Some Christians reject the doctrine that the punishment of hell is everlasting, instead holding views such as annihilationism or conditional immortality. However, this raises questions about how these views are reconciled with Jesus’ own words. In Mark 9:48, Jesus describes hell as a place “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched,” language that appears to suggest ongoing, unending punishment. Similarly, in Matthew 25:46, Jesus contrasts “eternal punishment” with “eternal life,” using the same Greek adjective (aiōnios) to describe both outcomes. For those who deny that hell is everlasting: - How are these passages interpreted in a way that avoids an eternal duration? - Is aiōnios understood differently when applied to punishment versus life, and on what linguistic or theological basis? - How do these interpretations remain consistent with Jesus’ teaching as recorded in the Gospels?

There is an article coming from Archbishop Paglia, saying, **"For Catholics, who say that Judas is in hell, is a heresy."** [Vatican Official: It’s Heresy to say Judas is in Hell](https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/vatican-official-claims-its-heresy-to-say-judas-in-hell) When Ab. Paglia stated **"hell"** it means the **"real hell of the damned"**, the question is, was Judas really a damned soul and deserve to be put in real hell of the damned? Remember, when Judas died, he was not cast out in real hell of the damned but only in Hades or hell, a prison. Further reading of scriptures, we know that the Catholic Church teaches in **Catechism (CCC 632k-635)**, that Jesus descended into hell/Hades to preach the gospel. Contemplating the passages, we will see, that Judas encounter Jesus in hell or Hades. The next important question is, if we place ourselves in the shoes of Judas, will we approach Jesus to ask for forgiveness, for betraying him? Judas certainly repented in **Matthew 27:3-4**, with perfect contrition, as he first acknowledge his sins, regretted his sins, and return the money, completing the acts of perfect contrition. > Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver* to the chief priests and elders, > saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” Jesus descended into hell where Judas was cast out, to preach the gospel and to offer God's mercy, on all souls including Judas. Did Jesus have a saving plan for Judas, why? Because, Jesus was the one who pushes Judas to commit the sins of betrayal, how? Jesus said to Judas, > What you are going to do, do quickly." (John 13:27) If Jesus commanded Judas to commit the sins of betrayal, knowing Judas will forever be torture in eternal hell, that would present a Jesus contradicting the Will of the Father, as the Father sent Jesus not to condemn but to save souls in John 3:17, and the Father desires all men be saved in 1 Timothy 2:4. If Jesus has no saving plan for Judas knowing he will be cast out into hell, then Jesus will contradict His very own words, as He said, **"I lay down my life for my friends"**, and Judas was a friend of Jesus, even after his betrayal. On the night of his arrest, Jesus called Judas **"friend"** despite of his acts of betrayal, and so, Jesus lay down His life also to save Judas, because He still a friend of Jesus. And for the second time, Jesus again commanded Judas to execute his plan of betrayal with a kiss. > Jesus responded by saying: "Friend, do what you are here to do." - Matthew 26:50 We can see that twice, Jesus commanded Judas to fulfill and execute his plan of betrayal, wouldn't this be inappropriate if Jesus could no longer save Judas, as it appears that Judas was condemn to hell because Jesus pushes him to do it, not just once but twice. Jesus could have said in the Last Supper, *"Judas I know your betrayal plan for me, you are my friend, and I don't want you to suffer the eternal fire in hell, please stay here, do not execute your betrayal, because if you do so, then I can no longer save you in hell..."* In view of the meditation or pondering of Judas fate and Jesus commands to Judas, is there any article supporting the minor view that Judas is in Heaven, because if the Catholic Church saw that anyone who say Judas is in hell, is a heresy, then, definitely, there's only one way for Judas, either he will be purge in purgatory after he accepted God's mercy offered by Jesus in hell, and it's over 2000 years now, Judas might have finish the purging now, and there's only one way up, but to Heaven. Judas is in Heaven now, because Jesus has a saving plan for him, that is in line with the Will of the Father, desiring all men be saved. And Jesus clearly said, > I have come not to do my own will but the Will of the Father who sent me. (John 6:38) **Is there any article written, seeing Judas is in Heaven now?**

Inspired by a thought-provoking comment section discussion about an [answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/86261/50422) to my previous question https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86233/50422 , I would like to ask a follow-up question: According to those who believe in the inexorable damnation of the unreached, why is punishing the unreached in Hell (possibly for all eternity) a better deal than other more merciful and compassionate alternatives, such as having the unreached go through an afterlife rehabilitation program, preaching the gospel to the unreached in the afterlife so that they may at least have a genuine chance to decide if they want to get saved or not, etc. I mean, any alternative other than being born in the wrong time and place, only to be surprised at the time of death with a boarding pass to eternal damnation, without any chance to revoke it whatsoever.

