Infirmity – the inability to produce results*

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  II Corinthians 12:10

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.      Philippians 4:13

*W.E. Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words  Copyright 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he (the rich man) lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Then he (the rich man) said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him (Lazarus) to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  And he (the rich man) said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

And he (Abraham) said unto him (the rich man), if they hear not Moses and the prophets (Scripture), neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.  Luke 16:19-31

Note: Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… 

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.  

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

John 17

.……..when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;  II Thessalonians 1:7b – 9

The Greek word translated destruction in II Thessalonians 1:9 is olethros (the noun form).  This word means destruction or ruin. [1]  More light can be shed on the meaning of this word by examining how it is used elsewhere in Scripture.

This Greek word olethros is used in I Corinthians 5:5 in reference to an erring believer: To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.  Here it is used of the effect upon the physical condition of an erring believer for the purpose of his spiritual profit. [2]      

Olethros is also used in I Timothy 6:9.  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.  Here destruction is used of the indulgences of the flesh, referring  to physical ruin. [3]

The Greek word translated perdition above is apoleia.  It reinforces the meaning of ruin.  This word is related to the verb form apollumi (see below): and likewise indicates “loss of well being, not of being“, it is used (a) of things, signifying their waste, or ruin; of ointment, Matt 26:8; of money, Acts 8:20 (“perish“); (b) of persons, signifying their spiritual and eternal perdition, Matt 7:13; John 17:12; II Thess. 2:3; where son of perdition signifies the the proper destiny of the person mentioned;………of false teachers, II Peter 2:1, 3; of ungodly men, 3:7; of those who wrest the Scriptures, 3:16; of the Beast, the final head of the revived Roman Empire, Rev. 17:8, 11; (c) of impersonal subjects, as heresies, II Peter 2:1, where “destructive heresies” (RV; KJV, “damnable“) is, lit., heresies of destruction (marg., “sects of perdition“). [4]

The verb form of olethros is ollumi.    The strengthened form of this word is apollumi which means to destroy utterly or to perish.  The idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well being.  This is clear from its use, as, e.g., of the marring of wine skins, Luke 5:37; of lost sheep, i.e., lost to the shepherd, metaphorical of spiritual destitution, Luke 15:4,6, etc.; the lost son, 15:24; of the perishing of food (meat), John 6:27; of gold, I Peter 1:7.  [5]

As you can see the word olethros and translated as destruction, lost, waste or perish elsewhere in Scripture, does not mean extinction, annihilation, or loss of being.  The use of this word in the New Testament consistently conveys the meaning of ruin or the loss of well being. [6]

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…

        [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Copyright 1984, 1996, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN

You are writing a Gospel,

A chapter each day,

By deeds that you do,

By words that you say.   

Men read what you write,

Whether faithless or true,

Say! What is the Gospel

According to You?

Author Unknown

Beginning with a false premise renders further debate useless.  It doesn’t matter how much information a two plus two equals five guy throws out.  All his arguments are wrong, because they begin with a false premise.  A two plus two equals four guy can argue all day long with the two plus two equals five guy and they will never come to agreement on how many days there are in a month.

If you come across a two plus two equals five guy and he or she only wants to win the argument and in the process slander all the other two plus two equals four people, move on.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  Romans 16:17

Jesus is all the world to me,
My life, my joy, my all;
He is my strength from day to day,
Without him I would fall:
When I am sad, to him I go,
No other one can cheer me so;
When I am sad, he makes me glad,
He’s my friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,
My friend in trials sore;
I go to him for blessings, and
He gives them o’er and o’er:
He sends the sunshine and the rain,
He sends the harvest’s golden grain:
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain,
He’s my friend.

 Jesus is all the world to me,
And true to him I’ll be;
Oh, how could I this friend deny,
When he’s so true to me?
Following him I know I’m right,
He watches o’er me day and night;
Following him bye day and night,
He’s my friend.

 Jesus is all the world to me,
I want no better friend;
I trust him now, I’ll trust him when
Life’s fleeting days shall end:
Beautiful life with such a friend,
Beautiful life that has no end;
Eternal life, eternal joy,
He’s my friend.

Will L. Thompson 1847 – 1909

Public Domain

Annihilation of the soul is the belief that the unregenerate or unbelieving are simply destroyed (annihilated) as opposed to suffering in hell for all eternity. Those that hold to this position do so because they can’t see how a loving God could put unbelievers into an eternal state of unending punishment and suffering.

Lets imagine for a moment that God is too loving to let unbelievers suffer for all eternity in hell in order to see if that position preserves the integrity of Scripture.

