5 Surprising Biblical Proofs that God will NOT burn people forever in hell

I came across an article from a popular online Christian website. The article tries to answer the question, “Will people spend eternity in hell?” The author desperately tries to reconcile the thought of a loving God and a God who will punish His children forever in hell! To make things worse, the article went on to say that people who haven’t given the chance to learn about God’s ways should also be part of hell’s punishment. (Be sure to read the article, “Is it true that all non-Christians will go to hell.”)

5 Irrefutable Proofs God will NOT b...
5 Irrefutable Proofs God will NOT burn people forever in hell

As I was reading the article, I felt sorry and sad for the author and all Christians out there who believe that God will burn people forever in hell. As expected, you can’t adequately defend a teaching that is not rooted in the Bible. Try as hard as you can, but you can’t justify the idea of God burning people forever in hell.

The doctrine of an ever-burning fire has turned off a lot of people down the century. Among them is Charles Darwin. In his private autobiography, he wrote:

“Thus disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete…I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so, the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe…will be everlastingly punished. And this is a DAMNABLE doctrine” (quoted by Paul Martin, The Healing Mind: The Vital Links Between Brain and Behavior, Immunity and Disease, 1997, p. 327).

Sad but true. What if Darwin did not believe the horrific teachings of the majority of Christians? Maybe, he would not question God’s love and come up with the Theory of Evolution that has led many dictators and tyrants to believe that human life is as insignificant as the life of a cockroach and worm.

The most graphic description of hell was written by Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan minister. He used his sermon entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” to scare people into obedience. (If you are not familiar with the sermon, please do a quick Google search.) But in most cases, the opposite happened. Many even fell into depression and tried to take away their lives as a result of frustration and despair. Some became militant atheists and opposed the idea of God’s benevolence and existence.

Thankfully, the Bible reveals that God will NOT burn people forever in hell. Here are five surprising biblical proofs.

5 Surprising Biblical Proofs that God will NOT burn people forever in hell

Proof number 1: God is love

The Bible reveals that God is love. However, many people paint Him as an unloving, anger, and sadistic God. We read in the Bible that God is love.

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (I John 4:8).

This verse along with other passages (I John 4:7, 9-10, 16; John 3:16; I John 4:19; Romans 5:8; I Corinthians 13; and others just to name a few) prove that GOD IS LOVE and that is exactly what He is. Every thought, word, and action of God are motivated by love.

Now, is it possible for a loving God to burn people forever in hell? Of course, not! It runs contrary to His very nature. We read in I Peter 3:9:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, BUT IS LONGSUFFERING TOWARD USnot willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

God is not just loving, but also merciful. “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalms 3:10). Ezekiel 18:32 adds, “’For I have NO pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’”

Proof number 2: The penalty of sin is DEATH

Now, here’s a problem with the twisted and unbiblical teaching of ever-burning hell. They can’t explain Romans 6:23.

“For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Did you just read that? It says that the wages of sin is death! The Greek word for death here is Thanatos, literally means death, the cessation of life. Romans 6:23 does not tell us that the wages of sin is eternal life in hell! We can’t read that in Romans or in any part of the Bible.

God is obvious. He gives eternal life to His saints and death to the wicked. To think that people will be burned in hell not just an hour, week, month, or year, but for eternity is not just SATANIC but also contradictory to what the Bible really says!

Proof number 3: The wicked will instantly be burned up!

If the wicked will not be burned in hell, am I saying that they will never be punished? Absolutely not! Here’s the astonishing truth that most Christians don’t know. The wicked will be burned in hell not forever but within a very short period of time! The wicked will be consumed entirely in just a few moments.

Here’s the proof. Let’s read Malachi 4:1-3:

“For behold, the day is coming,

Burning like an oven,

And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.

And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“That will leave them neither root nor branch.

But to you who fear My name

The Sun of Righteousness shall arise

With healing in His wings;

And you shall go out

And grow fat like stall-fed calves.

You shall trample the wicked,

FOR THEY SHALL BE ASHES UNDER THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET

On the day that I do this,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 4 is a prophecy talking about the Great Day of God when He will finally destroy the wicked. They will not be forever dancing, screaming, and suffering in hell, but they will be consumed instantaneously by the heat of the fire and become ashes.

Proof no. 4: The wicked will be destroyed in hell

If there’s one Person we should trust, it should be Jesus (Yahshua) the Messiah. From His mouth, we read about the truth. What did He say about those who willingly disobey God? He 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).

There’s no escaping the fact that God will surely destroy the wicked people and not let them forever live in hell. Mathew 10:28 also shows something that most Christians utterly fail to understand: there’s no such thing as an immortal soul. Christ is saying that the soul can be destroyed.

Christ was telling His audience here that when a man kills another man, the resulting death is temporary. God has the power to raise the dead. However, when God destroys a person in hell, the resulting death is eternal.

Proof no. 5: There’s no immortal soul

Part of the teaching of an ever-burning hell is the immortal soul. Some pastors and theologians teach that immediately after a person dies, he will either go up to heaven and enjoy paradise or be thrown into the lake of fire and there suffer for all eternity. Is this true? Does the dead continue on as some kind of a ghost having its own consciousness or a spirit roaming around in heaven, earth, or hell? Is there really an immortal soul?

Even if you go through the Bible, from cover to cover, you will never read the phrase “immortal soul.” In fact, you will read scriptures that contradict this popular doctrine.

When we die, King Solomon tells us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is NO work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” King Solomon was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write that when we die, we are like in a state of sleep. We are unconscious. We don’t have any knowledge of the things of the living. This is supported by Psalms 146:4.

Ezekiel 18:20 makes it very clear:

“The soul who sins shall die.”

So, instead of having an immortal soul that enables the wicked to be burned up in hell forever, people will die a physical death and cease to exist. They will lose any consciousness and will stay in the grave until the future resurrection of the dead.

Final Words

God is love, merciful, and just. Imagine if the doctrine of ever-burning hell is true, then how can the people who were saved receive the thought of seeing their loved ones burning forever in hell? How can God endure the sight of hundreds of people being burned alive without end?

Thankfully, the popular teaching of ever-burning hell is FALSE. As a matter of fact, it is a diabolic teaching inspired by Satan to make people hate God and turn away from Him. If you want to learn more about this vital topic, please request your free copy, “Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?”

I hope you now understand the truth. Please share this wonderful and awesome truth with other people who might be confused. Knowing this great truth about hell and the punishment of the wicked gives us the assurance that God is truly a loving and merciful God. His law and word are perfect. We can have the confidence that we are worshiping and serving a God with great compassion and wisdom.


Free booklet: Who is Satan

87 thoughts on “5 Surprising Biblical Proofs that God will NOT burn people forever in hell

  1. Pingback: 10 Biggest Lies Your Pastor Probably Had Told You | Becoming Christians

  2. You didn’t mention the rich guy that found himself in hell and didn’t want his brothers to come to this horrible place. It doesn’t sound like he was burnt up in an “instant”. There are also many other verses that you didn’t offer an explanation.

      • When people go to hell they don’t get out. If people didn’t burn in hell forever, then there would of been no reason for Jesus to die on the cross. Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. To save us from hell. But in order to go to Heaven you have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you don’t, you are an unforgiven sinner and go to hell. Mathew 13:42. This verse proves that hell is FOREVER.

      • Thank you for this information.

        Satan/Lucifer/devil is turned to Ashes and so it will be for everyone else that is thrown in the Lake of Fire.

        Ezekiel 28
        11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

        12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

        13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

        14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

        15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

        16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

        17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

        18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ASHES upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

        19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

        The Wicked will not burn in hell forever and ever
        Turn with me to John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever-lasting life. Those who don’t believe in Jesus will perish, not burn in hell forever.

        Now turn with me and read Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

        God is not just loving, but also merciful. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities Psalms 3:10. Ezekiel 18:32 adds, For I have NO pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’”

      • Hi Enoch,

        That’s a good point. Yes, it might be possible that Satan can also be turned to ashes. If he is a created being, surely, he can also be uncreated.

        So, yes, that can also be a possibility.

        Regards,
        Joshua

      • Study and learn more about the Holy Spirit. He will be your real teacher, comforter and friend. I care for your soul. God is a LOVING GOD BUT NEVER FORGET HE is a also a JUST GOD! Just to remind you HELL is REAL! I don’t want you to miss heaven, because if you MISS HEAVEN you will never MISS HELL!

      • Talking about what scripture says, nowhere in the Bible does it say that the rich man and Lazarus is an allegory either. Stop picking and choosing what supports your belief. I don’t know what hell is like and neither do you. What I do know is that I don’t want to go there for 1 second. What I do know is what Christ said about hell in Mark 9:43- If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. TRUST IN CHRIST JESUS!!!

      • Hi Lance,

        The Scripture can’t be broken. The Bible clearly tells us that no human being is in heaven right now. So, how do you explain the story of the rich man and Lazarus? That’s where you need to deeply understand its historical background and history tells us this is allegory.