The first mention in the Bible of the devil or Satan being judged is in Genesis 3, on the occasion of the fall of Adam and Eve, with the serpent generally accepted as either being Satan or being controlled by him. This Genesis 3 judgment may be eternal condemnation and imprisonment in hell or lesser punishment. What is the earliest prophecy (chronologically, according to traditional dating) in the Bible that states unequivocally that Satan will be cast into hell for eternity with no chance of repentance and forgiveness? I ask this so as to get closer to the answer to a larger question: was deceiving Adam and Eve or a prior rebellion in heaven the occasion of Satan's prison sentence without possibility of parole, or is it something that Satan did or will do later in history?

There is no doubt that angels (both the Holy and the Fallen) had a strong influence in the antediluvian world. Satan was the serpent of Eden. But, during Noah's Flood, where was he, what was he and his angels doing. Are the apostate angels trapped in Hell of 2 Peter 2:4-5 and Jude 1:6 the parents of the Nephilim of Genesis 6:1-4?

Are there degrees of punishment in hell as there are apparently degrees of reward in heaven? 2 Corinthians 3:12-15 seems to point pretty clearly to reward in heaven, but I find no parallel degree of punishment in hell, as described, for example, in Dante's *The Inferno*.

Do souls in hell have any hope for the forgiveness of their sins? According to Catholic teachings, once a person died, there are 3 places where a soul can be placed: hell, purgatory and heaven. At the time of death, if a soul will be judged and damned to hell, is it possible to be in friendship or be reconciled with God again? What about the Final Judgement where there could be repentance and prayers for these souls in hell?

By conditionalist doctrine, I mean the belief that hell is the destruction of those souls that go there, rather than the everlasting torment or eventual purification of said souls.

Is it Catholicism? Or conservatives that believe this? It might be from Dante’s Inferno or something. Not specifically mentioned in the Bible. There is the story of Lazarus and the rich man in hell but it doesn’t talk about a window. IIRC the idea goes when you get to heaven you can eat steak at a restaurant next to a window where you can see and enjoy with satisfaction watching your enemies burn in hell. I didn’t make up this idea. Just trying to find where it came from. I found a comment on it: "One of St Thomas Aquinas' key features of heaven was that it had a window so you could enjoy the suffering in hell"

In Mormon theology, it is taught that Jesus Christ’s atonement guarantees the universal, physical resurrection of all humankind. When Jesus physically died on the cross his mortal suffering ceased and his spirit departed from his body. On the third day after his death his spirit re-inhabited his body and he was thereby the first to be resurrected, receiving a perfected, immortal, physical body. Mormon theology holds that all who have ever lived on earth will one day be resurrected. Following resurrection, individuals are subject to judgment by Jesus Christ as part of the Final Judgment. Mormon cosmology describes three possible post-mortem eternal realms, and that the assignment to one of these kingdoms is to be determined at the Final Judgment. These realms are called the the celestial, the terrestrial and the telestial kingdom. (Joseph Smith articulated this conception of the afterlife primarily on the basis of a vision he reportedly experienced with Sidney Rigdon in 1832. This doctrinal exposition is canonized within the Latter-day Saint scriptural corpus as section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants.) We can succinctly describe these different realms: * The celestial kingdom is reserved for those who have lived righteously, accepted the fullness of Jesus Christ’s teachings and respected all holy covenants. \* * The terrestrial kingdom is an intermediate kingdom. It includes individuals considered honorable in their conduct yet who, during mortality, rejected the "fullness of the gospel." This rejection is explicitly attributed not to inherent malice but to external deception, characterized as being "blinded by the craftiness of men." It also includes individuals who repudiated "the testimony of Jesus in the flesh" (i.e., during their mortal lives), and accepted that testimony in the post-mortal spirit world. In the terrestrial kingdom we also find individuals who did accept the gospel testimony during their earthly lives. but failed to demonstrate sufficient commitment or zeal. * The telestial kingdom constitutes the lowest of the three degrees of glory. Its inhabitants are described as including those who, during mortal life, “received not the gospel of Christ, nor the testimony of Jesus.” It also includes "liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers and cloakers". We also find murderers, and idolaters in this realm. * A small subset of individuals will not be assigned to any of these realms. Though they will be resurrected, they will be in realm or state of “outer darkness”. Those described as “sons of perdition” are traditionally portrayed as residing in this state, dwelling in company with Satan and his attendant spirits. Many ex-Mormons have reported profound existential anxiety and genuine dreaded angst at the prospect of being assigned to a different eternal dwelling place than loved ones. It is not clear to me – however – whether all Latter Day Saint movements view these assignments as eternal, or whether individuals from lower realms universally (among Mormons) are denied communication with individuals from higher-order higher-status realms. Does the LDS Church or any other Latter Day Saint movement teach a notion of possible social mobility between these realms, in the afterlife? To make it concrete: if one’s parents were assigned to the terrestrial kingdom, one’s siblings to the celestial kingdom, and one’s cousins to the telestial kingdom, according to Mormon theology, will there be any possibility of those relatives ever meeting again? Does the answer differ to this question depending on which Latter-day Saint tradition one considers? To my knowledge, the dogma of hierarchical visitation is accepted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ([D&C 88:22-24](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/88?lang=eng&id=22-24#22) and [D&C 76:86-88](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/76?lang=eng&id=86-88#85)) , but the Community of Christ has largely moved away from the literal, detailed cosmology of D&C 76 and D&C 88. --- \* "All men who become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ will have to receive the fulness of the ordinances of his kingdom; and those who will not receive all the ordinances will come short of the fulness of that glory" – Joseph Smith

