Eternal Torment, Annihilation or Universal Reconciliation?

[surrender1]

Which one do you believe will happen at the final punishment?

A fire that torments, a fire that consumes or a fire that purifies?

The three main views are eternal conscious torment where the unrepentant are tormented by the fire for all eternity, annihilation where the unrepentant are punished according to wrongs committed and then annihilated by the fire, and universal reconciliation where the unrepentant go through a fire that burns impurities away leading to eventual repentance and reconciliation.

edit to add: So far almost 50% of the people in this vote have voted "eternal conscious torment." Can you explain how that view of God is different than say a father who tells his child he must love him back and if not, he will lock him in the back room away from him and he assures his child that this will be like being tormented in flames?

 

[mcarmichael]

What's in it for me?

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

where the unrepentant are tormented by the fire for all eternity

That kind of punishment is hard to fathom. Better to just put them out of their misery. I see no purpose in it at all. It's beyond cruel and paints God as a kind of vengeful despot.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

If I can just add, isn't it enough that they miss out on Eternal Life with the Lord? Just seeing what they miss out on would be punishment enough.

 

[mcarmichael]

Only thing to say is that the Devil is condemned already.

 

[mcarmichael]

If I can just add, isn't it enough that they miss out on Eternal Life with the Lord? Just seeing what they miss out on would be punishment enough.

Is eternal fire a real Catholic thing?

 

[surrender1]

What's in it for me?

No idea what you mean.

 

[surrender1]

Is eternal fire a real Catholic thing?

It's a fundamental Christian thing. It's the traditional view.

 

[Lazarus Short]

I was acquainted with all three, and never was too impressed with option four: reincarnation. I called it a trilemma and decided to slog through the KJV, treating each as a theory or theoretical model, to see which one fit the data (Biblical text) better. I found a few points of Eternal Damnation and for Annihilation, but Universalism, or the Salvation of All, fit the data better, and by a wide margin. I even wrote a book on the subject, which runs to over 200 pages.

 

[JesusIsMySavior101]

I think they are eternally gone meaning that once the fire of hell consumes them that's it, they are gone forever and ever.

I think the notion that they get tortured forever is brought on by the atheists who despise our way of life and want to make us look bad by any means possible and to make themselves look better / feel better in comparison. But we all know that's just smoke in mirrors with a little bit of faith.

 

[mcarmichael]

It's a fundamental Christian thing. It's the traditional view.

Are you Catholic?

 

[mcarmichael]

No idea what you mean.

Sometimes people are compensated for their time when they agree to be surveyed.

 

[Kenny'sID]

A "Maybe eternal punishment, but probably punishment, then annihilation" would have allowed me to answer something other than "not sure".

I don't consider universal ism the least bit valid, just wishful thinking.

Also, 2 things to remember.

1) Just what exactly does eternal torture entail? Remember the man who wouldn't feed the poor guy across the abyss in Hell? He was carrying on a conversation, so pretty sure he wasn't burning as if on fire, and weeping and gnashing of teeth happens in the here and now, so....

2) If we were annihilated, wouldn't that be eternal punishment? Gone forever/eternally?

 

[surrender1]

Are you Catholic?

No. Why? Are you?

 

[surrender1]

A "Maybe eternal punishment, but probably punishment, then annihilation" would have allowed me to answer something other than "not sure".

Oh man, I never get in enough options! :-/

I don't consider universal ism the least bit valid, just wishful thinking.

Also, 2 things to remember.

1) Just what exactly does eternal torture entail?

Whatever it is, it's *unending*. So it doesn't really matter if it's "a little torture" or "a lot of torture" because it's *eternal*. Agreed?

Remember the man who wouldn't feed the poor guy across the abyss in Hell? He was carrying on a conversation, so pretty sure he wasn't burning as if on fire,

That wasn't the final punishment. Remember, his family were still going on with life while he was in his torment? So the resurrection and final judgment had not taken place yet so he couldn't not have been in the lake of fire and experiencing "eternal torment."

2) If we were annihilated, wouldn't that be eternal punishment? Gone forever/eternally?

Yes.

 

[mcarmichael]

No. Why? Are you?

No, but you made a reference to tradition, so..
Considering that you consider it (eternal fire) a "traditional" view, I assumed you were Catholic, otherwise why refer to tradition?

 

[surrender1]

No, but you made a reference to tradition, so..

Not tradition. It's the traditional view. My background is evangelical and ECT was taught as the traditional view.

 

[mcarmichael]

meh.

 

[mcarmichael]

Well, according to the Enochian tradition, there are four places for the dead. One for the righteous, three for sinners.
However, obsessing over the eternal destruction of some is to miss that it is a tremendous boon to righteous. It's a fine line.

 

[Adstar]

I believe the eternal lake of fire will be a place of eternal torment to those who are cast into it at the final judgement..

Hell is not the eternal lake of fire.. Hell is a temporary prison for the spirits of sinners where they are held awaiting the day of judgement..

So in the stoy of lazerus in the Bible the rich man was in hell.. but he was not in the eternal lake of fire..

Hell being cast into the lake of fire at the final judgement::

Revelation 20: KJV
12 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. {13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. {14} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."