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111
Oct 20 2008, 10:28 PM
TOM LOGAN INDEX COMBATING UR
UNIVERSALISM ERROR



Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:3
"Combating Universalism---Exposing The Error's"

CHURCH FATHER'S SECTION http://www.1john57.com/tom.htm
111
Oct 20 2008, 11:21 PM
Titus 3:10

One who promotes heresy, after a first and second warning,
separate yourself from them.

Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive them into your house, and do not give them a greeting


Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:3

Matthew 25:31- 46---A Difficult Passage For Universalists





Matthew 25:31-46---remains a difficult challenge to the theology of Universalists:

Matt 25:31-34
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (KJV)

Matt 25:41-46
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (KJV)

This passage clearly teaches that Christ's return will bring about the universal judgment and the separation of the righteous and the unrighteous.


  • The righteous sheep receive the kingdom of God and eternal life.
  • The unrighteous goats receive everlasting punishment and the fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

How do universalist's defend against this?

A number of ways have been suggested:


  1. The first to be dealt with is the suggestion that the phrase the "fire prepared for the devil and his angel's" is not really literal fire for the devil and his angel's but figurative tribulation for the adversary and his messengers.
  2. This argument attempts to hide behind the fact that the greek words translated devil (diabolos) and angel (angelos) are not always translated as such.

This is an incredibly weak argument which ignores the history of translation and context as well.

For example all the following versions make it clear the devil is meant:

KJV, NKJV, RSV, ASV, NIV, NAS, NAU, WEBSTER, RWEBSTER, LIT, LO YLT, WEY,
MKJV, KJII, BBE, DARBY, DOUAY, JPS, TLB, TEV, CEV, ISV, NET, NLT,JB, NJB, NAB
GW, NRSV, ALT, WEB, NEB, REB, PHILLIPS, NWT

However far more impressive is how the greek word diabolos is used in the bible.

For example it appears 38 times in the KJV


  • 35 times the word is translated devil
  • 2 times the word is translated false accusers
  • 1 time slanderer

Here however it is important to note that 34 times a definite singular masculine form of the greek word is used.

Each of these 34 times, the resultant translation is The devil.

Not one of these times can it be shown that the passage refers to any but the chief adversary and accuser of the Christian - the devil.

Mathew 25:41 employs the same definite, singular, masculine greek form. To further cement the identification we are told the diabolos has angels and that the fire has been prepared for him. All should have no problem in recognizing that the devil's destiny is the lake of fire:

Rev 20:10
10 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. (KJV)

Quite clearly according to Matthew; Christ at the judgment will send the goats to the fire.

John agrees:

Rev 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (KJV)

Another approach is to deny this refers to the final judgment.

However a comparison of scripture with scripture shows us the final judgment proceeds at Christ's return.

2 Pet 3:4-7
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (KJV)

Here, perdition (the lake of fire) transpires at the judgment upon Christ 's return:

II Th 1:6-10
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (KJV)

Again, eternal destinies are decided at Christ's advent:

Jude 1:12-15
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (KJV)

Since there is but one final judgment all these passages speak of the same event:

Acts 17:31
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (KJV)

The judgment at the last day:

John 12:48
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (KJV)

Another approach is to deny that the following verse speaks of two co-eternal destinies:

Matt 25:46
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (KJV)

Some universalists take the position that the righteous do indeed enter into eternal life but the phrase merely speaks of age long destinies so that while the destiny of the righteous is truly eternal the destiny of the wicked is temporary chastisement or correction.

However, it is quite untenable to hold that the passage speaks of eternal destinies concerning the righteous but merely temporary destinies concerning the unrighteous.

Not only is such a reading rendered unlikely; for in this text, there is not the slightest indication or hint in the words of our Lord here that the punishment is not coeval with the life.

But such is contrary to the teaching of the bible.

Once it is acknowledged that the greek phrase: "zoen aioonion" does indeed refer to eternal life, it becomes impossible to deny eternal punishment. For the bible teaches the wicked do not receive eternal life (zoen aioonion).

John 3:36
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (KJV)

I Jn 5:11-12
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (KJV)

The loss of a eternal reality is logically in itself of eternal duration. For this reason many universalist's deny both eternal life (zoen aioonion) and eternal punishment (kolasin aioonion) are of eternal duration and claim aionios is never capable of denoting eternal duration.

Such a claim flies in the face of greek writings both ancient and modern, greek lexicons and the vast majority of greek scholars who all admit the term aionios is capable of denoting eternal duration this would even include a number of universalists as well.

