Hell is the grave (
sheol). According to the Bible, we all go to the grave when we die (
Psalms 90:3,
Psalms 104:29,
Job 34:15). While we are dead, we are completely unconscious (
Ecclesiastes 9:5). There will be two resurrections of the dead at the end of the world. The first resurrection will be for the righteous dead and the Elect. They will be resurrected and will reign with Christ for 1000 years. (
Revelation 20:4-6). Then everybody else will be resurrected and judged according to their works (
Revelation 20:12). Some will receive everlasting life too, but no inheritance, and will be subject to everlasting shame and contempt (
Daniel 12:2,
Jeremiah 23:40), and anyone's name who is not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire (
Revelation 20:15), in which they will be annihilated (
Psalms 92:7,
Malachi 4:1,
1 Corinthians 3:17,
2 Thessalonians 1:9,
Philippians 3:19,
2 Peter 2:3). Everlasting torment is not Biblical, it is purely a Church doctrine. The only way everlasting torment is possible is that the condemned will receive everlasting life in order to burn eternally, but the Bible makes it clear that everlasting life is not reserved for the wicked. God is not going to create new bodies that last forever for those who lived in sin. That is preposterous.
What about the account in
Luke 16 where it describes a rich man being tormented you may wonder? Half of the problem with Christian theology is the false equivocation of the flame in this context with hell or the grave. Jesus did not say that the rich man was in the fire; he said that he was in hell, or the grave, clearly meaning that his spirit rose up from the grave and found itself somewhere else.
In the original text of the 24th verse there is nothing to indicate whether the preposition should be “in” (this fire) or “from” it. The rich man is awaiting his punishment, at the edge of the flame but not yet in it. He is parched, not burning; a single drop of water is an extremely humble request for someone allegedly being consumed by fire. It is enough to moisten a man’s tongue but not enough to cool his burning flesh.
The man is in mental anguish, believing that he is going to be thrown into the fire, and after a lifetime of unrighteousness is finally willing to change his ways now that he sees what the result of his sin is. He has “seen the light,” so to speak. Metaphysical necessity demanded his uprightness, but natural law was not enough to convince him of this, so Jesus has intervened with the looming threat of damnation in order to achieve what Moses and the prophets could not. The whole parable is really about the foolishness of the man who does not listen to the voice of reason but instead lives the way his wicked heart foolishly desires.
So Lazarus and the rich man both died, were both buried and both ceased to exist, with no knowledge, until they were resurrected. Lazarus was resurrected together with Abraham at Christ’s coming and ruled with him in the kingdom. The rich man was left in anguish in the grave while Lazarus was comforted, until at last being resurrected after this, to “judgment.” That this happened before the judgment is blatantly obvious due to the fact that the man pleaded for the sake of his own brothers (hence the Christians’ assertion that we go to heaven or “hell” “immediately” when we die). Had he continued in unbelief then he would resurrected only to be thrown into the lake of fire, being consumed by the fire and ceasing to exist forever.
What about
Revelation 14:9-11? First of all, everlasting smoke does not refer to everlasting torture. The events of this passage taken out of its context occur before the final judgment, just as the rich man’s torment in the parable of Lazarus do. They are in torment as they reflect upon their lives, awaiting their fate of being thrown into the sulfurous fire. This is practically the same fate as that of the
nefilim who are reserved for judgment in “everlasting” chains. The word is used in both cases to show the prisoners cannot escape, not that they are bound to it forever. Moreover, it is the same fire used for each cycle of creation. (see
2 Peter 2:1-17)
