WE READ THAT THE UNSAVED “ARE NOT”. DOES THAT TEACH
ANNIHILATION?
Updated - 6/17/09
We
read a number of verses with phrases like the unsaved “are not” and we wonder
if those verses are teaching that the unsaved are annihilated.
We
will now examine some of these verses to learn what they teach:
We
read in Psalm 37:10:
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall
not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall
not be.
We
read in this verse that the unsaved “shall not be” and their place “shall not
be”. This appears to teach that the unsaved will cease to exist.
Let’s
consider other verses that help us with understanding what Psalm 37:10 could
mean.
We
will begin with the first phrase “shall not be” in Psalm 37:10. In the
Hebrew language we find that exact same word with the exact same spelling in
the Hebrew language in 1 Samuel 9:4. We read there:
And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed
through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed
through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and
he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.
The
underlined part of 1 Samuel 9:4 in the Hebrew language is the exact same word
with the exact same spelling as the first phrase “shall not be” in Psalm
37:10 above.
In
1 Samuel 9:4 the word “there” is not in the Hebrew text. In the Hebrew
text, God simply says “they were not” using that exact same Hebrew word
and spelling that we see in Psalm 37:10.
1
Samuel 9 recounts when the donkeys of Saul’s father were lost and then later
they were found. In verse 4, Saul and the servant are looking for the donkeys
in different areas.
We
read that they passed through the
The
Bible translators used a future tense “shall not be” in one verse and a
past tense “they were not” in another verse. But, in the Hebrew the
spelling is the same.
1
Samuel 9:4 provides help in how we can understand the first phrase “shall not
be” in Psalm 37:10
In
1 Samuel 9:4 the phrase “they were not” means that regarding the donkeys
“they were not” in that place.
The
donkeys were not in Shalim. They were in another place. Finally, Saul and the
servant found the donkeys. Those donkeys did exist. They were just in another
place.
1
Samuel 9:4 shows that the first phrase “shall not be” in Psalm 37:10 can mean
that after a little while, the unsaved “shall not be” in the sense that they
shall not be with the believers in the new earth. They will be in another
place. There will be a final separation.
We
see this idea in Genesis 5:24. We read there:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for
God took him.
Notice
that God says that Enoch “was not”.
This
does not mean that Enoch ceased to exist. Rather, it means that Enoch “was
not” there in the earth. God took him to heaven.
The
unusual language of Genesis 5:24 and 1 Samuel 9:4 was crafted by God and helps
us to understand what God can mean by verses with phrases like “are not”.
In
Genesis 5:24 Enoch “was not” in this earth because he was in heaven with
God. In 1 Samuel 9:4 the donkeys “were not” in Shalim but were in
another location.
In
the same way, Psalm 37:10 teaches that the unsaved will be separated from the
believers so that the unsaved “shall not be” with the believers. There
will be a final separation between the saved and the unsaved.
The
final separation between the saved and the unsaved at the end of the world is a
theme of Psalm 37
We
can see this theme of the separation of the saved from the unsaved in verses 9
to 11. We read in Psalm 37:9-11:
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those
that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall
not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall
not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
In
verse 9 we read that the true believers shall inherit the earth, but the
unsaved will be cut off. The unsaved will be cut off from the earth (which will
become a new earth), and from God and from all of His blessings.
In
verse 10 we read that the unsaved shall not be in the earth and that the
believers will not be able to find the unsaved. There will be a final separation.
In
verse 11, God repeats that the believers will inherit the new earth. But, the
unsaved won’t be there.
We
read about the final separation of the saved from the unsaved in Matthew
13:41-43 & 49:
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the
angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
God
is teaching that there will be a separation of the saved from the unsaved. This
is what Psalm 37:10 is teaching.
Let’s
now consider the second phrase “shall not be” in Psalm 37:10.
We
read again in Psalm 37:10:
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall
not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall
not be.
The
second phrase “shall not be” in Psalm 37:10 uses a different Hebrew word
than does the first phrase “shall not be”. However, the Hebrew word for
the second phrase is the same Hebrew word that is used in Genesis 5:24.
Let’s
compare Psalm 37:10 and Genesis 5:24:
Genesis
5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he
was not; for God took him.
Psalms
37:10 For yet a little while, and the
wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his
place, and it shall not be.
The
two underlined portions have the exact same spelling in the Hebrew text.
The
second part of Psalm 37:10 declares that the place of the unsaved “shall not
be”. This is the same Hebrew word with the exact same spelling that is used
in Genesis 5:24 that says about Enoch, he “was not”.
