What it is not.  A Highly Consequential Study

CENTRAL FOCUS: ETERNAL JUDGEMENT

Foundational Doctrine of Christ

I invite you to study this subject using the original language tools available readily online or in book format that help us resolve translation issues or confusions. Caveat, I have not found single Bible study tool that is not doctrinally biased. By referencing several, but exceedingly above all seeking the answers in the Bible and asking God (Yahweh) to reveal the Truth. I personally use the Strong’s Concordance, websites like blueletterbible and biblehub.com, Thayer’s Lexicon, as well as many difference translations of the Bible including Andrew Roth’s Peshita (Aramaic Interlinear Bible) among other tools to try to resolve conflicting theologies on key topics. I remind myself constantly that the Word of God sheds it’s own light so even the simple can understand (Psalm 119:130 NLT) and that no scripture is subject to private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20) and that it is the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth (John 16:13).”

First, I must resist every temptation to view the verses through the lens of who I think God should be and how He must act to line up with my perspective.   That would be easy and convenient.  I truly believe that it is not God’s will for anyone to end up in this place.  Frankly, above any scripture verse I hear quoted on the subject is the adamant gut feeling, insistence that “I cannot believe a good God would allow someone He loves (that I love) to suffer eternally. It just doesn’t mesh with my heart/inner knowing/my understanding/ any part of my paradigm of who god is.” Additionally, since of course they themselves are good people, that they are going to heaven and if that doesn’t turn out to be true, they will simply cease to exist. Ultimately they believe God will prove to be good and that their own judgement of their own goodness and the goodness of the ones they know and love will win out in the end. Many truly do not understand that Yahweh’s ideas on right and wrong far exceed the same sentiments as expressed through mankind. I am leery of anything that depends on my gut instinct and heart telling me things as the Word is clear that the human heart is deceptive above all things.  I need scripture. Concrete inspired words to cling to.

Critical Concept: Our emotions and heart will lead us astray if we try to run Yahweh’s Words through our understanding, our mental framework of right and wrong and our paradigms. In doing so, we are actually appointing ourselves to be judges over God’s own words and to be the ones who decide which parts are true and which parts of scripture must be adjusted to suit our own paradigms. We set ourselves up as god over God. We must set these entirely aside and let the scriptures alone shape our understanding.

Test this out. Go ask 10 different people if they believe in hell, in torment after judgement and find out what they answer. Do they reference scripture above all, or do they express their personal belief about who God is according to their mental construct of who they believe he ought to be? Resurrection and eternal judgement are among the 6 foundational teachings of Christ.

Hebrews 6:1-2 KJV ‘”Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of 1. repentance from dead works, 2. and of faith toward God, 3. Of the doctrine of baptisms, 4. and of laying on of hands, 5.and of resurrection of the dead, 6.and of eternal judgment.”

Critical Concept: The Enemy would like nothing more than for us to build our beliefs on a faulty foundation therefore these 6 foundational doctrines of Christ are attacked, undermined, counterfeited, misrepresented and targeted intensively. Hebrews tells us that these are the primary, first things that must be firmly established. If we have any of these wrong in our thinking, the structure we build on top of them will be unsound.

Jeremiah 17 EST “⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?¹⁰ “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Critical Concept: We bear responsibility before God for what we share with others.

Acts 20 BSB “…25Now I know that none of you among whom I have preached the kingdom will see my face again. 26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will of God.”

Romans 14 ESV “¹³ Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died“

Luke 17 BSB “11Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him”

The Lake of Fire/Gehenna are used as a threat in a relatively small handful of scriptures in the New Testament and of course referenced in the Old. Truly, the search for the truth ought to include considering every single one of these verses concurrently.   What is clear is that to end up in this place is far more fearful end then just mere physical death.  Per the verse above, better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in a horrific death than face the penalty for sin. Full stop. This is the one thing we can know absolutely. It is not a good end and to be avoided. This is all that I can at the time of this post say 100% conclusively. If Yahweh firmly and repeated warns me that I don’t want to end up there and that this is eternally impactful in a negative way, that is sufficient for me to want to avoid going there. I have highlighted and/or underlined key passages, but also take note of how often the original language words for destroy can alternatively mean to cut off from, deprive of etc.

Daniel 12:1-2 KJV “12 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Matthew 25:41 AMPC “41 Then He will say to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!”

