People end up in eternal torment because they reject or refuse to believe the pardon God has already provided through the cross.
God has reconciled the world to Himself through the work of Christ, and every human being has been pardoned. The only reason people face the Great White Throne is unbelief — they do not appropriate that grace by faith. As Les Feldick teaches, the torment will be made worse by the eternal regret that they did not have to be there.
Hebrews 2:9 — Shows that Christ tasted death for every man, making the pardon universally available.
2 Corinthians 5:19 — Reveals that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing trespasses, so rejection is the cause of doom.
Revelation 20:15 — States plainly that those not written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire.
Scripture reveals that God's provision for escape is universal. Hebrews 2:9 declares that Jesus, by the grace of God, 'should taste death for every man.' Second Corinthians 5:19 states that 'God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.' In Revelation 20, John describes the great white throne: 'And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.' Revelation 20:15 concludes, 'And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.' So the fate of eternal torment is tied to the absence of one's name in the book of life.
Les Feldick teaches that the sole reason people end up in eternal doom is unbelief — they reject the pardon that Christ's death already accomplished. He emphasizes that God has reconciled the world to Himself and has already pardoned every human being, but the pardon must be appropriated by faith. That is why many 'good' people will stand before the Great White Throne: they did not believe the Gospel. Les also points out that part of the agony of the lost will be the eternal regret that they did not have to be there, because the way of escape was freely available.
Les says plainly, 'They're going because of their unbelief. They're rejecting the pardon.' He also states that the reason lost people stand at the Great White Throne is that they did not believe the Gospel. Even though their sins were atoned for, they did not appropriate the grace and love of God for salvation.
At the end of the thousand years, every lost individual is brought to the Great White Throne, where he will see the record and go to his doom. Scripture says the dead are judged according to their works. Les notes that there will be degrees of punishment.
Les teaches that the worst part of eternal doom will not be physical flames but the constant knowledge that they did not have to be there. In Clip 1, he says, 'It's going to be an eternity of regret. I didn't have to be here. This was all paid for, and I rejected it.' He repeats in Clip 2 that those in the lake of fire will know they could have escaped if they had simply believed.
Les answers this objection by pointing out that God has already loved every human being to the full extent heaven could offer. When a person spurns that love, God has every right to reject them at the Great White Throne. Because Christ tasted death for every man and God has reconciled the world, no one goes to the lake of fire without a personal rejection.
Les responds to the question from his class, 'Do you mean there's going to be degrees of punishment? Absolutely there will be.' He does not elaborate here, but he affirms that the Great White Throne will assign different levels of punishment.
The Resurrection of the Lost
Les sets the stage for the resurrection of the lost, distinguishing it from the first resurrection of believers.
Eternal Regret
Les teaches that the worst part of the wicked's doom will be endless regret over rejecting a payment that was already made for them.
Unbelief as Rejection of Pardon
Les explains that lost people are doomed because they reject the pardon, not because their sins were unforgiven. God has already reconciled the world to Himself.
God's Right to Judge Those Who Spurn His Love
Les teaches that because God has already loved every human being to the full extent of heaven's offering, He has the right to reject those who spurn that love.
The Great White Throne and Unbelief
Les attributes the doom of the lost to unbelief — they did not believe the Gospel — and says they will give an account for every word and deed.
Degrees of Punishment
Les confirms that at the Great White Throne there will be degrees of punishment, and each lost individual will face the record of their deeds.
Pardon Based on the Cross
Les teaches that every person has already been pardoned by the cross; the only issue is whether they will appropriate it by faith.
Separation from God as the Second Death
Les teaches that rejecting the Gospel results in living forever separated from God, which is the second death.
Hebrews 2:9: But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Shows the universal scope of Christ's death, which Les says makes the pardon available to everyone.
2 Corinthians 5:19: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Reveals that God has already reconciled the world and is not counting trespasses, so unbelief is the only barrier.
Revelation 20:13: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Describes the lost being raised to face judgment before the Great White Throne.
Revelation 20:15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
States the outcome for every person not written in the book of life.
Yes. Les teaches that many good people will stand before the Great White Throne because their sin is unbelief — they could not believe what God said about the work of the cross.
Les says the lake of fire is different than hell, really. He associates the lake of fire with eternal regret for those who rejected their pardon.
Yes. Les distinguishes the resurrection of the lost from the first resurrection of believers, and Scripture describes the dead being delivered up to stand before the Great White Throne.
No. Les affirms that there will be degrees of punishment at the Great White Throne.
Watch the Teaching: What Happens After Hell? The Great White Throne Explained