Destruction
Destruction
The material is scanty in St. Pauls writings for a detailed theory on this most awe-inspiring of all subjects, and it is proper for us to note the wise Agnosticism (the phrase is Dr. Orrs in discussing the teaching of Scripture on eternal punishment) of St. Paul with the attempted theories of the Synagogue-theologians (H. A. A. Kennedy, St. Pauls Conceptions of the Last Things, 1904, pp. 313, 315; cf. also 4 Ezr 9:13, Enquire not further how the ungodly are to be tormented, but rather investigate the manner in which the righteous are to be saved). But there can be little doubt that the term destruction to St. Paul meant, not annihilation, but a continual existence of some sort in the outer darkness away from God. St. Paul has a group of words for this idea. (1Th 1:10, Rom 2:5; Rom 2:9; Rom 5:9) is a more general term and applies to the Day of Judgment. (Rom 6:21; Rom 6:23; Rom 8:6) is not the death of the body, which is true of all, but rather the second death of Rev 20:6; Rev 20:14. The NT gives no scientific description of death, nor is one possible in the spiritual sphere. The analogy of Nature (see Butlers Analogy, ed. Gladstone, 1896, and Drummonds Natural Law in the Spiritual World, 1883) does not make annihilation necessary. The words and (Gal 6:8, 2Pe 2:12) have the notion of corruption. Note the contrast in 1Co 15:42 between and . St. Paul uses in 1Co 3:17 for the punishment of one who destroys () the Temple of God. In Rom 3:16 destruction () and misery () are coupled together for the ways of the sinful. But the chief words for the idea of destruction of the unbelieving are () and , both from , to destroy. In Rev 9:11 , the destroyer, is the title of Satan. The use of in and is perfective, and in Greek literature generally the terms mean destruction. This fact is used by the advocates of conditional immortality in favour of the doctrine of the annihilation of the wicked, but it is by no means clear that the words connote extinction of consciousness. Least of all is this true of the Septuagint use of the words. In 2Pe 3:7 is used for the Day of Judgment and punishment of the wicked, which implies life after death. In Php 1:28 the word is in opposition to , in Heb 10:39 it is opposed to (see also Jam 4:12, Jud 1:5, 1Co 1:19; 1Co 10:9; 1Co 15:18, 2Co 2:15 f., 4:3, Rom 2:12, Php 3:19, Rev 17:8; Rev 17:11). There seems no good reason for reading into the context the notion of annihilation of the soul, for that was probably an idea wholly foreign to St. Paul. The term meets us in 1Th 5:3, 2Th 1:9, 1Ti 6:9 ( ). In 2Th 1:9 we have , which is the only passage that makes a statement about the duration of the destruction of the wicked. Aristotle (de Clo, i. 9, 15) defines as the limit ( ) either of a mans epoch or the limit of all things (eternity). The word does not in itself denote eternity, but it lends itself readily to that idea. The context in 2Th 1:9 makes the notion of finality or eternity necessary (Milligan, Thess., 1908, ad loc.). The word denotes hopeless ruin (cf. Beet, The Last Things, ed. 1905, p. 122ff.). In 4Ma 10:15 we have in contrast with (cf. Milligan, op. cit. p. 65). St. Pauls natural meaning is the ruin of the wicked, which goes on for ever. It is a dark subject from any point of view, but eternal sinning seems to call for eternal punishing. See also articles on Life and Death, Punishment, and Perdition.
A. T. Robertson.
Fuente: Dictionary of the Apostolic Church
Destruction
in Job 26:6, 28:22 (Heb. abaddon) is sheol, the realm of the dead.
Fuente: Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Destruction
DESTRUCTION.The Authorized Version and Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 translation of in Mat 7:13. In Mat 26:8 and in the parallel passage in Mar 14:4 is translated waste in both Versions, and in Joh 17:12, the only other instance where the word is used in the Gospels, both render it perdition. In Mat 7:13 our Lord speaks of destruction as the opposite of life eternal. In profane authors invariably means, as its derivation from implies, extinction, annihilation; and this fact has been largely used by the advocates of the Conditional Immortality theory in support of their contention. Still the destruction, spoken of by our Lord in Mat 7:13 has been held by expositors with practical unanimity from the first to mean a continued life, whether endless or not, of misery after death. All the same, it has been admitted generally, e.g. by Cremer, that eternal misery as a meaning of is a signification peculiar to the NT, and without analogy in classical Greek. There appears, on the whole, to be general agreement that whether destruction means a terminable or interminable life of misery after death, it does, at any rate, mean a prolongation of existence: it is exclusion from salvation, whether final or not. Whether or not there is a term to the duration of misery hereafterpresuming that there is a continuance of life after death for those who go in the way of destructiondoes not enter into the scope of this note (See Eternal Punishment), but it may be remarked as significant that the lost sheep are spoken of by our Lord as being found again, and that the word for lost is the participle of . This is one of the considerations that have made many feel warranted in holding the larger hope even for those who go meanwhile in the way that leadeth to destruction.
J. Cromarty Smith.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Destruction
de-strukshun: In the King James Version this word translates over 30 Hebrew words in the Old Testament, and 4 words in the New Testament. Of these the most interesting, as having a technical sense, is ‘abhaddon (from verb ‘abhadh, to be lost, to perish). It is found 6 times in the Wisdom Literature, and nowhere else in the Old Testament; compare Rev 9:11. See ABADDON.
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Destruction
There are some thirty Hebrew and four Greek words translated ‘destruction,’ with various shades of meaning, some being applied to loss or devastation experienced in this life, and others to future and eternal destruction. There is no thought in scripture of annihilation in any of the passages, and even in material things it is agreed that there is no such thing as annihilation. In some passages destruction is spoken of as a place or a state of existence, thus “Hell and destruction are before the Lord;” “Hell and destruction are never full.” Pro 15:11; Pro 27:20. ‘Everlasting destruction’ is ‘everlasting punishment.’ Compare Mat 25:46 with 2Th 1:9.