Matthew 25:46 “⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

G2851. Strong’s Lexicon kolasis: Punishment, correctionOriginal Word: κόλασις Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: kolasis Pronunciation: KO-lah-sis Phonetic Spelling: (kol’-as-is) Definition: Punishment, correction Meaning: chastisement, punishment, torment, perhaps with the idea of deprivation. Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb κολάζω (kolazō), meaning “to punish” or “to correct.” from: https://biblehub.com/greek/2851.htm

Revelation 20:10 KJV
“10 And 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.”

Matthew 10:28 KJV
“28 And 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.“

From: https://biblehub.com/greek/622.htm

“HELPS Word-studies

622 apóllymi (from 575 /apó, “away from,” which intensifies ollymi, “to destroy”) – properly, fully destroy, cutting off entirely (note the force of the prefix, 575 /apó).

622 /apóllymi (“violently/completely perish”) implies permanent (absolute) destruction, i.e. to cancel out (remove); “to die, with the implication of ruin and destruction” (L & N, 1, 23.106); cause to be lost (utterly perish) by experiencing a miserable end.”

Many believe, since of course they are good people, that they are going to heaven and if that doesn’t turn out to be true, they will simply cease to exist, because of course to think otherwise is unthinkable. However, there are many warning verses, a few of which are mentioned above. These seemingly contradicts the argument that to be cast into the Lake of Fire means to be destroyed in an instant, annihilated and cease to exist.   There is virtually no difference between being dead in the grave and being cast into Gehenna.  According to this belief, both mean to cease being, and feel and know nothing further.  Based on these verses alone, I cannot choose to take this stance and risk be accomplice to eternal suffering that could result from this position if it turns out to be false.

Revelation 20 and the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus likely are the two verses that I have heard explained away more than any of the others. So I determined this year to find out what the language really says and if these counter arguments have merit.What does this really mean? 

We cannot add or take away from the Word, and are therefore constrained to stay within the definitions of the original language resources. Sometimes, often, unfortunately we are biased and blinded by our cultural or social slants. Thankfully He has promised that He will lead us into all truth, that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him and will not follow another.  (See John 10) The accuracy of our working definitions, the translations we read and our central paradigms can radically impact our understanding.

CORRECTLY UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE REQUIRES ACCURATE LANGUAGE DEFINITIONS AND YAHWEH’S PERSPECTIVE

If my understanding conflicts with someone else, it is likely that either my word definitions, or my paradigms need adjustment (praise Yahweh, love it when I am corrected) or theirs do or we are both wrong and Yahweh wants to sort us both out.

Practically Speaking How to Proceed?

We all need to take the necessary time to study this out for ourselves before coming to any conclusions by seeking out the full counsel of Yahweh.  To me this means finding every verse through the entire Bible that discusses the topic, collecting them and then working through them systematically and comparatively to come to a better understanding. I actively seek out the evidence as revealed to others by asking pretty much everyone I know and respect which verses have molded their thoughts on this topic and what they see plainly in reading them. This often helps me to locate verses that I have missed in my own seeking.

Here’s my challenge. While referenced often, the Bible says very little regarding the details on the topic of what the Lake of Fire is.

Here is what is stated in the clearest terms: The Lake of Fire is a place of total, absolute, eternal separation from Yahweh. Whether people are conscious and existing eternally or simply annihilated and snuffed out. I cannot say concretely.

So let’s broaden our word searches and seek out the other ways in which the Bible describes eternal judgement. Matthew 7:12, those lacking faith will be thrown into the outer darkness. Matthew 7:23, workers of iniquity will be sent from his presence. Jeremiah 23:39, wicked will be cast out of His presence. Even in the garden of Eden, we see the central penalty for their sin was to be cast out of His presence. It is from these verses that my personal position on this topic stems. The trend I see start to finish is permanent eviction from God’s presence is the gravest penalty of all.

Matthew 7:23 KJV “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Matthew 7 “10When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Jeremiah 23:38-40 KJV “38 But since ye say, The burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord;39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: 40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.”

