What Really Happens to the Wicked? truthsum.org

Many believe the wicked go to hell – a place of unending torment where fire burns forever. But does the Bible actually teach that?
Scripture says God is love (1 John 4:8). Would a loving God torture people for eternity over a short lifetime of sin? Jesus said those who believe “should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Perish means to die – not live forever in agony.
In the Bible, “hell” translates different words – Sheol and Hades (the grave), Gehenna (a burning dump symbolizing destruction), and Tartarus (a place of angelic restraint). None describe a place of eternal conscious torment.
Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” The punishment for sin is death – not never-ending pain. Ezekiel 18:4 confirms, “The soul who sins shall die.”
Revelation 20:14–15 calls the lake of fire the “second death.” Malachi 4:1–3 says the wicked will be burned to ashes – completely destroyed – not tortured forever.
This truth shows God as both just and loving. He offers life to all, but those who ultimately refuse will face the final consequence – death, not eternal suffering.
God’s justice is not about endless pain – it’s about ending evil forever.