I have always believed that if you go to hell your soul will be there for ever. After looking at all the versus talking about heaven and hell, is there any verse that clearly states your soul will LIVE forever in hell. What does the words parish and destroy mean in Hebrew and Greek?
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Also in revelations 20:10 it sounds like the devil, prophet and beast will be the only ones being tormented for ever and ever. So is there another scripture that says souls will be tormented for ever and ever?– EricaCommented Sep 29, 2013 at 18:41
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Revelation 1:1. Sorry to be a bit nit picky, but it is a single revelation, seen all at one time, written down by one person. Revelations implies something else.– user3961Commented Sep 30, 2013 at 1:07
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yes, I know Revelations is written differently and I really don't like using Revelations alone to try to figure things out. It was the only scripture I found that said forever and ever and hell in the same sentence. I know I need to freshen up on Revelations again! thanks– EricaCommented Oct 1, 2013 at 21:43
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I'm not sure you understood me. It is called "Revelation." It is not called "Revelations." No s. It is one revelation. It is not several or many revelations.– user3961Commented Oct 1, 2013 at 23:13
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2 Answers
Does hell really burn forever?
Ask yourself this, are Sodom and Gomorrah still burning? No they are not.
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, 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.
Jude 1:7
Because they are set as an example of what eternal fire will be like, you can see that they are not burning eternally. The everlasting fire means the fire cannot be quenched. There is no escape. The fire comes from Him who is an All-consuming fire, God Himself.
There are different schools of thought on this, but to me it is evident that hell is not happening right now, and that it is not forever. For many reasons.
1) God is a JUST God.
If a man were to enter a store and steal something, would it be fair for him to receive life in prison? Definitely not. The punishment does not fit the crime. In the same manner, God will not punish those who living a sinful life of 70 or 80 years with millions, billions, or trillions of years of burning. The punishment does not fit the crime.
2) The story of the rich man and Lazarus is a parable.
The rich man and Lazarus is surrounded by parables. In Luke 15 Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son, a story that is accepted as a parable. In the beginning of Luke 16 He tells the parable of the rich man and his dishonest manager (which as you can see starts the same way as the rich man and Lazarus). Then the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
It would be too lengthy to get into the specifics of why Jesus said that parable and its meaning, but I'll out a resource at the bottom. Just a couple of things. If you take the parable of the rich man and Lazarus as reality, then you must accept that people who go to heaven go to Abraham's physical bosom and people who go to hell can be seen by those in heaven and can even speak to them.
3) Pain in the new heavens and the new earth
After the Earth is recreated (new heavens and new earth), there will be no more sorrow, pain or suffering. If you believe in an eternal hell, there will still be sorrow, pain, and suffering.
4) Destroy both body and soul
The eternal suffering in hell is made under the presumption that we 'have an immortal soul'. How can the soul be immortal if it can be killed? These are contradictory and I choose to believe the Bible and the direct words of Jesus when He says,
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
These are just a few reasons but there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that hell is not burning right now, that it will not be eternal, and that the soul is NOT immortal. It you wish to know more about what the Bible says about this visit this website.
Also, if you'd like to watch a short video on this, it can be found on this website, or here.
EDIT: A sermon explaining this topic from the SCRIPTURE ONLY can be found here.
answered Sep 30, 2013 at 12:56
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2I disagree. There are two types of death, spiritual death (meaning separation from God) and physical death. Spritual death is very commonly referenced in the Bible. The just punishment for sin is eternal damnation, not a temporary thing. The only way people can be saved from this punishment is to turn towards Christ and rely on what He has done. It would not be just for non-believers to be able to leave hell after a certain period of time, for we cannot do anything to redeem ourselves outside of what God has done for us Commented Sep 30, 2013 at 15:56
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@Zeaklous Thanks for the comment. A differing view is always welcome. I have a question for you. The Bible categorizes stealing as a sin. If your son steals a watch from the store, is it fair for him to hell to burn for million upon millions of years? That is not fair and it's a misrepresentation of God's love. The Bible clearly says that the wages of sin is death. You say spiritual death. But Jesus paid what was coming to us. Was Jesus punished for all eternity? No. He suffered and was killed, but the punishment had an end. He suffered the second death as this is the one he liberated us from. Commented Sep 30, 2013 at 16:17
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1I would say if my son steals once he does deserve to burn in hell for eternity unless he turns to Christ, for as you said the wages of sin is death (spiritual separation from God for eternity and physical death once, not just a period of restitution). Jesus was not punished for all of eternity because He was perfect. If we accept Him into our lives, we take on His righteousness (Phil. 3:9 "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith") Commented Sep 30, 2013 at 18:01
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@Zeaklous my dear brother. God says time and time again that the soul dies! The one that told the first lie is the one that wants you to think that you have an immortal soul. This was the very first lie. God said in Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE." And in Genesis 3:4 it says, "And the serpent said unto the woman, YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE." Commented Oct 1, 2013 at 12:20
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1Also Jude 12-13 "These men are those who are ...caring for themselves... for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever". Again, I hold the belief that the perishing you are referencing is a spiritual death, a separation from God, not a destruction of the soul. True, they will not be on the New Earth, but that does not mean that they will not remain in hell forever. This does not make God any less of a loving God, He still sacrificed His son from them. But He is also a completely just God and the punishment for sin is eternal death (separation from God) Commented Oct 2, 2013 at 3:48
Yes there is and it is the Revelation.
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
You might also look at the words of Jesus in:
Mar_9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Mar_9:46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Mar_9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
and if I may I suggest you read the entire 9th chapter of Mark
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Yes, thank you very much. I am just reading it different now, not knowing of I still see it the same way.but the second death, Rev. 20:14, when hell is cast into it, the lake of fire, does the soul survive in the lake of fire?– EricaCommented Sep 30, 2013 at 2:47
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I have been reading scriptures like, John 3:16 ....shall not parish, but have eternal life. Does parish mean to not be in existence any more after they were in hell then thrown into the lake of fire? Also the scripture that says be afraid of the one who can not just kill the body but kill the body and soul in hell. The only scriptures that you quoted that I can see how it really does say that hell is eturnal is Mark 9:44,46,48. I also kind of read it like this, there worm/soul will not die until they are thrown into the lake of fire, then it would be quenched.– EricaCommented Sep 30, 2013 at 2:47
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thank you so much for taking the time to answer my first question. I am also going to talk with our preacher and some other people from our church. I just want to be prepared and to not be caught of guard if any questions come up about this. We have some friends who are atheist and it has really made me want to dig deeper.– EricaCommented Sep 30, 2013 at 2:50
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you might also check out Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. If the Soul were to cease to exist, then punishment would not be everlasting. Also consider John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Just as Jesus picked up his life (as evidenced by the empty Tomb), he also gives your body life again just as he did Lazarus:– BYECommented Oct 1, 2013 at 0:03
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@CecilBeckum The punishment would be everlasting as you would miss everlasting life with the LORD. Lazarus is an interesting case. If you believe that Lazarus was in heaven when he died, then Jesus brought him from a place of worship to the Almighty, to a place of pain, sickness, and misery once again. Commented Oct 1, 2013 at 12:15