The Saints and the Lost
Some believe that the saints will not be happy in heaven and enjoy the pleasures there while their lost loved ones are suffering in eternal hell. But the Bible teaches that hell will not be forever. The fire of hell will actually go out once it accomplishes its purpose of judgement to each person according to his works.
The term “for ever” in the Bible, means a period of time, limited or unlimited. It is used 56 times in the Bible in relation to situtations that already ended. In Jonah 2:6, “for ever” means “three days and nights” (Jonah 1:17). In Deuteronomy 23:3, this means “10 generations.” In the case of man, this means “as long as he lives” or “until death” (1 Samuel 1:22, 28; Exodus 21:6; Psalm 48:14).
The Bible specifically teaches that hell fire will go out and that there will not be left “a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it” (Isaiah 47:14). Malachi wrote that the lost would burn up as “stubble” and would become “ashes under the soles” of the feet of the saints (Malachi 4:1, 3). Even Satan will be turned to ashes upon the earth (Ezekiel 28:18). The lost do not keep on burning endlessly; the fires of the last day will literally “burn them up” (Jeremiah 17:27; Matthew 3:12; 25:41; 2 Peter 3:7–13; Jude 7).
God states that the lost will be punished according to their deeds (Matthew 16:27; Romans 2:5-7; Proverbs 24:12). But after the punishment, the fire will go out. The Bible also teaches that in God’s new kingdom all “former things” will be passed away (Revelation 21:1, 4). Hell, being one of the former things, will also pass away.
If God tortured His enemies in hell throughout eternity, He would be more cruel than men have ever been. The teaching of eternal torment in Hell is an attack upon the loving character of a tender and merciful heavenly Father who loved His children unto death. “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). God is both loving and Just. And this was clearly illustrated by Jesus death at the Cross.
For more on that topic, check the following link: Is Hell Forever?
Eternal Life Without Sorrow
There will be certainly a brief period of sorrow and grief but after the fire goes out, the Lord will comfort His children. He will “wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). The causes for sorrow will be completely gone. Death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). Death as “The last enemy that shall be destroyed” (verse 26).
Surrounded by the beauty and joys of the new earth, God’s saints will forget the past; “the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17). The former would include the “former troubles” (verse 16), and the pains of this present wicked world.
The saints will be glad in God’s infinite love. “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).
Paul declares about heaven, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The glorious realities of God’s eternal kingdom of peace cannot be fully comprehended now. But one thing is sure that the Lord will fulfill all the dreams of His children in a way they never imagined or thought possible.
For more on this topic check out The Fate of the Transgressor.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
