About Hell – A Consuming Fire

The Traditional Belief

Imagine the following. A sixteen year old boy was driving home at night. He was not a believer, his family were not churchgoers, and he wasn’t exposed to the Christian world and message. Suddenly an oncoming truck crashed into his car, and he was killed instantly. According to the beliefs of most of the Christian world, his soul lived on and he would be judged, convicted, and sentenced to conscious torment in hell for all eternity.

Most unbelievers are appalled by this scenario. Many prominent atheists cite this doctrine as the reason they don’t believe. How can a good, loving God impose that kind of punishment for a very brief life of unbelief on this earth? If we are honest, most of us who believe in Jesus have the same problem. We are reluctant to express our feelings because we have heard all of our lives that the Bible teaches this doctrine.

We rationalize this concept in many ways. For example: it illustrates how serious sin and rebellion against God are; it may not be as bad for the teenager in the above story as it would be for someone really evil; a holy, eternal God must punish sin this way, and if he says it, we have to accept it.

This is the predominant view in the church today and has been for many years. If this is what is really taught in the Scriptures, of course we would have to accept this as God’s will that we just can’t understand, one of many mysteries we find in the Bible.

Another View: Eternal Life or Perish

However, many are considering another view of what happens after death that is well supported by the Scriptures.

The most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, reflects this other view: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Note the two possibilities: eternal life, and perish. I think we all have a good understanding of what eternal life means, but what about “perish”? Those holding to the common view (I’ll call traditionalists) interpret that word as everlasting torment in hell. Why they look at it that way will be addressed further on. However, the Greek word for perish here is apollumi, most often translated as “destroy”, or coming to an end.

There are many other uses of this word in speaking about those who are not granted eternal life. The doctrine that is indicated by this verse is called annihilationism, or conditional immortality, which teaches that hell is real, but not a place of everlasting torment. Rather, it is a place where unsaved people are judged, and then destroyed after whatever punishment God deems appropriate. It seems very clear that eternal life is promised only to those who believe.

Jesus mentions hell more than anyone else in the New Testament. He was actually using the Greek word “Gehenna”, derived from the Valley of Hinnom. This valley is real place outside of Jerusalem where child sacrifice was practiced. Many believe that it was also used as a garbage dump where refuse was burned. In other words, a place where things were destroyed. In keeping with Jesus’ other statements in John and the other gospels, hell is not a place of everlasting torment, but a place of destruction, where the wicked perish.

God’s Character

Before going into other scriptures that support this doctrine, let’s consider the big picture about who God is, and his justice. In the Law, he used the term “an eye for an eye” to illustrate that the punishment should fit the crime. The idea of eternal torment as a punishment for a very brief life of sin seems to be unfair and not consistent with God’s character. It goes against our basic sense of justice that God himself created in us as part of his image. That’s why resolving what the scriptures actually teach on this topic is so important. God’s reputation is at stake!

The “good news” is that there are many scriptures in the Old and New Testaments that support the doctrine of annihilationism. There are a handful of others that could appear to suggest the traditional view. Following is a brief survey of the topic from the Old and New Testaments. Finally, I will attempt to harmonize the many scriptures that teach annihilationism with the few that are interpreted to suggest otherwise. And we’ll and look at the basic assumption that drives the doctrine of eternal conscious torment of the unrighteous.

Old Testament

Many traditionalists think that the Old Testament doesn’t say anything about the afterlife. But it has a lot to say about eternal destiny, both eternal life for the righteous, and destruction for the ungodly.  Here is a sampling of Old Testament scriptures that address this issue.  

Psalm 1:4-6.  Note the contrast: the righteous’ way is known by the Lord (eternal life), but the wicked perish.

The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 37.  This Psalm mentions the destruction of the wicked no less than 7 times.  Here are a few of the verses.  Note the contrast: the righteous have a future, but the wicked will be destroyed; they have no future.

Verse 9: For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.  

