Does the Bible teach the doctrine of eternal death?
In short, eternal death is the fate that awaits all
people who ultimately reject God, reject the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ,
and remain in their sin and disobedience.
Eternal death, on the other hand, is everlasting. It is
a death that continues through eternity, a spiritual death that is experienced
on a continual basis.
Just as spiritual life, by grace through faith in
Christ (Ephesians
2:8-9) is everlasting life, eternal death is never-ending.
The most important question to be
answered is “Does the Bible teach the
doctrine of eternal death?”
If the Bible does not teach eternal death, then we can
pack up and go home because there is no further debate on the issue.
God’s Word, the Bible, is the infallible rule of faith
and practice, and as such we must believe and teach only what it clearly
teaches.
And the Bible clearly teaches the doctrine of eternal
death.
We can point to several passages that explicitly state
this, but for our purposes, only three will be needed, one from the Old
Testament and two from the New.
“And many of those who sleep in
the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt.”
(Daniel 12:2
ESV)
“And [the wicked] will go away
into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46
ESV)
“And if anyone's name was not
found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation
20:15 ESV). In
verse 10, we are told that the Lake of Fire burns “forever and ever.”
All three of these passages (and more could have been
added) have as their main context the scene of final judgment.
In other words, when Christ returns, three things will
occur:
1) The general resurrection of “the
living and the dead”;
2) the final judgment; and
3) the inauguration of the eternal
state.
Each of these passages demonstrates that during the
final judgment of all people, Jesus will separate the righteous from the
wicked.
The righteous will be ushered into the final state of
glory, while the wicked will be sent to the lake of fire for eternal punishment
and torment.
Note too (particularly in the Daniel and Matthew
passages) that the same adjective (“everlasting” or “eternal”)
is used to modify both “life” and “punishment/contempt.”
What is true about one (life) must be true about the
other (punishment) that, both are eternal and last forever.
To do so often opens one up to scorn and ridicule.
However, we must not let that detract us from what the
Bible so clearly teaches; namely, that due to our being born in sin and
trespasses, we are under the just condemnation of God for our sin.
If we do not embrace the saving message of Jesus
Christ, we will perish in our sin and trespasses and be under God’s just
judgment for our sin - eternal death.
This is a sobering doctrine and requires the utmost
care and compassion in its presentation.
Are you struggling
with a big decision or wondering how your eternal future will play out?
Why not talk to the
God of the universe and let Him work in your behalf?
He
says, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will
counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).
Ask God to show you
what to do. Pray the following prayer:
“Heavenly
Father,
I admit
that I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You. I now want to turn
away from my past sinful life and begin a new life with You. I receive Your
free gift of salvation.
Please
forgive me. I now receive your Son, Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my
Lord. I believe and confess that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and
rose from the dead.
I want to
receive all that Jesus Christ has provided for me as my Savior. Your Word says,
‘Whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved’ (Romans 10:13).
I believe
and confess that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes
unto the Father, but by Him.
Lord
Jesus, I pray and ask You, to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I
thank You that you have given me eternal life, and according to Your Word, I am
born again and I am now a child of God.
Heavenly
Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who is in me now to help me
do Your will for the rest of my life. I surrender my life to You. I promise to
study Your Word – the Bible.
Use me for
Your glory.
In Jesus’
Name. Amen.”
If you have just put your trust in Jesus Christ, you have
been born into God’s family.
As a spiritual baby, you need to grow by feeding on God’s
Word – the Bible (1 Peter 2:2).
You must have a good modern translation Bible and begin
prayerfully reading it. Start in the New Testament, such as the Gospel of John
or Paul’s letters to the Ephesians.
As you read, ask two questions: “What are You, Lord?” “What do You want me to do?”
Also, you need to join a Christian fellowship where the
Bible is taught and where God is truly worshiped.
God bless you as you begin your new life with Him!
https://www.gotquestions.org/eternal-death.html
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