Fear of punishment in an afterlife has haunted the dreams of mankind for millennia. Many ideas about this punishment have been put forth by various religions. But it might surprise you to know that the fear of the dark underworld where souls undergo judicial punishment by fire did not begin with Abrahamic religions, but from other religions and national groups. The fact that the earth's core is molten is indeed associated with the destruction in the lake of fire with Deuteronomy 32:22, but that is merely an illustration of its destructiveness. (See DOES DEUTERONOMY 32:22 BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE? below.)
However, unlike the Trinity, or inherent immortality of the soul, it is understandable how hellfire could be read into the Scriptures given all the references to souls being tossed into the fire and certain entities being "tormented". In fact, Luke 16:19-31 and Revelation 14:9-11 understandably seem to provide a very clear representation of such. (You can look up those scriptures, along with many others, under the header "ADDRESSING THE SO-CALLED 'PROOFS' OF THE HELLFIRE DOCTRINE" below.) However, when one analyzes the language of the entire Bible, then they realize that the Bible actually teaches something quite different as punishment: everlasting death (destruction/perishing) of the wicked in contrast to the everlasting life promised to obedient mankind through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. (John 3:16; 17:3) However, deceitful translations have caused the issue to be muddled for many, purposefully mistranslating different, unrelated words as "hell" in many verses to make it look like a fiery hell is being talked about. (See the heading, What Is "Hell", Really? below.)
Because of their personal experiences with other small groups that temporarily attempt to preach from house to house or at bus stops, some think that Jehovah's Witnesses yell at them saying that they are going to burn in hell for their sins if they do not accept Jesus. (I have seen such groups in action doing exactly that.) However, Jehovah's Witnesses are not the only group that goes door to door, but we are the only ones who continue to do it on a worldwide scale. In fact, most people directly associate the preaching work with Jehovah's Witnesses. But let me assure you, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, that we do not threaten people with hellfire if they reject us. First, we do not even believe in hellfire, second, we do not judge people for rejecting our message, and third, we do not need to coerce people with threats into believing in Jesus. It is not our responsibility to judge and we have been told in no uncertain terms not to. (Matthew 7:1-2) Instead, we are to love our neighbors. (Matthew 5:43-48) We preach a message of hope, not damnation. Our message is attractive, not frightening and offensive.
Now, many say that we are not meant to make sense of God’s will, that God is not bound by logic. But the fact is, perfect logic is the expression of perfect thought. Thought without logic is meaningless. Indeed, the Scriptures instruct us to serve God with our power of reason. (Or "thinking ability"; Romans 12:1) If God is beyond reason and created us in his image, why would he ask us to serve him with our power reason? Indeed, we are to “make sure of all things, hold fast to what is fine.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
That said, let us consider the reasoning of the hellfire doctrine and then the salvation message through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
A Brief History of the Hellfire Doctrine
It was Satan, in the garden of Eden, (at Genesis 3:1-5,) who contradicted God outright, saying, "You positively will not die," and that we are "bound to be like God." Thus was born the concept of the immortality of the soul and from it, all manner of guesswork about what happens to this immortal soul was born and developed. As a result, the first destructive religion against God was born, bringing death to its adherents, using the doctrine of the immortality of the soul to control people with intimidation, providing a self-reinforcing dogma that keeps people trapped into the belief out of fear of burning in eternal judgment in an afterlife, and trapped into whatever else the deceiver tells them.
Of this one, Jesus said, "The Devil ... was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie." (John 8:44) Should we listen to even a single word of that liar?
This doctrine begs the question: if God had intended to burn the immortal souls of sinners in a fiery hell, why did he tell Adam, "As for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad...in the day you eat from it you will certainly die," and yet not warn of a fiery torment at all? (Genesis 2:16-17) Also, when God passed judgment on Adam and Eve in the garden, take a moment and ask yourself, honestly, why he did not mention this fiery torment, but instead said, "Dust you are and to dust you will return"? (Genesis 3:19; Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:10) Descendants of Noah took those words and applied Satan's immortal soul doctrine. Thus, to reconcile these contradictory ideas, one must create an excuse. So as we consider that history, let us briefly examine where the hellfire doctrine finds inroads in Abrahamic religions.
The line of reasoning that was likely used is that if the body dies, but we are immortal, as Satan taught, (Genesis 3:4) then it must be assumed that the consciousness somehow lives on after physical death, whether as a spirit, or in a re-created physical body or some intermediate body. Then it must be asked, if the consciousness lives on, where does it go to? The first assumption is then that it must go to where the angels are. But then they surely realized if that is true, then even the bad people are being rewarded. However, this was obviously not acceptable. Thus, they no doubt assumed that the immortal soul would undergo punishment. So the only logical conclusion would be that there must be a place where the wicked are punished that is separate from heaven above, and the only other place would be under the ground; an underworld. Heaven is above, therefore, the place of torment must be below. (This smacks of flat earth thinking.) All of this because of the contradiction between what God and Satan teach.
As a result of such a line of reasoning, a couple of hundred years after the flood, the Epic of Gilgamesh recorded the resulting Sumerian concept that souls went to an underworld of darkness called "the House of Dust", (Note the reference to "dust" in line with Genesis 3:19,) where every soul was filthy and lived tortured lives drinking dirt and eating stone while fresh meat and candy is served to gods by kings in their sight, and the howls of the dead fill its halls. Those still living could ease the suffering of these tormented souls by appealing to the gods with gifts. Those who were loved by many would be spared and those who were not would suffer. Thus, too, was born the doctrine of gifts of mercy for one's ancestors and thereby ancestor worship.
In later Akkadian legend, it was called "the Land of No Return", (Note the nominal similarity to "The land of Exile" of Genesis 4:16,) thus making their torment eternal, and had the added feature that souls were continually eaten alive, that everyone underwent "the sixty miseries", and that no one had sexual relations. The goddess Ishtar (Ashtoreth/Easter) went there to recover her lover, Tammuz. (Whose symbol was the cross and was reborn every year at the solstice, and who was called "The Sun God" and "The Son".) This religion spread over to mesopotamia, where we get the Greek and Roman myths. It was during this period that Abram (Later, "Abraham",) went forth out of "Ur of the Chaldeans" in the Sumerian region of the Akkadian Empire, (Part of the Babylonian region) around the year 2088 B.C.E., at the leading of God's word and holy spirit.
However, sometime prior to the Jewish captivity in Egypt in 1713 B.C.E., the concept of destruction by fire was introduced, likely by "priest[s] of the Most High God" in the days of Abram, who appear to have served as God's prophets in those days. (Genesis 14:18; Job 31:11-12) The symbolism was meant to represent complete destruction. However, since the nations believed that the soul was immortal and suffered punishment in an afterlife, it thus followed that souls would therefore burn alive in that fire for the very reason that it is immortal. Thus was born the fiery hell doctrine. (But note: the Jews still did not believe in hellfire at this time or any time until the second century before Christ.)
Around this time, it became a custom for criminals to be burned alive in the bellies of large iron bulls in Babylon to appease Gods. It was also a custom at this time to offer living firstborn babies to Baal in the sacrificial fire, perhaps as the offering to appease Baal to ease the suffering of those in torment. According to historical records, Babylonians believed that the souls of the wicked would burn eternally in the belly of Baal Chemosh.
It was when the Egyptian god Osiris, guardian of pure souls through the underworld, became the chief deity of Egyptian myth that the fire in the belly of Anubis, lord of the underworld, was introduced to Egyptian religion, in which an unrighteous immortal soul endured burning torment only until they were cleansed of impurity.
Later, Plato attempted to produce a logical argument for the necessary existence of hellfire similar to the Satanic reasoning referred to earlier. His focus on hellfire as being the most horrid punishment imaginable, however, did not catch on in Greek mythology, but was later explored by the repatriated Jews at around the time of the Maccabees or later. The Jews began to develop an oral tradition later recorded in the Mishnah (The oral traditions) and the Kabbalah. (A spiritistic work, which told stories of hellfire.)
The second century Christians introduced this belief into their dogma by confusing the concepts of "Sheol" (the Hebrew grave) with "the lake that burns with fire and sulfur," and with Gehenna, as well as various Scriptures involving torment. Jesus' scathing condemnation of the Pharisees using their belief in hellfire, in Luke chapter 16, was used as proof. (See DOES LUKE 16:19-31 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE? below)
Today, thanks to a Catholic, Danté Alighieri's 14th century epic, The Divine Comedy, which drew heavily from the ancient myths mentioned earlier, many suffer visions of hell as a fiery underworld of devils and goat-legged demons with horns and pointy tails wielding pitchforks as they skewer living souls over pits of fire.
Since this teaching had its origin in Babylon, consider what the Bible says concerning "Babylon the Great" and note that, while it rules over governments, it is not a government itself, or business, but an adulterous whore, promoter of false worship and killing God's prophets. (Daniel 4:30; Revelation 14:8; 17:1, 2, 5; 18:2, 3, 21-24) Thus, it is none other than the world empire of false religion in defiance of true worship.
What Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe?
Now, if one ignore's Satan's lie that the soul is immortal and starts with the premise that death is the only and final punishment for sin, just as God told Adam, (Genesis 2:17) then a very different view emerges. One would not expect the soul to live on as a spirit after death, but would instead believe that the soul ceases to exist at death. Then the idea of tossing the soul into fire would simply indicate everlasting destruction. Once introduced to the hope of resurrection, that fire, representing total destruction, then is logically understood as a "second death" from which there is no resurrection. (Revelation 20:14) Then we must ask, "Who will rescue [us] from the body undergoing this death?" (Romans 7:24; compare Romans 6:23) That is where Jesus comes in. Paul wrote, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with the Christ, even when we were dead in trespasses—by undeserved kindness you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5) Thus, those putting faith in Jesus to free them from the condemnation of death through his ransom sacrifice would receive the hope of resurrection from the dead. Really, what is the point of resurrection (Lit., "standing up again",) if the soul is immortal? How can we be "asleep" in death, if we are actually awake in immortality? (1 Corinthians 15:6) Theologians talk circles around these questions, but the Bible says such immortality is not achieved until after resurrection. (2 Timothy 2:18)
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Scriptures contain all the means of learning the truth essential to salvation. (John 18:37; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) As such, they learned from the Scriptures alone that "hell" is not a place of fiery torment, but is the common grave of mankind. (Revelation 20:14-15. If your translation does not use the word "Hades" here, see its footnotes.) We also learned that the lake of fire is not a place where souls go to burn alive, whether for a short period to cleanse them, or forever, but is the final place of completed destruction of the wicked. We believe the hellfire doctrine dishonors Jehovah God. We believe he sent his Son, not to spare us from the fires of Hell, but to sanctify God's name from such lies, vindicate His universal sovereignty and give us all an opportunity to conquer death and live as righteous subjects in paradise forever free from sin and death. (Psalm 37:11, 29; Matthew 6:9,10, 12, 13) Only a small number of 144,000 rule as immortal spirit-begotten kings and priests over angels and the earth. (Luke 12:32; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Revelation 5:6-10; 14:1-5)
So is hell a place of fiery torment? Is it Scriptural? Are Jehovah's Witnesses alone in rejecting the doctrine? Are they justified in doing so?
