Is Hell Eternal?
There have been teachings going around stating that, “Hell is not eternal” and “A loving God wouldn’t send someone to Hell.” To find the correct answer to the question, “Is Hell Eternal?”, we must search the scriptures for the answer. Remember, if it contradicts the Bible, do away with it!
We must first ask ourselves, “Why did Jesus come to the Earth?” because a vast amount of denominations and cults linking themselves to Christianity claim faith in Jesus Christ. The “world-known” scripture John 3:16 sums it up really quick for us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Since the Gospel of John was written in the Greek language, we must understand its verbiage. The Greek word for perish is “apollumi”, which means, to destroy and to destroy utterly. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus, Himself, describes The Judgement, concluding verse 46 with “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.” The Greek word for everlasting is “aiónios”, which means, eternal, unending. If you were to put aiónios and apollumi together, you would have, “eternal destruction”. Who has ever heard of eternal destruction? The mind cannot fathom it. Our mindset is just…destruction: when it’s done, it’s done; it’s all over with. Right? But to tag on eternal in with it represents continual destruction…repetitive and unending.
This supports the many claims of unrelated and un-linked stories of people from around the world who have had either a near-death or out-of-body experience. The majority of them dreadfully admitted witnessing people being tormented and tortured until they almost ceased to exist, then the whole process started all over again; an unending, revolving process. A great testimony to take into consideration is the one of Mary K. Baxter. 
Also, the main reason why Jesus came down to Earth, became human flesh, suffered a gruesome death, and resurrected, was for the purpose of saving us from that ghastly place called Hell! He knows the extremity of hell, and that’s why He fought so much (and still fights) to keep us out of that everlasting torment (Matthew 18:8). As a matter of fact, Jesus spoke more about hell than Heaven in the Bible. That’s how dire His yearning was/is for us to not go there!
As for those that ask, “Why would a loving God send someone to Hell?” The answer is: He doesn’t! They send themselves by rejecting their Creator…Jesus Christ! (John 1:1-3;14). He will never force anyone to love or accept Him, and neither will He force anyone into His house when they don’t even believe that He is the Owner! Heaven and hell is a choice. As for labeling God only as Loving, is likely a sign of one not knowing Him at all. Not only is He Love, Himself, the Word of God also describes Him as Just, Fierce, Avenging, Unworldly, Undefiled, Commanding, Omnipotent, Fair and Faithful. I’ve heard some say,”Well, I haven’t rejected Jesus. I just don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind, yet.” Not making up your mind is the same thing as rejecting, because there was never a “yes”. Never an “I believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and personal Savior.” No answer is in fact…an answer. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
The opinions of men have tried to twist God’s Holy Word since the day He authored it. If it contradicts the Bible, have nothing to do with it! Here are other proven scriptures to support an eternal hell for those who have not given their lives to Jesus Christ and not repented (turned away from their sin): Revelation 14:11, Jude 7, Jude 12-13, Revelation 17:1,4, 2 Thessalonian 1:9.
But here’s the good news: Heaven is also Eternal! And God desperately prefers this option for you over the other. There are no works to do (Ephesians 2:9) or rituals to perform in order to get to Heaven. The one and ONLY way to get to Heaven is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). You must believe that He is the Son of God, repent of your sins (that means to completely turn away from it), and ask Jesus to live inside of your heart. It’s that simple. Salvation is not complicated. If you haven’t asked Jesus into your heart, please, sincerely pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I’m a sinner. I repent of my sins. I believe that You are the Son of God. I believe that you put on human flesh so you could die for my sins and that You rose again three days later. Please, live inside my heart, and change me forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
If you prayed that prayer, get yourself a Bible, read it every day, and ask the Holy Spirit to interpret it for you, as He is a personal God. Get into a Bible-based church, not an opinion-based. Remember, if it contradicts the Bible, do away with it!
