Illicit is the inference from Revelations 20:10, "And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire, where also had been cast the Beast and the False Prophet, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever," combined with 20:15, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the Lake of Fire," to the conclusion
The three great evils (aside from Death and Hell) cast into the inferno are all supernatural beings. It is not clear, then, that the natural beings (reprobate humans) cast into this will be tormented forever and ever; the text does not, in fact, say this. What it does say is that the reprobate will be kept out of Zion later, which suggests that their punishment is, indeed, forever and ever, and a disgrace to them--for they are everlastingly locked out of the Eternal City--but not that the physical torture of the Lake of Fire is the sole, or all-encompassing, component of this punishment.
On the other hand, Christ Himself does say that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth both for those thrown into the "blazing furnace" as well as those locked out of the City (Matthew 13:42 & Matthew 8:12). Does this imply that the only thing outside the City is the Lake of Fire? Probably not. For strangely, the Lake of Fire actually has to be inside the City, because that is where Christ is present and remember, the Devil and his two highest servants are eternally tormented in the presence of the Lamb (meaning the Lake of Fire is eternally present before the Lord in the City). So if wicked humanity is kept out of the City in the end, then this part of humanity can't be sealed in the Lake of Fire forever.
We are told (Psalm 112:10), "The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing." Indeed, the major portion of the eternal punishment of the damned appears not to consist in being physically tortured but in being emotionally defeated by exclusion from the City. The "fire" period of their retribution will not go on eternally (though it might be resumed from time to time, so that, in the sum of the future, it would be counted to infinity), but neither will the punishment of the damned ever end.
Also to be considered:
I.e. the eternal fire is something that exists in the afterlife that is comparatively as painful as fire is in this life. It's like saying that there will be colors or shapes or sounds in the hereafter that are unlike any we can perceive in this world.
EDIT: Christ also says that He'll send the damned into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. However, this doesn't mean that the damned will be in this fire for eternity, only that the fire is of a kind that lasts forever (and is used to forever punish the three unholiest ones).
(Traditional inferno theory) Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was tormented day and night forever and ever.
The three great evils (aside from Death and Hell) cast into the inferno are all supernatural beings. It is not clear, then, that the natural beings (reprobate humans) cast into this will be tormented forever and ever; the text does not, in fact, say this. What it does say is that the reprobate will be kept out of Zion later, which suggests that their punishment is, indeed, forever and ever, and a disgrace to them--for they are everlastingly locked out of the Eternal City--but not that the physical torture of the Lake of Fire is the sole, or all-encompassing, component of this punishment.
On the other hand, Christ Himself does say that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth both for those thrown into the "blazing furnace" as well as those locked out of the City (Matthew 13:42 & Matthew 8:12). Does this imply that the only thing outside the City is the Lake of Fire? Probably not. For strangely, the Lake of Fire actually has to be inside the City, because that is where Christ is present and remember, the Devil and his two highest servants are eternally tormented in the presence of the Lamb (meaning the Lake of Fire is eternally present before the Lord in the City). So if wicked humanity is kept out of the City in the end, then this part of humanity can't be sealed in the Lake of Fire forever.
We are told (Psalm 112:10), "The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing." Indeed, the major portion of the eternal punishment of the damned appears not to consist in being physically tortured but in being emotionally defeated by exclusion from the City. The "fire" period of their retribution will not go on eternally (though it might be resumed from time to time, so that, in the sum of the future, it would be counted to infinity), but neither will the punishment of the damned ever end.
Also to be considered:
(Analogical inferno theory) The reason for calling the punishment of the damned "eternal fire" is to express that, in eternity, the damned are punished with something that is the equivalent, in the dimension of eternity, of fire in the mortal realm.
I.e. the eternal fire is something that exists in the afterlife that is comparatively as painful as fire is in this life. It's like saying that there will be colors or shapes or sounds in the hereafter that are unlike any we can perceive in this world.
EDIT: Christ also says that He'll send the damned into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. However, this doesn't mean that the damned will be in this fire for eternity, only that the fire is of a kind that lasts forever (and is used to forever punish the three unholiest ones).
Last edited:
