Death in the Old Testament

May 2, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, Death, disembodied spirits, Eternal Concious Torment, Hell, torment, universalism

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