The following text has been derived from an internet forum.
There is no mention of who wrote what part or the names of the authors. Neither did I write any part of this text. I have compiled and edited it for the display of the truth concerning the matter of life and death and eternity.

The Promise
God has promised us that all sin and death will end.

1 John 3: 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.

1 John 3: 5 And ye know that he was manifested to TAKE AWAY OUR SIN; and in him is no sin.

Hebrews 9: 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to PUT AWAY SIN by the sacrifice of himself.

James 1: 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and SIN, WHEN IT IS FINISHED, BRINGETH FORTH DEATH.

John 1: 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD.

John 16: 8 And when he is come, he will REPROVE THE WORLD OF SIN, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Man has known from the beginning, to disobey God means to sin.
Man also has known what the consequences for sin are.

Psalms 22: 29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and NONE CAN KEEP ALIVE HIS OWN SOUL.

John 6: 27 Labour not for the meat which PERISHETH, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Psalms 92: 7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be DESTROYED FOR EVER:

Galatians 6: 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap CORRUPTION; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

2 Peter 2: 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and SHALL UTTERLY PERISH in their own corruption;

Corruption is death and decay, (Isa. 38: 17, Psa. 49: 9, John. 2: 6, Acts 13: 34).

2 Thessalonians 1: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting DESTRUCTION from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Ezekiel 18: 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the SOUL that sinneth, it SHALL DIE.

Ezekiel 18: 20 The SOUL that sinneth, it SHALL DIE. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Matthew 10: 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to DESTROY BOTH SOUL AND BODY in hell.

Job 36: 12 But if they obey not, they SHALL PERISH by the sword, and they SHALL DIE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE.

Romans 6: 23 For THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Proverbs 19: 16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways SHALL DIE.

John 8: 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye SHALL DIE in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye SHALL DIE in your sins.

Romans 8: 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye SHALL DIE: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

If sinners literally burned “for ever”, then God would be going back on his word.
Since that idea is not an option, one must look at the other possibilities.

Figurative Usage

Where the confusion lies, is the manner in which certain words were used.
Words like; "forever", "eternal", and "everlasting".

They were used literal as well as figuratively, much like we use them in both these ways today.
eg - - That sermon lasted forever.
etc...

This figurative use, is plainly found in over fifty instances.

Here are some prime examples.

Jude 1: 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of ETERNAL fire.

Is Sodom and Gomorrha still burning today?
Of course not.

1 Samuel 1: 22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide FOR EVER.

Is Samuel still abiding at the temple?
No, matter of fact Hannah clarifies what she meant by this a few verses later.

1 Samuel 1: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; AS LONG AS HE LIVETH he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

She was simply using this term figuratively, as you and I do today.

Jonah 2: 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me FOR EVER: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

Was Jonah really in the belly of the great fish forever?
Again, we see figurative usage.

Jonah 1: 17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Matthew 12: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The First Lie

God told Adam and Eve the truth about the consequences for sin.

Genesis 2: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE.

It was the serpent who first deceived man that the sinner would not die.

Genesis. 3: 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Satan has since played on the mind of the believer, by taking full advantage of this figurative usage found in the scripture.

The character of God does not allow for an eternity of torment for those wicked who did not find the "strait gate" in their relatively short lifespan.

This idea of an eternity of torment contradicts God's very nature, and is a huge foundation in Satan's deception convincing people that God doesn't exist.

Millions upon millions of people have rejected the Bible on this apparent contradiction alone, which is exactly what Satan wants.

Second Death

So what do I think is the punishment for the Devil and all those sinners who have been judged unfit for eternal life? Eternal death.

The second death, is the end of all death.
There’s no probation or second chance after this.
God makes good on his promise and puts the wicked to death “forever“.
Death, sin, and the entire cast of wicked that ever lived is destroyed eternally, never to rise again.

Revelation 20: 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the SECOND DEATH.

Revelation 2: 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the SECOND DEATH.

Revelation 20: 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the SECOND DEATH hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Revelation 21: 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the SECOND DEATH.

Malachi 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.

Isaiah 24: 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it SHALL FALL, AND NOT RISE AGAIN.

Deuteronomy. 33: 11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that THEY RISE NOT AGAIN.

Psalms. 140: 10 Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that THEY RISE NOT UP AGAIN.

The Result

The idea that the sinner shall not die is from the author of lies himself.
God's version does not include anyone being tormented forever, He is a God of love, mercy and judgment.

His punishment for sinners will show his mercy and love, by it coming to an end when they all are DESTROYED in the lake of fire.

The New Heavens and New Earth promised does not allow for the existence of a lake of fire that never ends.

This lake of fire will turn them to ashes "never to be risen again" and with all sin put away forever, God can establish the New Earth.

Rest assured, "the wages of sin is death", and Christ's mission will come full circle when He "taketh away the sins of the world".