Again,
the translators used a future tense in one verse and a past tense in the other
verse. But, in the Hebrew text the two verses have the exact same spelling.
In
Genesis 5:24 the Bible is not telling us that Enoch ceased to exist. Rather, God
gives the explanation. Enoch “was not” in the sense that he was not in
this world.
With
the help of Genesis 5:24 and 1 Samuel 9:4 God is telling us that phrases like
“was not” or “shall not be” can mean “was not” here. That is, the person in
view has been removed to another place.
This
agrees with Matthew 13:41-43 & 49 that teach that at the end of the world
there will be a separation between the saved and the unsaved.
Throughout
history the saved and unsaved have been mixed together. But, finally there will
be a separation between the saved and the unsaved.
We
see this theme in these verses also:
Matthew
24:40 Then shall two be in the field;
the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Matthew
24:41 Two women shall be grinding
at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke
17:34 I tell you, in that night there
shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall
be left.
Luke
17:35 Two women shall be grinding
together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke
17:36 Two men shall be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
These
verses are teaching that there will be a final separation between the saved and
the unsaved.
This
matches one of the themes of Psalm 37.
In
Psalm 37:1 God tells the believers not to fret (or get angry) nor be envious of
the unsaved. In verse 7 God tells the believers to wait patiently while the
unsaved are doing their evil things in this world. In verse 9 God again tells
the believers to wait upon God's timetable. They will inherit the new heavens
and new earth. Then in verse 10 God follows up with the fact that in a little
while the unsaved and his place shall not be. That is, the unsaved will be
removed from the believers. The believers will be in the new heavens and new
earth. The unsaved will not be there. They will be in the lake of fire.
Verse
10 does not have to mean that the unsaved will not exist. Just like Genesis
5:24 is not saying that Enoch does not exist. Enoch was removed and taken to
another place. The same is true for the unsaved. They will be placed in the
lake of fire.
With
the help of Genesis 5:24 and 1 Samuel 9:4 we see that Psalm 37:10 can be
teaching that the unsaved will be separated from the true believers. The true
believers will consider the unsaved and their place “shall not be”. That is,
they “shall not be” with the true believers in the new earth.
As
Psalm 37:9 & 11 declare, the true believers will inherit the new earth and
the unsaved will not be there. There will be eternal separation.
The
final separation of the saved from the unsaved is a theme of Psalm 37. The
Psalm begins by telling the true believers not to “fret” or be angry about the
unsaved. Right now, the saved and unsaved are mixed together in the world. But,
Psalm 37 teaches that the believer is not to be angry about that. There will
come a final separation.
Let’s
consider another verse
We
read in Psalm 37:36:
Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I
sought him, but he could not be found.
This
verse also seems to teach that the unsaved will cease to exist.
One
problem is the way the first Hebrew verb was translated. The translation “passed
away” makes us think of a cessation of existence.
However,
this is a very common Hebrew verb and most of the time it is translated “pass
over”, “went over”, “pass through”, etc. It has Strong’s number <05674>.
Mostly it means to pass from one place to another.
Here
are some example verses with this same Hebrew verb:
Genesis
12:6 And Abram passed through <05674> the
land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was
then in the land.
Genesis
37:28 Then there passed <05674> by
Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and
sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they
brought Joseph into
Numbers
20:17 Let us pass <05674>, I
pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass <05674> through the fields, or through the vineyards,
neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the
king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left,
until we have passed <05674> thy borders.
Joshua
22:19 Notwithstanding, if the land of
your possession be unclean, then pass ye over <05674> unto
the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD’S tabernacle dwelleth,
and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against
us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.
2
Kings 4:8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha
passed <05674> to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she
constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he
passed by <05674> ,he turned in thither to eat bread.
The
above verses represent the most common way this Hebrew word is translated.
We
see from these examples that this Hebrew word translated “pass away” can
mean to pass on from one place to another. This is normally how this Hebrew
word is used.
The
translation “passed away” makes us think of a cessation of existence. But, this
Hebrew word normally signifies passing onto another location.
In
the case of the unsaved, they will pass onto the lake of fire.
Sometimes
the translators have translated a word in a way that seems to imply
annihilation. However, an examination of other verses with the same Hebrew or
Greek word will show that annihilation is not the right understanding for this
word.
Next,
we read in Psalm 37:36 the phrase “he was not”. This also can
make us think of annihilation.
However,
it turns out that the same Hebrew word with the same exact spelling is used in
Genesis 5:24 where we read:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for
God took him.
The
phrase “he was not” in Genesis 5:24 and Psalm 37:36 are the same
Hebrew word with the exact same spelling.
Just
like Enoch “was not” in the earth anymore, after the end of the world,
the unsaved “were not” anymore in the earth, which is now the new earth.
Genesis
5:24 shows us how we can understand the phrase “he was not” in Psalm
37:36. It can mean that the unsaved “are not” with the believers in the new
earth, just like Enoch “was not” in the earth after God took him.
Psalm
37:36 is re-enforcing the truth that there is finally a separation between the
saved and the unsaved. All three parts of this verse agree with the principle
that there will be a final separation between the saved and the unsaved.
1.
“Yet he passed away” Actually, it is the unsaved pass onto to another
place. The unsaved are separated from the saved.
2.
“he was not” with help from Genesis 5:24 we see that this can
mean that the unsaved “are not” in the earth with the believers. They
have been removed to another place.
3.
“I sought him, but he could not be found” This emphasizes the complete
separation between the saved and the unsaved. Even if the believers in the new
heavens and the new earth were to search for the unsaved, they would not be
able to find them. There is a complete separation.
Right
now, the saved and the unsaved are mixed together in this world. In fact, that
is the cause for much of the believer’s “fretting” (Psalm 37:1).
However,
once we get to the end of the world, there will be an eternal and complete
separation between the saved and the unsaved.
Also,
Christ will not seek the unsaved once they are cast into the lake of fire.
We
read in Luke 19:10:
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost.
In
this world, the Lord Jesus is seeking and searching out the lost elect to save
them. The Lord Jesus is still “finding” His elect in this world.
In
this world, the unsaved still have the hope of salvation. However, once the
unsaved are cast into the lake of fire, no one will seek after them nor find
them.
There
will be a final separation between the saved and the unsaved. The true believers
will not be able to find the unsaved. Also, God will not seek them or find
them.
By
examining various verses we see that all of Psalm 37:36, including the phrase
“he was not”, is making the emphasis of the final separation of the
saved from the unsaved.
Proverbs
10:25 is another verse with a similar phrase. We read in there:
As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more:
but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
The
phrase “no more” can make us think of annihilation. The word “more”
was added by the translators.
The
same Hebrew word with the exact same spelling also appears in 1 Samuel 9:4
where we read:
And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed
through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed
through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and
he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.
We
looked at this verse earlier. However, Proverbs 10:25 uses the same Hebrew word
with the same spelling, so we should compare the two verses. The underlined
portion of 1 Samuel 9:4 is that same word that is used in Proverbs 10:25.
This
verse is talking about Saul and the servant who are looking for the donkeys of
Saul’s father. Later on, the donkeys were found.
They
went through the
God
says “they were not”. The word “there” is not in the Hebrew text.
The Hebrew text is the exact same text, with same spelling, as is translated “no
more” in Proverbs 10:25.
The
Hebrew Bible texts says “they were not”. The verse is not saying that the
donkeys did not exist. Rather, it is saying that the donkeys “were not” there.
God
has provided 1 Samuel 9:4 to teach us a way that we can understand Proverbs
10:25.
The
donkeys in 1 Samuel 9:4 “were not”.
It is not that the donkeys did not exist. Rather, they “were not”
in that place. In the same way, Proverbs
10:25 can be saying that when the whirlwind of the wrath of God comes, the
unsaved will not be in the earth.
God
will remove the unsaved into another place, the lake of fire. But, the
believers will inherit the earth, recreated as a new earth.
We
see other verses with this Hebrew word translated “whirlwind” that confirm this
understanding
There
are two verses with this same Hebrew word translated “whirlwind” (Strong’s
number <05492>) that help us get a picture of Proverbs 10:25.
We
read:
Job
21:18 They are as stubble before the
wind, and as chaff that the storm <05492>
carrieth away.
Isaiah
17:13 The nations shall rush like the
rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee
far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and
like a rolling thing before the whirlwind <05492>.
In
Job 21:18 the word “storm” is the same Hebrew word translated “whirlwind”
in Proverbs 10:25. In Job 21:18 we get the picture of a storm or whirlwind that
carries the chaff away.
In
the first instance, when the chaff is carried away by a whirlwind or storm, the
chaff does not cease to exist. It is carried away into another place.
We
no longer see that chaff. In that sense, it “was not”, just like Enoch “was
not” when God took him. Yet, both Enoch and the chaff still exist. But, they
are not in the place that they were.
