It is inconceivable that God would inflict eternal suffering on fragile creatures such as ourselves, or that He would allow anyone else to do so. This abominable idea is simply the doctrine of the Catholic Church; designed to so terrify those whom it would not even permit to read the scriptures that they would pay any price to avoid its appalling and brutal rigours.
Hell is how we translate three Greek and Hebrew terms, namely
1. A hole in the ground, ie the common grave of man
2. A place of restraint
3. A place of final burning, as in a crematorium. Note that there is no implication of punishment if you are sent to a crematorium, it is simply a way to dispose of your fleshly corpse after you are dead.
We know that the wages of sin is death, from Romans 6, 23.
So we need to understand what death is, from the scriptures. Death is actually pretty much what we already know it to be; ie a place where there is no thought, and no awareness. It is death.
Scripture confirms this idea
“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, in that very day, his thoughts perish”.
If our thoughts perish when we die, then we cannot experience the eternal torments wished upon us by this writer, without Biblical sanction.
DO NOT ADD TO OR TAKE AWAY FROM THE WITNESS OF GOD AS RECORDED IN THE SCRIPTURES.
Furthermore,
“They shall be as though they had not been”.
And
“For the living know that they shall die, but THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANYTHING”.
Or even
“The dead praise not the Lord, nor any that go down into silence”.
Note; into silence, not into a place of screams and cries and gnashing of teeth.
The Judgement which will soon come upon all will result in those who have wilfully rejected the offer of salvation being cast into the Lake of Fire. This is confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when He said “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”. This fire burns for ever, as “Our God is a consuming fire”; however, the things which are cast into this fire will exist for a microsecond at most. Malachi ch 4 reveals to us that “the wicked shall be ashes under the soles of our feet” in that day. Ashes do not experience anything; their humanity has returned to Him who gave it, “Neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun”.
The Lord Jesus Christ was punished for the sins of the whole world, as John the Baptist prophetically stated when he met Him at Jordan. Even the most junior legal clerk knows that you cannot punish a person twice for a single act. The Lord paid the penalty for sin, all sin, thus His Father has been satisfied in His righteousness, and need not punish us a second time.
There remains but a single requirement; and that is for you to ask the Lord to forgive you for your sins. You cannot enter into the presence of God clad in the filthy rags of your worldly righteousness; but He can forgive you completely for these sins, because He has that right, to forgive whom He will, as He has paid the price which you should have paid.
It’s a bit like a man buying up all the tickets to a movie show, and standing out in the street and offering them to whomsoever he will. Some will accept gladly, and some will refuse angrily. That is their choice.
Those who are of God will hear God’s words, and the Spirit of God will convince them that these are indeed the words of the Most High, speaking directly to them. “Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice”.
If you hear His voice, then you are already chosen, but please go before Him and commit your eternal destiny to His perfect love.
“He will not fail thee nor forsake thee”.