Topical Bible: Eternal Death: The Way To, Described

Bible > Topical > Eternal Death

◄ Eternal Death: The Way To, Described ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Eternal death, often referred to as the "second death" in Christian theology, represents the ultimate separation from God and the final consequence of sin for those who do not receive salvation through Jesus Christ. This concept is rooted in various passages throughout the Bible, which describe both the path leading to eternal death and its nature.

The Path to Eternal Death

The way to eternal death is marked by a life lived in persistent sin and rejection of God's grace. Scripture emphasizes that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This death is not merely physical but spiritual, culminating in eternal separation from God.

Proverbs 14:12 warns, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." This highlights the deceptive nature of sin, which can appear appealing or harmless but ultimately leads to destruction. The path to eternal death is characterized by a refusal to repent and turn to God, as seen in Romans 2:5, which states, "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed."

Descriptions of Eternal Death

Eternal death is vividly described in the Bible as a state of perpetual separation from God, often depicted through imagery of fire and darkness. Revelation 20:14-15 provides a stark portrayal: "Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." This passage underscores the finality and severity of eternal death.

Jesus Himself speaks of eternal punishment in Matthew 25:41, where He says, "Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’" This indicates that eternal death is not only a consequence for humans but also for spiritual beings who rebel against God.

The Apostle Paul further describes the nature of eternal death in 2 Thessalonians 1:9: "They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might." This separation from God's presence is the essence of eternal death, as it signifies the loss of all that is good, holy, and life-giving.

Warnings and Exhortations

Throughout Scripture, there are numerous warnings and exhortations to avoid the path leading to eternal death. Hebrews 10:26-27 cautions, "If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries." This serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of willful sin and the rejection of Christ's sacrifice.

The call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is the central message of the Gospel, offering a way to escape eternal death. John 3:16-17 declares, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." This promise of salvation through faith in Christ is the antidote to the path of eternal death, offering hope and life to all who believe.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 9:17
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 7:13
Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... "Wherefore," let this stand as an eternal rule, "By their fruits ye shall know them ...
How long will ye teach the way of death, and call it the way of life? ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 32 upon our lords.htm

Whether that Fire Will have Such an Effect on Men as is Described?
... have such an effect on men as is described in the ... kept for eternity, that they may
bear an eternal punishment. ... since after this state of the way death will not ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether that fire will have.htm

Salvation
... person and character of His, which I described to you ... you know something at least
of what eternal death is. ... really die, in some strange unspeakable way, if you ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon ii salvation.htm

The Scripture Way of Salvation
... And we see the eternal world; piercing through the veil which ... in any manner to the
saving of souls from death. ... Look for it in the way above described; in all ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 43 the scripture way.htm

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... as a stranger and sojourner, in his way to the ... produce the whole of the religion
described in the ... Own thyself guilty of eternal death; and renounce all hope of ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 33 upon our lords.htm

Trypho Objecting that Christ is Described as Glorious by Daniel ...
... that for His death the rich would suffer death, and with ... of the Lord of Sabaoth for
the eternal salvation. ... shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall ...
/.../chapter xxxii trypho objecting that christ.htm

Appendix.
... whereby the Son of God 'consecrated' the way to life ... and punishment are accomplished,
the second death is not ... Rather, may we not conclude that eternal life and ...
/.../challis/an essay on the scriptural doctrine of immortality/appendix.htm

Death Changes, Without Destroying, Our Mortal Bodies Remains of ...
... be covered) with the heavenly and eternal raiment"it ... perception, as having in every
possible way ceased to be ... decayed"at any rate consumed by death, by time ...
/.../chapter xlii death changes without destroying.htm

The Helpless State of the Sinner under Condemnation.
... it, when it speaks nothing less than eternal death to thy ... or deliver thee, take thy
own way, so that ... thou add, with the wretched sinner described above, "Shall ...
/.../chapter vii the helpless state.htm

Christ Undoes the Work of the Demiurge; Docetic Account of the ...
... the Archon condemned his own peculiar figment (of flesh) to death, (that is ... In this
way the soul ... And for this reason that eternal One existed for thirty years on ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter iii christ undoes the work.htm