While listening to a video of "Ready to Harvest" (a great neutral viewpoint denomination YouTube channel), he said something very briefly that made it sound like Seventh-Day Adventists don't believe in hell, which I wasn't aware of, I was only aware of their view of soul sleep. So for clarification, what is the SDA view of hell?

In Genesis 19, Lot is rescued from Sodom before its destruction by fire and brimstone. In 2 Peter 2:7–8, Lot is described as a righteous man living among the wicked. Given this, I’m wondering how Christian theology interprets Lot’s story in light of salvation and judgment themes. - Is Lot considered a "type" or symbol of the Christian believer, who is saved from judgment? - Is the fire and brimstone that destroyed Sodom seen as a foreshadowing or symbolic representation of hell? - Does this event function in any way like substitutionary judgment, or is it purely a direct act of divine justice? - How is Lot’s wife understood theologically—as a warning to believers who long for or look back to the sinful life they’ve left behind (cf. Luke 17:32)? I’m looking for insight into how theologians or biblical scholars interpret the parallels between this Old Testament narrative and New Testament themes of salvation and final judgment

I've seen the following quote attributed to St. John Chrysostom : >The road to hell is paved with the bones of priests and monks, and the skulls of bishops are the lampposts that light the path. Where did he say this?

I've heard particular denominations claim that although hell is definitely a real place and hell itself will burn forever, people who are condemned to hell don't actually exist forever in hell but instead are eventually destroyed, wiped out of existence. They claim that the soul being naturally immortal is a pagan idea, and that only those given eternal life will live forever. As far as I know most mainline denominations affirm that if you are not saved then you will indeed exist forever in Hell. My question is, what is the biblical basis to support the doctrine that people who are condemned to hell will actually continue to exist in hell for eternity (as opposed to being annihilated)? Alternatively, what is the biblical support for the soul itself being naturally immortal?

Many branches of Christianity believe that people who have done something wrong in this life will, in the afterlife, suffer an infinite punishment that is called hell. Hell is usually depicted as some kind of fire that burns souls, but souls being immortal, it lasts for eternity. Now, people who don't believe in hell often use the argument "*What finite crime deserves an infinite punishment? Even Hitler didn't cause an infinite amount of suffering, so it is unjust to punish him with an infinite amount of suffering.*". How do people who believe in hell respond to that argument?

In the book *Sapiens* by Yuval Noah Harari, the author claims that Heaven and Hell are concepts not mentioned in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. From *Sapiens*: > Belief in heaven (the realm of the good god) and hell (the realm of the evil god) was also dualist in origin. There is no trace of this belief in the Old Testament, which also never claims that the souls of people continue to live after the death of the body. ## References Harari, Y.N. (2014). *Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind*. (p. 248)

For those that maintain that the soul is not destroyed in the lake of fire, but instead results in eternal suffering, how then do you interpret death being cast into the flames? Revelation 20:14 (NASB) > Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Is "Death" merely tormented or is it truly destroyed? What would it even mean for death to suffer?

If being a non-Christian is a sin, and if Jesus died for all of our sins, why should non-Christians go to hell?

Notable apologist and writer C. S. Lewis once wrote that "the doors of hell are locked on the inside". This indicates that people place themselves in hell, not that God places them there. What is the biblical basis for this claim?

Let's say that a Christian serial killer has murdered many people who happened to not be Christians. Would God be just by sending the Christian serial killer to Heaven, while sending his victims to Hell? I am looking for answers from the perspective of Christians who believe that Hell exists (non-universalists).