Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. –Revelation 20:15 (NKJV)–
The cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. –Revelation 21:8 (NKJV)–
The smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night. –Revelation 14:11 (NKJV)–
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One of the key questions regarding interpreting these Scriptures is the nature of eternity. The Bible applies terminology for eternity to both salvation and judgment (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 18:8; 25:41, 46; Hebrews 6:2; Jude 7). What does eternity mean in these contexts?
One way of interpreting eternity is that it means “everlasting” or “unending.” Another way some interpret eternal is “the age to come” (in contrast to this age, which will go away). For example, Matthew 25:46 uses the phrase “eternal [aionion] punishment.” Some deny that this means eternal in the sense of absolutely unending. In the same verse, however, Jesus uses the same word of “eternal life” (aionion) in a manner that is directly and exactly parallel. In other words, eternal punishment will be as everlasting as eternal life.
Another New Testament passage refers to eternal punishment as “eternal judgment,” a judgment that is valid eternally (Hebrews 6:2). This “everlasting destruction” (or separation) is “from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). In these passages the word death speaks of spiritual death or separation from God. Therefore, eternal judgment brings a final and eternal separation from God.
The rich man of Luke 16:19-31, already in torment, seeks easing of his pain and asks that a warning go to his brothers. He never asks for reconciliation with God. His rejection is ongoing. Near the end of John’s vision, the angel says, “Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” (Revelation 22:11).
The Bible offers no possibility of repentance after death nor a lessening of the torment of separation from God (Luke 16:23-26). Some call universalism “God’s favorite heresy” for its picture of none perishing. We understand God to be at work saving all who will be saved according to their will. The Assemblies of God teaches that humans retain the power to resist God’s grace regardless of His will.
Dr. Peterson occasionally plays around with the “symbolic hell fire imagery” concept, so I can’t say that he’s my absolute favorite, but even then he’s a hell fire literalist for the most part, and a staunch defender of eternal conscious punishment in that unquenchable fire, whatever its actual properties may be. His books are heavily Bible infused and they take it to be the inspired Word of God at face value; and they answer most of the intellectual questions raised by annihilationism and universalism. Most conservative seminaries recommend his books. All the other writers preach and defend hell fire as absolutely literal–Rice, Vincent, Edwards, Gerstner, and Spurgeon–but they might distinguish between natural earthly fire and a supernatural hell fire that is described as the burning wrath of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Rice is my favorite as of this date. –J.B.
Dr. John R. Rice, Hell! What the Bible Says About It (Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1942).
Thomas Vincent, Fire and Brimstone (SDG, 1999).
Jonathan Edwards, The Wrath of Almighty God (SDG, 1996).
Dr. John Gerstner, Heaven and Hell: Jonathan Edwards on the Afterlife (Baker Books, 1984)
—. Repent or Perish: With a Special Reference to the Conservative Attack on Hell (SDG, 1990).
Charles Spurgeon, Sermons on Heaven and Hell (Hendrickson, 2016).
Dr. Robert Peterson, Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment (P&R, 1995).
—, ed. Hell Under Fire (Zondervan, 2004).
—, ed. Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go to Heaven? (Zondervan, 2011).
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