        If you truly trust Yahshua, then you have to trust all the words that came from His mouth and that includes John 3:13.

        Regards,
        Joshua

    • You’re preaching a soft God that no one in their right mind would respect. If he won’t put you in eternal punishment than why fear him at all? Eternal punishment means exactly that whether you are dead or alive. Annihilationism is false and it’s unbiblical.

      • Please prove your point with Scripture. It’s easy to give opinions, but at the end, it’s not you who decide what is true or not. It is God. So, place your Bible verses to prove your point instead of saying things purely from personal view.

      • Let me recommend you read Erasing Hell by Francis Chan. He wrote a good book to counter the heresy you’re spreading.

      • I’ve read the same argument recycled over and over again. From the book title itself, you seem to have a wrong understanding of the point I’m trying to convey.

      • I agree. We are created in the image of God, which means that every human spirit is Forever. God cannot undo that. Nevertheless, Hell was never made for man who has an eternal soul. Hell was meant for the devils and demons. If man goes there, he chose to go to hell. The Apostasy states antibiblical thought which Jesus warned would come because people loved a lie, and gave into delusion. The simple truth is God is love so He came to warn us so that we would choose Heaven by accepting His Son Jesus Christ. Not one person need go to hell. It is simply accepting God’s gift of Jesus Christ and repenting of sin.

    • Warning about Hell Fire Punishment.Dont be Deceived by this Serpant who Deceived Adam&Eve.

      Revelation 14:11 says about Literal Hell:……There will be no rest day or night(Revelation 14:11)

      Note: If there is no Literal Hell Pain Forever,then Jesus never come to Die for our Sins.Jesus never Preach to his Discipeles to Risk their Lives to Save the Souls.

      • Hi Kavalla,

        Thanks for your reply.

        Here’s the verse:

        “He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:10-11).

        First off, if you read the whole context of this verse, the setting is on the earth, not in the lake of fire. Second, it is “the smoke” of the tormented that will ascend forever and ever.

        The phrase, they will have no rest day or night refers to the constant fear among those who worship the beast.

        This is just a quick response. I’m planning to write a full article about this in the future. For now, you may want to read this article: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/what-happens-after-death/will-the-torment-of-the-wicked-last-forever

        Regards,
        Joshua

      • You are correct. Jesus came to die and paid for our sins so we don’t have to suffer the penalty of sin -death. Hell and it’s consummation is just that – death! The wicked in God’s mercy to those who are not wicked as well as to the wicked, do not get to have life. His mercy endures forever! God said it! “Whoever believes…shall have everlasting life” The godly will NOT PERISH or be destroyed but in God’s mercy that endures forever, those who have chosen sin will be no more. Blessings and peace to all.

    • God is everlasting existence . All other beings and things come from him. He soon will continue His Kingdom of righteousness only. Those who fight Him will not ease to exist but cease to live. There first death is their separation of destructible temporal bodies from their created eternal souls and spirits. Their second death is continual separation from Him eternally in the Lake of Fire (the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy ) with torment but existing forever. All things and being come from Him , are created by Him and are eternal and controlled by Him for His sake only. He only loves those that choose to love, serve, and exist with Him. In 7 years after His church is Raptured (2021AD) , no evil will control or exist outside of Hell and in a millennium – none will exist outside of HisLake of Fire, but will continually die (be separate from God and never end being horribly destroyed). Who can stop the Eternal God . This said from one that He already lives in forever.

    • This is a parable………… Abraham’s bosom, really! A drop of water on the tongue quenches thirst in the furnace, really!! It’s really important for Christians to realize that the bible is comprised of 66 books. We need to read the books, not just a verse here and there.

    • Oh dear – all the cultist new Pentecostal literalist bible bigots and their over reliance on John’s Revelations trip out. Maybe some real scholarship on the history of the bible – the collation of it by Emperor Constantine and his Byzantine Bishops – 1st Council of Nicaea – Such medieval concepts – especially John’s Revelations. So incongruent with many of Jesus’s parables. The bigoted Pentecostal – so quick to disregard so much of the Gospel and rely on Old Testament – Tanakh. Such a mixed up contradictory lot. Unable to look at metaphor and allegory but take literally things that have been copied from much more Ancient Myth and Allegory. Your bigotry is truly childish in a medieval manner that underlines the “Us and Them” mentality of some puritan child burner.

    • IT’S A PARABLE! IT IS SPEAKING OF THE WAY THE PHARISEES TREATED THE POOR! Jesus was referring to the Greek mythology of Hades which some Jews believed, in particular the Pharisees who adopted some of the pagan beliefs and Jesus knew this, this the parable.

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  7. I really enjoyed your teaching on the Trinity because it is right on. However, I am not with the no eternal hell. I respect your position on the danger of a scare people with hell doctrine for salvation, but to tell them that unbelievers will not face the eternal punishment of fire is worse. In today’s watered down grace message where you are free to live unrighteous and do whatever yet skip into heaven and to tell them on top of this that there is no eternal punishment only empowers this false doctrine of casual carnal Christianity. Lets use Jesus’s own words in Matt 25:46 which states that the wicked will go to everlasting punishment. To your point of God not allowing his children to be sent to hell, he makes it clear that not all people are his children. John 8:44 – Lastly, I’ll leave you with the fact that we are spirit soul and body. Our spirits can NEVER die. Like it or not, we are made to live forever in one of two places. 2 Th 1:9 – Jude 1:7 – Rev 20:10-15 states that the devil and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire being tormented forever. Those that belonged to him and followed him in this life will have their place there as well. My prayer brother is that you and all believers earnestly seek truth. Please simply ask God whether there is everlasting torment for those that rejected him. He will show you. God bless!

    • Hi JPerry!

      I absolutely thank you for having the time to leave a comment. 🙂

      I know this is a huge topic, about heaven and hell. However, let me give you a summary.

      Matthew 25:46 tells us that the punishment of the wicked is eternal. However, this is eternal in a sense that their death will be permanent. They will not be resurrected ever again if they still refuse God when they are given the chance.

      I completely agree with you that not all people are God’s children. 🙂

      Again, II Thes 1:9 is telling us that their punishment is eternal in a sense that their death is eternal.

      Please note Romans 6:23. What is the wages of sin? It’s death, not eternal life in hell.

      Jude 1:7 uses the Greek word aionios for “eternal.” It is referring to the effect of fire to be eternal, but it’s not referring how long.

      Rev. 20:10-15, This is a little complicated to explain so allow me to quote from this link (https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/what-happens-after-death/are-some-tortured-forever-in-a-lake-of-fire):

      The Beast and False Prophet are human beings. While still alive, they will be cast into the lake of fire. “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).

      We see from Malachi 4:1-3 and Mark 9:47-48 that any human being thrown into the lake of fire will be destroyed. He will perish. But he will not be tormented for eternity.

      Revelation 20:10 is speaking of Satan the devil being cast into the lake of fire at the end of Christ’s 1,000-year reign. Reference to the Beast and False Prophet being cast in is only parenthetical here—as they will have died when that happened 1,000 years earlier. They will not still be burning there. Thus being tormented “forever and ever” applies principally to Satan—and presumably to his demonic cohorts as well (compare Matthew 25:41).

      Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the Greek phrase translated “forever and ever” here, eis tous aionas ton aionon, literally means “unto the ages of the ages.” While this might mean for eternity, it could also mean until the culmination of the ages, which would allow for an ending point soon after the casting into the fire.

      I highly recommend that you read this free booklet: Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Teach? (https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/heaven-and-hell-what-does-the-bible-really-teach)

      Thanks JPerry!

      • I enjoy this discussion as it is a staple in Christianity. How do you interpret Revelation 20:10? “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

      • Hi Ryan! Thanks for your question. Let me quote from this article: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/what-happens-after-death/are-some-tortured-forever-in-a-lake-of-fire

        Does this verse say that these two end-time individuals, the Beast and False Prophet, will be tormented for eternity?

        The Beast and False Prophet are human beings. While still alive, they will be cast into the lake of fire. “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).

        We see from Malachi 4:1-3 and Mark 9:47-48 that any human being thrown into the lake of fire will be destroyed. He will perish. But he will not be tormented for eternity.

        Revelation 20:10 is speaking of Satan the devil being cast into the lake of fire at the end of Christ’s 1,000-year reign. Reference to the Beast and False Prophet being cast in is only parenthetical here—as they will have died when that happened 1,000 years earlier. They will not still be burning there. Thus being tormented “forever and ever” applies principally to Satan—and presumably to his demonic cohorts as well (compare Matthew 25:41).

        Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the Greek phrase translated “forever and ever” here, eis tous aionas ton aionon, literally means “unto the ages of the ages.” While this might mean for eternity, it could also mean until the culmination of the ages, which would allow for an ending point soon after the casting into the fire.

