It is amazing how many refuse to accept the second final death as punishment. As if death were not punishment? Gee, maybe we should inform our courts in that case, and let them know they have it all wrong, since they generally agree and believe death to be the ultimate punishment. And so does God. It is what He promised Adam and Eve if they disobeyed, and is reiterated again and again throughout Scripture: the unrepentant shall perish.
Magenta, it is because you don't understand the scriptures definition of death. And it has nothing to do with non-existence or annihilation.
If people who are thrown into the lake of fire just became non-existent, then what kind of punishment would it be for those who committed suicide, with death being their goal in the first place? God would be giving them exactly what they want.
Life = Eternal, conscious existence in the joy of the Lord in the kingdom of God.
Death (for the unsaved) = Eternal, conscious existence in separation from God in the Lake of fire.
There is going to be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust, which means that both groups will receive resurrected bodies.
The saved will be resurrected in immortal and glorified bodies, while the unsaved will be resurrected in eternal indestructible bodies mete for the lake of fire. I've shown you this example before and here it is again:
"And they will go away into
eternal punishment, but the righteous into
eternal life."
The same word 'aionios' is used referring to both the wicked and the righteous. Therefore, if you interpret eternal to be temporary for the wicked, then it has to retain the same meaning for the righteous. Since we know that aionios/eternal for the righteous means never ending life in the kingdom of God, then aionios/eternal must mean never ending punishment for the wicked.
Everyone who comes into the world will exist forever in either the kingdom of God or the lake of fire. No one will cease to exist.