For centuries, fire-and-brimstone preachers have been shouting from pulpits, “Sinners will burn forever in hell… in fire that never goes out. Their screams will echo for eternity, and no one will give them relief.” Some have even imagined saints in heaven rejoicing over the eternal suffering of the ungodly because they aren’t burning in torment with them.
This view isn’t just unbiblical; it’s deeply disturbing. And it grieves me that it has been spread so widely.
It grieves me because it distorts the character of my Father in heaven, who does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but delights in mercy and does not stay angry forever (Ezekiel 18:32, 33:11; Micah 7:18; Psalm 86:15; Isaiah 55:7; Jeremiah 3:12).
It also grieves me to know that this doctrine of eternal torment has pushed people away from God. They were completely turned off by the contradiction. A God of love… torturing people forever? It didn’t just confuse them. It repulsed them.
And yet Yeshua said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” For “He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:27–28, 35–36).
That doesn’t sound like a God who plans to throw people into eternal torment. Death? Yes. But not everlasting suffering.
Everlasting Suffering in Hell? Not According to the Bible
What many people don’t realize is that there is absolutely no biblical support for everlasting suffering. Yes, there are a few texts that people take out of context to support this belief, but a close examination of these verses shows they are reading meaning into them that isn’t there. And I will show you this, not by sharing my opinion, but by walking you through the Scriptures.
You’re about to see that the Bible tells a very different story from the one these preachers of eternal torment have taught. It’s a story of justice that is complete and final, not one of endless pain. And it begins with Sodom and Gomorrah, not as a myth, but as a warning to the entire world of a coming judgment that will be final.
Will you dare to ask God to show you the truth you don’t want to see? Indeed, it’s uncomfortable, but also life-changing when you respond to it with an open heart.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
God Takes No Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked
“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” says Yahweh God. “So turn back, and live!”
—Ezekiel 18:32
“As I live,” says Yahweh God, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why should you die, O house of Israel?”
—Ezekiel 33:11
That pleading heart… that merciful invitation… doesn’t sound like a God preparing to throw sinners into eternal torment. No—it sounds like a loving Father calling His wayward children back home.
“Turn back, turn back from your evil ways,” says Love (1 John 4:8).
They were headed for destruction, and God was reaching out with a question: “Why should you die?”
He wants them to live. But the choice is theirs. The voice of truth was calling, and they had to decide between life or death. And so must we.
Not eternal torment. Death.
Do you really believe those words came from a heart that could bear seeing people suffer for all eternity with no hope of relief? Do you really believe that Yeshua, who “wept” would do such a thing? (John 11:35, Luke 13:34, 19:41).
If eternal torment were true, then surely the people of Sodom and Gomorrah would be among the wicked consciously burning in everlasting fire. Right?
Let’s see what the Bible says.
“The sun had risen over the land when Lot entered Zoar. Then Yahweh rained down burning sulfur and fire from Heaven—out of the sky—from Yahweh Himself, upon Sodom and Gomorrah. He destroyed those cities, the entire plain, everyone who lived in the cities, and even all the vegetation that grew on the ground.”
— Genesis 19:23-25
God didn’t leave us to guess what “eternal fire” means. He provided a clear example: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Hebrew Meaning of Total Destruction
The force of this judgment is found in the original Hebrew. When Genesis 19:25 says God “overthrew” the cities, the word used is hapak. It means to turn upside down or overturn (Genesis 19:21, 24, 25, 29).1 It describes complete destruction, where nothing remains and there’s no going back. The place once seen as an oasis full of life (Genesis 13:10), was reduced to a lifeless wasteland of ashes.
The fire didn’t just scorch the cities and their wicked inhabitants; it ended them. And that finality sets the stage for the final judgment described in both Testaments.
A Biblical Pattern of Ashes
The last prophet of the Old Testament doesn’t mince words. Malachi 4:1-3 says the coming day will burn like a furnace, and the wicked will be stubble. “The day that comes shall burn them up,” he writes, “and you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet.”
The New Testament confirms the meaning of this fire. Jude 1:7 says Sodom was punished with “eternal fire,” and 2 Peter 2:6 tells us precisely what happened: God condemned them to destruction, turning them to ashes, and made them an example of what happens to the ungodly.