        I hope this answered your question. Let me know. 🙂

      • I’m 70, autistic, and believed in Yahshua at 17. A few years later, I came to believe I blasphemed the Holy Spirit waking up from a dream where Satan was persecuting me to blaspheme The Spirit of God. Since then, I’ve thought I would burn in hell agonizing forever. On top of that, my autism cause me to take speech literally, unless I am very careful to be aware of context.

        I agree with the scriptures you use and think you are handling them carefully. After all, the idea is to go to heaven to be with God because They are so wonderful. I mostly think I will go to hell, (because I’m broken), and even I still want to be a good person, because simply, it’s better for everyone around me, and made in God’s image I wish to be loving and kind, even tho it often hurts to do so.

        I’m sad to see so many arguments adversarial y upset with you, warning you, without citing scripture or using out of context or adding human opinion as scripture. I’ve read the Bible over and over again and I’ve often had trouble with being boiled at 900°f or so, the approx. melting point of sulfer
        (brimstone).

        I’ve hidden scripture in my heart, not rembering chapter and verse so well, but God’s word seems to take root there. I forget the addresses, but not the meanings.

        Jesus says in a Gospel, “they who have sinned much will be punished with many strokes, they who have sinned little, with few strokes.”

        If I end up being punished, I trust God to be fair and merciful
        ( His Mercy endured forever). There is no way to punish someone little by burning someone alive without cessation. Unceasingly!

        Many people write back to you complaining that who would serve God without the fear of hell. It seems the message of Christ is more about how Valuable and Blessed Heaven is, not about loss. And if I’m being punished before being burned up, I’ll see that I was wrong and I’m going to miss out on being blissfully with our Father in Heaven, and it will be horrible!
        It’s says God won’t remember us. Don’t see where I’m Escaping anything by being punished,what ever God says is just, and then burned up.

        Maybe those who sin a lot will take longer to burn up, to be destroyed forever. The burn will be more agonizing knowing what you will miss out on, ya think?

        Anyway, I’m sure that only God would forgive me. I haven’t found very many perfectly loving people like God, lol! So I believed him with all my heart, and then got discouraged when I found out I still sinned. Oh, not I but my flesh, Paul writes.
        Hopefully my sin was not the unforgivable one. When I sin, I’m so sad for betraying God and it seems I have sinned every day of my life! It feels terrible because I don’t want to hate and hurt anyone, even as sinful as I am.

        And I’m not going to ask for anyone’s demise, I beg God to save everyone often, even if that won’t happen. I wished your detractors would remember, His mercy was given to recieve His Grace!

        Anyway, I hope your persecutors and stern warners back off a bit and remember to stop being smug about people being tortured without some end to it.
        Sadly, they sound like the adversary, not like the Paraclete. That kind of attitude won’t shine in Heaven, because only Love will be there. Yahshua said himself there would greater and lessor punishment, fairly dispensed at the judgment.

        Sorry Joshua, I’m going on and on and I want to thank you for sticking to the scriptures, the meaning of the words, and the context.

        I’ve told God, if my family who doesn’t believe, has to burn in agony forever because they were unbelievers,
        Then just kill me now and torture me with them. Because that does not sound like Love, nor His Voice.
        And I think I hear God say, “How much more will God do for you than your fathers who are sinfull!” Thanks for
        the bread and all the fish, God! God is better than us. People want to see others burn forever because we are vindictive.

        I pray that God will Bless you forever, and thanks for how you demonstrate much patience and love, not excusing sin, but forgiving souls, a gift from the Holy Spirit I judge, by what I’ve read and hidden in my heart. Thank you very much. If I don’t make it, it certainly won’t be your fault, lol.

        Sincerely
        Because I love the kindness Jesus taught me, even if it killed His Flesh and spilled His Holy Blood, so
        I love you too! With the bit of filthy rags I have, may He clothe me with His Rightousness so I can have some! Thank you God!
        Kril🐻‍❄️🙋‍♂️🙏

      • Joshua – you are wasting you words on the Pentecostal bigots. They really want “the others” to burn for eternity – that is their sin.

    • There is a big difference between the concept of hell taught through myths and legends (Greek mythology, Arianism) and that taught in scriptures. The above article gave 5 points about hell which are biblical. It is crucially important for Christians to know the two outcomes for mankind, at the judgment, when hell will be established. The outcome is either eternal life or perish. The Bible teaches that the wages of sin are death, not eternal torture.

      Unfortunately, many Christians get confused when the words forever and eternal are used in this context. To appreciate a better understanding of the context, one needs to read some more. Jude 1:7 uses the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah as examples of what will take place in the flames of hell. 2 Peter 2:6 compares Sodom & Gomorrah with hell, in fact, stating the same as an example of what is to come. The wicked turned to ashes in those two wicked cities and exactly the same will happen at the conclusion of the wicked. 2 Peter 2:9 tell us of the unjust being reserved for the day of judgment to be punished. I am quite sure that we all know what reserved means.

      Roman 6:23 – wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. The wages of sin are death, not eternal or forever burning in hell. Think of it this way; to burn forever means that the wicked have immortality, the same as the righteous, and surely that’s nonsense.

      Please read Malachi 4:1,3 – can you see the burnt state of the wicked, they are burnt to stubble and ashes. Also, read Psalm 37:10, 20. The wicked shall perish, they shall consume away like the fat of lamb.

      Revelation 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

      Imagine for a moment the saints enjoying a blissful and eternal life with God while hell is raging beneath, with loved ones being burnt forever, and forever……this is not biblical but greek mythology.

      God bless

    • There is a huge difference between that which is myth and legend and, that which is biblical. When Christ rose from the grave, he conquered hell, death, and the grave, in other words, death, which was previously our ultimate demise, no longer had a hold over us. Satan and the works of iniquity were nullified.

      The only weapon possessed by the devil is deception and lies. The doctrine of eternal torment is meant to show God as a sadistic, maniacal and tyrannical fiend. The devil lied to Eve in the garden by telling her that she would not die and, here he is again lying to us that God is going to burn and torture us throughout the ceasless ages of eternity.

    • Hi Daniel,

      Thanks for dropping by.

      Matthew 25:44-46 tells us:

      44 “Then they also will answer [d]Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

      It does not say burn forever in the lake of fire, but rather it says everlasting punishment. The death caused by the lake of fire is permanent death. There’s no hope for a future resurrection anymore. It is final and thus, it is “everlasting punishment” in a sense that the death of the wicked in the lake of fire is forever.

      II Thessalonians 1:9 tells us:

      These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

      Again, everlasting destruction here does not refer to burning forever in hell, but rather it talks about how permanent the destruction of the wicked thrown in the lake of fire. Their quick death is eternal and everlasting.

      I hope that answered your question, Daniel.

      Again, we read in the Bible that the reward of the righteous is eternal life. We don’t read anywhere in the Bible that the wicked will also be given eternal life in hell.

      Cheers,
      Joshua

      • Thanks for bringing this one up, Marion.

        Allow me to quote the explanation found here: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/heaven-and-hell-what-does-the-bible-really-teach/does-the-bible-speak-of-hellfire-that-lasts-forever

        First, notice the setting to which they refer—when Jesus “comes in His glory” (Matthew 25:31-32). We are told that He separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep represent the righteous (Matthew 25:34-40). At His return He sets the sheep at His right hand. The goats in this instance represent sinners. They are appointed to assemble on Jesus’ left hand. He then consigns the goats to “the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

        The word everlasting is translated from the Greek word aionios. The key to understanding this verse is knowing what will occur everlastingly. Does it refer to a fire that tortures without end, or does it have another meaning?

        In Matthew 25:46 Jesus spoke in a single sentence of everlasting (aionios) punishment and of life eternal (aionios). Since the righteous will be given eternal, or everlasting, life, many theologians believe the punishing of the wicked must last as long as the life given to the righteous. But this cannot be reconciled with the statement that those cast into the lake of fire perish—they are killed. As explained elsewhere, they suffer death—the second death (Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6, Revelation 14:1-20; Revelation 21:8).

        A plain and simple meaning of Matthew 25:46 that fits with the rest of the Bible is that the wicked are cast into a fire that annihilates them—renders them forever extinct. The resulting punishment of being cast into the aionios fire is a one-time event. It is a permanent punishment, the results of which will remain forever—that is, eternal death. It is not ongoing punishing that continues forever without end. This is the only explanation that agrees with the rest of the Scriptures.

        An additional point needs to be made regarding the meaning of aionios. Genesis 19 describes God’s destruction of two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, for their wickedness: “Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah” (Genesis 19:24). They were utterly destroyed—consumed by fire.

        In the New Testament, the book of Jude describes these cities as “suffering the vengeance of eternal [aionios] fire” (Jude 1:7). Yet it is obvious that the fires that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah are not still burning. In the case of these cities and in the case of the wicked, who are consigned to aionios fire, the fire burns and completely destroys. But the eternal aspect of the fire is its everlasting effect, not how long it actually burns.

