Part 2 of my study on Hell and the Lake of Fire- Part 2

Part 2 of New Testament study: Hell and the Lake of Fire! What are they? What aren't they?  
Luke 12:4-5 (KJV)

4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

The word Hell here is taken from the greek word "Gehenna" which again is not a spiritual underworld of torment but rather a type of what literal Ghenna (Valley of the son of Hinnom) was-a burning garbage refuse outside earthly Jerusalem-. The future Gehenna will be a consuming Lake of Fire in earth outside of Heavenly Jerusalem after the second resurrection which will burn unbelievers until they are completely destroyed. This passage is clearly describing a further judgment and has nothing to do with a spiritual underworld. The person's body, not their disembodied soul or spirit, will be cast into the fire of Gehenna. This is true to the context noting verse 4 about not fearing those who can kill the body only but fear him who can cast that body into Gehenna after killing it.

Luke 16:19-31 (KJV)

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Note that both Lazarus and the rich man have their bodies in this parable, the rich man asks if Lazarus can dip his finger so that his (rich man) tongue can be cooled. This is proof that thisnpassage is a parable and not literal. Why do I say this? Because these two men have their bodies in the afterlife. We know from scripture that we don't get our bodies until the resurrection at the last day. Had last day already happened when Jesus told this story? Of course not! It still hasn't happened. Also we know from Hebrews 11:8-16 that Abraham died in faith and is not alive and that he hasn't received the promises which is the Heavenly country which he now desires (this desiring is figurative as of course Abraham is asleep until that day when his body resurrects. Many take this parable literally but how is that when the rich man, supposedly being in hell can see Abraham supposedly being in Heaven. There will be no way unbelievers can see Heaven during their judgment of Gehenna (Lake of Fire). Note that Jesus. The parable teaches that there is no chance of repentance after death. Jesus said that "neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead". This statement by Jehoshua in reference to Abraham in third person proves that this parable is talking about the resurrection of bodies, one who enjoyed the temporal riches of this life (rich man) and one who didn't (Lazarus). We know that the resurrection of bodies is after the second coming of Jehoshua. When this parable was taught, Jehoshua was still doing his earthly ministry and the second coming still awaits. So this proves that this passage is not literal but a parable of the future judgment awaiting the just and unjust. There will be no rescue for the unjust once the judgment at the Lake of Fire begins. The unjust will be completely destroyed. The righteous will be comforted by the Jehoshua and Jehovah for eternity in the New Heaven and the New Earth. Abraham's bosom was a reference to death as used by the pharisees.  For Lazarus in this passage to go warn the rich man's family of Hell Fire Judgment, he would have to rise from the dead. So clearly, this again proves that this is a parable as Lazarus is dead (in the parable) and awaiting the resurrection. If this passage was literal then Lazarus would have his body and be risen from the dead already and there would no need for Jehoshua to make that statement if people were already in Heaven. Notice Jehoshua didn't say "neither will they be persuaded, though one come from Heaven". This confirms that once the righteous die they go to the grave not Heaven until the resurrection. 

Read the below passage regarding Abraham and his state of being after death, reinforcing that Luke 16:19-31 is a parable. 

Hebrews 11:8-16 KJV

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Romans 6:20-23 (KJV)

20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Notice what this passage says concerning the wages of sin. It is death not unending torment. Death= thanatos (greek) which means (literally or figuratively) death, deadly,  (be) death. Look at the contrast for those who are saved. They get the free gift of eternal life from Jehovah.  Eternal life is only for believers in Jehoshua. Unrepentant sinners get death. For sinners to burn in unending torment would mean they have eternal life which contradicts Jehovah's word per the above passage. Eternal=Aionios (greek) which means perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well):- eternal for ever, everlasting, world began.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9King James Version (KJV)

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Verse 9 talks about the coming judgment of unbelievers. Note the words "everlasting destruction". This doesn't mean everlasting unending torment but rather that their destruction will be everlasting and that they won't be able to come back to life, their annihilation will be complete and last forever. Death=olethros (greek) which means to destroy (a prolonged form); ruin, I.e. death, punishment:-destruction. 

So death in the greek means ruin, punishment, to destroy. Let me ask you this: when you received punishment from your parents was it unending or did it end at some point? Obviously it ended, that's what punishment denotes, a time period of judgment. If your parents were still exercising their punishment to you from something a long time ago, then the correct term to describe it would be "punishing" which is continous rather than "punishment" which has a finite ending. Also, look at a city in ruins and notice that the punishment it suffered in order to be in a state of ruins is not continous but had a finite ending. The whole concept of ruins means that the particular city was destroyed either by nature or war or abandonment. The means by which the city came to ruins is no longer present and had a definite ending. So will be the case of the unbeliever,  they will be as ruins meaning "to no longer exist" just like sodom and Gomorrha no longer exist but were eternally destroyed. They had received fire for their destruction and as a result no longer exist and lay in ruins. We are told in scripture that Sodom and Gomorrha will be the example of what will happen to unbelievers at the judgment. That being the case, that proves that Hell Fire is one of permanent destruction not unending torment. Sodom and Gomorrha are no longer burning and either are their inhabitants but they were destroyed. The unbelievers in Sodom are still awaiting the second resurrection for their final judgment which will be a more grand version of their earthly destruction. In Sodom and Gomorrha they were destroyed by fire and sent to the grave not having consciousness.  In the Lake of Fire they will be destroyed and cease to exist in an eternal grave where they will, no longer have consciousness.

