The Fires of Hell Have Gone Out: No Eternal Torment

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Therefore the punishment is death by destruction in the Lake of Fire, which is eternal in the sense that it is a permanent judgment. No resurrection for this person.

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eternal punishment, not eternal punishing. And the results of the punishment are eternal.Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.There is no purgatory, there are no people in hell screaming for mercy, there never will be.
Too bad for those who want me to go to hell. Eh?

Eternal fires, as taught in many churches, do not exist. She is correct. The idea is to stop sin and the remembrance of it. Screaming hell-dwellers are a constant reminder of sin. And, of course, the citizens of heaven would be participants whilst watching this stuff. Not much of a heaven, eh, what?
It is a satisfying secret wish that the guy despised will burn in hell forever and we get to watch it?
That would be commensurate with standing next to him.

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So you don't think that Jesus, the Mesiah, King of the Jews, Saviour of Man, publically telling a bunch of people that a man went to Hades where there was torment and fire, is lending credence to the concept of Hades where there is torment and fire?

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You are arguing from doctrine rather than scripture. Doctrine dilutes depending on need.
The word hell is translated from several different words with various meanings.
In the OT
31 times from "Sheol", which means the grave
In the NT
10 times from "Hades", which means the grave
12 times from "Gehenna", which means THE place of burning
1 time from "Tartarus", which means a place of darkness
54 times total.Gehenna, or the Valley of Hinnom, is a symbol of the fire that will destroy the lost at the end of time. This fire was not unending, or it would still burn today.
Purpledawn has said as much.Exekiel 28:18,19
I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee........and NEVER shalt thou be anymore.Psalm 37:10,20
For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be..........shall consume, into smoke shall they consume away.Hell fire is unquenchable........that means you can't put it out. It will go out by itself once it has burned its fuel.
Eternal hell perpetuates sin, and that's not going to happen.
"He (meaning God) will make an utter end, affliction shall not rise up the second time" Nahum 1:9
For behold I create new heavens and anew earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. Is 65:17Or Not!

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Conversely then, "eternal life" is not living eternally?

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Jaywill, you are saying what I am saying, you just don't see it yet. No condescension intended.
Eternal punishment, or the punishment that lasts eternally, is the opposite of eternal life or life that lasts eternally. Please note that punishment and punishing are not compatible. And the Bible does NOT say eternal punishing. That the wicked shall be ashes under our feet, means they have burned up, the same way a piece of wood burns up and becomes ashes."..........and fire came down from heaven and devoured them...."Rev 20:9
When I devour my potatos they are gone."For the Lord shall rise up.........that he may do his work, HIS STRANGE WORK, and bring to pass his STRANGE ACT" Is 28:21God will make an end to sin, it is called His strange act/work.
He will make an utter end, affliction shall not rise up the second time. Nahum 1:9
Perhaps you do not see God's love in this.
"As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.....turn ye, turn ye......Ez 33:11
Jesus came to save, not to destroy Luke 9:56
And destroy is a finite term, it never implies anything else.Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it much.

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He did not tell them that eternal punishment does not exist.

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Eternal punishment exists (with eternal results). Eternal punishing does not(without eternal results).
Matthew 25 is compatible.Or not!

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Explain to us why the beast and the false prophet, who were cast into the lake of fire, after 1,000 years "will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10)

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Are you married, Jaywill? Did you promise you'd love her forever?Please also look at the meaning of the word 'forever'.Excerpt:
In general, the word aion is translated: forever. However its real meaning is "Age". There are actually two meanings for the word "Age"1. "Age" can mean a human lifetime, or life itself. So it can be a limited time, as long as someone is going to live.
2. "Age" can also mean an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, or an eternity. So it can mean forever.In the Greek New Testament, "Age" almost always refers to the subject of Jesus or God. Since He lives forever, the time that is meant is forever. However in the Old Testament, we have many examples where forever only means a life-time. Hebrew can have the same two meanings.
16. And if it happens that he says to you, 'I will not go away from you,' because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you,
17. then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. Deuteronomy 15:16-17Idiomatic PhrasesIn the New Testament, the word "Age" is not used by itself, but rather; It is included in an idiomatic expression or a phrase. These phrases are thought to describe an undefined period of time.Both of the following phrases are usually translated as: "for ever and ever"In Rev. 14:11 the phrase: eis aionas aionon literally means: "unto ages of ages"
In Rev. 20:10 the phrase: eis tous aionas ton anionon literally means: "unto the ages of the ages"
Other similar phrases are found in the New Testament as well. These phrases are usually translated as: "forever"10. It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever. Isaiah 34:10It is clear that Isaiah was not saying that the smoke would be there forever since he then says that the land would become a waste for generations, and that only wild animals would inhabit the area (verses 10-15). So, the description of the smoke speaks of complete destruction.http://www.creation-science-prophecy.com/special1.htmI hope this helps.And, the bible does not contradict itself.Or not!

