Did Dante invent the idea that Hell is eternal, or is there a biblical basis for this belief?
Sanctification can occur in life or after death. Therefore, it is due to the process of sanctification that I believe hell is not eternal, and there is no biblical basis to suggest otherwise.
Dante's Inferno is a literary masterpiece that portrays Dante's journey to the depths of hell, which is depicted as an inverted cone made up of nine layers.
Each layer is reserved for sinners who perpetrate different sins, such as treachery, fraud, gluttony, violence, and so on.
According to Dante's depiction of hell, the first layer is reserved for those who never knew Christ.
However, as a critical thinker, I believe there is no biblical basis to suggest that hell is eternal.
I wonder what happens to sinners who did not know Christ but, after their sentence in hell, discovered their ignorance and were transformed instead? What if they started believing in Christ afterward? Would they still be condemned to eternal damnation?
This thought process led me to the concept of sanctification, which is the process of being made holy by God so that a person can deserve a place in heaven.
Sanctification can occur in life or after death. Therefore, it is due to the process of sanctification that I believe hell is not eternal, and there is no biblical basis to suggest otherwise.
Once a person is purged of their vices and gains an understanding of God, once they repent, they deserve a place in paradise to be with God forever.
It is this element of repentance that Satan and many other people are missing, which distances them from God.
Therefore, it is essential to understand the concept of sanctification, which is the process of being made holy by God, to understand the notion that no one is beyond redemption.