Many who reject the fallacious and unbiblical doctrine of eternal conscious torment decry it as unjust (according to Biblical standards, it is [1]), but similar charges are sometimes leveled against annihilationism. Some object to eternal conscious torment and annihilationism alike, regarding both as unjust ideas that distort God's character. Christian universalists--that is, those who hold that God will ultimately redeem every deviant soul--might even try to defend this idea by appealing to the Bible.
However, the Bible does not even suggest in any way that universal salvation is true. Instead, the Bible clearly and repeatedly describes the destiny of unsaved beings (with a few potential exceptions mentioned in Revelation 20:10) as death (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23) and destruction (Matthew 10:28, 2 Peter 2:6). The idea that eventual salvific reconciliation to God awaits every fallen being is utterly contrary to the Bible. Without even searching for verses that allegedly support universalism, one can easily find numerous verses that consistently predict that the unsaved will suffer annihilation of mind and body.
Even if the Bible did not actually teach annihilationism--even if words like destruction, death, and perishing referred to eternal conscious torment (though it is asinine to suppose in any way that they do)--it certainly does not teach universalism! Matthew 7:13-14 alone, even when isolated completely from the rest of the Bible, disqualifies universal salvation from being anything more than an ideology that is blatantly rejected by Scripture. If the masses are headed for destruction and eternal life will only be received by a relatively small number of people, as Matthew 7 says, salvation is not a future reality for many people.
Universalism holds a great appeal for some, but this appeal is rooted in nothing but strictly subjective, arbitrary preferences, none of which are in any way capable of confirming whether something is just or unjust. Universal salvation cannot be established by the Bible, nor can it be defended by reason. If the Bible is true, annihilationism (with the aforementioned small handful of possible exceptions) is the accurate model of the ultimate fate of the wicked. Neither inevitable salvation nor endless pain awaits legions of unsaved people. Instead, the banishment from existence and the forfeiture of eternal life is the basic joint penalty for sin.
[1]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-irrelevance-of-mercy-to.html
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