    • The phrase everlasting punishment in Matthew 25:46 corroborates other verses such as Matthew 13:40-42 or, Revelation 21:8, but the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolator, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Second death here is where both the body and the soul perish forever; not forever perishing or suffering in flames but, will be forever dead, gone, annihilated, destroyed, consumed, burnt to stubble, never to come alive again…

      Jude 1:7
      even as Sodom & Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an EXAMPLE, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

      Let me ask you this, although the fire that destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah was dubbed as eternal, please tell me, is that fire burning now? Sodom & Gomorrah were consumed forever and were never rebuilt again.

      It is such as wonderful thing when the bible uses earthly analogies to convey a deeper meaning e.g, in Matthew 3:12 we read; whose fan is in his hand, and she will thoroughly purge his threshing floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

      Here we have the chaff (husks of corn or other seed separated by winnowing or threshing ) being burnt up with unquenchable fire. Anyone who knows about burning dried husks will comprehend how quickly the flames spread as it burns the husks. You simply cannot put out such a flame however, the same is extinguished once all the husks have been burnt up.

      Likewise, sinners and everything evil will be burnt up in the unquenchable fire, i.e, there will be no one, no fire brigade, no water-chain gang to put out the fires of hell. It will burn until its work is complete; the last enemy to be consumed is death (glory to God).

      Read carefully 2 Thessalonians 1:9 which states: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.

      NB; everlasting destruction……..in other words: forever destroyed or totally annihilated.

      Revelation 20:14-15…..And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

      Psalm 145:20, The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

  8. Hoe can you be so sure Malachi 4 is clearly talking about the destruction of Jerusalem and the prophet john the baptist. The end of the Jewish genealogies. John the baptist confirms by saying who warned you to flee from the coming wrath. Those people (pharisees ect) were coming to Johns and he and Jesus warned them of becoming stubble and burned up with fire and a day of peace and healing and wrath. Did God not speak clearly or what are your views on the matter. It even says he will mite the earth (Ha eretz) the land of Israel was called just that. with a curse.

  9. Wow. You are as wrong about this topic as you say the NIV is about Biblical translation. I don’t understand how you can take what God clearly shows about an eternal hell/lake of fire, and say its just not going to happen. To say that, and believe that, is anathema to what God and Jesus tell us. Yes, God is loving and merciful, but he is also just–He is our eternal Judge. He created hell for Satan and his angels but it is we ourselves that determine if we go there too, by not giving our lives to Christ alone for salvation. WE make that choice. You may tout yourself as a “Biblical scholar” of sorts, but when you start spouting CLEARLY false teachings like this, you are dipping into the area of being a Biblical charlatan. Use GREAT caution.

    • Hey Jill!

      Thanks for your comment. However, it is easy to accuse others without providing biblical proofs.

      I would suggest that you provide biblical evidence that will support the teaching that God is sadist and cruel that He will burn people in hell for eternity.

      If you can’t provide your proof, then it only shows who is teaching false doctrine.

      Regards,
      Joshua

  10. You are assuming God is always a loving God and you suggest he doesnt have it in him to allow us to stay in Hell forever regardless if its a lake of fire or if its some other punishment in hell. Throughout the Bible it tells us how God is a jealous God. In John it tells us when Jesus was so upset that he made a whip and chased people out of the temple yelling at them, flipping over tables because they turned it into a market place. So Im not saying you are wrong I not saying you are right. But the way you come off to others is that you know this to be true and Im telling you right now that you are wrong for assuming your way is the right way. We should bring out the importance knowing that there most definitely IS a hell and you dont want to end up there regardless. Im more interested in learning how to get to heaven. As I know Peter talks abut the 3rd level of heaven, so how many levels are there? Is accepting Christ the only way? or will people who lived very moral lives and helped others while on earth be accepted but maybe on a different level? There are so many ways to interpret scriptures.

    • Hey Mark!

      Thanks for your comment.

      First of all, I’m not assuming that God is always loving, but I’m sure He is love and all that He does is out of love. How do I know? Because the Bible tells us so. If you don’t believe the Bible, then I’m not here to force you to do so.

      God is jealous for our own good. He is jealous for our sake. If you are a loving husband to your wife, would you simply let her commit adultery with others? Won’t you feel jealous? If you would be honest with your answer, you would understand better why God is jealous. I’m planning to write an article about this in future. So, stick around. 🙂

      Jesus, or Yahshua, is angry because people made the House of God as a house of business. This is righteous angry which is something that we all should learn from Christ.

      Yes, there are three heavens mentioned in the Bible. If you want to read more about it, please go here: https://becomingchristians.com/2013/08/28/three-types-of-heaven-mentioned-in-the-bible/

      The Bible tells us that there’s no other name given under heaven that we all should be saved. So, yes, Yahshua is the only way to receive salvation given to us by our Heavenly Father.

      People can be good as much as they want, but if they don’t accept God’s purpose and will in their lives, they won’t still receive eternal life.

      Yes, there are a lot of ways people interpret the Bible, but there’s only one absolute truth.

      Regards,
      Joshua

    • Amen God He is a God of Love but He also is A God of wrath!!!And He aint to be played with and you right He is a jealous God and we do not want to fall up under His Judgement He never attended for us to go to Hell thats a choice we have to make and the wages of sin is death I believe spiritual death being aliened like we once was from God and according to scripture like Yeshua said to be cast into hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth now Yeshua said that and to me that sounds like torment and I sure do not want to find out will it be eternal torment or consumed ijs.

  11. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God has planted “ETERNITY” into our hearts. God made us as eternal beings. Our Spirit cannot be destroyed.

    My name is Alan Finch, and 44 years ago, I submitted myself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

    In May of 2014, I began writing a document that addresses the Biblical issue of: “is there really going to be eternal torment in a physical Lake of Fire?” “is there really going to be eternal annihilation” “to give a biblical answer to the question of, if there is no eternal torment in a physical Lake of Fire, and there is no eternal annihilation of our very being, then what are we being saved from, and what is our purpose for being here during this present time really all about”

    When I first started writing this document, it was 12 pages in length, it now has grown to be 30 pages in length. Obviously the document is much too long to post in this comment section, but If anyone would like a copy of my 30 page document, email me at and I will be more than happy to email you a copy.

    • Thanks for your comment.

      May I know what you mean by spirit? The Bible tells us that the spirit goes back to Yahweh, but our soul (physical body) will die. Spirit and soul are different thing. The Bible reveals people will die immediately in the lake of fire and not be tormented forever.

      • Okay maybe we do not know about if the Lake of Fire will be eternal torment or not but however scriptures Yeshua himself talks about Hells fire and He mentions about those who will be casted into it that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth TORMENT so there is no way around that and Yeshua cannot lie or make up something but dont literally mean it God”s word is His bound and not a lie Hell is real and if it aint then our preaching is in vain He is a God of Love (Agape) and He is also a God of wrath.So please sir give me the scripture that say Hell doesnt exist then maybe I can believe you ijs.

      • Hi Jacovin!

        I never mentioned that hell doesn’t exist. It does and it is as real as heaven is. However, there are just a lot of misunderstanding about hell.

        So, I hope you re-read my blog above to ensure you understand my main points.

        Regards,
        Joshua

  12. The Lake of Fire is symbolic for the refining FIRE from God’s Spirit that will begin a “Divine Spiritual Transformation” that will LAST FOREVER in each individual who will stand before the Lord at the “Great Throne Judgment.”

    My name is Alan Finch, and 44 years ago, I submitted myself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

    In May of 2014, I began writing a document that addresses the Biblical issue of: “is there really going to be eternal torment in a physical Lake of Fire?” “is there really going to be eternal annihilation?” “to give a biblical answer to the question of, if there is no eternal torment in a physical Lake of Fire, and there is no eternal annihilation of our very being, then what are we being saved from, and what is our purpose for being here during this present time really all about?”

    When I first started writing this document, it was 12 pages in length, it now has grown to be 30 pages in length. Obviously the document is much too long to post in this comment section, but If anyone would like a copy of my 30 page document, email me at: (candy33alan@aol.com) and I will be more than happy to email you a copy.

    • Hi Alan!

      Thanks for your comment.

      I’m curious, where is in the scripture that says this:

      The Lake of Fire is symbolic for the refining FIRE from God’s Spirit that will begin a “Divine Spiritual Transformation” that will LAST FOREVER in each individual who will stand before the Lord at the “Great Throne Judgment.”

      The Bible is clear that Hell is literally a lake of fire where the wicked will be thrown into during the judgment day.

      Regards,
      Joshua

      • Hi Joshua, today, I just noticed your reply to my comment on what I posted in January of 2021. The reason why that I spent several years in putting together a 31 page document that Biblically expounds in great detail on our eternal destiny, is for the purpose of leaving no stone unturned in presenting the Biblical truth on this subject.

