Do those condemned to hell suffer forever?

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Satan will be turned to ashes from within. When people are thrown into the lake of fire they perish. It is the smoke of their burning that rises forever and ever. God is a consuming fire. You might say those folks will be uncreated and totally forgotten about.

Thats not what the Bible reveals..

(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."

The false prophet and the beast are men and satan will be cast into the eternal lake of fire with them and he will be tormented for ever and ever.. He is not perishing there, he is not ceasing to exist..

 

[Webers.Home]

.
According to Luke 12:42-48, there are degrees of retribution ranging from the
tolerable to the very severe. So . . .

"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." (Matt 10:28)

The human soul makes its first appearance in Gen 2:7 whereby Adam became a
sentient being as opposed to a vegetable, viz: soul is that portion of Adam's
existence that made him a conscious individual.

Now it appears to me that the beast and the false prophet, plus all who accept a
certain mark, will be forced to endure permanent consciousness in the lake of fire
per Rev 14:9-11 & Rev 20:10, but I'm not so sure everyone will share that fate
seeing as retribution varies in accord with responsibility.

In other words: it's possible that folks who deserve the lesser punishment per Luke
12:42-48 won't be forced to endure permanent consciousness in the lake but
instead, at some point their souls will be exterminated. It's my guess they'll maybe
do time in the lake-- some a lot of time, some a little time, and some scant time --
but not eternity.

* This is only a posit; so you militant pulpit pounders out there please resist the urge
to bury me with an avalanche of your favorite proof texts.
_

 

[PaulThomson]

In the Gospel of Mark Jesus says, ' Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.'
This means the fires of Hell never stop. Also means those in Hell will last as long as the fire lasts. Forever!

What if hellfire is simply the omnipresent glory of God no longer being veiled from those who are rejecting Jesus? It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God; for our God is a consuming fire. What if "the worm dies not" is a poetic figure to communicate that the consuming fire, whose effect seems to each unbeliever like worms eating them, will not stop consuming them until all is consumed and destroyed. And what if the fire is not quenched means that the glory of God which was experienced as a consuming fire, will continue to radiate endlessly, even without many of the condemned there fore the fire to consume.

 

[PaulThomson]

Thats not what the Bible reveals..

(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."

The false prophet and the beast are men and satan will be cast into the eternal lake of fire with them and he will be tormented for ever and ever.. He is not perishing there, he is not ceasing to exist..

The devil, the beast and the false prophet are the only creatures that the Greek text predicts will be tormented "into the ages of the ages" (eis tous aiOnas tOn aiOnOn). Every other being is said to be tormented for a lesser time: into ages of ages; or into an age of ages; or into an age; or into the age. So there is room to surmise that many who are cast into hell are not being tormented endlessly.

 

[Adstar]

The devil, the beast and the false prophet are the only creatures that the Greek text predicts will be tormented "into the ages of the ages" (eis tous aiOnas tOn aiOnOn). Every other being is said to be tormented for a lesser time: into ages of ages; or into an age of ages; or into an age; or into the age. So there is room to surmise that many who are cast into hell are not being tormented endlessly.

Nope.. This is the Word of God not just ""Greek text"" The false prophet is not a creature.. He will be a human being.. And the Bible does not say the torment of the eternal lake of fire will be temporary..

 

[Saul-to-Paul]

Every reference of hell be it historical or parabolic has someone alive in it.

 

[Webers.Home]

.
● Mark 9:47-48 . . If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It is better to
enter the kingdom of God half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown
into Hell; where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.

Christ's caution and warning about the fire and worms didn't reveal anything
new. He simply reiterated information that had already been released by an
Old Testament prophet roughly 700 years before Jesus was born.

● Isa 66:22-24 . . From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to
another, all mankind will come and bow down before me: says the Lord. And
they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against
me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be
loathsome to all mankind.

Apparently the scene will be open to the public as a sort of tourist attraction
like the skeletons of prehistoric beasts on display in the La Brea Tar Pits
museum in Los Angeles.

FAQ: The human body is made of very fragile organic materials. So then,
how can it possibly survive in eternal flame as perpetual nourishment for
those worms?

REPLY: I think we can safely assume the hand of God will have a role in
sustaining perdition. For example the flaming bush per Ex 3:1-3 burned and
burned but wasn't consumed; and the three Jewish lads per Dan 3:23-27
who survived in a furnace so hot that it slew the guards outside.

* A worm that thrives in flame is pretty amazing, but not unreasonable.
The 4-inch Pompeii worm lives in sea water temperatures of 176 degrees
Fahrenheit: hot enough to kill salmonella and sanitize an egg. So I guess if
God could create a worm like the Pompeii, it shouldn't be too difficult for Him
to create worms that like it even warmer.
_

 

[Randy4u2c]

Those that go into the lake of fire are snuffed out like they never existed. It is their smoke that rises forever and ever never to be thought of again. You might say they chose to be uncreated when they decided to reject God. Psalm 37:20

 

[CS1]

Those that go into the lake of fire are snuffed out like they never existed. It is their smoke that rises forever and ever never to be thought of again. You might say they chose to be uncreated when they decided to reject God. Psalm 37:20

Not what Jesus said

 

[PaulThomson]

Not what Jesus said

What did Jesus say exactly that leads you to believe in endless torment for unbelievers.

