“...the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, but to reserve the unrighteous for punishment until the day of judgement...” 2 Peter 2:9

Answer: Not a single soul is in hell today. The Bible says that God holds back the wicked until the day of judgement to punish them.

“As therefore the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of this world. The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and do lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire.” Matthew 13:40-42 “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” John 12:48

Answer: Sinners will be thrown into the fire on the great day of judgement, at the end of time, and not at their death. God will not punish with fire anyone whose case has not been investigated in a trial at the end of the world, nor will God let a murderer who died 5,000 years ago burn for 5,000 years longer than someone who deserves punishment today for the same sin.

Answer: The Bible speaks very clearly. The godless as well as the faithful deceased “sleep” in their graves until the day of resurrection.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God's grace is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “...but sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” James 1:15 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Answer: The reward (or punishment) for sin is death - not eternal life in the lake of fire. The wicked “perishes”, he reaps “death”. The righteous, on the other hand, receive “eternal life.”

“But the cowardly and unbelieving and those stained with abominations and murderers and the sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars - their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8

Answer: The wicked die the second death in the fiery lake. If they were tormented in the fire forever, they would be immortal. But this is impossible, because the Bible says that “God alone possesses immortality”. 1 Timothy 6:16 When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, an angel guarded the tree of life to prevent sinners from eating from it and, as a result, “living forever.” Genesis 3:22-24 The doctrine of the immortality of sinners in hell originates from Satan and contradicts the truth. God knew how to prevent this when he had the tree of life guarded after sin entered this world.

The Bible is clear - the wicked will be destroyed

The Bible says that the wicked suffer “death” (Romans 6:23), are “destroyed” (Job 21:30), “perish” (Psalms 37:20), “burn up” (Malachi 3:19), “destroyed together and ... at last cut off” (Psalms 37:38), “fire shall devour them” (Psalms 21:10). Note that all these texts clearly state that the wicked must die and be destroyed. They will not live in eternal tribulation.

“... so it will be at the end of this world. The Son of Man ... will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all those who cause offence and commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire.” Matthew 13:40-42 “And they went up on the face of the land and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and consumed them.” Revelation 20:9 “Behold, the righteous will be rewarded on earth - how much more the wicked and the sinner!” Proverbs 11:31

Answer: At the end of the world, God himself will ignite the fire. While the holy city comes down from God out of heaven (Revelation 21:2), the wicked will try to take it. At that moment, God will rain down fire from heaven on the earth and destroy the wicked. The Bible calls this fire the “lake of fire”.

”But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night; then the heavens will pass away with a crash, and the elements will be dissolved with heat, and the earth and the works on it will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10

Answer: The fire of hell will encompass the whole earth because it will be totally engulfed in flames. This fire will be so hot that the earth will melt with heat and “consume all the works on it”. The atmosphere will explode and “melt with a great crash”.

“And behold, I am coming soon, and my reward with me, to repay each one according to his work.” Revelation 22:12 “... For the Son of Man is coming in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his deeds.” Matthew 16:27 “But the servant who knew his master's will and was not ready and did not do his will will suffer many blows, but the one who did not know him and yet did what deserves to be beaten will suffer few blows.” Luke 12:47.48

Answer: The Bible does not tell us how long the wicked will be punished before they die in the fire. However, God explicitly says that all will be punished according to their deeds. This means that some will suffer greater punishment than others because of their deeds.

“Behold, they have become like stubble that the fire has burned up; they will not save their souls from the violence of the flames, for there will be no coals to warm them and no oven to sit by.” Isaiah 47:14 “And I saw new heavens and a new earth;” “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.” Revelation 21:1.4

Answer: Yes, indeed. The Bible explicitly teaches that the fire will be extinguished and that “there shall not be left an ember to keep warm, or a fire to keep one warm”. The Bible also says that in God's new kingdom “everything old” will be a thing of the past. Hell (the lake of fire), which is part of what was before, is included in this. Thus we have God's promise that its existence will be cancelled.