        Now, if you really want to know my Biblical answers to any questions that you may have, just email me at: (candy33alan@aol.com) and I will gladly send you a copy on my 31 page document. Below is just a little bit of what I present in my article.

        Published by the Pittsburg Bible Institute:“The Lake of Fire and Brimstone signifies a fire burning with brimstone; the word ‘brimstone’ or sulphur defines the character of the fire. The Greek word THEION translated ‘brimstone’ is exactly the same word THEION which means ‘divine.’ (emphasis mine) Sulphur was sacred to the deity among the ancient Greeks; and was used to fumigate, to purify, and to cleanse and consecrate to the deity; for this purpose they burned it in their incense.

        In Homer’s Iliad (16:228), one is spoken of as purifying a goblet with fire and brimstone. The verb derived from THEION is THEIOO, which means to hallow, to make divine, or to dedicate to a god (See Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon, 1897 Edition).To any Greek, or any trained in the Greek language, a ‘lake of fire and brimstone’ would mean a ‘lake of divine purification.’ The idea of judgment need not be excluded. Divine purification and divine consecration are the plain meaning in ancient Greek. In the ordinary explanation, this fundamental meaning of the word is entirely left out, and nothing but eternal torment is associated with it.”

        Charles Pridgeon; Is Hell Eternal, or Will God’s Plan Fail; pgs 116 & 117.

        Here, Brother Pridgeon makes a vital point: brimstone is for purification, not punishment. This thought went unquestioned until the Dark Ages. His purpose was understood to purify and consecrate, not separate and punish. This Lake of Divine Fire will purify, refine, restore and consecrate til there is nothing left that is contrary to Him. An interesting note here, going along with the train of thought is that the Greek word for fire is pur, and is where we get such words as pure, purify and purgatory. Fire in this sense is for purification, not destruction.
        I have spent the last several years in putting together a 31 page document in which I Biblically expound in great detail about all that is involved with this subject. If anyone would like a copy of my 31 page document, email me at: (candy33alan@aol.com) and I will email you a copy. Below is just a sample of all that my document contains.

        While I am at it, I might as well share with you some wonderful feedback that I have received from those who have read my article.

        *Good morning Alan,
        Your wonderful comment about universalism greatly touched my heart. My eyes have only recently been opened to that sublime truth and the way you stated the case was music to my ears – and my heart. Excellent teaching. Thank you very much.

        I just happened upon your comment in my search for more understanding about the sweet truth and extremely “Good News” about God’s intention to eventually gather ALL of us back to Himself. And your comment did indeed increase my understanding of this marvelous subject, so I’m in your debt.
        I don’t think I’m dreaming when I envision the entire world being transformed by this teaching. I hope to follow your lead, Alan, and play a part in spreading this “heretical” teaching, because I believe that it is anything but. The heresy is the traditional teaching of damnationism. What a slur upon God’s loving character. I seriously have to question myself for ever having bought into such insanity. And for sooo long.
        Thank you again, Alan, for your balanced and well thought out comment. You have enriched me. Robert.
        ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

        *Hi Alan,
        Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your thoughts in the comments section. And thanks for sharing the context and validation for writing it as well.

        I have been struggling quite a bit with the concept of Hell and found your comments right at a time when I was deciding that I simply have to believe that we must have understood something wrong. I simply can’t fit eternal pain for no other reason than punishment with my experience of unconditional love. It doesnt compute and I believe it is keeping a lot of people away from God.

        With blessings,
        Teemu Mäki-Patola

        …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
        *Good evening Mr. Alan Finch. Can you please send me a copy of your article… “What is the Good News of the Gospel of Christ?”
        I read it on Facebook but would like to print and read it again. It’s fascinating and brought me a lot of joy/understanding that I haven’t had in quite a while.
        Thank you
        Sincerely Christina
        *Alan,
        I enjoyed your article and it has confirmed so much for me. Thanks!

        “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” -Jesus Christ-

        Alec Martin
        Fatherhood Initiative
        alecfatherhood@gmail.com
        334.306.8267
        …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
        *Hello Alan, I read your comment on the “Hell in the Bible” post on branzenchurch.com and would like to accept your offer of a copy of the complete writing that you’ve done on the subject. I have been wrestling with the subject of hell for a while now but still have some unanswered questions. It sounds like your writings may be helpful to me as I continue to work through this.
        Thanks for all the work you’ve done!
        Blessings, Patti

        *Thank you so much for your knowledge and commitment to the good fight.
        Randy Brasier Jasper Products, LLC 3877 E 27th Street Joplin, MO 64804 417-206-3877
        …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
        *Please send me an e copy.
        Thank you. Very enlightening. I found your insights refreshing. Well done.
        Robert Bondurant
        …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
        *Hi Alan,
        Could you please send me a copy of your article on Hell?
        I have been struggling with this issue throughout my life but especially in the last 17 and a 1/2 months. As my Dad died in September 2016!…….

        Blessings,
        Heidi
        ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

        *Dear Alan, I am requesting your article on hell as I saw your comment on Brazen Church , com. I have been struggling in my search for biblical truth for quite some time and the more I search the more confusion I am experiencing. I keep praying, but still tortured by confusion. I am so turned off by main stream Christianity. I am feeling so desperate for truth. Help. Thanks for the opportunity to benefit from your knowledge.

        Raven
        *From: Nicholas Diedrich nickydiedrich@hotmail.com

        Hey, I was reading your message on crossexamined.org and was hoping to get a link to the 22 page article you were talking about. I found your message really interesting and would like to learn more. Thank you.

        I just finished the article. Wow! What a powerful message! I have always had severe doubts about eternal damnation. Thank you for taking the time to research and write your article and for sending it to me. It really has renewed my faith in the scriptures and sparked my interest to learn more. I hope to hear back from you.

        …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

        Thank you so much. I was a pastor for years (l’m 68 now) and l preached and taught ECT. I always struggled with it as it violated my conscience and seemed inconsistent with the attributes and nature of God. As l enter the winter season of life l find this doctrine not giving me any peace–no assurance in the final season of life. It has shrouded what l once preached as “good news”. I began to question if we’ve had 2000 years of bad interpretation concerning Hell and how God intends to use it. I came across your article and it has been very helpful. Ron

        ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

        *Thank you Alan!

        I just read it and sent a copy to my dad. It’s wonderful. God bless you!

        Sarah

        ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

        *Thank you Alan, Your article is fantastic.

        James Franklin
        ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

        *Alan,

        Thank you for this! I read this whole article yesterday afternoon and it blew my mind and heart wide open. Your time and diligence in writing this is appreciated and has impacted me deeply. Yesterday morning I woke up with the words, “THE WHOLE WORLD HAS TO KNOW”, echoing in my soul. I didn’t know what this meant but was on the lookout and shortly after came across your email. I believe with my whole heart what I heard yesterday morning from Spirit was directed towards the truths that you highlighted in your article. This is very big news and I look forward to diving more deeply into understanding more. Thank you again for your time, and for getting back to me! I am sharing your article with many friends already. Stay faithful, your voice is heard and your seeking heart is ever appreciated!

        In Him, Kelsi
        *Dear Alan,

        Thank you so much for this article, it has been extremely helpful and a great encouragement to my wife and me. Like you, we have been Christians for about forty years and only recently (I can’t believe it took so long) began to feel extremely uncomfortable about the idea of an eternal hell of conscious torment and suffering for unbelievers. What happens is, I think, a bit like the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The Emperor is actually naked but everyone exclaims what an elegant and beautiful outfit he is wearing because they’ve been told that only intelligent, sophisticated people can appreciate the subtle quality of the suit. No-one dares state the obvious until a small child shouts out that he’s not wearing anything at all. It’s like that in the church today with so many of the things you’ve written about in your excellent article. It’s time to wake up.
        Have a great week and I pray for you that 2021 will be a wonderful year of peace and ever-deepening intimacy with our beautiful Saviour and Lord, Jesus.

        Graham

        ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
        *Hi Alan
        Just a quick note to say thank you very much for your paper, it was an incredibly interesting read.
        I hadn’t really studied what was installed for us in the afterlife as I presumed it would be Sheol for the unbelievers and unfaithful; the ones strong in Christ and the martyrs, I believed would rule and reign with Jesus after the millennium but with your thorough explanations, I now know the former is not true, quite a revelation for me and will now go back over the New testament to gain a clearer understanding. I will also go back over your paper for a more in depth look.
        Thanks once again, I’m very glad I came across your comments or was I lead?
        Bless you and your wife in Phoenix, from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
        Regards,
        Tim Rogers
        ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
        *To: you
        Awesome article, you put a lot of time and effort into it and it was truly a joy to read.

        Thanks,
        Dewayne

        *Hi Alan,

        Thank you for responding. I read your paper once today. I thought it was very clear, concise, and to the point. A couple of times a question would pop in my head, and would be answered as I read further.

        …………………………………………………………………………….

        *This is great, thank you so much! It will help my future studies tremendously. Peace and blessings brother Alan.

