“Ray Comfort or Kirk Cameron? What Really Happens to the Wicked? A Biblical Case for Annihilationism”
Today we’re stepping into a topic that has stirred hearts and minds for centuries:
What is the final fate of the wicked after judgment?
Not with harshness.
Not with fear-driven tradition.
But with Scripture, with reason, and with a spirit of compassion.
I want to walk with you through this gently, honestly, and biblically.
Because what we believe about God’s judgment shapes what we believe about God’s character.
SETTING THE TONE
Before we begin, let me say this:
This topic is not about trying to soften God’s justice.
It’s about honoring what God actually says, and allowing His heart to define the doctrine —
not medieval art, not cultural assumptions, not inherited tradition.
God is love.
God is just.
And God is truthful.
So His Word deserves to be heard on its own terms.
THE CENTRAL QUESTION
Today’s question is this:
Does Scripture teach that the wicked will experience eternal conscious torment…
or does it teach annihilation — the final destruction of the unrepentant?
Let’s go straight to the Bible.
PART 1 — WHAT SCRIPTURE ACTUALLY SAYS ABOUT THE WICKED
The Bible uses many words to describe the final fate of the lost:
- Perish
- Die
- Be destroyed
- Consumed
- Burned up
- Become ashes
- The second death
These are not the words of eternal conscious agony.
These are words of finality, of ending, of cessation.
Let’s hear Jesus Himself:
John 3:16
“Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
Notice the contrast.
Jesus does not say, “shall not suffer forever.”
He says, “shall not perish.”
Eternal life is given to the redeemed —
not the wicked.
And Paul affirms this:
Romans 6:23
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”
If eternal conscious torment were true,
Paul would have needed to say,
“The wages of sin is eternal suffering.”
But he didn’t.
He said death.
Real death.
Final death.
The second death.
PART 2 — IMMORTALITY IS NOT AUTOMATIC
One of the most important biblical truths is this:
Humans are not inherently immortal.
Paul says:
1 Timothy 6:16
God alone has immortality.
And in 1 Corinthians 15, he tells believers:
“This mortal must put on immortality.”
If immortality must be put on,
then the wicked do not automatically receive it.
Only the saved inherit eternal life.
Only the saved put on immortality.
The wicked do not live forever — in heaven or in hell.
PART 3 — JESUS ON GOD’S FINAL JUDGMENT
Jesus gives one of the clearest statements in Matthew 10:28:
“Fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Not torment forever.
Not preserve eternally.
But destroy.
Jesus uses the same Greek word for “destroy” that He uses for:
- “destroying” wineskins
- “destroying” the temple
- “destroying” a flock
- “destroying” earthly treasures
In every case, the meaning is literal destruction.
PART 4 — OLD TESTAMENT IMAGERY
The prophets reinforce this.
Listen to Malachi 4:1–3:
“All the wicked will be stubble…
the day that comes will burn them up,
leaving them neither root nor branch.
They shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.”
Friends—ashes are not conscious.
Burned-up stubble does not suffer.
This is destruction.
Psalm 37 says:
“The wicked perish…
into smoke they vanish away.”
Vanish away.
Consumed.
Gone.
PART 5 — WHAT ABOUT REVELATION?
Many sincere believers think Revelation teaches eternal torment.
But Revelation is a book rich in symbols:
- dragons with multiple heads
- beasts rising from the sea
- lambs with seven eyes
- locusts with human faces
We must interpret Revelation through the clear texts,
not interpret the clear texts through the symbolic ones.
The “eternal torment” language in Revelation applies specifically to:
- the Devil
- the Beast
- the False Prophet
It does not plainly apply to all humanity.
But Revelation repeatedly describes the fate of sinners with one phrase:
The second death.
Death is not eternal life in misery.
Death is death.
PART 6 — THE LOGIC OF GOD’S CHARACTER
Now let’s bring this together with the heart of God.
A God who is perfectly just does not need to torture sinners forever.
A God who is perfectly loving does not delight in endless agony.
A God who is perfectly holy purges evil completely —
not preserves it forever in a burning corner of the universe.
Destruction is a severe punishment.
It is a final punishment.
But it is also a just punishment.
And it aligns with Scripture’s plain language.
PART 7 — COMPASSION FOR THE LOST
Annihilation is not a comforting doctrine.
It is sobering.
It is tragic.
It is final.
The lost do not “live on” in suffering —
they are forever cut off from the Source of all life.
They perish.
They cease to exist.
This should move our hearts toward evangelism,
toward compassion,
toward urgency.
CLOSING WORD
Friends, as we consider these things,
remember this:
God’s judgments are always righteous.
God’s character is always consistent.
And God’s Word is always trustworthy.
Whether you’ve held this view for years
or are hearing it with fresh ears,
I invite you to continue studying, praying, and seeking the heart of God —
because doctrines of judgment are not meant to harden us,
but to humble us.
Thank you for joining me today.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of the Father,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you now and always.
Until next time —
stand in the light of His truth,
and rest in the kindness of His heart.
