Many try to use hell in the Bible as Sheol, Tophet, or the Valley of Hinnon in an effort to claim hell or the Lake of Fire does not exist. They claim hell is nothing more than physical death. It will be proven by the scriptures that both hell and the Lake of Fire exist beyond the death of physical bodies.
The verses and comments are shown to stress that physical death (grave) is not the end of man. Many verses in the Bible emphasize this fact. Those claiming Hell is Sheol or the Valley of Hinnon and represents physical death have grossly misread the scriptures. The Bible uses the continual fire of Hinnon to describe Hell and the Lake of Fire, but not the reverse. Hell and the Lake of Fire are not used to describe the Valley of Hinnon.
We often use one event to describe another. It is a natural description for man. Since the trash heap of Hinnon is continuously burning with the natural refuse of man, it is appropriate that those who wrote the Old Testament would use it to describe an eternal hell of burning fire. Because Hinnon was often used as the example of Hell, it in no way takes away from the fact of an eternal Hell.
I begin with many verses describing how often God uses fire as his means of purification and removal of the wicked from his presence. Notice the first verse shown is that God is a consuming fire. These topics under Hell and Lake of Fire are progressively definitive from the first passage to the last one in this series.
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Leviticus 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
Psalms 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. (Those that are in God and he in us are not affected by the tempestuous fire around God, but those that are not born again into his spirit are continually wasted and suffer eternally from this fire.)
Psalms 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. (Perish means to live without the good things of life and to suffer a deplorable life.)
Psalms 80:16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Leviticus 21:9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the *****, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Numbers 11:1 When the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
Numbers 16:35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
Deuteronomy 9:3 Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goes over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shall thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.
Joshua 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
2 Kings 1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, if I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Job 22:19-20 19The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh those to scorn 20Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumes.
Isaiah 9:18-19 18For wickedness burns as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. 19Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.
Isaiah 10:16-18 16Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. 17And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; 18And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer faints.
Job 15:30, 34 34He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away. 34For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. 35They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepares deceit.
Isaiah 13:6-9 6Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore shall all hands faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: 8And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Isaiah 29:6 Thou shall be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.
This is another verse to show that God will use fire to destroy the wicked from the earth. If God uses fire often on the earth as death and punishment, there is every reason to believe he will allow a hell of fire for those who despise his Son.
Ezekiel 21:31-32 31And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. 32Thou shall be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shall be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it. (This verse could also refer to the Lake of fire. All lost will be fuel to the fire.)
Ezekiel 30:14-16, 19 14And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. 15And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. 16And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. 19Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (God continues to use fire as a tool of his wrath to the wicked.)
Ezekiel 39:6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (As God sent fire down on Sodom & Gomorrah, so will he do with Magog?)
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: (God destroys by fire)
As the previous verses are selections of how God uses fire to deal with the wicked on the earth, God also uses fire to deal with the wicked after death. The next selection of verses indicates there is more to death than the grave. The righteous and the unrighteous die the physical death. If all death is merely the grave, the Bible would not treat the death of the wicked different from the death of the saved. The difference is seen in the following passages.
Deuteronomy 8:19 19And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. (If “perish” means the grave, then why do the righteous not perish?)
Job 20:5-9 5That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? 6Though his excellence mounts up to the heavens and his head reaches unto the clouds. 7Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say where is he? 8He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. 9The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.
If the grave is the end, why would only the wicked perish? If perish is physical death, then the righteous would be included. There are two destinations, one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous after the grave.
Psalms 1:6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (The physically dead righteous go to be with God. The ungodly perish in an eternal hell after the grave.)
Psalms 41:5 Mine enemies speak evil of me, when shall he die, and his name perishes? (The evil person physically dies, and his soul (name) shall perish (suffer).
Psalms 49:10 For he sees that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. (Wise men die and enjoy the wealth of heaven. The lost leave their wealth behind and perish, suffer, in the flames of hell.)
Psalms 83:17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: (Wicked are troubled forever after the grave. They live in shame and suffering)
Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (The righteous enjoys eternal gladness; the wicked suffers forever.)
Proverbs 11:7 7When a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perishes. (The wicked man’s soul lives, but his hopes and expectations are gone.)
Ecclesiastes 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. (Wicked has no hope, only suffering for eternity)
Luke 13:3, 27 I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 27But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. (All go to the grave, but they hear the above words at the judgment)
John 3:15-16 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Eternal life in heaven for the righteous after the grave, but the wicked will suffer eternally.)
