Hell Judgment and Salvation - are they eternal?

Is “hell” a real place? Some say yes, others say no. Does it matter what people say about it? In the end – not so much. If you’re walking with the LORD now you will make the transition to eternity with Him anyway so it’s a moot point really. People who are living according to their own lusts, be they carnal or religious, and pay no mind to whether they are in a personal relationship with Jesus will make the transition into eternity without Jesus and His sacrifice. It all comes down to identity and which family you’re in.

As for hell itself there are many misunderstandings about it. We recently received an email from a person who asked us to clarify what the Bible says about it so here it is. It may not be pretty but hopefully it will make sense to you when you’re finished reading this.

There are many things God (YHWH) cannot do. He cannot lie, for example. In fact He can’t be anything but perfect. Accordingly He demands perfection from all of us. God is a perfectionist. He is the only personality for which perfection is even remotely possible and He achieves it 100% of the time.

God gave humanity no less than three opportunities to become perfect. Following the “fall” from perfect standing with God in the garden Adam was essentially told “alright, you think you can do your own thing, go ahead and try it.” The result was that everyone turned to evil and God was forced to wipe the earth clean and start over with eight remaining souls.  

Out of the seed of those eight one was chosen to be an example; an example of what it takes to be perfect – faith that God will provide. Abraham walked by faith with God and trusted Him. He is the father of faith.

Following this God gave the law and, essentially, challenged them again. “Go ahead” He seemed to be saying. “Try this on for size”. He handed the law over to Moses; a law they would not be able to keep (Acts 15:10). It is because of this that it could never be said that God simply didn't give humanity enough time to become "good" people. The result from giving man the law (through the Jews though anyone could become a Jew) was that it simply exposed the cancer that had grown in the hearts of men when the disease was first introduced into our existential DNA by Adam. Like a spiritual x-ray machine it exposed the fallen nature of humanity.   

Hidden in plain view, however, was a theme of redemption which pointed ultimately to the redeemer Himself. Once a year the High Priest would lay the sins of the people on an animal and send it out into the desert to die – a symbol of their inability of last even one year without loading up with imperfection (Lev 16).

Then along comes Jesus – the perfect one. The sins of the entire world were laid on Him. Once and for all the sin problem was dealt with and God no longer sees the people’s sins. He only sees family membership.

Everyone is born on their way to hell, friends. This is because we are all born with Satan as our father and hell as our destiny. It is only through adoption out of Satan’s family that we are reckoned children of God and rescued from a destiny which ends in a lake of fire and embraced as sons and daughters of the Most High.

So then, is hell a forever place of torment? The short answer is no. It is not. Hell is a place of triage currently – a holding place for people awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13). Following this judgment hell will be tossed into a perpetual lake of fire (Rev 20:14).

So we can’t go back through the Bible and conclude that judgment and punishment is not eternal based on what it says about hell. We have to know the heart and character of God based on righteousness and what that means eternally. Since even hell itself will be thrown into this eternal lake let’s take a good look at what the Bible tells us about eternal existence with, or apart from, God and His protection.

Some people have dismissed the eternal nature of the afterlife saying that God loves everyone and all will be saved. Others have embraced the belief that punishment is not eternal saying that God will annihilate the wicked and they will simply disappear into a vapor, or something.

Yet when Jesus said “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” In Matthew 25:46 He seemed to be directly confirming the words of the angel who told Daniel “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2

Daniel was being taught the resurrection of the dead at the time of the end; a time when everyone gets an immortal body which will be judged.

John 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Currently God is not counting men’s sins against them. Jesus paid the price for all sin (1Jn2:2). In order to understand this you have to understand that sin was the problem and Jesus took care of that problem. He blasted the lock off the door to the adoption agency (Gal 4:5) and became perfection which satisfied the righteousness of God. Now it can be said that whosoever “will” may come (Rev 22:17). 

Sin is no longer the issue. Now we can all be adopted out of Satan’s family and into God’s family. This is why Peter was rebuked for his views on the unclean nature of the Gentiles (Acts 10). Sin became evident through the law but grace through the cross made sin powerless against the ability of God to save anyone who comes to him – Jew or Gentile – it makes no difference. We have a new covenant (Heb 12:24)... a new deal, friends.

So – is the lake of fire experience a forever thing? Jesus confirmed this in Matthew 18:8. But He also confirmed in Matthew 19:29 that salvation is a forever thing as well. Ultimately it comes down to identity. To whom do you belong? As long as you have breath and a heartbeat it is not too late to take part in the adoption process. The death rate on planet earth is one per person. You will spend eternity somewhere – and you’ll know it.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Revelation 22:17