Imagine This

You love your father greatly. You have a thousand reasons to do so. As a child, you can recall sitting on his lap as he read Bible stories and books about adventure. He took you to church every week and told you about the love of the Creator and how Jesus gave his life so that you could live eternally without any pain or sorrow. You had great times with him at the many places you went together, especially the hiking trips and fishing for your supper.

You noticed him praying in the morning and crying over loved ones who had passed away or had walked away from his Savior. He helped strangers in need and would give any of them the “shirt off his back.” He was your rock in times of trouble, pain, and doubt. You know without a doubt that he loves you and would give his life for you without even thinking about it.

One day America was attacked, and he joined the Air Force to protect liberty and shield you and the rest of the country from tyranny. He became a high-ranking officer and directed a lot of men into battle. Most all of them respected him (in the same manner you would) for his kindness even when he had to be resolute in making tough life-and-death decisions.

One day you hear that your sweet Dad tortured the enemy he captured. He did so by slowly burning them. He would let the fire slowly roast them until they cried out for mercy, willing to tell any war secrets, but your Dad showed no mercy. He wanted to punish the prisioners.

Would you believe these stories? Of course not, because you know your Father. You have a relationship with him. Yet, modern Christian teachers describe our heavenly Father as One who has reserved a place where people burn without end, tortured throughout eternity without any mercy or relief. The Author of life keeps them alive, so they continue to burn and suffer. Do you believe this?

I know my Heavenly Father. He is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and great in mercy. Quick to forgive! This is the first reason why I know that this place of torture is not real but created by the enemy himself.

The next way I know the truth is from the Bible. The wages of sin is death or perishing…The warning against unbelief is found in John 3:16., but it is not eternal torture.

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.

John 3:16

Everyone knows God loved all of us so much that He was willing to let Jesus die so we could have eternal life and NOT PERISH! If we believe the false teaching about torture, John 3:16 would have to be rewritten to say,

“whosoever believes in him will not go to hell and be tortured…”

The warning to Adam and Eve would be,

“The day you eat of the tree, you will surely go to hell and be tortured forever.

Genesis 2:17 (modified)

What amazes me is that these teachers get angry when someone rejects the idea that God tortures those who choose not to believe. Is this the kind of God you want to serve in heaven? Or is it a human desire for the wicked to experience unsatisfied anger? Many preachers ask,

“How how can I get people to come to Christ without a non-stop burning place? In other words, they feel that scaring the lost will create a life-saving relationship with Jesus. Here is my answer; bring them to Christ by demonstrating the great love of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Did we scare our spouses into marriage? Or did we woo and draw them with our great love for them?

“…I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3.

Lift Jesus up and He will draw the the lost to himself,

“If I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself.” John 12:32. “

Here are some of the clearest and most powerful verses on the fate of the lost (not a parable.). As instructed through inspiration, we should consider the coming of Jesus and how we live and relate to the lost. There is a hell, but it is not eternal. It burns people up instead of torturing them. The coming destruction is a warning to the people of this earth.

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

2 Peter 3: 7-12

An apparent delay…out of mercy:

2 Peter 3: 7-9 (above) reveals some important truths about the character of God:

1.) We think God is slow concerning His promises, but He is not tied to our mortal time-keeping and has a purpose for His apparent delay.

2.) God is patient with us. What is He waiting for that requires his divine patience? It is repentance from sin.

3.) He does not want anyone to perish. The Greek word for “perish” is “apollymi.” It means to destroy or abolish. This makes sense if you read the verses proceeding today’s verse:

4.) At the Second Coming of Jesus, He burns up the earth and those who are “ungodly.”

5.) These facts tell us we should be living lives where we remember what God is going to do to this earth.

The coming of Christ is a destructive event. It destroys the earth and those who are unrepentant “perish” in its fire. Please note: The verse does not say God does not want anyone to “go to hell” or be tortured throughout eternity. The fate of the lost is eternal destruction (Perish). Those who twist scripture to ignore the love of God and His desire to keep people from perishing ignore passages that demonstrate that God is love. Any teaching that is not founded on this Biblical principal is false.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” Psalm 103:8.

How do we relate to the wickedness of this world? Do we want unrepentant sinners to burn in hell forever? This is a human wish not God’s. Or do we want to save them from the coming eternal destruction?.

For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Hebrews 10:39

The soul that sins shall die…For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

Ezekiel 18: 4, 32