 

[PaulThomson]

Every reference of hell be it historical or parabolic has someone alive in it.

Has someone going alive into it and spending at least some time in it. How much time is what is debatable.

 

[tourist]

Satan will be turned to ashes from within. When people are thrown into the lake of fire they perish. It is the smoke of their burning that rises forever and ever. God is a consuming fire. You might say those folks will be uncreated and totally forgotten about.

I believe that at that point God blots them out from his memory permanently. Scarry thought.

 

[tourist]

Has someone going alive into it and spending at least some time in it. How much time is what is debatable.

Well, there was this account in the book of Daniel about 3 guys thrown alive into a blazing furnace. Jesus was there too, probably having a conversation of some sorts. They left the furnace unscathed and even their clothing was free of smoke.

 

[tourist]

The devil, the beast and the false prophet are the only creatures that the Greek text predicts will be tormented "into the ages of the ages" (eis tous aiOnas tOn aiOnOn). Every other being is said to be tormented for a lesser time: into ages of ages; or into an age of ages; or into an age; or into the age. So there is room to surmise that many who are cast into hell are not being tormented endlessly.

I tend to agree with this as well. The smoke of their torment may go up forever but the lost are burned to a crisp and no longer exists.

 

[Mem]

If God had wanted us to be afraid of hell, he would have decreed the fear for us and we would be afraid. You have been blessed with that wonderful gift, But He decreed that we believe He is love. That He has reconciled to Himself all things in heaven and earth, making peace through the cross. That He loved us while we were yet sinners and wants us to boldly enter His throne-room as His children, cleansed of all impurity through his cross. He decreed you to believe you've got the better deal. And he decreed us to think we've got the better deal. It's all god's perfect will. Who are we to contradict God?

This stirs the thought of the moment death entered the world through sin, and the correlation of that to God placing a flaming sword around the tree of life "lest man reach out his hand and also take of the tree of life, and eat it, and live forever..."
There is ongoing debate concerning the concept of God dying with the strongest argument against that is offered is that God cannot die. Yet, I can't let go of the reality that, with God, anything is possible. So then, if it is God that actually did die, even as He is not dead, then there is certainly a purpose and righteous utility in it. That is, how can one retrieve a thing at the bottom of the sea unless one first dives as far as the thing is which he desires to rescue and bring back up again? If he does not, then the thing is considered lost forever with no hope of seeing the surface ever again. Does the thing cease to exist as it is lying at the bottom of the sea? No, it's simply remains helpless. Now, if this thing is brought up and then thrown into a fire, and not just any ordinary run of the mill fire but a consuming fire, then it ceases to exist once that fire has consumed entirely consumed it. And "man is a vapor" so, it would be reasonable to conclude that such an entirely consuming fire would disperse even the vapor of any substance that is thrown into it.

 

[Randy4u2c]

I believe that at that point God blots them out from his memory permanently. Scarry thought.

Not only His memory but ours as well. There will be no tears shed for those that went into the lake of fire. God has removed the evil from among us so it will be a peaceful eternity.

 

[Tall_Timbers]

I have been discussing with my friend if the suffering to those condemned to hell eventually ends, my views are that there is no end because the Book of Revelation explicity states that the devil, the false prophet and the beast are thrown alive into the lake of fire which means they are not even Judged, and they are tormented forever and ever. Then the wicked humanity are resurrected and condemned after judgment and they join the original three in hell. My friend holds the view that the fires of hell burn them and they perish eventually, which doctrine is true?

I believe the torment lasts forever.

 

[CS1]

What did Jesus say exactly that leads you to believe in endless torment for unbelievers.

Matthew 25:41
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:


Also, in the Book Revelation 20:10, we see an eternal place prepared for the devil and His Angels.

The context of Hell is eternal. Why? Because God, who is Eternal, created it.

 

[PaulThomson]

Well, there was this account in the book of Daniel about 3 guys thrown alive into a blazing furnace. Jesus was there too, probably having a conversation of some sorts. They left the furnace unscathed and even their clothing was free of smoke.

Knowing He was going to spend only three days and three nights separated from His Father without a watch, was enough to terrify our Lord Jesus into sweating blood. If three days in hell was enough to pay for the world's sins, it hard to see how unbindividual believers would need to spend forever in torments to pay for theirs. For Christians who have begun to plumb the height, breadth and depth of God's love, the idea of even one day separated from experiencing the love of God should be terrifying.

 

[PaulThomson]

Matthew 25:41
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:


Also, in the Book Revelation 20:10, we see an eternal place prepared for the devil and His Angels.

The context of Hell is eternal. Why? Because God, who is Eternal, created it.

What is the Greek word Matthew uses translated there as everlasting (aiOnios) and what is its root word (aiOn) and how is that root word used elsewhere in the NT and the LXX OT ? You should understand that Bible translators have theological and metaphysical biases that they sometimes impose onto and insert into texts.