My present paradigm is the Lake of Fire is a real place and that it will remain eternally. That it is literally the realm beyond the light, the place of outer darkness, where all of our Creator’s light, goodness, presence, love, essence is completely and totally absent, where people who choose to want no part of Yahweh and His Kingdom receive precisely what they wished for.   Him gone, evicted and locked out of their existence forever.  Cast out and locked out of His presence eternally by their own self will. Based on the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus, I would have to argue that there is at least a chance that they will continue to speak, be aware, be in torment and very much conscious of their surroundings. Why else would Yahweh include this one semi detailed glimpse into such a place if it simply does not exist? If we take a few moments even to imagine such a place, where an unspecified number of godless people, Satan, the Beast, the False Prophets and all the fallen angels are locked out with no means to escape one another or themselves, where God’s goodness cannot reach, the horror of that place would far exceed anything I can imagine.  This is not Yahweh doing it to them, it is them doing it to themselves and one another without any interference or help from on High.    Existence with no light, no water, no reprieve, no love, no satisfaction, no relief, just hunger of every kind with absolutely no means to satiate it and worst of all, no end and eternity to reciprocally take it out on another.

Luke 16 HCSB “¹⁹ “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. ²⁰ But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate. ²¹ He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²² One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.^[a] The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’²⁵ “‘Son,’^[b] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. ²⁶ Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’²⁷ “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ because I have five brothers—to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’²⁹ “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’³¹ “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT HELL IS NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS THAN EXISTING IN THE ABSENCE OF EVERY EXPRESSION OF GOD?

 I believe this belief can be readily expressed with the confines of the original language and that there are no conflicts with all of the other verses in the Bible. It often takes me years to come to a firm understanding. I have invested hours into looking up the verses, the words in the original language and this idea of separation is consistently found in the definitions.  Additionally, if my working understanding of this is wrong, no one I share my view with will suffer for believing in this perspective.  Their torment will not be on my hands. If I promote no hellfire, no torment and it turns out I am wrong????

There are several groups that believe this place does not exist.  That the Lake of Fire is simply a place where people are thrown into and instantly incinerated.  If you are among them, share the verses, substantiate your view with verses, with reliable source original language definitions. My own theology on this topic is not rigid or fully formed. From what I have studied so far though, there are however language conflicts with this perspective. 

1.  Death and 2^nd Death basically are from a human perspective equally bad as they amount pretty much to the same thing.  The horror expressed by the disciples etc. of this place expressed seems to contradict this interpretation. 

2. Revelation 20 plainly say that they will be “tormented day and night eternally”.  Day = from sunrise to sunset, and night… forever… outside of the constraints of time…   Implies an ongoing 24/7 experience, not an instantaneous extinction.   The Lake of Fire is referenced directly only in the book of Revelation, prior to that it is referenced as Gehenna.  Therefore looking up both these terms in the original language should shed light on why there are two different words used if they both mean the same thing.  

3. Death and Sheol are thrown into the Lake of Fire prior to the goats in the final judgment expressed in Revelation 20.  Jesus said the last thing to be put under his feet is death.  But Death and Sheol are judged and sentenced before the goats.   Once Death is destroyed, there remains no way to die.   

This is expressed also in Revelation 9:6:^“4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.⁵ And 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 striketh a man.⁶ And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

Sadly, we assume that at least we reserve the right/mercy of Jehovah in death.  But in the Lake of Fire, Mercy, an attribute of Jehovah will be entirely absent.  We see here a terrifying precedent that these people were to suffer 5 months with no means to escape the suffering.   

 If I promote this view and someone believes me and it turns out that the 2^nd death, being cast into the Lake of Fire, turns out to be this place of torment, then I become accomplice to the choices they made through misinformation.   Ask any child if they would break God’s regulations if the only threat is that when they die, they will be annihilated and never come back VERSUS…

2.If after they die, they know they will be resurrected to face judgement, that death will be destroyed at that time and that they will continue to exist either fully in communion and with all the benefits and comforts of living with the King of Kings in His Kingdom OR in a place where they will be existing with Satan, the fallen angels, the beast, the false prophet and everyone else who are now incapable of having a good thought, doing a good thing, being kind in any way… basically existing in the absence of all goodness and the source of all goodness.

Many will sign up readily for option 1. Actually some if not many would welcome it as a relief from the suffering and the elements of hell they are receiving on earth..

Very few will knowingly agree or risk option 2 if they spent any real time thinking about it.

We therefore bear tremendous responsibility in taking a position on this subject and should not do so lightly without being completely convinced we know the truth of the matter.  Even if I was 99% convinced that a place of eternal torment did not exist, I would not promote that belief without being 100% sure. 

