For those who believe in God, it is almost universally reasoned that the only way to end sin is to stop the wicked dead in their tracks by bringing down a fiery stream of fury from the heart of God to burn up the wicked and bring them to an end. It is often thought that the wicked are not simply going to destroy themselves, and that if God is a God of justice He will punish transgressors and reward them for their evil according to their deeds by directly putting them into flames and burning them alive Himself. Would a loving God do this to His children?

Would you burn your wayward children alive in flames and watch them scream in agony? Some people say that the only way to eradicate a cancer is to cut it out. The problem with this analogy is that when you cut out cancer the object is to save life, not to destroy it. Some people say the wicked are like a dog with Rabies that needs to be put to sleep. Do you then take the dog and slowly burn it on a fire for several days while it screams and howls in agony while the righteous cry – “just a little more, you deserve it because of your wickedness”? Is this really what is going to take place at the end?