I used to be a believer in eternal torment in hell based on what I had always heard about in society until I really started reading God's Word and understanding God. Yes, those who don't believe will be cast into the Lake of Fire, but they will be burned up into ashes, they won't be tormented forever, this is known as the
Second Death. This was never a belief in the Old Testament or in the early church or apostles. This was a concept that wasn't added until later centuries to "scare" people into doing good and working for God out of fear and carried into many of the Bible translations in a couple of passages, including in the King James version. This belief was derived from the Greek belief in the soul being immortal and those who did wrong being tormented forever in the underworld by the Greek god hades (this is where we get our idea about hades and hell from). The Bible has always been a matter of Eternal Life or death, not happiness or suffering. God told Adam and Eve that when they disobeyed Him that they would die (not suffer for eternity). "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Thus death and satan gained authority over man until Jesus Christ won that authority back for us and conquered over death so we could have Eternal Life back. "For the wages of sin is death, the gift from God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
God showed me one time that so many people have taken Christianity from being a free gift from God into a choice that must be made to escape eternal torment. This is not what God is, God is nothing but infinite love, mercy and compassion that would never torment anyone, especially forever.
For more info on what the Bible actually teaches on "hell", check out
http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=455 or
http://www.gnmagazine.org/booklets/HL/index.htm for some great articles on the topic.
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell [
gehenna, representative of the Lake of Fire]" Matthew 10:28
"'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall
burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, '
that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be
ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,' says the LORD of Hosts" (Malachi 4:1-3).
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish (be reduced to ashes, cease to exist, etc.), but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from
death (not torment) unto
life.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death. Revelations 21:18
God Bless