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2. UNBELIEVERS ETERNALLY ENDURE
A selection of verses used to assert the view that unbelievers will eternally endure the lake of fire, with brief commentary.
1. And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24)
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Here we see the dead. All flesh (the believers who are still alive in God’s Kingdom) see these unconscious corpses. We know they are unconscious because they are dead bodies. We are physical beings who live by the breath of life (Genesis 2:7, 6:3,17), thus being without the breath of life these people are dead (Job 34:14-15, Psalms 104:29, 146:4, James 2:26). Three things are here spoken of them; ‘the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.’
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The first, ‘their worm shall not die’, uses parabolic language to make it clear that there will be no eventual resurrection. This ‘worm’ biblically represents death or its corruption (as seen in Job 17:14, 21:26, Isaiah 14:11 and 51:8). While the first death will have an end, and thus the worm dies, the second death will be followed by no second resurrection.
The second phrase (‘their fire shall not be quenched’) shows how they shall perish. The fact it cannot be quenched reiterates what Isaiah previously had recorded, ‘the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame.’ (Isaiah 47:14) Finally, we read that ‘they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.’ Interestingly, this word ‘abhorrence’ is only found twice in Scripture (here and Daniel 12:2) and speaks, not of one's own experience, but of how a person is viewed. In this case, the word denotes their future status for all generations as ‘all flesh’ looks upon them (since, biblically, one’s name and reputation carry significance). There is nothing here that speaks of the eternal consciousness of the unbeliever.
2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)
Here we find mention of the everlasting nature of God’s judgment; both for the believer and unbeliever. This is important, again to prevent the false view that sinners will eventually be released and restored to life. The other message carried in proclaiming the finality and eternality of ‘the second death’ is that everlasting life is as lasting as death with no resurrection. Some have sought to shed doubt on the Hebrew or Greek words for ‘eternal’, and this side-by-side contrast slams down the hammer once and for all.
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Of course, The Holy Spirit clarified that the conscious existence (or life) of the wicked will not continue alongside the believers. Instead of ‘everlasting life’ being contrasted with ‘everlasting shame’, it is contrasted with ‘shame and everlasting contempt’. The word for ‘shame’ is used of the dead in Jeremiah 44:12. The word ‘contempt’ appears in only one other place in Scripture (the final verse of Isaiah). Isaiah uses it to speak of the status of ‘the dead bodies’ of the wicked (Isaiah 66:24). In other words, ‘everlasting contempt’ is not an eternal conscious experience but an eternally negative reputation. Reputation and legacy are surely all the dead have left and even these are taken away. There is nothing here that speaks of the eternal consciousness of the unbeliever.
3. "Weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12, 13:42,50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30, Luke 13:28)
We know there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in the judgment. Every judgment of God which ends in death begins in suffering. From the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah, even to the cross of our Saviour, there was great suffering. The picture of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is often used by Jesus to signify the sorrow of being “cast out” from the light of the Kingdom (Luke 13:28) and at other times the suffering of the lake of fire (Matt 13:42,50). The focus in each instance of this phrase is the sorrow that occurs in being cast out, away from God’s presence, and the anguish of the suffering. However you take this phrase, there is nothing here that speaks of the eternal consciousness of the unbeliever.
4. "Eternal fire" (Matthew 18:8-9, 25:41)
We read here of the contrast between entering “life” and being “thrown into the eternal fire.” Clearly, the one who does not enter life does not eternally live or consciously exist. There is no reason to assume that they would. Fire, as far as we know, consumes and destroys. It does not allow for continuous existence. Without the false doctrine of the immortal soul, this verse would not hint at anything close to eternal conscious existence. The fire being ‘eternal’ simply means it will ‘not be quenched’ (Isaiah 66:24). It was made eternal because it was made for immortal beings (not humans) — Jesus called it “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). We see this in Revelation 20, where the devil ‘will be tormented day and night forever and ever’ (v.10) in the same lake of fire that is called ‘the second death’ (v.14) for mortal humans. Once again, there is nothing here that speaks of the eternal consciousness of the unbeliever.
5. "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46)
We know throughout Scripture that the death of the unbeliever is as eternal as the life of the saved. Here the punishment is contrasted with life, because it is (as we see elsewhere), ‘death’. This is an important truth since there will be no resurrection from the second death! Eternal consciousness is assumed by some in this verse because they presuppose that the doctrine of the immortal soul is biblical. Once again, we find a very clear Scripture that is no contradiction to ‘the wages of sin’ being ‘death’ (Romans 6:23). There is nothing here that speaks of the eternal consciousness of the unbeliever.
