This site is for thoughtful Christians learning how to answer the hard questions people are asking today
FOREVER?
PURPOSE:Helping Christians engage in intelligent conversations with doubters and unbelievers
Will people burn in hell FOREVER?
THIS IS
INSIGHT 4
What Jesus said about burning in hell
There are 14 verses in the Bible which tell us what Jesus said directly or indirectly about time in hell, and all are quoted on this page.
Jesus is the highest authority for answering our question. His statements take precedence over anything the Old Testament says ... over anything any of the Bible writers say ... and over anyone's interpretation of the Apostle John's dream.
Anything not in accord with Jesus' statements about hell is a misinterpretation.
Contrary to what most Christians believe, Jesus did not say that people will burn in hell FOREVER. He said that in hell, people will be burned up, destroyed, and perish.
– 21 –
'If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.' (Matthew 5:29, Jesus speaking)
Jesus acknowledges hell as a terrible place, but no mention of time in hell.
– 22 –
'Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.' (Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus speaking)
Only two possibilities: Eternal life or eternal destruction. When something is destroyed, it is damaged so badly that it ceases to exist.
– 23 –
'Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.' (Matthew 7:19, Jesus speaking)
Jesus is giving an example about what will happen to false prophets who come in sheep's clothing. When trees are thrown into the fire, they burn up and cease to exist.
– 24 –
'But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Matthew 8:12, Jesus speaking)
Seems to mean the dire condition after death while awaiting judgment, before being cast into hell. See #13 above.
– 25 –
'Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.' (Matthew 10:28, Jesus speaking)
Jesus says clearly that BOTH soul and body will be DESTROYED in hell. Even the soul is destroyed. When something is destroyed, it no longer exists.
– 26 –
'As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Matthew 13:40-42, Jesus speaking)
Weeds thrown into fire become dry, burn up, and cease to exist.
– 27 –
'Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Matthew 13:47-50, Jesus speaking)
Dead fish rot and cease to exist. When any living thing is thrown into a blazing furnace, it is killed and ceases to exist.
– 28 –
'And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.' (Matthew 18:9, Jesus speaking)
When fish or any living thing is thrown into fire it is consumed, burned up, and ceases to exist, even tho the fire continues.
– 29 –
'If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed with two hands than to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.' (Matthew 18:18, Jesus speaking)
Doesn't say a person will burn forever in hell, only that the fire never goes out. People die in the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (see next verse below).
– 30 –
'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the DEVIL and HIS ANGELS.' (Matthew 25:41, Jesus speaking)
Doesn't say a person will burn forever in hell – only that the fire burns forever – and that the fire (in which a person eventually dies) is prepared for the devil and his angels, who will burn there forever (see #18 above).
– 31 –
'Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.' (Matthew 25:46, Jesus speaking)
Doesn't say the burning is eternal, only that the punishment is eternal – i.e., the sentence will never be commuted or changed. The judgment is for all time with no reprieve. The punishment is death, no eternal life.
– 32 –
'It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown into hell were their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched' (Mark 9:47-48, Jesus speaking)
The word translated as 'worm' literally means 'maggot.' This is figurative language from Isaiah 66:24 and does not mean that there are immortal maggots. Many Bible scholars believe that, in the idioms of that day, this is referring to a person's conscience, which gnaws away with remorse that can never be mitigated. The passage does not say that worms do not die, but that 'their worm' does not die; it's personal and gnawing on each individual host. Every person in hell will have agonizing regret for not accepting God's offer of salvation while there was still time.
– 33 –
'Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell' (Luke 12:5, Jesus speaking)
Jesus says there is a hell but doesn't say anything about the a amount of time there before one perishes.
– 34 –
'But unless you repent, you too will all perish.' (Luke 13:3, Jesus speaking)
Perish means no longer alive, end of existence.
Jesus never said hell is forever
Contrary to what most Christians believe, there is no evidence in the Bible that Jesus ever said that hell is FOREVER. His words – quoted above – clearly imply that people will perish, burn up and be destroyed in hell.
Jesus' words about severity of hell
The above words from Jesus about time in hell should be linked with the following words from Jesus about severity of punishment in hell:
'They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely' (Jesus, Mark 12:40).
'The servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows' (Jesus, parable, Luke 12:47-48). 'Blows' here seems to mean how long the punishment will continue, not intensity of the blows.
These verses clearly imply that there will be degrees of punishment in hell. This is consistent with God's justice and judgment ('judged according to what they had done,' Revelation 20:12).
The teachings of Jesus are consistent with saying that the greater the sin, the longer the time in hell before the 'second death' (final death, Revelation 20:14 and 21:8).
