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Yes, that is how it would seem, but we must remember a few things when we consider this issue. First of all, Jesus often used hyperbole and strong language and imagery in order to emphasize to the Jews of his generation that their nation was in danger of terrible judgment by God. Much of what Jesus said in his speeches was in keeping with the Old Testament prophetic tradition in which fiery wrath was promised for the wicked. However, when we examine the OT, we find that the prophesies in many cases sounded more harsh than what really happened, especially in terms of the fact that the prophets did not always speak of the restoration of Israel after the divine punishment. Similarly, Jesus does not speak of the future restoration of the wicked, but it is implied by the fact that whenever he speaks of their destruction/punishment he never uses a term suggesting an infinte length of time, but only the term "aionian" which means age-lasting. Furthermore, Jesus talks about the wicked being burned up in Gehenna, but there is a prophecy in the Book of Jeremiah that Gehenna will someday be restored by God and will be made part of the holy city (see Jer. 31:38-40). Presumably, that would mean that everyone who was destroyed in Gehenna will someday be restored in the ultimate restoration of all things. Also, Ezekiel says that Sodom will be restored (Ezek. 16:53), even though Sodom is a symbol of God's horrible wrath and when God destroyed it there was nothing said about its future restoration.
The indication of this could be that death itself is thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14). If death is thrown into the lake of fire, presumably that would mean that death is destroyed, because anything that is evil will be burned away in the fire, and only good things remain. So there would no longer be any death, and all the dead therefore would be restored because death would still exist if some people are forever dead. The dead people restored after being in the lake of fire would have all that is evil within them destroyed through the fire. For someone like Hitler, probably he would end up 99% annihilated, but that still is not total annihilation. No human soul is 100% evil, for we are all created in the divine image (Gen. 1:26-27). If something is not 100% evil but contains good, then it cannot be 100% destroyed. The good would be preserved.
We don't know what word Jesus used in Aramaic, because we only have the Gospels written in Greek. Presumably, Jesus used a word in Aramaic that corresponds to "aionian," which might be a word like "olam" which is used in the OT for basically the same meaning. Jonah was in the fish for an "olam" period of time, which was three days. However, Bible versions erroneously translate Jon. 2:6 to say that he was in the fish "forever" -- despite the fact that it says in 1:17 that he was in there for only three days. Olam can mean any indeterminate period of time, in this case three days. But for some strange reason, most Bible translations translate it as "forever" even when it doesn't make sense for it to mean forever. The word aionian in Greek has a similar indeterminate meaning, and has similarly been translated as "forever" or "eternal" in the NT, which is is a mischaracterization of what the word really means. In conclusion, it is true that the Biblical argument for annihilation is fairly strong, and I view it as being much stronger than the argument for eternal torment; nevertheless, there are some Bible verses that seem to refute the idea of total annihilation of the wicked and support universal reconciliation. My own feeling is that annihilation is true in some sense, because everything that is evil will be destroyed, but I don't believe that any human being is 100% evil and therefore I cannot believe that any human being will be totally annihilated -- especially because Paul says that as all in Adam have died, all will be made alive in Christ (Rom. 5:18-19). To be made alive in NT language does not only mean lack of death, it really means to be raised to the new life of Christ. I don't know how God is going to accomplish it, but my feeling is that the gates of hell are locked from the inside, and anytime someone in hell repents, they can find the exit and begin the process of restoration and new life in Christ. In an infinite period of time, and with God continuing to draw all souls to Himself (Jn. 12:32) I think eventually all souls will be saved. Here is a long article worth reading that goes into more detail about the universalist argument against annihilationism: Eternal Death (Annihilation): One Step Out of Hell; One Step Short of Glory by Gary Amirault. Peace in Christ,
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Christian Universalist FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions
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Heavenly Father, please bless this ministry, lead multitudes to this website, and help them see the truth of Your love and forgiveness for all people through the power of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the whole world. Open their eyes to Your true nature, take away their fears, and fill their hearts with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. |