The Verses Pertaining to the Lake of Fire and Gehenna

https://biblehub.com/revelation/21-8.htm#lexicon

lake
λίμνῃ (limnē)
Noun – Dative Feminine Singular
Strong’s 3041: A lake. Probably from limen; a pond.

that
τῇ (tē)
Article – Dative Feminine Singular
Strong’s 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

burns
καιομένῃ (kaiomenē)
Verb – Present Participle Middle or Passive – Dative Feminine Singular
Strong’s 2545: To ignite, light, burn, lit. and met; I consume with fire. Apparently a primary verb; to set on fire, i.e. Kindle or consume.

with fire
πυρὶ (pyri)
Noun – Dative Neuter Singular
Strong’s 4442: Fire; the heat of the sun, lightning; fig: strife, trials; the eternal fire. A primary word; ‘fire’.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong’s 2532: And, even, also, namely.

sulfur.
θείῳ (theiō)
Noun – Dative Neuter Singular
Strong’s 2303: Brimstone, sulfur. Probably neuter of theios; sulphur.

This
ὅ (ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun – Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong’s 3739: Who, which, what, that.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb – Present Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular
Strong’s 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

the
ὁ (ho)
Article – Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong’s 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

second
δεύτερος (deuteros)
Adjective – Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong’s 1208: Second; with the article: in the second place, for the second time. As the compare of duo; second.

death.?
θάνατος (thanatos)
Noun – Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong’s 2288: Death, physical or spiritual. From thnesko; death.

2288 thánatos (derived from 2348 /thnḗskō, “to die”) – physical or spiritual death; (figuratively) separation from the life (salvation) of God forever by dying without first experiencing death to self to receive His gift of salvation.

Revelation 19:20

King James Version

^“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 20:10

King James Version

^“10 And 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.”

Revelation 20:13-15

King James Version

^“13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

https://biblehub.com/greek/1067.htm

“Word Origin: Derived from the Hebrew גֵּי־הִנֹּם (Gê Hinnom), meaning “Valley of Hinnom”

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: – H1516 גַּי (gay) – valley

– H2011 הִנֹּם (Hinnom) – Hinnom

Usage: In the New Testament, “geenna” is used to denote a place of final punishment for the wicked. It is often translated as “hell” in English Bibles. The term is used to describe a state of eternal separation from God, characterized by suffering and destruction. It is distinct from Hades, which refers to the temporary abode of the dead.

Cultural and Historical Background: Gehenna originally referred to the Valley of Hinnom, located southwest of Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, this valley was associated with idolatrous practices, including child sacrifices to the god Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31). By the time of the New Testament, Gehenna had become a symbol of divine judgment and eternal damnation. Jewish tradition held that it was a place of fiery torment for the wicked.”

Matthew 5:22-30

King James Version

^“22 But 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.²³ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;²⁴ Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.²⁵ Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.²⁶ Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.²⁷ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:²⁸ But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.²⁹ And if thy right eye offend 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.³⁰ And if thy right hand offend 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.”

Matthew 10:28 KJV

^“28 And 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.”

https://biblehub.com/greek/622.htm

“Word Origin: From the preposition ἀπό (apo, meaning “from” or “away”) and the base of ὄλλυμι (ollumi, meaning “to destroy” or “to lose”).”

“622 apóllymi (from 575 /apó, “away from,” which intensifies ollymi, “to destroy”) – properly, fully destroy, cutting off entirely  (note the force of the prefix, 575 /apó).

622 /apóllymi (“violently/completely perish”) implies permanent (absolute) destruction, i.e. to cancel out (remove); “to die, with the implication of ruin and destruction” (L & N, 1, 23.106); cause to be lost (utterly perish) by experiencing a miserable end.

[This is also the meaning of 622 /apóllymi dating back to Homer (900 bc.]”

Matthew 18:7-9 KJV

^“7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

⁸ Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend 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.

⁹ And if thine eye offend 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.”

https://biblehub.com/greek/166.htm

“aiónios: Eternal, everlasting, forever

Original Word: αἰώνιος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: aiónios
Pronunciation: ahee-OH-nee-os
Phonetic Spelling: (ahee-o’-nee-os)
Definition: Eternal, everlasting, forever
Meaning: age-long, and therefore: practically eternal, unending; partaking of the character of that which lasts for an age, as contrasted with that which is brief and fleeting.

Word Origin: Derived from αἰών (aiṓn), meaning “an age” or “eternity.”

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: – עֹולָם (olam) – Strong’s H5769: Often translated as “everlasting” or “eternal,” used to describe God’s eternal nature and covenant promises.

