Home Christian Writings Is Hell eternal? Page 18

Is Hell eternal?

Hell Fire

Part 01 – Is Hell eternal?
Part 02 – Scriptures used to support an eternal Hell
Part 03 – New Testament scriptures that dispel an eternal Hell
Part 04 – Old Testament scriptures that dispel an eternal Hell
Part 05 – Other resources about Hell

This page will let scripture answer the most common questions on this topic. Following that, we will look at scriptures that are used to support the idea of an eternal Hell to get a balanced view. The last two pages will take a more substantial look at scriptures that talk about the wicked and their fate.

Will the wicked perish?

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

2 Peter 2:12
But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

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

In order to understand the word ‘perish’, how is this word used in other biblical topics?

Hebrews 1:10-12
10 He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

Colossians 2:21-22 21
21 Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?
22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.

Will the wicked be destroyed?

Matthew 7:13
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Philippians 3:19
Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 
9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

How is the word ‘destruction’ used in other biblical topics?

1 Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Peter 2:1
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

How will the wicked be destroyed?

2 Peter 3:7
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Luke 17:28-30
28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

The wicked are cast into hell, but isn’t Hell eternal?

Revelation 20:14
Then death and Hell were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

Revelation 21:8
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.“

So there will be no eternal suffering in hell?

Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

So the wicked will cease to exist?

Psalms 104:35
“Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.”

Psalms 37:10
“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.”

Adam came to life when he became a living soul, but can a man lose his soul?

Mark 8:36
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

1 Peter 1:9
for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

But isn’t the human soul immortal?

Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell.

Genesis 3:21-24
22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Are you sure that the wicked will be completely consumed or burned up though?

Psalms 37:20
“But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.”

Malachi 4:1
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

Does God want to destroy the wicked?

Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn from your evil ways!

2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Will sin ever happen again once all the wicked are destroyed?

1 John 3:9
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

2 Peter 1:4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Luke 20:35-36
But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In fact, they can no longer die, because they are like the angels. And since they are sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God.

We know that sin causes death and we will no longer die because sin has been dealt with.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

When will the wicked be completely destroyed?

Matthew 13:40
“As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world/age.“

2 Peter 3:10.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

Okay so wicked men will be destroyed along with the old creation, but what about Satan?

Hebrews 2:14
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;“

Ezekiel 28:18
“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; 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.”

The last verse may be referring to a man instead of Satan, however we know that the Devil will be destroyed from the previous verse above.

After reading this page you may argue that I have given scripture, but not all of it. There are of course other verses that seem to teach an eternal hell or eternal suffering for the wicked. The next page will cover these scriptures to provide a balanced view. The last two pages in this study will list the most prominent verses in the Bible that teach that the wicked will be destroyed, perish, and die. There will be many more verses than quoted on this page and they are divided into Old and New Testament verses. These pages will be useful if you wish to study in more depth what scripture says about the fate of the wicked.

Discussion

Viewing 20 posts - 341 through 360 (of 732 total)
123…171819…353637
  • Author
    Posts
  • March 17, 2015 at 12:37 pm#790744
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi mila,

    Jesus holds the keys to Death and Hades[Rev1.18] suggesting Death in this context is perhaps the bosom of Abraham?

    March 17, 2015 at 8:50 pm#790756
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Are the ungodly destroyed?

    March 17, 2015 at 10:54 pm#790762
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Hi miia. I think your post is good. Also, I was shown Outer Darkness. Read about it here:

    Vision of Hell

    March 18, 2015 at 7:20 am#790774
    DavidL
    Participant

    Well I’m with bodhitharta on this…the Scriptures do not teach annihilation – that concept is man-made..

     

    ..as I’ve pointed out before, the idea of annihilation would give hope to those in a place where there is no hope – really this teaching is just another example of man conforming God’s word to his own limited idea of what God should be like.. instead of letting Scripture speak for itself.

    March 18, 2015 at 9:00 am#790780
    Miia
    Participant

    Thanks t8 I will.

    March 18, 2015 at 9:01 am#790781
    Miia
    Participant

    If all that will remain in the end is love, how can the opposite of love remain? If love is described by the scriptures as being: (pay attention): patient, kind, not self seeking, not easily angered, KEEPING NO RECORD OF WRONG, PROTECTIVE, TRUSTING and HOPING, and if God is all of those things and more, and it’s all that remains, how can the opposite remain? How can impatience, hostility, unkindness, self satisfaction, anger, A RECORD OF WRONGS, UNPROTECTION, DISTRUST and NO HOPE remain (DavidL, didn’t you say that there is no hope in eternal hell? If hope is one of the things that will remain – and God will be ALL IN ALL – then you are wrong).

    In the end, all that will remain IS love.

