Hell is NOT Eternal

My sister wrote a really good insight on why Hell is not Eternal. Over the past year, I have found that her explanation lines up perfectly with William Blake's views, and I now want to share her writing:

Revelation 20:14 - "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire."

The lake of fire is God.

Deuteronomy 4:24- "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God."

God is a fire that purifies us. If we have any dirt in us God will cast us into Himself and we will plunge into His eternal light and life and hope. God is jealous over every person He has created. He wants us all to Himself and perfect. We are God's precious silver and gold.

Malachi 3:2-3- "But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire... And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver..."

What God purifies us of is dirty works. The works we did that hurt ourselves and others God will cleanse us of and those works will be no more. But any works we did that were good will be remembered and they will be our reward and our fame.

1 Corinthians 3:15- If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

So even if all we ever did was evil works, we will still be saved and we will still live forever. The fire purifies us and it baptizes us.

Matthew 3:11- "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"

If God is the fire that burns us up- then the water that puts out the fire is the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 12:13-"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."

When God destroys someone it is only for a moment or a season. He destroys you by putting you through hell for a season or a moment. He destroys you if you hurt yourself or someone else in some way.

So, just as a seed has to die before it can become a tree, so also we have to die before we can become our eternal self. 

- Mary Burwell Russell, 2006