We are are in fact a “living soul” (Gen 2:7), dust animated by the breath of God, and the soul is not separate from the body (see this post for more details ). Thus when we see a disabled person we see a disabled soul, not a disabled carriage-for-the-soul.

We are in fact all disabled souls, because even the finest physical specimen is disabled by the curse of sin under which he or she was born.

Such a person may appear to be in perfect health, but the truth is that the effects of sin can be seen in everything from their DNA to their limited life span.

A disabled soul in a wheelchair simply has disabilities arising from the curse of sin that are more visible than those of someone generally considered to have “perfect health”.

The good news is that one day those who love and follow the Lord will be free of the curse of sin, and there will be no more mourning, or crying or pain because the first things will have passed away (Rev 21:4). There will be no need for wheelchairs or doctors on the new earth because everyone will truly have perfect health.

If there is at least one corner of this universe that exists forever in rebellion against him, this vision will never be fulfilled. If the wicked are to tormented for all of eternity how can it ever be said that there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

Conditional Immortality in teaching that the wicked will be finally destroyed and will be as if they have never been (Obad. 1:16) teaches the final fulfilment of this vision!

Peter says, concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,  ”he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.” (2 Peter 2:6). What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? They were burnt to ashes. They are an example of what will happen to the wicked. What then will happen to the wicked? They will be burnt to ashes. As Jude says, “They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” (Verse 7). They too will be burnt to ashes.

Were the Old Testament sacrifices a picture of God’s wrath against sin? And were the sacrifices tormented or killed?

Does the Law reveal God’s standard of justice? There are many crimes in the Law for which the punishment is death, are there any crimes for which the penalty is perpetual imprisonment under torture?

If the penalty of sin is eternal conscious torment where is this first spelled out in Scripture? If it is not clearly spelled out right from the beginning how does this reflect upon the justice of God?

Is it not true that from beginning to end the Bible puts forth the question of eternal destiny as a question of life and death, not a question of life in one place as opposed to life in another?

Sober reflection will lead one to the conclusion that the penalty for sin was only ever death as shown by the fate of the sacrifices, by the fact that the death penalty was the most extreme punishment and by the fact that the Bible does not from the very beginning put forth the idea of a life in perpetual torment as the penalty for sin. The question of eternal destiny is indeed a question of life or death.