I know I may lose fellowship in some groups by saying this openly, but I can no longer stay silent. For years I wrestled with the doctrine of hell. I once hoped the Victorious Gospel might be true; now I am convinced of it.
Scripture is clear that hell and judgment are real. Torment and fire are described vividly. But “forever” in our English translations is often a mistranslation of aion — which means an age, an epoch, a set period of time. Fire in Scripture is never pointless; it destroys what cannot remain and refines what can. Even the lake of fire is not outside God’s purpose.
There are three historic Christian views of hell:
- Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT) — the traditional evangelical position
- Conditional Immortality / Annihilationism — held by leaders like John Stott
- Universal Reconciliation — what I call the Victorious Gospel
The Victorious Gospel is not the sloppy “universalism” that says all roads lead to God. Jesus Himself said most roads lead to destruction. Rather, it is the conviction that all roads end in Christ — whether through joy now or judgment later.
This is what Scripture declares:
- “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10–11).
- “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19–20).
- “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive… then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power… The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:22–26).
- “We have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).
The “all” is certain. The “especially” is now. That’s why I still live with urgency. Judgment is real, hell is real, destruction is real. But their purpose is redemptive, not endless cruelty.
This conviction didn’t come quickly. It was a long road of wrestling, studying, praying — much like the road that led me to become convinced of Bitcoin’s uniqueness. That’s why I often connect the two in my writings: both came through testing and conviction, not convenience. I did have help from Dr. C, who helped me research and refine some of the wording here, but I want to be clear: this conviction comes from me, and I believe it comes from the Spirit of God.
This is not an easy conviction. It may cost me fellowship with groups that treat Eternal Conscious Torment as a core doctrine. But truth is always costly. And the truth I see in Christ is that His victory is bigger than our fear, stronger than our doctrines, and more final than death itself.