I have expounded on the scriptures with you and feel I can go no farther. I don't do the work of the Holy Spirit, and will step aside to let Him continue.I am not nor have I ever been Omar Khayyam.

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Perhaps you weren't following the debate? I was arguing from Luke 16:19+ where the rich man goes to Hades where there is torment and fire.

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And? In what way does that negate that the fire will devour and in so doing, does its job?Aside from that, Lazarus' bosom is NOT the home of the saved. This parable is a parable..........but not to show the eternal singing of human butts.Manchester, England, England. Birth place of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, a fine composer of modern classical music.

to the problem. Borrowing from paganism and applying it to what scripture actually says. As in -- reading it for what it says, rather than reading it from pre-conceived ideas, ideas conceived by mechanisms with a stake in error.The traditions of men are vanity and a waste of time.Here's some good reading for anyone interested in the parable.
http://english.sdaglobal.org/evangelism/bibans/12laz.htm
Am I right in believing that the dialogue between the rich man and Abraham takes place between departed souls of the dead? How is it that the soul of the rich man could be in need of water---a material substance? And if it is true that a tormented soul can get some relief from a drop of water on its tongue, why does the rich man, in asking for help, not ask Lazarus to bring him a bucket of water for greater satisfaction? It would involve a special trip anyway.-----------The bottom line in Jesus' story is for our instruction as well as for the Jews. "Moses and the prophets" stand for the word of God. The Bible is all we need to guide us to heaven. We must give our full attention to studying and practicing its teachings. There is danger that we turn from the Bible to look at miracles. If we disobey the Bible teachings, no miracle can make us better Christians. Regarding the state of the dead we must believe what the Bible says; have no dealings with spirit mediums. Ecclesiastes 9:5 says, "The living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing."Our Lord teaches us: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24)

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Dorfman,

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Birth place of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, a fine composer of modern classical music.

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I like Arnold Bax and Frank Bridge myself. I don't know Davies yet. Meet you sometime on a classical music forum.

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ps. I dabble in composing myself.

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I was spellbound by his "Orkney wedding with sunrise".
He likes to conduct his music, that's how we met.
Enough of the asides, or Clancy will lower the boom.

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As Modulous has already said, I believe, if the fire devours, why would the rich man be so concerned that his brothers might end up in the same torment he is experiencing?

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Perhaps we can agree that a parable is fictitious containing an analogy between two points. Was Jesus trying to tell us that there is a place of eternal torment vis a vis eternal bliss, or was he making a point regarding the Jews unbelief and their adulterated religion?
The story Jesus improvised was to prove the truth of Abraham's words, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
And both these men were dead.
Jesus used material extant in His time, so the Jews would make a connection. Abraham and Lazarus were known to them. So was Lazarus' resurrection.
This parable does not indicate eternal hellfire burning. The bible does not support eternal punishing. Sin will be eradicated, the wicked will burn up and turn to ashes, and will never come into remembrance again.
Sheol/Hades = grave
I don't know what else to say to help folks see that God's mercy endures forever and includes how He will deal with sin.
Malachi 4
1 "For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes will burn them up," says Yahweh of Armies, "that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.2 But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the stall.3 You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make," says Yahweh of Armies.The Bible does not contradict itself.

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It does shed new light on the whole punishment and torment thing.

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The contention is that people will burn and be tormented in hell forever. Fire has the habit of burning things up until they are ashes. Special bodies will have to be created to keep fire from doing its job, or special fire. There are no indications of either. I don't see where God says He has made a special fire. It is a hideous and gruesome thought, and I reject it based on the God is Love theory, which transcends.
I would not wish the wicked to be tormented forever. Am I more compassionate and loving than God? I just doubt it!

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It makes no sense to me why God would allow unrepenitent folk to live in agony for eternity. Why not just allow them to cease to exist?

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Excellent observation. Why not? Who has a stake in such a belief system and who gains from teaching it?
Where did it originate, and who originated it?
Thanks for your input.

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Most of the Bible makes no sense to us in our natural state, it seems to me. It takes a lot of spiritual study and experience to begin to understand most of it, and even then we cringe at things like the idea of eternal punishment. Who would ever have realized that we are "dead in sins" as we are anyway? We could only know that through revelation.

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With this statement, you have removed scripture reading from the everyday person who is searching and who is just beginning a relationship with the Holy Spirit. It must make an impression on the beginner. I am also wondering what 'natural state' is - opposed to unnatural state?
2 Timothy 3:16-17"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto good works."Please notice it states none of your observations. Scripture is for everyone, to read and understand. I did not understand algebra, until I applied myself to understand it.As to whether or not it makes sense? It had better make sense or we're in trouble. As for 'Christian Tradition'?"Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? [Y]e made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites."--Jesus Christ
Matthew 15:3, 6, 7Eternal punishing does not exist. There are no people burning in hell right now, nor will there ever be.

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As I dig deeper into the foundation and divest the writings as much as possible of modern thinking, I can see a glimpse of what the authors were truly saying to their immediate audience.

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Excellent.
Modern thinking and habitual errors promoted for purpose.