Salvation vs. Hellfire
Why is there so much friction over whether there is eternal torment or not? The reason is that they present two unrelated salvation messages as well as bringing the character of God into question. Satan therefore relies upon people to fool themselves, because those who are taught the hellfire doctrine will naturally gloss over any statement that says the soul will die on account of its sin. (Romans 5:12) Thus is the reason why so many are ignorant of what the Scriptures really teach despite many of them actually reading the Bible. So let us compare the two messages carefully.On the one side, you are given a chance to save yourself from a certain period (temporary or eternal) of torment in a fiery hell, whether figurative or literal, or in spirit or in physical bodies, subject to the anger of a wrathful God if you do not put faith in the atoning power of Jesus' sacrifice to save us from hellfire as the consequence of our sin. Those who believe in this interpretation of eternal fire concern themselves with the location of hell, whether on earth or another world and try to reconcile it with all manner of extrabiblical doctrines and stories of wandering ghosts. Some believe that, since it can't be reconciled with God's love or the resurrection, that it has to be that it applies figuratively while we're still living. As you can see, there are all manner of views about hellfire.
But one view of the eternal fire cuts through all of that with clarity because it is based solely on the Scriptures: that you may be saved, not from a fiery hell, but from the total destruction of our souls (Our lives, the complete self) and have an opportunity to live forever in righteous conditions by putting faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (John 3:16; Proverbs 27:11) Eventually, those who have died with the hope of salvation are resurrected to a cleansed earth free from sin. If you do not choose salvation, you may have the temporary enjoyment of sin (disobedience), judging for yourself what you determine to be right and wrong, though knowing that you will eventually cease to exist, destroyed in the figurative 'fire before Jehovah's throne,' (Daniel 7:9-10) known also as "the second death" (Revelation 21:8) just like the animals who are unable to reason out their way. (2 Peter 2:12; Jude 8-19) It was Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden who sold us into sin and death by making themselves subjects of Satan. But Christ has freed us from the cycle of sin and death, and from a world full of Satan's lies. (John 8:31-32)
No doubt you burned inside over the paragraph you disagreed with. That burning occurs on both sides of the issue.
The crux of the issue is that if the soul is not immortal and hell is simply the common grave of mankind, then one who believes that the soul is immortal and burns in hellfire for sin has a fundamentally flawed view of the scriptures and are unable to make a properly informed choice regarding their salvation, as they are bullied by fear and intimidation into making what would seem to them to be the only choice possible and make God out to be cruel and unjust. That is why their ministers end up being such unrighteous bullies themselves. They would then end up misguided by blind guides, never putting faith in Jesus to save us from death. When those guides have to go outside the scriptures to teach a doctrine like hellfire, they end up teaching philosophies of men (theology) as doctrines, rather than relying upon the Scriptures. (Colossians 2:8) They distort the understanding of the scriptures to support their doctrine, taking verses out of the context of the whole of the scriptures themselves.
True Christians, who believe in the salvation message put forth in the Scriptures, as written, are no longer captive to Satan's system and have the freedom to act in obedience to Jehovah's kingdom under his Son, Jesus Christ on into the day when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father. (1 Corinthians 15:24-28) They are willing subjects who fear God as a loving Father, not as a cruel, vindictive and abusive tyrant. Jehovah God has thus given us the honor of being part of cleansing His name from all the lies heaped upon it by Satan in the garden and vindicating Jehovah's universal sovereignty for all time, which is the paramount message in the Bible. (Matthew 6:9-10)
What is "Hell", Really?
The Congregator tells us what hell really is: "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun. ... Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, where you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:5-10) Thus, death is simply ceasing to exist. That is why we need resurrection. "Resurrection" means "standing up again", as from lying down in the sleep of death.
However, it has been claimed that these verses are speaking specifically from the perspective of the living in general, but it is not. It is speaking of what the perspective of the person is while alive and will be while dead. While you are alive, you have the power to act. But while you are dead, you will not be able to act. Note that it speaks of what the living know and what the dead know, not what they can teach you. The dead receive no reward, meaning they have no chance at gaining life while they are dead, for they have been forgotten in God's memory, not man's. Job said, "O that in the Grave you would conceal me, That you would hide me until your anger passes by, That you would set a time limit for me and remember me!" (Job 14:13)
It is that reward spoken of, which, according to Jesus himself, can only be achieved through righteousness while alive, saying: "On the contrary, continue to love your enemies and to do good and to lend without hoping for anything back; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind toward the unthankful and wicked." (Luke 6:36) Is hellfire being kind to the unthankful and wicked? Once dead, you do not go to a fiery pit to earn salvation by burning your sins away. You don't sit in a room in the purgatory for a set limit as if you could earn it by waiting. You don't move around in an "intermediate body" to get the reward. (None of those things are supported by scripture.) You are dead and can do nothing at all. And God will certainly not reward you for doing nothing to effect righteousness through the exercise of faith while you were alive.
What is the "Fiery Gehenna"?
Nowhere in the Hebrew Scriptures is a "fiery hell" (Heb., "thnur Sheol" or Gk., "Hades tou puros") ever mentioned. And in no place is "fire" ever implied in connection with the original language word in Hebrew or Greek. ("Sheol" and "Hades" will here on out be translated as "the Grave".) This comes from false translations that translate "Gehenna" as "hell". Thus, where such translations should say "fiery Gehenna" or "fiery trash heap", they instead say "fiery hell". (Matthew 5:22; 18:9)But what is "Gehenna"? Gehenna, or Gi-Hinnom (Heb.), which means "Valley of [the son(s) of] Hinnom", also called "Topheth", was an area to the southwest of Jerusalem's walls where the Jews kept a burning trash heap in which to dispose of refuse and the bodies of criminals. ("Gehenna" will be translated as "the trash heap" from here on.) They always kept it burning by throwing sulfur on it. Many already know that, but did you know that they did not burn criminals alive in Gehenna? The criminals whose bodies they threw there were already dead. However, before it was made into a burning trash heap, the Jews that left the Law had turned to doing something detestable in the valley that made it unclean and the reason they turned it into a burning trash heap.
King Ahaz of Judah "made sacrificial smoke in the Valley of the Son of Hinʹnom and burned up his sons in the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations that Jehovah had driven out from before the Israelites." (2 Chronicles 28:3; see also 2 Chronicles 33:6) And Jehovah said: "They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, something that I had not commanded and that had never even come into my heart." (Jeremiah 7:31) Eventually, King Josiah came along and "made unfit for worship Topheth, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, that no one might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech." (2 Kings 23:10)
So the trash heap was kept burning day and night all the way to the days of Jesus, so that he could use it as a clearly understood metaphor for destruction, saying, "I will show you whom to fear: Fear the One who after killing has authority to throw into the trash heap. Yes, I tell you, fear this One." (Luke 12:5) Note that he says "after killing". Thus, he is illustrating why it is called the "second death", later spoken of at Revelation 21:8, which is indeed associated with the "lake of fire". He never says that they are 'burned alive' in the trash heap. The only places that the "lake of fire" is mentioned in the entire Bible is in Revelation. (Revelation 20:7-15, 21:1-8)
But did you know that we will someday no longer refer to it as "Gehenna" or "Valley of the son of Hinnom"? Instead, we will call it "the Valley of the Slaughter", after the war of the great day of God the Almighty. (Jeremiah 7:32-33) Since Jesus still called it "Gehenna" at that time, we know that such a day is still yet in the future. Instead of burning, the bodies there will be pecked apart by scavenging animals with no one to shoo them away. They will not burn forever, or have their hearts plucked out while alive like Prometheus, but their lifeless bodies will be pecked at until there is nothing left.
Now let's look at another fire mentioned in the Bible that bears a definitive correlation with the lake of fire.
What is 'The Fire Before Jehovah's Throne'?
The prophet Daniel described a vision of Jehovah in his glory, saying, "I kept watching until thrones were set in place and the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool. His throne was flames of fire; its wheels were a burning fire. A stream of fire was flowing and going out from before him." (Daniel 7:9-10) This corresponds with the psalm that says, "Our God will come and cannot remain silent. Before him is a consuming fire, and a great storm rages all around him," and "Fire goes before him and consumes his adversaries on every side." (Psalms 50:3; 97:3) Note that it "consumes" (lit., "eats up") his adversaries. It does not continue to burn them alive forever.However, Daniel 7:9 gives us a greater clue about this fire. It says that Jehovah's throne and it's wheels are also fire. A throne is a judgment seat, while wheels, as wheels of a chariot, represent the mobility of his kingdom, to go where he commands it. (Ezekiel 1:15-21) So this fire is associated with his rulership and judgment, which is ever present. It is not something that is distant or set beneath the earth, but is before the throne and goes out from the throne. But most importantly, the fire is figuratively identified as Jehovah God himself; that is how closely linked with God it is. (Compare Psalm 45:6) The writer of Hebrews confirms this, saying, "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29) The writer is reminding us of Deuteronomy 9:3, where it says, "Therefore, you should know this day that Jehovah your God will cross ahead of you. He is a consuming fire, and he will annihilate them. He will subdue them before your eyes so that you may quickly drive them out and destroy them, just as Jehovah has promised you." Yes, it is the very fire going forth from Jehovah himself that consumes his enemies, to be destroyed forever, completely annihilated.
