Zechariah 14:6-7 It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the Lord Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.

Does “Forever and Ever” Mean the Fire of Hell Never Ends? Revelation 14:10 says that the wicked will be “tormented with fire and brimstone” and that “the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever.” The Bible uses the word “forever” in different ways. It does not always mean something continues without end. For example, Exodus 21:6 says a servant would serve his master “forever.” Obviously, that did not mean the servant would live forever. It meant for the rest of his life. Hannah also said Samuel would remain at the house of the Lord “forever” (1 Samuel 1:22). But the very next verse explains what she meant: Samuel would remain there “as long as he lives” (1 Samuel 1:28). The same idea appears with the fire mentioned in Isaiah 34:10. It says the smoke of Edom’s destruction would go up “forever.” Yet Edom is not still burning today. The fire finished its work. The Bible also says: “The wicked shall perish” (Psalm 37:20). Malachi 4:1 says the wicked will be burned up, leaving them with “neither root nor branch.” Verse 3 says they will become ashes under the feet of the righteous. The punishment, therefore, is eternal in its result, meaning they will never return for all eternity. It does not mean an endless process of people being tortured forever. The fire completely destroys sin and those who ultimately refuse God. When its work is finished, the fire is no longer burning. God does not delight in suffering. He is bringing an end to sin and death so they will never destroy His creation again. Revelation 14:10 tells us that there will be real punishment by fire. The question is how long that punishment lasts. Scripture shows that the fire ultimately consumes the wicked rather than keeping them alive in torment forever.