6. 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' (Mark 9:48)
Here Jesus describes ‘hell’ (which in the Greek referred to a real burning place called Gehenna, or the Valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem - renamed the Valley of Slaughter in Jeremiah 7:32-33). He speaks of those who are cast there (who obviously would die) and quotes Isaiah 66:24 which describes the ‘dead bodies of the men who have rebelled’ against God. We read of ‘their worm’, which biblically represents death or its corruption (Job 17:14, 21:26, Isaiah 14:11 and 51:8). While the worm of the present dead will die (in other words the corruption of death will come to an end at the resurrection), the worm of those who die in the second death will not die (death will hold them forever). Finally, 'the fire is not quenched’ since it is eternal, having been ‘prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matthew 25:41). There is nothing here that speaks of the eternal consciousness of the unbeliever.
7. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
Here we see a parable that speaks of torment. The first thing we must keep in mind when reading this is that the conversation between the two dead people occurs before the resurrection and final judgment (while the rich man’s brothers are still alive) and thus cannot be referring to the Lake of Fire. Also, it is clear that (biblically) dead people cannot communicate with each other. Instead, being a parable (a fictional story used to make a greater point), it seems to make use of unbiblical imagery from Hebrew culture (such as Abraham’s Bosom and common interpretations of Hades) to explain the anguish and suffering of the biblical judgment and the finality of God’s judgment. There is nothing here that speaks of the eternal consciousness of the unbeliever.
8. And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." (Revelation 14:9-11)
Here is a passage that speaks of eternal smoke following torments ‘in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb’ (Rev 14:10). It is not the torments that are eternal (clearly they will not be tormented in our Saviour’s presence forever), but instead, it is the ‘smoke of their torment’ which ‘goes up forever and ever’. Biblically, smoke that ascends forever speaks of complete desolation - for instance, that of Edom (Isaiah 34:10) or Babylon (Revelation 19:3) - its eternal rising signifies the finality of their end. This is confirmed by the fact that Edom is ‘turned into pitch’ (Isaiah 34:9), Babylon, ‘found no more’ (Revelation 18:21) and both are ‘laid waste’ (Isaiah 34:10, Revelation 18:19).
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Thus, the Holy Spirit ensured that it was ‘the smoke’ that alone is said to go up forever and ever. Neither the drinking of ‘the wine of God’s wrath’, nor the being ‘tormented’ is said to be eternal. Some, however, connect the eternality of ‘the smoke of their torment’ to their ‘no rest day or night’. There is no reason to connect the two - especially when considering that they could not possibly be tormented in the presence of the Lamb forever and ever. Revelation is not always in chronological order, and in this case, seems to make use of a common biblical sentence structure called an inverted parallelism (as seen in the chart below). With this in mind, eternality (once again) is only seen in the finality of the destruction of the unbeliever.
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9. and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
Here we finally come across ONE phrase that we’d expect to find written of unbelievers if they are immortal! But it’s not talking about unbelievers. It’s talking of the devil, the beast and the false prophet. The beast and false prophet are identified as ‘demonic spirits’ a little earlier in Revelation (16:13-14). Just 4 verses later, we read of the judgment of humans: 'This is the second death, the lake of fire.' (Revelation 20:14) with no mention of eternal torment. Thus, we must ask, if the Bible is written for humans (not Satan), why does it make clear that Satan will be tormented forever, but never once says anything of the sort regarding humans?
10. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:13-15)
The fact that this passage has been presented as a proof text of eternal conscious suffering shows the power of preconception. The lake of fire is called ‘the second death’ for those whose names are not in ‘the book of life’. Yet we picture these judged people as having immortal souls and thus don’t hear the clear words; ‘death’ contrasted with ‘life’. What is most interesting here is that just a few verses earlier, Satan’s judgment (who is immortal) is to be ‘tormented day and night forever and ever’ in that same lake (Revelation 20:10). The beast and false prophet share the same description for they, too, are ‘demonic spirits’ (Revelation 16:13-14). God so easily could have described (mortal) man’s judgment in a similar way, but instead describes it here as ‘the second death’.