The State of Hell and What It Is - Part 2

The Rich Man & Lazarus

Doesn't the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 teach an eternal hell of torment?

No!! It is simply a parable used to emphasize a point.  Many facts make it clear that this is a parable.....such as.....
Abraham's bosom is not heaven (Hebrews 11:8-10, 16). People in hell can't talk to those in heaven (Isaiah 65: 17). The dead are in their graves (Job 17:13; John 5:28, 29).  The rich man was in bodily form with eyes, a tongue, etc., yet we know that the body does not go to hell at death.  It is very obvious that the body remains in the grave, as the Bible says. Men are rewarded at Christ's second coming, not at death (Revelation 22:11, 12). The lost are punished in hell at the end of the world, not when they die (Matthew 13:40-42). 

 

The point of the story is found in verse 31 of Luke 16.  Parables cannot be taken literally.  If we took parables literally, then we must believe that trees talk!  (See this parable in Judges 9:8-15). By representing the beggar as being in heaven and the rich man as lost, Jesus taught His hearers that, contrary to the prevailing view, wealth was not necessarily an indicator of divine favor, just as poverty was not a sign of God's judgment upon a person. Jesus was also seeking to educate the Jews that salvation would not be theirs by birthright.  The rich man in torments calls out to "father Abraham," just as the Jews of Jesus' day were mistakenly pointing to heritage as proof of their assurance of salvation. Furthermore, Jesus was seeking to lead His hearers to understand that only faithfulness to God's Word would prepare them to enter into eternal life.  He told them, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).To use the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in order to promote the false doctrine of an eternally burning hell is to misuse God's Word and to misrepresent His character.

Other points are that the Bible says plainly that the righteous dead will receive new bodies at Christ’s return (1 Corinthians 15:51,52) and the risen wicked a thousand years later (Revelation 20:5). So this story contradicts the plain words of the Bible by giving new bodies before the second coming. In light of all this, it seems clear that the story again cannot be literal and must be a parable. Why would Jesus not plainly state that the story is a parable? Ok so let’s identify the audience. According to verse 14, Christ is speaking to the Pharisees. The Pharisees believed and taught many things that were not according to the Scriptures. Among them was that the Jews, upon their death, would go to Abraham’s bosom to live in paradise. This version of the belief in an immortal soul had its roots in the kingdom of Babylon, not in the Scriptures, and was not universally accepted by the Jewish people. (The Sadducees, another leading religious group, disbelieved in any resurrection at all.) Therefore, because Christ was speaking specifically to the Pharisees, He used their own language to emphasize His point. The Pharisees also viewed earthly wealth as a sign of God’s favor. Thus, when Christ told the story about the rich man going to hell while the beggar found comfort in heaven, He was directly attacking this idea. In combination with the language of Abraham’s bosom, the Pharisees knew exactly what Christ meant, which was that the Pharisees were incorrect in their traditions, understandings, and teachings. Christ repeatedly drew His listeners back to the Old Testament Scriptures such as (John 5:39, Matthew 22:29, Luke 24:27). So we should look at the abundance of Scriptural evidence that supports the sleep of death while awaiting the resurrection to draw our conclusions about death, rather than a single story that is illogical unless understood as a parable. Additionally, Christ Himself taught that the dead sleep in their graves until they hear His voice (John 5:25). So in my mind I think it’s clear, that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus does not support the idea of immediate life in heaven or hell after death.

Unquenchable Fire

Why does the Bible say that the wicked will be destroyed with unquenchable fire?

Unquenchable fire is fire that cannot be put out, but which goes out when it has turned everything to ashes.  Remember that Jeremiah 17:27 says Jerusalem was to be destroyed with unquenchable fire, and in 2 Chronicles 36:19-21 the Bible says this fire burned the city "to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah" and left it desolate.  Yet we know this fire went out, because Jerusalem is not burning today haha.

The word to quench means to extinguish or put out.  No one will be able to put out the fire of hell.  That is the strange fire of God.  No one will be able to escape from it by extinguishing it.  Isaiah talks about that fire, "Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before it" (Isaiah 47:14).  After it has accomplished its work of destruction, that fire will go out.  No one can deliver themselves from its flame by putting it out, but finally not a coal will be left says the Scriptures.

Forever and Ever

But the Bible speaks of the wicked being tormented "forever," doesn't it?
The term "for ever," as used in the Bible, means simply a period of time, limited or unlimited.  It is used 56 times in the Bible in connection with things that have already ended.  It is like the word "tall," which means something different in describing men, trees, or mountains.  In Jonah 2:6, "for ever" means "three days and nights." (See also Jonah 1:17.) In Deuteronomy 23:3, this means "10 generations."  In the case of man, this means "as long as he lives" or "until death."  (See 1 Samuel 1:22, 28; Exodus 21:6; Psalm 48:14.). So the wicked will burn in the fire as long as they live, or until death. This fiery punishment for sin will vary according to the degree of sins for each individual, but after the punishment, the fire will go out.  The teaching of eternal torment has done more to drive people to atheism and insanity than any other invention of the devil.  It is slander upon the loving character of a tender, gracious heavenly Father and has done untold harm to the Christian cause and name itself.