Does God torment?

If God were to torment his enemies for eternity in a fiery furnace, he would be more brutal and heartless than the people who have committed the most terrible war crimes. An eternal hell of torment would also be hell for God, who loves even the most depraved sinner.

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace! Then all the arrogant and all those who act lawlessly will be like stubble, and the coming day will burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that neither root nor branch will remain for them.” “And you shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be as ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall make,” says the LORD of hosts." Malachi 3:19.21

Answer: Note that the Bible does not say that the wicked burn like asbestos, as many believe today, but like stubble that is consumed. The prefix “ver” means completeness. There will be nothing left but ashes when the fire goes out. In Psalms 37:10.20, the Bible tells us that the wicked will go up in smoke and be completely destroyed.

“For it is better for you that one of your members should perish than that your whole body should be thrown into hell.” Matthew 5:30 “And do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 “The soul that sins shall die!” Ezekiel 18:20

Answer: Yes, real, living people will enter the lake of fire and be destroyed body and soul. The fire of God from heaven will fall on real, living people and extinguish their existence.

“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone.” Revelation 20:10 “... and I have reduced you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the nations are astonished at you; you have become a terror and are gone forever!” Ezekiel 28:18.19

Answer: Not at all! He himself will be thrown into the lake of fire and reduced to ashes.

Answer: No, the word “hell” is used 54 times in the Bible, but only in 12 cases does it refer to “a burning place.”

The term “hell” is translated from various words that have different meanings, as shown below:

Remark: The Greek word “Gehenna” (mentioned above) is a translation of the Hebrew “Ge-Hinnom”, which means “Valley of Hinnom”.
This valley, which borders Jerusalem to the south-west, was a place where animal carcasses and other waste were thrown. A fire smouldered there constantly, as is the case today in modern rubbish pits. The Bible uses “Gehenna” or the “Valley of Hinnom” to symbolise the fire that will destroy the lost at the end of time. The fire of Gehenna was not eternal, otherwise it would still be burning today. And the fiery lake will also come to an end.

“Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!“ Matthew 25:41 “And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15 “Only a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more...” “and the enemies of the LORD are like the splendour of the pastures; they pass away, in smoke they perish.” Psalms 37:10.20

Answer: God intends to destroy the devil, all sin and sinners through fire and make the world safe for all eternity. If even a single sinner were to remain on this planet, it would be a deadly virus that would threaten the universe forever. God's plan is to isolate sin and eradicate its existence for all time.

An eternal hell would perpetuate sin

An eternal hell of torment would perpetuate sin and make it impossible to eradicate it. An eternal hell of torment is not part of God's great plan. Such a terrible theory is a defamation of the holy name of a loving God. The devil rejoices when our Creator is portrayed as a monstrous tyrant. And he alone benefits from such teachings.

An eternal hell - a human theory

The theory of “eternal torment in hell” does not originate in the Bible, but was spread by misguided people (perhaps unintentionally) by the devil. By the way, no one will be in heaven because they were afraid of hell. People are saved because they love and obey Christ.

“As I live, says GOD, the LORD: I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live! Turn back, turn back from your wicked ways! Why do you want to die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11 “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of men, but to save them.” Luke 9:56 “For the Lord will arise... to do his work, yes, his strange work, and to accomplish his work, yes, his unheard-of work.” Isaiah 28:21

Answer: Yes, God's work is always intended to save, not to destroy. The destruction of the wicked by fire is so foreign to God's nature that the Bible describes this action as a “strange and peculiar way”. God's great heart will ache at the destruction of the wicked. How ceaselessly he is at work to save every soul! But if one despises his love and clings to sin, God has no choice but to destroy the sinner and his sin in the fire in the end, when he will cleanse the universe of this terrible, malignant plant called “sin”.

