Wither the Dead: Does the Bible Teach Eternal Torment or Eternal Destruction?

What exactly happens to the unsaved after they die and pass into eternity? Will they be destroyed for all eternity after the Day of Judgement, or will they be tormented for all eternity? This difficult question is rarely asked by the leaders of the Church today, though in the minds of most believers, the question arises. While it may seem a forgone conclusion that everyone in Church history believed in the eternal torment of the damned, it simply isn't true. Some great Father's of the Church, such as Iranaeus, Arnobius, Hermas and Justin Martyr, believed in the mortality and destructibility of man in the Judgement. The isue may be less settled than one may think at first. Unfortunately, whenever vital and controversial doctrines of the Christian faith are discussed, views are frequently not formed on purely biblical lines, but heavily influenced by emotions and sectarian biases. Rev. Cripe seeks to put such distractions aside and examine this important issue based purely on what the Words of the Holy and inspired Bible have to say on the subject, and let the reader decide.