Recently (well, not so recently actually), someone asked us what we thought of the concept of an eternal hell. Is eternal torment for the wicked supported in Scripture?
As many have pointed out, the destiny of the wicked is one of the hardest teachings for us humans. We shrink back, and rightly so, from the idea of eternal torment. As you point out, God, who is more merciful than us, would seemingly have even a stronger reaction to such a notion.