The following are descriptions of eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. Those who claim no person will go to Hell need to read these passages.
Leviticus 6:13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. (It is possible this verse has reference to the fires of hell as well as the fire of the sacrifice on the altar. It may have reference to the eternal fire against sins in hell.)
2 Samuel 22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; (If the grave is the end, what are the “sorrows” of hell?)
Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Is there a lowest grave? No, there are divisions of Hell.)
Job 4:7-9, 20 7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the righteous cut off? 8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. 9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. 20They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
Verse 7 states the righteous do not perish at death, they are innocent. The wicked perish in the breath and blast (fire) of God after death.
Job 11:7-8 7Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell; what canst thou know? (Hell is a place. Heaven is the highest point and hell is the lowest point.)
Job 18:5-6, 14-15 5Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. 6The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him. 14His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors. 15It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.
After the grave, the wicked will be in darkness. It is a fire that has no light. He will dwell with the king of terrors. His abode shall be of brimstone.
Job 18:17-21 17His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street. 18He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. 19He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. 20They that come after him shall be astonished at his day, as they that went before were affrighted. 21Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knows not God.
This passage follows the last description and explicitly states that this is the final destination of those that do not know God as their Savior. It calls it a dwelling of the wicked out of this world. A dwelling is not ceasing to exist.)
Psalms 9:17-18 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. 18But he knows not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. (The wicked dead are still alive, but in hell)
Psalms 11:5-6 5The LORD tries the righteous: but the wicked and him that loves violence his soul hates. 6Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. (The cup of the wicked after the grave shall be fire, brimstone, and a horrible tempest.)
Psalms 15:11, 24 11Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men? 24The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath. (Hell is a place. Heaven is above and hell is beneath)
Psalms 21:9 Thou shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of thy anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. (Another possible reference to Hell, God is a consuming fire)
Psalms 55:15, 23 15Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. 23But thou, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee. (Hell is described as a pit of destruction for the wicked, not non-existence in the grave. It is their dwelling. They do not cease to exist.)
Psalms 73:18-19 18Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou cast them down into destruction. 19How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. (After the grave comes destruction and terrors. The wicked are consumed with terror. They are cast down, a reference to hell which is down and heaven which is up.)
Psalms 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. (The lowest hell is a place, not the grave. There is no rank in the grave. The Christian has admitted that he is alive and has escaped hell by the mercy of God. We know this does not mean he has been delivered from the grave, because all will die physically.)
Psalms 97:3 Fire goes before him, and burns up his enemies round about. (God is a consuming fire. He that has not the spirit of God in him, will burn forever in this consuming fire.)
Psalms 112:10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish. (The righteous will not see it, only the wicked. If it were the grave, the righteous would also see it. The wicked will perish, suffer, eternally.)
Psalms 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. (If the grave is the end, then hell would not take hold of the wicked, nor cause them trouble and sorrow.)
Psalms 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (Hell is a location, it is below, and heaven is above. Gods righteousness and light is in heaven, his consuming fire is in hell.)
Psalms 140:10 Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits that they rise not up again. (Here we see hell is beyond death with coals of fire. It is a deep pit which the wicked cannot escape.)
Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. (After death, there is hell. The steps after death descend to hell.)
Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Hell is a place, but it is a huge deep fiery pit. It is never full. Death is cessation of physical existence, so we know hell is not death.)
Proverbs 23:14 Thou shall beat him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell. (We know beating a child with a rod will not keep him from eventually dying. It must mean exactly as it says, it will help deliver his soul from a place, hell.)
Proverbs 30:15-16 15There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: 16The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that says not, It is enough. (Again, we have the grave, but we also have the fire of hell that never quits. Hell never says, “It is enough”.)
Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. (We know death of the physical has nothing to do with coals of fire and a most vehement flame. It would have to be hell for the wicked soul after physical death.)
Isaiah 5:14, 20 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoices, shall descend into it. 20Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
The wicked are the only ones scheduled for hell. If hell were the grave, the righteous would be included. The grave does not have to enlarge. All who die go back to dust.
Isaiah 28:15, 18 15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: 18And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Those who think they can make a covenant with mankind or Satan to avoid hell are mistaken. Neither man nor Satan has the power to overcome the power of God who will cast them in hell. No excuse to God will suffice. If a man’s name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, he will enter hell.
