Is a "nonbeliever" condemned to an eternity of hellfire?

Question

I am a Christian and diligintly seek out the truth. I love the Lord, but I truly have a hard time believing that simply because a person rejects the truth means that they are to suffer an eternity of being burned and tormented FOREVER. That is not the identity of a loving God, which Jehovah IS a loving God. Check out these verses and tell me what you think...

Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to DESTROY both body and soul in hell."
(since when did destroy mean eternal torture??)

2Peter 2:6..."and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to DESTRUCTION making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly."

If something is turned to ashes and DESTROYED how can it be subject to eternal torment?

Come on fellow Christians, lets really research what we believe and why we believe it before we get on soap boxes. We worship a God of love.

Answer 1

No.

The bible teaches that "hell" is *NOT* a fiery place of torment, but is actually the common grave of mankind.

There is no suffering in "hell", or the grave. Sometime after the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all

(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]

(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20020715/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20020601/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_07.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20010901/article_02.htm

Answer 2

Mommy...I struggled with this doctrine...I still do, but one day
God put it on my heart like this: Heaven is so much more than we could ever imagine more wonderful that our wildest imagination....Why do we not have trouble, as Christan's, feeling worthy of the reward? The Opposite of Heaven is Hell....We struggle that Hell is not fair or loving. God has equality in all things. When Christ was on the Cross, God poured out his wrath for our sin on him. It made him cry out in Agony.

I am not sure of the substance of Hell..If it is eternal separation from God, or the fiery Pit. God has not revealed that to me as of yet. I am sure, that I am saved. I think about the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. My leanings are toward the Pit belief. Hope this helps...

I DO know, that God will bless you for truly seeking his truth, and questioning the truths that you have been taught...God Bless you...U.L.

Answer 3

According to the doctrine of hellfire, God will LITERALLY torture someone who is not saved forever.

Here’s something to think about.
If a bad person lived only 20 years and was not saved, is it FAIR to torture him not only 20 million, not 20 billion years but FOREVER?

This is like saying you owe me $20 and I will ask you to pay me back $20 billion for that, is that FAIR?

Now, is God a TORTURER? Yes or No.

If a person, torture you everyday of your life, and instead of just killing you, will keep you alive and torture you over and over again, everyday, will you call that torturer a LOVING person?

John 3:16 states ““For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”

If a wicked person is to be tortured forever, he needs to have everlasting life as well, doesn’t he? Well that conflicts with John 3:16 where it states that only those who exercise faith WILL HAVE everlasting life.


Rev 21:4 states “death will be NO MORE, , neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” If God is torturing the wicked still, how come Rev 21 states there is NO MORE OUTCRY, PAIN, MOURNING and DEATH?


Prov 10:25 states “25 As when the storm wind passes over, so the wicked one is no more;”


The eternal punishment for the wicked is that they won’t be resurrected anymore and they will be destroyed and be dead forever. But Jehovah won’t keep these wicked ones alive forever just to torture them LITERALLY forever.

Those Bible texts that you gave only prove that the wicked will be DESTROYED. If God keeps the wicked existing and tortured forever then they are not destroyed which conflicts with those Bible verses that you gave.

How can the wicked ones and death be NO MORE (Prov 10:25, Rev 21) if they still exist?

Answer 4

That's a fair judgement.
Since birth to death so much time that God gives to those unbelievers but they rejected the truth.
Now, I ask you a question ... would you have a dog for a pet that doesn't obey you? or a friend that rejected you in public?
Not believeing in God is simply believing is the devil. and you know what's the punishment for the devil.

Answer 5

The Bible also pictures hellfire as eternal (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43).

Don't be selective in prooftexting.

Answer 6

Reject His Son, and yes that is the destination. I read the Bible, that is the true word of God, my research is my praying to Him for understanding, whatever He says is good enough for me. If I cannot understand everything right now, that is fine, for I know in whom I trust. God gave us a choice, He loved us enough to sacrifice His Son, we can either accept that or not, this is called freewill, God does not send us to hell , we make the choice, And you are right , we worship a God of love, but we can not blame Him if we choose not to accept His love and His Son. :)

Answer 7

According to the Bible.... yes.

Destruction doesn't have to be instantaneous, you know. Destruction could be long, drawn out, and sadistic.

Anyhow, I'm not sure that this one verse necessarily paints a clear picture. Isn't there more in Revelations that talks about Hell and punishment?

Answer 8

God is of love yes but also mercy & justice. He is giving people EVERY CHANCE to accept Him -- if and when they are in the hellfires it is their choice.

we do not know if you are given one last chance when standing before the judgement throne of God or not -- this is completely God's call.

Every parent is loving but every parent also has to let go and let the child make their own decisions.

Answer 9

Yes we worship a God of love who provided a way to Salvation. Reject that way and you reject God.

Answer 10

Dear Mommyoffour,

I am answering your question because I believe that you don't have a right understanding of these verses. In fact I believe that you may not even understand who God truly is. First, I want you to know that what I write is done in love and wanting you to come to a true understanding of the Word and more importantly God.

I'll start with your question about why a loving God would send someone to hell. You are right in the fact that you say God is loving, but you must remember that he is also Holy, Righteous, and Just. He is to be reverenced above all else in our lives and when we break the first commandment by not reverencing him we deserve nothing less than hell. When we break one of the commandments of God, we break all of them. Wether we've lied, stolen, lusted, used God's name in vain, no matter which of the commandments we have broken we are deserving of hell. According to 1Jo 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.
Sin is lawlessness. Lawlessness is trangression. Transgression against what? Could is be God's Law? Roman's 7:7 tells us through the example of not knowing what sin was except the law said. Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Let it not be said! But I did not know sin except through the law. For also I did not know lust except the law said, You shall not lust.

I am not saying that we are bound to the moral law, that we have to keep them in order to be saved, but that the law is what brings a knowledge of sin. God being the ultimate judge of that sin has to punish us according to breaking his law. If he didn't he would be corrupt.
Num 23:19 God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

This verse says that God cannot sin or repent. For God cannot sin and be around sin for he is perfect, righteous and holy. He has to punish us according to our sins.

Now onto the verses you asked about.

Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to DESTROY both body and soul in hell."

This verse when you look at in context of the whole portion of scripture you will see that its talking about fearing man vs. fearing God. When we fear that men can kill us, we are afraid. To fear God means to live in reverence for him. TO live with the notion that we shouldn't fear man, because they can only kill us. We should fear God, because he will send all thos to hell who do not put their trust in him and repent of their sins. For the Bible says in 1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers, nor homosexuals,
1Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
This verse says that all unrighteous person no matter what their sins is if they don't repent will not inherit the kingdom of God. Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
You see hell is a real place and anyone who doesn't repent of their sins and put their faith in God will spend an eternity in hell. I don't know if you agree with this, but I wanted to challenge you to examine your faith and examine your view of who God is. I just want you to come to a true understanding that God is righteaous and will judge everyone in righteousness and truth. He will send those to hell, who have not repented of their sins. Please please consider what I have said.

Sincerely,
Pressin' On Ministries.