Question: What does the Bible say concerning annulment of a marriage?
Answer: In today's America, annulment has become common-place. Some practice annulment without giving any thought to the Bible's teaching regarding this subject. How does Bible truth relate to annulment? Annulment, as applied to marriage, means, "The formal declaration that annuls a marriage" (Random House College Dictionary). In addressing this subject, we are at a disadvantage, in that the Scriptures contain nothing about annulment, as applied to marriage. Its absence should cause great caution.
God's law for marriage is documented in such passages as: Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 5:32, 19:9; 1 Corinthians 7; and Romans 7:1-3. God's law states that two people are joined (bound) together for life. Death and adultery are the only contingencies (Romans 7:2; Matthew 5:32, 19:9). Notice the emphatic warning: "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:9).
This writer freely admits to not having knowledge of all the civil and religious practices that come under the heading of marriage annulment. Some, I understand, limit annulment to specific cases where vows are exchanged but, for some reason, the marriage is not physically consummated. Others obtain annulments through their churches, years and several children after their marriage ceremonies. No man, civil or religious, has the right to dissolve a marriage (only God can dissolve the marriage bond) on grounds other than what God has expressly said! (Revelation 22:18. 19).
Dear reader, God revealed his will concerning marriage. Man needs to desist from his own legislation and rebellion against God's law (cf. Mark 7:1-13, Matthew 19:3). Man, it seems, incessantly attempts to circumvent, or go around, what God has said; marriage is no exception. It is the height of folly for man to believe he can arbitrarily annul what God has established.
Question: Is Hell annihilation?
Answer: Not a few today unashamedly deny the existence of Hell. For the most part, they are motivated, either by the "God is too good to eternally punish" philosophy; or they are products of the "positive" movement (Hell is definitely not positive). This is really strange, since most of these same people who deny the existence of Hell believe in heaven. Others, even religionists, attempt to acknowledge Hell as a Biblical subject, but they then proceed to alter and distort the Bible's teaching on this basic Bible truth. These religionists are known as materialists. Allow me to quote from the writings of one such religionist:
"Is hell a hot place? Do Sheol and Hades refer to some place where the wicked suffer after death? It is plain that they do not, for we have already seen that the dead are not conscious and, therefore, cannot suffer. So this illustration (Luke 16:19-31, dm) does not teach that some dead persons are tormented in a literal fiery Hell. So when Jesus said that persons would be thrown into Gehenna for their bad deeds, what did he mean? Not that they would be tormented forever..." (The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, pgs. 41, 43, 44, a Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society publication, the Jehovah Witnesses).
Indeed, the doctrine of Hell is a Biblical doctrine. The Greek Word translated "Hell" is found twelve times in the Greek New Testament. By artfully confusing Hell (geennna) with Hades, materialists successfully mislead some into believing Hell is simply annihilation or nonexistence.
Hades and Hell are two different words. Hades has not been translated, only transliterated. Hades is found eleven times in the Greek New Testament. Of the eleven occurrences, Hades is translated "grave" once and "Hell" ten times in the King James Version. Hell is from the Greek geenna. Geenna is found twelve times and is consistently translated "Hell" in most translations.
Hades and Hell are not the same place. Geenna (Hell), as used in the scriptures, denotes a place of eternal punishment. Jesus associated damnation with geenna (Matthew 23:33). In fact, Jesus used geenna in such a way as to identify Hell as the place of damnation (Ibid.) Hell (geenna) is the place of eternal punishment, "fire that never shall be quenched" and "...their worm dieth not" (Mark 9:43ff). Hades, on the other hand, should never be translated Hell.
Those who deny the Bible's plain teaching regarding Hell and the fact that Hell is a place of everlasting, conscious punishment make a play on the word "destroy". Jesus said, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28) They say "destroy" means to extinguish or annihilate.
"Destroy" is the from the Greek word apollumi and is found 92 times in the Greek New Testament. The world of Noah's day perished with water, we are told (2 Peter 3:6). "Perish" is from apollumi. Did the antediluvian world cease to exist, or was it annihilated? We continue on the same earth or world; hence, it was not annihilated? When the apostles were engulfed in the great tempest, they said: "Lord, save us, we perish" (Matthew 8:25). Did they believe they were about to be annihilated (apollumi)?
One of the common purposes of the word "destroy" (apollumi) is to suggest the spiritually lost. Jesus came "to save that which was lost (apollumi, Matthew 18:11). Apollumi suggests the opposite of saved (John 3:16). The prodigal son was lost (apollumi, Luke 15:24). Was he annihilated? The answer is no. Allow me to quote W.E. Vine regarding "destroy" (apollumi):
"A-1, appolumi, {Verb, 622} a strengthened form of ollumi, signifies "to destroy utterly; in Middle voice, "to perish." The idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being. This is clear from its use, as, e.g., of the marring of wine skins, Luke 5:36; of lost sheep, i.e. lost to the shepherd, metaphorical of spiritual destitution, Luke 15:4,6, etc.; the lost son, Luke 15:24; of the perishing of food, John 6:27; of gold, 1 Peter 1:7. So the persons, Matthew 2:13, "destroy;" Matthew 8:25, "perish;" Matthew 22:7; 27:20; of the loss of well-being in the case of the unsaved hereafter, Matthew 10:28; Luke 13:3,5; John 3:16 (vers.15 in some mss.); 10:28; 17:12; Romans 2:12; 1 Corinthians 15:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15, "are perishing;" 2 Corinthians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:10; James 4:12; 2 Peter 3:9. Cp. B, II, No.1. See DIE, LOSE, MARRED, PERISH" (W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.)
Do the scriptures, though, present Hell as a place of endless and conscious punishment to be suffered by the wicked after the Judgment Day? Jesus used Gehenna (or geenna) to describe it as a place of "fire that never shall be quenched" (Mark 10: 43, Jesus used the illustration of the literal Valley of Hinnom or Geenna to teach the spiritual truth of the spiritual geenna). He then said, "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (vs. 46). Of the lost, it is said: " ..he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone; the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night" (Revelation 14:10, 11). Hell appears to be more than annihilation, does it not? How could such, described as "forever," punishment not involve consciousness? (See also Luke 16:19-31.)
Beloved, Jesus spoke plainly regarding the eternality of the punishment of the wicked. Hear him: "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matt. 25:46). The words "everlasting" (state of the wicked) and "eternal" (state of the saved) are both derived from the same Greek word (anionios). Hence, the everlasting punishment of the wicked will be just as eternal as the eternal life of the saved. In a similar fashion, just as the saved will be conscious in heaven. "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:3,4) So will the wicked be conscious in geenna. "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie." (Revelation 22:14,15)
One source of the punishment will be "everlasting fire" which was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:30). In Hell, there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:30, indicative of a conscious state).
The Bible's teaching regarding Hell, and the conscious and eternal punishment to be experienced in Hell, is a great source of motivation to serve God today. In closing, "And to you who are trouble rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power..." (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, see also John 15:6, Matthew 13:41,42).
Brother Don Martin preaches for the Holly Street church in Denver, CO. They have an excellent Web page entitled www.BIBLE TRUTHS. Many good articles and sermon outlines are available for reading and downloading. Each month, brother Martin will deal with some Bible questions and give scriptural answers to those questions. We want you to open your Bibles and verify these answers. The truth has nothing to fear from an open examination. God's word is the only standard in the area of religion. If you want God's answer--look in His book! (KMG)