The Bible teaches the wicked will be destroyed but also seems to imply eternal punishment. Can you reconcile?

Answer 1

The wicked will be destroyed. The eternal aspect means that it will be permanent. Hell does not go on forever. Lets look at what the Bible says


Hell does NOT go on foerver. the people in Hell will be destroyed.

What does God say "the wages of sin is DEATH", not eternal life in the fire.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son theat whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

What is the definition of perish
1)to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist

Who gets eternal life? the people who believe in Jesus



"Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it." Isaiah 47:14

Rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.Matthew 10:28

If God wants to destroy sin then wouldn't eternal life in the fire make sin ... eternal

people say the fire is eternal so sinners burn forever but
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. Jude 7

is Sodom and Gomorrah still burning? No but but the EFFECTS of the fire are eternal

When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever" (Ps. 92:7). wicked->destroyed

"The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy" (Ps. 145:20). wicked->destroyed

"I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire" (Ezek. 28:16). Satan->destroyed

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Mat. 7:13) wicked->destroyed

"Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee" (Ezek. 28:16, 18). Satan->Ashes


God said you will die the Devil said you won't REALLY die the problem is the children of God believe the Devil over God

Think about it Revelation says God rains fire and brimstone on the wicked. Jesus says the meek inherit the earth, God is going to make a new Heaven and a new Earth so if hell fire goes on forever and ever then doesn't that make God a liar?


This video talks about it
http://www.bibleuniversity.com/Video/CourseID2/NR11.asx

you can email me if you have other questions

Answer 2

Yes, it can be reconciled. BUT first, upon what evidence do you assert that "The Bible teaches the wicked will be destroyed...?" What exactly do you mean by destroyed? And where exactly in the Bible or other writings do you find the support upon which to base your assumption? Further, where does it "imply" eternal punishment, for in many places it states it plainly! The Bible teaches that those who reject the simple, plain truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will condemn themselves to hell. But hell is not the end for them, for the Book of Revelation states that death and hell and all that are contained therein will be cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death; a death that will be eternal. So if there is a first and second death, then what is death in the first place. Some assert that the first death was the "spiritual" death that all mankind faces as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But if this is the case, then why does the writer of Hebrews state "And as is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment"? (Hebrews 9:27) And why is that same death and sentiment echoed in the Book of Mormon, Alma 12:27? What is death? Some believe it to be the "end" of life. But the Bible speaks of death as a separation; to be sure there is a spiritual death which all mankind is born into; a separation from God which can be rectified by simple faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world. But the second death that Revelation speaks of is a separation from God and all that is good for eternity! Both those "saved" as well as those "unsaved" will experience resurrection; one the resurrection to life eternal, and the others to condemnation resigned to hell until such time as the end comes and death and hell are cast into that lake of fire where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth for eternity. Both saved and unsaved alike will receive "glorified bodies"; bodies that will be like Jesus' after His resurrection; bodies that will be able to "not" be consumed in fire; bodies that will be able to simply appear within closed doors. For if there is no eternal punishment, then there is absolutely no reason to try and live a godly, virtuous life on this earth. The whole idea of rewards for the faithful and punishment for the unbeliever is dependent upon the characteristic of God's justice. While He is a loving God, wishing that all would come to repentance, and not willing that any should perish (be consigned to hell and eventually the lake of fire) He is also a God of wrath, as the Old Testament repeatedly shows and warns. The two go hand in hand.

Answer 3

"Seems to imply" is the operative word.

An eternal punishment is a punishment that does not get changed.

Babylon was given a permanent punishment in that it will never be rebuilt (and has not been to this day, even though Alexander the Great tried to)

So, the reconcilliation is this - the destruction is permanent. the destruction lasts forever.

Also, Revelation shows that death and hell will give up those dead in them and then they will be judged. And then death and hell are thrown into the lake of fire (both death and hell are intangible) So, hell is not a place of eternal torment.