    March 18, 2015 at 9:24 am#790782
    Miia
    Participant

    Well I’m with bodhitharta on this…the Scriptures do not teach annihilation – that concept is man-made..

    Hi David.

    You should look into the description of hell as is written in the Qur’an and then get back to us here if you agree with that description too.

    Hi mila,

    Yes KW is right.

    That explains why Hades and Death can be cast in the lake of fire once their roles have expired at Judgement

    Jesus holds the keys to Death and Hades[Rev1.18] suggesting Death in this context is perhaps the bosom of Abraham?

    Hi Nick.

    So hades is the holding place of the dead until the resurrection and judgment, and the bosom of Abraham is the place of comfort awaiting the resurrection and judgment.

    And you are thinking hades and death are cast in the lake of fire. Jesus holds the keys to hades and death.  So, death which Jesus holds the keys to means the bossom of Abraham (place of comfort) which is cast in the lake of fire. So both holding places are what is cast in the lake of fire (finished with). Is that what you are meaning?

     

    March 18, 2015 at 10:59 am#790785
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi mila,

    Both waiting places are of no further use once Judgement is complete.

    All the dross of creation takes no further part in eternal life with the Father and the Son.

     

    March 18, 2015 at 11:16 am#790787
    DavidL
    Participant

    miia..

    You should look into the description of hell as is written in the Qur’an and then get back to us here if you agree with that description too.

     

    as I understand, Bd was not quoting the Qur’an..

    March 18, 2015 at 12:18 pm#790792
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Some people believe the following which I also believe.

    Death and Hades is thrown into the Lake of Fire yes, but not the righteous for the following reason.

    Hades was once divided into two. The righteous part (where Abraham was) and the wicked part. The two were divided by a deep chasm of some kind, as described by Jesus in one of his stories.

    When Jesus rose from the dead, he preached to the dead and with the keys of Death and Hades he proclaimed victory over death. He then took with him the righteous to be with him. Now when the righteous die, they are with the Lord and they precede those who will be taken up in the hour that no man knows. And where is the Lord now? He is not in Hades, but at the right-hand of the Majesty on High.

    Thus Abraham’s bosom is no longer, leaving only the wicked in Hades. In fact we are told that Hades is expanding.

    Isaiah 5:14
    Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure;

    Matthew 27
    51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
    52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
    53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.…

    March 18, 2015 at 12:43 pm#790793
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Further, Hades and Death are thrown into the Lake of Fire. We are explicitly told by our brother Peter, that the heavens and earth as well as the wicked are destroyed by the judgement of fire. After that will remain only that which is good. Finally the mission will be complete.  What mission? That all will be under Christ and God will be in all, amen. All who love God look forward to that day.

    March 18, 2015 at 1:02 pm#790795
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi T8,

    Good stuff.

    But where is this written?

    “He then took with him the righteous to be with him.”

    March 18, 2015 at 1:05 pm#790796
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi t8,

    The ones preached to in prison are a specified group = “..those who were disobedient .. in the days of Noah..” 1 Peter 3.20

    It does not say they were then taken from that prison.

    • This reply was modified 6 years ago by Admin.
    March 18, 2015 at 1:14 pm#790798
    kerwin
    Participant

    David L,

    Do you put your understanding of Biblical Greek up against those who were put in a position of interpreting Scripture..?!

    Why would you bother asking someone that claims to be taught by God? Of course such a person would put what the Spirit is telling them instead of those that call themselves experts or are judged that by others.

    Do you not read in Scriptures where Christians are taught to test the Spirit of what they hear?

    March 18, 2015 at 2:56 pm#790806
    kerwin
    Participant

    Nick,

    The ones preached to in prison are a specified group = “..those who were disobedient .. in the days of Noah..” 1 Peter 3.20

    It does not say they were then taken from that prison.

    In what way were they imprisoned?

    I ask because Psalms 17:10 speaks of prisoners as well and it sounds like those prisoners are those that Jesus sets free of captivity in Luke 4:18.

    March 18, 2015 at 8:26 pm#790930
    kerwin
    Participant

    t8,

    When Jesus rose from the dead, he preached to the dead and with the keys of Death and Hades he proclaimed victory over death.

    That did not happen as Scripture teaches us death has not yet been placed under Jesus’ feet. It will be the last thing placed under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:24-26) and so he does not yet have victory over it though that victory is assured as God delivers as he promises.

    March 18, 2015 at 8:33 pm#790931
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi KW,

    Do you think DEATH has more than one meaning?

    When Jesus has the keys to death and Hades what does this mean?

    March 19, 2015 at 5:35 pm#791035
    DavidL
    Participant

    @t8

    ..the wicked are destroyed by the judgement of fire.

