What if the "fire" of hell is God’s refining love, not some weird retributive eternal punishment with no real, redemptive purpose? 

Malachi 3:2-3 - “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like washers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.”

When we think of the "fire" of hell, many of us picture an enraged father intent on pain and destruction. But what if that fire is not about retribution but refinement? Malachi describes God as a refiner’s fire and a launderer’s soap, purifying and cleansing His people until they reflect His image. Fire, in this sense, isn’t about roasting people to make God feel better; it’s about refining and restoring.