Nowhere in the Sacred Scriptures is found the statement that the righteous go to their reward or the wicked to their punishment at death. The patriarchs and prophets have left no such assurance. Christ and His apostles have given no hint of it. The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to Heaven.

1 Thessalonians 4: 14; Job 14: 10 - 12. In the very day when the silver cord is loosed and the golden bowl broken (Ecc.12: 6), man's thoughts perish. They that go down to the grave are in silence. They know no more of anything that is done under the sun. Job 14: 21.

Blessed rest for the weary righteous! Time, be it long or short, is but a moment to them. They sleep; they are awakened by the trump of God to a glorious immortality. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15: 52 - 54.

As they are called forth from their deep slumber they begin to think just where they ceased. The last sensation was the pang of death; the last thought, that they were falling beneath the power of the grave. When they arise from the tomb, their first glad thought will be echoed in the triumphal shout: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15: 55

How repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to our sense of justice, is the doctrine that the wicked dead are tormented with fire and brimstone in an eternally burning hell; that for the sins of a brief earthly life, they are to suffer torture as long as God shall live. Yet this doctrine has been widely taught and is still embodied in many of the creeds of Christendom.

Where in the pages of God's word, is such teaching to be found? Many have been led to misconstrue strong expressions of Scripture, giving the language the coloring of bitterness and malignity which pertains to Satan, but not to our Creator.

As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why should ye die? Ezekiel 33: 11.

What would be gained to God should we admit that He delights in witnessing unceasing tortures; that He is regaled with the groans and shrieks and imprecations of the suffering creatures whom He holds in the flames of hell? Can their horrid sounds be music in the ear of Infinite love? It is urged that the infliction of endless misery upon the wicked would show God's hatred of sin as an evil which is ruinous to the peace and order of the universe. Oh, dreadful blasphemy! As if God's hatred of sin is the reason why it is perpetuated. For, according to the teachings of these theologians, continued torture without hope of mercy maddens its wretched victims, and as they pour out their rage in curses and blasphemy, they are forever augmenting their load of guilt. God's glory is not enhanced by thus perpetuating continually increasing sin through ceaseless ages!

It is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been wrought by the heresy of eternal torment. The religion of the Bible, full of love and goodness, and abounding in compassion, is darkened by superstition and clothed with terror. When we consider in what false colors Satan has painted the character of God, can we wonder that our merciful Creator is feared, dreaded, and even hated? The appalling views of God which have spread over the world from the teachings of the pulpit have made thousands, yes, millions, of skeptics and infidels!

Obadiah 16 speaks of the destruction of the unsaved and he says that "they shall be as though they had not been.

The apostle Paul stated that "the wages of sin is death," not eternal life in eternal torment! Rom.6: 23. The death Paul is referring to here is eternal. There is no resurrection from that death.

Jesus Himself said: Fear not them which kill the body; but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10: 28.

This passage shows that the soul is not immortal since it can be destroyed in hell. And "destroyed" means that it will be as though it had never been!

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel 18: 20. This is talking, obviously, of eternal death!

The soul is not immortal since; the dead know not anything. Ecclesiastes 9: 5.

The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence. Psalms 115: 17.

Even the prophet David did not ascend to Heaven at his death. He is waiting for the resurrection.

Acts 2: 29 - 31;
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

1 Thessalonians 4: 16, 17.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Upon the fundamental error of natural immortality rests the doctrine of consciousness in death - - a doctrine, like eternal torment, opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures, to the dictates of reason, and to our feelings of humanity. According to the popular belief, the redeemed in Heaven are acquainted with all that takes place on earth and especially with the lives of the friends whom they have left behind.

But how could it be a source of happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living, to witness the sins committed by their own loved ones, and to see them enduring all the sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? How much of heaven's bliss would be enjoyed by those who were hovering over their friends on earth? And how utterly revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body the soul of the impenitent is consigned to the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish must those be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to enter upon an eternity of woe and sin! Many have been driven to insanity by this harrowing thought!

David declares that man is not conscious in death. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Psalms 146: 4.

The living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything. Ecclesiastes .9: 5

The grave cannot praise Thee; death cannot celebrate Thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day. Isaiah 38: 18, 19.

Popular theology represents the righteous dead as in Heaven, entered into bliss and praising God witn an immortal tongue; but Hezekiah could see no such glorious prospect in death. With his words agrees the testimony of the psalmist: In death there is no remembrance of Thee; in the grave who shall give Thee thanks? Psalms 6: 5.

When we read the Bible, should we read it expecting what we want to believe or should we compare Scripture with Scripture so as to let the Bible interpret itself? The Holy Spirit declared through the prophet Obadiah that the wicked will be as though they had never been! Obadiah 16.

It is not what do I believe or what does someone else believe? We must let the Bible interpret itself. In order to believe that there is such thing as "eternal torment" one must believe that the soul is immortal! But this is not what the Bible teaches. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel 18: 20. It was Plato, the Greek philopher, who influenced the Catholic church to adopt this false teaching! This false doctrine is part of the wine of Babylon. The wine of false doctrines with which Babylon made all nations drunk!

