Transcription
Did Augustine just make it up? Did he make up the entire biblical doctrine of hell? Did he just say, "Let's call it eternal conscious torment. Let's say that they're tormented, that they're punished forever, those that do not believe God." That's what some are saying. Let's take a look. Let's quote from him here in concerning the city of God against the pagans. We'll just quote and hear what Augustine has to say. Maybe he just made it up entirely. He just thought this seems like a good idea. He took it from Greek mythology. I don't know. Let's see. Let's see what he says.
So he says, "Moreover, is it not folly to assume that eternal punishment signifies a fire lasting a long time while believing that eternal life is without end?" He's saying, "Is it not folly?" What's he basing this on? We'll continue reading and we'll see. He's basing this on scripture. So, let's just read the scripture first. Matthew 25:46, "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Oh, so we see a parallel there. Everlasting punishment, eternal life.
All right, let's hear Augustine again. Moreover, is it not folly to assume that eternal punishment signifies a fire lasting a long time while believing that eternal life is without end? Is that not dumb to believe? You know, for Christ in the very same passage included both punishment and life in one in the same sentence when he said, "So those people will go into everl into eternal punishment." Well, the righteous will go into eternal life. Matthew 25:46, which I just read and which he just quoted. If both are eternal, it follows necessary that either both are to be taken as longlasting but finite or both as endless and perpetual.
Very interesting how thousands of years out we still have people saying the exact same thing. It doesn't make sense. You can't do that. You can't say that one is not eternal and the other is eternal. You can't say that hell is not eternal, but heaven is eternal. You've got to take your pick. Either they're both eternal or they're both not eternal. They're both temporal. But you can't have it both ways. You've got to have it. Uh it it's going to be because of that contrast there. You're gonna have eternal punishment and eternal life, everlasting life, or you're gonna have uh finite punishment and finite bliss. So, you're going to have to take your pick.
So, that is what Augustine had to say. And he based it on scripture. So, did he create the doctrine out of thin air? Well, no, because those who preceded him were teaching it. But even if you want to say, well, he came up with it. Well, then he saw it in scripture.
By the way, if you want to know what I'm reading and what I'm quoting from, it's this book right here, Hell Under Fire. And this, from what I've read so far, seems to be an excellent treatment on the doctrine of hell and the rising of the teaching of annihilationism. It deals with a historical survey of how annihilationism came to be more popular and it deals with the reputation of that teaching and just overall a a good overview of the teaching on hell. You've got Gregory Beal, Daniel Block, Sinclair Ferguson, Al Muller, Ji Packer, and others. You can get that in the paperback and that's down below or the Kindle version. Or you can get it actually on Audible completely free. If you don't have an Audible account, you can just click here, sign up for a free trial, and you get it completely free. And there is actually a small little bit that I do receive on that, like a fraction of a fraction, and it's at no additional cost to you. So, it's a great way to support the ministry as well, and I greatly appreciate it. Go ahead and like this on the way out. Subscribe if you're new here, and take a look down at the pinned comment below for exclusive content that I have to offer, starting as low as a dollar a week or $2 a week, depending on the option that you choose. Options down below, links down below, and related videos. God bless. I will see you next time.