  13. Warning about Hell Fire Punishment.Dont be Deceived by this Serpant who Deceived Adam&Eve.

    Revelation 14:11 says about Literal Hell:……There will be no rest day or night(Revelation 14:11)

    Note: If there is no Literal Hell Pain Forever,then Jesus never come to Die for our Sins.Jesus never Preach to his Discipeles to Risk their Lives to Save the Souls.Repent now !

  14. remember our God is a loving and caring God, but dat does not mean he is not a consuming fire, hell and heaven is for eternity

      • Hi,
        How long do you think sinners will be in torment before being big totally burned up? Until the day of Judgement?
        Thanks
        Phil

      • Thanks Josh. What about the verse about wailing and gnashing of teeth, it seems that there will be a period of torment before being burned up, could that be between a persons first death and the second death?
        Thanks

      • Hi Phil! Thanks for your reply. The wailing and gnashing of teeth is a phrase that describes the mental state of the people wo knew that they will be thrown to the lake of fire.

      • Thanks Josh,
        Is there any indication in scripture as to how long that period of wailing/gnashing of teeth will be before being burned up in the Lake of fire

  15. Okay I will ask you like I ask others about what the Bible say about Hell even Yeshua preached more about Hell then He did about Heaven there are many scriptures that warns us about Hell and even in Revelation it mentions I believe when Judgment day starts the scripture mentions that Hell or Hades will give up the dead that was in it and I do remember the story that Yeshua mentions about the rich man and Lazarus it was a place of torment and to say that was a lie is to say that Yeshua and the whole Bible is a lie well it still is and there is no scriptures to prove that Hell do not exist a place of torment now there is no scripture that states the Lake of fire will consume the ones who will be cast into it or if it will be eternal torment all it says is those who names are not written in The Book of Life they will be cast into the lake of fire which is the Second Death either way it aint good but once again scripture Yeshua Himself mentions Hell fire a place of torment and Yes God is A God of Love (Agape) but He also is a God of Wrath you better read the Old Testament and not to mention the wrath of God after Yeshua mentioned in Matthew 24 comes for His Elect those who have rejected Him simply as this the sinners and wicked and God loves us so much that he gave us His Best Gift His only begotten Son Yeshua so if hell aint real heaven must not be neither and our preaching is in vain so stop adding and taking out of scripture very dangers so if those scriptures that mentions hell wasnt in the Bible then maybe you would have caused me to believe you ijs

  16. Hello brother Josh
    I believe somewhat like you
    Dust made mortals are we who sleep
    Plus Ezek 28 says devil burned to ashes and death
    Jude says Sodom is an example of eternal fire
    Eternal fire not literal because
    Lam 4: 6 says gone in a moment with no hands staying on like Jerusalem’s siege
    Also 2 Peter 2 says Sodom was overthrown by God to extinction and ashes
    Isaiah 34 is original language
    The people were dead
    Animals took over afterward
    Language not literal
    Mark 9 worm is from Isaiah 66
    They too were dead
    Wages of disobedience = death
    Jesus did not burn forever on cross, He died ( Praise You O Lord 100%! )
    I do think some are beat with more blows than others so to speak
    Obedience is what God disciplines for
    Lord love you 100%!

  17. The lake of fire is real and it’s different from hell
    Jesus went to hell or hades to take the key from Satan
    Revelations 20:1-3
    Revelations 21:8
    The Cowardly
    The Faithless
    The detestable
    The Murderers
    The Sexually Immoral (sodomites aka gays)
    The Sorcerers
    The Idolaters
    The Liars
    Will burn with fire 🔥 🔥 🔥
    This is called the second death
    The first death was the flood

  18. Rationalization is the second strongest human drive.
    People want to excuse their behavior and it’s why they insert their own words and meanings, but to only benefit them. Never once holding themselves accountable. It’s how all these fake religions have been born into existence over time. People who want to create their own Bible that excuses their bad behavior.
    People have to know their actions in this life have consequences. Even if they don’t get them in their first life, they definitely will once they get judged. Only thing I can do is pray God have mercy on their souls. I fear God’s wrath. He can literally make anything out of anything. That’s scary to know.

  19. Praise the Lord for your work and patience. This topic is very emotional for many people. One reason people choose to listen to fables and Greek mythology might be because of their inability to forgive others who wronged them. Hence the doctrine of immortal souls burning forever is cathartic for them. They project their own vindictiveness onto God, thus, changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like a corruptible man, as Romans 1:23 says. And due to the sheer amount of ministers of darkness preaching this pagan myth and years of brainwashing in the media, it becomes pretty easy to believe this lie and eventually fall away.

    The Bible is clear, the wages of sin is death, not eternal life in hell in ANY way shape, or form. If we believe in eternal torment and undying souls, we need to take all those verses out of the Bible that you’ve shown and many others that bluntly preach the opposite of this pagan myth.

      • Hi Josh I hear of people having near death experience’s saying they see Hell and people burning alive are these people imaging this?

      • I might say yes. As far as the Scripture is concerned, that’s not biblically accurate. Moreover, I would say that people who are near death can have various neurological experiences that might make them think they see heaven or hell.

  20. Straight up, if people reject Jesus there is no place for you in Heaven, nor an alternate nicer place. God is Love! Do you not think that it doesnt cause God an undetermined amount of pain when he losses a soul that should be with him due to the treachery of Satan and his twisted minions?!!? In our culture today, many are being deceived that we re all accepted no matter what we do sin wise, whatever religion we are and that we ll all make it. You can change your sex, sleep with whatever sex you want, kill as many babies as you feel, watch all the porn you want, take all the drugs and alcohol possible, kill, cheat steal adulterate and on and on it doesnt matter by many because they think we re all making it!

    Sorry but they re not unless they repent and accept Jesus because per the Bible you cannot come to the Father but through the Son (Jesus). There is a God that is a balance of Love, Justice, Anger and much more. There IS a GOD that is the balance of hell fire and brimstone and Love!! Sodom and Gomorrah was warned and they still would not repent but chose perversion over repentance. God will NOT be mocked.

    The Bible also says we don t know the mind of God. He is complex and we can t begin to handle it with our small brains although many try to poo poo him with their pea brain God bless em. Many people in our world die today not ever hearing about Jesus. It isnt hard to figure out that if Jesus preached in hell after the cross, giving those people a second chance, then he will make a way for those that have never had a chance to hear about him to make their freewill choice upon/after their death. I’d make my choice prior to that though.

    If any non believers ever find themselves just in the afterlife and you re still on the fence about God i’d call out to him immediately, repent and believe in him with your whole heart because you ll see things right away that should let you know you re not in disneyland. The Bible says ALL THAT CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED!! At the point you find yourself at the door to hell you d have NOTHING to lose! Maybe it won t work but maybe just maybe it will because as previously stated we don t know his mind and our GOD is a merciful GOD and he gives way more chances than many especially in the area of forgiveness.

    I also know this, why wait until death and risk it. If you accept him life doesnt get easier at all. Im a sinner but what I do with my sin and life is try to do away with my bad habits and repent when im aware I messed up and apologize to those i’ve offended or done wrong to if able. So if you re a praying person reading this please pray for me because even though Jesus is my savior I am far from perfect and have battles Im dealing with but thank God through grace we are saved!

    If you want to get saved right now it is very easy. Just ask him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart. Thats the very short version but once you ve taken that step just know this, satan is going to throw things at you to make things harder. People will hate you for being a christian and follower of Jesus. It s so shameful that they demand tolerance for the evil they do in our society yet scoff, mock and hate a person for trying to be good and follow Jesus. One of my faves is people that say you re weak depending on a religion or fictional God. Lol they make a point but for God when they say this because its quite the opposite! You ll be attacked for being a believer and it takes a strong person to handle that with the help of Father and Son!!

    The Bible tells us we will be persecuted for being followers. Father and Jesus will help you get through it and the race we run is usually a long one and not a sprint. Now find a good Church which can be a minefield but be persistent, read the Bible cover to cover and find a good mentor that can help you in your walk because it is an in depth day to day walk. Be strong and courageous for the Lord is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9.

  21. If what you say is true, then how do you explain that Our lady of Fatima show hell as a place where people were being burn in hell with demons to the children? And how do you explain the God show sister Faustina hell with burning souls. Are you saying that our lady of Fatima and sister Faustina are of God or made up by the church.? Let see you explain yourself out of this one or not answer me because you don’t know what to say. I am waiting for an answer Either the Virgin Mary is a fake or your explanations are wrong.

    • You can believe Faustina or Our lady of Fatima. However, as for me, I will only believe what God’s word say. It’s quite scary for me how you depend what you believe on human beings rather than God.