But far more importantly it flies in the face of scripture which portrays eternal life in terms of not dying:


John 6:47-58
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. (KJV)

John 3:15-16
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)

John 5:24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (KJV)

In all cases, dying or perishing are opposed to eternal life. If the life were not eternal then one would die or perish and the scriptures rendered false.
In the Jn 5:24 passage, eternal life assures one will not come into condemnation which is context is to experience death.

It is also opposed by the scriptural fact that eternal life is a supplier of incorruptibility and immortality.

Rom 2:7
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: (KJV)

Rom 2:7
7 to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: (ASV)

The greek word here is aphtharsia:

" With "life" aphtharsia marks the future eternal life that Christ has brought
into a corruptible world (2 Tim. 1:10). As an eschatological blessing it will
be manifested with the parousia (1 Cor. 15:42, 50, 53-54). It is to be sought
here (Rom. 2:7) but remains hidden until Christ comes.
Kittel, Gerhard, and Friedrich, Gerhard, Editors, The Theological Dictionary of
the New Testament

23.127 aphtharsia, the state of not being subject to decay, leading to death
- 'immortal, immortality.'egeiretai en aphtharsia
/ 'it will be raised immortal' 1 Cor 15.42. It is possible to translate this
clause as 'it will be raised and will never again die.'
In rendering 'immortality' it may be necessary to employ an entire clause, for
example, 'that people will not die.' However, in 2 Tm 1.10 'life and
immortality' may be best understood as a phrase in which 'immortality' is a
qualification of 'life,' and therefore one may translate 'revealing immortal
life through the gospel' or 'revealing by means of the good news the life that
does not end.'
Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament based on Semantic Domains, (New York: United Bible Societies) 1988,
1989."

The same gospel which brings eternal life also brings:

2 Tim 1:10
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (KJV)

...the abolishment of death, life and immortality/incorruption. Incorruption speaks of not experiencing the corruption which is through death.

Finally we see the unending kingdom reign which is Christ's expressed in terms of aions:

Luke 1:33
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (KJV)

Luke 1:33
33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign there shall be no end.' (Young's literal translation)

The parallelism of both halves of the verse shows us the ages of Christ's reign have no end.

Vincent tells us:

Eternity is made up of ages, and ages of generations.
(from Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament)

apparently Luke agrees!
111
Oct 22 2008, 12:43 PM
Combating Universalism---Exposing The Error's
by Don C. Hewey

This outline will clearly prove that Universal Salvation /Unitarianism is a false doctrine by the following scriptural reasons.

This outline will focus only on Strong's #165 (aion) for the sake of brevity. An identical proof for #166 (aionios) and also in Hebrew (note: the Hebrew word for everlasting is "owlam," Strongs #05769) will also prove universalism to be a false doctrine.


PREFACE: The Reason's Why Universalism Is False
by Don Hewey

return to main index False teacher's of Universalism will attempt three paramount points that are critical to their doctrine, in order to show that hell is not eternal, but only temporary, but in doing so, deny that God is eternal. By doing so, they indirectly deny that eternal life that can only be given from God (1Timothy 6:16, 1 Timothy 1:17) which completely denies the authority of the Holy Bible!:

  • To diminish and cast doubt upon the severity of the Greek word's: hades and gehenna; to show that it is not "hell," but that is clearly shown in scripture to be false by virtue of Revelation 20:14, where hades, tarturus and gehenna is cast into the lake of fire. So their point is irrelevant and inaccurate in light of what scripture teaches us, because hades, tarturus and gehenna all are destined for the lake of fire.
  • The error's of Universalism are readily apparent in their attempt's to illustrate by using scripture that the Greek word's: 'aionion and aionios' which translated into English denote "everlasting, for ever, for evermore" are only used in a temporary sense(eon, eon of the eons, eonian, age-during, age's past, et al.).
  • The inaccurate teaching that the word "all" in scripture, is "everything, all with no exceptions" is easily defeated in light of scripture. Carelessness and wanton disregard for scripture is a trademark for false doctrine. Scripture clearly removes any ambiguity and clearly defines groups of nations, groups of believer's versus unbeliever's, groups of the Jews versus the Gentiles, those receiving eternal life versus eternal damnation, etc.
But by doing so, the Universalist by introducing these four blatant error's(among others) is caught in a hopeless paradox that cannot be explained in light of scripture. In these instances a figure of speech is not a license to modify the thought which the figure expresses; it is rather to be recognized that a figure of speech, in these passages, is a feeble attempt to declare in language that which is beyond the power of words to describe. It is true that a figure of speech is not a complete demonstration of truth (theologia symbolica non est demonstretiva); but the idea of eternal retribution could be conveyed to the human mind in no other way. God has clearly shown that His attributes are beyond Human comprehension or understanding as shown in Job chapter 38. To even hint that mankind can understand God is a direct insult to God and cannot claim to believe the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures by teaching that "God is temporary." Just so far as language can serve to express truth the effort is being made to declare what the Scriptures assert, namely, that for those who pass out of this lifewhich life is probationary in character there is no basis for the hope that any divine grace will be extended to them in a future existence. There is also no scriptural precedent or doctrine taught within scripture that illustrates justification apart from faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. Legions of angels have sinned and for them there is not the slightest intimation to be found in the Bible which extends to them any hope of salvation whatsoever. For a further study on this subject, click here.

Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Rev 12:7-9:
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

By the Word of God, these angels are already consigned to the lake of fire, the moment they fell from heaven with lucifer, their eternal damnation sealed(Luke 16:26). God has said, without condition, that the fallen angels will be cast into the lake of fire, God would be found untrue should the destiny of the fallen angels be otherwise. Likewise, there is the case of the Gentiles from Adam to Moses who, for the most part, are well described in Romans 1:18-32 as those who willfully rejected God and who, three times in this one context, are said to be abandoned by God to their sinful ways.

The result of any unprejudiced investigation into God's revealed truth respecting fallen angels and God-rejecting Gentiles of past ages will be a conviction that the marvel of it all is not that sinners are lost, but that they are ever saved; and in this connection it is clearly understood that the death of Christ for the world does not serve as a partial payment for sin's and the ground of a remote hope that all lost souls will be saved: that death becomes, rather, the basis of a greater damnation(Mark 12:40, Matthew 23:14, Luke 20:47) upon those who reject the LORD Jesus Christ. Their inherent unrighteousness is augmented by the immeasurable sin of rejecting the only payment for sin: the blood of Jesus Christ which is by faith in Him. Nothing but infinite perfect grace made possible through an infinite perfect sacrifice can avail to save the lost; yet human opinion is ever intruding into area's wherein it knows nothing, insisting that the lost, if lost at all, might be saved in any one of a multitude of ways. This is contrary to scripture (Acts 4:12, John 14:6, John 3:36, 1John 5:12, et.al.). The strongest emphasis is needed on the only truth that eternal damnation is not only a doctrine fully asserted and taught clearly in the Bible, but that scripture is absolutely perfect and inspired by God (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 12:6-7) with no ambiguity. Scripture specifically condemns those who add to/subtract from the Word of God by reason, philosophy or opinion from human reason:

Romans 3:4
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Psalm 62:9
9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

As heaven is a place and not a mere state of mind, in like manner those accursed go to a place of eternal damnation. This truth is indicated by the words hades (Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Rev. 1:18; 20:13-14) and gehenna (Matt. 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; James 3:6) a place of "torment" (Luke 16:28) and tarturus for only the fallen angels (2Peter2:4). That it is a condition of unspeakable misery is indicated by the figurative terms used to describe its sufferings"everlasting fire" (Matt. 25:41); "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44, 46); "the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 21:8); "bottomless pit" (Rev. 9:2); "outer darkness," a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 8:12); "fire unquenchable" (Luke 3:17); "furnace of fire" (Matt. 13:42); "blackness of darkness" (Jude 1:13), and "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night" (Rev. 14:11).

It is well to observe, also, that nearly every one of these expressions regarding hell, fell from the lips of Christ, as is all of scripture(2Timothy 3:16, Proverbs 30:5). He alone has disclosed all that is revealed of this place of retribution. It is as though no human author could be depended upon to speak forth all of this terrible truth. The second reaction of the sincere human mindafter acknowledging the indisputable truth that retribution is an actual place of sufferingis to entertain the hope that this distress of the lost is not eternal, or everlasting. It is natural for the mind to cling to such a hope and a few men have gone to great lengths in their attempts so to expound the Scriptures that the idea of everlasting retribution will be excluded. Inadequate, if not insincere, translations are published which no Greek scholar can countenance, with the one purpose in view of expunging from the Word of God the eternal character of these awful sufferings. The fact that many are untaught will account for the ready reception given to such interpretations of the Scriptures and by their own words contradict themselves. Only the uninformed will listen to the voice of a man who has no scholarship and ignore the fact that the greatest Greek scholars of all generations who have given to the Church the true translation and interpretation of the original Greek text have not modified the eternal feature of retribution. To be ignorant of the Greek text is not reprehensible, but to disregard the voice of all the worthy translators is reprehensible.

