The Annikilation Tkeory Exploded A Stuck? Taken From A New Booklet “ Does Death End A ll?” By F. E.
MARSH rolled tog ether as a garm ent, and they will be changed. The word “changed” means to alter, to transform . The “ fashion” of things as they are now will pass away, even as the stage scen ery of a play is altered, b u t th e compon en t p arts which form the heavens and th e earth will no t be annihilated. 5. To perish means fo r anything to be overthrown. God says He will “ de stroy the wisdom of the w ise” (1 Cor. 1 :1 9 ). He does not mean to say th a t He will extinguish hum an wisdom, bu t He will show, by th e m anifestation of His own wisdom, th a t whereas man could not provide a salvation to meet m an’s need He could. 6 . To perish means fo r anything to be rendered useless. We are told in 2 P eter 3:6, “The world th a t then was, being overflowed w ith w ater, perished.” The reference is to th e scene which we have in Genesis 1:2, where we are told “ th e earth was waste and void, and darkness was upon the face of th e deep, and th e Spirit of God moved upon the face of the w aters.” By some means or o ther the earth had been b rough t into a chaotic state. How, we do not know, bu t we know God did no t make it so a t first, for we read : “He created it not a w aste” (Isa. 45:18, R. V .). The earth was “w ithout form , and void,” and in th a t sense useless; bu t it did no t cease to be, for the same earth still exists. 7. To perish means to p u t to death. “The flood came, and destroyed them a ll” (Luke 1 7 :2 7 ), bu t it did not anni hilate th e antediluvians, for they are described hundreds of years a fte r as “ sp irits in prison” (1 P eter 3 :1 9 ). We are told th e aim of th e chief priests and elders was “ to destroy Jesu s” (Matt.
We are often confronted by annihila- tionists, who tell us th e word “ perish” as used in John 3:16 etc.^ means “ to cease to be.” B u t I would rem ind them th a t the word “ p erish ” does not necessarily mean annihilation. L et us look a t some of the usages of the word in the New T estam ent: 1. To perish m eans to lose anything. The prodigal, when he was in th e far country, said: “ I perish w ith hung er.” The word “ perish” is th e same word as rendered “ lo st” which occurs again and again in the fifteenth chapter of L uke’s Gospel. The shepherd lost his sheep. The woman lo st th e piece of silver. When th e prodigal came back the fath e r said: “This my son was lost, and is found.” But the sheep was not non-existent. Nor was th e piece of sil ver. Nor was the prodigal son. They were lost simply to th e original in ten t for which they were made. 2. To perish means fo r anything to be m arred. Christ uses th e word when He speaks of th e new wine m arring the skins into which it is pu t (M ark 2 :2 2 ). The skins were rendered useless, as far as th e ir original purpose was concerned, bu t th e m aterial Was still th ere. So man mars him self by sin, b u t he does no t cause him self to be snuffed out. 3. To perish means to m iss anything. Christ says: “He th a t loveth his life shall lose it” (John 1 2 :2 5 ). The one who lives only for self and selfish ends misses the opportunity which God has given him to be a blessing and a help to others. 4. To perish m eans fo r any th ing to be changed. The heavens, we are told, “ shall p erish” (Heb. 1 :1 1 ), th a t is, as it goes on to explain, they shall be
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