  22. I enjoyed your article on the NIV, but in seeing the links on food laws and on hell, I was most disappointed. You used “His children” to refer to the damned. That is incredibly wrong -sinners are children of Satan – just like most of the Pharisees. One has to be adopted into God’s family to be his child – just read John 1. Believing in Annihilation is nothing new, and is a cardinal belief of Seventh Day Adventism, but it contradicts the Bible and the plain meaning of words. This article by Denny Burk from TGC is more faithful to the whole body of scripture IMHO. I do not think you understand the depth of what man’s rebellion through sin and his rejection of Christ really is. God would never have sent his only Son to be brutalized and die simply to save people from a torturous death – he came to save them from a Christ-less eternity in hell. Look at God judgments throughout history and even what he allows evil people like Hamas and the North Koreans to do to his children

    Hell is a place of eternal, conscious torment for everyone who does not trust in Jesus Christ. Hell involves final separation from God’s mercy and from God’s people, unending experience of divine judgment, and just retribution for sin.

    SUMMARY

    Jesus himself speaks more about hell than any other figure in scripture. Jesus’s teaching relies on Old Testament depictions of final judgment (Isa. 66:22–24; Jer. 7:32–8:3). The Bible describes hell as a place of eternal conscious torment. Eternal conscious torment has been the majority position of the Christian church throughout its 2,000-year history. In the modern era, other views have emerged among Protestants as rivals to the church’s traditional teaching. These alternatives include annihilationism and universalism. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches that Hell involves final separation from God’s mercy and from God’s people, unending experience of divine judgment, and just retribution for sin. By definition, these three characteristics of Hell rule out the annihilationist position (which denies that the torments of hell are everlasting), the universalist position (which holds that all people will eventually be saved), and the notion of purgatory (which views the flames of final judgment as a potential gateway to eternal life).

    The person who talks most about hell in Scripture is none other than Jesus himself. Indeed, except for James 3:6, the only person even to use the word hell in scripture is Jesus.

    “Whoever shall say, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the hell of fire” (Matt. 5:22).
    “It is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matt. 5:29, 30).
    “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
    “It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the hell of fire” (Matt. 18:9).
    “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (Matt. 23:15).
    “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?” (Matt. 23:33).
    “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43).
    “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having your two feet, to be cast into hell” (Mark 9:45).
    “If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:47–48).
    “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4–5).
    The only other place where the term hell appears in the Bible is James 3:6, “and the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.”

    Hell in Scripture

    The term rendered as “hell” (sometimes transliterated as Gehenna) is the Greek term geenna, which derives from the Hebrew gê hinnōm, which means “Valley of Hinnom.” Contrary to a popular and long-running misunderstanding, there is no evidence that the Valley of Hinnom was ever used as a garbage dump. Among first century Jews, Hinnom was best known as the site of child sacrifices to the idol Molech during the era of the kings (2Kgs. 16:3; 21:6) and where God’s judgment would eventually fall on his enemies. Child sacrifice so provoked the Lord to anger that Jeremiah prophesied God would destroy these idolaters in the Valley of Hinnom and would leave their corpses to rot. There would be so many corpses that there would be no room to bury them all and that the valley would be renamed “Valley of Slaughter” (Jer. 7:31-34, NIV).

    This valley’s association with fire and judgment is the background for the term’s appearance in the Gospels, where Jesus refers to Gehenna as the place of final judgment (Jeremias). Twice in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calls it the “hell of fire” (Matt. 5:22, 18:9). In Mark’s Gospel also, Jesus describes hell as a place where the worm never dies (Mark 9:48a) and the fire is never quenched (Mark 9:43, 48b). When Jesus speaks of the undying worm and unquenchable fire, he alludes directly to the prophecy in the final chapter of Isaiah, which says:

    “For just as the new heavens and the new earth

    Which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord,

    “So your offspring and your name will endure.

    “And it shall be from new moon to new moon

    And from sabbath to sabbath,

    All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord.

    “Then they will go forth and look

    On the corpses of the men

    Who have transgressed against Me.

    For their worm will not die

    And their fire will not be quenched;

    And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”

    Verse 22 identifies the “new heavens and the new earth” as the context for the latter statement about judgment, indicating that Isaiah is looking far beyond the immediate events of his own day to the eschatological renewal of heaven and earth (see Block in Hell Under Fire). God promises to create a “new heavens and new earth” after the last judgment (Isa. 65:17). This new place will be a domain in which there is no more weeping (Isa. 65:19), no more untimely death (Isa. 65:20), no more want (Isa. 65:21–22), no more bloody conflict or evil (Isa. 65:25). It is a place of God’s presence and comfort for all of God’s people. “All nations and languages” will eventually see God’s glory and declare it (Isa. 66:18–19 NIV).

    But the wicked will not share in the joy of this new creation. In fact, the worshipers inhabiting the new heavens and the new earth will be able to see that the lot of those who “rebelled” against God is very different from their own. As the worshipers leave the temple, they see the corpses of the Lord’s enemies strewn about what is most likely the Valley of Hinnom (cf. Jer. 7:32–8:3). Hinnom is the very place where Ahaz and Manasseh burned human sacrifices to the false god Molech (2Kgs. 16:3; 21:6), and it would explain why this place became associated with fire. These enemies will be separated from the joys of the “new heavens and the new earth” and will instead undergo the judgment of fire and worm (Isa. 66:24). The worm pictures the disgrace of decaying bodies left exposed after their defeat. Isaiah commentator Gary Smith suggests that the image may be growing out of the scene in Isaiah 37:36, where “the decomposing carcasses of the 185,000 Assyrian troops that were left to rot in the fields around Jerusalem when God defeated the army of Sennacherib.” Isaiah elsewhere invokes fire as an image of God’s holy presence (e.g., Isa. 33:14), and the fire may appear here as a just recompense for those who caused innocents to pass through the fire of Molech. In any case, both the worm and the fire are vivid images of the horror that is to come for the damned.

    Jesus’s statements about hell are directly drawing on Isaiah’s eschatological vision of the final judgment. Jesus has named the place of final punishment “Hell” (i.e., Gehenna/Valley of Hinnom) after the imagery in Isaiah 66:22–24 and Jeremiah 7:31–34. Like the Valley of Hinnom, hell is to be a place of torment, fire, worm, and death. John the Baptist also accesses the language of Isaiah 66:24 to describe the final judgment of the damned as “unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17). In the Old Testament, God’s fiery presence has a binary effect. It sanctifies and guides his chosen people (e.g., Exod. 3:2, 13:21, 24:16-17; Deut. 4:12; Isa. 6:6-7), but it punishes and destroys unrepentant sinners (e.g., Lev. 10:2; Num. 11:1, 16:35). Just the Old Testament depicts God’s presence and wrath as fire (Isaiah 33:14), so also the New Testament uses fire to describe God’s hot wrath at the final judgment in a place called hell.

    The Nature of Hell as Final Judgment

    For most church history across every branch of Christianity, Christians have understood the Bible’s teaching about final judgment and Jesus’s teaching about hell to describe a place of endless conscious torment. This teaching, however, has become the subject of a great deal of controversy in the modern era in the West. John Stott has perhaps summed up for all time the visceral reaction many people have to the idea of hell as eternal conscious torment. He writes, “I find the concept intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterizing their feelings or cracking under the strain” (see Evangelical Essentials). This line of thinking has led many people to question how eternal conscious torment can be reconciled with the ways of a just and loving God.

    Some oppose the traditional view on exegetical grounds. Others express objections that are more theological in nature than exegetical. Herman Bavinck says, “The grounds on which people argue against the eternity of hellish punishment always remain the same.” Of the five reasons he lists, the first three are based less on specific Scripture than they are on human estimations of the way God ought to behave: (1) Eternal punishment contradicts the goodness, love, and compassion of God and makes him a tyrant; (2) Eternal punishment contradicts the justice of God because it is in no way proportionate to the sin in question; and (3) Eternal punishment that is purely punitive and not remedial has no apparent value. Indeed, it is such questions that Augustine dealt with extensively in his defense of eternal conscious punishment over 1,500 years ago (see Book XXI in City of God). Such objections persist today. What kind of a God would preside over a place of eternal conscious torment? Can the loving God of the Bible possibly be responsible for punishing the unrepentant in this way?

    A range of alternative explanations has emerged in light of these considerations.

    Annihilationism (sometimes called “conditional immortality”) holds that hell is a place of punishment for the impenitent. The damned must atone for their own sins by suffering in hell, but eventually hell destroys them such that they cease to exist. An eternal hell would be disproportionate with God’s justice, therefore those in hell will eventually depart from existence.
    Universalism holds that eventually all people will be saved from punishment. Christian universalists hold that while there may be punishment after death for the impenitent, there will be chances to believe and be saved after death. In the end, God will reconcile all things with himself, and an eternal hell is irreconcilable with a loving God. Thus, eventually everyone will be saved, and hell itself will be no more.
    Purgatory has traditionally been understood as a Roman Catholic doctrine, but the doctrine has recently found support among some Protestant theologians (e.g., Jerry Walls). Purgatory is not technically a doctrine of hell but of post-mortem sanctification. Those who hold to purgatory still believe in a heaven and a hell. Nevertheless, some sinners who are on their way to heaven who must pass through sanctifying “flames” before entering heaven. All those in purgatory eventually make it to heaven.
    Eternal Conscious Torment

    The traditional Christian account of hell says that it is a place of eternal conscious torment for the unrepentant. The Bible teaches that this final state of the damned has at least three characteristics: final separation, unending experience, and just retribution.