Verse 18 and 20: The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever...But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

Verse 28: For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.  Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish.

Verses 37-38: Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.  But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.

Psalm 73.  This Psalm of Asaph begins with a lament about the seeming prosperity of the wicked in this life.  Later in the Psalm, he gets a revelation.  Their “final destiny” is destruction.

Verses 16-19: When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply until I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.  Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.  How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

Psalm 92:7. This verse describes the prosperity of the wicked in this life, and the finality of their destruction.

When the wicked sprouted up like grass, and all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.

Psalm 145:20 The Lord keeps all who love Him, (eternal life) but all the wicked He will destroy (annihilation). 

Is. 26:13,14,19  Note the contrast again: THE dead do not live (lords other than God have owned us), but YOUR dead (the Lord’s) will live.

Verse 13,14: Lord our God, lords other than you have owned us, but we remember your name alone.  The dead do not live; departed spirits do not rise up.  Indeed, you have punished and destroyed them; you have wiped out all memory of them.

Verse 19: Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.  Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust!  For you will be covered with the morning dew, and the earth will bring out the departed spirits.

The above scriptures are just a sampling; there are many others that support annihilationism.

Memory

Note the phrase in the Isaiah passage, 26:14, “you have wiped out all memory of them”.  Similar phrases can also be found throughout the Psalms (e.g. 9:6, 31:12, 34:16, 109:15).  This could be an answer to the question many have posed; “how can there be no sorrow in heaven if I know some of my loved ones aren’t here?”  It seems to suggest that we who experience eternal life will have no memory of those who aren’t there.  

New Testament

In addition to John 3:16, Jesus has much else to say about this topic, using the word “perish” (apollumi or destroy) many times.  Following are a few examples.

Matthew 7:13-14.  The choices Jesus offers: destruction or life!

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 18:14.  In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

Luke 13:5.  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.

John 10:27-28.   “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”  

The epistles of Paul and others also include this concept.

Romans 6:23.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Contrast: death, or eternal life.

Philippians 3:18-19. They are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction [again, apoleia].

2 Peter 3:9.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish [apollumi] but for all to come to repentance.  

Immortal Soul?

With all of these scriptures using terms like “perish”, “destroy”, etc. how can they can be interpreted to mean everlasting conscious torment in hell?  As we have seen, there is no plain language in scripture that indicates that doctrine.  Jesus didn’t give the options of eternal life in heaven, or eternal life in hell forever.  I believe the primary reason for this interpretation is the belief that the soul is immortal, or eternal.  The term “immortal soul” is used in many sermons about the destiny of unbelievers.  If one believes that the soul is immortal, then one is forced to come up with some creative interpretations of what “perish” and “destroy” mean.  

However, the phrase, “immortal soul” cannot be found in the scriptures.  The concept is not there.  In fact, the opposite is indicated in Matthew 10:28, where Jesus said “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  God created us, body and soul, and he CAN, or is able to, destroy both body and soul.  Jesus is confirming that when he said “perish” in John 3:16 and elsewhere, he meant “perish”, not unending conscious torment.  Some have said, “it only says God ‘can’ destroy both soul and body, and it doesn’t mean that he will.”  In light of all of the other scriptures outlined here, of course he will.  He is able to do so for everyone, but will not do so for those who believe in him and are promised eternal life.  That’s why he didn’t say “the One who WILL, but the one who CAN. We who believe in him will not suffer destruction but will live forever.   Jesus’ words serve as a warning. The choices are belief and eternal life, or unbelief and total destruction of body and soul.

So where did the idea of an immortal soul come from since it can’t be found in the scriptures?  The early church fathers, including Origen, Tertullian, and Augustine, who lived well over 100 years after Jesus’ ascension, were strongly influenced by Greek philosophy.  These leaders and others adopted the concept of the immortal soul from the writings of Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 bc) and others.  Many pagan religions also incorporate this concept.  This idea doesn’t appear at all in the Old and New Testaments.