Will we not believe God when He says that "the dead know not anything?" Will we not believe Him when He says that the unsaved will be as though they had never been? These are not obscure statements! They are as plain as God could have possibly made them! And they help us understand the obscure ones, the ones we find difficult to understand. It would be unwise to use the obscure ones in an attempt to explain the plain declarations of Holy Writ!

The apostle Paul said: If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 1 Corinthians 15: 16 - 18.

If for four thousand years the righteous had gone directly to Heaven at death, how could Paul have said that if there is no resurrection, "they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished"? No resurrection would be necessary.

The martyr Tyndale, referring to the state of the dead, declared: "I confess openly, that I am not persuaded that they be already in the full glory that Christ is in, or the elect angels of God are in. Neither is it any article of my faith; for if it were so, I see not but then the preaching of the resurrection of the flesh were a thing in vain." William Tyndale, Preface to New Testament, page 349.

It is an undeniable fact that the hope of immortal blessedness at death has led to a widespread neglect of the Bible doctrine of the resurrection. When about to leave His disciples Jesus did not tell them that they would soon come to Him. I go to prepare a place for you, He said, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself. John 14: 2, 3

And Paul himself tells us, that the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. and he adds: Comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians.4: 16 - 18

Paul points his brethren to the future coming of the Lord, when the fetters of the tomb shall be broken and the "dead in Christ" shall be raised to eternal life!

But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. Matthew 8: 22
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9: 5

Matthew 8: 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22: 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot; and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25: 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Revelation 14: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Revelation 8: 4) And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

The apostle Paul stated that "the wages of sin is death,"
Genesis. 2: 17) For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Jesus Himself said: "Fear not them which kill the body; but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

In the book of Jude the prophet says that Sodom and Gomorroah "suffered the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 7.

The cities were destroyed by fire, eternal fire! But they are no longer burning. In other words, the consequences were eternal. Those who perished in that fire will die the second death of which there will be no resurrection.

Revelation 20: 6

Ecclesiastes 8: 12) Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5: 12

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7: 14

Revelation 20: 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the wine of the abomination of Babylon, of which she makes all nations drink. Revelation 14: 8; 17: 2.
That ministers of Christ should have accepted this heresy and proclaimed it from the sacred desk is indeed a mystery. They received it from Rome, as they received the false sabbath. True, it has been taught by great and good men; but the light on this subject had not come to them as it has come to us. They were responsible only for the light which shone in their time; we are accountable for that which shines in our day. If we turn from the testimonies of God's word, and accept false doctrines because our fathers taught them, we fall under the condemnation pronounced upon Babylon; we are drinking of the wine of her abomination.

A large class to whom the doctrine of eternal torment is revolting are driven to the opposite error. They see that the Scriptures represent God as a Being of love and compassion, and they cannot believe that He will consign His creatures to the fires of an eternally burning hell. But holding that the soul is naturally immortal, they see no alternative but to conclude that all mankind will finally be saved. Many regard the threatenings of the Bible as designed merely to frighten men into obedience, and not to be literally fulfilled. Thus the sinner can live in selfish pleasure, disregarding the requirements of God, and yet expect to be finally received into His favor. Such a doctrine, presuming upon God's mercy, but ignoring His justice, pleases the carnal heart and emboldens the wicked in their iniquity.

I have already shown from Scriptures that the dead know not anything, that there is no such thing as the immortality of the soul and that the wicked will be as though they had never been! Only the righteous will live eternally!

The theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines that Rome, borrowing from paganism, incorporated into the religion of Christendom. Martin Luther classed it with the "monstrous fables that form part of the Roman dunghill of decretals." E.Petaved, The Problem of Immortality, page 255. (strong language! but remember that it was not only acceptable but common to speak strongly like this in the days of Luther)
Commenting on the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, that "the dead know not anything," the Reformer said: "Another place proving that the dead have no feeling. There is, saith he, no duty, no science, no knowledge, no wisdom there. Solomon judgeth that the dead are asleep, and feel nothing at all. For the dead lie there, accounting neither days nor years, but in the resurrection, they shall seem to have slept scarce one minute." - - Martin Luther, Exposition of Solomon's Book called Ecclesiastes, page 152.

But if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of Heaven or writhing in the flames of hell, what need of a future judgment? Acts 17: 31; Jude 6, 14, 15; Revelation 20: 12. The teachings of God's word on these important points are neither obscure nor contradictory; they may be understood by common minds. But what candid mind can see either wisdom or justice in the current theory? Will the righteous, after the investigation of their cases at the judgment, receive the commendation, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," when they have been dwelling in His presence, perhaps for long ages? Are the wicked summoned from the place of torment to receive sentence from the Judge of all the earth: "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire"? Matthew 25: 21, 41. Oh, solemn mockery! shameful impeachment of the wisdom and justice of God!