God is loving and compassionate. This is a truth clearly revealed in the Word of Life and in the life of Jesus. Judgment of sin and sinners is sure to come, as foretold in the Bible, which is death (“for the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23). However, does the excruciating torturing of hell fire last for endless ages? The following document and verses explore this subject.

Why would we so easily accept the popular teaching that God will, for billions of years without end, torch and scorch with fiery flame, the vast majority of humans who have lived and died on Planet Earth? What about the many individuals we love, but who do not know the Savior personally--kind fathers, loving mothers, obedient sons and thoughtful daughters, along with many friends and neighbors we converse with day by day?

We consider governments who torture to be barbaric. As citizens of a decent society in America, we would not condone our police officers and military personnel torturing criminals or detainees--even for the most hideous crimes. What keeps us from practicing these cruel abuses? Is it not our God-given standard of decency? Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:43-44.

Several years ago a man poured gasoline on his five year old son and lit him on fire in a motel room. I found the incident detestable. We cringe when we hear about fathers who has battered their wives or burned their children with cigarettes in acts of brutality, and their behavior sickens us. They may say they love their wives and children, but we know they do not “truly love". Because it is not words that count, it is one’s behavior which proves character.

Nevertheless, we say that our God is loving and kind with one breath, and with the next that He will burn the billions for endless ages. When considered, this teaching makes no sense, and serves no real purpose.

It is commonly said that God is just, and he can do what He pleases; that He provided the escape through His Son, and if we don’t take it, its our fault. Fine. But let’s make it more real. Let’s say your son or daughter ends up burning in the hell fire someday. Out of deep love for your child, would you not go to the Father after even a short time and ask, “Can you please put my son out of his misery? Hasn’t this gone on long enough?” Then God would say, “no, I prefer to let him burn a million years, and then a million more. You might as well get used to it!“ “But God,” you reply, “for what purpose?“ He would say, “For no really good reason, other than I’m a “just” leader and I think that‘s fair punishment for rejecting Me.“ You would surely question such barbaric thinking on the part of God. He says He loves his creation, but His actions frankly prove otherwise, and our conscience says the punishment clearly outweighs the crime.

The truth is that the Word of God gives a vivid picture as to the mortal nature of man, the state of death, and the location of the vast lake of fire we know as hell. According to the Bible, the fire is so real that it will punish all sinners after the judgment and "burn them up". This fiery chastisement is not now burning, but will come at the end of the millennium. The judgment and punishment is so real that it will bring about the entire extinction of all sin and sinners. "God is a consuming fire," says Hebrews 12:29, not a persecuting fire.

This study may test you, as it did me when investigating the subject 30 years ago, but it is a journey you yourself must take. I recommend to you the Word of Almighty God. Nearly the whole world has believed Satan's lie, "you shall not surely die" but live on forever and forever.

The Word of God has much to say about death and the punishment of sinners. False teachings stem from taking verses here and there to establish a doctrine. However, the only safe means of coming to the right conclusion is by reviewing all verses on the subject. So you may wish to look up each reference below describing the state of death and the fate of the wicked. When doing so, you may wish to consider . . .

1) key words and ideas

2) the vocabulary meaning for words that describe the sinners' fate

3) the location of the fiery punishment

4) phrases that describe the earth made new after the fire

Evaluate the evidence of all Scriptural references on the subject. Come to a conclusion based on the most convincing proof, and with the God-given reasoning you have been blessed with.

In my early 20’s I came to believe in the “conditional view” of man taught by many theologians down through the centuries. When a man dies, he returns to dust and it is only the voice of God that raises him up in resurrection to stand before God in judgment of either life in the Kingdom or consuming death in the flames of hell.