    The problem with your teaching t8 is that you interpret the word ‘destroyed’ to mean ‘annihilation’, which is nowhere in Scripture – but rather a conclusion arrived at purely by human reasoning..

     

    Yet if it were possible to believe that the soul will be utterly terminated in the lake of fire, then you’re faced with the fact that there is something to look forward to in hell – an end to torment… when sadly this idea is actually completely foreign to the descriptions given in the Word of God.

    March 19, 2015 at 9:42 pm#791048
    Miia
    Participant

    as I understand, Bd was not quoting the Qur’an..

     

    Hi DavidL.

    I know that. I said you should look into the description of hell as is written in the Qur’an and then get back to us here if you agree with that description too.

    Here it is in the Qu’ran (From http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/says_about/hell.html ):

    Lo! Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the Fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment. 4:56

    They will wish to come forth from the Fire, but they will not come forth from it. Theirs will be a lasting doom. 5:37

    For them is drink of boiling water and a painful doom, because they disbelieved. 6:70

    And the dwellers of the Fire cry out unto the dwellers of the Garden: Pour on us some water or some wherewith Allah hath provided you. They say: Lo! Allah hath forbidden both to disbelievers (in His guidance) 7:50

    If thou couldst see how the angels receive those who disbelieve, smiting faces and their backs and (saying): Taste the punishment of burning! 8:50

    On the day when it will (all) be heated in the fire of hell, and their foreheads and their flanks and their backs will be branded 9:35

    Hell is before him, and he is made to drink a festering water, Which he sippeth but can hardly swallow, and death cometh unto him from every side while yet he cannot die, and before him is a harsh doom. 14:16-17

    Thou wilt see the guilty on that day linked together in chains, Their raiment of pitch, and the Fire covering their faces. 14:49-50

    We shall assemble them on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their habitation will be hell; whenever it abateth, We increase the flame for them. That is their reward because they disbelieved Our revelations. 17:97-98

    Lo! We have prepared for disbelievers Fire. Its tent encloseth them. If they ask for showers, they will be showered with water like to molten lead which burneth the faces. Calamitous the drink and ill the resting-place! 18:29

    The guilty behold the Fire and know that they are about to fall therein, and they find no way of escape thence. 18:53

    If those who disbelieved but knew the time when they will not be able to drive off the fire from their faces and from their backs, and they will not be helped! 21:29

    Behold them, staring wide (in terror), the eyes of those who disbelieve! 21:97

    But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads, Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted; And for them are hooked rods of iron. Whenever, in their anguish, they would go forth from thence they are driven back therein and (it is said unto them): Taste the doom of burning. 22:19-22

    The fire burneth their faces, and they are glum therein. 23:104

    For those who deny (the coming of) the Hour We have prepared a flame. When it seeth them from afar, they hear the crackling and the roar thereof. And when they are flung into a narrow place thereof, chained together, they pray for destruction there. 25:11-13

    It will be a hard day for disbelievers. On the day when the wrong-doer gnaweth his hands, he will say: Ah, would that I had chosen a way together with the messenger (of Allah)! 25:26-27

    But as for those who disbelieve, for them is fire of hell; it taketh not complete effect upon them so that they can die, nor is its torment lightened for them. Thus We punish every ingrate. And they cry for help there, (saying): Our Lord! Release us; we will do right, not (the wrong) that we used to do. … Now taste (the flavour of your deeds), for evil-doers have no helper. 35:36-37

    Those in the Fire say unto the guards of hell: Entreat your Lord that He relieve us of a day of the torment … although the prayer of disbelievers is in vain. 40:49-50

    Those who deny the Scripture and that wherewith We send Our messengers. But they will come to know, When carcans are about their necks and chains. They are dragged Through boiling waters; then they are thrust into the Fire. 40:70-72

    Lo! the tree of Zaqqum, The food of the sinner! Like molten brass, it seetheth in their bellies As the seething of boiling water. (And it will be said): Take him and drag him to the midst of hell, Then pour upon his head the torment of boiling water. 44:43-48

    Those who are immortal in the Fire and are given boiling water to drink so that it teareth their bowels. 47:15

    Indeed, the criminals will be in the punishment of Hell, abiding eternally. It will not be allowed to subside for them, and they, therein, are in despair. And We did not wrong them, but it was they who were the wrongdoers. And they will call, ‘O Maalik let your Lord put an end to us!” He will say, “Indeed, you will remain.'” 43: 74-77

     

    March 19, 2015 at 9:53 pm#791050
    Miia
    Participant

    Hi KW,

    Do you think DEATH has more than one meaning?

    When Jesus has the keys to death and Hades what does this mean?

    Nick, I think it means what Jesus said Himself.
    Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”(John 11:23)

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