Is Hell Forever?

One of my great uncles passed away not long after his wife had passed away of Alzheimers.  He had really struggled with things after my great aunt died and it was just a matter of weeks later that my Granddad found him unresponsive in his bed.  I remember my Grandmother crying and telling me that she had been thinking she should reach out to him and just put it off for a little bit and then it was too late.  Our family knew he was an atheist and my Grandparents would periodically attempt to minister him but to no avail.  When he passed away, it was gut wrenching because of the eternal implications that came with it.

But could a loving God really punish my great uncle for an eternity for ‘a bad decision’?  It didn’t seem fair.  It certainly didn’t seem loving.  Did this simple act fly in the face of what we knew God stood for?

What Does The Bible Say?

The Bible offers us a clear answer to the question “is hell forever?”  In Matthew 25:46, the Bible speaks of eternal punishment.

I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Redemption

But there is redemption. Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life.