Answer 4

there is nothing in judaism that says that the wicked will be destroyed and sent to eternal punishment, so theres nothing for me to reconcile. but thats belief of new testament religion, although i dont know if its actually mentioned in their bible.

Answer 5

Something being destroyed doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't exist any more.

For example: "The city was destroyed; the ruins of the city are at..." All the major components of the city in that city can be identified, the location of the city, and what else defines the city? The city is still "there," but it's been destroyed.

How about the motherboard I spilled coffee on while working on it? It was destroyed, yet there I held it in my hands.

How about the phone I smashed as a child? Destroyed, but even in that case usable (if you didn't want to dial, that is.)

And in eternity, the wicked will be destroyed, yet they will still feel pain.

Answer 6

Sodom and Gomorrah were burned with eternal fire, no? The result is eternal, not the process. If I said the notes on the chalk board will be erased forever, i don't mean i'll be erasing the notes every second of my life. How long will it take for a piece of wood to be burned and gone forever? Depends on the size, but it will still be gone.

we don't have a souls, we are souls. Your soul is yourself and you have a brain. Your brain is part of your body.. The Body is part of the soul. Without the body, there is no soul!

Answer 7

Some people have been taught to believe that the punishment for sin is everlasting conscious torment in hellfire. Such people may read Revelation 20:10, which speaks of the Devil’s being “hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur,” and they interpret it to support their views. Of course, this does not agree with Ecclesiastes 9:5, which says that the dead “are conscious of nothing at all”; nor does it agree with Romans 6:23, which states that “the wages sin pays is death,” not conscious torment.

You find one answer by comparing the doctrine of eternal torment with a standard of justice given by God: “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” (Exodus 21:24) For the sake of argument, apply to the doctrine of hellfire that divine law given to ancient Israel, a law of exact retribution. What conclusion will you likely reach? That only those sinners who have caused eternal torment deserve equal eternal torment in turn—eternal torment for eternal torment. But since humans (no matter how evil) can cause only finite torment, sentencing them to eternal torment creates a disproportion between their crimes and the infinite penalty of hellfire.

Simply stated, the sentence would be too heavy. It would go far beyond “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Considering that Jesus’ teachings moderated the idea of retaliation, you may admit that true Christians would be hard-pressed to see justness in eternal torment.—Matthew 5:38, 39; Romans 12:17.

What, then, is “the lake of fire” mentioned in the Bible book of Revelation? It means not conscious torment but everlasting death, or destruction. Notice how the Bible itself says this at Revelation 20:14: “And death and Hades [hell, King James Version and Douay Version] were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire.” Yes, the lake of fire means “second death,” the death from which there is no resurrection. It is evident that this “lake” is a symbol, because death and hell (Hades) are thrown into it. Death and hell cannot literally be burned. But they can, and will, be done away with, or destroyed.

‘Yet the Bible says that the Devil will be tormented forever in the lake of fire,’ someone may point out. (Revelation 20:10) What does this mean? When Jesus was on earth jailers were at times called “tormentors.” As Jesus said of a certain man in one of his illustrations: “And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” (Matthew 18:34, King James Version) Since those who are thrown into “the lake of fire” go into “second death” from which there is no resurrection, they are, so to speak, jailed forever in death. They remain in death as though in the custody of jailers for all eternity. The wicked, of course, are not literally tormented because, as we have seen, when a person is dead he is completely out of existence. He is not conscious of anything.

Hope this helps

Answer 8

The destroyed part refers to physical destruction, whereas eternal punishment is a reference to the spiritual existence after death and the punishment that goes on forever.

Answer 9

You cannot reconcile the bible. It's a collection of too may different points of view.

Answer 10

Please post where you are reading this so we can see how you are formulating this idea...I would love to reconcile if I knew where you were obtaining your information from....I would also suggest that you read the verses both before and after the verse you are looking at to see how it all fits together. Rarely can you ever look at a verse in and of itself to get the meaning.