Chapter 7

The Death of Death and Death of Hell

DEATH AND HELL WERE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH.

REVELATION 20:14

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT

death itself will be cast into the lake of fire and there it will be eradicated. the same is true for hell AND ITS OCCUPANTS.

The elders went to John's house the following week to continue their discussion about whether the unredeemed will die as a result of the final judgment or be kept alive in hell and tortured forever. They expected to continue where they left off, but John had a different question to ask them.

When they had settled in front of the fire with their Bibles and cups of tea, John asked something that they did not expect. "Let me ask you this," said John. "Is hell itself eternal?"

This question troubled the First Elder, who had already been convinced that John was gravely mistaken about practically everything. “Do you question that too!” He asked. “Are you saying that hell ends?" His voice was rising. "Has God informed you that He will destroy hell?"

“Yes, He did, actually." Said John. "Hell itself may remain but the occupants of hell are going to die because death is the wage of sin and they have rejected the Savior who died that death for them. He is going to form a world where there will be neither death nor hell. You can read all about it in Revelation 20:14. God throws both death and hell in the Lake of Fire."

... Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.1

"So what?" Asked the First Elder. "That does not say that Hell is not eternal"

"Right." Said the Second Elder. "Revelation 20:10 says that Satan will be tormented in hell forever and ever, so hell has to be eternal."

"Not quite," said John. "Revelation 20:10 says that Satan will be tormented forever in the Lake of Fire, not in hell. So, it is the Lake of Fire is eternal, not hell."

"So what difference does it make whether the unredeemed are tortured forever in the Lake of Fire or in Hell. It's the same thing."

"No," said John. "It is not the same thing at all."

"What difference does it make?" Asked the Second Elder.

"It makes a big difference," said John, "because no one is ever thrown into hell as a result of the final judgment. Hell is a 'holding-place' for the unredeemed souls before the final judgment. Hell itself is thrown into the Lake of Fire and that act is referred to as the Second Death. So, they are two different things."

"Ok. They merge," said the First Elder.

"Again, not so." Said John, "Because hell itself dies when it is thrown into the Lake of Fire."

"Preposterous!" Said the First Elder. "That is nowhere in scripture."

"Try Revelation 20:14," said John:

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The First Elder responded, "All that passage means is that hell is thrown into the lake of fire and everybody in it. 'Second Death' is just another name for 'Lake of Fire.' When it says 'This is the Second Death' it means that the Lake of Fire is called the Second Death."

"So, what dies in the Second Death?" Asked John.

"What do you mean What dies in the Second Death? Asked the First Elder.

"Well," said John, "Scripture says 'death.' What dies in this death?"

"Nothing dies in the Second Death." Said the First Elder. "It's just a name. Satan and all of the unredeemed remain fully conscious and feeling pain and they are burned alive forever."

"So why," asked the Second Elder "does the Bible call it the 'Second Death' if nothing dies in it."

"Just a name." Said the First Elder.

"Well, then what about death? Death dies in the Lake of Fire." Said John."

"What do you mean?" Asked the Second Elder.

"Death can't die," said the First Elder, rather perplexed.

"Revelation 20:14," said John, "which is the scripture I just quoted, says that death was cast into the lake of fire as well as hell and then calls it the second death. Now look at Revelation 21:4."

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.

"Well," said the First Elder, "all that means is that there is no more death."

"Right," said John, "After death is thrown into the Lake of Fire and this is called the 'Second Death,' there is no more death. Death is totally eradicated."

The Second Elder looked up from his Bible, "You're saying that…"

"Death died in the Second Death." Said John. "And so did hell. Whoever and whatever dies the Second Death dies. That is why it is called the Second Death. It is not just a nickname for the Lake of Fire."

"And those passages about the wages of sin being death and all, those passages refer to humans and not to Satan because the wages of sin for Satan is not death but eternal torment." Said the Second Elder.

"Right." Said John.

"Satan deserves eternal torment." Said the Second Elder.

"Right." Said John. "You have Ezekiel saying that the soul that sins will die2 and Paul saying that the wages of sin is death3 and then you have Christ saying that He paid for our sins and saves us from death4 and you have Revelation saying that the part of the unredeemed in the Lake of Fire is the 'Second Death.'5 You can pretty well conclude that all those scriptures are saying that the penalty for human sin is death and that the death-penalty occurs in the Second Death. And it's obvious that Jesus does not save us from the first death because everybody dies in the first death whether they are saved or not."

"So, is that why you always hear pastors teaching that Jesus died the death-penalty for us?" Asked the Second Elder.

"Yes," said John. "It is a death penalty and the final judgment is called the Second Death. Does that ring a bell? There is a death-penalty for sin and a second death following the final judgment."

"Everyone either goes to heaven or hell forever but no one ever actually dies." Said the First Elder. "That is what we believe."

"So the Second Death can't be death?" Asked John.

"Right," said the First Elder, "It means separation from God, not actual death."

"And when death is thrown into the Lake of Fire and is completely eradicated, does that mean that Death is separated from God? Or is it something else?"

"Something else, of course because death can't be separated from God. Separation from God only occurs to humans."

"Ok," said John that means the word for death can mean at two things. That's two definitions of the same word. Now what about when hell encounters the second death, is it totally eradicated like death?"

"No!" Said the First Elder. "Hell is eternal!"

"Ok. So hell is not eradicated like death and its not separated from God, like humans. What happens to it?"

"Well, hell never dies so it does not mean total eradication. And it doesn't mean separation from God. It means eternal existence to the unredeemed can exist in horrible pain forever. That's how much God hates sin. He's burning them alive forever."

"So when hell dies, it means nothing. Nothing happens to hell?"

"Right. Hell is eternal and nothing happens to it in a second death."

