Lake of Fire

Biblical Text

The term "lake of fire" appears only in the New Testament book of Revelation. Besides "lake of fire," the New Korean Revised Version also renders it as "lake burning with brimstone" and "lake of fire and brimstone."

• Revelation 19:20: The beast and the false prophet are "cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." The beast is commonly identified with the Antichrist.
• Revelation 20:10: The devil (Satan), who deceived the nations, is "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone" and "shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
• Revelation 20:14-15: Death and Hades (the abode of the dead; KJV "hell") are cast into the lake of fire. The text calls this "the second death." Whoever is not found written in the book of life is also cast into the lake of fire.
• Revelation 21:8: The portion of the unbelieving, murderers, idolaters, all liars, and others is "the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Background

The original Greek means "lake of fire." In the Old Testament, fire and brimstone serve as images of God's judgment. One example is the brimstone and fire that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24). In Daniel 7:11 the body of the beast is "given to the burning flame," and Isaiah 66:24 says of those under judgment, "neither shall their fire be quenched."

Meaning in the Wider Bible

In the Gospels, Jesus refers to the final punishment as "Gehenna" (rendered "hell" in both the New Korean Revised Version and the KJV). The word derives from the Valley of Hinnom. Mark 9:48 quotes Isaiah 66:24, and Matthew 25:41 speaks of "everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

The lake of fire in Revelation takes up these images of judgment and presents a scene in which evil and death themselves come to an end at the Last Judgment. Because death and Hades are themselves cast into the lake of fire, many interpreters distinguish Hades, the abode of the dead before the judgment, from the lake of fire, the place of final punishment.

Interpretations and Debates

• Duration of punishment: Many traditions, including the Presbyterian Westminster Confession of Faith, hold that the wicked are punished eternally. This view cites the phrase "for ever and ever" in Revelation 20:10 and 14:11. By contrast, the Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches annihilationism, the view that the wicked are ultimately destroyed, and the Anglican evangelical John Stott is known to have cautiously suggested this possibility. This view appeals to the expression "the second death" and to Matthew 10:28, which tells readers to "fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Jehovah's Witnesses interpret the lake of fire as a symbol of eternal destruction.
• Literal or symbolic: Some interpret the fire literally, while others see it as a symbol of an extreme state of separation from God. Those favoring the symbolic reading point out that hell is also described as "outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12).
• Distinguishing Scripture from later embellishments: Contrary to the popular image of Satan ruling over hell, in Revelation the devil is among those cast into the lake of fire to be punished. The text says almost nothing about what the interior of the lake of fire looks like. Many of the commonly circulated details come from literary works or personal testimonies.

In the Korean Church

The lake of fire is frequently mentioned in revival meetings and in eschatological preaching as part of calls to repentance and evangelism. Testimonies from people claiming to have seen heaven and hell have at times spread widely through books and gatherings, but such testimonies have also been criticized for adding details not found in Scripture.