2 Peter 2:1-9 (KJV)

4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Verse 4- the greek word for Hell here is "tartaroo" which means (the deepest abyss of hades-grave) to incarcerate in eternal torment:- cast down to hell-grave. This denotes a past and future event of Satan and his angels being cast into the abyss (presently) and bound and chained during the thousand year reign of Jehoshua (future) with the Saints (likely in Heaven). We know Satan and his angels are not in chains yet as they are actively deceiving the world. After the Second Advent of Jehoshua and the destruction of unbelievers who are living on earth, scripture says Satan will be bound for a thousand years. Where is he bound? In the bottomless pit (abyss). Is that in some spiritual underworld of torment? Let's look at Revelation 12:9-13 for the location of where Satan and his angels were cast down:

 Revelation 12:9-13 (KJV)

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

This passage correlates with 2nd Peter 2:4. Satan and his angels were cast down to "Hell" (abyss) which in this case denotes the earth, they are currently exhibiting their wrath against the woman (the church) and deceiving the nations because they, know their time is short. Revelation 20:1-4 describes the second part of 2 Peter 2:4 about the binding of Satan.

 Revelation 20:1-4 (KJV)

20 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

The above passage describes the binding of Satan and his angels also fufilling the second part of 2 Peter 2:4.

So, we see the word "Hell" in this case means the abyss which is here on earth as noted in Revelation 12. The teaching that "Hell" in this case means a spiritual underworld is a ancient greek Mythology teaching. 

  Jude 5-7  (KJV)

5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

We see in verse 5 and 6, the correlation of the angels being cast out of Heaven to the earth with 2 Peter:4. They are reserved for judgment in everlasting chains. They will be chained right before the millennium and then the judgment of the great day will be the Lake of Fire. Their everlasting chains means that they are unbreakable and the fact that they are awaiting (reserved for) the day of judgment in these chains, means that the chains (figurative) themselves will be a temporary binding until the day of judgment (Lake of Fire).

Verse 7 says that Sodom and Gomorrha are the example of the type of judgment awaiting all who live ungodly. Was this judgment of Sodom and Gomorrha unending torment or finite destruction?  Obviously it is finite destruction as Sodom and Gomorrha is no longer burning and was forever destroyed. They were turned to ashes.

Back to 2nd Peter 2:1-9

Verse 6 says that Sodom and Gomorrha was turned to ashes condemned unto destruction. The second verse states that this is the example of judgment awaiting all ungodly people. What's the example? Unending torment in a spiritual underworld or finite once and for all destruction here in earth (the Lake of Fire)? Going by scripture here in verse 6 the answer is finite destruction in the Lake of Fire which is here on earth as a type of "Valley of the son of Hinnom". The earth will be one big Lake of Fire after the unbelieving dead arw resurrected. 

Verse 9 states the unjust are reserved (second resurrection) for punishment which denotes a finite period of time of judgment. Punishing would be a continuous and unending time of judgment.

 Revelation 14:9-11 (KJV)

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

The third angel message proclaims Hell Fire Judgment (Lake of Fire) on all who worship the  beast, his image and take his mark. Verse 11 describes the nature of this Hell fire. 

Verse 11 where it states "ascendeth up for ever and ever" is an allusion to the eternal destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha (see Jude 7). For ever in this text doesn't necessarily mean unending but could also mean a indefinite period of time, the limits of which are determined by the nature of the person, thing or circumstance to which it is applied. 

Let's see Isaiah 34:1-10 for the destruction of Edom that was described as not being quenched and their smoke ascending forever.

Isaiah 34:1-10 (KJV)

34 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.

2 For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.

3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.

4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lordhath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.

7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

8 For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

So we clearly see that the description of Edom being destroyed with unquenchable smoke and fire is figurative as Edom is no longer around. This passage in Isaiah confirms that language such as unquenchable fire and smoke ascending forever is figurative and not to be taken literally. This should also be applied to Revelation 14:9-11. The fire is unquenchable as long as the person lives and until he is consumed. The biblical usage of this type of language intends to convey the idea- not that the fire eill never go out, but that it cannot be put out by any other means than completely consuming what it is burning until there is nothing left.

 Revelation 20:7-10 (KJV)

7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The same language in Isaiah regarding "for ever" torment of fire is used here in Revelation 20:7-10. It is metaphorical for final destruction. (Isaiah 27:1 and Hebrews 2:14, Ezekiel 28:18-reduced to ashes). The Antimessiah will be destroyed permanetley (2 Thessalonians 2:8) This Lake of Fire spoken of is here on earth. It is the judgment of unbelievers after the second resurrection.

 Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV)

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 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.

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.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This casting will be into the Lake of Fire (Gehenna) here on this very earth where the wicked will be consumed and destroyed. This fire will also cleanse the earth and Jehovah will restore itnto it's Edenic beauty hence the New Earth.

Matthew 10:28 (KJV)

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

So, here both soul and body are refrenced together as one unit. What goes to Hell? our bodies do, not disembodied souls. What happens to our bodies/souls? They are destroyed in Hell=Gehenna (greek) which is an end time type of the valley of the son of Hinnom, a burning garbage refuse outside Jerusalem. The end time Gehenna will be a world wide Lake of Fire outside the Heavenly Jerusalem. This destruction is one of permanency not unending as it doesn't state that but it says destroy=final ruin.  It is also on earth as Gehenna was/is on earth not in a spiritual underworld of torment.