Why I don't Believe In An Everlasting Hell...I Hope you will take a look at this even if you're not a Christian.

I believe I should deal with this because there are way too many individuals bound by worry and anxiety on this very sensitive issue. I am convinced that not only will this post offer another perspective, but it might just cause you to look at God in a whole new light!

As most of you know, I was born and raised as a Christian and I have made Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. I always endeavor to look at Holy Scripture for what it says and not through the eyes of the "religious" who may have put a spin on it for their own personal agendas. Some of these teachings have been inspired by the writing of Dante, as well as other writers on the subject of eternal hell.

I know there will be some of you that strongly disagree with me on this topic and I welcome diverse view points because you are entitled to your opinions. I believe that free thought is important and so I celebrate an environment that allows a free exchange of ideas....That's why I like steemit so much!

Not too long ago, I attended a church where the pastor preached on hell and how it would be eternal and would never ever end. This was not the first time that I had heard a sermon about hell and so I can't say that it upsets me or anything that....But it does raise my level of awareness about the importance of dealing with this sensitive topic.

As would be expected, I have fellow-Christian friends who believe in an eternal hell and they would wholeheartedly say that their belief in it is a core part of their fundamental beliefs. Often times, the subject of everlasting hell is used as a witnessing tool to encourage the non-Christian to accept the message of Christianity. Using hell as a method for evangelism has not only become common among evangelists, but has actually become a stronger and stronger trend in recent decades.

Do I believe in an everlasting, eternal hell as most mainline Christians believe? No, I don't. For this reason, some would say that this is a heretical belief that I hold.... But I respectfully beg to differ. In fact, I believe that the teaching can even become a hindrance to non-Christians becoming Christian, rather than the other way around, as believed by many.

Everlasting hell, as I understand it, goes against the very character of God because it portrays Him as lacking compassion and projects His judgement as being filled with unquenchable anger. I have heard it said that this topic is a major stumbling block for many who struggle with their faith in God. That's why it is so important to address this and to do so in the appropriate way.

Some might say that I am merely giving my opinions and personal interpretations, and to a certain extent, it might come off that way. But let's take a look at the Bible and let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life."

Psalm 69:28 says that the wicked are “blotted out of the book of the living.”

Psalm 37:20 “But the wicked shall perish… they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.”

Revelation 14:11, "And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever."

Jude: 1:7
"Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
ALL BIBLE PASSAGES COME FROM KJV AND ARE PUBLIC DOMAIN

Certainly, the Bible speaks about hell fire and refers to it being eternal...In other words forever and ever and ever! But is Sodom and Gomorrah still burning to this day? Obviously not.

Often times, the Bible used a word known as "Olam" which translates as "forever" but it was often used in the context of a long period of time. They would typically use this term to refer to Passover and how it should be carried out forever and to generation unto generation.

For the sake of time, I won't go into every Scripture on this issue but I did want to bring out a few and I'm glad that I did. I don't believe that hell will last for billions and billions and billions of years.

I believe that Christ will reign King forever and that we His Children will abide with him forever and ever. I believe that wickedness will be destroyed and that Satan will also be destroyed and no longer have a place in this universe.

Christ love is so powerful and He calls all to know Him and follow Him. If you read the New Testament, you will come to know His love and how He yearns for all to trust in Him.

Remember, eternal life is a gift from God and that evil will be destroyed one day. I believe that Jesus Christ is coming again one day and He will offer peace and joy that will have no end.

Daniel 2:44" And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." KJV

My question to you is this.... How does the teaching of eternal hell make you feel about God? I direct this question to non-Christians, as well. Does it cause you to want to follow the Lord more or to turn the other way?
What does it say about His character?
Christ wants you to come to Him out of love and not because you got scared into believing in Him! He wants to have a relationship with you that comes out of free will and an understanding of who He is as Lord.

John 3:16 (KJV)
" For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this post and I hope it was intriguing to you and informative, as well!
If you liked this post, then feel free to upvote and resteem it. I welcome you to follow me and to also comment below.

Thanks again for reading! :)