It seems plain from the scriptures that God does not torment people forever in hell, but ends their existence at some point.  This view is so much more consistent with the character of our God of justice. It is also consistent with both the Old and New Testament scriptures. This appears to be a blind spot with traditionalists. It appears that the influence of some of the early church fathers, especially Augustine (many years after the first century church had died out) was so strong that some of their ideas were never questioned or thoroughly evaluated according to the scriptures.

Harmonizing Other Texts

There are a handful of “proof” texts cited by proponents of eternal conscious torment.

A close examination shows that none of them actually say that the lost will suffer that fate.  Assumptions are made in these scriptures based on belief in the “immortal soul”.

Mark 9:43-48.  And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire.  And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.  And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

The bolded words are a quote from Isaiah 66:24.  Those holding to eternal conscious torment of the lost point to this verse, interpreting the worm that doesn’t die, and the fire that isn’t quenched to support their position.  Jesus quotes the end of the verse, but look at the whole verse:

Isaiah 66:24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”  

The first part of the verse says that “they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me.”  This hardly makes the case for eternal conscious torment, since the bodies are dead.  This verse is a word picture, imagery that illustrates that those who rebelled will perish, not stay alive forever.  A better way to understand this would be that the worms and “unquenchable” fire won’t die until they accomplish their purpose of complete destruction of the dead bodies.  

Matthew 3:12 John the Baptist made another statement about a fire that never goes out.  The same explanation applies.  The fire will keep burning until the chaff is gone. 

His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.

Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.  

The phrase “everlasting contempt” is often interpreted to support the eternal conscious torment position.  But those two words don’t actually say that.  It is a picture of the legacy of the unrighteous.  For example, Adolph Hitler is dead, but as long as he is remembered, he will be thought of in contempt for the things he did.  The contempt goes on, after the person is dead.

Matthew 13:40-42

Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness.  They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.

This is the last part of Jesus’ parable of the weeds and the wheat.  Many take this to support eternal conscious torment, but it doesn’t say that.  In fact, it implies the opposite.  The weeds are burned in the fire.  The fact that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Jesus uses this phrase on several occasions) reflects the sorrow and anger that the unrighteous will feel when they are judged before their destruction. 

Some interpret the weeping and gnashing of teeth as the pain and torment of hell.  However, the term “gnashing of teeth” refers to anger, not pain.  Remember those who stoned Stephen.  At the end of his speech, Acts 7:54 says “When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.”.  Jesus uses this phrase often referring to people who are thrown into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  He never mentions that they are in an eternal state, only that there will be sorrow and anger at their approaching judgement. 

Some have argued that destruction isn’t really punishment, that the unrighteous are getting off easy.  An apt analogy in our day is capital punishment, the ending of life.  That is considered the most extreme penalty in our legal system.  The sorrow and anger of those who are condemned reflect their emotions about the fact that their existence will be ended. 

Matthew 25-46  In the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus says the unrighteous will “go away into eternal punishment”. Again, all of the other scriptures cited, including Jesus’ plain statements, teach that the “punishment” is destruction, and the result is final (eternal).  

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 Paul uses a similar concept here.  The punishment is destruction, and it is final, irreversible, for eternity.  

“…those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

When something is destroyed, it ceases to exist.  Destruction is an event, not a process that goes on forever. The above verses, taken in context with all of the other scriptures cited, don’t teach eternal conscious torment, but a final punishment that can never be reversed through all eternity.  As Hebrews 12:29 states, our God is a consuming fire.  His fire consumes and destroys what it touches. 

Luke 16:19-31 The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is another example where the rich man is suffering in hades, and can actually see and communicate with Abraham and Lazarus.  This scenario doesn’t seem to line up with other scriptures about eternal destiny.  I think Jesus was using a story to illustrate the point that once we die, it’s too late to repent, and that the scriptures are to be believed as they are written.  Even if this parable is taken as a real event, Jesus doesn’t say that Lazarus would be in that state forever, as would be assumed if one believes in the “immortal soul.”  It could have been his punishment, especially to get a glimpse of what could have been, before he was annihilated.  

