The Gift Of God Is Eternal Life

in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

This is the Second post from Chapter 9 of Friends With God: Life After Death, that is exploring what God tells us about what may happen to us when we die.

Immortality Of The Soul And Hell Fire

As discussed in the earlier post, the reward of the saved is to be granted the gift of immortality, because there is no more death:

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,…”. (Rev 20:6)

This gift of immortality is contrasted with the second death, which is the “reward” of the unsaved:

For the wages (results) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

The Bible also tells us that “God alone has immortality” (1Tim 6:16)

God’s reward for the saved is that he is willing to give to us the gift of immortality,- that is. that we can be made his immortal Children.

• If we already had immortality in our soul, then why would God need to give it to us as a gift?

Also, how can the gift of God be eternal life, if the unrighteous also get eternal life, but in the form of eternal punishment in Hell?

As discussed in this previous post, the Bible does not teach eternal punishment in Hell.

The Immortality Of The Soul Not Taught In Scripture

The idea of Hell is closely linked with another unbiblical idea- the immortality of the soul.

Both these ideas contradict scripture, confuse people, and undermine the value of the truth about the reward of the saved.

If we have an immortal soul then it would mean that we do not need to be saved from death by being granted eternal life, because if our soul is immortal we will go on living somewhere, somehow after we have died, be it hell or heaven or somewhere else.

Yet Christ tell us:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
But rather fear Him who is able to destroy (kill) both soul and body in hell.
(Matt 10:28)

The soul is therefore not immortal as it can be destroyed by God, which is why the term “immortal soul” is not found in the Bible. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop supposed learned Bible teachers claiming we have such a thing!

If we have an immortal soul, the fact that God says there would be no more death in the future would mean nothing much, because if we are immortal now, there is no more death now, or in the future, anyway.

The idea of having an immortal soul that is living in hell, or heaven, completely ignores the need for the two resurrections, which are clearly identified throughout the New Testament.

• Why do you need to be resurrected from the grave, if you are already alive in heaven or hell?

The purpose of the second resurrection is to be “judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books”. Yet the “immortality of the soul” concept has everyone being judged in this life, and as soon as you die you are going to heaven or hell- but that is not what the Bible tells us will happen.

As stated above, Jesus tells us that the soul is mortal, because it can be killed. (Matt 10:28)

Hell For Immortal Souls?

Some scriptures do appear to say that God torments people forever in Hell, such as:

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:13-15)

But these verses do not say that those who were cast into the lake of fire were tormented forever. Eternal punishment is reserved for the Devil:

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are (were cast), and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev 20:10)

The word are is not in this verse, so we can’t say they were still there when the Devil was thrown in to the lake of fire.

The following verse seems to be saying something similar:

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt 25:41)

It is the devil and his angels for whom this everlasting fire is prepared. While it is also clear that the Lake of Fire is used for those people whose names are not written in the book of life, it does not say that these people are tormented forever. It says that being cast into the lake of fire is the “second death”, which kills them.

Death is not the same as living in a lake of fire. However, for Satan, for whom this lake of fire was prepared, it may not be any kind of death, but it could perhaps be an eternal punishment.

• Many Christians are deceived into thinking that the eternal punishment which is specifically reserved for Satan, is what God has also reserved for humans.
  But that is not the case, for humans will die in the second death, not granted a second life in Hell.

Nowhere does the Bible say that an eternal life in hell fire, or eternal flames, is reserved for wicked people.

Hell Fire?

It is interesting to look up the word Hell in a concordance. There are only 23 occurrences in the New Testament.

Only seven verses mention hell and fire in the same sentence. Of these seven, there are four occurrences that come from the parable talking about if your foot or hand offends you then cut it off as it is better for you to have one leg or one eye than having two legs or eyes and to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:42- 48, Matt 18:7-9)

This parable is clearly metaphorical, as it is not our body parts that offend us and cause us to sin. Christ is using hyperbole to emphasise the seriousness of sin.

Neither does this parable say anything about what this hell fire is like, except that it is the place “Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched”. This does not say that people are actually alive in this fire, and to read such into it would need other Biblical evidence.

Two other occurrences in the New Testament that mentions hell and fire in the same sentence are:

1. “…but whosoever shall say, “Thou fool” (to his brother), shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matt 5:22)

2. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6)

As you can see, neither of these says anything about what this hell fire actually is. If Hell were a big deal, and hell fire in particular, surely there would be some more detail about it?

