Hello everyone. This was a rare opportunity. I type this today 11:16 PM Dec 4 2023 after I had the time to interview my mother on Christian Universalism, since the opportunity suddenly came up. I’ve been gentle with my mom and she’s opened up to me about her belief in the Lake of Fire. Interestingly enough, my mother more often uses the term “Lake of Fire” in this conversation than the term “Hell”, since she says that the term “Lake of Fire” appears in the Bible.
My mother is an Infernalist and an Annihlationist simultaneously at the same time. Yes, I’m serious.
Genuinely, out of all my years of study, I have never ever met another person who holds this same view as my mother. Honestly, it’s really interesting. Therefore, I suggest a new term to describe her viewpoint, Infernannihlationism.
Using the Christian Universalists Discord Servers definitions, we have
Annihilationist (or extinctionism, destructionism, mortalism, or conditionalism): Believes non-believers are permanently destroyed and not conscious
Infernalist (Eternal conscious torment, separation from God): Believes non-believers go to an eternal hell/punishment with consciousness
Therefore, I believe the following would be useful as a new role
Infernannihlationist: Believes less sinful non-believers are permanently destroyed and not conscious + more sinful non-believers go to an eternal hell/punishment with consciousness.
So, my Infernannihlationist mother tells me that there are people who will be tortured forever and there will be people who are permanently destroyed forever. The people that suffer eternal torture are those who have a lot of sins, the people that suffer eternal destruction are those who have a little bit of sins.
She tells me that not everyone will not be saved, which is a viewpoint reflected by the Annihlationist camp and Infernalist camp as well. So, she’s still not a Christian Universalist like myself, who believes that all will believe in Christ eventually and all will be saved. But as a Universal Restorationist, we both agree that pre-mortem punishment and post-mortem punishment both exists.
I ask my mother the percentage of people she thinks will be saved and she says 10%. Matthew 7:13-14. I tell her I think 20% of people will receive pre-mortem faith to be saved (the narrow gate referring to those who are saved before death in my opinion). Because I’m genuinely curious, I try asking her how many people she thinks will be Annihilated (eternally destroyed) vs how many will be Infernalated (eternally tormented) and she tells me that she does not know.
My mother tells me that everyone will be resurrected and then be judged on Judgment Day, that there will be a divide, Heaven and the Lake of Fire and that the Earth will no longer exist. My mother tells me that people must repent before they die to be saved. My mother tells me that people will be able to repent in the Lake of Fire, however God will not let them leave because the Judgment Day decision has already been made.
I told my mother that God wants everyone to reach repentance, so why would He not let these people out?
``` 2 Peter 3:9 NRSVue The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. ```
I tell her that the Lake of Fire is for refinement Isaiah 48:10 , so if the refinement is done, why should they still be there?
Isaiah 48:10 - Israel's Stubbornness
Why would Christ preach to the dead if there was no way out? 1 Peter 3:19
1 Peter 3:19 - Suffering for Righteousness
I tell her of the aionion ages and ages of Revelation 20:10 and she says it could just be describing an unknown long amount of time. Revelation 20:10 - Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire
Of course, I tell her this calmly because I was also extremely curious getting information on this new “Infernannihlationism” that I have never heard of someone actually holding until now. But then the conversation naturally ended.
My mother is an Infernalist and an Annihlationist simultaneously at the same time. Yes, I’m serious.
Genuinely, out of all my years of study, I have never ever met another person who holds this same view as my mother. Honestly, it’s really interesting. Therefore, I suggest a new term to describe her viewpoint, Infernannihlationism.
Using the Christian Universalists Discord Servers definitions, we have
Annihilationist (or extinctionism, destructionism, mortalism, or conditionalism): Believes non-believers are permanently destroyed and not conscious
Infernalist (Eternal conscious torment, separation from God): Believes non-believers go to an eternal hell/punishment with consciousness
Therefore, I believe the following would be useful as a new role
Infernannihlationist: Believes less sinful non-believers are permanently destroyed and not conscious + more sinful non-believers go to an eternal hell/punishment with consciousness.
So, my Infernannihlationist mother tells me that there are people who will be tortured forever and there will be people who are permanently destroyed forever. The people that suffer eternal torture are those who have a lot of sins, the people that suffer eternal destruction are those who have a little bit of sins.
She tells me that not everyone will not be saved, which is a viewpoint reflected by the Annihlationist camp and Infernalist camp as well. So, she’s still not a Christian Universalist like myself, who believes that all will believe in Christ eventually and all will be saved. But as a Universal Restorationist, we both agree that pre-mortem punishment and post-mortem punishment both exists.
I ask my mother the percentage of people she thinks will be saved and she says 10%. Matthew 7:13-14. I tell her I think 20% of people will receive pre-mortem faith to be saved (the narrow gate referring to those who are saved before death in my opinion). Because I’m genuinely curious, I try asking her how many people she thinks will be Annihilated (eternally destroyed) vs how many will be Infernalated (eternally tormented) and she tells me that she does not know.
My mother tells me that everyone will be resurrected and then be judged on Judgment Day, that there will be a divide, Heaven and the Lake of Fire and that the Earth will no longer exist. My mother tells me that people must repent before they die to be saved. My mother tells me that people will be able to repent in the Lake of Fire, however God will not let them leave because the Judgment Day decision has already been made.
I told my mother that God wants everyone to reach repentance, so why would He not let these people out?
``` 2 Peter 3:9 NRSVue The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. ```
I tell her that the Lake of Fire is for refinement Isaiah 48:10 , so if the refinement is done, why should they still be there?
Isaiah 48:10 - Israel's Stubbornness
Why would Christ preach to the dead if there was no way out? 1 Peter 3:19
1 Peter 3:19 - Suffering for Righteousness
I tell her of the aionion ages and ages of Revelation 20:10 and she says it could just be describing an unknown long amount of time. Revelation 20:10 - Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire
Of course, I tell her this calmly because I was also extremely curious getting information on this new “Infernannihlationism” that I have never heard of someone actually holding until now. But then the conversation naturally ended.
