Do People Burn In Hell?

Name: Janice
Question: I don’t agree with your response to, where do people go when they die? What about those that go to hell?

Answer: Thanks for the question Janice.

I think your disagreement comes from a misunderstanding of what “hell” actually is. “Hell” can refer to the “grave,” “the place of departed souls,” or even the Lake of Fire. I’ll explain the difference. However, we must remember that our spirit returns to God when we die, whether we are good or bad.

Let me explain, and I’ll provide the Biblical evidence.

We Return To God When We Die

First, I want to ensure we all understand, once we pass away, we return to God.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Make note, that was not a conditional statement.

It doesn’t matter if we’re a good or bad person, our spirit will return to God when we die. In fact, that’s exactly what Jesus told the criminal on the cross, (Luke 23:43).

The New Testament also explains,

“…to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:8

Again, that’s not a conditional statement, it’s just a fact of life.

Once we die, we will return to God.

However, that doesn’t mean things will be all warm and chummy in the Heavenly realm!

What we must understand is there are essentially two sides in Heaven.

The Two Sides Of Heaven

The good side and the bad side.

I know some people are scratching their head. Yet, we have to bring the entirety of Scripture together in order to truly understand it. We can do that by referencing what Jesus explained in Luke 16:19-31. There we read about Lazarus and the Rich man, which is not a parable…

There, we find that Lazarus (good man) and the Rich Man (bad man) are both in Heaven.

Look what Scripture explains…

Luke 16:22-23
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar [Lazarus] died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

All right, so this beggar is Lazarus, he died, but now he’s in Heaven, there with Abraham. However, the Rich Man also died, and he’s clearly there in Heaven as well. I mean, he can see Abraham and Lazarus! However, Scripture says the Rich Man was in “hell.”

Doesn’t that create a contradiction?

Absolutely not!

You see, everyone envisions “hell” as a place with fiery flames, but that’s just not true.

I mean, how could “hell” as we envision it also be in Heaven?

It can’t.

Yet, Scripture said, the Rich Man was in “hell,” and he could see Abraham and Lazarus, who are certainly in Heaven. So then, we need to break this down so we can understand it…

In reality, the Rich Man is on the wrong side of the Gulf in Heaven. That would be where the “spirits in prison” reside. Remember, once Jesus was crucified on the cross, He went to those “spirits in prison” in an attempt to save them, (1 Peter 3:18-19).

Clearly, they were not good spirits, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been in “prison.”

Now, all of that is in “Heaven,” being the place where God dwells. When we die, we return to God, but that doesn’t mean we are located on the right side of Heaven. If we refused to follow God and lived an unGodly life, then we’re on the wrong side of the Gulf in Heaven, right there with the Rich Man and those “spirits in prison.”

However, if we adhered to God’s Word, and since the time of Jesus, followed Him, then we’ll find ourselves there with Abraham on the good side of the Gulf in Heaven.

All right, we got that.

What Is Hell?

Now that we understand, once we pass away we return to God, we need to discuss the definition of “hell.”

In the New Testament, the word “hell” actually comes from three different Greek words. If you don’t understand this part, you’re going to stay confused about this subject. So let’s take it slow here.

Hades

In Luke 16:23, we were told the Rich Man was in “hell,” which is the Greek word “hadēs,” and it means,

…the place (state) of departed souls: – grave, hell.

Notice, the definition says nothing about a place with an eternal flame.

Instead, “hell” is a reference to the “grave” or “the place of departed souls.” Being, the wrong side of the Gulf in Heaven where the “spirits in prison” reside.

Now, let’s look at one more word in the New Testament that’s also translated as “hell” in our Bibles…

Geenna

Turn your Bible with me to the words of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

I want you to understand, the word “destroy” means,

To destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: – destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.

“Destroy” doesn’t mean linger around, and it doesn’t mean “burn in hell forever.”

Destroy means, cease to exist.

Now, when Jesus said “fear Him” in this verse, He was referring to our Heavenly Father who can, and will, destroy not only the body, but our spirit in “hell.” Look, the Rich Man certainly wasn’t destroyed, and neither are those “spirits in prison” that Jesus visited.

So, that means we need to look up the meaning of “hell,” as used in this verse as well.

“Hell” is the Greek word “geenna,” and it means,

Valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment: – hell.

In this context, Jesus is telling us about the “Lake of Fire,” which describes the eternal and permanent death of our spirit.

Now, put this together for me…

Jesus said, God will destroy the spirit of people in “hell.”

• That cannot refer to the “hell” the Rich Man was in.
• That cannot refer to the “spirits in prison.”

Why?

• The Rich Man’s spirit was alive, he was not dead.
• The “spirits in prison” were alive, that’s why Jesus was preaching to them.

So then, Jesus was talking about eternal damnation, which is the destruction of our very spirit. Make no mistake about it, the Rich Man and the “spirits in prison” are not in good standing with God. In fact, they’re in danger of eternal damnation, if they do not correct themselves during the Millennium.

Now, none of us are the judge.

We have to remember, the Millennium is about providing an opportunity to accept God, for those who never had such an opportunity. So then, no spirit will be destroyed until the end of the Millennium. That’s the final “Judgement Day,” when the wicked are cast into the Lake of Fire, and the righteous are rewarded.

The Lake Of Fire

Let’s read about it…

Revelation 20:14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Did you catch that?

“Death” and “hell,” being the “grave,” are destroyed by the “Lake of Fire.”

That clearly tells us, “hell” as we commonly think of it, is not the “Lake of Fire.”

We can be certain of this, as Revelation 20:10 explains, “…the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire,” and the “Devil” is Satan, (Revelation 20:2). Now, way back in Ezekiel 28:18, God promised that Satan would be turned to “ashes.”

“Ashes,” that describes absolute and permanent destruction.

Therefore, all wicked people will be “destroyed” in the Lake of Fire, but not until the end of the Millennium.

Summary

We now know, everyone’s spirit returns to God when we pass away.

Good people will be there with Abraham, while bad people will join the likes of the Rich Man, along with the “spirits in prison.” They will remain there until Judgement Day, when everyone will be rewarded according to their works, whether they be good or bad, (Revelation 20:13).

At that moment, the Devil, including death and “hell” will be “destroyed” in the Lake of Fire, along with the wicked. They will not “burn forever,” as Jesus said they will be “destroyed.” Moreover, what sort of blissful paradise would the eternity be like, if people were screaming in pain until the end of time?

That starkly contrasts with one of the final peaceful promises in the Bible…

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:4

Once the wicked are destroyed, that will be the end of sorrow, crying, and pain.

No one will live in eternal torment, God promised it, and He meant it.