Among those who take hell a bit more seriously we sometimes find the myth that hell is temporal, and not everlasting. The reasoning is often that hell is punishment for sins committed during at the most several decades, and that justice would prohibit everlasting punishment for crimes committed over the course of an earthly lifetime. After punishment has been met, whatever divine punishment demands, a person is either welcomed into heaven, or simply annihilated.
But, Scripture is pretty clear on the everlasting nature of hell. It is a place of eternal destruction, punishment, and fire. There is no work release program or hope of probation in hell.
We are created as immortal beings and will go on living after death in the presence of God and his grace, or experiencing his just and righteous anger. As incurable,habitual sinners we continue in our sin, lawlessness and idolatry even in hell– and so judgment continues.
Hell is an everlasting judgment, and our only hope of escaping such a curse is by trusting in the One who became a curse for us. Those who are united to Jesus are setfree from condemnation and find everlasting life.
