I was asked a question not long ago about hell, more precisely, is hell eternal? My answer is a bit complicated.
I believe that the consequences of sin separate man (the sinner) from God. I equally believe that unless man (the sinner) repents and comes to Christ, there is a place called Hell that has been reserved for those individuals. I also believe in the lake of fire, where Satan himself will be cast in for eternity.
Yet that word "eternity" has many unique definitions which require the student of the word to understand and grasp before making a final conclusion; will the unrighteous burn forever?
It is my position that the lake of fire MIGHT not last into the eternal ages. John states in Revelation 22:3 that there will be no more curse, emphasizing that sin will be extinguished, then all heavens will be recreated, this includes planets, solar systems, distant and far away galaxies, will revert back to their original state - including the new earth. There will not be one minuscule of sin to be found. Sin and all its consequences will have been wiped away.
Does that also mean the lake of fire?
All I know is this, God makes something extremely clear in his word that anyone who dies lost, will perish (destroyed) in the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15) Jesus warns us that not only can God destroy the spirit of man, he can also destroy the soul in hell. (Matthew 10:28) Destroy refers to being no more.
Is there a period of the eternal where time will also end, that God's final design will be completed, where our journey into the dawn of eternal beginnings will see the eradication of that place called the lake of fire, and equally so, all those who dwell there?
God has told us that those who die without Christ will suffer greatly, but will this mean to be annihilated? I've read both points of the issue, the traditional view, and the annihilationist view, and I come to one understanding, whatever God does beyond the curtain of eternity is beyond my paygrade, and I will trust him to do what is right.
But the idea of eternal torment or even extinction should scare the *hell* out of all men. It's that serious.
Come to Christ and don't test the waters of eternity without him.
[Christopher Gregory]
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