To understand whether the future of the unsaved is eternal torture (which continual burning would be) we need to go right back to the beginning and check what God said about mankind in Genesis 3:22. “And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’”

To prevent mankind living forever God expelled them from the Eden and barred its gates. Man had the opportunity of immortality but lost it at the fall. Sorting out our anthropology lets us understand our soteriology and eschatology. Christ had to die as a blood sacrifice to pay the penalty of our sins so that we could be reconciled to God, given the gift of eternal life, and the opportunity to participate in the mission of reconciling the whole world to Christ – it is a lot more exciting than mere fire insurance.

All mortals will be raised and stand before the judgment seat of God. Those unsaved will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death (Revelation 20:8).

– David McLeod-Jones