FEEDBACK: DOES REVELATION 6:15-17 TEACH ANNIHILATION?
3/28/11
We
appreciate feedback on the studies posted on this website. It helps us to see
if there is anything on this website that does not agree with the Bible.
Below ARE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT REVELATION 6:15-17
THE READER’S QUESTIONS ARE IN ITALICS. OUR
RESPONSE FOLLOWS.
Actually, recently the
new teaching is that Revelation 6:15-17 is proof that those left behind on 5/21
may commit suicide. It is then added that this will be the end of their
conscious existence.
Thanks
for sharing that.
If
you have time, please read the study on this passage:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/rev6v15.htm
Let’s
consider Revelation 6:15-17. We read there:
15
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
You
have to read Revelation 6:15-17 carefully and think about what God is saying there.
I believe if you do, then you will find that it is a proof that the teaching of
annihilation is not true.
If
annihilation were true then people could simply escape the sufferings of the
wrath of God by committing suicide. Yet these people are hiding in rocks and
mountains, and hoping that those rocks and mountains will hide them from God.
If
annihilation were true, why would they do that? Why would God make a big point
of telling us that they are doing that? Hiding in rocks and mountains is no way
to commit suicide. They could simply commit suicide by stabbing themselves or
hanging themselves or shooting themselves, etc., and be done with it.
They
are running and hiding from God and hoping that the rocks and mountains will
hide them from God. That is no way to commit suicide. You don’t commit suicide
by hiding in a cave and calling out to it to fall on you.
The
language of Revelation 6:15-17 shows that the people want to commit suicide. They
want the rocks and mountains to fall on their bodies and to destroy them. If
anything can destroy our bodies, it is having rocks and mountains fall on them.
So, the people want to commit suicide. They want to be annihilated.
If
suicide were possible on Judgment Day, there are many ways that people can
accomplish it. Hiding in caves and calling out to them is no way to commit
suicide. The fact that they are doing this shows that suicide will not be
possible on Judgment Day. And, if suicide is not possible, then the teaching of
annihilation is not true to the Bible.
You
have to read Revelation 6:15-17 and think carefully about what God is saying
there. I believe when you do that you will find that it is a proof that
annihilation is not true.
Thank
you for the question.
Maybe people who teach
this think that the unsaved don't realize that annihilation is true?
Could
it be that annihilation is true and yet these unsaved people don't realize that
annihilation is true?
When
a super horrible thing happens there will always be some people that try to
commit suicide. For example, when the stock market crashed in 1929 some
investors jumped out of windows of tall buildings. In other cases of extreme
individual problems, like family, health or work problems, a certain percentage
of people will commit suicide. We read about this from time to time. In fact, I
knew someone that did this a couple of years ago.
The
situation is so bad in Revelation 6:15-17 that the people there want to commit
suicide. They are asking the rocks and mountains to fall on them. Mountains and
rocks falling on a person will certainly destroy his body. So, these people
want to commit suicide. Certainly a large percentage of them will try to shoot
themselves or stab themselves, or hang themselves or fall on a sword, or jump out
of a building window or off a cliff, etc. Because they are calling on the rocks
and mountains to fall on them, we know that they do want to commit suicide.
If
suicide is possible, then others will see that people are successful in this endeavor
and will also destroy their bodies to escape God. Since the people of
Revelation 6:15-17 want to be annihilated, as it became known that suicide is
possible, they would go ahead and commit suicide. So, I don't believe that this
argument can fit. If suicide is a possible way to escape God, the people in
Revelation 6:15-17 would quickly learn about it (if they had not tried it already
themselves). These people want to be annihilated. They want to commit suicide,
so many would try it. And, if they were successful, others would follow suit.
However,
God has given the language of Revelation 6:15-17 to emphasize that on Judgment
Day there will be people that want to be annihilated and are willing to be
crushed by rocks and mountains, and yet are hiding, indicating that they are
not able to commit suicide.
Another
fact to keep in mind is this: If annihilation were true, then the resurrection
of the unsaved will be something like their corpses being thrown out of the
graves. The unsaved people would see these corpses or remains and know that
annihilation is true and would know that they don't need to hide from God. They
can simply annihilate themselves by committing suicide.
Maybe people who teach
this think that the unsaved fear physical death and so are hiding from God.
These
people in Revelation 6:15-17 want the rocks and mountains to fall on them and
crush and destroy their bodies. If these people were afraid of the pain of
their bodies being destroyed, they would seek a less painful solution than
having rocks and mountains fall on them, like shooting themselves. They are
hiding from God, but they are also willing to have their bodies destroyed. So,
they are not hiding for fear of having their bodies destroyed. They want the
rocks and mountains to fall and destroy their bodies.
Shooting
yourself in the head is a pretty quick and painless way to commit suicide. That
is a much less painful way to commit suicide than to have rocks and mountains
fall on you.
Thank
you for the feedback.