Isaiah 30:27, 30, 33 27Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: 30And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. 33For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.
Here Isaiah uses the description of Tophet (Fire of Hinnon) to describe the torments of the fires of hell. Hell is deep and large, and God will be the devouring fire of hell.
Isaiah 33:11-14 11Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. 12And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. 13Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 14The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Note, the burnings will be everlasting (eternal) It shall devour the wicked forever.)
Isaiah 57:9 And thou went to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. (The evil debases himself against God which results in his dwelling in hell.)
Isaiah 66:15-16, 24 15For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. 24And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
God will punish the wicked with fire. In verse 24, Isaiah says their worm shall not die, they shall suffer eternally. The fire shall never be quenched in hell. Death, cessation of existence, would have no fire.
Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. (Again, we see the wicked will burn eternally, the fire will not be quenched.)
Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David, thus says the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. (This is another warning that God’s fiery punishment will not be quenched.)
Ezekiel 20:47-48 47And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. 48And all flesh shall see that I the LORD has kindled it: it shall not be quenched. (God’s punishments by fire will never be quenched.)
Ezekiel 26:20 When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living.
Here Ezekiel speaks of the pit of hell as the lower parts of the earth. It is possible that there is a hell or holding place in the fiery part of the earth. However, hell appears to be a temporary place for the wicked until they are all cast into the Lake of Fire.
Ezekiel 31:16-17 16I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
This describes the casting down of Satan to hell along with others that will descend into the fiery pit (a place, not cessation of the physical/death of the body).
Ezekiel 32:21, 27 21The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they have are down; they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. 27And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
The wicked are often the terror of the earth, but will wind up in a location of fire that is hell. The righteous also die the physical death, but do not go to hell, so it cannot be the grave.
Daniel 7:9-11 9I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire. 10A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 11I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
The beast was given to the burning flame, cast into hell in another passage. This passage again shows God as a devouring fire.
Joel 2:1-3 1Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3A fire devours before them; and behind them a flame burns: the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
God shall come as a devouring fire and the wicked shall not escape. God is as a Garden of Eden to the righteous, but desolation to the wicked.
Amos 9:2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: (There are those who will try to get to heaven with their gimmicks, but God will cast them into hell.)
Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. (God’s fury against the wicked is always poured out like fire.)
Matthew 3:10, 12 10And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 12Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (The wicked is cast into the Lake of Fire which is unquenchable.)
Matthew 5:22, 29-30 22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 29And if thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30And if thy right hand offends thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
If someone says, “thou fool”, will it make any difference in his physical death? No! He is in danger of hell fire. Would it make any difference if you pluck, out an eye, cut off your right hand, would it keep you from dying a physical death? No, everyone is going to die the physical death. So hell could not be physical death or the grave. This says a person can be thrown in a fiery hell.
Matthew 7:13,19-20 13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 19Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (It is clear that the wicked will be cast into a fire after death.)
Matthew 10:28 28And 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. (God says man has both a soul and a body. He tells us not to be concerned with the person who takes our physical life, but fear God who can cast both soul and body into hell, a place of fire.)
Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 49So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Does the grave have gates? How can the grave strive to compete against the church? Hell represents evil people in an evil place in this verse.)
Matthew 18:7-9 7Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offends thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9And if thy eye offends thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
The everlasting fire has nothing to do with the grave. Cutting a hand or foot off would not keep us from the grave.)
Matthew 23:14, 33 14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
The wicked Pharisees and Scribes will receive the greater damnation in hell. If it was merely the grave, the punishment would be equal to the good and bad alike. However, it is clear that those who are most wicked will suffer more in the fires of hell.
Matthew 25:41, 46 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (The wicked will be in eternal fire and punishment.)
Mark 3:29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: (Not the grave, but everlasting damnation.)
Mark 5:7-8 7And cried with a loud voice, and said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most-high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. (The devil, fallen angel, knew he was condemned to be tormented in the Lake of Fire for eternity. He also recognized Jesus.)
Mark 9:43-48 43And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. 45And if thy foot offends thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. 47And if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.
This is similar to other passages promising unquenchable fire in hell to the wicked after death. It is clear that cutting off a foot or plucking out an eye would not keep a person from the grave; Proof that hell is not the grave.
Luke 3:9, 17 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 17Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. (The wicked will burn in hell in unquenchable fire.)
Luke 8:27-28 27And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
This is another instance of a devil, fallen angel, knowing that he was condemned to the Lake of Fire where he would be tormented forever.
