“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna].”—Matt 10:28

The verse given above (along with other verses like it) has been used to support the idea of annihilationism—that is, the idea that instead of suffering in eternal torment (albeit in varying degrees), people who miss heaven will simply be snuffed out. This teaching is not part of the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. The traditional concept of hell is the one that was held to by the vast overwhelming majority of the early Christians. Could so many Christians, living so close in time to the Apostles, have missed it on this point? It is extremely unlikely! Continue reading Annihilationism →