“He will wreak utter destruction! The tribulation will not rise a second time.” Nahum 1:9 “For behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, so that the former will be remembered no more, nor come to mind; Isaiah 65:17 “Behold, the tent of God with men! And he will dwell with them; and they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them, their God. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying nor pain, for the former things have passed away.“ Revelation 21:3.4

Answer: After the fire of hell has been extinguished, God will create a new earth for his people in the original beauty and glory of Eden before sin found its way there. The horrors of sin and the past will be forgotten. Pain, death, suffering, crying, tears, sickness, disappointment, sorrow and all sin will be erased forever.

Sin will never arise again

God promises that sin will never arise again. His people will be filled with perfect peace, and perfect love, joy and contentment. Their life filled with happiness will be far more glorious than words can ever describe. The true tragedy of hell is to have lost/missed out on heaven. A person who misses out on entering the glorious realm has made the saddest choice of their life.

Answer:

No. The expression “eternal torment” is not found in the Bible.

Fire that cannot be quenched is a fire that will go out when it has reduced everything to ashes. Jeremiah 17:27 says that Jerusalem shall be consumed with fire that cannot be quenched. And in 2 Chronicles 36:19-21, the Bible says that this fire burned and totally destroyed the city, “that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled by the mouth of Jeremiah.” But we know that this fire died out, because Jerusalem is no longer burning today.

Note that it is a punishment, not an ongoing punishment. Punish would mean ‘ongoing’, whereas “punishment” is an act. The punishment for the wicked is death, and this death is eternal.

The word “soul” has three different meanings in the Bible: (1) a living being - Genesis 2:7, (2) mind - Psalms 139:14 and (3) life - 1 Samuel 18:1, which here refers to the eternal life that God promises to all who will enter his kingdom. No one can take this away. The last part of Matthew 10:28 says that soul and body will be destroyed in hell.

Yes, according to the Bible, this fire will go out. We have to let the Bible explain itself. Sodom and Gomorrah were burned with everlasting fire (Jude 7). This fire turned the two cities “into ashes” as a warning to those who would live ungodly lives afterwards.” 2 Peter 2:6 These cities are no longer burning today. The fire went out after it had consumed everything. In the same way, the eternal fire will also go out when it has reduced the wicked to ashes (Malachi 3:21). The effects of the fire are eternal, not the burning itself.

No, really not! It is merely a parable that aims to emphasise a certain statement. There are many things that clearly indicate that it is a parable:

A. Abraham's bosom is not heaven (Hebrews 11:8-10.16).

B. People in hell cannot speak to those who are in heaven (Isaiah 65:17).

C. The dead are in their graves (Job 17:13) John 5:28.29). The rich man was corporeal with eyes, a tongue, etc. However, we know that the body does not go to hell at death. It is quite obvious that the body remains in the grave, as the Bible says.

D. People will receive their reward at Jesus' second coming, not at their death (Revelation 22:11.12).

E. The lost will be punished in hell at the end of the world, not at their death (Matthew 13:40-42). The key message of the story is found in verse 31 of Luke 16. Parables must not be interpreted literally. If we wanted to, we would have to believe that trees speak! (See the parable in Judges 9:8-15.)

The term “eternal”, as the Bible uses it, simply means a certain limited or unlimited period of time. This term is used 56 times in the Bible in connection with things that have already ended. (Please look up the word “eternal” in a concordance.) Similarly, the term “high, great” can have different meanings depending on whether it refers to people, trees or mountains. In Jonah 2:7, “eternal” means three days and nights. (See also Jonah 2:1). In Deuteronomy 23:3 it means “10 generations”. In relation to a person, the meaning is “as long as he lives” or “until death”. (See 1 Samuel 1:22.28; Exodus 21:6; Psalms 48:14.) The wicked will therefore burn in the fire as long as they live or until their death. The duration of this punishment by fire will vary according to the sins of the individual. After the punishment, the fire will be extinguished. The doctrine of eternal torment has turned more people into atheists and driven them mad than any other invention of the devil. This defamation of the character of the loving, benevolent heavenly Father has caused indescribable damage to Christianity.