So, does Jehovah cruelly roast his enemies before his eyes day and night? Does he find delight in viewing their torment? More still, does he find delight in burning his enemies within himself for all eternity? The scriptures show us that this is not the case. According to the scriptures this consuming fire is not related to a desire to see anyone tortured. It is instead related to his love. Song of Solomon states, "love is as strong as death is, and exclusive devotion is as unyielding as the Grave. Its flames are a blazing fire, the flame of Jah." (Canticles 8:6) So it is out of love for his people that this fire burns and consumes those in opposition. (Hebrews 10:26-31) It calls for "exclusive devotion", that is loyalty and obedience. All else is consumed.
But what happens to those things that are consumed? Jesus himself said, "Do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in the trash heap." (Matthew 10:28) Yes, according to Jesus' own words, they are destroyed. Does that sound like they keep experiencing the fire? This corresponds with the words in Deuteronomy above. As stated already, "this means the second death". (Revelation 21:8) Destruction is the final judgment by Jehovah God himself.
God is the embodiment of love and he teaches us to love even our enemies. (1 John 4:8; Matthew 5:43-48) How would it be loving, or a proper example, if he burns his enemies forever alive in fire?
Who Does the Hellfire Doctrine Honor?
The hellfire doctrine no doubt brings joy to Satan's heart because of the dishonor it brings upon God. That wicked slanderer wanted to deceive us into having a different reality map, saying our "eyes will be opened," just as when one finds out something new. (Genesis 3:5) Regardless of whether something is true or not, it is like our eyes being opened for the first time to a new reality when we accept it as true. (Genesis 3:6; Acts 26:17-18) But the immortal soul burning in hellfire is a fantasy entirely divorced from truth.Just as Satan accused Jehovah God of trying to deceive us, saying "for God knows", so he wants us to believe that God is someone not worthy of our trust, accusing him of being so cruel as to punish people by keeping them alive to endure the agony of fire for certain periods of time, even forever, whether in spiritual bodies or re-created physical bodies,
Why Do Some Still Teach Hellfire?
Even after learning the truth from the Scriptures, some will still refuse either to change their minds or to teach anything different. Why? For some, it is the power and prestigious position they hold within their church or society that they are not willing to let go of. They like the first place, grandiose titles, sitting upon gold thrones, being in the limelight and receiving free gifts, money and accolades. (Matthew 23:2-12; 1 Timothy 6:5-8; 3 John 9, 10) For others, it is fear of men, because they are afraid of what others might do or say against them or what they think. (Proverbs 29:25) Or they are simply unwilling to admit they were wrong, holding themselves in higher esteem than the truth. For still others, their lack of Bible study may lead to a fear of being wrong and thereby continuing fear of hellfire. And yet others reject the truth simply out of contentiousness because they love to debate about trifles, with no interest in finding truth. (1 Timothy 6:3-5) Then there are those who have chosen to become fighters against God, opposing his holy spirit; those who have consciously chosen to defy God and the teachings of the Christ; these ones know exactly who they serve. (John 8:44; Jude 17-19)What is the solution to all of those? Casting fear aside with love for God and the truth through prayer (Ephesians 6:14-20; 1 John 4:18; Jude 20-25) and continuous personal Bible study, looking for those who have the truth. (Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 2:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:14)
Failures of the Hellfire Claim
The following subheadings present the definitive failures of the Hellfire claim.Unbiblical Claims About Hellfire
The epic poem "Divine Comedy", by Dante Alighiere, mixed several pagan myths together, including Greek, Roman, apostate Jewish and Islamic, to produce an image of hell that the Catholic church officially adopted. Following are the false stories adapted to the false doctrine of hellfire. Along with the Catholic church, several Protestant denominations continue to teach this version of hell.- "Damnation" (A corruption of the original Hebrew word, abaddon, and has nothing to do with curses or judgment. It means, simply, "destruction".)
- The devil is the lord of Hell. (Would you put the one who corrupted your child in charge of punishing your child?)
- Bat-winged goat-legged demons with horns, sharp teeth, pointed tails and pitch forks torture people in hell. (Though described as "goat-like" or "goat-shaped" at Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15, Dante's description is never given to demons in the Bible.)
- There are 13 gates of hell, each guarded by a demon lord. (This originated in the Jewish Kabbalah, an apostate Jewish work of ancient spiritistic mysticism and magic in which the angels and demons are given names and spells are provided for communing with them, as well as necromancy. Dante draws heavily from this work for the names of angels and demons. Kabbalah also provides the many names of God teaching, hiding the true name of God, "Jehovah". It also maintains that Satan is an equal opposing entity to God for balance.)
- Souls undergo diverse and unthinkable tortures in hell. (This originates in Akkadian mythology, as mentioned above. The Bible only uses the word "Hades" because it is a proper name for the grave, which has the name "Sheol" in Hebrew. Nowhere in the Bible is there indicated any Lord of the grave or that anyone undergoes diverse tortures.)
- The dead must pay the ferryman to transport them across the river Styx or else they become part of the river. This originally comes from Akkadian myth, (The Epic of Gilgamesh) and finds its apex in Greek mythology. Nowhere does the Bible mention a ferryman or the river Styx, or any partition between the living and the dead except death itself.
Proof That Sheol/Hades (The Grave) Is Not the Place of Fire
Job 14:13O that in THE GRAVE you would CONCEAL ME,
That you would HIDE ME until your anger passes by,
That you would set a time limit for me and remember me!
Job 17:13-16
“If I wait, THE GRAVE will become my home;
I will spread out MY BED in DARKNESS. [Nothingness]
I will call out to THE PIT, ‘You are my father!’
To THE MAGGOT, ‘My mother and my sister!’
Where, then, is my hope?
Who can see hope for me?”
It will go down to the barred gates of THE GRAVE
When we all descend together INTO THE DUST.”
Revelation 20:13-14
And the sea gave up the dead in it, and death and THE GRAVE gave up THE DEAD in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. And DEATH and THE GRAVE were hurled INTO the LAKE OF FIRE. This means THE SECOND DEATH, the LAKE OF FIRE.
Proof That Disobedience Earns Death, Not Fiery Torment
Genesis 2:17“But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, YOU MUST NOT EAT FROM IT, for in the day you eat from it YOU WILL CERTAINLY DIE.”
Genesis 3:3
“But God has said about the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden: ‘YOU MUST NOT EAT FROM IT, no, you must not touch it; otherwise YOU WILL DIE.’”
Ezekiel 18:4
“Look! All the souls—to me they belong. As the soul of the father so also the soul of the son—to me they belong. THE SOUL WHO SINS is the one who WILL DIE.” (NWT 1984 Reference Bible)
Romans 6:23
For the wages SIN PAYS is DEATH, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.
Proof That Resurrection Is from the Dead, Not from Fiery Torment or Alienation From God
1 Samuel 2:6He BRINGS DOWN TO THE GRAVE, and he RAISES UP.
Psalms 30:3
O Jehovah, you have LIFTED ME UP FROM THE GRAVE.
You kept me alive; you spared me from sinking into the pit.
Hosea 13:14
FROM the power of THE GRAVE I will REDEEM THEM;
FROM DEATH I will RECOVER THEM.
Where are your stings, O DEATH?
Where is your DESTRUCTIVENESS, O GRAVE?
Compassion will be concealed from my eyes.
John 3:16
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might NOT BE DESTROYED but have EVERLASTING LIFE.”
John 6:40
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him should have EVERLASTING LIFE, and I will RESURRECT him on the last day.”
John 17:3
This means EVERLASTING LIFE, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
John 20:31
But these have been written down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and because of believing, you may have LIFE by means of his name.
Romans 6:23
For the wages sin pays is DEATH, but the GIFT God gives is EVERLASTING LIFE by Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
Moreover, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who are SLEEPING IN DEATH, so that you may not sorrow as the rest do who have no hope. For if we have faith that Jesus DIED and ROSE AGAIN, so too God will bring with him those who have FALLEN ASLEEP IN DEATH through Jesus. For this is what we tell you by Jehovah’s word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord will in no way precede those who have FALLEN ASLEEP IN DEATH; because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are DEAD in union with Christ WILL RISE first. Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord.
Proof That the Flame of Judgment Means Total Destruction
Job 31:11-12For that would be shameful conduct,
An error deserving PUNISHMENT by the judges.
It would be a FIRE that would DEVOUR and DESTROY,
CONSUMING [Lit., "eat up"] even the roots of all my produce.
Psalm 37:9, 10, 20
For evil men will be DONE AWAY WITH . . . Just a little while longer, and the wicked WILL BE NO MORE. . . But the wicked will PERISH; the enemies of Jehovah will VANISH like glorious pastures; They will VANISH LIKE SMOKE.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
This takes into account that it is righteous on God’s part to repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for you. But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels in a FLAMING FIRE, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. These very ones will undergo the JUDICIAL PUNISHMENT of EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, at the time when he comes to be glorified in connection with his holy ones and to be regarded in that day with wonder among all those who exercised faith, because the witness we gave met with faith among you.
2 Peter 3:7
But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are RESERVED FOR FIRE and are being kept until the DAY OF JUDGMENT and of DESTRUCTION of the ungodly people.
Proof That Fire and Sulfur Is Used Figuratively
Isaiah 30:33For his Topheth is already prepared;
It is also made ready for the king.
He has made the WOODPILE deep and wide,
With an abundance of fire and WOOD.
The breath of Jehovah, LIKE a torrent of SULFUR,
Will SET FIRE to it.
Psalm 11:6
Upon the wicked, he will RAIN DOWN SNARES,
FIRE AND SULFUR and a SCORCHING WIND will be the portion of their cup.
And this is how I saw the horses in the vision and those seated on them: They had fire-red and hyacinth-blue and sulfur-yellow breastplates, and the heads of the horses were LIKE the heads of lions, and FIRE and SMOKE and SULFUR came OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS. A third of the people were killed by these three PLAGUES, by the fire and the smoke and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. FOR THE AUTHORITY of the horses is IN THEIR MOUTHS and IN THEIR TAILS, for their TAILS are LIKE SERPENTS and have heads, and with these they inflict harm.
Addressing the So-Called "Proofs" of the Hellfire Doctrine
In order to find proof of the hellfire doctrine we would have to find two things: 1) Fire that burns forever, and 2) living things existing within that fire without perishing. There is no denying that the scriptures present a fire that burns forever that represents God's judgment, but never do the Scriptures speak of anything continuing to live within that fire except where the fire is clearly figurative. But still there are plenty of scriptures erroneously used to support the doctrine. Let us explore those proofs one by one.Those with less familiarity with what qualifies as truth may attempt to use any verse that uses the word "hell" in their version as proof of its existence, but this is not proof. Below, only those verses that may be interpreted from some perspective to support an immortal soul or torment in an afterlife are addressed here. Any verse that simply uses the word "Sheol" or "Hades" in the original language is ignored unless it has one of those qualifiers. Likewise, all references to "the pit" must also be ignored, since the word clearly implies the excavated pit into which a dead body is placed, such as at Psalm 16:10.