"Ok." Said John. "So that is the third definition of the same Greek word for death."

"You have to understand the meaning from the correct doctrine." Said the First Elder.

"So the doctrine determines the meaning of the words? And the meanings of the words do not determine the doctrine?" Asked John.

"Of course." Said the First Elder.

"So you have given us three meanings for death in order to accommodate the doctrine of eternal torment. The first meaning you give is 'separation from God;' the second meaning you give is 'total eradication;' and the third definition for death that you give is eternal existence."

"Right." Said the First Elder.

"And did you notice," said John "That none of those definitions mean plain and simple death, which is the cessation of life, consciousness and feeling?"

"Right," said the First Elder.

"But no one ever really dies," said John. "Everyone just passes on to an eternity in heaven or hell so the simple-death definition is simply wrong?"

"Right."

"So there are now only three definitions and none of the dictionaries and Greek Lexicons are correct. So, it seems that since the doctrine of eternal torment is presumed to be true, you must re-define the word for death to suit it?"

"Right," said the First Elder. "Death in the Bible means separation from God mostly."

"Tell me about the new heavens and the new earth." Asked the Second Elder.

"After the final judgment," said John "God will create a new heavens and a new earth. There is no more hell, and no more pain, no more tears, no more wailing and gnashing of teeth and no more torment except for Satan, the anti-Christ and the false prophet who will be tormented forever. The first heaven and the first earth will have passed away. Here are the scriptures:"

And I say a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away…

And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain; the first things have passed away…6

He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But the…unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.7

"The imaginary cauldron burning sinners for the rest of eternity never occurs because after the judgment they all die in the second death. That is why the scripture refers to it as the second death. Those people are excluded from the new heavens and the new earth because they are dead. They have no more pain, no more sorrow, and they have no more feeling than a dead body has feeling. Their dead bodies will be retained as a graphic testament that the wages of sin is death. They will become what Isaiah saw: dead bodies eaten by worms:

As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me, declares the Lord, so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me, says the Lord. And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.8

"But the lake of fire sill exists," said the Second Elder.

"Yes and Satan is tormented eternally in it." Said John. "Satan is excluded from the new heavens and the new earth not just because he is Satan but because he is not a man and the new heavens and the new earth are for mankind.

Behold the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them. And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death…"9

"But the Antichrist is a man." Said the Second Elder. "And he is tormented eternally right along side of Satan."

"I have always presumed him to be a man," said John, "but scripture (Revelation 13) never says so. Scripture says that the Antichrist is a "beast." That is an allegory to be sure, but when it refers to the number of the beast, scripture carefully avoids stating that the beast is a man (human). Instead it says,

Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man and his number is six hundred and sixty six.10

Why would scripture be careful to say that his number is the number of a man if the antichrist is a man with a man's number?

"Interesting." Said the Second Elder. "I expect it would be the same for the false prophet as well."

"Perhaps." Said John. "But it is pure speculation on my part. I don't really know. But what I do know is that the un-holy trinity, whatever they are, will be tormented for eternity in the lake of fire-alone.

"I still have much to ponder." Said the Second Elder.

“Do you see how it fits when the doctrinal error is removed?" Said John. "When Christ said that "everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die,"11 He was not referring to a state of "un-dead" where there is a real dead body but no real death. He was referring to the Second Death where the resurrected body and soul would (except for Christ) die and remain dead for the rest of eternity."

I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies…12

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.13

"So, the first death is the death of the body." Said John. "But it is rarely presented that way because death in the Bible has been re-defined to mean separation. What a mess we have made of the very well-defined scriptural explanation. We now have a mishmash of no one ever really dying but everyone living forever in either heaven or hell. And the Christian is deprived of the very core of scriptural comfort at a time when he needs it most."

"What do you mean?" Asked the Second Elder.

"Well," said John, "if death in the Bible means separation, when the Christian dies, he does not really die because he is never separated from God. That is a nice thought but it is cold comfort to those who are facing their own very real death. Saying that you don't really die does not square with observable reality.

"For instance, if you believe that death means separation you may tell the dying this:

You have only days to live, but take heart; you are not really going to die because the Bible teaches us that death is not really death. It is only separation from God and you will never be separated from God because you have trusted in Christ and Christ said even though you die you will live. Therefore, no matter what those doctors say, you are not really going to die.

But if you recognize that death is truly death and that there are two deaths you might say something like this:

You have only days to live; but take heart. There are two deaths, not just one, and you will die only the first one. The first one is the death of the body. Your body will die, but your soul, the real you, will not. You (your soul), has been given eternal life and later you will received a new, resurrected body at a later time.

"That way," continued John, "the actual death of the body is not questioned."

"So the death-is-not-death explanation is not really…" said the Second Elder.

"Credible." Said John. "We are depriving the dying of the scriptural assurance that comes from theology that actually fits. Instead of teaching them that there are two distinct deaths and that Jesus Christ saves us from the second but not the first, we give them a mishmash of not-really-dying foolishness when they know that their own real death is imminent. They smile and nod and perhaps they are glad to see you go. And when we tell them that this is what the Bible teaches, what does that do to their faith? They are going to die just like everyone else and you are telling them that death is not really death!"

John continued, "Basically, you have to tell someone something more than just 'Christ said you would live forever so you are not really going to die' because that person is going to die and they know it. Instead say, yes your body is going to die, but your soul, who is the real you, will not. That is what Christ meant when He said 'If anyone keeps My word He will never see death.14'"

"So we tell them that there are two real deaths, but that they have to die only the first one?"

"Yes. Tell them the truth. Christ died the second death for you. He died in your place; His death was your death and His resurrection will be your resurrection."

"Tell them that," said John. "Tell them the Truth."