Annihilationism is the belief that unbelievers will not experience an eternity of suffering in hell but will instead be “extinguished” or annihilated after death. Annihilationism is an attractive belief to many because of the awfulness of the idea of people spending eternity in hell. While there are some passages that seem to support annihilationism, a comprehensive look at what the Bible says about the destiny of the wicked reveals that punishment in hell is eternal. A belief in annihilationism results from a misunderstanding of the consequences of sin, the justice of God, and/or the nature of hell.