10 Reasons Why Revelation 20:10 Doesn’t Prove the Theory of Catholicism's Eternally Burning Hell

10 Reasons Why Revelation 20:10 Doesn’t Prove the Theory of an Eternally Burning Hell

The text says: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever”.

1o. – Because it is a rule in good Theology that doctrines are not established on the basis of symbolic, parabolic or isolated texts in the Scriptures, especially those not very clear. The book of Revelation is full of allegories taken from the Old Testament that need to be understood within the characteristics of these illustrations and according to its original use. Thus, we have references to Balaam [2:14], Jezebel [2:20], the two olive trees of Zacariah 4 [11:4], Elijah is the draught [11:6], Sodom and Egypt [11:8], Babylon [14:8, chaps. 17 and 18], Gog and Magog [20:8], the beast composed of the same animals in Daniel 7 [13:2], etc.

2o. – Because the language of “tormented day and night” is drawn from Isaiah 34:10, that speaks of how “it will not be quenched night and day . . . from generation to generation” the fire that destroys Edom, thus representing an intense and complete process of destruction for the time of its duration, being desolated “from generation to generation” (which is equivalent to the “for the century of centuries”). However, for millennia Edom no longer exists. Also in Jeremiah17:27 we read about the fire that would consume Jerusalem’s gates and would not be quenched. But that fire has extinguished for millennia now.

3o. – Because the figure of the fire that never is extinguished is also part of the Old Testament language used in Ezekiel 20:47, 48. The reason why the fire that destroys God’s enemies will not be quenched is because “I the Lord have kindled it”. Throughout the context the language has the tenor of “consuming” (see 21:31, and 32—“you will be fuel for the fire”, and 22:20—“I will gather you in my anger, and you will be melted. . .”).

4o. – Because in the book of Revelation itself John employs the same language of 20:10 in other places in a sense of something that lasts “day and night”, denoting continuity, not eternal duration of an action. Thus he describes the living creatures praising God without rest “day and night” (Rev. 4:8'), the martyrs that serve God “day and night” (Rev. 7:15) and Satan accusing the brethren “day and night” (Rev. 12:10).

5o. – Because the lot of Babylon, symbol of the false religion, to which the beast and the false prophet are associated, jointly thrown into the “lake of fire”, is total destruction, to the point of “never to be found again” (Rev. 14:11 and 18:8 and 21).

6o. – Because the armies of Gog and Magog, mentioned in the immediate context (vs. 8'), remind the episode prophesized by Ezekiel of Israel’s enemies, which were totally desolated and destroyed (see Ezekiel chaps. 38 and 39). Also the language of the pouring of the cup of God's wrath, applied to Babylon, is a well established symbol of the divine judgment in the Old Testament (Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15-38; Sal. 60:3; 75:8'). God pours the cup “without mixture”, i.e., without dilution, to secure its lethal effect. The prophets employed similar language: “they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been” (Oba. 16; cf. Jer. 25:18, 27, 33). The same cup of God’s wrath is served to Babylon, the city that corrupts the people. God mixtures--“pay her back double”--and the result is “her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine”, as well as destruction by fire (Rev. 18: 6, 8'). The end of Babylon, destroyed by fire, is also the end of the apostates who drank of the chalice without mixture, from God.

7o. – Because, according to the Scriptures, only God possesses in Himself immortality (1 Tim. 1:17; 6:16). He grants immortality as a gift of the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10:) and those who will be lost are the ones who didn’t receive that blessing. In Romans 2:7 Paul speaks of those who will receive life eternal in view of looking for glory, honor and “immortality”. We don’t have to look for attaining something we already possess, supposedly in the form of an eternal element that we bear in the inner being.

8o. – Because the contrast between saved and lost is defined as those who have life eternal (John 6:54), and those who will perish, as the wages of sin is death (John 3:16; Rom. 6:23), since they will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, “the second death” (Rev. 20:14 and 21:8'). Revelation 20:9 says that those who face the fire of the gehenna are “consumed”. Notice that the “brimstone” is introduced there in association with the “second death” of the lake of fire.

9o. – Because the final lot of the devil himself will be the destruction, as described in very graphic language in Ezekiel 28:18 and 19 (represented as the king of Tyre, as in Isaiah 14 he is the king of Babylon), “. . . I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you into ashes . . . you have come to a horrible end and will be no more” (compare with Isa. 14:14, 15 and Mal. 4:1-3).

10o. – Because in a striking contrast between those who accept salvation and those who reject definitively the divine message (Hebrews 6:4-8') it is said that the first “have tasted the heavenly gift”, while the last ones are as a bare land that “is worthless and is in danger of being cursed, in the end to be burned”. In the same book, 12:28, 29 we have again the contrast: “. . . we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship god acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire'”.-- Study by Prof. Azenilto G. Brito [based on the discussions on the end of sin and sinners in Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi's book Immortality or Resurrection?. All Bible texts were taken from the New International Version].