Shawn conducted a Bible teaching on the topic of eternal hell, specifically focusing on the differences between hell and the Lake of Fire as described in the Bible. He delved into the original Greek words used in the text, highlighting the translation discrepancies in different versions of the Bible and ultimately suggesting that the punishment in the Lake of Fire may not be eternal, but rather age-abiding. He encouraged open discussion and questions from the audience to further explore this topic.

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Hebrews 1: Eternal Hell, Part 3 Bible Teaching Script

Ooooookay.

Three weeks ago we covered the last few verses of Hebrews chapter one.

At verse thirteen the writer of Hebrews wrote:

“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?”

I had been doing a casual study of the eternality of hell from scripture due to a book I was given and this passage sort of launched us into a discussion about time periods in the hereafter.

Last week I intimated some bold things.

I first suggested that hell, or more properly put, the time humans will spend in the Lake of Fire is . . . limited. We will note the differences between hell and the lake of fire in a minute.

I also suggested that SINCE we know God is love, and SINCE we know He is all knowing FROM before He created us, and SINCE He always has His will and desires accomplished (by and through His foreknowledge NOT by force) the ONLY way to merge all of these facts (and these are biblical facts, folks) was to suggest that He will use the “Lake of Fire” (which was not created for the consumption of human beings but for angels) to purge the dross from the many who will go there . . . and once purged, a loving God, a long suffering God, a God who forgives” would bring all out since Jesus paid for all their sin (except the sin of unbelief).

In this way, I suggested, God would, through a number of different means, and peoples (firstfruits, we said) would accomplish His good will and desires.

I also noted that the biblical concept of firstfruits was the first is used to bring forth more fruit later.

Remember? I said the Nation of Israel was a firstfruit Nation “of many to come,” that His Only Begotten Son was the firstfruit of many that would rise from the grave,” and that the Bride of Christ – us – are the firstfruits of the redeemed of many to come).

But all of this is preface material used to build an argument IF the Bible says otherwise, right?

I get that. And again, I want nothing to do with anything that is not true and validated by the Word of God.

I am NOT here to present you with conjecture, but instead what I see relative to my STUDY of the Word of God.

This being said, I am wrong, and could be wrong on this subject. I do not stand concretely on the premise but all things considered find myself leaning far more on the idea of limited punishment and the salvation of all.

Now, there was, shall we say, a natural resistance to this teaching last week (which I fully anticipated).

Christians have always believed punishment (after this life) is eternal and that salvation is NOT universal.

Perhaps more importantly, the passages we have all read in then Word (especially if we use the King James Bible) appear to support the idea of there being a punishment that is eternal and only a few shall escape it.

So (among other things) I am going to do my best to explain why the terms of eternality applied to “afterlife suffering” are at best, misleading, at worst, completely wrong.

We’ll get into the original languages in a minute.

When we conclude, I will open the discussion up for comments and questions – so you may want to jot them down.

Admittedly, there are so many implications tied to a “change of perspective, opinion, or belief in this area it can be a terrifying thing for some to even consider.

But God wants us to worship Him in Spirit AND in truth – and His word is constantly revealing both as we pursue Him.

When a lawyer came to Jesus in Matthew 22 and asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus said in verse 37:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

We are always personally soooo much better off pursuing the living God with all three areas of our human make-up than to just cling to all we have ever heard and in light of these words of the Lord I believe such pursuits please our God.

Finally, you have my fellowship and love no matter how divergent your thinking or walk may go from mine. I hope and expect the same from you.

But before getting to the word study there are a number of points I would like for you to consider which might add to our general comprehension of afterlife punishment and this brief study on it.

POINT NUMBER ONE:

There are issues to die on in Christianity – virgin birth, resurrection, divinity of Jesus, salvation by grace through faith period, infallibility of the Word of God. In my opinion these are worthy of splitting company – I hope you agree.

But there are a whole bunch of hills that have long divided the body and churches that ought to have never had such an effect.

Echatology or end timess? Fa-getta bout it. If you think you KNOW what is what – (on either side of the fence) I have a few people to introduce to you who will argue you into the dust with opposing views.