The word "damnation" is used in some translations, such as the Geneva Bible and the King James Version, in the place of the Greek word "kriseoos", meaning "judgment". The word "damnation", instead of "judgment", is the condition of being cursed, but "judgment" in no way implies a "curse". "Damnation" is used by some Protestant denominations to indicate hellfire, but that goes beyond the meaning of "judgment".
There are 7 things that always cause the hellfire doctrine real problems:
- Look for mention of someone burning alive.
- The context shows what is really being discussed.
- Identify spurious (fake) renderings not in original manuscripts.
- Identify changed words.
- Identify the true meanings of words.
- Ask: "What is the opposite of everlasting (or eternal)?"
- Ask: "What is the opposite of life?"
- Ask: "What happens to the things tossed into a fire?"
- Identify figurative (Symbolic) language.
- Compare to other scriptures referencing the same events.
By using these methods, the following sections consistently debunk the so-called "proofs" about the soul burning alive in the lake of fire. (Gehenna).
DOES NUMBERS 16:28-35 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
When all those belonging to Korah went down "alive into Sheol," they were not burned, nor were they said to be kept alive in Sheol, but "went down alive" into it. (Numbers 16:31-35 NWT1984) That is, when the ground opened up, they did not instantly die, but fell into the ground, screaming. And when Korah and the other priests were burned with fire, they were not preserved alive, but were burned to ashes. (Numbers 16:37) In fact, the account goes on to say, "On the very next day, the whole assembly of the Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, saying: 'You two have put Jehovah's people to death.'" (Numbers 16:41) So clearly everyone understood that all those men died.
DOES DEUTERONOMY 32:22 BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This is actually proof that Sheol is not the place of hellfire, because, besides burning down "to the depths of the Grave," the fire consumes "the earth and its produce," and sets "ablaze the foundations of mountains." It meant only that the inhabitants of the land would be destroyed out of the land, not that they would be tortured for eternity.
DOES JOB 24:19 PROVE THAT HELL (SHEOL) IS A PLACE OF BURNING ALIVE?
The first line is a parable, not literal. The fire applies to the snow, not to the grave. Are we supposed to believe that "those who have sinned" are also snow? Of course not. Just as the snow is figurative, so is the fire. The point of the verse is not the fire or the snow, but is the reaction of the snow to the fire. Snow disappears quickly, so do sinners that die.
DOES JOB 11:8 or 26:6 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE OR AN UNDERWORLD?
The Common English Bible translates the subject in the second line of Job 26:6 as "the underworld", though at Job 11:8 it calls Sheol the same thing, and the Jubilee Bible translates the subject as "hell", (Thus another example of corrupting the meaning of "hell",) but it is actually "abaddon", meaning "destruction". In Revelation, Abaddon is "the angel of the abyss", not an underworld. (Revelation 9:11) The Wycliff Bible translates it as "perdition", meaning "ruin", translated from the Vulgate's "perditioni", however, many nominal Christians today believe it means a fiery hell. Wycliff translated "Sheol" as "infernus", meaning "below", but its related word "infernal" has come to indicate fire, as in "inferno", derived from the portion of The Divine Comedy often called "Dante's Inferno", meaning "Dante's Underworld". The first line in the Good News Translation renders Sheol as "world of the dead", which is not implied here. Literally, "Sheol" means "request" or "demand". The English translations mentioned above are unique in their renderings. Most other translations translate this in the way the NWT does, giving no dishonest indication of hellfire or an underworld in these verses.
DO MENTIONS OF "GATES" TO SHEOL PROVE AN UNDERWORLD?
Job 17:13-16, Job 38:17, Psalm 9:13, Isaiah 38:10 and Matthew 16:18 all mention Sheol or "death" having gates, as if it were a realm with entryways. However, Nahum 2:6 refers to "the gates of the rivers," while Job 38:8-10 says, "And who barricaded the sea behind doors when it burst out from the womb, when I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in [lit., "wrapped it in swaddling bands of"] thick gloom, when I established my limit for it and put its bars and doors in place," This is also expressed by the words of Psalm 33:7, saying, "He is gathering as by a dam the waters of the sea, putting in storehouses the surging waters." And everyone knows about the "floodgates of the heavens" mentioned at Genesis 7:11, Genesis 8:2, 2 Kings 7:2 and 19, Isaiah 24:18 and Malachi 3:10. Are these bars, doors, gates and storehouses of waters literal? Of course not; if they were, where are they? Are we to believe that it burst out from a literal womb and that the swaddling bands are also literal?Clearly these are figurative references to gates and doors. Likewise, the gates of Sheol are also figurative.
DOES PSALM 18:5 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This verse is using figurative imagery to speak of a living person, David, being figuratively ensnared so that he was not going to be able to escape being killed, but Jehovah spared him when David called out in verse 6. Those ropes are not in an underworld. Viewing them as such sadly prevents one from understanding the actual meaning of the Psalm expressing David's feelings about his actual experiences. He had nowhere to go. In fact, he spent much of his time in caves. Why did he never refer to the caves as the underworld? No, but the ropes were the inability to escape the seeming eventuality of the grave. Thus, the ropes were not holding him in the grave, but were dragging him down into it, as indicated by the second half of the verse indicating being "confronted" by "snares", as if having a hard time getting around them. Thus, the ropes and snares are not in hell, but proving an obstacle for the individual while still alive.
DOES PROVERBS 15:11 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
The Common English Bible once again incorrectly refers to "abaddon" (Heb.), lit. "destruction", as "the underworld", and the Jubilee Bible once again falsely renders it "hell", and Wycliff again calls it "perdition", from the Latin for "destruction", but confused by Protestants with hellfire. (See DOES JOB 11:8 or 26:6 PROVE FIERY TORMENT OR AN UNDERWORLD?) The meaning of this verse is that Jehovah has the power to resurrect, reviving every particle of a person's brain and body as well as their very thoughts, or to destroy that person forever, never reviving them or their memories, therefore, because he can restore even our memories or forget them, he also has the power to know exactly what is in a man's heart for the most righteous judgment.
DOES ISAIAH 14:9 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This verse refers to the judgment of Satan. The Grave is "stirred up" in releasing its unrighteous captives in the resurrection. The use of "hell" here does not imply the place of fiery torment, but the place of "Demand", Sheol. The grave is "stirred up" at the time of Satan's release from the darkness of the abyss before he is ultimately struck down. Then those in opposition to Jehovah are 'awakened' (resurrected) in the judgment where they will "rise" (take action) against Jehovah's people at the end of the thousand years. (Please compare Revelation 20:7-10; See also DOES REVELATION 20:10 PROVE FIERY TORMENT?)
DOES ISAIAH 24:22 PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNDERWORLD?
Some take this verse to indicate the existence of an underworld, but if you read the entire chapter, you see that all the visuals are clearly figurative. Thus so is the reference to a "dungeon". It merely indicates the place where the dead are held captive, namely the grave, as indicated by the use of the word "pit", indicating an excavated pit where one is buried.
DOES ISAIAH 28:15 PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNDERWORLD?
Since "Sheol", here translated in some Bibles as "hell", is a place, and not a person, making an agreement with it is entirely figurative. It simply means that they have put confidence in their lies to protect them from calamity. Here, it is clearly associated with "Death".
DOES THE ETERNAL BURNING OF BABYLON PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
In Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Babylon burns and its fire scorches the faces of those who witness it. (Isaiah 13:19-22; 34:9-12; Jeremiah 7:20; Ezekiel 20:47) But do those whose faces are scorched exist within the fire? No. They are standing back from the fire, and thus are not being burned by it. This is simply feeling the heat from the fire on their faces. This is figurative to mean that it will affect people personally and be used as a fear-inspiring lesson.
Jeremiah says that the trees will be burned as well. However, he does not say that the trees burn forever. Really, what is the point to burning trees in hell forever? However, the fire itself is said not to be extinguished. What this means is that the city that is destroyed by it will never be rebuilt. It is eternal destruction. (2 Thessalonians 1:9) We also know from history that Babylon never burned down, but simply wasted away. Then the Muslims and Saddam Hussein attempted to rebuild it, but ultimately abandoned it. The occupation of U.S. forces on the cite continued to damage the ruins even further.
Isaiah says that Edom and Babylon would burn forever and their smoke would ascend forever, but where are their eternal fires? (34:9-12) Also, despite Babylon's burning, pelicans and porcupines will "take possession of her" along with ostriches, goats, jackals and big snakes, unclean animals by the Mosaic Law, but no mention of men burning alive, along with the fact that it is not burning today, so clearly the burning forever is figurative. (Isaiah 13:21-22) But what of the people that were in the city? The princes were to be brought to nothing, and Isaiah says definitively that "she will never be inhabited" and that no shepherds would pitch their tent there. (Isaiah 13:20) So it's not the people that burn forever, but the fire itself that lasts forever and the fire is figurative. It is the same fire that is before the judgment seat of Jehovah. (Isaiah 10:16-19) But no one is ever said to exist in torments within it in the Hebrew Scriptures. Revelation 19:3 refers to a figurative woman, so clearly the smoke ascending is also figurative.
DOES EZEKIEL 32:21 PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNDERWORLD?
The context within this verse handles itself. The first line says, "From the depths of the Grave the mightiest warriors will speak to him and his helpers." At first glance, this would seem to say they're still alive in the grave, but the second line makes it clear that this is just a figurative form of speaking to the living. It says, "They will certainly go down and will lie just like the uncircumcised, slain by the sword." This line very clearly says that they will "lie just like the uncircumcised," saying they will be no different in death than the uncircumcised. They lie down in the earth all the same, not wander in an underworld or have any activities, but they simply join the uncircumcised in the same eventuality of inaction awaiting resurrection (meaning, "standing up again" after lying down in death).