Luke 12:5 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. (This verse states that we need not fear the grave, death, but we should fear the fires of hell.)
Luke 16:23-25 23And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And 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. 25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
This is not a parable. It is a true story told by Jesus. Jesus named the names of the characters in this true story, including Abraham.
Luke 17:29-30 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (God is a consuming fire. The Lake of Fire will be of fire and brimstone.)
Luke 20:47 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. (This could not represent death or the grave, they have no degrees. Damnation in hell does have degrees.)
John 5:27-29 27And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in when all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Both the saved and the lost will be resurrected back into some kind of bodies. We know the saved will be resurrected into a glorified body. We do not know the type of body the wicked shall have, but it will suffer the torments of hell.
Acts 2:27, 31 27Because thou wilt not let my soul stay in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. 31He seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. (Both hell and the grave, death, is covered here. After the death of the body of Jesus, he was in hell for a short period, and then was resurrected back into his body which was changed into a glorified body.)
Romans 14:10-12 10But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
If death (grave) is final, then why would the Bible say we shall all stand at the final judgment seat of Christ? Everyone will be resurrected to new bodies, most into eternal hell, but the born again ones to life eternal in Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 6Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
The wicked dead will be punished with everlasting (eternal) destruction in the Lake of Fire, away from the glory Christians will enjoy.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (All go to the grave, but only the wicked are damned. Damnation is the Lake of Fire.)
1 Timothy 6:9-10 9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10For the love of money is the root of all evil: (This perdition is eternal misery in hell.)
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (The grave does not end everything. After death comes the judgment of God and punishment for the wicked.)
Hebrews 10:27-29 27But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
God sacrificed his only begotten Son that all may have a chance to escape hell. Those, that reject the free pardon from God in his only begotten Son, have the judgment and fire of God to contend with for eternity.
Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire. (To the wicked)
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. (The wicked, which spew out atrocities and accusations against God’s servants, are actually doing so from the very fires of hell in which they will eventually inhabit.)
2 Peter 2:3-6 3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not. 4For 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; 5And 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; 6And 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;
If God has not spared the wicked of the past (including many angels), how shall the wicked persons of today escape the Lake of Fire after their judgment and damnation. It is evident, the grave does not end it all for the wicked.
2 Peter 2:9, 12, 17 9The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 12But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 17These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
Not only is the Lake of Fire reserved for the wicked, but it is also a place of utter darkness. Even though it is a place of extremely hot flames, the flames will give zero light. All light will be above in heaven and all darkness will be in the Lake of Fire.
2 Peter 3:6-7, 9,12 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Fire is reserved for the Day of Judgment for all of the wicked.
Jude 1:7 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. (Sodom & Gomorrah is an example of the judgment of fire in an eternal Lake of Fire for the wicked.)
Jude 4:6 6And 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. (Satan and the fallen angels will be in the same eternal darkness and flames of the Lake of Fire.)
Revelation 1:18 I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Jesus tells us there is both death and hell.)
Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death. (The born again of God will not suffer the second death which is the Lake of Fire.)
Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. (God allows portions of hell to appear on the earth to show the remaining population just how terrible the abode of hell will be if they do not repent.)
Revelation 9:1-3, 5-6 1And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man. 6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Jesus is going to bring part of the punishments and terror of hell to the earth during the Tribulation so that the wicked will see their plight for eternity unless they repent and accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior. God is merciful and wants man to have every opportunity to see the horrors of hell so that they may avoid hell.
Revelation 9:17-18 17And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
Those that would not repent and gnashed their teeth at God for the previous examples of hell brought to earth will then have there mortal bodies killed by the terrors from hell in view of the remainder of those on the earth. This is God’s warning to the remaining ones during the Tribulation to accept Jesus and avoid the terrors of hell.
Revelation 14:10-11 10The 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: 11And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.
Jesus sums it up in this passage to those who are still alive during the Tribulation and still have not accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. You might say, “why can’t they see the truth and repent?” It is the same as today, the wicked want their own way and will stand up in the face of God and gnash their teeth at him in hatred.
Revelation 17:8, 11 8The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: 11And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. (The beast from the bottomless pit of hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Are hell and the Lake of Fire real? You bet!
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:6, 9-10, 13-15 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. 9And 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. 10And 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. 13And the sea gave up the dead who were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead who were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Father Time