Calvinism, Arminianism, Preterism, mode of baptism, creation being six twenty-four hour periods. Don’t worry about it. Walk in faith. Smile. Trust the Lord. Because almost everything contains some sort of give and take, right?

I would suggest – strongly suggest –
that the term of hell and the natural result (if the term is anything short of eternity) universalism, also not be an issue of division.

There is NOTHING about the belief that ought to altar our walk, our pursuit of others missionally, or our hope and joy in being His.

So that’s the first point.

Secondly, if we are to consider ourselves biblical Christians, we have to admit that hell and the Lake of Fire is a reality.

In light of last weeks discussion a few people have suggested that I have taken the road of a man named Rob Bell, who teaches that there is no hell.

I would not be any kind of pastor teacher if I suggested such a thing. And nothing could be further from the truth.

If I was teaching that there would be no reason for our being the first fruit, for reaching out missionally, or anything else we are commanded to do in scripture.

From what I have been told Mr. Bell’s little statement is “love overcomes all,” meaning, I think, that Jesus overcame death and hell by love, destroying it all together.

Any honest Bible reader would have to disagree.

Third, I hope it is completely understood by any and all within the sound of my voice that IF every human being is ultimately redeemed, it is only by and through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and faith in such.

There is no other way. He made the way possible.

Finally, I would add before venturing into our specifics of the study that hell is no place to trifle with.

Last week a brother here accused me of teaching “another Gospel” by suggesting hell / the lake of fire gives up her occupants and a universal salvation ensuing.

I would remind you all that the “gospel” or “good news,” as defined by Paul in 1st Corinthians 15 contains ONLY the following components:

how Christ died for our sins
that he was buried
that he rose again the third day

That, my friends, is the biblical definition of the Good News. And I preach nothing in addition to it and nothing to take from it.

No, the notion that all will ultimately be redeemed has no bearing on another gospel as such salvation could only come about by His grace through the individuals faith in the Gospel message.

Additionally, and in yet another point, I also ardently suggest that when someone embraces the only Good News given to Man while here on earth eye has not seen nor ear heard the glories that await them – glories and lack of suffering that those who do not escape punishment will never possess.

Addionally, and speaking of hell, ANYONE who would consciously reject Jesus here so as to live a life of sin because they believe they will ultimately be saved could ONLY make such a decision in total ignorance.

Hell (and/or again, the Lake of Fire) is a place of utter misery. We know this based on a number of biblical facts.

First, Jesus became flesh to save us from it. Being love, I would suggest He knows nobody would ever want to spend any amount of time in her jaws.

Second, the Bible is emphatic on how it describes hell and the Lake of Fire (which I will distinguish momentarily.)

It is separation from God. At least here, we have God’s creation and influence calling to us in seven different listed ways . . .

Through nature
In conscience
On the tables of stone
All of scripture
On and In Christ
On our hearts
In the outward lives of Christians

I would imagine none of these appeals are present or available to those living in the dark absence of the influences of the God.

What it will take, and or the amount of time and suffering it will take, to bring them to their knees and to open their mouths is unknown and terrifying to me.

Additionally, since God is outside of time, and since the punishment or wrath is from Him, we have absolutely no idea of how passages of “time” work in utter burning darkness.

Could it be that a moment in hell feels eternal for those there?

Could it be that a hundred billion years will not be enough to bring some to faith?

To stand on teaching that are not consistent with the Bible as a whole and the descriptions of God therein seems to avoid possibilities like these . . . and resorts to dogma unfounded by a contextual reading of His word.

Finally, we must go to scripture to learn and hear there things today:

First, let’s resort to scripture to hear how it defines and describes both hell and the lake of Fire.

Then let’s see if we can determine how they differ.

We’ll finalize all this by examining how the words used to describe hell and the Lake of Fire have been translated.

Whether hell or lake of fire, the Bible describes the reactions people have to it as painful.

“Weeping, gnashing of teeth, torments, and tormented in flames.”