Revelation 20:10-15.  This section of Revelation describes the “lake of fire”.  The last two verses, 14-15: Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.  (emphases added)

Is there a literal lake of fire?  I don’t think so.  As the above passage states, “death and Hades were thrown in…”  That seems like poetic language; how can those two abstract things be literally thrown into a lake?  Regardless of what the lake of fire is, the key phrase for our discussion is bolded above: “this is the second death”.  Death doesn’t last forever as a process, it is a finality.  The ones whose names are in the book of life lived on eternally. 

Another Common Objection

Some point out that there are cults and questionable religious sects that believe in annihilationism, such as the Jehovah’s witnesses.  But is that a valid reason to take the opposite view?  They also have a doctrine of one God, so should we discard that view because they believe it?  The only guideline for us in our doctrine must be the Old and New Testament scriptures, not who else might agree or disagree with it.  But there are many prominent Christians who have supported the doctrine of annihilationism, including John Stott, a well known British author, pastor, and theologian; and Clark Pinnock, the Canadian theologian. 

Preaching of the Early Church

I can’t quote the whole book of Acts here, but if you search all of the sermons preached in this book, you won’t find any “fire and brimstone” sermons.  In fact, hell isn’t mentioned at all.  The thrust of their preaching included these two main points:

• Jesus died and rose again, and they were witnesses of this.
• He offers a new life now, and eternal life to all who repent and believe in him.

That was about it.  Their message called out people’s sin, and told them to repent, but the message was essentially positive, presenting the Good News about Jesus. 

There are those today who say we don’t preach about hell enough.  We need to warn people of their eternal destiny as a motive to accept the Gospel.  We’ve all heard the term “fire insurance” in connection with this issue.  Those who say this should instead follow the examples of Peter, Stephen, Philip, and Paul in the book of Acts and the epistles, and simply preach the Good News.  We need to be careful as a church that our message is consistent with scriptural preaching and teaching, and does not hinder the Gospel or misrepresent God.

Conclusion

The scriptural evidence seems clear.  Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).  Our souls are not inherently immortal (Matthew 10:28); immortality is given only to those who believe.  This position is supported by many, many scriptures in the Old and New Testaments.  The few that are more ambiguous can be reconciled with annihilationism since they don’t actually teach eternal conscious torment.  Assumptions are made based on the underlying mistaken belief that our souls are inherently immortal.   

Why do I think this issue is so important?  David Servant, head of the organization Heaven’s Family, puts it this way in his article, The Hell Debate (link to the article is below):

If we truly love the lost, we also need to make sure that the message we proclaim to them is accurate, lest we erect an unnecessary barrier between them and the cross. Before we tell them that God will torture them forever unless they repent, we need to make sure we are accurately conveying the message of the One who warned, not, “Repent or be tortured eternally!” but “Repent or perish!” (see Luke 13:3, emphasis added).

I hope and pray that readers will consider this doctrine, which many have never heard of or thought about.  There is room for disagreement on this, of course, since it isn’t an essential doctrine, but if we are serious about representing God as he really is to our lost world, it’s important that we get this right.  

Resources on this topic

I highly recommend the following books and article for a more complete treatment of this issue.  These are the writings where I first heard about this alternative view of what happens after death.  I’m very appreciative of Edward Fudge, who persisted with his research for many years with much opposition to write these two books.

Edward Fudge book, The Fire That Consumes An exhaustive, scholarly work of about 500 pages.

Hell, A Final Word A shorter book of less than 200 pages summarizing the main points of his research.

David Servant, The Hell Debate – Annihilationism This is a three-part article by the founder and president of Heaven’s Family, an organization that ministers to the “least of these” around the world.  David refers to Fudge’s work in this article, and adds a flavor of his own to the subject.