Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Do People Burn In Hell For All Time? (UPDATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST ON 5/24/16)

This is one of my longest posts so far and I hope you'll read it all the way through.  The reason it's so long is because I'm going to make the case that one of the most widespread, almost universal beliefs in Christianity is wrong.  I'm going to make the case that the bible says nobody, not even Satan, will burn in hell for all time.  This isn't my opinion - the bible says so.  I know this goes against most peoples' lifelong preconceived notion but as Christians we are to be truth-seekers, so please pray about this and keep an open mind as you read through this.  I pray the truth blesses you.

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When people are cast into the lake of fire will thy continue to burn for all eternity?  After all Revelation 20:10 says they will be tormented forever.

Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Is this lake of fire in a subterranean underworld as legend would have it?  If you think so did you know the bible tells us at least twice  that the lake of fire is going to be on the surface of the earth?  Did you know it also says both Satan and all the wicked who are unsaved will be reduced to ashes and that we will walk over their ashes?  How can we walk over the ashes if they are burning for all eternity?  Aren't the wicked "tormented day and night for ever" as Revelation 20:10 puts it?

In a previous post, Is Forever always Forever? I used the bible to demonstrate that forever doesn't necessarily mean for all future time as we generally think of it.  If you haven't read it please do so now as I think it will help you understand the truth about hell better. 

If you think about it when you break the word forever down, "for" means to represent something and "ever" means an unspecified amount of time.  When God says something will last forever it means it will last for whatever amount of time God has determined.  In Is Forever always Forever? I showed you some examples from scripture where forever meant for an appointed amount of time until completed. 

  • In 1 Samuel 1:22 Samuel was to abide forever in the service to God in God's temple, but forever meant all the days of his life.  So forever in that instance meant for life.
  • Two examples from Exodus 27:21 & 29:28 of old covenant statutes which were to be in place forever... but then in Hebrews 9:10 we see that forever in those cases meant until the new covenant began. 

In Revelation chapter 20 the wicked are resurrected at the end of the millennium.  After facing their final judgment the bible says they are killed in the lake of fire.  Revelation 20:14 specifically calls it "the second death."  In fact the bible repeatedly tells us the penalty for unforgiven sin is death, most famously in Romans 6:23 where it says "the wages of sin is death."  Death is not eternal life in flames.  Jesus paid the price for our sins because He died on that cross.  If the wages of sin was burning alive in hell for all future time then Jesus failed to suffer the penalty we deserve.  He would be burning in hell right now but we know that isn't the case.  So no matter how popular the misconception of eternal torture in hell is, the bible tells us that those who are cast into the lake of fire will die after their appointed time of punishment.  Even Satan will die.  Frankly the notion that God would brutally punish anybody with never-ending agony of fire is a lie designed by Satan to make God look like a brutal, hateful tyrant.

Think about it.  Ever burned your finger on a match?  It is quite painful.  Do you really believe that for a few decades of sin, God will punish people with flames for a hundred-trillion years... but even that's not enough because the torture is just getting started? 

With the bible, I try my best to follow Isaiah 28:10 which says:

Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

In other words find as much information as you can throughout the entire bible - here a little, there a little - and then make a determination.  Rarely does just one verse or passage give all the pertinent information.  It's easy for a pastor up on his pulpit to point out Revelation 20:10 and say the unsaved will burn in hell for all future time.  But if he followed the Isaiah 28:10 principle he would already know that forever doesn't mean for all future time... and he would also know that the bible says the unsaved will die.  They will be destroyed and never exist again.

I mentioned the bible tells us twice the lake of fire will be on the surface of the earth and now I'm going to show you one of those instances.  In Revelation chapter 20 God has gathered all His people into one place.  Let's look at what happens:

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Revelation 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
 
The place where they are at is the camp of the saints and the beloved city (probably New Jerusalem).  It is surrounded by Satan (also called Gog) and his followers from all the nations (also called Magog) who come from ends of the earth to attack God's people.  Take note that Revelation 20:9 says the wicked who attack "went up from the breadth of the earth."  So the hellfire doesn't happen in some subterranean underworld as often thought, but happens on the earth's surface as "fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

Now if hell burned for all future time then that means the surface of this planet will permanently be a raging inferno.  Yet according to the prophet Malachi the wicked shall be reduced to ashes under the soles of our feet.  That means the fire goes out and also means the wicked are burned to death, not suffering eternal torture in flames.  Let's look at Malachi's words:

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.
Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Malachi 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
 
Hmmm, the fire goes out and we walk over ashes of the wicked?  Bet you were never taught that in Sunday school. 

In Isaiah 45:18 we are told when God made the earth He formed it to be inhabited and He did not create it in vain.  God will get what He wants so this world will be inhabited by His people.  And in Revelation 21:5 God says "Behold, I make all things new" so the earth will be recreated and restored as God originally intended.  Since we already learned hellfire will happen on the surface of this earth, then the fire has to go out.  And since the wicked are reduced to ashes then they simply do not burn in hell for all future time as we have been told all of our lives.

Did you know Ezekiel tells us that even Satan himself will be reduced to ashes?  

In Ezekiel chapter 28 Satan is symbolized as the King of Tyrus (spelled Tyre in some bible translations).  Now see what God says He will do to Satan:

Ezekiel 28:18 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.

Not only is he reduced to ashes but did you notice it said he will be reduced to ashes upon the earth?  This is the other time we are told the lake of fire will be the surface of our world.

Further proof the wicked will not burn for all time, but for an appointed amount of time determined by God comes straight out of the mouth of Jesus.  How long they suffer will be determined by their actions during their lives.  In the bible the word "stripes" is used to symbolize punishment, stripes being welts or gashes from being beaten with whips and rods.  In the Parable of the Good Servant and the Wicked Servant (Luke 12:41-48) Jesus says when the Lord returns all of the wicked will be "beaten with stripes" but some will only receive few stripes.  Others will receive many stripes.  This symbolizes the amount of time people will live while burning in the lake of fire.  The more wicked you are the more time God will keep you alive in the flames.  This matches Matthew 16:27 where Jesus said He will "reward every man according to his works.

Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Luke 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
 
How can burning in hell for all future time be represented as being beaten with only a few stripes?  The eternal torture in hell myth gives a petty thief the same amount of never-ending punishment as someone who is responsible for a large scale genocide, totally contradicting Jesus' own words.

God requires justice, so the wicked will be punished. But He is also merciful and I praise Him for that. 

Amen.

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(UPDATE 5/24/16)

I said there were two times the bible says the lake of fire will actually be on the surface of the earth (Ezekiel 28:18 & Revelation 20:9). 

Well I just found a third time...

Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

2 comments:

  1. I really Thought This As an interesting read.
    I feel differently However I had not done the same study, I do have a different opinion.

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    1. Thanks for your feedback. You may not agree with me but I'm very grateful you took the time to read and respond. I hope you'll check out my other posts and maybe even come back from time to time as I hope to add at least a few new posts every month. I sincerely hope and pray you will be blessed by what you find here. Thanks again and God bless you. :)

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