DOES DANIEL 12:2 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
The first phrase makes it clear that those who have died are "asleep in the dust". But all the dead who have not already earned everlasting destruction will be resurrected either "to everlasting life" or "to reproach and to everlasting contempt." Note that neither "reproach" nor "everlasting contempt" indicate the condition of those resurrected to this judgment. But it would be safe to assume that this "everlasting contempt" is not "everlasting life", which would mean it would be the opposite, namely, "everlasting destruction". It would be their own memories that would be reproached with contempt, and they would never have the release from their final judgment, destruction, due to Jehovah's own everlasting contempt for who they were in life. Once destroyed, they will never be resurrected again. (Revelation 21:6-8)
DOES AMOS 9:2 PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNDERWORLD?
The first verse says that Jehovah will not permit anyone to escape, no matter where they run. Verse 2 then says that even if those running will "dig down into the Grave ["Sheol"]", they will not escape him. This is a reference to the future event in which people will try to flee into the mountains and ask the rocks to fall over them, thus burying themselves in Sheol, their grave. (Revelation 6:16-17) That is, they will attempt suicide, perhaps by offending their government, in an effort to somehow earn the resurrection of the unrighteous. But dying before they are executed will not stop their everlasting destruction, nor will they have the temporary resurrection of the unrighteous, as their judgment, the second death, will have already been decided, regardless of how or by whom they die.
DOES JONAH 2:2 PROVE FIERY TORMENT?
Jonah never died when swallowed by the big fish (A humpback whale), thus he never actually spent any time in Sheol, the Grave. He was still alive when he was in the sea, the depths. Jonah's spending 3 days in the big fish is all that prefigures Christ's time in Sheol. (Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40) Christ was never thrown into anything the way Jonah was. (Jonah 1:15) Jonah's calling out to Jehovah while in the midst of the sea did happen, and it happened before he was swallowed by the big fish. Thus, if his time in the water represents anything in Christ's life, it represents the period leading up to Christ's death, not after, thus calling out would represent one or more of his prayers up to that time. (Luke 22:41-44; Matthew 26:38-44; 27:46-50) Calling the waters his Grave merely indicated how certain his death seemed to Jonah, and thereby how certain it was for Jesus.
DOES MATTHEW 3:12 PROVE FIERY TORMENT?
This scripture does not indicate that anyone burns alive. In fact, it does not just say that the chaff burns, but says specifically that it will "burn up", (lit., "burning down (entirely)" or "consumed with fire", from Gk., kaio,) meaning that at some point none of it will be left over to burn.
DOES MATTHEW 5:22, 29, 30 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Being accountable to the trash heap or having your "whole body" thrown into the trash heap does not mean one is burned alive.
DOES MATTHEW 8:12 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
The "sons of the kingdom" are the Jews who reject the opportunity to be rulers with Christ, as Jesus referred to at Matthew 21:43. The "darkness outside" is referring, not to hell, but to a spiritual darkness alienated from God, as Paul defined at Ephesians 4:17-19.
DOES MATTHEW 10:28 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Many Bibles once again deceptively change the rendering of "Gehenna" to "hell", but it cannot be denied in any of the versions, (save the corrupted paraphrase in The Message,) that the word "destroy" is used, clearly indicating that there is no one surviving this judgment, no soul enduring torment.
DOES MATTHEW 13:41-42, 50 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Note that verse 41 says that the Son of Man will "send his angels". Thus, this is not the same period as "the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels". The "weeping and gnashing of their teeth" does not occur after being tossed into the fiery furnace. They are first separated from the righteous and will eventually be thrown into the fiery furnace. But it is the group being separated that will be "weeping and gnashing...their teeth", before their destruction, because the separating occurs during "the conclusion of a system of things", but the judgment of the ungodly does not occur until "the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels in a flaming fire," just prior to which, God will "repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for" the holy ones. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10) That tribulation is the period of "weeping and gnashing of their teeth".
DOES MATTHEW 18:8-9 and MARK 9:43-48 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
In this parable, the entire person is thrown into the trash heap, but there is no indication that they remain alive within the fire. Some translations dishonestly translate "Gehenna" as "hell" in these accounts.
DOES MATTHEW 23:14 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This is a spurious verse inserted into later manuscripts that made it into the Wycliff Bible, the Geneva Bible, King James Version and a few other Bibles that has since been rejected by modern translators.
DOES MATTHEW 25:41 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This only identifies who will be thrown into the fire. It does not indicate that they will remain alive in the fire.
DOES MATTHEW 25:46 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
"Eternal punishment" does not require that the individual remain alive. After all, to put one to death is a punishment. The fact that it is eternal means that it will never be undone. Matthew 25:46 is a matter of translation. What your Bible translates as "eternal punishment" is translated from the Koiné Greek "kolasin aioonian". The word "kolasin", translated in some Bibles as "punishment" or "torment", comes from kolazo, meaning to "curtail", "cut off", or "prune". This is a punctuated event, not continuous, and does not indicate anything more than removal from the community. In this case, the community of the living. The word was often used in reference to putting someone to death, not torture. Thus the verse should properly read "And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life."
DOES MARK 3:29 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Some translations, such as the Geneva Bible and the King James Version, use the inaccurate words "eternal damnation". However, the word is not "damnation", but "sin". Some later manuscripts use "kriseoos", meaning "judgment", but the earliest texts use "martematos", meaning "sin". But either reading does not indicate that the dead continue to live after receiving that judgment. By being "everlasting", it means they will never again have an opportunity at life, especially everlasting life.
DOES LUKE 16:19-31 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
The simple answer is: The illustration is addressed to the money-loving Pharisees. (Verse 14) The Pharisees believed in hellfire because of mixing Judaism with Hellenism through their greed and resulting traditions. (The Sadducees did not believe in life after death, [Acts 23:8] and the Scribes did not commit to any one doctrine. [Matthew 7:28, 29]) By using the Pharisees' own false doctrine against them, he was demonstrating its futility in bringing them to repentance. (Verse 31)
To come to this conclusion, the following questions needed to be asked and these are the answers:
The Context of the Rich Man and Lazarus
Jesus had been expounding several parables through the current and preceding chapter, but the last of these parables, and the accompanying lesson in the first part of chapter 16, earned a sneer from the Pharisees, who were money lovers, being in the practice of extorting the temple and the people, which prompted Jesus' illustration of the Rich Man and Lazarus. (Micah 3:11) The immediate context thus begins in verse 1 of chapter 16 and hits a midpoint in verses 14 to 18, then the illustration concludes with a statement made to his disciples in Luke 17:1 and 2.
In Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Babylon burns and its fire scorches the faces of those who witness it. (Isaiah 13:19-22; 34:9-12; Jeremiah 7:20; Ezekiel 20:47) But do those whose faces are scorched exist within the fire? No. They are standing back from the fire, and thus are not being burned by it. This is simply feeling the heat from the fire on their faces. This is figurative to mean that it will affect people personally and be used as a fear-inspiring lesson.
Jeremiah says that the trees will be burned as well. However, he does not say that the trees burn forever. Really, what is the point to burning trees in hell forever? However, the fire itself is said not to be extinguished. What this means is that the city that is destroyed by it will never be rebuilt. It is eternal destruction. (2 Thessalonians 1:9) We also know from history that Babylon never burned down, but simply wasted away. Then the Muslims and Saddam Hussein attempted to rebuild it, but ultimately abandoned it. The occupation of U.S. forces on the cite continued to damage the ruins even further.
Isaiah says that Edom and Babylon would burn forever and their smoke would ascend forever, but where are their eternal fires? (34:9-12) Also, despite Babylon's burning, pelicans and porcupines will "take possession of her" along with ostriches, goats, jackals and big snakes, unclean animals by the Mosaic Law, but no mention of men burning alive, along with the fact that it is not burning today, so clearly the burning forever is figurative. (Isaiah 13:21-22) But what of the people that were in the city? The princes were to be brought to nothing, and Isaiah says definitively that "she will never be inhabited" and that no shepherds would pitch their tent there. (Isaiah 13:20) So it's not the people that burn forever, but the fire itself that lasts forever and the fire is figurative. It is the same fire that is before the judgment seat of Jehovah. (Isaiah 10:16-19) But no one is ever said to exist in torments within it in the Hebrew Scriptures. Revelation 19:3 refers to a figurative woman, so clearly the smoke ascending is also figurative.
DOES EZEKIEL 32:21 PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNDERWORLD?
The context within this verse handles itself. The first line says, "From the depths of the Grave the mightiest warriors will speak to him and his helpers." At first glance, this would seem to say they're still alive in the grave, but the second line makes it clear that this is just a figurative form of speaking to the living. It says, "They will certainly go down and will lie just like the uncircumcised, slain by the sword." This line very clearly says that they will "lie just like the uncircumcised," saying they will be no different in death than the uncircumcised. They lie down in the earth all the same, not wander in an underworld or have any activities, but they simply join the uncircumcised in the same eventuality of inaction awaiting resurrection (meaning, "standing up again" after lying down in death).
DOES DANIEL 12:2 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
The first phrase makes it clear that those who have died are "asleep in the dust". But all the dead who have not already earned everlasting destruction will be resurrected either "to everlasting life" or "to reproach and to everlasting contempt." Note that neither "reproach" nor "everlasting contempt" indicate the condition of those resurrected to this judgment. But it would be safe to assume that this "everlasting contempt" is not "everlasting life", which would mean it would be the opposite, namely, "everlasting destruction". It would be their own memories that would be reproached with contempt, and they would never have the release from their final judgment, destruction, due to Jehovah's own everlasting contempt for who they were in life. Once destroyed, they will never be resurrected again. (Revelation 21:6-8)
DOES AMOS 9:2 PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNDERWORLD?
The first verse says that Jehovah will not permit anyone to escape, no matter where they run. Verse 2 then says that even if those running will "dig down into the Grave ["Sheol"]", they will not escape him. This is a reference to the future event in which people will try to flee into the mountains and ask the rocks to fall over them, thus burying themselves in Sheol, their grave. (Revelation 6:16-17) That is, they will attempt suicide, perhaps by offending their government, in an effort to somehow earn the resurrection of the unrighteous. But dying before they are executed will not stop their everlasting destruction, nor will they have the temporary resurrection of the unrighteous, as their judgment, the second death, will have already been decided, regardless of how or by whom they die.
DOES JONAH 2:2 PROVE FIERY TORMENT?