• How is it that those who are in Hell are supposed to be tormented forever and ever in Hell, when, as we have already seen above in Revelation 20:13-15, Hell actually gives up the dead that are in it?

Also, Hell is thrown into the Lake of Fire, which seemingly destroys it completely too!

The concept of Hell being a place of eternal hell fire where no people ever escape from is unsupported by scripture, and is therefore added to the word of God. God warns us that such added doctrines would not be wise to adhere to:

For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (Rev 22:18)

Wrath And Fury From God?

Another reference that appears to support some kind of never-ending torment in hell is:

Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, he will give eternal life;

but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,

but glory and honour and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.” (Romans 2:4-11)

Yet these verses do not say that the “wrath and fury … tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil” will continue forever.

It however contrasts the wrath and fury of God, with the gift of eternal life from God.

• Those to whom the gift of eternal life is provided obviously don’t initially have eternal life.

• And the corollary of that is those who do not get the gift of eternal life, don’t have the ability to suffer in some never-ending punishment, as they are not eternal!

These verses therefore don’t provide any evidence for a never-ending Hell fire for those foolish and wicked sinners who reject God’s way of kindness, and goodness that is supposed to lead you to repentance.

Life In Hell Away From God?

Some people claim that eternal life in Hell is actually some kind of “exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” as Paul apparently described in 2Thessalonians 1:9. Yet the full context surrounding this verse needs to be read, to comprehend what is Paul is saying:

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2Thes 1:5-10)

It is those who afflict the righteous who will be afflicted by God. Their affliction is: They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

This does not say that they will live forever in Hell away from God, but that they will be destroyed forever. Hell is not even mentioned by Paul in this context.

It is clear that the way they suffer exclusion from the presence of the Lord is that they are punished by eternal destruction- viz death.

They suffer the second death in the lake of fire, as discussed in the previous post, and are not able to be resurrected again, therefore they will never be able to stand in the presence of the Lord and see the glory of his might.

Eternal Fire With No Rest Day Or Night?

If Paul did refer to burning in Hell when writing to the Thessalonians, then it would conflict with the following scripture, that some use to support the concept of eternal torment in hell for the wicked:

If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger,
and he shall 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 for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. (Rev 14:9-11)

This torment is to occur “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb”. Therefore, are Christ and his angels also in Hell witnessing their torment, or are they away from God’s presence, as Paul said to the Thessalonians?

In his previous letter to the Thessalonians, Paul also said all the saints will also be with Christ after his return to the Earth- “And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1Thes 4:16-17)

• Will the saints therefore also be in Hell witnessing the eternal punishing of the wicked?

The answers to these questions are, fortunately, not too complex to figure out. However, we need to realize that the Book of Revelation is full of strange images and poetic expressions. To interpret it too literally only invites confusion.

We first need to read exactly what the verse says, which is that the “smoke of their torment goes up forever”. It does not say “their tormenting goes on forever”. Even so, the next verse seems to imply that as “they have no rest, day or night” that they are being tormented forever.

But such terms are often poetic and used for dramatic purposes. A similar turn of phrase is used in scripture for what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah:

just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)

The fire that burnt Sodom and Gomorrah has now gone out, so how is it eternal?

It was a fire that did the job of obliterating the towns eternally. Yet, if those in Sodom and Gomorrah have been subjected to eternal punishment, why then will they also be in the second resurrection?

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment (the second resurrection) for the land of Sodom than for you." (Matt 11:23-24)

So those who died in Sodom will be in the second resurrection of judgment, even though they suffered eternal fire that destroyed them.

The eternal fire suffered by Sodom is commonly used as a metaphor to illustrate what is to come when Christ returns:

Likewise as it was in the days of Lot -- they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all
-- so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed. Luke 17:28-30

The same “eternal fire” that was used on Sodom will also be used on those physical people who resist Christ on the day of his return to the Earth. This eternal fire is therefore not something that lasts forever but does its job without being stopped by anyone.

Similarly, the eternal smoke of Revelation 14, is not something that keeps on rising upwards from some kind of never-ending source of fuel. It is rather something that is so powerful a witness that it will always be remembered, like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

And, like those in Sodom and Gomorrah, those who are killed by the fire at Christ’s return will also be in the second resurrection to Judgment, when all those who have died will be resurrected back to physical life.

The next post in this series will look at the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man, and will explain why it has nothing to do with heaven or hell.