Expert: William Radvansky - 12/15/2006

Question
I was under the impression that unrepentant sinners go to Hell and after the final Judgment Day they actually die.
  A friend of mine said that this isn't true that Sinners actually spend eternity burning in Hell.
  Which is true?

Answer
Jack, Thank you for allowing me to assist you. Let me first apologize for taking so long. I recently traveled to the Cleveland Clinic to undergo surgery and am just now recovering. Now to your question. Scripture leaves no doubt that sinners who die without having received Christ as their Lord and Savior, spend a conscious eternity in Hell. Some religions teach annihilation but the Bible does not. Jesus himself gave the definitive illustration of the sinners destiny in Mark 9:43-50. His allusion here is to a garbage dump that was located at the edge of Jerusalem. It was always burning in order that, any refuse that was tossed into it would catch fire. There were worms that ate the organic trash from underneath the pile. They could not leave due to the intense fire that burned above them and held them in. It is a horrible thing to know that human beings, those who we see walking down the street everyday, will eternally exist in such a state. I wish it were not so, but the Bible does not lie. Here is the exact text

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
As if to be sure that no one is uncertain of the truth of this matter, Jesus repeated it 5 times in just this short passage. There are many other scriptures in the Bible that give the same message. Revelation 20 gives us the awful picture of the Lake of Fire saying in verse 10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Verse 15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Mathew 13:49,50 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Gnashing and wailing denote acts that are ongoing over a period of time.

I hope ,Jack, that you will search the scriptures for yourself and allow the truth of such a horrible existence through all eternity to motivate you to share the great news of Gods salvation with others. Thank you for allowing me to help you. Bill Radvansky