Jonah never died when swallowed by the big fish (A humpback whale), thus he never actually spent any time in Sheol, the Grave. He was still alive when he was in the sea, the depths. Jonah's spending 3 days in the big fish is all that prefigures Christ's time in Sheol. (Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40) Christ was never thrown into anything the way Jonah was. (Jonah 1:15) Jonah's calling out to Jehovah while in the midst of the sea did happen, and it happened before he was swallowed by the big fish. Thus, if his time in the water represents anything in Christ's life, it represents the period leading up to Christ's death, not after, thus calling out would represent one or more of his prayers up to that time. (Luke 22:41-44; Matthew 26:38-44; 27:46-50) Calling the waters his Grave merely indicated how certain his death seemed to Jonah, and thereby how certain it was for Jesus.
DOES MATTHEW 3:12 PROVE FIERY TORMENT?
This scripture does not indicate that anyone burns alive. In fact, it does not just say that the chaff burns, but says specifically that it will "burn up", (lit., "burning down (entirely)" or "consumed with fire", from Gk., kaio,) meaning that at some point none of it will be left over to burn.
DOES MATTHEW 5:22, 29, 30 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Being accountable to the trash heap or having your "whole body" thrown into the trash heap does not mean one is burned alive.
DOES MATTHEW 8:12 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
The "sons of the kingdom" are the Jews who reject the opportunity to be rulers with Christ, as Jesus referred to at Matthew 21:43. The "darkness outside" is referring, not to hell, but to a spiritual darkness alienated from God, as Paul defined at Ephesians 4:17-19.
DOES MATTHEW 10:28 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Many Bibles once again deceptively change the rendering of "Gehenna" to "hell", but it cannot be denied in any of the versions, (save the corrupted paraphrase in The Message,) that the word "destroy" is used, clearly indicating that there is no one surviving this judgment, no soul enduring torment.
DOES MATTHEW 13:41-42, 50 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Note that verse 41 says that the Son of Man will "send his angels". Thus, this is not the same period as "the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels". The "weeping and gnashing of their teeth" does not occur after being tossed into the fiery furnace. They are first separated from the righteous and will eventually be thrown into the fiery furnace. But it is the group being separated that will be "weeping and gnashing...their teeth", before their destruction, because the separating occurs during "the conclusion of a system of things", but the judgment of the ungodly does not occur until "the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels in a flaming fire," just prior to which, God will "repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for" the holy ones. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10) That tribulation is the period of "weeping and gnashing of their teeth".
DOES MATTHEW 18:8-9 and MARK 9:43-48 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
In this parable, the entire person is thrown into the trash heap, but there is no indication that they remain alive within the fire. Some translations dishonestly translate "Gehenna" as "hell" in these accounts.
DOES MATTHEW 23:14 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This is a spurious verse inserted into later manuscripts that made it into the Wycliff Bible, the Geneva Bible, King James Version and a few other Bibles that has since been rejected by modern translators.
DOES MATTHEW 25:41 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This only identifies who will be thrown into the fire. It does not indicate that they will remain alive in the fire.
DOES MATTHEW 25:46 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
"Eternal punishment" does not require that the individual remain alive. After all, to put one to death is a punishment. The fact that it is eternal means that it will never be undone. Matthew 25:46 is a matter of translation. What your Bible translates as "eternal punishment" is translated from the Koiné Greek "kolasin aioonian". The word "kolasin", translated in some Bibles as "punishment" or "torment", comes from kolazo, meaning to "curtail", "cut off", or "prune". This is a punctuated event, not continuous, and does not indicate anything more than removal from the community. In this case, the community of the living. The word was often used in reference to putting someone to death, not torture. Thus the verse should properly read "And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life."
DOES MARK 3:29 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Some translations, such as the Geneva Bible and the King James Version, use the inaccurate words "eternal damnation". However, the word is not "damnation", but "sin". Some later manuscripts use "kriseoos", meaning "judgment", but the earliest texts use "martematos", meaning "sin". But either reading does not indicate that the dead continue to live after receiving that judgment. By being "everlasting", it means they will never again have an opportunity at life, especially everlasting life.
DOES LUKE 16:19-31 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
The simple answer is: The illustration is addressed to the money-loving Pharisees. (Verse 14) The Pharisees believed in hellfire because of mixing Judaism with Hellenism through their greed and resulting traditions. (The Sadducees did not believe in life after death, [Acts 23:8] and the Scribes did not commit to any one doctrine. [Matthew 7:28, 29]) By using the Pharisees' own false doctrine against them, he was demonstrating its futility in bringing them to repentance. (Verse 31)
To come to this conclusion, the following questions needed to be asked and these are the answers:
- Who was Jesus' audience? Answer: The Pharisees. (Luke 16:14)
- What was the purpose of the illustration? Answer: They were overstepping the law through their greed. (Matthew 15:1-9; Luke 16:14; Romans 2:22)
- How does Luke 16:14-18 (especially 16-18,) affect the illustration? Answers: Two resurrection hopes unfailingly promised and the spiritual adultery of the Pharisees. (Psalm 37:29; Matthew 12:39)
- Why did Jesus contradict the scriptures and his own teachings with the illustration? Answer: to highlight the futility of their false teachings to cause repentance. (Luke 10:13-15)
The Context of the Rich Man and Lazarus
Jesus had been expounding several parables through the current and preceding chapter, but the last of these parables, and the accompanying lesson in the first part of chapter 16, earned a sneer from the Pharisees, who were money lovers, being in the practice of extorting the temple and the people, which prompted Jesus' illustration of the Rich Man and Lazarus. (Micah 3:11) The immediate context thus begins in verse 1 of chapter 16 and hits a midpoint in verses 14 to 18, then the illustration concludes with a statement made to his disciples in Luke 17:1 and 2.
But the whole context begins in chapter 15. There, Jesus quick-fires three illustrations about the joy of saving those who have strayed from Jehovah. The first is about the joy of seeking out a lost sheep and taking it from a pit. (vv. 4-7) The second is about a housewife who searched for a lost coin and rejoiced when she found it. (vv. 8-10) Finally, the third one brings in the Pharisees as an older son who gets jealous over the other son who repents from badness. (vv. 11-32) The throughline here is that repentance is something over which to rejoice, but the Pharisees and scribes have something holding them back from rejoicing.
Both the scribes and Pharisees were present on this occasion, so his specifically addressing the Pharisees is significant in the choice of his final illustration. (Luke 15:2; 16:14) In the illustration that followed, Jesus was relating an important point about the wisdom of looking after your future by reducing the burden of debt to others. Of the point, Jesus himself said, "Make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous riches, so that when such fail, they may receive you into the everlasting dwelling places." (Luke 16:9) Thus, riches aside, the resurrection was a focus in the matter. By being concerned with someone else’s repentance, we assure our own resurrection.
But he was also relating something else. He said, "Therefore, if you have not proved yourselves faithful in connection with the unrighteous riches, who will entrust you with what is true?" (Verse 11) Now we are identifying the riches with what is true, namely in being “entrusted with,” or given what is true. So we can see that all of this is a developing context in Jesus’ monologue. To understand what Jesus means by "what is true", let's examine an important point of the context.
The Nameless Rich Man
L. M. Grant's commentary on verses 19-31 brings out that the poor man is given a name, Lazarus, while the rich man's name is not given, thereby referencing such texts as Psalm 69:28. Thus it brings out an interesting point that further demonstrates that the prophecies concerning having one's name 'blotted out of the book of life' (Revelation 3:5) stand even in this prophecy. This is important, but I mention this here because of what is said at verse 15, where he says, “You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is considered exalted by men is a disgusting thing in God’s sight.” So Jesus is saying that their hearts are “disgusting in God’s sight.” We find these ideas associated else where in the Scriptures.
Revelation 21:27 also speaks of the book, or scroll, of life. It says that those who are not written in the scroll of life are also identified as "anyone who does what is disgusting and deceitful" in harmony with Luke 16:15. Daniel 9:27, 11:31 and 12:11 each refer to this "disgusting thing" in regard to false worship. The same Greek word for "disgusting" also appears at Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, Romans 2:22, Revelation 17:4-5 and Revelation 21:8, all of which appear to refer to false worship. Revelation 21:27 associates this false worship with "deceit" or "lies", thus referring to their teachings, not just their practices.
In the context of Luke 16:15, Jesus associates the "disgusting thing" with what is in their hearts. He was likely referring to their greed in the idolatrous sense. (Matthew 23:25-26; Luke 11:37-39; Colossians 3:5). He was thereby indicating their robbing the temple, as was the case in the oral law, that the Pharisees collected money from the temple to instruct the people as a paid service, as well as providing monetary exchange and selling livestock in the temple for usury. It was their tables that Jesus threw down in the temple, and their livestock he drove out. (John 2:15-16)
However, they did not seek to educate the Galileans with Jehovah's ways, viewing them as "an accursed people" "unlettered and ordinary" because they "do not know the Law", which at that time the Pharisees polluted with the so-called "verbal traditions". (John 7:49; Acts 4:13; Mark 7:1-8) Thus, they did not uphold their end of the bargain with the temple for the money they extorted.
They also paid for the best seats in the synagogues and showed off their riches, their 'blessings', with expensive clothes and gilded furniture, and bought their seats on the Sanhedrin. The account of the rich man storing up riches indicates their storing up their riches in stocks that cost them less in Roman taxes, and which could be multiplied in trade at the right time or gambled in business ventures. (Luke 12:16-21) They secured their riches by maintaining close ties to the Romans in all matters and corrupting officials where necessary. While maintaining a show of enforcing the Law, they could easily be bought off with a bribe. They even extorted their own parents by means of an allowance in their verbal traditions. (Matthew 15:4-6)
Thus, their greed is closely associated with lies through neither fulfilling their agreements nor upholding the Law, but also through false stories related in their traditions. (1 Timothy 1:4) Thus, neither would they be entrusted with "what is true", the teaching about the "unfathomable riches of the Christ", protected from false doctrines. (Ephesians 3:8) About these riches of truth, Jesus said, "I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may become rich, and white outer garments that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not become manifested, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes that you may see." (Revelation 3:18) So, indeed, being freed from falsehoods was an integral part of the message in Luke chapter 16 as shown in verse 15. Now that we understand this, we can examine the remainder of the account, starting in verse 16.