However, the most misleading error respecting retribution is that which falls back in blind dependence upon the one attribute of God, namely, His love, and ignores the attributes of holiness, righteousness, and justice, and the supreme control these attributes exercise over the love of God. If a term may be coined at this point, those who thus restrict their vision of God's love may be styled Mercyists. Thus the Mercyists may be classified as those of all creeds and no creeds who believe that eternal retribution is impossible since God is love. Such, indeed, do not understand the gospel by which sinners are saved. It is supposed that God is generous and that He forgives sin as an act of clemency or leniency, that He being a Sovereign God can forgive whom He will and when He will. This fallacy underlies nearly all opposing thought contrary to the doctrine of eternal retribution. It is assumed that, since God is love, His affection for His creatures will prompt Him to rescue them from suffering. If the Bible declares that He will not rescue those reprobated and that their estate is eternal, then the Bible is rejected and God Himself is classed as One who cannot be defended.


Conclusion

Many are the attempts made by those who understand nothing of the real character of God to save Him from the undesirable reputation He must acquire if He does not in compassion rescue all beings from eternal retribution. Such is the doctrinal confusion which arises when one truth is stressed without regard for other truths which qualify it. God is holiness and righteousness as well as love It is the holiness of His Person and the righteousness of His government which preclude Him from any mere generosity which would make light of sin. In fact, sin is sufficiently sinful to require eternal retribution as the divine penalty for it. There is no field for argument at this point. The Word of God must stand and man must be reminded that of the two issues involved---sin and holiness---he knows nothing about their depth of meaning. Being absolute, divine holiness cannot be varied or altered in the least degree. This truth is the key to the entire problem which the idea of retribution engenders. If God could have forgiven one sin of one person as an act of mere kindness, He would have compromised His own holiness which demands judgment for sin. Having thus compromised Himself with sin, He would need Himself to be saved because of the unrighteous thing He had done. He would, by such supposed kindness, have established a principle by which He could forgive all human sin as an act of divine clemency, and thus the death of Christ is rendered unnecessary. This truth must not be overlooked if the doctrine of eternal retribution is to be understood at all. Let it be restated that, if God could save one soul from one sin by mere generosity, He could save all souls from sin by generosity and the death of Christ thus becomes the greatest possible divine blunder.

It is the fact of unyielding divine holiness which demands either the retribution of the sinner or the death of Christ in his room and stead. God is love, and that love is demonstrated by the gift of the Son that men might be saved; but love and mercy did not circumvent the demands of holiness to save the sinner: they paid its every demand. The conclusion of the matter is that God, because of His holiness, cannot save the lost unless His holy demands are met for the sinner, as they are met in the death of Christ; and to be unsaved, or outside the grace of God as it is in Christ, is to be destined to eternal retribution. God can do no more than to provide a perfect salvation, which is provided at infinite cost. When love will pay such a price that a sinner may be saved and holiness remain untarnished, it ill becomes finite men to tamper with these immutable realities. Those who resent the idea of eternal retribution are, in fact, resenting divine holiness. However, the message of God's grace to sinful men is not merely a proclamation of eternal condemnation; it is rather that the chief of sinners may be saved through the Savior that infinite love has provided.
111
Oct 25 2008, 10:49 PM


Why Universalism Isn't Scriptural

Universalism, or the belief that everyone will be saved and go to heaven, is an attractive notion to many Christians, and a view that many atheists wish Christians would adopt. Unfortunately, it's incompatible with Scripture. In particular, Universalism seems to ignore the following passages:
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Heb 6:4-8)


In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) - if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. (2 Pt 2:3-9)


God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 Jn 5:11-12)

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (1 Cor 15:1-2)

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal 6:8)

What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath - prepared for destruction? (Rom 9:22)

Note that these passages are all from the Epistles - they are in addition to the numerous passages where Jesus talks about hell and the punishment of those who reject God (e.g. Jn 5:28-29, Lk 12:8-10, Mt 7:13-23, Mt 13:40-42)

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