Likewise,
in Isaiah 17:13 the rolling thing (or “round” as it is translated in other
verses) is carried away by the whirlwind. It still exists, but it is in a
different place.
In
the same way, the wrath of God is typified by a “whirlwind”. The wrath
of God is like a whirlwind that separates the unsaved from the saved and
carries them away into another place.
By
examining Proverbs 10:25 in the light of other verses, we see that it is
teaching that at Judgment Day the unsaved are removed from the saved into
another place. It does not have to be teaching that the unsaved are
annihilated.
We
read another verse with a similar phrase. We read in Jeremiah 49:10:
But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret
places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his
brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.
Starting
in Jeremiah 49:7 God is talking about
At
the end of Jeremiah 49:10 we read about Esau, that is “he is not”.
This appears to teach that the unsaved church people will cease to exist.
Again,
the Hebrew word in the phrase “he is not” in Jeremiah 49:10 is the same
Hebrew word with exact same spelling that we find in Genesis 5:24 regarding
Enoch. We read in Genesis 5:24:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for
God took him.
The
phrase “he was not” in Genesis 5:24 is the same Hebrew word, same
spelling, as “he is not” in Jeremiah 49:10. The KJV translators
used different tenses, but nevertheless, the spelling in the Hebrew language is
the same.
As
we have seen for Genesis 5:24, God is not teaching that Enoch did not exist.
Rather, God is teaching that Enoch “was not” there. He was not in
the world. He was in another place.
Does
Genesis 5:24 help us to understand the phrase “he is not” in Jeremiah 49:10?
Does this understanding match the rest of the context of Jeremiah 49:7-22?
We
will see that the answer to both questions is yes.
Genesis
5:24 does help us understand the phrase “he is not” in Jeremiah 49:10.
In Genesis 5:24, Enoch “was not” in the sense that Enoch “was not” in
this world. Enoch was in another place.
In
the same way, Esau, the unsaved church people, at Judgment Day “will not be” in
the new earth. Also, they will not be exalted like they were in this world.
Jeremiah
49 teaches that Esau, who represents the unsaved church people, at Judgment Day
“will not be” in the new earth and “will not be” exalted as they were in this
world.
We
get help to understand what Jeremiah 49:10 is teaching if we read a few verses
a little later in the same chapter:
12 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose
judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art
thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go
unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD,
that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and
all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.
14 I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an
ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and
come against her, and rise up to the battle.
15 For, lo, I will make thee small among the
heathen, and despised among men.
16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and
the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that
holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as
the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.
God
is still talking about Esau, which represents the unsaved in the church.
Notice
how the unsaved church people, called Esau, have exalted themselves and have
been exalted, but at Judgment Day, they “will not be” that way anymore. Just
like Enoch “was not” anymore in this world.
In
verse 12, the unsaved church people viewed themselves as not having to drink of
the cup of God’s wrath. They were certain of their salvation.
But,
they “will not be” exalted with God. Rather, they will have to drink of the cup
of God’s wrath. God elaborates on His wrath towards them through verse 15.
In
verse 16 we read that they dwelt in the “clefts of the rock”. The Lord
Jesus is the rock for the true believers. The true believers dwell in the “clefts
of the rock”, that is, they dwell in the Lord Jesus, who is the rock.
God
uses this same language to describe the believer’s dwelling in the Lord Jesus
in Song of Solomon 2:14. We read there:
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me
hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is
comely.
In
Jeremiah 49:16 we read that the unsaved church people, called Esau, dwell in
the “clefts of the rock”. They have been the external representation of
the
But,
at Judgment Day, they “are not”. That is, they will not be dwelling in
the “clefts of the rock” even in an external, corporate way. They will no
longer be called the “people of God” or “my people” as the Bible uses that
terminology.
This
agrees with verse 16 which says “I will bring thee down from thence”.
The
tares in the church have dwelt in the “clefts of the rock”, as the
external representation of the
At
Judgment Day, the tares will “not be” exalted as God’s people just like, Enoch
“was not” in this world anymore. Verse 16 provides help in understanding the
phrase “was not” found in verse 10.
God
uses other language in Jeremiah 49:16 to describe how the unsaved church people
have exalted them as if they were true believers. We read that they hold the “height
of the hill”. A “hill” or “mountain” represents a kingdom. They hold onto
the height of the
And,
they appear to be truly in the
Finally,
in Jeremiah 49:16, Esau made his nest as high as the eagles. The “eagle”
represents God in his care for the believers (Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 32:11).
