DO THE LOST SUFFER FOR ETERNITY?

Recently, there has been a discussion among some of my Facebook friends, about how long those who reject God's offer of the gift of salvation, will spend suffering the consequences of their decision.  I will not tell you how many views there are on this, because I cannot count them!  Here is what the New Testament says about some of the things that last forever (presented in biblical order, and not necessarily in their order of importance):

*  God's Kingdom, power, and glory - Mt. 6:13.
*  Christ's curse of the unfruitful tree - Mt. 21:19.
*  Christ's Kingdom - Lk. 1:33.
*  Abraham's seed - Lk. 1:55.
*  Believers in Christ - Jn. 6:51, 58.
*  Christ Himself - Jn. 8:35.
*  The Holy Spirit - Jn. 14:16.
*  The Father - Rom. 1:25.
*  Christ's sacrifice for sin - Heb. 10:12.
*  The perfection of the saints - Heb. 10:14.
*  The immutability of God - Heb. 13:8.
*  The Word of God - 1 Pet. 1:23.
*  The darkness prepared for the damned - 2 Pet. 2:17; Jude 1:13.
*  Smoke and torment for those who accept the mark of the beast - Rev. 14:9-11.
*  Satan - Rev. 20:10.
*  Those saved shall reign forever - Rev. 22:5.

Since the same Greek words which are translated "for" [εἰς (eis)], and "ever" [αἰών (aiōn)],  are used to describe how long God will exist, the saved will exist, and the Word will exist, how is it that there is a basis for questioning the duration of Satan's, his minion's, and the lost's future in the Lake of Fire?  John wrote that Satan, the Beast (Antichrist), the second Beast (False Prophet), death, hell, and "whosoever was not written in the Book of Life," will all be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10-15).

To be quite honest, it really doesn't matter how long it lasts; to have seen Almighty God, to have been sentenced by Him for failing to accept the free gift of salvation that is by faith in Jesus, to know that I would never see Him again, even for one second, would be an eternity of agony!

 

One second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, or eternity -

do you really want to be there?