Thirdly, the Scriptures teach that at the judgment, all men will have to answer for the things done in the body, whether they be good or evil (II Corinthians 5:10). “ believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, and have hope towards God…that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” Secondly, and perhaps most convincingly, are the words of Paul from Acts 24:14-15. He was not annihilated at the point of his physical death. This is a conscious torment-the rich man was very much aware of his pain and anguish. In that teaching, whether you call it a parable or not, Jesus teaches the reality of torment for the wicked after death. This view is held by the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but it has also been advocated by respected men in the church like Homer Hailey.īut again, the question is: what does the Bible say?įirst, we can look at the teaching of Jesus about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 15:19-31). Their punishment, according to this belief, would be that they simply cease to exist. That is, the belief that the wicked, instead of being sent to a place of torment, will simply be annihilated-being completely removed from existence. The doctrine that you have read about is generally called annihilationism. I appreciate your writing to get my thoughts, but I’m sure that you’ll agree that what’s really important is what the Bible says on the matter.

What are your thoughts? – W.A.A., California.

Question: When the final judgment takes place, will the wicked be raised too? I’ve been reading several books lately, and some of them say that the wicked will simply be destroyed and cease to exist.

The wicked will rise