    Final separation occurs at the last judgment and consists in the irrevocable separation of the wicked from the righteous and from the presence of God’s mercy. Jesus himself teaches that the final judgment will involve an irrevocable separation between the “sheep” and the “goats” (Matt. 25:31–46). The apostle Paul says that those who experience “eternal destruction” will do so “away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2Thess. 1:9). There will be no post-mortem opportunities to be reconciled to God in order to bridge this separation (Heb. 9:27).

    Unending experience indicates that the punishments of hell will be consciously experienced forever and will not abate with the annihilation or eventual salvation of the damned. In Isaiah 66:24, the devouring worm “will not die” and the consuming fire “will not be quenched.” The bodily degradation of the wicked never ends but partakes of the same longevity as the new heavens and the new earth (cf. Isa. 66:22).

    Jesus himself says that the “goats” are “cursed” and are forced into “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:41, 46). When God “curses” someone, it means that he has called down harm or misfortune upon them. The nature of the misfortune is summed up in the phrases “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment.” The term translated as “eternal” is the Greek word aiōnios, which is an adjective that means “pertaining to an age.” In this context, the age in view is the age to come, and that age is without end. Thus the fire refers to the painful experience that must be endured for time “without end.”

    Likewise, the “punishment” is unending (aiōnios) as well. Annihilationists argue that the punishment is eternal only in the sense of an ongoing fire of judgment. The fire keeps burning, but the ones tossed into it are ultimately destroyed. It only keeps going as more people are put into it. But this misses the point of the double resurrection alluded to earlier in Matthew 18:8–9. The bodies that are cast into the fire have properties that make them fit for an eternal destiny. Thus the punishment is in fact everlasting for every individual that enters the fire.

    Regarding 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Annihilationists deny that conscious torment is unending and argue that “destruction” means that the damned will at some point cease to exist. Thus “eternal destruction” means only that their annihilation will be permanent. Their suffering will eventually come to an end. But this is a misunderstanding of Paul’s language. “Destruction” (oletheros) does not mean “cease to exist.” If I were to say that “My car was destroyed in a crash last week,” no one understands that to mean that the car ceases to exist. They understand it to mean that the car was completely ruined and lost to me as a result of the accident. That is the sense in which the Greek term oletheros is used here. Indeed, Paul is the only New Testament author to use this term, and in none of its other uses does it mean “cease to exist” (cf. 1Cor. 5:5; 1Thess. 5:3; 1Tim. 6:9). Its primary sense is something more along the lines of ruin or loss, not annihilation. It refers to what Gordon Fee calls “the ultimate desolation” and the “absolute loss of . . . glory.” So “eternal destruction” refers to everlasting ruin or loss, not annihilation.

    Just retribution indicates that the terrors of the damned are a recompense for evil, not a means of redemption or renewal. It is a punitive judgment intended to magnify the justice of God. Consider, for example, Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:46, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” The word translated as “punishment” (kolasis) appears only twice in the New Testament (Matt. 25:46; 1Jn. 4:18).

    Some have questioned the traditional gloss “punishment” in favor of “correction.” In this way, Jesus’ words could be fit into a universalist’s paradigm where hell becomes a temporary place of correction until the sinner becomes rehabilitated and fit for heaven. This argument is completely undermined by the fact that kolasis never means “correction” or “pruning” anywhere else in the New Testament or related literature. The term is used one other time in the New Testament, in 1 John 4:18 where it clearly means punishment. Also, the verb form kolazō appears twice in the New Testament (Acts 4:21 and 2Pet. 2:9). Both of these uses refer to punishment as well. The standard lexicon of New Testament Greek does not list “correction” or “pruning” as possible meanings (BDAG). Rather, the semantic range is limited to either divine or human punishment. It defines kolasis in Matthew 25:46 as “transcendent retribution.” This meaning is in line with its use in intertestamental literature, where it often refers to the penalty imposed for wrongdoing (2Macc. 4:38; 3Macc. 1:3; 7:10; 4Macc. 8:9), but never to “correction.”

    Another reason we know that it does not mean “correction” is that “eternal punishment” in verse 46 is the same place as “eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” in verse 41. Interpreters tend to agree that hell is a permanent place of punishment for demonic creatures. Indeed Revelation 20:10 confirms that the devil and his minions will be cast into the lake of fire and “tormented day and night forever and ever.” It is not a place of correction for them. If unbelievers are cast into the same place as the demons, that suggests that the duration is the same for both groups. There are no grounds in this text for saying that hell is “corrective” for the one and not for the other. If it is retributive for demonic creatures, then it is also for those unbelievers who share their fate in the judgment. For these reasons, we can be confident that kolasis is a punishment for sin that is unending. It is retributive in nature with no notion of rehabilitation or restoration in view.

    These three characteristics of hell and of the final state emerge from Scripture. By definition, these three characteristics rule out the annihilationist position (which denies that the torments of hell are everlasting), the universalist position (which holds that all people will eventually be saved), and the notion of purgatory (which views the flames of final judgment as a potential gateway to eternal life).

    FURTHER READING

    Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend, vol. 4, Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008).
    Burk, Denny. “Eternal Conscious Torment.” In Four Views on Hell, edited by Preston Sprinkle, 2nd ed., 17–43. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
    Edward William Fudge and Robert A. Peterson, Two Views of Hell: A Biblical & Theological Dialogue, Spectrum Multiview Books (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2000).
    Joachim Jeremias, “γέεννα,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), 657–58.
    Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson (editors). Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.
    Peterson, Robert A. Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment. Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R, 1995.
    This essay is part of the Concise Theology series. All views expressed in this essay are those of the author. This essay is freely available under Creative Commons License with Attribution-ShareAlike, allowing users to share it in other mediums/formats and adapt/translate the content as long as an attribution link, indication of changes, and the same Creative Commons License applies to that material. If you are interested in translating our content or are interested in joining our community of translators, please reach out to us.

    This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

    • Hi

      I am not sure why there is so much effort in explaining away the plain biblical texts concerning ETERNAL OR FOREVER DESTRUCTION.

      Are you really telling me that after God stated in His word that ALL THINGS will become new, and that there there will be no more sorrow, crying, suffering or pain because the former things are passed away; you now have a place in the new heaven and the new earth were sinners will be forever tortured?

      Please say a little prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to open the eye of your understanding so you don’t continue with this Arian doctrine – it’s not biblical.

      • Have you ever read the Bible? I have – many times, and have taught it for a long time. Do you truly understand the nature of sin and rebellion against God? Do you honestly think God would have sent his only begotten Son to be tortured and die simply to save people from dying? There is hardly a clearer teaching in the scripture. We have to always look at the issues from God’s perspective, not our own. Here are a few passages that were cited by GOTQUESTIONS.org. There are many other references including in James and in Revelation.

        • Reality: Jesus taught that hell is a real place where some beings will spend eternity (Matthew 23:33, 25:41; Mark 9:43). In Jesus’ teaching, hell is not figurative or symbolic; it is a real place in which real experiences take place. Jesus portrayed what hell is like with vivid imagery such as fire and darkness (Matthew 5:22; 8:8–12).

        • Rebellion: According to Jesus, hell is a place for those who reject God, rebelling against His kingship and refusing His grace. Jesus’ parables consistently portray people rejecting God’s invitation to fellowship, and the only alternative to fellowship with God is an eternity in hell (Matthew 22:1–14; Luke 14:15–24). Sin is a form of rebellion against God, and hell is the just punishment for sin (Matthew 5:22). The devil and his minions are the original rebels against God, and they will suffer eternally in hell, which has been prepared for them (Matthew 25:41).

        • Regret: Jesus does not portray hell as a pleasant place or even a neutral state. To the contrary, it is a place of torment (Mark 9:48). As the dark place outside of God’s kingdom of light, hell is full of pain and regret “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42; see also Matthew 22:13; 24:51; Luke 13:28).

        • Relentlessness: Based on Jesus’ teaching, hell is not temporary, but eternal. Those who suffer in hell will suffer forever. “The fire never goes out,” Jesus said (Mark 9:48, NLT; cf. Matthew 25:46). There is no exit from hell, and no respite from it or comfort in it (see Luke 16:19–31).

        • Reconciliation: Thankfully, there is one way to escape hell before entering. God offers us reconciliation with Him, so that we never have to experience hell. That reconciliation was made possible through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the One who warned us about hell so often, is the One who saves us from hell. Through faith in Christ, anyone can be reconciled to God, apart from personal merit or virtue. Jesus gives the promise, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

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