Sodom and Gomorrah are not burning today. Their destruction was total. The people are not conscious. They’re not screaming. They’re not suffering. They’re gone.
The fire was eternal in origin and outcome. It came from Yahweh Himself, the consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24), and it burned with His holiness (Isaiah 33:14-15). Its purpose was not to preserve torment, but to bring judgment to completion—to devour the adversaries (Hebrews 10:27). And when it had done what God sent it to do, it left only silence and ashes.
Scripture that Confirms the Pattern
- Genesis 19:24-25 – The original “Overthrowing” (Hapak) that brought total ruin (see also Lamentations 4:6, Jeremiah 49:18, Isaiah 13:9).
- Deuteronomy 29:23 – Confirms the land became a permanent, desolate example of God’s wrath.
- Jude 1:7 – Defines the judgment as a punishment of “eternal fire,” which is eternal in its effect.
- 2 Peter 2:6 – Interprets that eternal fire, telling us God’s judgment “turned the cities… to ashes.”
- Malachi 4:3 – The final prophetic promise: the wicked will be “ashes under the soles of your feet.”
- Matthew 10:15 – Yeshua’s own words, confirming that Sodom and Gomorrah are the precedent for the Day of Judgment.
Ashes don’t speak. They don’t suffer. And they don’t last forever. That is the judgment God showed us.
And it’s the same judgment He promises at the end of time.
Final Judgment Against the Ungodly: Devoured
“They went up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them.”
— Revelation 20:9
Not tortured. Not preserved in flames. Devoured.
Just like Sodom and Gomorrah, the wicked are consumed by holy fire from above, not to suffer endlessly, but to be removed forever. This is what Peter meant when he said their ashes were an example. What God did before, He will do again.
A Warning Against False Teachers
The Bible warns against false shepherds who scatter the sheep of God’s pasture, of false teachers who secretly bring in destructive heresies—twisting Scripture and leading those who don’t know better to their own destruction (Jeremiah 23:1-2; 2 Peter 2:1-2, 3:15-16).
Instead of trusting God with all their heart and walking in the Spirit, they rely on their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6, 28:26; Galatians 5:25). And some even bow to the counsel of the ungodly and end up in the seat of mockers (Psalm 1:1).
Therefore, we must be watchful, because our “adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Our defense is the word of God. The more time we spend in it, the more equipped we will become to test the spirits, so that we will not be led astray by cunning words (Ephesians 6:17; Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 John 4:1).
We must be like the Bereans, who “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily to see” if what they were told lined up with God’s Word (Acts 17:11). They didn’t just say, an Apostle said it, therefore, it must be true. No, they tested everything and were commended for doing so (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Any pastor, priest, or teacher who discourages that kind of diligence is not speaking for God.
We Must Immerse Ourselves in Scripture
We need more than a surface-level knowledge of the truth (Hebrews 5:12-14). We must immerse ourselves in Scripture prayerfully, reverently, and thoughtfully, digging deep into every word as for hidden treasure (Job 1:8, 23:12; Matthew 6:21; Psalm 119:11).
That means surrendering your assumptions and questioning what you’ve been taught in church. Ask God for wisdom to read His Word with respect, so as not to impose your own beliefs on it. Ask Him to give you light to expose false teachers for the liars they are, even if it means seeing the ugly side of spiritual leaders you love and respect. Ask Him for a heart ready to receive His word, and a burning desire to uphold it (James 1:5).
You already have an invitation: “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you” (Matthew 7:7).
Let The Bible Speak for Itself
There’s a reason why God has preserved His word. He doesn’t want us to be in the dark. He wants us to know where we came from, who He is, why we are here, and how deeply we are loved. So examine everything you’ve been told about God in light of the Scriptures. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And please, let the Bible speak for itself.
There is a fool who thinks he has nothing to learn, and a fool who wraps nonsense in eloquence. It makes no difference how foolishness is packaged, for it all comes from a fool. Don’t be that fool.
Be open to godly correction, for it comes from a place of love and leads to something better (Proverbs 3:11-12; Revelation 3:19).
As for me, I will draw near to God. I want His words to burn within me, His truth to shape my life, and His love to shine through me. I pray you share that same desire.
Footnotes
- Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 253.