Luke 16:16-17
Jesus begins his response to the Pharisees by making two statements. First, he highlights that the Law applied up until John the Baptist, but after him, all men were pressing toward the kingdom of God. (Verse 16) To understand this, note the almost identical statement made at Matthew 11:12. In verse 11 of that chapter, Jesus said, "a lesser person in the Kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is." Note that it says "the Kingdom of the heavens". That is, not the earth. Thus John did not make it to the heavens. Where, then, did he make it to? Verses 13 gives the clue when Jesus said, "For all, the Prophets and the Law, prophesied until John." This was a statement about the Law being done away with, and that afterward a new hope was extended. So the goal of the heavenly resurrection was not even extended to anyone until Jesus himself appeared on the scene. What did the Law and the prophets extend as a hope? An earthly hope. (See Genesis 1:28; 1 Samuel 2:8; Job 14:12-14; Psalm 37:9, 11, 29; Psalm 115:16; Proverbs 2:21; Isaiah 45:18; Matthew 5:5)
Thus, the hope of a heavenly calling was only just being extended in Jesus' day, yet the Pharisees had been teaching this hope since the Maccabees, in line with the false religious ideas of the nations, asserting that the soul is immortal. So when Jesus makes this announcement, Jesus being the starting point for this calling, it was a new thing. It was essentially saying that they had been teaching wrong before John. (Just like the fig tree whose leaves came two months too early, before the fruit; Matthew 21:18, 19)
However, was he saying that before John, men only had the prospect of life in a fiery underworld? Of course not. It would not have been a worthwhile hope for the Jews. No, but in line with Psalm 37:11 and 29, the Jews originally had the hope of inheriting the earth and living forever upon it, but the Pharisees were disregarding this hope on account of their teaching of an immortal soul. What does the Psalm's context say? "For evil men will be done away with . . . Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more. . . But the wicked will perish; the enemies of Jehovah will vanish like glorious pastures; They will vanish like smoke." (Psalm 37:9, 10, 20) So Jesus is pointing out only two eventualities for the living up to the days of John the Baptist, and a new eventuality for the holy ones after John.
But by weighing down the Law with more regulations, the Pharisees had abandoned this teaching and deviated to false stories they received from the Greeks and Romans. What did they teach? While the scribes, because they were the copyists of the Law, knew that an earthly resurrection was expected, the Pharisees taught according to the teachings of the nations, with subtle philosophical differences. They taught that because the soul is immortal, it goes on after death and is either rewarded with going to their father Abraham in the heavenly places, or going to Hades to suffer eternal torments in a blazing fire. This was acquired from Platonic philosophy.
Jesus statement has a fundamental meaning, though, regarding both the Law and the resurrection. By the law no longer holding after John, it indicates the end of the Mosaic Law, because a new law will be established. The new law lays the groundwork for a new priesthood and kingdom to be established in heaven, thus the importance of the resurrection message being integral to the discussion. (Revelation 5:9-10)
Then in verse 17 he says, "Indeed, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to go unfulfilled." So his point was that in order for the heavenly resurrection to take place, the law must be fulfilled and taken out of the way, and the Pharisees were making no attempt to achieve that. Instead, they were divorcing themselves from the law in order to politically and spiritually fornicate with the nations, as his next point brings out. (Ezekiel 23:30)
Luke 16:18
Jesus went on to state, "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery." (Verse 18) This was not a random interjection about the law. It was highlighting more than the Pharisees' lack of obedience to just this one aspect of the law. Jesus was highlighting the covenant that the Jews had with Jehovah. If they turned away from that covenant, making alliances with other nations, they would be adulterers and lose out on its promises. Jesus was thereby pointing out their being spiritual adulterers, referencing the Scriptures that call the wayward Jews adulterers, (Ezekiel 16:28-38; Compare James 4:4) wherein they left the Law and began prostituting themselves to the nations and their false forms of worship, setting up money as their god. (Ezekiel 23:28-31) Thus, they had truly become "a disgusting thing in God's sight." Notable too was that they were also spiritual adulterers in the sense of speaking false teachings, instead of truth. (Psalm 50:18-19; Jeremiah 9:2-3; Hosea 7:1-4) Apparently the two concepts are not altogether independent; one is a symptom of the other, both are related to their closeness with the nations, which is precisely where the hellfire doctrine comes in.
So then, Jesus has developed these points by illustrations:
- To search for the lost sheep.—15:4-7.
- To rejoice when they repent.—15:8-10.
- Jealousy prevents this rejoicing.—15:11-32.
- Reduce the burden of debt so that you may receive mercy.—16:1-12
- The Pharisees are worshippers of money and thus receive no truth.—16:13-15.
- The Pharisees have pushed ahead and abandoned the teaching of earthly resurrection.—16:16.
- The Scriptures must be fulfilled so that the heavenly resurrection can be fulfilled.—16:17.
- The Pharisees have committed adultery against their original owner.—16:18.
Luke 16:19-26
Thus, since the current subject is the resurrection and the Pharisees being disgusting spiritual adulterers telling false stories, he was now highlighting that the Pharisaic belief in the immortality of the soul and eternal torment in fire was an adulteration, adopting the false religious ideas and philosophies of the Greeks and Romans and relying upon them commercially. But instead of applying their belief literally, he was using it figuratively. We know it is figurative because he mentions a simple chasm between heaven and hell and a drop of water to quench the rich man's thirst, whereas, the scriptures describe the stream or lake of fire flowing outward from before Jehovah himself. (Daniel 7:9-10)
They certainly were not going to start listening to his teachings, so changing their view of the resurrection was not going to get through to them. Instead, he uses their view of the resurrection to make a point to them about how useless their form of worship is.
Verses 19-22 set up the lesson. Explaining that the rich man and Lazarus represent two groups, the 1989 Watchtower, 4/1 puts it this way, saying, "The rich man represents the religious leaders who are favored with spiritual privileges and opportunities, and Lazarus pictures the common people who hunger for spiritual nourishment." This figurative circumstance shows that they were responsible for sharing spiritual knowledge, but they instead make it difficult for anyone to get benefit from it because of their own spiritual adultery through greed and friendship with the nations as well as their passing up teaching the Law to the common people just to search out someone who meets their special requirements. (Matthew 23:15)
In verse 22, the rich man was buried in the Grave (Gk, "Hades"), and from there, he lifted up his eyes. But in verse 26, it says that there was simply a "chasm" between him and Lazarus. If all the things mentioned in the story are literal, then the chasm must also be taken as literal. Thus, the story would contradict itself since Lazarus went to heaven, but the rich man was in the ground.
In verse 24, the rich man calls for Lazarus to bring him just one drop of water. Besides the fact that doing so would subject Lazarus to the blazing fire, no one could expect one drop of water to quench their thirst, let alone survive in a fire. It would evaporate and be of no use. So clearly the parable is figurative.
In verse 25, Abraham explains why the rich man has received judgment while Lazarus received the reward. It is because the rich man took all he could get in this life, while Lazarus received the worst, but now he is being comforted. The meaning of this is explained below.
Luke 16:27-31
So when he goes into the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, (Luke 16:27-31) he is approaching them on their own ground using their own false doctrine regarding death. Thus, when later in the parable, he highlights that the rich man asks Abraham to send someone out to warn his compatriots that this would be the end result of them, Abraham tells the man, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to these." When the rich man says they would only listen to someone from the dead, Abraham points out, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead."
Rising from the dead is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus resurrected people during his time on earth and these did not claim to have had any experiences in heaven or a fiery hell. (Mark 5:35-43; John 11:1-53) What did the religious leaders do to the one who resurrected these ones? "They conspired to kill him." (John 11:53) Eventually, Jesus himself rose from the dead, but they still did not listen, showing how true Jesus' words were. (Acts 4:6-21)
He was saying that their riches were not going to help them come to an accurate knowledge of truth, and because they refused to separate themselves from the nations, they will continue to be in a dead state, and no amount of miracles or knowledge was going to change that.
So the point was that regardless of the truth, even in the face of their own horrifying hellfire doctrine, they will not change their minds. If their own doctrine related in the parable does not frighten them, and listening to the actual truth in Moses and the Prophets does not move them, then neither would anything or anyone else by any divine means. They were already hardened in their course and refused to listen to the Truth. This is the condition of so many church leaders today. Their prominence, wealth and shameless self-promotion has made them completely unresponsive.
Clear Use of Figurative Symbols
What the Jehovah’s Witnesses have pointed out is that the illustration uses clearly figurative symbols. First, there is a chasm between the rich man in torment and Lazarus; if this were literal, it would be rather difficult for them to carry on a conversation given their distance and the sound of the roaring flames. Secondly, there is no way that the rich man should expect any amount of comfort from a single drop of water that would quickly evaporate in the flames. Third, the rich man is an unrepentant sinner, which should make the man persona non grata for Lazarus. (2 John 8-11)
What Was the Purpose of the Parable?
Was Jesus reinforcing the lie of the Pharisees by using it? No. He was providing a dual purpose to the parable. First to show the meaninglessness of the hellfire doctrine to deter wickedness as brought out earlier, second, to show that the path to salvation is revealed in Moses and the Prophets, and third, to represent the figurative torment (the word actually indicates imprisonment,) in that those imprisoned by the second death will never be released. However, the illustrations here were not for the understanding of believers in hellfire, but for those who see it as the parable it is and seek to understand truth. (Matthew 13:13-17) Thus, in all this explanation, only those seeking truth will see. No one not interested in truth will understand what is written here.
DOES JOHN 5:28-29 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Note that first, "those who did good things" are resurrected from the Grave at a future time. Then "those who did vile things" are resurrected, not to "damnation" in hellfire, as some translations say, but to "judgment". This is the judgment of "the second death", meaning that those who do not repent are going to die again and never be resurrected again. (Revelation 20:7-15)
DOES 2 PETER 2:4-9 OR JUDE 5-7 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
First, "Tartarus" is the special place of dense darkness reserved for "the angels who sinned" and "forsook their own proper dwelling place." Note that the "chains" are figurative, for they are held not by physical chains, but by "chains of dense darkness", meaning that the dense darkness serves as chains. It is different than "hell". The place they are kept is given a special name, thus this is a different judgment than the other judgments mentioned here. The word "Tartarus" is used because it has a parallel to the place of the same name where the Titans were imprisoned by the Greek gods.
The judgment of the world did not end up in every wicked person being abyssed in Tartarus, nor did they stay in the oceans. But they died, cleansed from the surface of the earth. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? Reduced to ashes. Note, finally, that Jehovah has "reserved unrighteous people to be destroyed on the day of judgment", (Gk., "krisin", meaning "judgment") not for the day of damnation, or of torment, as some translations say. And regardless of whether the manuscript uses the Greek word for "punishment" or for "cutting off", the meaning remains the same. They receive the judicial punishment of the second death, everlasting destruction, related in Revelation 20:7-15.