Usage: The Greek word “aiónios” is used in the New Testament to describe something that is eternal or everlasting. It often refers to the nature of God, the life promised to believers, and the duration of divine judgment. The term emphasizes the concept of timelessness and perpetuity, transcending the temporal limitations of the earthly realm.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of eternity was often associated with the divine and the afterlife. The Jewish understanding of eternity, as reflected in the Old Testament, was rooted in the eternal nature of God and His covenant promises. The New Testament writers, influenced by both Jewish and Hellenistic thought, used “aiónios” to convey the eternal realities of God’s kingdom, salvation, and judgment.”

Matthew 23:33

^“33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

Mark 9:43-50

King James Version

^“43 And 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:

⁴⁴ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

⁴⁵ And if thy foot offend 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:

⁴⁶ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

⁴⁷ And if thine 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:

⁴⁸ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4663: σκώληξ

σκώληξ, σκωληκος, ὁ (perhaps akin to σκολιός), a worm (Homer, Iliad 13, 654); specifically, that kind which preys upon dead bodies (Sir. 10:11 Sir. 19:3; 2 Macc. 9:9; Anthol. 7, 480, 3; 10, 78, 3): ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ, by a figure borrowed from Isaiah 66:24 (cf. Sir. 7:17; Judith 16:17), ‘their punishment after death will never cease’ (σκώληξ symbolizing perhaps the loathsomeness of the penalty), Mark 9:44, 46,(T WH omit; Tr brackets these two verses),48.

Luke 12:4-5

King James Version

^“4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

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 is an alarming verse.  It plainly says don’t be afraid of the one who can kill your body, rather afraid of the one who can cast you into hell.   Someone in the grave who knows nothing, feels nothing, experiences nothing will experience zero change or suffering from moving from the grave to annihilation.  There is no threat of being cast into hell if it simply means being destroyed.

The White Throne Judgement

Who will be judged?

Revelation 20 “¹¹ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

My understanding…  All the dead were raised at this time.   Believers are among the living not the dead, so this excludes them.   The now resurrected unbelievers will be judged based on their works.   

Verse 15 makes it plain that anyone whose name is out of the book of life, ends up in this place as their final eternal destination.   If death and the grave are done away with and have permanently lost all dominion over the dead, the possibility of dying ceases.  I think the plain reading, literal word definitions allow for this possibility. I am not Yahweh’s judge, and the ending He sees fit for each person is clearly going to be fair, just and good and reflective of his perfect love.   I believe this and am fully satisfied that Yahweh will be proven faithful even in this. Therefore, I choose not to reason my way through any of this as I fear my own human perspective will lead me to wrong and detrimental conclusions. 

Why am I not fully convinced and sure about my present perspective? Honestly, it is the use of the word fire.

from https://biblehub.com/greek/4442.htm

pur: Fire

Original Word: πῦρ
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: pur
Pronunciation: poor
Phonetic Spelling: (poor)
Definition: Fire
Meaning: fire; the heat of the sun, lightning; fig: strife, trials; the eternal fire.

Word Origin: A primary word

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: – H784 (אֵשׁ, ‘esh): Fire

– H8316 (שְׂרֵפָה, s’rephah): Burning, fire

Usage: The Greek word “πῦρ” (pur) is commonly translated as “fire” in English. In the Bible, it is used both literally and metaphorically. Literally, it refers to physical fire, such as that used for cooking or burning. Metaphorically, it often symbolizes God’s presence, judgment, purification, and the Holy Spirit. Fire is a powerful element that can destroy but also purify and refine, making it a potent symbol in biblical texts.

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient cultures, including those of the biblical world, fire was essential for daily life, used for cooking, warmth, and light. It also played a significant role in religious rituals and sacrifices. In the Old Testament, fire is frequently associated with God’s presence, as seen in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites (Exodus 13:21). In the New Testament, fire symbolizes the Holy Spirit, as seen at Pentecost (Acts 2:3).

HELPS Word-studies

4442 pýr – fire. In Scripture, fire is often used figuratively – like with the “fire of God” which transforms all it touches into light and likeness with itself

God’s Spirit, like a holy fire, enlightens and purifies so that believers can share more and more in His likeness. Indeed the fire of God brings the uninterrupted privilege of being transformed which happens by experiencing faith from Him. Our lives can become true offerings to Him as we obey this imparted faith from God by His power.”

