The Rich man and Lazarus parable is a greatly misunderstood topic in the Bible and one that many Christians use to defend their belief that God is going to burn the lost for ever and ever.

Let's look at some Bible verses concerning the word 'forever', so that we can get some good Biblical background concerning this concept.

Matthew 25:41 speaks of “everlasting fire” for the wicked. Does it go out? Yes. According to the Bible, it does. We must let the Bible explain itself.

Jesus spoke of death as sleeping. Not about going to heaven or hell when we die, but sleeping.

Would heaven really be a place of 'joy' if our loved ones were burning for all eternity in pain and much suffering? No, it would be torture for us too!

What did the apostle Peter say to Simon the sorcerer, when Simon tried to buy the Holy Spirit with money?

Why does the Bible say that the wicked will be destroyed with unquenchable fire?

In Mark 9:43–48, Christ evidently referred to the same judgment fires as those described in Isaiah 66:24, where we read:

Many are always seeking answers on death like what happens when you die? Do some soar to heaven while others descend to hell?

The word “hell” is found 54 times in the King James Bible. It is translated from several different words with various meanings as indicated below: