Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV) Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 10:28 (NIV) Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

1 John 3:15 (NIV) Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Ezekiel 18:4 (NIV) For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

Ezekiel 18:20 (NIV) The one who sins is the one who will die.

John 3:36 (NIV) Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

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

Many today believe hell does exist and it is full of evil people who will burn for eternity. Is this story fact or could it be nothing more than an old wives’ tale that has been passed down from one generation to the next? Well, like other wives’ tales it does have a grain of truth, but most of the opening sentence is rooted in cultural myths and misconceptions. The grain of truth is hell does exist, but everything else is not based on scripture.  There is a lot to break down here so let’s begin by finding answers in God’s Word.

Hell, as we know it, is currently empty and not populated with non-believers. Yes, this statement is accurate. Sinners will not be thrown into the lake of fire until the Second Resurrection (ref. Revelation 20:11-15). The Second Resurrection is when the book of life is opened and all “were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” So, we are not judged as soon as we die? No. According to Revelation 20:13 “The sea gave up the dead that were in it” and “each person was judged according to what they had done.” The “sea” refers to everyone who ever died and each was judged according to what they had done. Nobody has yet to be judged. So, the lake of fire is currently empty and waiting for the Second Resurrection to commence.

 The final, and most important question that needs to be answered is, “Do we burn in the lake of fire (hell) forever?” Let’s begin by reviewing Ezekiel 18:20 which says, “The one who sins is the one who will die.” The word “die” assumes the soul will no longer exist. Romans 6:23 drills down deeper on this logic and states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This scripture clearly calls out the difference between sin and eternal life. “Sin is death” and eternal life is a “gift of God.” It does not say the wages of sin is eternal life in hell fire, but death, which, by definition, is the absence of life. If you already have an immortal soul and eternal life, then you do not need it as a gift from God. You need the gift of eternal life because you were not born with it. Also, Revelation 20:10 states the only ones who will burn for ever and ever in the lake of fire are Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet.

So, let’s summarize what we have learned. Our current understanding of hell seems to be an old wives’ tale. The lake of fire, better known as hell, is currently empty because the Second Resurrection (a.k.a. Judgement Day) has yet to take place and lost souls will be thrown into the lake of fire, but they will not burn forever, but instead lost souls will “die”, or cease to exist. So, even though you may not burn in the lake of fire for ever and ever, your soul will “die”. This punishment may be worse because you will be disconnected from God and miss out on experiencing eternity in a place that will be amazing.