Lesson 18 - Would a God of Love Burn Sinners Forever?

Introduction: In the last lesson we learned that the dead sleep in their graves until Jesus resurrects them. When the righteous are resurrected they will go to heaven, and when the wicked are resurrected they will go to the lake of "everlasting fire." Yet, how could a God of LOVE torture sinners forever? It seems inconsistent with His character! In this lesson, as we compare "Scripture with Scripture," letting the Bible explain itself, we will find the truth of this matter, and you will understand the love of God as never before.

1. How does the Bible describe God? 1 John 4:7, 8

(1 John 4:7-8 NKJV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. {8} He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

[The Further-study verse is Eze. 33:11]

2. Will God's love excuse those who neglect or refuse to let Jesus take away their guilt? Num. 14:18

(Numbers 14:18 NKJV) 'The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.'

[Note: God does not hold the children accountable for their parents' sins (Eze. 18:20), but the results of sin are often passed on. God will forgive the sins of the penitent, but He will not excuse sin in those who try to justify themselves. Ex. 34:6, 7; Luke 12:47, 48; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:7]

3. When and how will the wicked be punished for their deeds? Matt. 25:31, 41, 46 [John 5:28, 29; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12]

(Matthew 25:31 NKJV) "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

(Matthew 25:41 NKJV) "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

(Matthew 25:46 NKJV) "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

4. Thus the wicked will be cast into hell after the judgment of the last days. Some people, not comparing Scripture with Scripture, misinterpret 1 Peter 3:18-20 that says that Jesus was "put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient . . . in the days of Noah." What is a "soul in prison"? Isa. 42:6, 7

(Isaiah 42:6-7 NKJV) "I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, {7} To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

[Luke 4:18; John 8:34, 36; Isa. 61:1]

5. When did Jesus preach with the power of the Spirit to the souls who were prisoners of sin in Noah's day? Gen. 6:3 [Rom. 8:11; Matt. 24:38, 39]

(Genesis 6:3 NKJV) And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

6. When the wicked are cast into hell, will there be any rest during the time they are burning, and will their smoke or memory or anything about them ever return to earth again? Rev. 14:11 [Rev. 20:10]

(Revelation 14:11 NKJV) "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

7. Who has already suffered "eternal fire" as an example of the hell fire in the last days? Jude 7

(Jude 1:7 NKJV) as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

[Note: "Eternal" or "everlasting" fire was a common Hebrew expression for a fire that could not be put out but burned until everything was consumed. Even today, if you say a fire could not be put out, it does not mean that it continues to burn even after everything has been reduced to ashes. 2 Peter 2:6; Eze. 20:47, 48; Jer. 17:27]

8. What will be left when the fire is through burning? Mal. 4:1, 3 [Isa. 47:14]

(Malachi 4:1 NKJV) "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.

(Malachi 4:3 NKJV) You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts.

9. Is man immortal? 1 Tim. 6:15, 16

(1 Timothy 6:15-16 NKJV) which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, {16} who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

[Note: The Bible never calls man or his soul or his spirit or anything else about him, immortal. It says: God "alone has immortality." 1 Cor. 15:51-55; 2 Tim. 1:9, 10]

10. What will happen to the "soul" of the unrepentant person? Eze. 18:4, 20 [Obadiah 16]

(Ezekiel 18:4 NKJV) "Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

(Ezekiel 18:20 NKJV) "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

11. How will the soul be destroyed? Matt. 10:28 [2 Peter 3:9-11]

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

12. What is death in hell called? Rev. 20:12-15 [Ans. The Second Death. Nahum 1:9]

(Revelation 20:12-15 NKJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. {13} The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. {14} Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

13. Will every sinner receive the same punishment? Luke 12:45-48 [Rom. 2:6; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12]

(Luke 12:45-48 NKJV) "But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, {46} "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. {47} "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. {48} "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

14. What will happen to Satan in the fire of hell? Eze. 28:18, 19

(Ezekiel 28:18-19 NKJV) "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. {19} All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever."' "

[Note: Though the Hebrew verbs here can technically be translated in either the past or future tense, the King James Version correctly translates this as future, for Satan obviously hasn't died yet!-- "Therefore WILL I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it SHALL devour thee, and I WILL bring thee to ashes upon the earth" (KJV). Rev. 20:9, 10]

15. After the wicked are through burning, where will they be found? Ps. 37:9, 10 [Ps. 145:20; Obadiah 16; Prov. 24:20]

(Psalms 37:9-10 NKJV) For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. {10} For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.