To support this teaching the annihilationists call Luke 16 a parable.  Why?  Because it is about a certain rich man who is in hell.  He has not ceased to exist.  He asks for Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water in order to cool his tongue because he is tormented in the flames.

The rich man is separated from God and is experiencing spiritual death in the flames of hell.  The rich man is not annihilated, he has conscious existence.  If the rich man and Lazarus account is a literal account, it shows that there is a conscious existence of the dead.  Although the unbelieving rich man is spiritually and physically dead, an identifiable (certain) rich man has conscious existence in hell, be it temporary or not.

The annihilators of the soul have no choice but to call this chapter a parable, because a literal account proves that there is a conscious existence of the unbelieving dead.  This man is dead, yet he exists in the flames.  A literal account destroys the annihilationist’s position.

How do we know Luke 16 is not a parable?  According to principles of interpretation, parables do not have named individuals and places in them.   Luke 16 contains proper names, a certain individual and a named place such as;  Abraham, Lazarus, Abraham’s bosom (heaven/paradise), a certain rich man and Moses.

Parables are stories composed with the intention of teaching or illustrating a certain truth.  Parables in the Bible are usually followed by an explanation of their meaning.   Luke 16 has no explanation and needs no explanation because as pointed out in the preceding paragraph, it is not a parable.  

If principles of interpretation can be so easily disregarded, what keeps anyone from labeling the death, burial and resurrection of Christ a parable?  Liberal theologians do this all the time when they cannot explain, do not understand, or simply don’t believe what the Scripture says about itself.  Disregard for the rules of interpretation, the doctrine of inspiration, and the final authority of Scripture  allows religious cults to continue their existence.

Some proponents of annihilationism may agree that Luke 16 is literal, but then argue that hell and/or Hades is actually temporary, because it will be eventually cast into the lake of fire where the annihilation will take place.  So a little torment is OK, but everlasting torment is not?  So a loving God is OK with temporary torment but not eternal torment?   If a loving God would not allow unbelievers to suffer for eternity in the lake of fire, why would a loving God allow any to suffer at all?  Why would He bother to resurrect the unbelieving dead?  Why not just annihilate them at the moment of physical death?  Wherever one places annihilation, it doesn’t make sense logically or expositionally. 

Postponing annihilation until the lake of fire doesn’t work.  In Revelation 19&20, the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire and the devil is confined to the bottomless pit at the conclusion of the Lord’s Second Coming, just before the Millennial Kingdom begins.  At the end of the Millennial Kingdom (1000 year rule of Christ on earth) Satan is released from the pit to deceive the nations  (Gog and Magog), whose number is as the sand of the sea, and who then surround Jerusalem.…..and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them (the nations).  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire..…where the beast and the false prophet are.

At the end of the Millennial Kingdom, the beast and the false prophet will have been in the lake of fire for one thousand years without being annihilated.  The lake of fire is described as a place of torment (day and night) which lasts forever and ever.  This should be self-explanatory.  Death and hell are cast into the lake of fire including everyone who was not found written in the book of life.

The only logical conclusion, that is true to Scripture, is that there is a conscious existence after death for both the believer and the unbeliever.  The conscious existence for the believer is that of eternal bliss in the presence of God.  For the unbeliever this conscious existence is eternal torment in the lake of fire.

Note: Eternity is simply a state of being in the absence of time.

There are many other problems created by the annihilationist’s position.  This position, if considered correct, raises questions on: the Lord’s description of judgment in the gospels; the entire context of Scripture concerning judgment; the meaning of the word eternal or everlasting which is used to describe both life in Christ and God’s punishment of sin; the substitutionary death of Christ; the wrath of God against those who reject His provision of forgiveness through His Son; the character of a holy and sinless God; the meaning of biblical love; and other considerations concerning the attributes of God.

No suggested interpretation of a Bible passage can be correct if it is not also correct for every Bible passage on the same topic.*

  Annihilation of the soul casts doubt on core beliefs that have been established and defended historically by Bible believing scholars, preachers and teachers.  Peculiar teaching which has historically been on the fringe or outside of Bible believing Christianity and which causes division among Bible believing Christians is not of God and should be avoided.

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…

*Larry

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.                 Joshua 24:15

But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.        Psalms 5:7

But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.  Psalms 26:11

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.  Psalms 35:13

But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.  Psalms 69:13

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked……..Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.  Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.  How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.  Psalms 73:2, 3, 17-19

But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.  Daniel 2:30

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…