March 16, 2009 issue
Fate of the lost
By Wayne Yoder Harrisonburg, Va.Erwin Jost offers a philosophical objection to hell: “What could be more injurious to our confidence in God than a dogma according to which he enjoins us to love and forgive our enemies while he consigns his to endless torment” and ends with the suggestion of the possibility of “annihilation of the lost.”
Is he suggesting that Jesus was either deliberately lying or ignorant in portraying the end of the ungodly as being in a fiery torment (Luke 16:19-31)? And was the Apostle Paul wrong in saying, “Such people will pay the penalty and suffer the punishment of everlasting ruin (destruction and perdition) and eternal exclusion and banishment from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power,” (2 Thess. 1:9, Amplified)? That does not sound to me like “annihilation.”
Comment on the article Fate of the lost
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