The physical descriptions include:

“Darkness, outer darkness, chains of darknesss, and blackness of darkness” and then ever paradoxically, “hell fire, a furnace of fire, everlasting fire, fire that shall not be quenched, damnation, (a place where) “the wrath of God abides on them,” “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, from the glory of His power, “the perdition of ungodly men,”
“torments ascending up forever and ever, no rest day and night,” “everlasting contempt, and “a lake of fire.”

Those who are said to go there are described as:

“them that work iniquity,” (listen) “the children of the Kingdom (Matthew 8:12), people who say, “thou fool” are in danger of it, “all things that offend,” “those on the left hand,” “the goats,” those “whose feet or hands offend,” Jesus described one inhabitant only saying he was a “rich man who lived sumptuously everyday,” “those who have done evil,” “raging waves,” “wandering stars,” “those who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receives the mark of the beast,” and regarding the Lake of Fire, Revelation 21:8says these are they who will have their part in it . . . ready?

“The fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolators and all liars.”

NOT a place anyone anytime would want to step foot in.

Taking all of this into account, we have those who believe hell and the lake of fire consists of literal flames being applied to actual flesh of an resident forever and ever.

Any deviation from this interpretation is considered heretical. And while I do NOT downplay the torments of hell, I am personally unconvinced that this interpretation holds water.

One reason is when Jesus had a chance to tell a story about hell, in the story of the Rich man and Lazarus, He has the Rich Man (while described as awfully thirsty) carrying on a rather intelligent conversation with those on the Paradise side of hell. I would think if his flesh was literally on fire (with literal flames) no such conversation would be possible, right?

I mean how come Jesus didn’t say, and Lazarus looked down from Abrahams bosom and saw the Rich man on fire, and screaming in unconscionable pain?

We have to be careful not to maniacally apply literalism to places where God is speaking in concepts. And admittedly, sometimes its hard to tell which is which.

Okay.

Now, one thing almost all of us do – myself included because it is convenient – is to refer to hell as the catch phrase for where everyone has gone or will go that is not heaven.

In light of scripture this practice not only adds to the confusion of the topic but is wrong.

Going back to the Old Testament we have the Hebrew word sheol.

And really this place ought to be referred to as the realm of the unknown.

The Hebrews translated sheol as the grave, as a pit, and a place (listen) for both the evil AND the good.

In essence, sheol is the covered holding tank for souls prior to Christ ascending.

It was comprised of prison and paradise.

The Old Testament translators frequently called it hell but remember, it was the holding for all disembodied spirits.

In the New Testament, the word finds its equivalent in the Greek word Hades. Again, and unfortunately, it is in the English often called hell.

We read in Revelation 20:14 that the keys to Hades and Hades itself will be cast into the Lake of Fire so we can see that it is different from the Lake of Fire . . . that hell is NOT the lake of fire. Got that?

Another term used for hell is the Greek word Tartarus, and it is only used once (in II Peter 2:4) It is best translated pit of gloom, pit of darkness and is considered by some to be lower parts of hades.

Now, prior to Christ’s victory, those in Paradise and those in Prison of sheol or hades waited.

Christ took paradise with Him to heaven but the prison part remains as the holding tank (so to speak) for the faithless.

Genhenna is another word used to describe hell. It was actually a real place – a trashheap in the southeast of Jerusalem – where fires burned bodies of criminals and refuse and animals. It was formerly a place where human sacrifices took place, offered to the pagan god Molech so it had a VERY bad association and Jesus used it to describe prison of sheol, hades, tartarus.

Here MANY people make the association that this describes the ultimate end of people who reject Christ but it is used symbolically. Even James uses the term to describe the human tongue – so this is NOT an allusion to the Lake of Fire spoken of in Revelation.

In other words, hell and the Lake of Fire (with all of its inherent descriptions) are two different places.

In fact, if we turn to Revelation chapter 20:13 we read that at the time of the Great White Throne judgment, it says:

“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.”

The best definition of eternal punishment in found in the next few verses of Revelation 20 where it reads:

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

So if we really want to argue where unbelievers go afterward, we would say first, to hell, which is a dark and very unwelcoming place and then to the lake of Fire.

