I could never love a God who would have people tortured for all eternity just for not believing in him. That is just wicked, depressing, epitome of unjust, cruel, ugly, and sickening! It is the worst, most horrifying and depressing thing I've ever heard!
I don't believe Hell is eternal. I know a lot of unbelievers and wicked people and wouldn't want any of them to suffer for eternity, not even if they killed my whole family.
Scripture does mention a lake of fire for those whose names weren't written in the book of life. Fire is often used in Scripture symbolically to symbolize purification. God said he would purify his people as gold is purified in fire. So, I think that the lake of fire is symbolic to mean a painful place of being punished, purified, and perfected.
I wouldn't burn anyone in hell forever. I told that to God, and God said I'm not more merciful than him. if he is more merciful than me, then there is no eternal hell.
1 Corinthians 3:15 "will suffer loss, though he himself
will be saved, but only as through fire." These are fires of purification.
Zechariah 13:9
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This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"
I liked your scriptures but not your conclusions. I'm also out of steam - so how much I can give you is a question.
I will give you an addition one or two scriptures:
Matthew 3:11:*I* indeed baptise you with water to repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not fit to bear; *he* shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire; (Darby)
Psalm 66:10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11 Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou layedst a sore burden upon our loins. 12 Thou didst cause men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. (ASV)
Malachi 3:1 Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts. 2 But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap: 3 and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness. (ASV)
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Without scriptural evidence that would make it too long, let me just state that there is no hell of torment; if you want to use the word hell, there is only hell of sleep. The dead sleep, are no more. If you want some scriptures about the condition of the dead, please look at this link: >
Truth Seeker - Judgment & Sheol<.
The Refining Fire
Christian disagreement:
Unfortunately, our internal disagreement is vast. So, before continuing, for the sake of understanding the above, let me put down a few lines that you may or may not agree with:
God's heavenly kingdom is going to be on earth with Christ as ruler, and if the number 144,000 is to be taken literally, with 144,000 sub king-priests as rulers, the saints.
The general Christian who survives Armageddon, and those who are resurrected thereafter, shall live under kingdom rule in Paradise on earth.
The Fire
The fire has nothing to do with death or hell. It has to do with refining those among Christians who get selected to be saints. These get anointed with Holy Spirit, specifically, the Helper, Christ's spirit. These also shall be tested as through fire until they die. If they die true, they will receive the heavenly resurrection to become co-rulers with Christ and be his priest, Christ being the High Priest.
Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus;
Again, this fire has nothing to do with hell as in death, though it is going to be hell for those who go through it. If they get refined they become approved; if they do not get refined, but so to say, burn up in these fires of the trials, they become disapproved as the son of destruction did.