This is a highly emotionally charged topic. Why? Because it is just so personal, and because we all inherently understand there is no biblical principal as deeply and eternally impactful than where we end up eternally. It is hard to balance the need to be loving and kind and mindful that many people need this to be true as it brings them a feeling of peace regarding friend and family members who have died apart from Christ. While I would never want to take their source of this comfort, Yahweh never takes away something without giving us something far greater in return. My place of absolute peace is that He will never fail us, He will never forsake us, and when we see things as they really are, no matter how they look to us in the fleeting moments of life in a fallen creation, that in the end His faithfulness, His love, His goodness and His Perfect Judgements will prove true.

Critical Concept: The peace that Yahshua (Jesus) gives cannot be shaken. We often settle for partial peace solutions, comforting thoughts, biblically inspired books and authors etc what soothe us without delivering us completely. But the peace that comes from Yahweh is absolute and unshakeable. If you are still wrestling, still hurting, still struggling to stay in peace, He has more for you, so keep seeking Him and don’t settle for anything less than perfect peace.

Isaiah 26:3 “2Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter—one that remains faithful. 3You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You. 4Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.”

Critical Concept: You cannot bypass having a deep and real relationship with God. Our part is to fix our thoughts on Him. NLT says “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” This peace flows directly out of the measure of trust you feel towards God. The more memories you have of the times He has been faithful, the easier it is to trust Him. Invest the time in prayer, in the Word and in thinking about Him and meditating on all that He reveals to you “Having your spiritual senses exercised by reason of use.” Hebrews 5:14.

For 20 years I have tried to take my eyes off the issues and rest them on Yahweh’s goodness and faithfulness. My memories are overflowing with the times that He proved Himself beyond faithful, exceedingly good and awesome. He carried me through the separation of more than one of my children through miscarriage, of several dear friends and my own precious mother.

It was when my mother passed though that I discovered “His peace that passes all understanding.” A lovely, kind and generous woman, but not one who had given or devoted her life to serving God. I had no confirmation that she was saved prior to her passing. When she was first diagnosed with terminal cancer, I was desperate, selfishly so, to assure myself that she was saved and frankly tried to hijack every opportunity to this end. It got to the point where she would leave the room if I mentioned God. Then Yahweh spoke gently to my aching heart and said “You are not her saviour, I am, and you in your efforts are making the walls higher instead of bringing them down”. “I have never failed her, I have never forsaken her and I am surrounding her with messengers and and squeezing my goodness towards her through ever crack that she has left open to receive me through.” It came with such force that I ceased l instantly changed course and chose to trust him. In the end, I went to visit her in the hospital, one month before her passing, she actually allowed me to pray for her. As I was leaving the room, the dear lady, a homeschooling christian mama who was in the other bed in the room, pulled me aside in tears and said she was so relieved that I had come. She had been praying for my mother the entire time she was there and had been searching for some way to share the love of Christ with my Mom. To this day I cannot think about this moment without being overcome by his goodness in allowing me to catch a glimpse of this faithfulness in every detail of my mom’s life. This was the straw that changed my perspective forever. Yahweh isn’t worthy of my praise because the story ends the way I want. He is worthy of my praise because regardless of how my mother responded to his love and graciousness towards her, He WAS PERFECTLY GOOD towards her during every moment of her life. From that moment, I made a decision that I will praise Him for who He is and What He does and not for how it is received. When she died, I grieved in the sense that I missed her terribly but never once did I question God’s goodness. I praised Him from the moment she passed over until now. I have no firm grasp of where she is today. This is the perfect peace that passes all understanding. I know that when I find out, I will find out that He was even more and even better than I have ever imagined.

I would encourage anyone who loves the Lord to take the time to study His Word and full counsel by considering every verse pertaining to this subject and seeking him heartily for the truth before sharing their views with others due to the potentially eternal consequences if we get this one wrong. There is a growing and vocal chorus chanting what most people want to hear, that hell is not real, that eternal suffering is impossible, and that the worst that can happen is they can return to dust and cease to exist. I pray you would not join your voice to that chorus in ignorance. My own voice cries out “I do not know for certain, but I have no peace or assurance that people simply cease.”

Isaiah 5:13-15 BSB “13Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst. 14Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers! 15So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes”

Hosea 4:5-6 BSB “6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. 7The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; they exchanged their Glory for a thing of disgrace.”

From: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1820.htm

NAS Exhaustive ConcordanceWord Origin
a prim root
Definition
to cease, cause to cease, cut off, destroy

Brown-Driver-BriggsII.

[דָּמָה] verbcease, cause to cease, cut off, destroy —