DOES REVELATION 5:3 PROVE AN UNDERWORLD?
The words "neither under the earth" are a spurious addition in the Latin Vulgate by the Catholic church not found in extant manuscripts.
DOES REVELATION 14:9-11 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
At first glance, the words "the smoke of their torment will ascend forever and ever" seems to support burning eternally in fire. However, Revelation 1:1 says that Jesus "sent his angel and presented [the revelation] in signs through him." So this imagery is not literal, but symbolic.
The Greek word "basanismos" (βασανισμός) means specifically to examine as by torture or arduous questioning. HELPS Word Studies says about the base word "basanos" (βάσανος): "originally, a black, silicon-based stone used as "a touchstone" to test the purity of precious metals (like silver and gold). … [In the papyri, basanos also means, "touchstone," "test" (so P Oxy I. 58.25, ad 288). … originally (from oriental origin) a touchstone; a 'Lydian stone' used for testing gold because pure gold rubbed on it left a peculiar mark.]"
The word serves a very specific purpose. The torture aspect is only incidental, being applied in only specific circumstances where torture is clearly indicated, and is therefore not necessary to the meaning of the word.
However, here, with smoke ascending, the image of fiery torment is indeed indicated. But remember, this is symbolic. Therefore, the use of the word "torment" has a symbolic meaning that indicates its interpretation. So while the fiery torture aspect of the word is symbolic, the other meaning of the word therefore gives us the meaning to draw from it: examination.
It is not the torment itself that lasts forever, but rather the smoke that ascends forever. This means that the evidence of the torment will be visible forever in a symbolic sense to be viewed and remembered by all. Thus, the examination comes in reviewing the history of their destruction.
Supporting this, note that at Revelation 8:4, it shows that the prayer of the holy ones ascends like the smoke of incense and Revelation 5:8 says unequivocally that the incense is the prayers of the holy ones. Thus, smoke represents, not fiery torment, but the prayers of the holy ones who thank God day and night. To support that, note that it is the "smoke of their torment" that continues forever and ever, and not their souls or any suffering on their part. Revelation 9:17-18 shows how the smoke ascends forever when they keep talking about it, as the smoke comes from their mouths.
Therefore, the smoke that ascends forever is prayers that touch on the subject of the destruction of the wicked by means of examining and drawing lessons from it. Since all its language and imagery is explained by the book of Revelation itself, and which it itself specifically calls "symbols", it must not be taken literally.
DOES REVELATION 19:20 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
Once again, this references Korah's being swallowed up by the earth, going down alive into Sheol, except in this instance, they not only go alive, they are instantly destroyed. Also, we know that the wild beast is the same type of beast as the beasts in Daniel's visions, which were merely figurative of nations. So the wild beast, the eighth world power of Bible prophecy, will come to its end in a very observable way. In some way, the figurative earth will swallow the figurative wild beast alive, and it will never return. The same with the false prophet. (Since the wild beast is clearly figurative, we can trust the false prophet to also be figurative of some organization or group of organizations that try to draw people away from Jehovah God. Deuteronomy 13:1-4; 18:20-22; Jeremiah 28:15; Matthew 7:15-20)
DOES REVELATION 20:10 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
If the souls that are thrown into the trash heap, the lake of fire, Jehovah's judgment, cease to exist, what is the torment they receive "day and night forever and ever"? See the subheading "What Was the Purpose of the Parable?" under DOES LUKE 16:19-31 PROVE FIERY TORMENT?
DOES REVELATION 20:14 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?
This actually disproves fiery torment. It not only shows what translators translate as "hell" being tossed into the "lake of fire", but calls the lake of fire "the second death". Since the first death is the end of our physical life and can be tossed into the lake of fire, then the second death is the end of any hope of having a chance at everlasting life. Their life will permanently end. A death from which there is no resurrection. (Compare Jeremiah 51:39)
So you can see there is nothing to fear from hell except ceasing to exist. Even the Church of England recently changed its stand on hell from a place of fire where souls are tortured to "nothingness" because they realized that "hell fire" is a false doctrine. Therefore, instead of giving in to Satan, we should wash our eyes of the immortal soul doctrine that Satan introduced in the garden, letting the scales fall away with the solvent coming from Jesus' mouth and then we can understand what the truth really is.
Websites and Blogs Dedicated to this Issue:
Lutheran view: Truth According to Scripture - Hell (Includes discussion of the soul)
Philadelphia Church of God's view: What Is Hell?
Other Articles:
JW.org Search: "Hell"
Hell (See subheading: "Jewish Version") - Myth Encyclopedia
Recommended Books:
Comments
This post was indeed exhaustive and informative, so forgive me if I am restating something you already said.
You mentioned that the hellfire doctrine dishonors God because it makes him cruel and vindictive, and not loving and forgiving. I'd like to show another way in which this dishonors God:
The same people who promote this false doctrine, are the same ones who say God has had a "plan" since before the creation of Adam and Eve. This means God created a literal Hell before he created humans. Yet, Hell is taught to be a punishment for sinners.
So let's break this down:
1 - God creates humans and a Hell to send them to.
2 - This means he foreknew that humans would be sinners that he would eventually send to Hell.
3 - Warns you that Hell is a punishment for "choosing" the path of sinning that he created you to do.
Are you confused? So am I, and this is why God "works in mysterious ways"....
Not only does this make God immoral, this makes him unwise and not worthy of worship. This is why Christendom is disgusting in God's eyes, because teachings such as this is why there are so many atheists.
To give an analogy to drive home the disgusting nature of this teaching, imagine that a parent warns a child that he could get sick and die from eating rat poison, and would be severely punished if he ate it. Yet, on his very dinner plate, that's exactly what the parent feeds the child, and when the child eats the poison and gets sick, the parent punished the child for "ignoring" the warning.
This is the EXACT same as saying God created a Hell, created sinners knowing they'd go to Hell, and warned them that Hell was a punishment for "choosing" sin.
When faced with the illogic and blatant ignorance of this teaching, many in Christendom run to the tripe that "God works in mysterious ways". That's the excuse they use.
If I had never learned the truth, and knowing the skeptical nature of myself, I'd probably be an atheist today.
Thank Jehovah that I learned the truth of the Bible, and not according to Christendom's lies!
Thanks to you too, CJ, for this post!
Thanks CJ, Another well researched post. The Truth is out there if any want to search for it.
Come to think about it, my barber and I had a conversation about the Rich Man parable with another customer (my barber is also a Witness).
Long story short, my goal wasn't to make him look stupid, but I simply asked him can water on a finger tip make it to Hell without completely evaporating, let alone "cool" the tongue of a burning man.
I asked him how much cooling would he get on a mild 75 degree day with just a finger tip of water. He didn't answer, because I answered for him and said he wouldn't get any cooling, because I wouldn't.
As explained, this is the reason why I never took the parable literally. Too many symbolisms that would be literally impossible.
Romans 2 shows that the sinful are right now storing up God's wrath for themselves to be expressed (in its fullness, anyway) on day of God's wrath (which happens after their death). Thus physical death doesn't satisfy God's justice for one's sins.
Hebrews 10 shows that for those who reject Jesus, something more severe than physical death (which the Mosaic Law prescribes) will befall them. But you say that this just is what befalls the wicked at the second death, contrary to what the Scriptures say.
To be exact, we believe that there will be a resurrection to the earth of ones who will have been declaired righteous by faith and those who will have a chance to yet prove themselves righteous by faith, but many of which will ultimately choose unrighteousness, perhaps even some from among those that live through the thousand years.
Ezekiel 18:4 and Romans 6:7, 23 are only a drop in the bucket concerning our beliefs about death. When Jehovah created Adam, he gave him breath and Adam " *became* a living being" or "soul" (Heb, "nephish"), (Ge 2:7) thus he did not possess a soul, but he was himself a soul made of dust and life force. And when Jehovah passed his judgment on Adam and Eve, he sentenced them to death. (Ge 2:16, 17; 3:19) This set up the need for Christ's sacrifice which saves us from eternal judgment. (Second death from which there is no resurrection.)
It would be an unjust and grievous oversight for Jehovah to condemn Adam and Eve to hellfire without first warning them of such a fate for their disobedience. Concerning judgment, the prophet Amos was inspired to write: "The Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7) So if God did not forewarn Adam of a fiery hell, then it will not happen.
Nowheree do the Scriptures say that Adam passed on the condemnation of hellfire to his descendants, but under inspiration Paul wrote, "That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned. For sin was in the world before the Law, but sin is not charged against anyone when there is no law. Nevertheless, death ruled as king from Adam down to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the same way that Adam transgressed, who bears a resemblance to the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by one man’s trespass many died, how much more did the undeserved kindness of God and his free gift by the undeserved kindness of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many! Also, it is not the same with the free gift as with the way things worked through the one man who sinned. For the judgment after one trespass was condemnation, but the gift after many trespasses was a declaration of righteousness. . . . So, then, as through one trespass the result to men of all sorts was condemnation, so too through one act of justification the result to men of all sorts is their being declared righteous for life" --Romans 5:12-18
"For life", as opposed to death. The condemnation of death is thus the very reason for Christ's sacrifice, not the condemnation of a fiery hell.
The two most popular Scriptures in the world say that everlasting life is what we get through faith in Jesus, not everlasting freedom from fiery emolation: John 3:16 and 17:3. The very term "everlasting life" reveals the possibility of "everlasting death".
Other Scriptures that speak of this absolute death are: 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 14:12, 13; Psalm 88:10-12; 115:17; 146:4; Proverbs 9:18; 21:16; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10; Isaiah 14:9-11; 26:14; 38:18; Jeremiah 51:39; John 5:28, 29; 11:11-14; Heb 1:11.
Romans 2:16 refers to a very specific day on which all will be judged at the same time. This is the future resurrection judgment spoken of by Christ at Matthew 12:41 and John 5:28, 29. At John 17:12 he clearly states that Judas was to be "destroyed".
We do not teach a judgment after death because it is not spoken of in the Bible at all. The judgment spoken of by Jesus at John 5:28, 29 occurs in the resurrection after the thousand years have ended as per Revelation 20:5-9.
I have specifically updated the part of the main post above titled "DOES REVELATION 14:9-11 PROVE BURNING ALIVE IN HELLFIRE?" just for you. I hope you find it informative.