Unquenchable Fire

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:  Mark 9:43

Since Mark 9:43 mentions the hell fire being unquenched many get the idea that hell will burn for all eternity. This simply is not so. The Bible clearly teaches us that the punishment of the wicked will be eternal but the punishing is not. http://amazingfacts.org/items/Read_Book.asp?SelLang=en&ID=51&x=61&y=4 Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death and not eternal torment. So what does Jesus mean when He says the fire will never be quenched? Just like the fire in the fireplace burns out on its own without anyone quenching it, likewise Hell will not be quenched but will burn out on its own. In Jeremiah 17:27 it says, “But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.”  Sure enough in 70 A.D. Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus with a fire that was not quenched. However Jerusalem is not still burning. The fire went out on its own without every being quenched. Likewise the lake of fire sinners are destroyed in will not burn for all eternity but will devour the wicked, and then burn out on its own.

You may share your questions and feedback with me at LayPastor@TampaAdventist.net