REASON #39
If wicked people really suffer forever in Hell, where is the victory over sin? Jesus said, referring to his church, that the ‘gates of Hell will not prevail against it.’
These gates are the gates of the grave, not the gates of a fire-engulfed torture chamber with an evil person running the place with a 3-pronged pitchfork in a pair of red tights.
Jesus nowhere mentions such a place. This myth was borrowed from the superstitions of pagans such as Plato. Plato lived about 453 years before Jesus came, as careful research will reveal.
But, no doubt someone reading these words will say: ‘Well, what about Jesus’ words in Mark 9?'
They would be referring to verses 42-50:
42 ‘And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone was hanged about his neck, and he was cast into the sea. 43 And if your hand offends you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dies not and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if your foot offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if your eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into Hell fire: 48 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt has lost his saltiness, wherewith will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Three times in this passage Jesus says the same line: ‘to go into Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dies not and the fire is not quenched.’ In my view, the ‘worm’ and the ‘fire’ represent the infamy of the wicked who will be destroyed on Judgment Day.
Only the reputation of those condemned on Judgement day will live forever in infamy. Not the person or his ‘soul’.
Notice Jeremiah 20:11 ‘But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. Since they (perpetual sinners) have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten.’
And Jeremiah 23:40 ‘Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you (perpetual sinners), and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: 40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’
This principle applies to all who perpetuate sin, but God will not take back our right to free choice, which he gave, otherwise what would love look like? (Love would look like it was forced or faked if one has no right to choose. They would be mindless robots.)
So, if an individual still insists on death after seeing all that God has done for us through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, what will God do with him?
Even though this is counter-intuitive, God will grieve his loss and then grant his request and mercifully bring him to a swift and permanent end.