16. What is the wages of sin? Rom. 6:23 [Rom. 5:21]

(Romans 6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

17. If we believe in Jesus, from what will we be saved? John 3:16 [John 17:3; John 4:14; John 6:27, 47]

(John 3:16 NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Commitment: Isaiah 28:9, 10 says that anyone who clings to a preconceived interpretation of an isolated text, without comparing everything else the Bible says on the subject, cannot be taught truth! As we compare ALL that the Bible says on hell, it is evident that a God of love will not burn people forever. Satan has slandered and misrepresented the character of God! Aren't you glad that you can enjoy heaven without worrying about one of your relatives being tortured throughout eternal ages, while you are trying to be happy regardless? Does this wonderful truth help you to understand God's love more? Will you respond to that love by accepting Christ as your Savior?

Further Study Verses

Question 1 - Further Study

(Ezekiel 33:11 NKJV) "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?' -->Back to Study

Question 2 - Further Study

(Exodus 34:6-7 NKJV) And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, {7} "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."

(Luke 12:47-48 NKJV) "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. {48} "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

(2 Peter 2:9 NKJV) then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

(2 Peter 3:7 NKJV) But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. -->Back to Study

Question 3 - Further Study

(Matthew 16:27 NKJV) "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

(John 5:28-29 NKJV) "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice {29} "and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

(Revelation 22:12 NKJV) "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. -->Back to Study

Question 4 - Further Study

(Luke 4:18 NKJV) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

(John 8:34 NKJV) Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

(John 8:36 NKJV) "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

(Isaiah 61:1 NKJV) "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; -->Back to Study

Question 5 - Further Study

(Romans 8:11 NKJV) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

(Matthew 24:38-39 NKJV) "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, {39} "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. -->Back to Study

Question 6 - Further Study

(Revelation 20:10 NKJV) The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. -->Back to Study

Question 7 - Further Study

(2 Peter 2:6 NKJV) 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;

(Ezekiel 20:47-48 NKJV) "and say to the forest of the South, 'Hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. {48} "All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched."' "

(Jeremiah 17:27 NKJV) "But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."' " -->Back to Study

Question 8 - Further Study

(Isaiah 47:14 NKJV) Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before! -->Back to Study

Question 9 - Further Study

(1 Corinthians 15:51-55 NKJV) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; {52} in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53} For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. {54} So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." {55} "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"

(2 Timothy 1:9-10 NKJV) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, {10} but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, -->Back to Study

Question 10 - Further Study

(Obadiah 1:16 NKJV) For as you drank on my holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been. -->Back to Study

Question 11 - Further Study

(2 Peter 3:9-11 NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. {10} But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. {11} Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, -->Back to Study

Question 12 - Further Study

(Nahum 1:9 NKJV) What do you conspire against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time. -->Back to Study

Question 13 - Further Study

(Romans 2:6 NKJV) who "will render to each one according to his deeds":

(Matthew 16:27 NKJV) "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

(Revelation 22:12 NKJV) "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. -->Back to Study

Question 14 - Further Study

(Revelation 20:9-10 NKJV) They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. {10} The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. -->Back to Study

Question 15 - Further Study

(Psalms 145:20 NKJV) The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.

(Obadiah 1:16 NKJV) For as you drank on my holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been.

(Proverbs 24:20 NKJV) For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. -->Back to Study

Question 16 - Further Study

(Romans 5:21 NKJV) so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. -->Back to Study

Question 17 - Further Study

(John 4:14 NKJV) "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

(John 6:27 NKJV) "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

(John 6:47 NKJV) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

(John 17:3 NKJV) "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. -->Back to Study

Return to the Blessed Hope Home Page
Last Updated: 06/18/03