Not long ago, a friend of mine asked the question, "...if God is an all giving God of love and mercy, why would he allow evil other than maybe Satan and His fallen angels to have eternal torment?"
The question is a good one, and in fact, not unusual. Many have asked how a good and loving God could punish some eternally. What's more, some have wondered whether God even exists, asking why He would even allow evil in the first place. The line of reasoning is something like this:
The answer, though, is that God is not only truly good and all-powerful, he is also truly loving. He allows us freedom of choice, and it is wrong choices that ultimately cause evil, pain, and suffering-from death itself (Adam and Eve's sin caused us to not have access to the tree of life, so we die) to innocent people suffering for our sins (a drunk driving over a child). God loves us so much that he is willing to allow us to choose for ourselves whether we will serve Him or not; and he demonstrated that love, both allowing the sacrifice of His son to reconcile us to Himself (Rom 5:6-10), and in His patient waiting until the time is right for judgment (2 Pet 3:9).
Even so, if God is a God of love, why would he punish eternally, instead of simply annihilating the wicked at death? The answer to that is simply that He is also a God of justice (Deut 32:4). While He wants desperately for all men to turn away from their wickedness, and to do what is right and good, not all men are going to do this. He has done all that He can do; what more can he offer than His own son in our place? Now it is up to us. If we choose to do wickedly, justice demands punishment; and while we are never to take vengeance, a truly just God will repay (2 Thess 1:6-8; Heb 10:26-31).
Finally, He is a God of truth (Jn 17:17), and we can trust that what He has said will come to pass. He has warned us of the judgment to come (2 Cor 5:10), and also of the consequences (Mt 25:41; 13:42,50). While we should praise God that those who are allowed into His rest are there for eternity, we also need to recognize that those who are punished are there for the same duration-eternity (Mt 25:46).