They are NOT one in the same.

Now the Lake of Fire was prepared for Satan and His angels.

Jesus tells us so in Matthew 25:41, saying:

“Then 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.”

Take note, it was NOT prepared for Man.

(long beat)

Additionally, many think that this is where Satan and his angels live right now but scripture suggests otherwise, describing him in Ephesians 2:2 as the prince of the power of the ??? AIR and a “roaring lion walking about” 1st Peter 5:8.

Again, Revelation 20:7 and 10 tells us that after Christ’s 1000 year reign Satan WILL be Throne into the Lake of Fire but I think we are mistaken to believe he is there now.

So, let me briefly summarize. I think we could all agree that when it is speaking of hades, Gehenna, tartarus, sheol or what many think of as hell (where unbelievers go after this immediate life) that it is a dark painful place of torment BUT it does give up its dead to be judged.

What we are really talking about when we are speaking on the eternality of suffering is the Lake of Fire.

Accordingly . . .

Hell is not the Lake of Fire.
The Lake of Fire was prepared for the Devil and his angels.
The Lake of Fire is a future experience for some.
And the Lake of Fire is only described in Revelation chapter 19-21.

What is this Lake of Fire? Revelation describes it with one sentence:

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

Everyone of us will experience the first death. 1st Corinthians 15:22 says it –

“For as in Adam all die,” but not everyone will experience the second death.

Who experiences this second death? What is it? And is it eternal?

Revelation tells us plainly who will experience the second death.

Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Now, let me pause here and gather up our thoughts in summary. Since hell will give up its death, we cannot say (and be correct) that hell is eternal.

No matter how tormenting and dark the holding tank may be, it will end, and all those in it will be brought forth the great white throne and will be judged.

If their names are NOT found written in the Lambs Book of Life, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire created for . . . “them?” Created for Satan and his angels.

Got all of that?

Now, the question remains, Is the Lake of Fire experience eternal, forever, ever-lasting?

Reading the King James (and probably your NIV’s and ESV’s) we are presented with English words that tend to say in absolute terms, yes, the Lake of Fire suffering is eternal, everlasting, endless, etc., etc.

For example, in the King James of Matthew 25:41 Jesus describes “the smoke of their torment going up forever and ever,” and Revelation 20:10 says, “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Such passages lead us to believe that the punishment is unending.

And if how the King James Translators were correct in this the idea would be sound.

Here’s the deal.

Where we have the word Eternal or everlasting in passages like this in the King James and other translations BUT in other Bible Translations, like

“Young’s LITERAL translation” or “Weymouths New Testament” or “Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible” or the “Concordant New Testament” we have the translation all saying:

“Age-abiding.”

Where the King James says in Matthew 25:46 –

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

These other translations read:

“And these last will go away ‘into aeonian punishment,’ but the righteous ‘into aeonian life.'”

OR

“And these shall go away into the Punishment of the Ages, but the righteous into the Life of the Ages.”

“And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.”

Why the difference?

Did I just go out and find Bible translations what would support my views?

And what it the deal with this focus on “age-abiding” or “Punishment of the ages” VERSES eternal punishment, like it says in the King James?

It all comes down to the noun Aion and the adjective, Aionious.

In the King James, which takes this Greek word and translates it, “forever and ever,”
Other MORE literal translations of the Greek to the English would translate it, “unto the ages of ages.”

What is an age? A period of time.

The noun aheeohn (Aion) means age. Period. A specific period of time. It begins and it ends.

But when we use the adjective, it honestly does translate to the opposite meaning, “without end, without beginning, without beginning or ending.”

I would first and foremost suggest that this is at best a dubious development of the adjective from the noun.

I can say this because the adjective simply does not work in many passages of the New Testament.

For example (and you can take note of these passages) Romans 16:25 ; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; and Philemon 15 all define aheeohnois as the world, which had a beginning and will have an end, instead of as eternal.

But let me explain this to you in another way.

When we take the Greek Word Aionon and it’s adjective, we know they have a given meaning – from the root word age or eon.

Everytime the Greek terms are used they ought to translate into age related phraseology.

Instead of remaining true to the definitional root of the Greek Word, the King James translators took aionon and aionous and subjectively translated the terms depending on the context of what the passage was talking about.

Why would they do this? Because they were intent on maintaining doctrinal purity as they translated.

In most cases this proved beneficial and congruent but in the case of eternal punishment it failed.

So along comes these other scholars (like Rotherham and Young or Weymouth and instead of translating Greek words into English words they think fit best, they produced LITERAL translations of each Greek word every time it showed up in the text.

Therefore Rotherham and friends translations read consistently regarding the Greek.

Everytime we come across the Greek word Aionos or Aionious we find and age-related definition.

But with the King James and others that took up its cause we are presented with prejudicial confusion.

Why do I say this?

Because the King James translators, instead of ever translating aionos and aionious in terms of the English word age (a period of time with a beginning and an end) they translate the terms 197 times using all of the following English words.

For the noun Aion they used the English words

Ever (72 times)
World (40)
NEVER (7)
Evermore (2)
Course (1)

And for the adjective, they translated the Greek word Aionious

Eternal (42)
Everlasting (25)
World (3)
And Ever (1)

Only twice out of 197 times were the Greek words translate correctly. I mean the exact same Greek word in one place is translated eternal and in another place it is translated “never,” and in another it is translated, “world.”

There are forty places in the King James where the Greek Word Aion is translated world. The Greek word for world is Kosmos, not Aion.

Aion means age.

So if you read these literal translations we discover that the Bible, from the Greek, literally does not teach eternality of the lake of fire but an age abiding lake of fire.

“The smoke ascends up unto the ages of ages, not forever and ever.”

Reading the Greek properly, we would read the following passages like this:

God has a “purpose of the ages” Ephesians 3:11

He is the King of the ages 1st Timothy 1:17

He prepared the ages by His word Hebrews 11:3.

A final thought and then we’ll pick this back up next week before moving into chapter 2.

There are two very simple Greek words that would have cleared all of this up had they been used.

Akatalous and aperantos. They both mean endless.

1st Timothy 1:4 speaks of endless genealogies” (akatalous) and Hebrews 7:16 speaks of the power of an endless life (aperantos).

The word immortal (athanatos) and immortality (aptharsia) also indicate never-endingness but NONE of these clearly defined terms which denote eternal and endless are EVER assigned to hell, damnation, or punishment for sin.

Additionally, there are two simple prevelant adverbs in the New Testament which would have made the argument decisive regarding punishment being eternal – aei (which means always) and pantote (which means evermore) but neither of them are ever used to describe damnation, hell, or punishment for sin.

It is of interest that the super strong phrase “to the uttermost” is used only once and describes hell? The punishment in the lake of fire? Nope – God’s ability to saving us.

In Jude 25 says the glory of Christ shall last “to ALL the ages” had this been applied only once to punishment the argument would be over.

But it’s not.

The Greek phrase “for perpetuity” could have also been used to describe the Lake of Fire punishment – but it is only used to describe God and ultimate sanctification.

No Greek word that truly is used to describe forever, forevermore, evermore, always, endless, to the uttermost, etc. is EVER connected to punishment . . . but the terms that are related to age (to a beginning and an end) are.

Let me conclude with a statement from the book THE VOCABULARY OF THE GREEK TESTAMENT (edited by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan).

It might be helpful as it says, talking about the Greek word aionios:

“In general, the word depicts that of which the horizon is not in view . . .” (p.16). If the horizon of the extermination spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 is simply not in view, then we can see that what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:22 can truly occur. The same all who are dying in Adam, which includes some who incur eonian extermination, can indeed eventually be vivified in Christ. The Bible, in fact, does not speak of judgment and condemnation, death and destruction, hades and Gehenna, or any of these serious consequences of sin, as unending. It may refer to them as not having the end in view, but none of these fearful works of God can keep Him from achieving His will (1Tim.2:4); reconciling all through the blood of Christ’s cross (Col.1:20, and becoming All in all (1 Cor.15:28).

QUESTIONS?