Nature of Hell

[Knee V]

While I can remember things that I have read, I seldom remember where I have read them.

Thanks for responding.
During my course of reading the Bible, Luke 16 has often confused me. Some say it's a parable; others that it's literal.
It's only relatively lately that I've heard the "2 compartments" idea. It suggests the questions "Are they next to each other?"; "Why would a drop of water on the tongue be of any relief to the rich man if he were in flames?"
I'd be interested in reading any further on this, or other based subject(s), you'd like to share.

 

[hedrick]

I'm not sure I'd call it two compartments. They're sort of different things. 1st Cent Judaism was no more unified in its opinion of the afterlife than modern Christians. Many thought hell was temporary, or at least temporary for most people. But it was also common to make a distinction between Hades and Gehenna. Where that distinction was made, Hades was normally temporary and Gehenna permanent.

Christians commonly think that there will be a final resurrection, but that between death and that time, people are in an intermediate state. In that case, Hades could be the intermediate state for those who will be rejected at the final judgement (or even for everyone, since the term originally didn't indicate punishment). If you read 1 Cor 15 in the obvious way, it could also be temporary before everyone (or almost everyone) is eventually redeemed.

 

[hedrick]

However there are two views which have, by and large, been rejected historically:

1) Annihilation, that the wicked simply cease to exist altogether.

Do you know of any formal condemnation before the 15th Cent?