Sorry, I actually deleted my comment because it was originally aimed at you as well. I misunderstood “annihilationism” to mean an eternal suffering in hell but looked it up and realized it meant the opposite and that you were actually sharing my understanding.

But I absolute agree, Q posts are fashioned after the Bible, in that focusing on any specific point will trip up anyone with the wrong mindset, because they will start believing whatever they want by assuming context that isn’t there. It’s only when you reconcile with the rest of Scripture will the true meaning of everything fit together like a perfect puzzle.

It’s easy to read “for God so loved the whole world” and not understand how God could eternally punish someone He once loved, or even understand that God has even hated specific individuals like Esau, or to even look into how Hebrews of the time interpreted their word for “world”, as it likely didn’t even mean the entire planet. You must also reconcile with God hardening Pharoah’s heart when he began to soften it and turn to God.

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-does-world-mean-john-316

I agree with you. Different Bible reading people and different Bible groups form ideas concerning how they WANT God to be, and so they hunt around cherry picking verses which seem to support certain pre-conceived notions. Universalist Christian professors I have met just can't stand the idea that a certain portion of mankind is destined for hell, so they ignore the verses which indicate that this is so, and quote universal salvation-sounding passages out of context. As for annihilation of the wicked, such persons only hope to avoid punishment for sins they deny having committed. Eternal sleep is no punishment. In my childhood there was a popular song that said, "I swear there ain't no heaven and I pray there ain't no hell." This is the hope of annihilationists.

Hell is eternal in punishment on sinners. Only in Christ can it be avoided and satisfied.

I believe this as well. But the punishment is to perish/experience death(cease to exist), not be burned in a fire forever. See below, three red letter examples right out of the mouth of Jesus.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.