The unsaved church people have exalted themselves to appear to be as high as
God is. But, at Judgment Day, they “are not”. That is, they will no longer be
exalted as God, who is represented by the eagle. They will be cast down. That
is why God says about them “I will bring thee down from thence”. They
“will not be” exalted as the corporate people of God anymore.
This
ties back to verse 10 where we read the phrase “he is not”
In
Jeremiah 49:10, God says concerning Esau that God has “uncovered his secret
places”.
The
unsaved church people have exalted themselves “as high as the eagle”,
but at Judgment Day, God will “uncovered his secret places” and will
thrust him down so that “he is not” exalted as God’s people anymore.
Just like Enoch “was not” in this world. Enoch was in another place.
With
the help of the context of Jeremiah 49 and other verses, we can see that the
“are not” phrase in Jeremiah 49:10 can mean that at Judgment Day the unsaved
church people have been thrust down and “will not be” a part of the Kingdom of
God in anyway.
God
has written the Bible so that we have to be careful in our study. We can
quickly read a verse and draw a conclusion. However, to obtain truth, we have
to carefully compare Scripture with Scripture.
Let’s
consider two more verses with similar phrases as we have seen in the above
verses:
Isaiah 17:14 And behold at
eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not.
This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob
us.
Isaiah 19:7 The paper reeds
by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks,
shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.
Notice
the underlined phrases of these two verses. The underlined phrases can make us
think of annihilation.
However,
in the Hebrew text both of the underlined phrases are the same word with the
exact same spelling that we saw in Genesis 5:24. We read “is not” in
Isaiah 17:14 and “was not” in Genesis 5:24. But, in the Hebrew text, the
spelling is the same.
Just
like Enoch “was not” in this world anymore because he was taken to
heaven, after Judgment day the unsaved “was not” in the earth anymore
because he was cast into the lake of fire.
Isaiah
17:14 is talking about Judgment Day. In the “morning” in the new heaven
and new earth, the unsaved will not be there. The unsaved “was not”
because he was cast into the lake of fire.
Isaiah
19:7 teaches that the unsaved will be driven away from God and will “be no”
more. That is, they will “be no” more in this world. In the same way, Enoch
“was not” in this world anymore after God took him.
God
has written the Bible so that we have to study it very carefully, comparing
Scripture with Scripture. Otherwise, we can read a verse quickly and think that
it teaches something, but in actually we are wrong.
God
gives more verses to help us understand that we are on the right track.
God
gives other verses with the same Hebrew verb that we find in Genesis 5:24 which
do not signify annihilation.
We
read in Job 23:8:
Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;
and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
When
we read the context of Job 23:8 we learn that in this verse Job is the “I” that
is speaking and the “he” or “him” for whom Job is searching is God Himself.
We
read in the middle of this verse “he is not there”. The
word “there” is not in the Hebrew text. Literally, the Hebrew reads “he is
not”.
The
Hebrew text has the exact same word, same spelling as we saw in Genesis 5:24,
Psalm 37:10 and Jeremiah 49:10.
In
this verse, Job, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is not saying that
God does not exist.
Rather,
the translators understood what is being said. Job is saying that God “is
not”. That is, God is not there. Job cannot find God in his distress.
The translators added the word “there”, but it is not in the Hebrew text. The
Hebrew text just says “he is not”.
In
the same way, Genesis 5:24 is not saying that Enoch did not exist. He just was
not in the earth anymore.
Likewise,
Psalm 37:10 and Jeremiah 49:10 are not saying that the unsaved don’t exist
anymore. Rather, they are just not in the earth anymore. Like Enoch in Genesis
5:24 and God in Job 23:8, the unsaved are in another place.
We
read in 1 Kings 20:40:
And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was
gone. And the king of
The
phrase “he was gone” in the Hebrew language is the same phrase “he
was not” that we found in Genesis 5:24, Psalm 37:10 and Jeremiah 49:10.
In
1 Kings 20:40 the translators selected “he was gone”. However, to be
consistent, “he was not” is more accurate.
This
passage is talking about a servant who was supposed to watch a man and while
this servant was busy, the man got away. The translators put “he was gone”.
However, in the Hebrew, we have the same verb, the same phrase that we find in
Genesis 5:24, Psalm 37:10 and Jeremiah 49:10. The Bible says “he was not”.
It
is not that the man did not exist. Rather, the man ran away, so “he was not”
there.
1
Kings 20:40 is another verse like Genesis 5:24 and Job 23:8 in which the Hebrew
phrase “he was not” is shown that it can simply mean “he was not” there.
Therefore, this Hebrew phrase found in Psalm 37:10, Jeremiah 49:10 and other
verses cannot be used as a proof text for annihilation.
We
will consider another verse with a similar phrase. We read in Job 3:16:
Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as
infants which never saw light.
This
is Job speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What he is saying
applies to the himself in the suffering that he was enduring. In a greater
sense, it applies to the Lord Jesus in making payment for the believers’ sins.
Job
3:16, like the whole book of Job, has a Gospel application to the Lord Jesus
and His suffering. But, we have to remember that it also applies to Job.
Let’s
think about what God is saying by the phrase “I had not been”. If that
phrase means a cessation of existence, then Job 3:16 would be teaching that if
Job had died in the womb, then he would have ceased to exist.
But,
that is not possible.
Job
is a true believer. He was elected to salvation. Therefore, if he had died in
the womb, his soul would have gone into heaven.
Whenever
an elect person dies from this world, whether it be in the womb or at 1 year
old or at 80 years old, that person’s soul goes into heaven. He does not cease
to exist. God must save him before he dies.
We
can know that the phrase “I had not been” in Job 3:16 cannot refer to annihilation
because this verse has an application to Job also, and if Job had died in the
womb, being elected by God, he could not have ceased to exist. He would have
been in heaven.
God
does save babies in the womb. So it is possible for a baby to die in the womb
and go heaven.
Through
the book of Job, the man Job is also speaking as the Lord Jesus. If the Lord
Jesus had been a untimely birth, would He have ceased to exist? No. He would
have returned to heaven to be with His Father.
So,
what is God teaching by this phrase “I had not been” in Job 3:16?
Let’s
consider the verse again. We read in Job 3:16:
Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as
infants which never saw light.
Job
is under great suffering. As any person would like to flee suffering, Job also
wants to flee the suffering.
One
way we can flee the suffering of this world is to die from this world. This is
a theme of Job 3. Job is hoping that somehow he could die from this world and
flee from the suffering of this world.
One
way is that if he would never have been born. Then he would not have had to
come into the suffering in this world that he is now enduring. Job would “had
not been” in this world. We see this theme in other verses in this
chapter.
We
read in Job 3:3, 10-13:
3
Let the day perish wherein I was born,
and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
…
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s
womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
11
¶ Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost
when I came out of the belly?
12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the
breasts that I should suck?
13 For now should I have lain still and been
quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
As
we read Job 3:3-9 we find more language in which Job is upset that he was born.
The thinking is that if Job had never been born, he never would have had to
endure the suffering that he is going through.
This
is a big theme of Job 3. Job is suffering to such an extent that he wishes that
he “had not been” in this world. Then, he could have avoided it.
He would rather have been in heaven.
In
Job 3:16, Job is wishing that he “had not been” in this world. In that way, he
believes that he could have avoided the suffering that he is now enduring. Job,
being a believer, would have been with the Lord instead.
This
way of understanding Job 3:16 agrees with Genesis 5:24.
We
read in Genesis 5:24:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was
not; for God took him.
Genesis
5:24 and Job 3:16 have similar language. Genesis 5:24 is teaching that Enoch “was
not” in the sense that he “was not” in this world anymore. That agrees with
Job’s desire that he “had not been” in this world anymore. Then he
believes he could avoid anymore suffering.
God
uses phrases like “is not” or “was not” in other places of the Bible to
indicate that something “is not” in that location but is in another location.
We
read in Revelation 17:8:
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on
the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from
the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not,
and yet is.
The
devil is called a “beast” in this verse.
God
says about the devil that he “is not”.
This
does not mean that the devil does not exist. Rather, God is teaching that
during the church age the devil was bound so that he was limited in his ability
to frustrate the Gospel. However, at the start of the Great Tribulation in 1988
he was released.
So
when we read that during the church age the devil “is not” God is not
teaching that the devil has ceased to exist. Rather, God is teaching that
during the church age the devil “is not” in this world with the same
authority that he had before God bound him in 33AD.
When
we read any phrase in the Bible we must compare Scripture with Scripture to see
how God uses that phrase in other parts of the Bible to make sure that we have
arrived at truth.
Summary:
We
have examined several verses with phrases like “are not” and have found with
the help of other verses that these verses can be understood that the unsaved
will not be in the new earth or will not be in the Kingdom of God.
If
we are going to use verses to prove annihilation or anything else, we must find
verses that cannot be understood in another way. Without any forcing, these
verses can easily be understood in a way that does not teach annihilation.